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Class Plan -- Unit One, Day 4
Goals

Assignment for Day 5
Revision.

  1. Check the forum to see what questions have been asked in response to your own essay. Then revise your essay so that it is in its "final" form, using the questions your classmates have asked and your own ideas about what could be developed.
  2. On a Separate piece of paper, respond to the following "postscript" question (to be turned in next time): I asked you last class what some of the "rules" of personal writing are. How would you answer that question at this point, now that you have completed your Personal Essay?
  3. Finally, be sure to have a printout of your essay with you next time, as we will be using them in class for an activity. [YOU MIGHT HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO STUDENTS HOW TO PRINT FROM THE WEB. I USUALLY TELL THEM TO CLICK A COUPLE OF TIMES ON THE BLOCK OF TEXT THAT THEY WANT TO PRINT, THEN TO CHOOSE THE PRINT OPTION FROM THE TOOLBAR IN WHATEVER PROGRAM THEY ARE USING TO ACCESS THE WEB.]

Activities
Daily - Look back at the Jung and Mundari essays you read for today. In each of these writers' personal stories, how would you say that language functioned? What did it do for or to each writer? What effects did it have on her everyday life, on the way she performed in school or at home, or on the way she interacted with other people? How did language play a role in how each writer perceived herself and/or others? Did either of these essays remind you of your own experiences? Did either of them remind you of the experiences others in the class have written about? (Take about 15 minutes to respond to some of these questions.)

Discussion of Jung and Mundari essays - [THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THIS DISCUSSION IS ARRIVING AT A GENERAL STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF THESE TWO RATHER DIFFICULT ESSAYS. IF THAT'S ALL YOU ACHIEVE IN THIS CLASS, THAT'S FINE.] You might begin this discussion by asking a couple of students to volunteer to describe each essay read for today (to give a general summary, in other words). Once you have established "what happens" in each essay, you might try to get students to identify the main idea that each author is trying to convey. Discuss any issues that come up in discussion of the two essays [IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO COME IN WITH SOME DISCUSSION QUESTIONS YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR EACH READING, IN CASE THE DISCUSSION FALLS FLAT OR COMPREHENSION IS UNEXPECTEDLY LOW], then move the discussion toward an articulation of how language functions in these two stories. Record student responses about language functions by referring back to and adding to the cluster you started in Class 2.

Discuss Intersections Between Readings and Student Writings Depending on your students' level of comprehension, you might be able to move the conversation a step up to discuss the ways in which these stories (and the language functions involved in the stories) intersect with students' own stories. Ask students to talk about similarities and differences they saw between these authors' experiences and their own. And ask them to discuss any connections they can make between the essays and their peers' stories (which they read and commented on for today). [(Be aware that students might be hesitant to talk about one another's writing, and that you might want to come to class having read some of the Web Postings--and being prepared to discuss some of the connections you yourself are making.) If you are able to get to this level of discussion, you will be doing wonders to set up the idea of "synthesis" (of essays/experience/peers' writings) for the Inquiry Essay later in this unit.]

Explain Revision Assignment - Remind students (using the original Web Forum Instructions sheet) how they can revise their own essays on the forum. Tell them that they certainly don't HAVE to take the advice of classmates who have responded to their essays, but that they might at least want to consider it. You might also want to explain to them how you intend to collect this essay. Do you want them to print out a copy of it and bring it to class? (If so, explain to them how to do so.) Do you want to copy them off the forum yourself? Do you want to read them on the forum and give your comments separately? (It is probably a bad idea to actually post your comments, as you would be evaluating them publicly.)