Table of Contents · Web viewDRP score sheet 14. DRP conversion chart 15. Addendum—Sample...
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English 961A Faculty Handbook 1
Transcript of Table of Contents · Web viewDRP score sheet 14. DRP conversion chart 15. Addendum—Sample...
English 961AFaculty Handbook
Fall 2013last revised 12/16/13
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Table of Contents
The Accelerated Learning Program 3
Accelerated Learning Pathway 4(from online schedule)
Course Requirements for all Sections 5
Beginning of the Semester Checklist 6
Midterm Conference Information 7
Grading 8
Three Possible Grade Outcomes graph 9
English 96 SLOs 10
English 1A SLOs 11
Assessment Tools 12
DRP Individual Performance Report 13
DRP score sheet 14
DRP conversion chart 15
Addendum—Sample Materials 16Spring 2014 and Fall 2013 Driving QuestionsSyllabiProject assignmentsProject proposal/prospectus assignmentAnnotated Bibliography assignmentMetacognitive AnalysesBackwards design handout
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The Accelerated Learning ProgramEst. November 2013
Mission Statement
The English Department’s Accelerated Learning Program’s mission is to provide a pedagogically sound, accelerated, and intensive reading and composition pathway for students to gain cognitive and affective skills necessary to be successful in college-level courses. This program is comprised of English 9293 and English 961A.
Program Learning Outcomes
Manage the rigorous coursework and time commitment of a six-unit intensive course.
Use inquiry-based learning to pursue and explore a driving question in a variety of written forms that culminate in a final semester project.
Evaluate, synthesize, and make connections between ideas, processes, and skills.
Demonstrate self-efficacy, confidence, and resilience in learning.
ALP Contributers
Jessica Brown---English department ChairKaren Cox---English 961A lead facultyAmy Lawlor---English 9293 lead facultyMitra Sapienza---English 961A lead facultyJim Sauve---English department Assessment coordinatorMichelle Simotas---English 9293 lead facultyKristin Smith---English department Basic Skills coordinator
ALP Leads/Contacts
Mitra Sapienza [email protected] Michelle Simotas [email protected]
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The English Department now offers two intensive 6-unit courses that will allow students to complete two courses in one semester.
English 9293= 6 units 6 hours per week
Prerequisite: Eligibility for English 92
This course consists of intensive pre-college composition and reading, developing and writing formal essays, practice in critical reading, critical thinking, exposition, and argumentation. English 9293 focuses on a driving question that will inform class reading and writing. (See the schedule for the driving question for each section.)
English 9293 is an intensive course that combines two semester-length courses (English 92 + 93) into one. The work load in this class is very fast-paced, challenging, and time-consuming. In addition to the required 6 hours per week of class time, students should reserve more than 10 hours each week for reading, writing, and studying outside of class.
Students will enroll in the 3 unit English 92 course designated for English 9293. They will get their English 93 add code from the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
English 961A= 6 units 6 hours per week
Prerequisite: Eligibility for English 96
The course consists of intensive college-level reading assignments, developing and writing formal essays and pursuing research, critical analysis, and lines of inquiry. Each section of English 961A focuses on a driving question that will inform class inquiry and research. (See the schedule for the driving question for each section.)
English 961A is an intensive course that combines two semester-length courses (English 96 + 1A) into one. The work load in this class is very fast-paced, challenging, and time-consuming. In addition to the required 6 hours per week of class time, students should reserve more than 10 hours each week for reading, writing, and studying outside of class.
Students will enroll in the 3 unit English 96 course designated for English 961A. They will get their English 1A add code from the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
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ACCELERATED ENGLISH PATHWAY—Spring 2014
BATMALE HALL * www.ccsf.edu/english * 415-239-3406
Course Requirements
All 961A sections will have the following in common:
A driving question
Backwards design
DRP entry and exit exams; the final exam for this course is the exit DRP.
A final project—with a possible non-traditional option—that is worth a minimum of 30% of the students’ overall grade
Annotated Bibliography of at least eight academic sources (as a single assignment or several assignments over the course of the semester that together total eight annotations)
Metacognitive Analysis assignment
Lab requirement: 16 hours of distance education (grade penalty for students not completing 16 hours but not an automatic fail)
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Beginning of the Semester Checklist
Add Codes
Students will first register themselves for English 96. Once instructors have finalized their English 96 class rosters, they will
pass out English 1A add codes for students to add themselves. Students must add during the add/drop period otherwise they cannot be in the class.
Rosters for both 96 and 1A need to be the same. Check these before the first add deadline.
Counseling Students
During the first few weeks of the course, instructors should administer some sort of diagnostic: the DRP, a writing assignment, or other short task that provides the instructor with a sense of the reading and/or writing level of each student. Once reviewing this work, instructors should advise students who are lacking in fundamental skills and speak to them one-on-one about the rigors of the course. The goal is to ensure students are placed accurately in the accelerated course; the instructor should also notify students of any additional work they will be required to do independently in order to reach the appropriate skill level of the course.
Instructors are also encouraged to find out about and speak to students who are enrolled in over 17 units who may need warning of the time commitment this class requires.
DRPAll instructors will administer an entry DRP exam—test T2—during the first few weeks of the term, and an exit DRP exam—test U2—at the end of the term. Most 961A instructors administer the exit DRP as their final exam for the course. Test booklets are available for checkout at the Reading lab counter; scantrons can be obtained there or at duplicating services. See addendum for other DRP materials.
Meetings
All 961A instructors are strongly encouraged to attend regular, monthly level meetings. Dates and times will be scheduled during the first month of the term.
Grading
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961A students will receive an RD for their 96 and 1A midterm grades. Instructors are strongly encouraged to hold individual midterm conferences to discuss each student’s progress.
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Midterm Conference Suggestions
In order to have consistency and continuity between sections of this course, all instructors are encouraged to give students midterm evaluations and/or conferences. Feedback at this stage is especially critical for 961A students, as they will be receiving an RD for their 1A midterm grade and will benefit from clear communication on their progress in meeting the 96 and 1A SLOs.
Included in this packet is a worksheet 961A instructors may use to communicate clearly and specifically with students the SLOs for the course.
For each SLO, the instructor may mark one of four levels:“Proficient” – the student has demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in
the SLO“Developing” – the student shows progress in meeting the SLO but is not
yet proficient“Inadequate” – the student needs additional practice and support to meet
the SLO“Not yet practiced” – the student has not had an opportunity to work on the
SLO at mid-semester
The worksheet is a valuable way to set clear expectations with students about possible outcomes in the course. Some students may have met nearly all 96 SLOs by mid-semester and can be reassured that their progress puts them on track to finish both sides of the course. Those students who measure at the “inadequate” level in numerous 96 and 1A categories may be counseled to focus their efforts on completing the 96 requirements. At the same time, instructors should balance the results of the midterm report with the reality that some 961A students blossom later in the semester and may show progress on the final project significant enough to warrant a passing grade in both 96 and 1A.
Students in 961A tend to feel very anxious about how they will be graded. The best antidote for their anxiety is clear and regular communication about their progress. Couching all grading discussions in the context of SLOs reminds students that, while attending class and completing coursework are important parts of succeeding in 961A, ultimately they must demonstrate proficiency in a specific set of measurable reading, writing, and research skills to move forward.
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Grading
Midterm
All students will receive an RD for both 96 and 1A sections of the course.
Instructors are encouraged to, instead of submitting midterm grades, meet with students individually to give them a midterm progress report. You can determine midterm progress based on students’ work that reflects both 96 and 1A student learning outcomes.
