Agenda: Week 1 – 1/29 & 1/31

Course Overview & Annotating Texts

For Monday:

Texts: 

• Read the Welcome Announcement and perform the task at the end (join OpenLab and this class).

Writing:

Write two paragraphs that introduce yourself to me in the “Blue Book” I will provide:

• On the cover, write your full, legal name, your preferred name (if you have one), and your pronouns (he/she/they). Write the date at the top of the first page and title the paragraphs “Introducing Me!”
• Paragraph 1: Tell me about yourself, academic and otherwise.
  • What your major is and why you chose your major. What career are you aiming for when you’re done with college?
  • Share what you enjoy doing in your non-academic time (hobbies, jobs, pets, favorite television shows, etc.) Add anything else you want me to know about you.
• Paragraph 2: Write about yourself as a reader and writer.
  • What kinds of reading are you drawn to? (For example, do you read graphic novels, news articles, biographies, etc.?) What types do you avoid and dislike? Why?
  • What writing assignments do you enjoy–if any? Why do you like them, and if you don’t like any writing assignments, explain why?
• Complete as much of the above paragraphs in the time allotted and return the Blue Book in before you leave the class!
  • This is a low-stakes writing assignment, and worth 30% of your overall grade.
  • If you take the Blue Book with you, you will not receive credit!

For Wednesday:

Text to read before class:

• Review “RWL” (Reading like a Writer) Power Point by City Tech’s Professor Laura Westengard.

Read/Write during class:

• We’ll discuss the “RWL” PowerPoint first.
• I will be distributing copies of three different kinds of writing to small groups.
• You will be given a period of time to read and annotate the writing you’re given. You’ll also have a worksheet.
  • Annotate this copy as you read.
    • What does “annotate” mean? Highlight words or phrases you find interesting. Write thoughts or questions in the margins that come up as you read. If you don’t know the definition of a word, circle or underline it (don’t stop reading).
  • Before and while you read, answer the questions in the worksheet.
• When I announce that time’s up, pass your copy to a neighbor in your group. Take a neighbor’s copy. Repeat the steps above.
  • There will hopefully be previous annotations, but try to find new words or phrases and different thoughts and questions.
• We’ll repeat the steps one more time. By the end, all the writing examples should be full of notes and your worksheets should have a lot of information!
• Before you leave class, be sure to return the writing examples and your worksheet (which should have your name written on it so I can count this as your low-stakes writing assignment–which is worth 30% of your overall grade).
  • Optional: You can read the entire essay by Mike Bunn here: “How to Read like a Writer”.
• If you missed class on Monday, you need to talk to me before you leave!

Homework

Please read the following before class on Monday:

• Read “The Memory of My Grandmother” (City Tech student essay) by Anita Jiang. The essay is in a larger journal–you only need to read Jiang’s essay!
• Read “Chapter 7” from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass.
  • For both texts, use the suggestions presented in the PowerPoint we covered about “How to Read Like a Writer.”