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Rompogren – ENGL 109 A – Fall 2011

First Day In-Class Writing Sample:

What is your writing autobiography?

In the space provided on the back of this sheet, respond to the question above. You should explain what you understand ‘writing’ to be about and explain some of the main things you’ve learned about writing essays. Use examples that illustrate specific classes or papers where you learned to write or adopted certain writing standards. For example, you can write about rules that your high school English teacher taught you (and stuck with you); you can write about how you procrastinate until the day before and essay is due before you write it; you can even write about how you’ve never understood what good writing is or how to write well. I’m mostly interested in learning what writing skills you’re coming to this class with and what skills we might need to focus on. You have 20 minutes to write your response.

Please note: This is not a test and it will not be graded. Rather, it is a chance for you to start thinking about writing, which will be one of the core focuses of this class and ENGL 110. By beginning to think about your writing history now, you will hopefully start thinking of the writing strategies you already do know, as well as the ones that you might want to work on in this course. Please do pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation - however, note that I am more interested in what you have to say then how you express it.

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Take-Home Assignment:

Now that you’ve written about your writing history on the spot, I’d like you to take this writing sample home, type it up, and revise it to the best of your ability. Clean up any grammar, spelling, punctuation, or style errors that you might have made in the original, and feel free to reorganize your thoughts if you’d like. Print out your revised writing sample, staple it to this sheet, and hand it in tomorrow (Thursday, September 29th). Please be sure to type your essay in Times New Roman font, size 12, and make sure your writing sample has one-inch margins on each side, double-spaced. Include a header that states your name, the name of this course (English 109 A), the date, and the name of this assignment.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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Short Essay 1: What is Education?

Background

As we discussed on the first day of class, the course theme centers on education. So, to give you a chance to start thinking about the topic we will be discussing for the next 10 weeks, your first assignment is to write an essay about what education means to you. Being able to articulate your ideas about education in this essay will help you respond to the other ideas about education expressed in the articles we will read later.

Task

Your task for this essay is to find an artifact that defines education to you (it could be a photograph, a movie, a song, a poem, a novel, an object, etc.) and write about it. Explain what your artifact is and how the artifact represents education to you and why.

Due Date and Expectations

Your essay must be typed and printed, and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be ½ - 1 page (a minimum of half a page and a maximum of one full page), double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109 A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, September 26th. Please be prepared to share your artifact with the class on Monday.

Assessment

In assessing your work I will be looking for the following in your essay: An explanation of what artifact you chose An explanation of how your artifact represents 'education' as you understand it Standard essay format as outlined above under the “Due Date and Expectations” heading


Short Essay 2: “School Days” Summary (“They Say”)

Background

Now that we've had a chance to discuss what it means to 'enter' an academic 'conversation' (recall Ch. 1 of TSIS), I'd like you to use the strategies we discussed to write a short summary of Symmetry's “School Days.” Remember: a summary comprises the “they say” part of an argument. In other words, a summary tells readers what the basic argument of the summarized text is.

Task

For Short Essay 2, then, I'd like you to provide me (your audience) with an explanation of Symmetry's “School Days.” Explain what the text is, who wrote it, and what it's about. Be sure to answer the following questions in your summary: What is Symmetry's general argument? What kind of arguments or general beliefs is Symmetry responding to about education? Please note that a summary always includes the author's name and the title of the work.


Your essay must be typed and printed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1 page, double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109 A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, October 10th.

Assessment

In assessing your work I will be looking for the following in your essay: A mention of the author and the title of the work you are summarizing An explanation of Symmetry's argument An explanation of the arguments Symmetry is responding to (or, in other words, an explanation

of the conversation Symmetry is entering with his text) Standard essay format as outlined above under the “Due Date and Expectations” heading


Short Essay 3: “Entering the Conversation”

BackgroundYou've already written a “they say” essay for Symmetry's “School Days” in which you basically summarized an author’s argument about education. Now that we've spent some time in class also talking about ways to respond to things that we've read, I'd like you to write a response paper to practice these skills. A response paper generally includes not only a summary of the text you're responding to, but also your own thoughts about what the author is saying in his or her text.

TaskSo, in writing your response essay this week, I'd like you to include not only a brief summary of the text (you can choose to respond either to “School Days” or “Hidden Intellectualism”) but also your own thoughts in response to what you’ve read. Be sure to explain the following: what kind of text it is, who wrote it, and what arguments the author is making about education or learning in general. For your response, you may address any or all of the following questions: Do you agree with Symmetry or Graff's views on education and why? Do you disagree with his views and why? Have you experienced anything similar to what Symmetry or Graff went through in school or did you have a different experience?

