Writing on a Wall by >sunshine<

Before class on Monday, students will…

  • Choose the genre you will use for Unit 3 and find a mentor text (a sample of what you want to use as a model for your own project) for the genre you will work in. Read, annotate and bring it to class.
  • Note several traits (at least six) that seem specific to this genre and list them. Here are some examples of what you might look for:
    • Are the paragraphs long or short? How long is the overall piece?
    • Is imagery used?
    • From what point of view is the piece written? 
    • Is there dialogue or is just one person talking? 
    • What is the tone and purpose? 
    • How is it organized?
    • Where is your genre found? What kind of place/publication?
    • Consider who created the piece (a scholar? a reporter? a creative writer? a child? etc.)
    • Quote one sentence from your sample that you think is effective, and explain why you chose it.
  • Create a post titled Full Name, U3 Genre and save it under the category U3 Work. In the post, share your notes about what you’ve found in your mentor text. Be sure to post this by class time on Monday, since we’ll be discussing it!
    • This is a low-stakes writing assignment (worth 30% of your overall grade)!

During class, we will…

Write/Discuss:

  • Pretend you are a professor teaching a class how to write in your genre. Create a single lecture slide listing AND defining the traits/features of your genre.
  • Then in small groups, take turns taking on the following roles:
    • Professor: Teach the basic features of your genre using your slide.
    • Student: Ask questions. (What is unclear? What is missing? Are there any basic features that should be added or deleted?) 
  • When you finish presenting/discussing, write out a paragraph describing and defining the traits/features of your genre (this can become a paragraph in your Unit 3 Reflection paper).

Homework:

  • Turn the lecture slide into a PDF and post it under the title Full Name, U3 Genre Lesson and save it under the category U3 Work by class time on Wednesday.
    • This is one of those low-stakes writing assignments (worth 30% of your overall grade)!

During class on Wednesday, we will…

Discuss:

  • Talk about the grading criteria for both parts of this project (see below for a reminder).
  • In small groups and then the class, you’ll briefly share your genre and its conventions (which we discussed on Monday) and ask each other for feedback on the following questions:
    • How will you show the information from your research?
    • How will you give credit to your sources to avoid plagiarism?
    • What excites you about creating your genre?
    • What worries you about this project as a whole?

Part I: Your original piece…

  • uses one of the genres from the list provided or one we agreed on.
  • follows the conventions and formatting of your chosen genre that you explored and listed in your reflection (Part II).
  • Incorporates information from the research done for your reflective annotated bibliography and gives appropriate credit in order to avoid plagiarism.

Part II: Your one-page reflection…

  • is thoughtfully written and follows the assignment guidelines.
  • clearly and convincingly explains why the genre you plan to compose in makes sense for the audience you have chosen to address.
  • clearly lists and explains the traits that are unique to the genre.

Homework:

  • Begin creating your U3 project. This project requires some maturity as a student on your part. Why? Because each student’s project is different, the time required for Parts I and II will vary. You’ll need to schedule in the time needed. Also, the temptation to put off this assignment until right before the first draft due date will be strong–do not give in to this temptation!
  • However, I will give you two new due dates to keep y’all motivated and on track:
    • Plan on sharing your progress on Part I on Monday and Part II on Wednesday.
      • What do I mean by “progress”? Being ready to show or discuss in detail what you’re working on for Part I on Monday and having a few paragraphs to show for Part II on Wednesday.