Monday, March 31, 2014

Essay 3 First Drafts Due This Week (Next Week: Critiques)

Quick reminders about this week (and heads up for next week):

-- Your first draft of Essay 3 (argumentative research essay) is due this week, before Thursday night, 11:59 PM. Remember: You must post your draft on your group blog.

-- Your critiques for two classmates' Essay 3 first drafts will be due next week, before next Thursday night, 11:59 PM. Remember: You must post your critiques in the comments section of each assigned critique partner's Essay 3 draft post (we'll assign partners this week, in class).

-- Now, about your Essay 3 draft: I know that you likely don't have six articles ready to work with. In this draft, I expect you to have four articles used and their authors credited. We will work on integrating two more articles after you've submitted these drafts.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Scores Report: Write-Ups 3 & 4 (and your reading assignment)

Here's a link to your scores on Write-Ups 3 and 4 (organized by the last four digits of your student ID):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ap9oU02C12STdGFFUTU4VGt5SWVwZmFBNjRvMU53Q2c#gid=0.

Remember: The way I give points to write-ups is simple. I have four parameters that I give points to, and for each parameter, you either get a point or you don't. These parameters are ...

1) The summary section (basically, whether it's clear, organized, and finished), 
2) The response section (similarly, whether it's clear and organized, but also whether it matches the depth and organization of the summary somehow; in other words, are you responding to the ideas you're summarizing, as well as thoroughly developing your own point?), 
3) The citation (whether you did it or not, and whether you included most of the basic citation details for the article), and 
4) The overall write-up (whether or not you have a clear, complete, and organized overall write-up).

So take a look at your score, especially if you have anything other than a 4/4, and see if you can figure out which of these parameters you need to work on. I'll give you an initial hint: Many of you aren't doing so well on #2. (And, just as an added note to those who submitted your write-up late: I do take off a point for late submissions.)

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Finally, please read the next chapter in Atul Gawade's book, Better. This chapter is titled, "The Score," and it's goes from page 169 to 200. So it's not a short chapter. Whether or not we get to discuss all of it doesn't matter. In fact, whether or not we get to discuss it at all doesn't matter, either. What matters is this: It seems to me that your writing is improving as a result of reading Gawande's book. I'm seeing both Gawande's well-structured writing and his analytical approach to health topics come out in your writing, too -- in your own unique styles, of course. So let's keep going through this book, and let's keep working on emulating strong writing practices and making them our own.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

This Week's Online Activity (Due Saturday, 3/29/2014)

Naysayer for "On Fighting"

Look back over the chapter in Atul Gawande's Better titled, "On Fighting" (p. 154-165). As you look through this chapter, pay special attention to moments where Gawande seems to be considering arguments against his point. Some writers like to call arguments against their own points "The Opposing Side." Other writers like to call such disagreeing arguments "Naysayers." Can you notice a few "Opposing Side" arguments, or "Naysayer" arguments?

Here's what I want you to do in your online activity for this week: Choose one of the following options and respond to it in a short, effectively structured but casual essay of at least 300 words.

Option A:

Present one moment in which Atul Gawande entertains an "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer." Do not quote the point Atul Gawande is trying to make; just carefully introduce -- making sure to say why it struck you, what you see in it, and so on -- then paraphrase his point, in your own words. Once you've done that, introduce and quote the "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer" in this section of the chapter. Then explain what this argument says, and why it goes against Gawande's point. Finally, discuss why it's important to notice these two opposing points -- Gawande's own point on the one hand, and the "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer" point on the other hand.

Option B:

Choose one moment in this chapter, and think of a possible "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer" argument to present against Gawande's point. This doesn't have to be your own opinion; you're welcome to invent a perspective that you don't personally agree with. Now, in your short essay, first, introduce Gawande's point. Like in Option A, do not quote the Gawande's point; just carefully introduce -- making sure to say why it struck you, what you see in it, and so on -- then paraphrase his point, in your own words. Once you've done that, present what a possible "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer" might say in reponse to Gawande's point. Then explain what this argument says, and why it goes against Gawande's point. Finally, discuss why it's important to notice these two opposing points -- Gawande's own point on the one hand, and the "Opposing Side" or "Naysayer" point (that you've thought of on your own) on the other hand.

Submission guidelines: Post your resulting casual essay on your group blog, before 11:59 PM Saturday night, 3/29/2014.

