Day 6 . Monday, September 8th

Tuesday, September 21:  Daily Class Outline

Lesson Objectives

Today we remind students about the Letter to the Editor aspect of Portfolio 1.  We help them decide on what choices they'll need to make when revising their Academic Summary/Responses.


Connection to Course Goals

Revision is an essential part of the writing process and one we working to build in strength for out students. Context, or writing situation, is also a key part of writing, so by having students continue to write for different purposes and audience, we are furthering their understanding of context and their versatility as writers for different contexts (the most effective writers are flexible; they can write for a variety of contexts).

A Possible Sequence of Activities for Today

1. Introduce class session and take attendance.  
2.  Discuss letters to the editor and corresponding aspect of Portfolio 1. Activity Ideas:  Letters to the Editor
3. Establish the choices students will need to make to their Academic Summary/Response in order to meet the expectations of the new writing situation. Activity Ideas:  Choices for New Writing Situation
4.  Give students time to begin making notes on how they will revise their Academic Summary/Response. Activity Ideas:  Revision Notes
5. Since there is not a lot of time between this lesson and student conferences, provide students with time to freewrite their Letters to the Editor.  Or you might create a partner or group activity that helps students begin to make revision choices for their work.

Activity Ideas:  Freewriting

Activity Ideas:  Group Activity for Letters to the Editor

6. Establish a conclusion for the class session and instruct students on where to access homework assignments from now on.

Note:  You will find sample guidelines for the Letter to the Editor component of Portfolio 1 in the Appendix on the syllabus homepage.

Activity Ideas:  Concluding and Assigning Homework

Assignment for Next Class Session

Depending on your class, you can assign one or both (or some combination) of the following options:

  • Complete a draft of your Letter to the Editor.  Post your letter to the forum titled "Letter to the Editor Drafts."  Complete the Mini-Workshop for the draft posted below yours by noon on Wednesday (tomorrow).

    OR
  • Work on your Letter to the Editor on your own.  Of the 3 questions you bring to your conference time with me, make sure that at least one of those questions deals with your Letter to the Editor.

Additional Teaching Resources

It's that time--time to start thinking about how you will respond to and evaluate Portfolio 1. 

CSU's guide Evaluting Student Writing and Syracuse's Responding to and Evaluating Student Texts or Tips for Grading and Evaluating Student Writing are excellent places to start.  Florida State's Responding to Student Papers also offers helpful insight to the grading process.

You can also check out Barbara Gross Davis' description of grading strategies for minimizing student complaints and maximizing grading effectiveness in Grading Practices.

If you are responding to ELL or ESL writers' papers, The Connection of Fair Grading and Classroom Practices for ESL Students' Papers is a superior resource to consult.

Finally, Calculating Grades can be helpful in its suggestions for calculating grades and sound grading practices.