Due Date and ExpectationsYour essay must be typed and printed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1-2 pages (a minimum of 1 full page and a maximum of 2 full pages), double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109 A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, October 17th. AssessmentIn assessing your work I will be looking for the following in your essay:● A brief summary of the text you are responding to (author, title, what the text is about/what the author is arguing)● A response to the text following one of the three ways of responding as outlined in TSIS – do you agree? Disagree? Both?● An explanation of your response. In other words, why do you agree, disagree, or both?● Standard essay format as outlined above under the “Due Date and Expectations” heading


Short Essay 4: “Entering the Conversation” Part 2 /Tailoring Your Summary

Background

Practice makes perfect! For your fourth short essay, you’ll be writing yet another summary and response, building on what you’ve already done and the knowledge you already have. However, now that we’ve discussed TSIS Ch. 2 (“The Art of Summarizing), you have more tools in your toolbox to write an effective summary and response.

Task

For this summary and response, I’d like you to focus only on M.K. Asante, Jr.’s, “Two Sets of Notes.” I suggest you focus only on the chapter alone (rather than the poem), but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can choose to summarize and respond only to the poem (for the sake of concision, since you have a page limit, do not summarize both). Recall what the authors write in TSIS about summaries: that you as a writer must find a balance between fairly representing an author’s point of view, while also tailoring the summary to your specific response. Also, remember that there are a variety of ways to respond: you can disagree or agree or both, you could explore a particular critique or question you had as you read, or you could add something to Asante’s argument – just about any response is appropriate as long as it respectfully adds something to the ‘conversation’ Asante’s text is part of.


Your essay must be typed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1 ½ - 2 pages long, double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, October 24th.

Assessment

An effective summary of the text you are responding to (author, title, an unbiased explanation of the author’s main arguments/ideas)

A tailoring of your summary to your response (in other words, some of the details of your sum-mary should lead into the focus of your response)

An appropriate and critical response to “Two Sets of Notes” Standard essay format


Short Essay 5: Mid-Quarter Reflections

Background

In order to give you an idea of your progress in the class and to flag any issues regarding your participation or essays, I will be

writing a Fifth Week Progress Reports, which I will provide for both you and your advisors at the end of Week 5. This report is

simply a form that I will fill out about your attendance, participation, quality of work, timeliness, and other comments or

concerns I have about your progress thus far. Before I write these, I’d like to get a sense of what you consider your own progress to be in the class. The reflections that you write also provide a good

basis for the critical reflections you will have to include in your final portfolios at the end of the course.

Task

For your critical reflection, I’d like you to address the following (similar to the Progress Reports that I will be writing):

1) Your attendance and participation and timeliness (all 3!)2) The quality of your work3) Other comments or concerns about your progress in the course so far (related to participation or

your writing skills or anything else).

I’d like you to write a minimum of one paragraph for each of these three categories, and write a header above each paragraph stating each (i.e. for #1 the header would be “Attendance, Participation, and Timeliness”). Consider this an argument essay for why you are doing well or not doing well in particular areas of this course, and explain why (give examples). This essay will not only give me an idea of how you view your progress in the course, but it will also be a chance for you to reflect on what you’re doing well so far and what you can work on.


Your essay must be typed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1- 2 pages long, double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, October 31st.

Assessment

A thorough evaluation of your progress, according to the three categories listed above (I’ll be looking at the level of thought and effort you put into this reflection)

Whether your essay addresses all three categories thoroughly Whether your essay follows the specific formatting guidelines outlined above


Short Essay 6: Close Reading - “Banking Concept”

Background

This week we've read and tackled a text written in a higher academic register than others we've explored so far. Paulo Freire's “'Banking Concept' of Education” is written in standard academic tone, with challenging vocabulary, new concepts, and abstract theories. There is a lot being said in this text and it challenges you to use your annotating skills in order to understand the main concepts and multiple arguments he is posing. The “'Banking Concept” also offers a rich potential resource/springboard for you to explore education's purpose and outcomes in your Long Essay.

Task

For this assignment, I'd like you to close read one passage (of your choosing) from the text and explore what Freire is saying in that passage. You can choose a passage that you found really interesting, or one that was confusing or difficult, or one that you agree with or disagree with – it's up to you. Remember that close reading includes identifying words you don’t know, untangling difficult syntax, analyzing and interpreting word choice and phrasing, and tying concepts together. Close reading also means tying a particular passage to the overall argument or idea of a text, so be sure to not only spend time applying a magnifying glass to your passage, but also to the greater argument.