Classwork: Starting to Develop Your Own Research Paper, Your Own Plan

Here's a link to a handout that starts to break down your research plan:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STTkVmRkZ1YjQySUE/edit.

Please download this handout or print it out. Then fill out this handout. Try to be as thorough and detailed as you can. Yes, you've done stuff like this before -- if you've been keeping up with our coursework, that is. When you've got a satisfactory set of parameters here, please hand your filled-in handout to me, then start to develop a more detailed plan on your own.

Sample Essay Plan

Here's a link to a student's preliminary plan for a research paper:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STUE1JTG4wUjMydDg/edit.

Looking at this plan, can you see how to put together a plan of your own? Yes, even if you don't have all the pieces you think you need for your essay, you can still put together a plan. Indeed, having a plan is a helpful step in discovering where you could go next.

Sample Annotated Research Essay

Here's a link to a sample research essay, annotated in such a way as to show how it's structured, what each piece in the essay is doing, and how all the pieces come together to support the overall argument:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STNFYwU0ZEOUtHWjg/edit.

(Notice: With this post, I'm starting to use a new label, "sample research paper." This label will collect blog posts on the topic of your final research paper for this class. Use this label to refer back to handouts and samples that you can use in putting together your own research paper.)

In-Class Writing, 3/25/2014

Here's a link to today's in-class writing:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQ6TywlIzyFy3glViPlJVyUv9Qk3gQk9pLDKSXC-4NQ/edit.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Homework Reminders (Week 11)

This is just to remind you:

-- You have another pair of article write-ups due this week. These write-ups are exactly the same as the previous two, except you have to do them on two different articles from the ones you used before. So you'll have to do a bit more research and find two new articles to work with, if you haven't already done so. Be sure to check out the "article write-ups" label here, or scroll down and check out the posts about article write-ups. You might even want to check out the "research links" label for some help in research. All the instructions are there.

-- Also: Please go on reading in Atul Gawande's book, Better. For this week, please read the chapter, "On Fighting," p. 154-165. This is the last chapter in the second part of the book, "Doing Right." It's all about the distances we expect our doctors to go in their work.

-- One more thing: There's a casual blog post, due the same time that Write-Ups 3 and 4 are due. It's just a casual little post about how your research is going.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

This Week's Online Activity (Due Saturday, 3/22/2014, 11:59 PM)

Atul Gawande and Me: A Debate on "The Doctors of the Death Chamber"

For your online activity this week, I want you both to take a closer look and to reflect on your own thoughts and values when it comes to the issue of doctors and court-ordered executions.

To start, reread Atul Gawande's chapter, "The Doctors of the Death Chamber," in his book Better. As you do, make notes about how Gawande develops his discussion. In particular, notice how he breaks down the idea of tasking doctors with the job of overseeing execution into just a few main issues -- only about four specific issues, maybe five, definitely no more than that. In fact, Gawande's structure in discussing each issue is very simple, too: For each issue, he presents a specific doctor's work and ideas, then he responds to these details and ideas directly. That's it.

Now, your job is this:

1) Go ahead and choose just one of these main issues that Atul Gawande takes on. Then, in a paragraph that is no longer than 250 words, present both the point Gawande tries to respond to and his own point in response. You may treat this paragraph as a formal summary, if you like, making sure to put everything in your words only. But if quoting is your thing, go ahead and use no more than one or two quotes; just be sure to introduce each quote, then explain what it says afterward. The key, for this paragraph, is to start to integrate Gawande's ideas effectively into your own writing.

2) In another two or three (2-3) paragraphs, of at least 100-200 words each, respond to this one specific point of Gawande that you chose. But you may only a. agree, b. disagree, c. agree and disagree, or d. remain (clearly) undecided. Start by saying, directly, what your overall response is. Then go on and present anything you can use as an example, counterexample, or hypothetical case to support your own overall argument. Remember: You've got a strong argument to make and support here. Why should your readers agree? Why should they disagree? Why should they agree with some things but disagree with others? Or why should they remain undecided? Present and support this argument well.

Submission guidelines: Post your resulting summary-and-response piece on your group blog, before 11:59 PM Saturday night, 3/22/2014.

Classwork: Using a Secondary Source

Here's a link to our classwork for today:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STZmJnN3hMdVBhd2s/edit.

Research Terminology and Structure

So far, we've taken a look at research as a process, starting with individual articles. We summarized and responded to each article one-by-one. In Essay 2, some of us even started to put two or more articles together. The important thing to notice here is just how effective summarizing and responding can be. Many writers nowadays get a lot done by just sticking to this basic structure.