Final grades
All students must complete the entire course in order to receive grades for both the 96 and 1A sections of the course.
Toward the end of the term, some students may opt to withdraw from the 1A portion of the course, but must continue to attend and complete their final projects in order to pass the 96 portion of the course. Instructors are encouraged to meet with these students to discuss their options of withdrawing from the 1A portion of the course.
Students do not necessarily need to end the course with the same grades in both sections. It is possible for a student to receive the same grade, a higher grade or a lower grade in either section. For example, a student could earn a B in 96 and a C in 1A; or a B in 96 and an A in 1A.; or a B in 96 and a D in 1A.
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Three Possible Grade Outcomes
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Take English 96/1A
Possibility One:
Pass 96/1AGet 6.0 units
divided as follows:
Possibility Two:
Fail 96/1AGet no units
Grade for 96: D or F Grade for 1A: D or F
Possibility Three:
Receive Partial CreditGet 3.0 units for English 96
only
3.0 unitsGrade forEnglish 96(A, B or C)
NO unitsGrade for English 1A
(D or F)
3.0 units Grade for English 96 (A, B, or C)
3.0 units Grade for English 1A (A, B, or C)
English 96 Student Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate the ability to write and revise university freshman entry-level essays in and out of class of varying lengths that rely on text-based exposition, analysis, and argumentation.
Show independent ability to comprehend academic essays (Advanced Degrees of Reading Power readability score of 61 or above).
Show ability to analyze expository and argumentative works at the university freshman entry level.
Demonstrate, through writing, reading, and discussion, the ability to examine abstract and conceptual ideas at the university freshman entry level.
Summarize independently, through discussion and writing, university freshman entry-level texts and expository prose.
Show university freshman entry-level facility at developing and using key structural elements of an essay, including unified thesis statements, logical organization, paragraph patterns, extended paragraph development, and cohesive transitions.
Show consistent, strong skills when writing sentences that employ coordination and subordination.
Show some control over more complex sentence patterns that include multiple clauses and parallel constructions.
Demonstrate university freshman entry-level proficiency in using the conventions of Standard Written English, including regular tracking and self-correction of errors.
Demonstrate university freshman entry-level skills in finding, integrating, and citing outside sources using MLA format.
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English 1A Student Learning Outcomes
Compose organized and coherent source-based essays that demonstrate critical thinking about audience and purpose.
Apply multiple planning and revision strategies to approach and undertake writing and research projects.
Select and integrate reliable, credible, and scholarly sources to support essays, using MLA format.
Read critically to annotate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate primarily non-fiction, college-level texts.
Revise essays to show control over all major conventions of standard English grammar and punctuation.
Select, apply, and reflect on feedback from teachers and peers to improve one’s own reading, writing, and research processes.
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Mandatory Assessment Tools
Beginning of the semester DRP entry: test T2 Online Surveys on Survey Monkey (on a periodic basis)
Throughout semester Reading Plus or other Directed Lab activities
End of the semester DRP exit: test U2 (final exam) Online Surveys on Survey Monkey Essay norming and scoring session for a research-based essay (on a
periodic basis) Metacognitive Analysis scoring session (on a periodic basis)
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INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
Advanced Degrees of Reading Power Test Score (DRP)
Your Advanced Degrees of Reading Power Score
On the back of this page, in the second column, is your Advanced DRP Test score. In the first column is listed the DRP score you self-assessed and predicted for yourself.
What Does This Score Mean?
This score indicates, according to this test, what your Independent Reading Level is.
Independent Reading Level is defined as the level at which you read and know 95% or more of all vocabulary and can comprehend 80% or more of the content.
What Does the Advanced DRP Test Measure?
The Advanced DRP Test assesses your ability to comprehend and reason with—that is, analyze, evaluate, and extend—the ideas presented in increasingly difficult texts.
Advanced DRP scores are criterion-referenced, which means they have been proven against objective scales and data establishing the levels of difficulty of materials students are able to reason with successfully.
The tests were normed and validated against national samples of students in colleges and grades 6-12.
Both the Standard and Advanced DRP tests are used by other colleges as placement and assessment measures.
Notes:
1) No test is perfect or infallible. All tests are limited by their construct and their design.
2) The DRP Scale limits its measurement of a text to its linguistic complexity and “readability.” It does not seek to reflect the more abstract content measures and dimensions of a text: for example, it rates the novel The Catcher in the Rye lower on its scale (DRP=49) because of that novel’s very accessible, “slangy” colloquial use of language. The DRP Scale does not measure The Catcher in the Rye (or any other text) for its intellectual depth, richness, intertextuality, tone, point(s) of view, etc. That limitation being admitted and identified, the test’s scale and scoring are still very useful.
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Your Self-
Predicted DRP
Score
Your Actual DRP
ScoreDRP Unit
Scale Example(s) of Non-Fiction Texts at this Level of the DRP Scale
77 McNeil, The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community
73 Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Society
71 Gould, Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History
70+ UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN-LEVEL COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS 70 Front-Page Articles from The New York Times and other major newspapers
69 Wilson, On Human Nature
68 Fitzgerald, Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam
67 Thoreau, Walden, Or Life in the Woods
66 Krakauer, Into Thin Air
Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
65 Machiavelli, The Prince
Major Articles in Adult General Interest Magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc.)
64 Ehrenreich, Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
63 Average State Driver’s License Manual
Berg, Lindbergh
Wolfe, The Right Stuff
62 Articles in Sports Sections of Major Newspapers
Carroll, An American Requiem: God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us
61 Junger, The Perfect Storm
60 Hailey/Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcom X
59 Goodall, The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours
58 Frank, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
57 Walker, Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self
Baker, Growing Up
56 Mailer, The Executioner’s Song
Bowden, Blackhawk Down
Mah, Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
55 Bragg, All Over But the Shoutin’
Kingston, The Woman Warrior
54 Soto, A Summer Life
Lame Deer and Erdoes, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions
Richards, How to Get It Together When Your Parents Are Coming Apart
53 Pelzer, A Child Called ‘It’
Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
Eire, Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy
52 Jiang, Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
51 Wiesel, Night
50 Brown, Manchild in the Promised Land
49 McCourt, Angela’s Ashes
48 Terkel, The Good War
47 Myers, Fallen Angels
Sheindlin, Judge Judy Sheindlin’s You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
45 Runyon, The Burn Journals
Kratoville, Ferdinand Magellan
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Name: _______________ Course: _______________
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Addendum
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Driving Questionsfrom Spring 2014
Sanelli, A How does food shape our identity?Young, J To what extent can we trust our instincts? Miles, A What does happiness mean? O'Connor, M What is an academic essay? Archer, D Why are we so attracted to monsters? Hren, K How can we save the environment?Isles, J What is the role of the imagination?Vogel, K What is Success? Crockett, A What is the Ethical or "Right" thing to do, and How do we Decide? Brown, J $MONEY$ How does it influence us personally, socially, and politically? Cox, K What is a digital nation, and do you want to live there? Smith, K What has our Attention? Sapienza, M Does the American Dream exist-or, is it only a dream?
Driving Questionsfrom Fall 2013
Hren, K Are We Headed Towards Environmental Collapse?Bacsierra, B To What Degree Does Justice Exist in Our Society?Sauve, J How Can We Recognize a Great Work Of Art?O’Connor, M Who Am I? Discovering IdentityKeast, D Is America in Decline?Isles, J What is Imagination—And Why Do We Need It in a Hot, Flat And
Crowded World?Young, J How Do We Make or Break a Habit?
