Major Assignments

English 3360: Current Approaches to Composition and Literature
Spring 2009

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Here are the general instructions for your major assignments in English 3360. More specific information about each assignment will be provided in class and posted to WebCT.

Writings (60%)
The following three assignments will be averaged together for a total of 60% of your grade.

1. Interview Report

Learn about what it's really like to teach writing in a public school. Interview a teacher who is currently certified and teaching at your preferred grade level about teaching writing. Ask the teacher any questions you have about teaching writing or about teaching in general. During the first full week of class, we will work on generating questions and give you some specific information to find out (for future assignments), but you can certainly expand on these, develop your own questions as well.

Once you have finished the interview, write a 3-page (minimum 750 words) report that synthesizes the interview and provides your own analysis and commentary on the information provided by your interviewee. Your goal is to answer the question, "what is it like to teach writing in ____ grade" for other preservice teachers.

You may conduct the interviews in pairs or threes, but the reports must be written separately. If you don't know a teacher to interview, let me know by the end of the second week of classes (Jan 23rd). I have a list of master teachers who have all expressed willingness (even enthusiasm) for speaking with you.

Please turn in the name and contact information for your interviewee by January 30 and make sure you have conducted the interview within the following two weeks, by February 13. Failure to meet these two deadlines will result in a one-letter grade reduction on the assignment (each).

2. Lesson Plan Critique

Thousands, perhaps even millions, of lesson plans are available to you from many sources. It's rare that a teacher has to start totally from scratch in creating a lesson. But not all lesson plans are equal. Some are excellent and can be easily worked into a productive writing workshop; some are okay, but may need significant modification; some are nothing more than busywork. The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate that you can choose effective plans and explain why they are effective (or not) using concepts about writing pedagogy learned in the course..

Find a lesson plan at your preferred grade level for teaching some aspect of writing. It does not have to be a single-day plan; you may use a related sequence of plans (a short unit, perhaps). You may use websites, books, plans from other teachers, etc. The only requirement is that writing must be a central objective of the lesson. You will be asked to turn in a copy of the lesson plan several days ahead of the assignment's due date.

Write a 3-page (minimum 750 words) critique of this lesson plan. Your goal is to come to a judgement about the quality and effectiveness of this plan for teaching writing and demonstrate that your judgement is based on what experts in writing pedagogy agree is good practice. You must base your critique on (and cite properly) a minimum of three sources, at least one of which must be from outside class readings.

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3. Writing Developed from Writer's Notebook

One important practice of effective writing pedagogy is keeping a writer's notebook, which allows students to write often and freely in relatively stress-free environment. We will be keeping a writer's notebook in this class. At a minimum, we will write for a few minutes everyday in class. You can write whatever you wish. The instructor will offer a prompt to use if you can't think of what to write, but you are always free to write anything. You may also write as much as you wish outside of class, as well as paste in pictures, keepsakes, weblinks, etc.--anything that inspires writing and your imagination.

The notebook can take whatever form is most comfortable for you. Some people prefer to use a purchased journal; for others a cheap dollar notebook works. Others prefer to keep the notebook electronically. The form is up to you, but be sure that the notebook is separate from other writings and class notes and that you bring it to class everyday.

Be sure not to confuse the idea of "writer's notebook" with a "journal." A writer's notebook differs from a typical journal in two significant ways. First, a notebook is not just a record of your thoughts and feelings--it's the place where you explore possibilities, where you discover and develop your identity as a writer. It's your opportunity grow meaning from and discover the significance in the world around you. Second, you don't just write everyday in a writer's notebook and leave it. Instead, the notebook is an invitation for the writer to try out ideas, new writing techniques, take risks--and then, turn writings that inspire you into something more, something that you can bring to an audience.

At some point after midterm, you'll be asked to look back through your notebook and find a writing (or series of writings) that you want to do more with. The final product you develop from the notebook writings may be written in any genre, for any audience/purpose. The only limitation is that it can't be an assignment for another class (no double-dipping!). We'll take it through a process of writing, critique, revision, editing and publication--modeling some of the methods you might use with your own students in a writing workshop. In the process, you will learn about writing pedagogy by actually practicing it, plus have the opportunity to improve your own writing skills and gain more confidence in yourself as a writer.

Note: your grade on this assignment will include credit for the notebook entries and for completing activities associated with each stage of the process, as well as the final product.

Responding to Student Writing (10%)
We'll do most of this assignment in class. We will look at actual papers written by students at a particular grade level and apply what we've read and discussed about responding and evaluating student writing. You'll finish off the assignment by writing an informal "theory & practice" reflection paper on the activity.

Midterm and Final Exams (20%)
The midterm will consist of essay questions based on case studies. You will actually have a hand in writing the midterm questions. The final will also be essay and have two parts: short essays on important terms and concepts from the course, and a reflective essay on your own writing skills.

We'll talk about the exams more in class.

Workshop (10%)
The workshop grade is the daily grade. You earn points for participating in any in-class activities and for successfully completing small assignments given in class. These in-class assignments may consist of individual writings, quizzes, groupwork, role-plays, and any other activities that will enhance your understanding and improve your learning of the material. Success in these activities will require that you complete readings before coming to class.