Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday's (8/12/11) & This Weekend's Work
Today and this weekend, I want you to work on revising your "thing" and your reflective essay based on the feedback you've received from me and your peers. I'll be giving feedback throughout the day and the weekend a few times a day, but if you need to draw my attention to something because you're working on it right then, just send me an email, and if I can, I'll go look right then. On Monday and Tuesday, we'll work on our end-of-semester portfolio reflection. Your finished portfolio will be due by Thursday, 8/18, at noon (though you are free to turn everything in as early as Tuesday if you're "finished" then). More details on the portfolio on Monday, but just FYI, it will include your revised research project--thing and essay--and your end-of-semester portfolio reflection.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thursday's Workshop on Reflective Essay
The plan is for everyone to have a draft of the reflective essay portion of your researched project finished by this afternoon. I don't give page length requirements for this because that would be somewhat arbitrary, but if you're not writing 4+ (double-spaced) pages, you probably aren't doing some part of it justice (if yours isn't this long, don't freak out or pad it; I'll give you feedback about how you might develop it). When you're done, post it to the "Researched Project Drafts" folder in Google Docs (if you have trouble, send it to me via email--what's most important is that you get some feedback on it so you can revise this weekend). Then, I'd like you to read your partner's essay and respond to the following things, being as specific as you can and providing suggestions for revision when appropriate:
1. What context does the writer provide for the discussion surrounding his/her research question? What problem or misconceptions are at the root of the question? If the writer doesn't provide a discussion of the context, make note of that.
Pay close attention to the writer's discussion of his/her sources for these next three questions.
2. Organization of Source Discussion: How does s/he present what s/he's learned from the sources--Does she relate a story of finding the sources and present them in the order she found them (almost like a story of her research process? Does he discuss one source per paragraph, or does he organize the discussion more synthetically--by issue, rather than by source?
3. Source Analysis: Does the writer provide an analysis of her source's arguments, or does she just present the source information as "facts"?
4. Documentation: Does the writer document her source ideas correctly--using parenthetical documentation, even when ideas from sources aren't directly quoted? To what extent does the writer incorporate those ideas smoothly and meaningfully into his own writing (introducing a source, discussing the source ideas and its connection to his/her own point, etc.)? For this, you may want to take another look at the meaningful incorporation of sources handout I posted a few days ago).
5. Works Cited: Is there a works cited page? If not, make note of that as the writer will need to create one. If there is one, check it for accuracy. Only sources actually cited in the paper (check what's been parenthetically documented for this) need to show up on the works cited page. Are there sources mentioned in the essay, but not listed on the works cited page (or vice versa)? Also, do the citations include all the necessary info? Is it formatted properly according to MLA (or APA if the writer has chosen a different format)?
Now I'd like you to look carefully at the writer's discussion of the rhetorical choices she made regarding the creation of her "thing."
5. Has the writer focused his/her project on a single audience (teachers OR high school students at X school, parents of kids at Y elementary, etc.), or has s/he tried to reach too many audiences?
6. What claim has the writer decided to make to this audience?
7. What genre did the writer choose in order to reach this audience with this claim? Is there a good match between the claim, the audience, and the genre? In other words, if the writer has chosen a website to convey his message, but his audience isn't likely to have access to the internet, then there's a mis-match there which you'd need to point out.
1. What context does the writer provide for the discussion surrounding his/her research question? What problem or misconceptions are at the root of the question? If the writer doesn't provide a discussion of the context, make note of that.
Pay close attention to the writer's discussion of his/her sources for these next three questions.
2. Organization of Source Discussion: How does s/he present what s/he's learned from the sources--Does she relate a story of finding the sources and present them in the order she found them (almost like a story of her research process? Does he discuss one source per paragraph, or does he organize the discussion more synthetically--by issue, rather than by source?
3. Source Analysis: Does the writer provide an analysis of her source's arguments, or does she just present the source information as "facts"?