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Sample Syllabi #1
English 961AIntensive University Academic Reading and Composition
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Mitra Sapienza Office: Batmale 572Email: [email protected] Office hours: MW 6-6:30, Tue/Thur 3:30-4:30Voicemail: 452-5897 & by appointment
Course Description This six-unit course consists of intensive university-level reading, writing and critical thinking based on a study of the driving question: American Dream--does it exist or is it only a dream? Your success in this course depends on your ability to effectively write expository essays, actively read various texts and supportively participate in class discussion. You will write essays in which you will concentrate on writing clear and effective sentences in well-developed and well-organized paragraphs. We will focus on how you, as a writer, must understand your purpose, organize and develop your ideas, clarify your language, and make decisions in your writing based on your audience, all the while incorporating the texts you read and critically thinking about the topics we discuss. In addition to writing essays, you will complete a culminating project in which you will choose between designing a creative project or writing a more traditional research paper that answers the driving question of the course.
Prerequisites: Placement in English 96 or completion of English 93 with a “C” or better.
What is an Intensive Course?English 961A is an intensive course in the new accelerated pathway offered through the English Department. This six-unit course merges English 96 and English 1A in one semester. Successful completion of this course will give you credit in both courses and consequently requires a serious commitment of your time and attention.
By the end of the second or third week of classes, you will receive an add code for the English 1A portion of your class load. Your class schedule will list two classes, 96 and 1A, meeting at the same time. You must be enrolled in both sections.
Receiving Credit for this Intensive Course You must complete all essays, including the final project to get credit for this
class (this includes both 96 and 1A). At midterm you will receive a grade showing your progress for 96 and an RD
for 1A.
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At the end of the semester you will receive a final course letter grade for both 96 and 1A; these grades may not be the same, so it’s important to work hard through the entire semester.
You must get at least a C on your final out of class essay—and complete all other course requirements—in order to pass the 1A portion of the course.
Failure to complete all essays and the final project will result in failing grades for both 96 and 1A.
Course ObjectivesUpon completion of this course you will be able to:
Demonstrate, through writing, reading, and discussion, the ability to extract and articulate the main idea, supporting points, and abstract concepts in university level academic texts, both written and non-written.
Compose extended, source-based essays that employ a variety of expository and argumentative structures that address audience and purpose, and that depend on more complex organizational methods rather than a basic listing structure.
Show ability to strategically choose from a repertoire of different grammatical structures that reflect the conventions of Standard Written English.
Show proficiency in shaping a scholarly research question, finding outside sources to investigate it, evaluating such sources for relevancy, credibility and accuracy, and integrating those sources using proper documentation practices.
Seek out, evaluate, and use critical feedback of one’s writing.
Demonstrate independent ability to engage in global and local revision of essays and other written work.
Strengthen self-efficacy regarding one’s own intellectual and academic skills and as part of assuming the identity and responsibilities of an independent learner.
Required MaterialsAll three of the required books—listed below in the order that we will read them—are available at the CCSF bookstore. You will need to purchase the first text by the end of the first week of classes. The second and third should be purchased by the third week. Texts will be used in class and for exams; consequently, all students need to purchase the physical book, not digital copies or eBooks.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2. The Wilding of America by Charles Derber3. Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser.
GradingAt CCSF we use the standard letter-grade system with no pluses or minuses for midterm or final grades, though I will use pluses and minuses when grading your essays so that you can see where you fall in the range of each letter grade and track your improvement. Homework (handouts, journals, other out-of-class work)
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will be graded on a scale with a + representing thoughtful and invested work, average work, and - below average work.
Grading Percentages out of class essays
20% in-class essays
20% Activity participation and homework 20% Final Project
40%Out-of-Class Essays
You will write several out-of-class essays ranging in length and focused on various topics and texts related to the American Dream. All essays must be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins in 12 point font in MLA style formatting which we will discuss in class. In order to receive credit for this course you must complete and turn in all essays.
Peer ResponsePeer Response is a time for you and your peers to share your writing and give constructive criticism to one another in order to improve each other’s clarity and communication. Peer response is attendance mandatory; consequently, if you miss a peer response your essay grade for that assignment will drop a full letter grade. If you arrive on a day of peer response, without your own rough draft, but still give feedback to your fellow classmates, your grade will suffer half a letter grade. Outlines, free writing, and other notes will not be counted as a rough draft.
In-Class EssaysOn two separate days of the semester you will write two in-class essays during our scheduled class time. You will be expected to write well-developed, well-organized essays in response to a question or situation. One of these essays will be your midterm exam.
Final Project You will have a culminating project in which you address the driving question, or your answer to that question, in your own way. You will have a choice to create a final project that reveals your interpretation of the driving question in a creative way, or you may choose to develop the project as a more traditional academic research paper. Regardless of your choice, all projects will include writing and research components. Assignments for the project will be due throughout the semester and will include: a written proposal, an annotated bibliography, the final project, a class presentation, and a metacognitive analysis.
Activity Participation and HomeworkSince this is not a lecture course, you should not expect to sit back and wait for me to deliver information for you to memorize. Activities will include discussions, group work, reading quizzes, reading journals, and writing exercises. Aside from
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writing essays, your homework will include an extensive amount of reading, reading response questions, research, and writing exercises.
DRP and Online SurveysAt the beginning and end of the semester, you will complete the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) exam, a test that gauges your reading level, during the first week of the semester and then as your final exam. You may also be asked to complete surveys during the semester. These surveys will ask you to reflect on your path as a student.
DeadlinesHomework is due on the due dates listed on the course schedule or announced in class. Late homework is not accepted. I accept one late essay during the semester (no more than one week late)—no questions asked. After that, late essays will be marked down one letter grade per class meeting they are late. I do not comment on any late essays, but you may see me for feedback. I will not accept any essays over two weeks late.
AttendanceMy policy on the matter is simple—after two absences, excused or not, you will receive a No Credit grade for the course. Two tardies will equal one absence. If you find it difficult to be places on time, please sign up for a different section. Missing a class does not excuse you from turning in or completing assignments or essays. Since this is an intensive course, missing any class sessions will severely impede your ability to succeed in this class.
Information Competency RequirementEnglish 961A includes five hours of library research skills. To complete these hours you will complete two library workshops which are offered in three formats: face-to-face, online or in class. I will give you more detailed directions and due dates soon. You can learn more about these workshops by going to “Research Help” and then “Library Workshops” on the CCSF Library homepage. Completing these workshops is required to receive a passing grade in English 961A and also fulfills the library research requirement at SFSU, so save your proof of attendance.
Academic HonestyPlagiarism is not tolerated at City College. Plagiarism includes using words and ideas that are not your own without crediting the source properly, getting someone else to write your paper, or having someone rewrite/edit sentences for you. Students engaging in plagiarism will receive an “F” on the assignment and may be dropped from the course. Ignorance is not an excuse; if you are confused about how to cite a source properly, always ask your instructor, a writing tutor, or a librarian for help.
Academic AccommodationsStudents who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in the Rosenberg Library, Room 323. Telephone: 415-452-5481 (V) 415-452-5451 (TDD). DSPS is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic
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accommodations, assessing that need, and planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements.
Additional ResourcesEnglish 961A is a challenging course, and numerous resources are available to help you succeed. Tutoring help is located at the Learning Assistance Center (Rosenberg Library, Room 207), which offers drop-in tutoring in reading and writing at every level. There are also open lab hours in the English Department’s computer lab Cyberia II. You can find Cyberia’s hours as well as excellent online resources at: http://www.ccsf.edu/english/labpage.
