Return to Unit Two:TR

TR Unit Two, Day 20 - Thursday, October 26

• Workshop on Essay 3
• Introduction to Unit Three
• Use personal experience to generate topics for Unit Three

Connection to Course Goals: The final workshop emphasizes the importance of ongoing revision during the writing process (versus simply one draft). The introduction to Unit Three introduces a new writing situation and shows how they will have to determine their own context, purpose, and audience for the final essay. The final activity generates topics in a way that responds to the educational focus for Unit Three. Generating these topics can help students see ways to turn the critical eye we've been developing onto the educational institution, and also show how writing can serve as a way to gain a voice in trying to change culture.

1. Final workshop for Essay 3. Design a workshop that highlights the aspects of the third essay that you think need the most attention. You can find a Workshop Sheet that you might use in the Appendix. Since they've already looked some at focus and coherence with the Backwards Outline workshop on day 19, you might try to center this workshop around development and evidence. Remember they should have evidence that supports:
• Their claim about culture (the myth or anxiety they claim exists)
• Their claim about the TV show (what the show does with that myth or anxiety)
• Possibly the effect of the TV show (if they're making a claim about the effect this show has on viewers)
• Also, remember that the evidence should be specific, relevant, and explained. They'll want to be especially detailed with their evidence from the actual TV show, so viewers can easily see that what they're saying is actually happening in the show. (40-45 min)
2. While they're workshopping, put a list on the board of everything they'll have to turn in with the final draft of Essay 3.
3. Before Turning to Unit Three, take any last questions about the 3^rd essay, but try not to spend more than 5 minutes on these questions.

Transition:

4. Introduce Essay 4.
• Hand out Essay 4 assignment sheet.
• Highlight various aspects you think are important for students.
• Emphasize the need to focus on a particular issue.
• Explain sequence that will follow: i.e. why we are reading and researching for half of this unit before they begin writing their own papers. (why: because educated argumentation precedes with investigation and inquiry into topic and context to provide a "reasoned" response to the issue). Remind them that it is better to hold off on forming an opinion until they become versed in the issue. (5 min.)

Transition: The first thing we'll need to do is to start getting a sense of what issues are out there within the general field of education. Since we're all directly involved in education, let's start with our own personal experiences.

5. WTL: Take about 5 minutes and list everything that you dislike about school. Feel free to include any level of schooling here. What's unfair about school? What do you hate about school? What's confusing about the educational process? (5-6 min)
6. Discuss their WTL. Let them lead most of the discussion while you keep track of any possible issues they raise on the board. You might want to have the students write down the issues as well, or have one student copy the list so you can type it up and hand it out next class period.

• Remember, the goal here is just to generate as many topics as possible, so try not to get bogged down in any one topic for too long.
• Encourage students to share their experiences and opinions on each topic/question that comes up. This should be a free-flowing discussion where experiences and opinions are openly shared; feel free to add your own as well. (15-20 min)

Assignment: