We are now entering end of the semester territory! The countdown is on. We have about four weeks left of the term. This is a time we can look back and begin to see how much we have accomplished; it is also a time when many students lose focus and often drop or stop working as hard as they did at the start of the semester. Take some time to think about where you are and how you are feeling. I would strongly suggest you remember many of the skits of the first weeks of the term and keep in mind all of the interventions that we came up with to keep the main character from not having a dissatisfying experience. Unfortunately, I have to say that in all of my classes I have lost really good students over the past couple of weeks. (The last day for me to drop students is this Friday. If you are not sure that you are going to stay in the class for whatever reason, please let me know so I can drop you rather than have to assign a failing grade at the end of the term.)
Last week we evaluated papers. From the comments I overheard, I can tell that this was an unnerving experience for some. It is a difficult thing to evaluate anything let alone someone else's written work. I looked over the papers and I'm ready to give them back to you. Overall, I feel most of the evaluations were accurate and fair. If you believe your paper was not fairly assessed, however, please take time to print another rubric and reevaluate your paper. When you finish, write a one-page justification why you changed the scores. Make an appointment with me. I will be available starting this Friday through Wednesday of this week. I will reconsider your grade once you have met with me. You have until Wednesday of next week to resolve any issues with your paper. Failure to do so will mean that you will keep the grade you were given. For those of you who got a note from me requesting that you go to the Writing Center, you will need to make an appointment this week and have a session with one of our tutors by no later than next week. Failure to do so will mean that your grade will be 280 points, a 70%.
This week we will start with a notebook check and an in-class essay assignment. This marks a clear turn toward looking at revision and grammar issues as they arise in pressurized writing scenarios. This week's essay will be worth 50 points. You will get the paper back the following week. We will use the essay as a tool to explore ways to improve revision and editing skills in reference to grammar. To prepare for this work, please read and take notes from "Attending to Grammar," an excellent page from Dartmouth College. In your notebooks, define and describe the 20 most common grammar mistakes; use the grammar drill exercises to provide three sample sentences showing the problem and how it is corrected.
We will not have class next week; I will be available for conferences to address any issues with the essays and also to provide answer any questions regarding the photo walk essay. You can schedule an appointment here.
Lastly, the photo essay is due next Wednesday. It will be submitted as a Storify link; I will provide the form to turn it in next week. Remember that the essay is worth 500-points. Go back to the previous weeks if you need a description of the assignment. Please feel free to schedule an appointment to see me if you want extra help. Here's the rubric for the photo walk essay.
Shanty 2012 Extra Credit Assignment
If you are planning on participating in Shanty 2012 (November 17) and receive 100 extra credit points, please make sure to talk to me during class!
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