And Finally… Save all essays and homework until the end of the semester. If you miss the second class meeting without notifying me, or if you do not
complete and submit the required first writing assignment, student information sheet and syllabus contract, you may lose your spot in this class.
This class depends upon the cooperation and participation of all students. Once you enter the classroom, please turn off cell phones and MP3 players AND put them away for the duration of the class. I will ask you to leave if your cell phone is out during class time.
A note about email: Do not use email as a replacement for attending class. Do not use email excessively or anonymously. Please only email me small chunks of your writing and not your entire essay to get feedback; a conference in my office would be more appropriate to look over an entire essay. Also, allow up to two-days response time for emails.
Most importantly, treat each other with respect and kindness so that we can build a safe and productive writing community.
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Sample Syllabi #2
English 961AIntensive University Level Academic Reading and
CompositionCourse Syllabus
Instructor: Karen Cox Office: Batmale 568Email: [email protected] Office hours: Monday 9:30-11 AM, Friday 10-11 AM and by
appt.Voicemail: (415) 452-7069 Website:
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~kcox
Course Description This six-unit course consists of intensive university-level reading, writing, and critical thinking based on a study of the driving question: What is a digital nation and do you want to live there? Your success in this course depends on your ability to write effective expository essays, actively read various texts, and participate fully in class discussion. You will be writing essays in which you will concentrate on writing clear and effective sentences in well-developed and well-organized paragraphs. We will focus on how you, as a writer, must understand your purpose, organize and develop your ideas, clarify your language, and make decisions in your writing based on your audience, all the while incorporating the texts you read and thinking critically about the topics we discuss. For your final out-of-class assignment, you will complete a course project in which you design a creative work or develop a more traditional research paper that focuses on the driving question of the course.
Prerequisites: Placement in English 96 or completion of English 93 with a “C” or better.
What is an Intensive Course?English 961A is an intensive course in the accelerated pathway offered through the English Department. This six-unit course merges English 96 and English 1A in one semester. Successful completion of this course will give you credit in both courses and consequently requires a serious commitment of your time and attention.
I will distribute add codes for the 1A section once the semester is underway. At that point, your class schedule will list two classes meeting at the same time. You must be enrolled in both sections:
English 96-X04 (CRN 73593)English 1A-X04 (CRN 73594)
Our class meets MWF from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM in Batmale 411.
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Numerous times during the semester, we will meet in a computer classroom to work on research and writing assignments. Consult the daily schedule for specific dates.
Our mandatory final exam will take place in Batmale 411 on Wednesday, Dec. 19, from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Our course includes a 1-hour Distance Ed Lab per week that can be met in several ways (details forthcoming in a separate handout).
Course Objectives/Major Learning OutcomesUpon completion of the English 96 objectives for this course, you will be able to:
Demonstrate the ability to write and revise university freshman entry-level essays in and out of class of varying lengths that rely on text-based exposition, analysis, and argumentation.
Show independent ability to comprehend academic essays (Advanced Degrees of Reading Power readability score of 61 or above).
Show ability to analyze expository and argumentative works at the university freshman entry level.
Demonstrate, through writing, reading, and discussion, the ability to examine abstract and conceptual ideas at the university freshman entry level.
Summarize independently, through discussion and writing, university freshman entry-level texts and expository prose.
Show university freshman entry-level facility at developing and using key structural elements of an essay, including unified thesis statements, logical organization, paragraph patterns, extended paragraph development, and cohesive transitions.
Show consistent, strong skills when writing sentences that employ coordination and subordination.
Show some control over more complex sentence patterns that include multiple clauses and parallel constructions.
Demonstrate university freshman entry-level proficiency in using the conventions of Standard Written English, including regular tracking and self-correction of errors.
Demonstrate university freshman entry-level skills in finding, integrating, and citing outside sources using MLA format.
Upon completion of the English 1A objectives for this course, you will be able to:
Compose research-based essays incorporating and engaging with multiple sources.
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Produce and compose both in-class and out-of-class essays that respond to class readings, discussion, and research.
Analyze full-length non-fiction texts through reading and annotation, making intertextual connections between abstract ideas and understanding their theoretical implications.
Analyze strengths and weaknesses in assumptions and support.
Evaluate logical reasoning of written arguments.
Independently synthesize multiple, often competing, abstract ideas in reading, writing, and discussion.
Formulate ideas using complex organizational methods rather than a basic listing structure, supporting, unifying, and interweaving ideas throughout an essay.
Choose appropriate rhetorical strategies when composing and revising sentences.
Integrate sources using MLA style documentation.
You will be actively learning and working to acquire skills from both the English 96 objectives list and the English 1A objectives list throughout the semester. In other words, this course is NOT divided into two halves, with completion of 96 occurring at midterm. Rather, you will continue to work on both skill sets to the end of the semester, demonstrating adequate competency to achieve a satisfactory grade in one or both segments.
Required Books and MaterialsEde, The Academic Writer: Brief Guide (Macmillan, 2011) [ISBN 9780312603199]
{Also on reserve in Rosenberg Library.}Vie, (e)Dentity (Fountainhead) [ISBN 9781598714579] {Also on reserve in Rosenberg Library.}Anderson, Feed (Random, 2002) [ISBN 978763622596]A college writing handbook, such as Diana Hacker’s Rules for WritersA standard college dictionaryThree basic folders with pockets (for organizing and turning in the three projects)
GradingAt CCSF we use the standard letter-grade system with no pluses or minuses for midterm or final grades, though I may use pluses and minuses when grading your essays so that you can see where you fall in the range of each letter grade and track your improvement. Keep in mind that the percentages below are a guideline to help you understand the grading process in 961A. To pass one or both sections of the course, you must also meet the 96 and 1A course objectives as outlined above.
Grading Percentages
Class participation, journal, and homework 5%
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In-class essays 1, 2, and 3 25% Out-of-class essays: Project 1 10% Project 2 20% Project 3 (Final Project) 40%
Class Participation, Journal, and HomeworkParticipating fully in this intensive course is essential to your success. Occupying a chair is not the same as participating! Keep up with the reading, do your homework, bring your books, take notes, take part in class discussion, write in your journal regularly, and be prepared to contribute in a positive way to each class session in order to get the most out of our time together. In addition to daily class reading and writing, each of the major writing projects will have a series of smaller assignments that must be completed in order to move to the next part of the project. Again, planning your time carefully and keeping up with the work is the best way to succeed. If time management becomes a challenge, make an appointment with a counselor to get help developing this essential college success skill.
In-Class EssaysOver the course of the semester, you will write three in-class essays during our scheduled class time. You will be expected to write well-developed, well-organized essays in response to a question or situation. These in-class essays will grow into larger projects for the course.
Out-of-Class EssaysYou will write and revise three major out-of-class projects ranging in length (between 4 and 10 mages) and focused on various topics and texts. Essays must be typed, double-spaced with 1-inche margins in 12 point font. You will be required to use MLA format for all essays; we will discuss these guidelines in more detail soon. In order to earn credit for the course you must complete all essays with an average passing score of a C or better. These essays will represent the final work for each project.
Final Project
This class includes a driving question that will connect the semester’s discussions, readings and assignments. In addition, you will have a culminating project in which you address the driving question, or your answer to that question, in your own way. You will have a choise to create a final project that reveals your interpretation of the driving question in a creative way or you may choose to develop the project as a more traditional, academic research paper. Regardless of your choice, all projects will include writing and research components.