But now, let's see if we can add another kind of structure to our tool belt. Let's try to integrate paraphrase (the same thing you do in summaries, putting someone else's ideas in your words) and quotes (taking ideas word-for-word from another writer) into our own discussions. The difficulty with this kind of structure is this: Your writing is different from other writers' writing, so you can't just mix them together. Still, there's a simple solution to this difficulty: Carefully introduce beforehand, and thoroughly explain afterward.

In other words, to use paraphrase and quotes effectively in your own paragraphs, you just need to give paraphrases and quotes a little bit of padding. Seriously, it's that simple. Keep this idea of "padding" in mind.

Let's start by taking a step back. Here's a general view of some important research terms:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STaDJGckUyNTF6Z1U/edit.

And here's a document that one of our campus librarians put together to explain the "padding" structure for integrating quotes and paraphrases into a paragraph:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STRjBUMUdlWGd2dW8/edit.

Finally, here are a few examples of quotes and paraphrases integrated into a paragraph (notice: There are only four examples here -- that's basically how simple it is):
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STc294U1dlSnlEWVU/edit.

Monday, March 17, 2014

More Snow

It happened: We got more snow, and classes were cancelled for today. In situations like this, there's a small chance that classes get cancelled tomorrow, so we might not meet for our usual class. But please note: I will still expect you to keep up with readings, assignments, and deadlines. In fact, there's a very important deadline this week, the deadline for your Essay 2 final copy. I don't intend to cancel this deadline for any reason.

Here's the plan: If we're forced to cancel class tomorrow, I would ask you to please email your essay to me. But if class indeed gets cancelled, and only in that event, I will extend the submission deadline by a day, until Wednesday night, 11:59 PM.

Be aware: For now, the deadlines are the same as on the syllabus -- hard copies due by the start of class, and emailed copies (in .doc or .docx attachments only) due before 11:59 PM that night. If we don't cancel class, these deadlines will stay exactly as they are. Either way, I will make no special exceptions whatsoever. Either I get your essay on time or I don't; that's that.

For now, keep watching the developments on www.nvcc.edu and the weather channels, and I'll keep you posted as well as I can.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Essay 3: Argumentative Research Paper

I know you're still working on your Essay 2. In fact, you should be sure to check out my reminders about Essay 2 in the blog post right below this one. But remember also that all your research assignments this semester are directed at putting together a detailed research paper at the end of the semester. Which makes this week the perfect time to preview Essay 3: Argumentative Research Paper.

Here's the assignment for Essay 3, with a detailed rubric:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STVjRuR1h3NTE4alU/edit.

And here, for you to consider closely, is a sample research paper:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STV2hLZzV3VjMxalE/edit.

Take a look at both of these, and see if you're getting an idea of what the "big picture" of your Essay 3 is starting to look like. I'll definitely make sure to look at these documents with you next time we meet. And if you have questions, either email them to me or bring them with you to class next week.

Reminder: Essay 2 Draft 2 and Final Draft

Just to remind you: Your final draft of Essay 2 is due next week, on Tuesday, 3/18/2014. I'll accept hard copies only by the start of class, and only with the rubric attached to the front. And I'll accept email submissions only until 11:59 PM Tuesday night, and only in a .doc or .docx Word file attached to an email message sent to my gmail email.

Also: Don't forget that you have a rare chance to collect extra credit points by posting your Essay 2 Draft 2 on your group blog (please use the label "Essay 2 Draft 2"). And you have yet another chance to collect extra credit points by leaving grammar comments on your classmates' Essay 2 Draft 2's. Please be aware: I'll give extra credit only to drafts posted before 11:59 PM on this Sunday, 3/16/2014 and only to grammar comments posted before 11:59 PM on this Monday, 3/17/2014.

For more details, consult your syllabus and course schedule.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Reading Assignment (& a reminder)

Heads-up: We won't be meeting Thursday next week, only Tuesday. Nevertheless, I'd like for us to keep reading in Atul Gawande's Better. For next week, please read the next chapter, titled, "The Doctors of Death Chamber." This chapter presents a thought-provoking look at the medical side of capital punishment in the United States. If we don't get a chance to discuss this chapter in class, I might still use it in your online assignment due later in the week.

