Agenda: Week 4 – Tuesday, 9/19 & Thursday, 9/21

Before class on Tuesday, be sure to do the following (aka “homework”)…

• Read “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde.
• Review “Narrative Basic Features” Power Point by Laura Westengard.
• Using the freewriting we worked on Thursday, start writing your Unit 1 Writing Assignment.
• Make up any Discussion or U1 Writing low-stakes assignments you haven’t completed. (There are three: How to Read Like a Writer, Education Narrative, and Summary of Allegory of the Cave. Can’t remember what those assignments are about? Go back at our Agendas for Weeks 1, 2, and 3 for details!)
  • If these aren’t submitted by class time on Tuesday, you will lose 10 points for each assignment you did not complete. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but remember, those 10 points each add up over time, and low-stakes writing is worth 30% of your overall grade!
  • These assignments are easy to complete, you get the points if they are finished (and answer the prompt), and will only help your grade and understanding of the class. You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose!

During class on Tuesday, we will…

Discuss/Analyze:

• As a class, we’ll talk about Professor Westengard’s PowerPoint, then break into small groups to analyze the day’s reading assignment (The Fourth of July) using the features covered.
  • With your group, find the “feature” of the narrative that you have been assigned to examine (dramatic arc, dialogue, vivid description, significance).
  • Identify moments in the Lorde texts where you see the feature you have been assigned.
  • Copy out quotes or mark the text where you see the feature at work, and explain why it is that feature and/or how the feature is working in that moment. 

Before class on Thursday…

• Read “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott.
• Work on your own “shitty first draft”! Look at the material you’ve generated through brainstorming and freewriting in this class.

During class, we will…

Annotate/Discuss:

• Lamott’s work using a worksheet based on Mike Bunn’s “How to Read Like a Writer.” You can find the worksheet under Course Profile > Files > ENG1101 Handouts > How to Read Like a Writer for Lamott.
• Think about how you approach writing assignments and write a few sentences describing this approach.
  • For example, do you write several drafts? wait until the last minute? proofread carefully?
  • Give honest details! Then, add what you would like to change or improve about your writing process.
  • Share your thoughts with your small group.
• Work on your own “shitty first drafts.”

Looking ahead to next week…

• Write your U1 Major Assignment.
• Review “Citation and Formatting Guide” (City Tech Library).
• Review “MLA Style Introduction” (Purdue OWL).
• Review “Writing Transitions” (Purdue OWL).
• Review “What’s a Paragraph?” by Carrie Hall.