Due:
- Two copies of final Summary/Response essays.
Goals:
- To introduce the Inquiry Essay.
- To practice synthesizing the various authos students have
already read.
Assignment:
- Finish the synthesis chart you started in class.
- Take ONE of the areas on your synthesis chart from today (language
and individual, community, power, reality, etc.) OR a new relationship
of your own, and write a broad, rough synthesis of the four authors
on that point. Be sure to discuss how each author approaches
that point and the similarities and differences between their
approaches.
Setup:
- S/R's must be due on this day.
- Assignment on overhead or handout.
- Copies for the class of the Inquiry Essay assignment sheet
and initial synthesis grid.
Sequence:
- Have your students turn in one copy of the Summary/Response
and keep one copy.
- Bring the class together right away. Take a few minutes to
recap where the class has come so far, and how that sequence leads
naturally to the Inquiry Essay. (For instance, you might flag
back to the discussion of the course overview on the first day
of class, and reiterate for your students that they've already
explored personal and outside views of language--so the next natural
step is to put the two together and see how they relate.) (5
min)
- Have your students read through the Inquiry Essay assignment
sheet aloud. Then, if you like, you can have them write for 2-3
minutes to paraphrase the purpose of the essay and write down
any initial questions. Tell them, though, to save the questions
until after the following activity. (10-15 min.)
- Then, have your students begin to practice synthesizing with
the following activity:
Break into groups of 4-5. Try to get a group together which represents
summary responses on as many different authors as possible.
Elect a group leader and someone to keep an eye on the time. Everyone should
record the group's results on the synthesis grid (on handout).
Read each other's Summary/Responses and, based on them, fill out the synthesis
grid on how each author approaches each major language relationship we've
discussed. See if you can add at least one new relationship to our current
list of five.
If you don't have any S/R's from one of the authors, work from your original
practice S/R's.
Have your students work on this for most of the remainder of the
class. Circulate with help, encouragement, etc. (25-30 min.).
- Bring your students back together after the exercise and ask
them which of their initial questions still haven't been answered.
Answer those remaining concerns.
- Just before the end of class, give out and explain the assignment
for next time (it might be a good idea to have people write it
out verbatim, or to simply give the assignment as a handout).
Return to Unit One:MWF