Advanced Writing: English 311
This course expands on the skills transferred from an introductory writing course, most likely Writing 150. Students bolster their understanding of effective writing with the introduction of nuanced differences in audiences with each major assignment. In accordance with my teaching philosophy, the focus of Advanced Writing is more focused on combining our individualities into a cohesive community where we can learn and grow together—with each other and because of each other. As a junior-level writing course, this class provides multiple opportunities to prepare for possible employment environments of collaboration. For each unit, students are assigned to editorial boards where they will be instrumental in each others’ learning by offering peer reviews and critiques, and our final project will be a video compiled and produced in tight-knit groups.
A Note on Evaluation
I believe student writing shouldn't only be written for a teacher, for a grade; I believe writing is meant to be read--as widely as possible. With this in mind, students are required to read their work to someone beyond our class, and we are also inviting further audience participation by publishing our work on a collaborative website. I believe students learn best when they take their learning into their own hands and feel encouraged in their efforts, paired with effective guidance and direction. I also believe that a given writing project always has room for revision. With these notions in mind, I require writing projects to be turned in as a portfolio, encouraging students to physically collect evidence of their progress. I evaluate “final” drafts as drafts; I gear my commentary and suggestions toward a future version, focusing on ways to improve the writing and ideas to further develop the particular writing project. My comments are an assessment FOR learning, and I also assign a percentage grade as an assessment OF learning. Together, these assessments communicate to students where they currently stand, and also how to get to the next level of polished writing.
A Note on Evaluation
I believe student writing shouldn't only be written for a teacher, for a grade; I believe writing is meant to be read--as widely as possible. With this in mind, students are required to read their work to someone beyond our class, and we are also inviting further audience participation by publishing our work on a collaborative website. I believe students learn best when they take their learning into their own hands and feel encouraged in their efforts, paired with effective guidance and direction. I also believe that a given writing project always has room for revision. With these notions in mind, I require writing projects to be turned in as a portfolio, encouraging students to physically collect evidence of their progress. I evaluate “final” drafts as drafts; I gear my commentary and suggestions toward a future version, focusing on ways to improve the writing and ideas to further develop the particular writing project. My comments are an assessment FOR learning, and I also assign a percentage grade as an assessment OF learning. Together, these assessments communicate to students where they currently stand, and also how to get to the next level of polished writing.
The Cobblestone article assignment is designed to teach students to learn to write with consideration of multiple public audiences in one writing task. For this particular genre, students will research Cobblestone magazine to examine published pieces which accomplish this, producing children’s nonfiction articles that are engaging in the eyes of the 9—14-year-old readership, historically reliable to the teachers, appropriate content for the parents, and a high-quality, well-written piece for the publishers. In accordance with my goals for an advanced writing course, students will be working collaboratively, forming editorial boards in which they help each other gather research, conduct peer reviews, and provide a trusted source of information and feedback.
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The Résumé and Cover Letter unit is designed to enable students to effectively present themselves to a professional audience, employing the four tenets of advanced writing: audience, purpose, angle, and genre. Students learn how to craft precise and engaging cover letters, résumés, email requests, and thank you letters, focusing on genre acquisition, presenting their qualifications with a narrow angle, designing documents and writing with clean prose suitable for their professional audience, and honing the clarity of their purpose. Collaboration is key in this unit: not only do students provide feedback for written assignments, but they will also be conducting mock interviews with each other as their immediate audience.
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The most traditional writing project of the course, the Research Paper unit focuses on making an informed argument to an academic audience regarding a kairotic issue within the student’s discipline. Components of our particular research portfolio include: research questions, literary review and annotated bibliography, introduction and outline, peer review, oral report, and multiple drafts. Students will work with each other in their editorial boards to review each others’ papers, and will serve as the audience for their oral report of their argument.
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Designed to enable students to write to a popular audience, the Art Review assignment requires students to become an art critic—first viewing an exhibit, film, or performance, and then writing an engaging review according to the style of a popular magazine of their choice. While the Art Review activities are done mostly on an individual basis (aside from peer review, of course), the crowning collaborative project of the course is the group art review video where students combine their pithy pieces, craft a unifying element, and produce a rhetorically appealing video.
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