Project Breakdown
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For each of the three major projects for our course, we will follow the same eight-step process: proposal, reading/source list, annotated bibliography, in-class essay, peer critique with classmates, revision conference with instructor, presentation, and final draft (with a metacognitive analysis included for Project 3). Each step in the process will have a specific due date and account for a portion of the grade on the project. For each project, you will be given a cover sheet to insert into a folder. The cover sheet will indicate the due date and score for each step. Steps marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory but do not have point values. These steps will be marked credit/no credit, but failure to complete any mandatory steps will lower the project’s total grade. You should keep all project assignments together in the folder, placing the writing assignment that is due on top (or in its own pocket) when you turn the folder in to me for grading. For example, when your proposal is due, you will turn it in to me in the folder. I will comment on it, put it back in the folder, mark the grade you have earned for that step on the cover sheet, and return the folder to you. You will leave the proposal in the folder but place the reading/source list on top when that step is due for grading. By the time you turn in your final draft of a project, the folder will also include all the work you completed prior to finishing the final draft. Due to the nature of the accelerated course schedule, expect that typically you will be completing one final project while beginning the proposal development stage for the next.
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8- Step Project Process
Project 1 (10%)
Project 2 (20%)
Project 3 – Final Project (40%)
Proposal 1 page 2 pages 3 pagesReading/Source List 4 sources 6 sources 8 sourcesAnnotated Bibliography
2 sources 3 sources 4 sources
In-class Essay (graded separately)
2-3 pages (5%)
3-4 pages (10%)
3-4 pages (10%)
Peer Critique * * *Revision Conference * * *Presentation * * *Final Draft 4-5 pages 5-7 pages 8-10 pages (Research Option)
6-8 pages+project (Creative Option)
Metacognitive Analysis not applicable not applicable 3 pages (both options)
DRP Assessment and Surveys
At the beginning and end of the semester, you will participate in two types of assessments—you will receive credit for complete these but will not be graded on them. You will take the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) exam, a test that gauges your reading level, during the first week of the semester and then again as your final exam. You may also be asked to complete student surveys at different points during our course. These surveys will ask you to reflect your path as a student and your experience in the accelerated pathway.
AttendanceBecause you will need to attend class regularly to succeed in this intensive course, attendance will be taken at every class meeting. Please come on time and be prepared. If you must miss class, let me know in advance by voice message or e-mail. You are responsible for work assigned or due in your absence. More than two weeks of missed class may result in your being dropped from the course. Three tardies are equivalent to one absence. Arriving to class more than 20 minutes late will constitute an absence.
Classroom and Email PoliciesCourtesy is the number one rule in my classroom. Please do not interrupt your instructor or each other during class discussion; raising your hand is the best way to gain the floor. Put away materials that do not pertain to our class, including cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices. Do not text during class. When we meet in the computer classroom, we will follow the posted rules in the lab. Email me any time you like; I typically return messages once nightly. If you want feedback on your writing, send no more than a single paragraph of an essay in any email message (include your thesis statement at the top to help contextualize the paragraph). And absolutely no attachments, please.
Information Competency Requirement
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English 961A includes five hours of library research skills. To meet this requirement, you will complete three library workshops (B, C, and W) which are offered in three formats: face-to-face, online or in class. I will give you more directions and guidelines in class. You can learn more about these workshops by going to “Research Help” and then “Library Workshops” on the CCSF Library homepage. Completing these workshops is required to receive a passing grade in English 961A and also fulfills the library research requirement at SFSU, so save your proof of completion furnished by the library staff. We will also attend a library workshop together as a class that covers much of the material in Workshop D.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is not tolerated at City College. Plagiarism includes using words and ideas that are not your own without crediting the source properly, getting someone else to write your paper, or having someone rewrite/edit sentences for you. Students engaging in plagiarism will receive an “F” on the assignment and may be dropped from the course. Ignorance is not an excuse; if you are confused about how to cite a source properly, always ask your instructor, a writing tutor, or a librarian for help.
Academic Accommodations
Students who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in the Rosenberg Library, Room 323. Telephone: 415-452-5481 (V) 415-452-5451 (TDD). DSPS is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements.
Additional Resources
English 961A is a challenging course, and numerous resources are available to help you succeed. Tutoring support is located in the English Lab (Rosenberg Library, Room 205), which offers drop-in tutoring in reading and writing at every level, as well as group assistance in reading, writing, and grammar skills. Computers are available to work on papers and earn lab credit using a wide variety of software to support your skill development. You can find lab hours as well as excellent online resources at: http://www.ccsf.edu/english/labpage. And, of course, I am available during office hours and by appointment to offer any help you need – please come see me!
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Sample Project assignment #1
Final ProjectGuidelines and Objectives
The content of this course focuses on answering the driving question: Does the American Dream exist—or is it only a dream? In our search for possible answers, we have read and discussed many texts in which journalists, professional writers, economists and even some scientists have attempted to answer, both directly and indirectly, this driving question.
Now it’s your turn.
Even though you’ve been encouraged to argue your views throughout the semester on many issues we’ve discussed, your final project is your answer to our question, a culmination of all we have studied this semester through your eyes. And, since you are the expert voice in this project, you also must decide on how you want to exercise that voice; in what context, media or mode would you like to reveal your answer to the question?
Your ultimate goal is to decide for yourself whether the American Dream exists or not, and your answer should be clearly articulated in your final project.
Creative Research OptionWithin the creative option you have free reign. This project will develop as you wish it to, but the goal is to answer the driving question and base your answer, regardless of medium, in reliable academic research. You will still be required to integrate and cite at least 10 reliable, academic sources in connection to your project. Here are some different ways you could present your answer:
Field Research: volunteer for and write about an organization or event that exemplifies access to the American Dream, those seeking to find it, and/or those seeking to make it accessible. Then, compare this organization with other organizations who attempt or have attempted the same outcomes.
Create a lesson plan for future teachers who might wish to teach a course on the existence or extinction of the American Dream. Research teaching methods, materials, and give a theoretical rationale to your design.
Choose an artistic medium that you think exemplifies the achievement or deferment of the American Dream and then create a piece of art through that medium. Research specific artistic methods and techniques you use and materials you choose to give a theoretical rationale to your design. Possible media could be:
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Music—write/produce a song; design an album cover Painting—paint a picture or other painted object Graphic design—design a multi-media montage Photography—a photo montage Film—make a short movie Creative writing—poetry, short fiction, script, comic or
graphic short story Design a newsletter, the front-page of a magazine or newspaper, or a
poster. Design a visual time-line or map that follows the evolution of the
American Dream for the past 50-100 years. Write a script, song, poem, short story, comic or graphic short story in
which you include the major characters and events connected to the establishment, success or downfall of the American Dream in the last century or decade.
Design a video game, web page, blog or computer program in which you include the major characters and events connected to the establishment, success or downfall of the American Dream in the last century or decade.
Traditional Research OptionDespite the name, a “traditional” research paper can still be creative! Look to some of the class readings this semester to notice ways cultural critics and social science researchers produce academic discourse that may be rigorous, engaging and perhaps even occasionally humorous.
Then, in an 8-10 page research paper, argue your answer to our driving question. Your paper should present thorough research from at least 10 reliable, academic sources.
Students selecting the traditional option will gain experience developing the kinds of scholarly essays that are regularly assigned in upper-division university courses and in graduate school. This option may also be the right choice for students who plan to continue on in English 1C at CCSF.
TipsOne way to view tackling such a large question as ours would be to categorize your project into the three categories that we’ve explored this semester: how do you see life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness manifested in today’s culture? Do these categories exist for everyone equally? Do they exist for you and your friends? For members in your community?