Your essay must be typed and printed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1 ½ -2 pages, double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109 A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Monday, November 14th. AssessmentIn assessing your work I will be looking for the following in your essay:

A thoughtful consideration of the passage you choose (in other words, I don’t want you to randomly pick a paragraph or close read one of the easier passages, such as one where he defines the banking concept. Challenge yourself!). You cannot choose a passage that you worked on in class.

Explanation of why you chose the passage Complexity of thought/depth of analysis Explanation of how the passage relates to Freire’ greater argument Effectiveness of quote integration (if any) Standard essay format as outlined above


Short Essay 7 – Extended Definition

Background

Today we talked about the use of extended definitions in reading and writing – they can help writers provide a foundation for their arguments by defining key terms, and they can help readers understand what a writer is trying to say by supplying the writer's understanding of key terms for the reader. Extended definitions are particularly useful when an essay is centered on an abstract idea or a term that may have a wide range of meanings for different people.

Task

In preparation for your Long Essay, I'd like you to write your own extended definition of either “education” or a term synonymous or related to “education.” Possible choices include:

● Education● Learning● Studying● Knowledge● Intelligence

We’ve talked about some of these terms in class (for example, Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism” dealt a bit with intelligence, and Asante’s “Two Sets of Notes” dealt with knowledge), but there are other terms we have not explored. This essay will help you gain practice with extended definitions and will hopefully also help you generate ideas for your Long Essay.


Your essay must be typed and printed and completed in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1-inch margins on all sides. Your essay must be 1 – 1 ½ pages, double-spaced. You must include a heading on your essay that states your name, the title of this class (ENGL 109 A), the essay number, and the date. Your essay will be due Thursday, November 17th. AssessmentIn assessing your work I will be looking for the following in your essay:

A description of the distinguishing characteristics of your word Examples to support your definition Standard essay format

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.


Long Essay:What is most important about education and why?

Background

So far you have been writing short papers to help you practice reading and writing thoughtfully. To put it in the language of the Learning Goals: you have already learned how to read and annotate academic articles and have learned to begin formulating and developing an argument (using the ‘they say, I say’ format). You also have had practice identifying and using common academic writing strategies. You are now ready to embark on the next step: a 4-6 page paper that incorporates all of these outcomes and simply builds on what you already know how to do.

Task

In class and in your shorter essays you have spent time talking about education – what education means to different people and how that is expressed through their texts and arguments. For this essay, I want you to synthesize what you’ve read and answer the following questions: What do you think is/are the most important aspects about education? Recall what the authors we’ve read have said about learning inside and outside the classroom, and what we’ve discussed about ‘intellectualism,’ ‘self-education,’ ‘banking education,’ etc.

Presumably the line of inquiry that you choose to explore will be inspired by one or more of the texts we’ve read; because of this, you will need to ground your own analysis by considering the viewpoints of other writers we have discussed in class. Your paper should include at least three substantially discussed quotes by one (or more) of these authors:

Symmetry – “School Days” Graff – “Hidden Intellectualism” M.K. Asante, Jr. – “Two Sets of Notes” Buster Blonde – “99%” Paulo Freire – “Banking Concept of Education”

Be sure to argue your claim (essentially your response to these questions) in a thoughtful, analytic way, and provide sufficient evidence (from the texts or personal experience) as support for your argument. You may choose to critique or challenge an author, use the 'disagree, agree, both' method of response, question a certain argument or arguments, or add to the arguments of a text, whatever.

Due Date and Expectations:

Your rough draft of this paper is due Monday, November 21st. Your essay must be 4-6 pages, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on each side. Please complete your paper in size 12, Times New Roman font, and make sure it is stapled.


Final Portfolio + Critical Reflection/Cover Letter

Background and Task:

Throughout this course, you completed 7 Short Essays, 1 Long Essay, and a Mid-Quarter Reflection, each of which was designed to help you fulfill at least one ENGL 109 Course Goal each. In your portfolio, you will be expected to revise a substantial body of writing that you have produced this quarter, and you will also be asked to critically analyze the work you have done by articulating how the Course Goals are demonstrated in your revised Long Essay and the 4 Short Essays you choose to revise. You revisions should be made according to feedback and what you have learned in class so far. This is a chance for you to demonstrate your ability to grow and develop as an academic writer.

The cover letter that you submit is an integral part of this portfolio. It should essentially function as a critical reflection on the strengths of your writing, and the challenges you have overcome (or have started to overcome) as a writer during this class. Your cover letter must demonstrate an ability to critically analyze and evaluate the papers you have chosen to revise in the portfolio. In identifying why you have chosen these specific papers as evidence of your progress in this course, you must demonstrate how these papers fulfill the 109 Course Goals. A strong cover letter that accurately assesses your chosen work will boost your final grade. Bear in mind that your revised essay will fulfill multiple Course Goals. All your revised work should be error-free and follow the standard requirements that were asked of you for every essay (Times New Roman, 12-point font, correct page length, 1-inch margins).