Score Report: Critiques (Essay 2 Draft 1)

Here's your score report for your critiques of Essay 2 first drafts:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ap9oU02C12STdGNuSXRZOEl3M3BLemp2X2duQ0RzQXc#gid=0.

Please note: If there isn't a score listed for one or both of your critiques, please make sure that you've shared and posted your critique in the right place (the comments section of your assigned critique partner's Essay 2 Draft 1 post). If everything seems to be fine, but you still don't see a score, email me right away.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Your Sample Search & Other Reminders

I hope you're having a good spring break. For a quick update on your Essay 2 Draft 1 scores, scroll down and check out the post right before this one. But don't forget that you have homework due this week, too. Let me give you some quick notes about that.

-- First, for those of you still thinking deeply about your sample search, maybe you're worried about doing your search and submitting it properly. Here is a short breakdown of the assignment: 
(Be aware: Those of you who have already submitted your search, you're fine. You do not need to submit another search.)

-- Second, for those of you thinking deeply about your critiques (And remember: You have two [2] critiques due this Thursday night, for two [2] different classmates!), you might be worried about how to fill a 500 word critique. That's understandable. But I'll answer this concern very simply: Your critiques are your responsibility, not anybody else's. If you write an insufficient critique, only you lose points. Now, let's just look at the matter a little bit more closely: If there isn't enough to write about in your partners' critiques, then you could easily write about what's not there! Make suggestions; ask questions; invite your critique partners to say more or to organize their drafts better. Use critical thinking and write effectively -- that's what I'm always asking for.

I'm looking forward to seeing your good work. Your research advice was inspiring, and now I only want to read more of your ideas.

Essay 2 Draft 1 Score Report

Here's your score report for your Essay 2 Draft 1:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ap9oU02C12STdEpwWUNVYzlMUWd5OW5jUmRWdTdHcFE&usp=drive_web#gid=0.

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As you look at your score, please note that in looking over your drafts, I gave points to the following:

     1) Summary structure (one solid paragraph that starts with the thesis and basic details, then moves on to major points,

     2) Summary completeness (a summary made of strong, effective paraphrase that credits the authors for each major point),

     3) Response completeness (a direct thesis, followed by a point-by-point breakdown of your support for this thesis),

     4) Response structure (using each paragraph of your response to clearly do something different from the other paragraphs), and

     5) Citations (here I looked for substance, not format; I was essentially looking for all the important basic details that identify an article to be there, or at least most of them).

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Special note: If you think your essay is lacking on any of the above, don't just jump to your draft. Instead, start by taking down some notes. Then be sure to save a new draft of your essay, and start making your changes there -- never in your first draft! Also: You might consider using the above parameters as ideas to consider in writing your critiques.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Online Activity: "My Research Advice" (Thursday, 3/6/2014)

Here's your online assignment to come in place of this Thursday's class:


My Research Advice

Directions: In a casual blog post of at least 500 words, describe what you do to make research and research assignments manageable, maybe even easy to do. Again, remember that this is an informal writing assignment, so requirements are not so strict. But try to put your ideas in some kind of clear, easy-to-follow structure. Also, be sure to present examples from your own research, either from this class or from other classes.

Remember, too, that the research process involves several different stages: The stage of deciding on a topic, the stage of conducting a search, the stage of choosing good articles to use, even the stage of sitting down to read an article to determine what it's trying to say -- and, of course, the stage of writing about what you find. As a matter of fact, there is no rule that says research goes in one specific order. Many writers start by writing, then searching, then reading. Many others reread articles they already know, then they choose a topic, then they write. Jumping back and forth in stages is very common. Repeating stages is common, too. It might even be that you have a stage in your process that I haven't included here. In that case, go ahead and mention this additional stage. What I want you to do is to discuss the approaches that you bring with you when you do research.

Me, I'm especially curious about how you approach the task of reading a new article. Reading has always been difficult for me, and I've noticed that the large majority of my students struggle with it, too, regardless of their background. So even if your advice is not about reading, I'd appreciate it if you took a moment to discuss how your advice can help someone who struggles with reading and picking out a writer's message and support details. I won't take points off if you don't talk about reading strategies. I'm just always on the lookout for effective reading advice.

Finally, be attentive: If you notice that another classmate has already described a method of approaching research that is similar to yours, try to respond to this classmate's ideas in your own blog post.

The deadline for this assignment is: Saturday night, 3/8/2014, 11:59 PM.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Reminders for This Week and Next

Please remember...