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Project Components & Due DatesRegardless of which option you choose, every project, worth 40% of your overall grade, will include completion of a Project Proposal, due early in the semester, and a Final Project Portfolio.
PROJECT PROPOSAL (10%) is due____________________________
PROJECT PORTFOLIO (90%) is due ______________________
Project Portfolio Contents
Annotated Bibliography a minimum of 10 sources 10%
Project 50% for Traditional 20% for Creative
Presentation of Project 10%
Metacognitive Analysis paper 20% for Traditional 50% for Creative
NOTE: The metacognitive analysis paper will have different requirements depending on which project option you choose. Students choosing a creative project must complete a 6-8 page metacognitive analysis paper which includes at least 10 outside sources, integrated using MLA formatting, to reflect on the process of completing their project. Students who choose the traditional research paper option must complete a 2-page metacognitive analysis. Once you decide on which paper option you’d like to complete, I will give you the appropriate assignment sheet for the analysis paper.
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Sample Project Assignment #2
Project 3 Assignment Packet:Where is the digital nation headed next?
BackgroundM.T. Anderson’s award-winning novel Feed imagines a future in which people have “feeds” to the Internet implanted directly into their brains so that they experience life as a continuous deluge of disconnected information and relentless marketing. In this dystopian vision, every social structure, including education, has been hijacked by the corporate-sponsored technology that dominates these people’s lives. Our narrator Titus observes:
School™ is not so bad now, not like back when my grandparents were kids, when the schools were run by the government, which sounds completely like, Nazi, to have the government running the schools? Back then, it was big boring, and all the kids were meg null, because they didn’t learn anything useful, it was all like, da da da da, this happened in fourteen ninety-two, da da da da, when you mix like, chalk and water, it makes nitroglycerin, and that kind of shit? And nothing was useful?
Now that School™ is run by the corporations, it’s pretty brag, because it teaches us how the world can be used, like mainly how to use our feeds….and now we do stuff in classes about how to work technology and how to find bargains and what’s the best way to get a job and how to decorate our bedroom. (109-110)
Clearly, the technology-dominated, consumption-obsessed culture of the novel is meant to be more an exaggeration of today’s American culture than an accurate vision of where we may be headed. However, as we have discovered in previous class readings, technology and culture are powerful forces that exert pressures on each other that result in changes both hard to see and hard to track when we’re in the middle of them.
For Project 1, you explored your (e)dentity and examined it in relation to a technology that is in wide use in a cultural group to which you belong, asking if the digital age has fundamentally altered our understandings of ourselves and our social relationships with others. The task for Project 2 was to consider a technology that has been implemented (or may be implemented in the future) in education, and then to ask whether Neil Postman is right that technologies alter our thoughts, ideas, and interests. In these projects, you considered the impact of technology on our social and academic cultures.
Topic
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For Project 3, I am asking you to look into the future in order to explore our course’s driving question. In FutureHype, author Bob Seidensticker argues that the most difficult projections to make about the future involve the impact various technologies will have on our daily lives. He cites Amara’s Law “which states that we overestimate short-term changes and.…[underestimate] how thoroughly today’s technology will
eventually insinuate itself into our lives” (25). Given the challenges of such a blind spot, I would like you to follow the pattern of Anderson in Feed by basing your projections about the future on technology that is being explored or is in early development right now. Learn more about a technology that is in its infancy and then consider how it may irrevocably change our culture in the future, may in fact become inseparable from the idea of “culture” for us.
Areas to explore as you narrow down your topic: medical breakthroughs, space travel, reproductive technologies, concept cars, military advances, virtual schools, entertainment media, bioengineered food, green building, environmental policies, computer-enhanced music/film, homes of the future, etc.
Two OptionsFor this project, you will choose one of two options: an 8-10 page traditional source-based research paper or a creative project accompanied by a 6-8 page source-based background discussion.
Both assignments will also include a 3-4 page metacognitive analysis that will explore what you have learned about yourself as a student and researcher during the process of developing Project 3.
Option 1: The Traditional Research Paper
Despite the name, a “traditional” research paper can be very creative! Look to some of the readings this semester to notice ways our authors have produced academic discourse that is rigorous and source-based while still managing to be engaging and often entertaining. Students seeking the traditional option will gain experience developing the kinds of scholarly essays that are regularly assigned in upper-division university courses and in graduate school. This option may also be the right choice for those who plan to continue on to English 1C at CCSF.
The topic you choose is entirely up to you (see suggestions above to help you brainstorm), but your project should respond in some way to our course’s driving question: What is the digital nation and do you want to live there?
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In the essay, you will:
analyze the main themes in Feed as they relate to our driving question. This analysis should be at least 1 but no more than 2 pages and will serve as the introduction to the project
introduce the technology as it exists today in its early form predict where you think the technology is headed argue that the technology has the capability of significantly impacting
modern culture and explain how you think that might look incorporate at least 8 credible academic sources to support your discussion
The research paper should be 8 to 10 pages with a Works Cited list attached.
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Option 2: The Creative Project
Option 2 gives you an opportunity to explore the theme of our course through an artistic medium. There are countless ways to pursue the project, but the goal is to answer the driving question and base your answer, regardless of medium, in reliable academic and scholarly research. Your creative project will be accompanied by a source-based essay that helps clarify the meaning of the piece and the outside research that influenced it.
If you chose to pursue this option, consider your own talents and interests. Below are some possibilities, but I am open to almost anything. Just remember: your project must respond to the question: What is the digital nation and do you want to live there?
Choose an artistic medium that you think exemplifies the pressures culture and technology bring to bear on each other, and then create a piece of art using that medium. Possible media could be:
o Music: write/produce/record a song, design an album covero Painting: paint a picture or other painted objecto Graphic design: design a multi-media montageo Photography: a photo montageo Film: produce a short movieo Creative writing: poetry, short fiction, script, or graphic short
story Design a newsletter, the front page of a magazine or newspaper, or a
website that imagines our culture a decade or more into the future Create a lesson plan for future teachers who might wish to teach a
course on technology and culture. Research teaching methods and materials, and give a theoretical rationale for your lesson design
Design a smartphone application or social networking site game Design a video game Design a costume, mask, or outfit Make a toy, game, or doll
After you have created your art object, you will write an accompanying essay in which you:
analyze the main themes in Feed as they relate to our driving question. This analysis should be at least 1 but no more than 2 pages and will serve as the introduction to the essay
reveal the thesis of your art object (what message does it send?) explain how the art object responds to the driving question incorporate at least 8 credible academic sources that informed your
research and influenced your artistic process
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The supplemental essay should be 6 to 8 pages with a Works Cited list attached.
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Sample Project Prospectus/Proposal assignment
Writing a Prospectus
What is a prospectus?
A prospectus is a proposal to undertake a research project. A prospectus is a statement that briefly describes the questions, materials, and methods a researcher will use in his or her research. A prospectus indicates that the research project fits the required parameters.
What are the parts of the prospectus? 1. A prospectus contains a clear, concise introduction to the topic
of the research. 2. A prospectus states the main research question(s) that the
researcher wishes to answer. 3. A prospectus lists the basic research materials. (NOTE: The list
of basic research materials may not be a complete list of all materials that are finally used in the research, but should indicate the research direction and the types of materials the researcher plans to examine and study.)
4. The prospectus usually does not include the researcher's thesis, except as the basis for the research questions. If the researcher believes a certain thing to be true, but has no substantive evidence to support that belief, then the researcher's belief drives the questions that must be answered in order to demonstrate the correctness of the belief. In certain types of research, especially scientific research, the investigator must state a hypothesis, what the researcher will attempt to prove or disprove, in the prospectus. The hypothesis gives the researcher's supposition or unproved theory as the basis for the investigation.