Any portfolio that does not include all of the above will be considered incomplete. Furthermore, any portfolio in which several of the assignments fall significantly short of their requirements will also be considered incomplete. Turning in an incomplete portfolio means that you cannot pass the course.

While you are required to include all the short and major papers that you have done over the quarter, the portfolio will be assessed (read: graded) only on the critical reflection, the revised Long Essay, and the 4 revised Short Essays.

Overall, your final portfolio should include the following:- Four (4) Short Essays selected by you to be evaluated on the basis of the 109 Course Goals- Your revised Long Essay- Original copies of ALL major and short paper drafts with my comments- A cover letter that makes an argument for how your portfolio selections demonstrate the

Course Goals- Any peer reviews and rough drafts that help you to illustrate your development.


Due Date and Expectations:

Your portfolio is due in my office by 5 PM on Monday, December 12th. All essays must conform to the standard requirements articulated on the prompts: correct page length, 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on each side. Your cover letter must be 2-3 pages, single-spaced. All papers must be stapled. Also, title each piece (i.e. “Short Paper 2.1”) so you can refer to it by name in your cover letter.

Assembling the portfolio:● Please place your materials in the following order:

1. Cover Letter2. The revised Long Essay in final form3. The 4 selected Short Essays in final form4. Draft of the long essay with my comments5. One (or more) rough draft(s) of the long essay with peer feedback6. Drafts of the selected shorter assignments with my comments7. The rest of the papers that you have done. Be sure that these papers are the ones with

my feedback on them.

● Place your organized materials in a light binder or envelope. Nothing fancy; just organized. The front of your binder/envelope should contain the following information:

[Your Name]INSTRUCTOR: Justina Rompogren

English 109 AFall 2011

Portfolio Checklist:

Use this checklist to be sure that you have included copies of all of the required assignments. The list below is not in the order you should turn in papers, as some of them will be included earlier, for evaluation, and the rest will be included after, for evidence of completion.

o Critical Reflection/Cover Lettero Short Essay 1 – What is Education?o Short Essay 2 – “School Days” They Sayo Short Essay 3 – Entering the Conversationo Short Essay 4 – Asante – Tailoring Your Summaryo Short Essay 5 – Mid-Quarter Reflection (**Note: This paper cannot be one of the 4 Short

Essays you choose for evaluation)o Short Essay 6 – Freire Close Readingo Short Essay 7 – Extended Definitiono Long Essay – What is the most important aspect about education?

o Long Essay draft, with my feedbacko Long Essay draft with peer feedback


Cover Letter / Critical Reflection Assignment The cover letter is meant to represent the goals of this course in the most thorough and complete form. In a 2-3 page, single-spaced letter, you will construct an argument that explains how the essays you’ve chosen to revise and showcase demonstrate the ENGL 109 Course Goals that we have been working on throughout the course. Format: Length: 2-3 pages Format: Business letter format, single-spaced, block format Rough Draft Due: Tuesday, December 6th Final Draft Due: With the portfolio (do not include your rough draft) Business Letter Format:The business letter format has the following specific formatting requirements: Times New Roman, 12pt, 1-inch margins, and single-spaced. The paragraphs will be in block format which means that they will not be indented and will be separated by a blank line. You will be addressing your cover letter directly to me, but all of the academic writing conventions and strategies that we have learned still apply. Your portfolio grade will depend partially on your performance on the cover letter itself, so be sure to take it seriously.______________________________________________________________________________Sample:[Date] [Instructor Name]Department of English, Box 354330University of WashingtonSeattle, WA 98195-4330 Dear [Instructor Name]: I am writing this letter to you in order to illustrate, as a sample, the format of the cover letter. As you can clearly see, the tone of the letter itself is formal and controlled, mirroring the tone that I have been struggling to establish in my own writing all quarter long. In your Portfolio Packet you noted that each cover letter should use “the same font and margin requirements that have been required for all of [our] papers.” Taking this direction into account, I have taken care to use Times New Roman Font at the 12 point size requirement and have set my page margins at a sensible one inch. You may also notice that the paragraphs themselves are not indented. I am however careful to leave a space in-between each separate paragraph in order to properly conform to the “block format” that is required of a business letter of this type. There are many reasons to do this, the foremost among them being that you told me to. Blah Blah Blah… and so one for as many paragraphs as you need. Sincerely,[Your signature] [Your name typed]

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