Assigned Reading Responses

For certain assigned readings, you will compose thoughtful and thought-provoking responses that show your understanding of the content and your interest in extending the discussion. You will write these responses on Google Drive. Make sure the two paragraphs you write are equal in length and that their total length is 200-300 words. "Equal length" means that when I count the lines of your two paragraphs, they are within one line of each other.

For the first Assigned Reading Response, use LastName.FirstName.ARR.1.F19
For the second Assigned Reading Response, use LastName.FirstName.ARR.2.F19

For full credit on this assignment, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better:

1. In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
2. Read the portion of the book that you plan to write about and choose one direct quote for focus (15 mins)
3. Type the full citation of the chapter in the book from which you took the direct quote (5 mins)
4. Write your first paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
5. Write your second paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
6. Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
7. Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)

Your "revision history" in Google Drive should show that you typed out your response and took ample time to go back and revise. Brainstorm (if you want), write, and revise in the Google document so that I can see your progress. Do NOT type your response in some other place or copy and paste into your Google document. Always do all of your typing in the Google document itself.

Your finished assignment (i.e., two paragraphs) should total at least 200 words but no more than 300 words. Make sure the paragraphs are the same length as each other if you have more than one.

Guidelines for Doing an Assigned Reading Response

1. When typing out the citation of the reading assignment, use proper MLA formatting
2. In the first paragraph,
   
   1. start by highlighting ONE idea from the reading that caught your eye and made you think. To do so, introduce a statement made by the author and then quote it word for word. You must introduce a specific idea and then directly quote the author.
   2. explain what the author is trying to communicate to the audience with this idea.
3. In the second paragraph,
   
   1. start by writing ONE idea of your own that the author's statement made you think about. This idea should be about a significant incident that you experienced. The first sentence should include the incident and an idea about it.
   2. explain your idea so that your reader can see how you are extending the discussion started by the author.
4. When typing your title at the top of your assignment, use proper title formatting

Peer Responses

As your peers make progress on their own papers, you will offer advice about their content to help them (and you) continue to improve. On the day a revised draft is due, you will comment on paper of a classmate (and one will comment on yours). Arrange with your group how you will distribute the sharing evenly.

This assignment has two main parts: (1) commenting on the paper and (2) writing a response to the student.

Commenting on the paper:

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements)

1. Share your paper with everyone in your group (2 mins)
2. Decide as a group who will comment on whose paper (2 mins)
3. Read the paper all the way through, multiple times (15 mins)
4. Make at least 4 comment boxes and fill each one with detailed suggestions for improvement: one comment for the beginning, two for the middle, and one for the ending (30 mins)

Your comments should be about ideas and logic, not grammar and style. As you read, ask yourself, "How can the writer help me see the meaning better? How can the writer improve connections through the paper?" Remember, the standard we want is effective communication. As Keith Hjortshoj tells us, "Effective writing, therefore, facilitates continuous reading from beginning to end" (115).

Writing a response to the student:

For the first paper, use LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.PR.for.Sally.F19
For the second paper, use LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.PR.for.Sally.F19
For the third paper, use LastName.FirstName.AB.PR.for.Sally.F19

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better.

1. In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
2. Reread the student's paper and your comments again (15 mins)
3. Write your first paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
4. Write your second paragraph according to the instructions below (15 mins)
5. Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)
6. Type "Dear NameofStudent" above your paragraphs and "Sincerely, YourFirstName" below them (1 min)
7. Share the response document with the student when you are finished (1 min)

Type a 200-300 word response to your peer's paper. In the first paragraph, offer a comment of approval about a particular paragraph that had a positive effect on your reading experience and why. In the second paragraph, offer a suggestion about a particular paragraph would improve your reading experience and why. Do not discuss grammar or word style. Instead, grapple with the writer's ideas and logic. For top grades, use specific examples from the paper of good content and poor content. You must identify one strength and one weakness in content and suggest improvements. Only write about 2 specific parts of the paper--elaborate on each one in a separate paragraph.

Refrain from superficial comments such as "I really enjoyed your paper!" or "If you make these changes, you could have a great paper!" Keep your focus on TWO specific parts of the paper only, one in each paragraph you write.

Self Responses

When you submit papers for evaluation, you will also submit your own evaluation of the struggles and achievements you've encountered in the writing process. Create a new document in your Google Drive writing folder for this course

Use these filenames:

LastName.FirstName.Paper.1.SR.F19
LastName.FirstName.Paper.2.SR.F19

For full credit, follow these steps (times are guidelines, not requirements). If you find yourself writing quickly and finishing soon, chances are strong that you could think harder and produce better content. Please take this into consideration instead of assuming you cannot do any better.

1. In your shared folder in Google Drive, create a document and name it based on the examples above (2 mins)
2. Brainstorm about frustrations and achievements you experienced while working on your paper (15 mins)
3. Write your response according to the instructions below (15-30 mins)
4. Give your piece an intelligent, thoughtful, two-part title that UNIQUELY captures your idea (5 mins)
5. Proofread your work carefully after writing (10 mins)

The content parameters of this assignment are pretty wide open, but your discussion should revolve around your impressions of your experience working on your paper. Points might include what you felt successful doing, what you felt frustrated by, areas in which you needed help but did not ask, and areas in which you felt confident. What was it like to write this paper, and how can you apply the lessons you learned to future papers? To what extent have you improved yourself as a writer through the process of writing this paper?

Like all responses, be sure that your paragraph(s) total 200-300 words.

Center a thoughtful and intelligent title at the top that accurately reflects your attitude about your performance on your paper.

Peer Responses for AB

You know the basic guidelines for writing Peer Responses, but for this assignment, you have to approach commenting a little differently. Even if your classmate has done more than two commentaries, please focus only on the first two. Each commentary should have two equal length paragraphs, so you should comment on each one. Leave one comment on the first paragraph and one comment on the second paragraph, for a total of four comments over the two commentaries. When leaving comments, remember the requirements for the commentary paragraphs:

1. The first paragraph should identify ONE idea in the source (some point the author makes) that pertains to your research question. Explain this idea as the author presents it using additional examples from the article.
2. The second paragraph should explain how that idea points to an important factor that the debaters should consider. How does the author's idea help that group of people think more carefully about the question, without actually answering the question? What does this idea contribute to a discussion of the question you raised? Remember, the writer is not the debater and should not be trying to argue a position or answer the question.

As usual, in your 200-300 word letter to your peer, highlight one specific strength of the draft and one specific way to improve the draft. Do not waste words simply pointing out what you liked or what was done incorrectly. Elaborate on each highlight, helping your classmate fix the problem the way you would on your own work.