-- Since we won't be meeting this Thursday, I'll be posting an online assignment for you to do. This assignment should be up tomorrow, Wednesday, 3/5/2014. This assignment will be due by Saturday night, 11:59 PM.

-- The first draft of your Essay 2 is due on your group blog this Thursday night, 3/6/2014, by 11:59 PM. Please post your draft as a link to a Google Drive document. Just don't forget to "Share" your document with "Anyone with the link." Also: Once you post your link, highlight it and click "LINK" to make that link clickable.

-- Your two critiques (each a complete, casual essay of 500 words) in response to your two (2) critique partners' essays are due in the comments section of each of their drafts next Thursday night, 3/13/2014, by 11:59 PM. You may, if you like, either copy-and-paste your critique into the comments section or provide a link to a Google Drive document (your choice). But please, post your critiques only in the comments section below each of their drafts.

-- Also, by 11:59 PM next Thursday, 3/13/2014, please submit what I'm calling "a search" -- basically, a document (emailed to me) which contains your developing Works Cited page (or, in other words, a list of the citations for all the articles you've used in your research so far). On this Works Cited page, please follow up each citation with a few comments about the content and effectiveness of the article that this citation refers to. These should just be casual comments to help me see what you think you'll use each of your sources for.

-- Lastly, please make sure to keep up with any announcements I might need to make in the meantime.

Have a great Spring Break!

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P. S. -- Those of you who submitted your Essay 1 to me via email: I should have your essay back to you within the next few days. And if you submitted your essay by hard copy and you didn't receive it, or you weren't able to make it to class today, please email me. I can scan the essay with my comments and email you a copy.

Essay Revisions Sheet

By now, you should be expecting your graded Essay 1 to come back to you. You might not like your grade. That's fine. What you've got to do now, simply enough, is to revise your essay.

Here's a link to the worksheet I'd like you to use when revising your essay:
(Note: This worksheet is all about spotting and correcting minor errors, editing errors. Your larger, more dramatic revisions should be obvious from your essay's next draft.)

Classwork: Respond in the Voice of a Disagreeing Audience

Here's a link to today's classwork:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nbhQrOEJX2HYfOvPqQZnQymtEKk4yp9ryKNs66OXdSM/edit.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

In Case of Snow...

In case you haven't heard, there's snow in the forecast, and with snow comes the danger of class cancellation. But remember that whenever class is cancelled, you should look here for the alternate plan. Let me give you the preliminary plan, the "just in case" plan.

First of all, don't forget that we're not meeting this Thursday, 3/6/2014. I've already got an online activity for you to do. I plan to post this activity sometime on Wednesday.

Now, second of all, if class ends up getting cancelled on Tuesday, 3/4/2014, because of snow (and please always double-check on www.nvcc.edu for up-to-date cancellation messages), I'll prepare another activity for you to do. I will also assign each of you a new critique partner (in other words, someone whose first draft of Essay 2 you'll have to read and respond to with a 500-word critique). So please be sure to go on here for the work you need to do.

Third of all -- and very importantly -- if class is cancelled on Tuesday, I will get your graded Essay 1 to you over email. Yes, even if you submitted by hard copy, I'll get that essay to you; I'll scan it and email you a PDF of the picture.

Whatever happens, let's do our best to make sure that we don't get frozen in our tracks (sorry for the pun).

=-=-=-=-=

Finally, here are the things that won't change this week, regardless of whether class is cancelled or not:

-- Your Essay 2 first draft will still be due this week. To remind you, I will accept only drafts that are posted on your group blog. I will not accept drafts that are emailed to me. And please do your best to make sure your draft is formatted clearly for reading.

-- Spring Break is not going to be cancelled. All of next week is Spring Break.

-- During Spring Break, even though there's no class, you will still have to post a critique in the comments section of your critique partner's Essay 2 first draft. (And remember: If your critique partner doesn't post a draft, write a critique for someone else, whomever you want. In such an event, it's your critique partner who loses points for not submitting a draft; so don't let yourself lose points, too.)

-- Also, during Spring Break, I will still expect to get a search submitted from each one of you, in the form of a document from you (posted on your group blog) containing your developing Works Cited page (or, in other words, a list of the citations for all the articles you've used in your research so far). On this Works Cited page, please follow up each citation with a few comments about the content and effectiveness of the article that this citation refers to.

-- Lastly, please continue to keep up with any announcements that I make here during Spring Break.