Updates. I'm in the midst of grading quizzes. Check the Grades page for your score or check the Quiz for feedback about some of your answers. So far it looks like people need to continue to work on punctuation - I am seeing some consistent problems with commas. Also continue to work on identifying and correcting comma splices, fragments, and run-ons. These errors are relatively easy to learn to spot, and they comprise the majority of errors in student (and professional) writing.
There were a number of people that failed to give their files unique names for the Process essay. That's not good, guys. I spent upwards of 30 minutes this morning trying to figure out what to do with the files called "Process_essay.doc" - more than 5 of them - and I'm not done dealing with the mess yet. I don't have time for carelessness; please ensure that your file is named appropriately.
Quick list. Here's a quick list of the things you need to do this week. Keep reading to find out more about each item:
- Read.
- PATTERNS Chapter 8 introduction
- MacKenzie, "The Pleasures of Age"
- Cousteau, "The Bounty of the Sea"
- QA Chapter 18
- Thesis Statements, from http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml
- Thesis Statements, from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html
- Thesis Statements, from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html
- Write. A rough draft of your Cause and effect essay - consult the Course Packet for more information about the assignment, including topics and expected word count
- Peer review. This week, after overwhelming positive support for the activity, you will once again do a peer review. Read the Peer Review page carefully to see who your partner is. I've included all people who appear to be actively participating in the class on the list. If your name has been left off, contact me immediately so that I can revise the list. The deadline for sending your rough draft is Sunday. The deadline for returning your review to your partner is Wednesday. If your partner tells me that you've been unresponsive, you'll lose credit for the activity!
About the reading. This week I've assigned several external articles on thesis statements from various writing centers across the country. All three tutorials provide slightly different information. You can never know too much about how to identify or write a thesis statement. Read the tutorials carefully - the peer review this week demands that you know about thesis statements, and the thesis statement of this essay is something that I will be paying close attention to.
This week's selections from Patterns should provide you with solid examples of essays that examine the causes, effects, or both causes and effects. Pay particularly close attention to the Cousteau essay - it's a fantastic model of this kind of writing. The introduction to this chapter is particularly useful - pay close attention to the information that it gives you about organization and development. As a rule, one cause or one effect will occupy one body paragraph. That makes it relatively easy to orgnanize and develop this kind of essay. It also makes it relatively easy to allocate your time - for this essay you're required to use research. See the About the Writing section (below) for more information.
QA Chapter 18 continues with more grammar. This chapter marks the beginning of the second half of the grammar topics in the course. If you struggled with the midterm quiz, be advised that you may also struggle with the final quiz. It will take the same form, with multiple choice, definition, and error correction plus extra credit opportunities.
About the writing. This week you're writing a rough draft of the Cause and effect essay. The instructions for this essay are in the course packet. The one difference between this essay and others that you have written is that you are required to use research for this paper. Use the United States Environmental Protection Agency's information to support your thesis statement if you're writing about pollution. Visit the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/. If you're writing about an organizational decision for a business, support your ideas with an article from The Economist. Visit their website (http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/display.cfm?id=348975) for a list of articles that may be relevant. If your ideas don't fit either of those areas, please contact me. The open Internet is off-limits - do not use Wikipedia or About.com to support your paper. If you choose to do so, you'll automatically fail. When you find an appropriate source to support your thesis, quote, paraphrase, or summarize appropriate information carefully. Then cite your source using MLA-style parenthetical citations. To learn about MLA, read QA carefully. At the end of your paper, you'll have a Work Cited page that lists your source - QA has information about how to put that together. One of the benefits of taking a face-to-face class is that we get to go over documentation in lecture; online, you're on your own. Read your book carefully and ask questions as they arise - there's a new topic in the Discussion about documentation. I'll answer your questions about documentation as we go.
After you write your rough draft, send it to me and your partner for peer review. You're sending it to me because I need to monitor that you're doing the activity. You're sending your paper to your partner so that he or she can review it. Unless I hear a specific request with a specific question from you, I won't automatically read your paper - you must initiate that contact if you want my thoughts.
After you review your partner's paper, you must send your review to your partner and to me. If I don't receive two messages from you (both a message with an attached draft and a message with a review), you will lose credit. It's all or nothing, guys. Make sure you're doing what I ask you to do.
Here are your instructions for peer review:
- Read your partner's paper carefully.
- Identify the thesis statement. Comment on its effectiveness - a solid thesis statement will: divulge the topic of the paper; reveal the kind of essay that will follow, and hint at the writer's attitude about the topic. Does the thesis statement do those three things? If not, what's missing?
- Provide your overall impression of the essay. Is the discussion of causes or effects clear and complete? What changes or additions would you suggest to improve the organization and/or development of the paper?