4. Documentation: Does the writer document her source ideas correctly--using parenthetical documentation, even when ideas from sources aren't directly quoted? To what extent does the writer incorporate those ideas smoothly and meaningfully into his own writing (introducing a source, discussing the source ideas and its connection to his/her own point, etc.)? For this, you may want to take another look at the meaningful incorporation of sources handout I posted a few days ago).
5. Works Cited: Is there a works cited page? If not, make note of that as the writer will need to create one. If there is one, check it for accuracy. Only sources actually cited in the paper (check what's been parenthetically documented for this) need to show up on the works cited page. Are there sources mentioned in the essay, but not listed on the works cited page (or vice versa)? Also, do the citations include all the necessary info? Is it formatted properly according to MLA (or APA if the writer has chosen a different format)?
Now I'd like you to look carefully at the writer's discussion of the rhetorical choices she made regarding the creation of her "thing."
5. Has the writer focused his/her project on a single audience (teachers OR high school students at X school, parents of kids at Y elementary, etc.), or has s/he tried to reach too many audiences?
6. What claim has the writer decided to make to this audience?
7. What genre did the writer choose in order to reach this audience with this claim? Is there a good match between the claim, the audience, and the genre? In other words, if the writer has chosen a website to convey his message, but his audience isn't likely to have access to the internet, then there's a mis-match there which you'd need to point out.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Notes on Reflective Essay for Researched Project
On Thursday, you'll be drafting your reflective essay for your researched project. Here's what the researched project assignment says about the reflective essay:
A Reflective Essay: This is the part that will look like a more traditional “research paper” in that this is where you’ll write about your sources. It’s designed so that you can take much of your plan of inquiry (minus the part about how you actually located your sources since this isn't a research narrative where you tell the story of your "discovery" of your sources) and revise it into your reflective essay (the revision is significant, yes, but it’s better than starting from scratch). So, the audience for the reflective essay is ME. It’s where you can show me what you know about your question and the context of it. This is where you’ll be citing your sources in traditional academic fashion (parenthetical documentation and works cited pages will be required), but more important than that, you’ll be showing me how you’ve synthesized your research, analyzed the information, and come to your own claim in response to all you’ve learned. Please re-read Kantz as you’re writing this final essay as it’s important that you NOT just tell a story of your research process ("First I searched this database using these keywords; then I found this article, which said X) or organize your paper by discussing one source at a time. That’s more what your plan of inquiry is, and that’s an ok place to start. But, what I want to see here is you making a claim based on/in the context of an analysis and synthesis of the conversation surrounding this question. That means including the major ideas/perspectives you came across in your research. I also want you to write about what you made (your “thing”) and why. What choices did you make about audience, purpose, claim, and genre, and why did you make those choices?
I've put up a link to a handout on meaningful incorporation of source material (click the link here or on the right side of our blog or directly through our 1302SII Google Docs folder); it has a lot of helpful hints about the technicalities of quoting and paraphrasing source ideas, but also addresses the philosophy behind when and why you do it. Think of this as an add-on to what you've learned from our course reading this semester, particularly from Kantz. Remember that you don't have any arbitrary guidelines about how many sources to use or how many times to quote people. That is all completely dependent on your own project. But know that I expect you to have done a pretty thorough search of the databases on your subject, so if you're only quoting from internet sources or only referencing 1-2 sources, you can expect me to ask you to justify those choices:). Failing to acknowledge sources would result in a failing grade for your portfolio, but that's something we can address in revision, so it should never get to that point. If you have questions, that's part of what I'll be happy to address.
If you have any questions about the writing of this part of your project, post them here so others can benefit from the responses, ok? Good luck to you!