To whom is a prospectus written?
The audience for the prospectus is the reader who will determine whether or not the research project should be undertaken.
What readers look for in a good prospectus: In most cases, prospectuses are being reviewed because people are considering entrusting you with something: the freedom of advancing to candidacy; a job; grant money; a book contract. They need to know if their trust will be well placed, and that you are a good bet to follow through on your proposed work. Questions that often arise in this regard are as follows:
How interesting and important is this study? Is the study feasible? Can it be done in a reasonable time frame?
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Can this author produce an excellent research project?
In what style should a prospectus be written?
A formal style generally is preferred. Since the prospectus can not present the researcher's conclusion, i.e., the research has yet to be done, write the prospectus in the third person. More importantly, use active voice verbs and a writer's voice that demonstrates confidence that the research has merit. A prospectus that "sounds" dubious or not well considered typically indicates that the research project is dubious and not well considered.
A prospectus should answer the following questions: 1. What is the subject of the study? How is the subject defined (is there
any special use of terminology or context)? What are the main research questions the study aims to answer?
2. Why is the author addressing this topic? What new approach to a familiar topic does it propose to offer? What will be the study's original and special contributions to this subject?
3. What are the main sources that will be used to explore this subject? Why are these sources appropriate?
4. What is the proposed organization of the study?5. Does the author have any special needs in order to complete this
study? In particular, does s/he need funding to acquire technical equipment? Does s/he have the special skills (languages, technical expertise) that this project might require?
Organization: 1. Title: it should be informative and helpful in pinpointing the topic and
emphasis of your study2. The body of the prospectus: this section should concentrate on
addressing questions 1-3 above. The goal of this section is both to describe the project and to "sell" the reader on its potential interest and scholarly significance.
3. A chapter breakdown: This can either be a formal section, in which each chapter is described in turn in about a paragraph’s worth of text, or it can be done more narratively, in which the whole project is outlined as a more seamless story. Either way, it should address question #4, above.
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Sample Annotated Bibliography assignment
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
THE PROCESSCreating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.
1. First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
2. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
3. Cite the book, article, or document using MLA style.
4. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.
Sample Annotated BibliographyWaite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina Witsberger.
"Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations
Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-
554.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that non-family living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about
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families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of non-family living.
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Sample Metacognitive Analysis assignment #1
Metacognitive Analysis AssignmentEnglish 961A
Creative Research Option
In a 6-8 page essay, review the process of completing your creative project. You were asked to reference 10 sources that provided background information, structural guidance, or inspiration to your project. Now use these sources to explain your process and reflect on the outcome of your work. Some questions to consider answering in this paper are:
How did you come up with the ideas and inspirations for this project? How did the sources you chose help or hinder your work? Does work like what you’ve done exist anywhere else? Are others
doing similar things? Were there any unexpected successes or difficulties in completing the
project? What was the process of completing this project, step-by-step? What did you learn from completing this project? Overall, what are your thoughts on the outcome?
Traditional Research Option
In a 2-3 page essay, analyze and reflect on the process of writing your research paper. Some questions to consider answering in this paper would be:
How would you describe the process of compiling research for this paper?
What was your writing process like? How did the sources you chose help or hinder you writing? Are there texts in circulation that address a similar approach as your
paper? Were there any unexpected successes or difficulties in writing the
essay? What was the process of completing this project, step-by-step? What did you learn from completing this project? Overall, what are you thoughts on the outcome?
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Sample Metacognitive Analysis handout
What is Metacognition?
Metacognition refers to higher order thinking that involves active control over the thinking processes involved in learning. Activities such as planning how to approach a given learning task, monitoring comprehension, and evaluating progress toward the completion of a task are metacognitive in nature. Because metacognition plays a critical role in successful learning it is important for both students and teachers. Metacognition has been linked with intelligence and it has been shown that those with greater metacognitive abilities tend to be more successful thinkers.
Most definitions of metacognition include both knowledge and strategy components. Knowledge is considered to be metacognitive if it is actively used in a strategic manner to ensure that a goal is met. Metacognition is often referred to as "thinking about thinking" and can be used to help students “learn how to learn.” Cognitive strategies are used to help achieve a particular goal while metacognitive strategies are used to ensure that the goal has been reached.
Metacognitive knowledge involves executive monitoring processes directed at the acquisition of information about thinking processes. They involve decisions that help
to identify the task on which one is currently working, to check on current progress of that work, to evaluate that progress, and to predict what the outcome of that progress will be.
Metacognitive strategies involve executive regulation processes directed at the regulation of the course of thinking. They involve decisions that help
to allocate resources to the current task, to determine the order of steps to be taken to complete the task, and to set the intensity or the speed at which one should work the task.
This information is taken from http://www.hent.org/world/rss/files/metacognition.htm
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Preparing Your Metacognitive Analysis Paper
Part I: Thinking about how you Think
1. How would you put the following definition into you own words?
Metacognition refers to one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes or anything related to them, [such as], the learning-relevant properties of information or data. For example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning A than B; if it strikes me that I should double check C before accepting this fact.
--J.H. Flavell (1976)
2. What has come easily to you this semester? Were you surprised, or is this something that often comes easily to you?
3. What has been a challenge this semester? Were you surprised, or is this something that often poses a challenge for you?
4. If you could change one thing about your performance so far, what would it be?
5. What one word would you use to describe your performance so far.a. Explain why you chose that word.
6. How many research-based essays had you written prior to this semester? What feelings would you associate with those experiences?
7. Think about the research-based essays you’ve written for this class and the one you’re currently writing: are your feelings similar to ones you’ve had in the past? Why or why not?
8. Based on your performance this semester, what have you learned about yourself as a student that you weren’t fully aware of before?
9. Based on your experience in this accelerated class, has it been a good course for you? Would you choose to take an accelerated class again?
Part II: Your Final Project10. What lead you to your final topic choice for your project? (Is this
something you’ve been interested in for a long time? A topic that just came to you? Something you’re heavily interested in? Not interested in? Excited about? Lukewarm?)
11. What do you like best (so far) about your Project? Why?12. What do you like least (so far) about your Project? Why?13. How have you conducted yourself as a researcher? (Have you
explored the topic deeply? Spent a minimal amount of time but still found some good sources? Spent very little time and have little confidence in the value of your sources?
14. How have your sources influenced your paper? Be specific. Identify how each individual source has helped you piece together your project. (You should have ten brief answers for this question.)
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15. Of the sources you’ve found, which has proven to be the most valuable to you and why?
16. If you had more time to work on your project, what would you do?
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Sample Metacognitive Analysis assignment #2
Metacognitive Analysis
For both options, an additional brief assignment must be attached. In a 3 to 4 page essay, reflect on the process of developing Project 3. Specifically, you should consider what you learned about yourself as a student, as a researcher, as a creative person. Some questions to consider:
What led you to the topic or artistic medium you chose? How did the outside sources shape your ideas or influence your creative
work? What parts of this assignment came easily to you? What parts of this assignment were unexpectedly challenging? How close did the end result come to the vision you had in mind? What will you do differently the next time you are assigned a research
project? What will you be sure to do again? Overall, what are your thoughts on the final product?
The metacognitive analysis is mandatory; it must be included in your Project 3 folder in order to receive credit for the project.
