Week Three
There are quite a few new students in many sections: English 251, English 1A, and English 201. For those of you just joining us, welcome. I keep copies of all the assignment handouts in the bin outside my office L-236. You have to enter the Writing Center and then L-235, to find me.

If you have essays to leave for me, leave them in my mailbox, which is in the Division II Office, C-201. You can give the work to one of the secretaries. Please put the section number or meeting time on your essay.

In English 201 we are up to Chapter 6 in the Pact. This week we watched the interview with Barry Kirbick. If you missed it, make arrangements to watch it during my office hours.
We have also been looking at the parts of an essay: Introductions, Conclusions and Thesis Statements. There was a two-sided handout.

I am really pleased with the essays I have read so far in all classes. Many of you are skilled writers already, so all we have to do is strengthen what you already know. Be aware that all essays which are grammatically and structurally sound are not A papers. Also, all essays which receive passing grades do not need revision. For the heavily weighted papers such as the essays based on books and the research essay, you can revise once for a higher grade. The rest should be looked at as practice exercises. For those who want to know how they can improve, wait until you have written three essays, then come talk to me. At the present time, I don't know you well enough as writers. My comments will be minimal. However, I will note strengths and errors, if necessary, on all essays with the exception of exams.

An A paper addresses the assignment thoughtfully and analytically, setting a challenging task. This paper establishes a clearly-focused controlling idea and demonstrates strong sense of purpose and audience awareness. It cites and analyzes relevant sources and evaluates their validity, effectively integrating them into text when appropriate. The paper demonstrates coherent and rhetorically sophisticated organization; makes effective connections between ideas, and provides clear generalizations with specific detail and compelling support. It also demonstrates superior control of grammar, sentence variety, word choice and conventions of standard written English.

ESL/Dialect Guideline: Grammatical errors are rare and do not interfere with overall effectiveness of paper; occasional imprecision in word choice or usage may occur.

The rubric is in a folder at my office as of Friday, Sept. 8. Pick up a copy to see the range between A-F. As are 4 points, Bs 3, Cs 2, Ds 1, F 0. If you want to know how you're doing, take three papers, add the points, divide by the total number of essays (in this case 3) and the answer is your average.

Check pluses means you did the assignment. It is an acknowlegement. It is a C.

Homework this week was to begin reading and doing the exercises in Hacker: Chapter 1, The Writing Process. I also suggest that you skim Document Design, the following chapter. Complete all the exercises in the book. You can write in the book. For the online activities, if you don't understand the assignment or need help, do the assignment in the Writing Center or email it to me.

We will look at The Writing Process Sept. 11-15; The Basics Sept. 18-22; Clarity Sept. 25-29; Grammar Oct. 2-6.; Argument Oct. 9-13; Research Guide oct. 16-20; Punctuation Oct. 23-27; Mechanics Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Individuals might need to spend more time in certain areas.

Begin to think about topics you might like to consider for your essay which will be due in the next few weeks. In English 201, the book you will be writing about is The Pact. In English 1A the text is My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. (I believe we're up to page 118.)

Essay plans for all writing classes will due September 27/28. Outlines will be due Oct. 2/3. First drafts will be due Oct. 5/6.

Visit http://dianahacker.com/rules/guidelines-peer_review.html for tips on how to be a good peer reviewer.

Also look at http://dianahacker.com/rules/subpages/wr_flash/hackwr03.asp?session=6235122999514586&name=wanda&group= This is an exercise in responding to essays.