A Reflective Essay: This is the part that will look like a more traditional “research paper” in that this is where you’ll write about your sources. It’s designed so that you can take much of your plan of inquiry (minus the part about how you actually located your sources since this isn't a research narrative where you tell the story of your "discovery" of your sources) and revise it into your reflective essay (the revision is significant, yes, but it’s better than starting from scratch). So, the audience for the reflective essay is ME. It’s where you can show me what you know about your question and the context of it. This is where you’ll be citing your sources in traditional academic fashion (parenthetical documentation and works cited pages will be required), but more important than that, you’ll be showing me how you’ve synthesized your research, analyzed the information, and come to your own claim in response to all you’ve learned. Please re-read Kantz as you’re writing this final essay as it’s important that you NOT just tell a story of your research process ("First I searched this database using these keywords; then I found this article, which said X) or organize your paper by discussing one source at a time. That’s more what your plan of inquiry is, and that’s an ok place to start. But, what I want to see here is you making a claim based on/in the context of an analysis and synthesis of the conversation surrounding this question. That means including the major ideas/perspectives you came across in your research. I also want you to write about what you made (your “thing”) and why. What choices did you make about audience, purpose, claim, and genre, and why did you make those choices?
I've put up a link to a handout on meaningful incorporation of source material (click the link here or on the right side of our blog or directly through our 1302SII Google Docs folder); it has a lot of helpful hints about the technicalities of quoting and paraphrasing source ideas, but also addresses the philosophy behind when and why you do it. Think of this as an add-on to what you've learned from our course reading this semester, particularly from Kantz. Remember that you don't have any arbitrary guidelines about how many sources to use or how many times to quote people. That is all completely dependent on your own project. But know that I expect you to have done a pretty thorough search of the databases on your subject, so if you're only quoting from internet sources or only referencing 1-2 sources, you can expect me to ask you to justify those choices:). Failing to acknowledge sources would result in a failing grade for your portfolio, but that's something we can address in revision, so it should never get to that point. If you have questions, that's part of what I'll be happy to address.
If you have any questions about the writing of this part of your project, post them here so others can benefit from the responses, ok? Good luck to you!
Wednesday's Work (8/10/11) & Homework for Thursday
By Wednesday morning, you should have already uploaded your drafts of your "thing" to the Researched Projects Drafts folder in Google Docs (you all now have editing access, so there shouldn't be any problem there). Please name your file Your First Name_Thing_Draft 1 so we can keep track of them. So, Part I of Wednesday's work will be for you to give each other feedback on your "thing." Here are the questions I want you to answer as you read:
1. What do you think this writer is trying to claim in his/her "thing"? In other words, what's the claim s/he is making? If there's any confusion, explain what exactly is leading you to be confused. What suggestions do you have to help the writer make his/her claim more clear and/or persuasive?
2. Who do you think the audience for this thing is? How can you tell? Be as specific as you can be with this.
3. How appropriate is this genre for the audience and/or claim? In other words, has this writer written a brochure when a T-shirt might have been more appropriate? What suggestions might you have for choosing a more apt genre?
Once you've given your feedback, read through the feedback your partners and I have left for you and make notes about what you'd like to revise. Were you trying to communicate one thing, but your partners thought you were saying something different? Is your choice of genre working out or not? How might you make productive changes (even completely re-thinking, if necessary, what you're doing)?
Then, Part II of Wednesday's work is to get started on your reflective essay (see the assignment sheet again for details--this is the part that looks most like a research paper, though with significant additions where you write about your rhetorical choices in designing your "thing"). You need to have a draft of that ready for feedback on Thursday afternoon (Save it as Your First Name_ReflectiveEssay_Draft1 and put it in the Researched Project Drafts folder in Google Docs). We're moving quickly, but think of this as one step at a time, and you won't be overwhelmed:). Only a few days left, and Summer II will be done! Again, email if you have any questions (jcharlton@utpa.edu).
1. What do you think this writer is trying to claim in his/her "thing"? In other words, what's the claim s/he is making? If there's any confusion, explain what exactly is leading you to be confused. What suggestions do you have to help the writer make his/her claim more clear and/or persuasive?
2. Who do you think the audience for this thing is? How can you tell? Be as specific as you can be with this.
3. How appropriate is this genre for the audience and/or claim? In other words, has this writer written a brochure when a T-shirt might have been more appropriate? What suggestions might you have for choosing a more apt genre?
Once you've given your feedback, read through the feedback your partners and I have left for you and make notes about what you'd like to revise. Were you trying to communicate one thing, but your partners thought you were saying something different? Is your choice of genre working out or not? How might you make productive changes (even completely re-thinking, if necessary, what you're doing)?