ProposalDue Friday, April 133 pages
Use this assignment as a “discovery” draft. If you are pursuing Option 1, what topic do you plan to explore? What interests you about this topic? When you think about the impact the technology may have on our culture in the future, what excitements and/or fears does it hold for you? What do you need to know? In other words, what kinds of outside sources will you look for as you conduct your research? If you are pursuing Option 2, what creative project are you considering? What draws you to this artistic medium? What argument do you plan to make through the art object? What kinds of outside sources would be most useful in helping you develop your project?
As always, the shape of your project will change during the development process, and your final draft/creative object may look nothing like this proposal.
Reading/Source ListDue Wednesday, April 1810 sources
Project 3 will require you to integrate at least 8 outside sources as support for your traditional research paper or source-based discussion
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accompanying your creative object. Preparing this reading/source list assignment is the first step in locating such sources. Magazine or journal articles, newspaper features, editorials, websites – any of these might prove useful in your discovery process. The point of this exercise is to gain practice identifying sources that may prove fruitful. Some of these will end up in your essay; some may not. That is part of the investigative process.
Use the online databases available through our library website as your first research tool, but for this assignment you should also feel free to explore options beyond the databases if you wish. Select 8 sources that look promising and type them into a Word document using proper MLA format; don’t forget to list the sources alphabetically by author, double space, and use a hanging indent.
Annotated BibliographyDue Wednesday, April 258 sources
To “annotate” something is to include some critical or explanatory notes about it. Your annotated bibliography will look similar to your reading/source list above. For this assignment, however, you will select 8 promising sources to annotate, including a few sentences after the source to indicate its content and usefulness. Here is a structure to follow (please answer all four parts in a cohesive paragraph rather than in bulleted or numbered sections):
i) Outline the author’s credentials and the credibility of the source.ii) Summarize the author’s main point in one sentence.iii) Offer a brief description of how s/he proves the thesis.iv) Explain how you might use such a source in your research paper or
essay accompanying your creative project.
Refer to the assignment packet for Project 1 to see an example. Remember to use proper MLA format, and attach a copy of the first page of each of your sources to the annotated bibliography.
In-class EssayOn Wednesday, May 24 pages10% of final course grade
You will receive the exact topic in class on the day of the assignment. Bring in your proposal, books, and a dictionary.
Peer CritiqueDue Monday, May 7Three copies of the first three pages (typed)
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Engage in peer critique with two classmates. Take turns focusing on one student’s draft at a time. Use the peer critique worksheet provided, complete the last column at home after the workshop, and then submit it with your draft for credit.
Revision ConferenceIn class Wednesday, May 9 (Group order C, A, B)3-4 pages
Using comments from the in-class writing and the peer critique, revise your original draft and bring it to our conference for feedback. Don’t be shy about making big changes; this is the time to take chances before the paper is graded. It is also a good time to visit the Writing Center or see me in office hours for additional guidance if you need it.
PresentationIn class Monday and Wednesday, May 14 and 168-10 minutes
For students pursuing Option 1, you will speak for several minutes on the topic you chose and why you chose it. You may discuss the impact the technology could have on our culture moving forward. You may also want to pose a discussion question to the class or read a selection from your revised essay that helps illuminate your thesis.
For students pursuing Option 2, you will present your creative project to the class. Then speak for several minutes about the inception or development of the project and what message you hoped to convey through it. You may also wish to read a selection from your revised essay that accompanies the art object.
This is your opportunity to showcase your work. Enjoy!
Note: If your creative project is longer than the allotted time or if you need special equipment to present it, please see me well in advance of your presentation date.
Final Project with Metacognitive AnalysisDue Wednesday, May 16
Use comments from the peer critique and revision conference to revise and edit your final draft. Also, look at the Final Draft Checklist (attached) to ensure that you’ve done all you can to make this an excellent project. Include the metacognitive analysis separately behind the final draft.
Submit your final draft in your folder with all the previous work behind it or on the left-hand side behind the Project 3 coversheet. (When I open your
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folder, I should see two documents – the coversheet on the left and the final draft on the right with the metacognitive analysis behind it.) If you are doing Option 2, submit your creative project in a protective envelope, box, etc. that is clearly marked with your name. I will return creative projects at the final exam.
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Name: ____________________________________ Date: __________
Semester Progress towards 96 & 1A Student Learning Outcomes
English 96 Learning OutcomesBased on 2010 (2004) course outline
Proficient
Developing
Inadequate
Not yet
practiced
A. Demonstrate the ability to write and revise university freshman entry-level essays in and out of class of varying lengths that rely on text-based exposition, analysis, and argumentation.
B. Show independent ability to comprehend academic essays (Advanced Degrees of Reading Power readability score of 61 or above).
C. Show ability to analyze expository and argumentative works at the university freshman entry level.
D. Demonstrate, through writing, reading, and discussion, the ability to examine abstract and conceptual ideas at the university freshman entry level.
E. Summarize independently, through discussion and in writing, university freshman entry-level texts and expository prose.
F. Show university freshman entry-level facility at developing and using key structural elements of an essay, including unified thesis statements, logical organization, paragraph patterns, extended paragraph development, and cohesive transitions.
G. Show consistent, strong skills when writing sentences that employ coordination and subordination.
H. Show some control over more complex sentence patterns that include multiple clauses and parallel constructions.
I. Demonstrate university freshman entry-level proficiency in using the conventions of Standard Written English, including regular tracking and self-correction of errors.
J. Demonstrate university freshman entry-level skills in finding, integrating, and citing outside sources using MLA format.
English 1A Learning OutcomesBased on 2013 course outline
Proficient
Developing
Inadequate
Not yet
practiced
A. Compose organized and coherent source-based essays that demonstrate critical thinking about audience and purpose.
B. Apply multiple planning and revision strategies to approach and undertake writing and research projects.
C. Select and integrate reliable, credible, and scholarly sources to support essays, using MLA format.
D. Read critically to annotate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate primarily non-fiction, college-level texts.
E. Revise essays to show control over all major conventions of standard English grammar and punctuation.
F. Select, apply, and reflect on feedback from teachers and peers to improve one’s own reading, writing, and research processes.
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Designing Courses BackwardsA “Forward-Looking” Approach to Effective Teaching
(Adapted from a handout from theStanford University Center for Teaching and Learning)
You’ve got your semester calendar in one hand and your syllabus/schedule notes in the other…you are ready to design your course! “What will I cover and when?”
But wait…that is forward thinking…and the most successful courses are designed backward. The question should be “What should they learn?” Or even more boldly, “What skills, abilities, and ideas should they remember and be able to execute next semester (or even next year)?”
Step 1: Consider both your own personal rationale and the department rationale for teaching this class.
What is important to you about teaching this class and its material? About the ways you plan to teach the material? About how the students interact with the content? About how the department has conceptualized the course and its outcomes?
Step 2: Skip directly to the end of the course. Examining the Exit Learning Inventory that has been created directly from the course outline.
Think broadly about these outcomes: How might students be able to achieve them in multiple ways? How might you be able to teach them in multiple ways?
Step 3: Work Backwards. What skills or artifacts will demonstrate achievement of the learning goals? What kinds of activities, instruction, and practice are required to support those skills or the creation of those artifacts?
Why bother to do it this way? Some of the important payoffs include:
The outcome goals will be threaded throughout the course. They provide unifying themes and contexts for the processes, skills, and materials you’re teaching.
These choices define the skills embedded in homework, projects, exams, etc.
Student work becomes more obviously and consistently relevant to the topic, essays, or projects. For students, this makes activities more authentic.
This process helps deal with the huge “coverage problem.” Cutting content is always painful, but we know we have to do it all the time. Working backwards establishes priorities for a class.
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