Then, Part II of Wednesday's work is to get started on your reflective essay (see the assignment sheet again for details--this is the part that looks most like a research paper, though with significant additions where you write about your rhetorical choices in designing your "thing"). You need to have a draft of that ready for feedback on Thursday afternoon (Save it as Your First Name_ReflectiveEssay_Draft1 and put it in the Researched Project Drafts folder in Google Docs). We're moving quickly, but think of this as one step at a time, and you won't be overwhelmed:). Only a few days left, and Summer II will be done! Again, email if you have any questions (jcharlton@utpa.edu).
Tuesday's Work (8/9/11)
Today, I want you to draft your "thing," whatever that might be. If you haven't gotten an okay from me about your audience, purpose, genre, and claim, please make sure you do yesterday's work first (and ASAP). You need to have a completed draft of your thing put in the "Researched Project drafts" folder in Google Docs by this evening. If your thing is not something you can cut and paste, take a picture of it and upload that or upload the link to the YouTube video, etc. If you have any questions, just let me know, and I'll try to help you. I'll leave notes later on today about how I'd like you to give one another feedback. You'll be in the same groups as before.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday's Work (8.8.11)
I hope you had a productive weekend and that you've completed most, if not all, of your research. Last week, I had you brainstorm about possible purposes, audiences, and genres for the "thing" you'll be creating as part of your researched project. I encourage you to go back and re-read the assignment for the researched project as you prepare to make some final choices about what you'll be making and why. Remember that what I'm asking you to do is likely very different than anything you've done before. It's not your typical research paper where you dump all the information you've found into an essay for some amorphic "general audience." All the things I've asked you to read this semester have been asking you to think about the purposes for research and argument differently, to see that you need to have a reason for doing this work other than "my teacher told me to":). So, based on your analysis of your sources, I want you to take one last stab at answering the following questions about the "thing" you're going to make:
1. What purpose do you want your project to serve?
2. What claim do you want to make? Or, another way of saying the same thing, what message do you want to send with your project?
3. Who do you choose as your audience? Try to be as local and specific with this as possible. If you're hoping to reach high school students, think of students at a particular school. If parents, how about parents at your kids' school? Remember that you can't have multiple audiences (parents, kids, administrators, teachers) because what you would say to each and how you would say it are quite different for each of those audiences.
4. What genre will you be writing in? For this one, remember that most people don't read essays and that brochures and Powerpoint presentations aren't the default answer either:), though for some audiences and situations, those choices make sense. Think about what your audience has occasion to read. Is it radio ads, YouTube videos, book covers, bookmarks, a letter to the editor, a parent newsletter from a school, etc., etc. Think widely here and don't worry that what you choose isn't enough work:). Everyone will be writing a reflective essay as well, and that's the thing which will look most like your typical research paper.
I'd like you to answer these questions here, and I'll try to get back to all of you this afternoon and evening. Once you get the ok from me, you'll need to start drafting your thing. We'll start workshopping your drafts tomorrow.
1. What purpose do you want your project to serve?
2. What claim do you want to make? Or, another way of saying the same thing, what message do you want to send with your project?
3. Who do you choose as your audience? Try to be as local and specific with this as possible. If you're hoping to reach high school students, think of students at a particular school. If parents, how about parents at your kids' school? Remember that you can't have multiple audiences (parents, kids, administrators, teachers) because what you would say to each and how you would say it are quite different for each of those audiences.
4. What genre will you be writing in? For this one, remember that most people don't read essays and that brochures and Powerpoint presentations aren't the default answer either:), though for some audiences and situations, those choices make sense. Think about what your audience has occasion to read. Is it radio ads, YouTube videos, book covers, bookmarks, a letter to the editor, a parent newsletter from a school, etc., etc. Think widely here and don't worry that what you choose isn't enough work:). Everyone will be writing a reflective essay as well, and that's the thing which will look most like your typical research paper.
I'd like you to answer these questions here, and I'll try to get back to all of you this afternoon and evening. Once you get the ok from me, you'll need to start drafting your thing. We'll start workshopping your drafts tomorrow.
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