Lecture Notes for The Reid Guide for College Writers, 12th Edition
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Instructor’s Resource Manual
For
The Reid Guide for College Writers
Twelfth Edition
Stephen P. Reid, Colorado State University
Dominic DelliCarpini, York College of Pennsylvania
Prepared by
Dominic DelliCarpini, York College of Pennsylvania
For
The Reid Guide for College Writers
Twelfth Edition
Stephen P. Reid, Colorado State University
Dominic DelliCarpini, York College of Pennsylvania
Prepared by
Dominic DelliCarpini, York College of Pennsylvania
iii
CONTENTS
Author’s Notes v
PART I: Teaching Guide
Teaching Resources, Objectives, and Guidelines 1
Objectives for First-Year Composition 2
Rhetorical Knowledge 2
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing 2
Processes 3
Knowledge of Conventions 3
Basic Guidelines for Teaching Writing 4
Course Syllabi, Policy Statements, Lesson Plans 6
Administrative Matters and Policy Statements 6
Policy Statement 7
Writing Lesson Plans 9
Classroom Management Strategies 15
Collaborative Learning and Writing Activities 16
Sample Workshop Questions 21
Sample Workshop Sheets 23
Collaborative Writing Groups 34
Collaborative Learning Groups 34
Critical Reading and Writing 35
Write-to-Learn Activities 38
Designing Writing Assignments 40
Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing 44
Responding to Student Writing 44
Responding During Class 45
Responding During Conferences 45
Responding to Written Drafts 51
Evaluating Student Writing 52
Grading Criteria 53
Marginal and Summary Comments on Essays 60
CONTENTS
Author’s Notes v
PART I: Teaching Guide
Teaching Resources, Objectives, and Guidelines 1
Objectives for First-Year Composition 2
Rhetorical Knowledge 2
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing 2
Processes 3
Knowledge of Conventions 3
Basic Guidelines for Teaching Writing 4
Course Syllabi, Policy Statements, Lesson Plans 6
Administrative Matters and Policy Statements 6
Policy Statement 7
Writing Lesson Plans 9
Classroom Management Strategies 15
Collaborative Learning and Writing Activities 16
Sample Workshop Questions 21
Sample Workshop Sheets 23
Collaborative Writing Groups 34
Collaborative Learning Groups 34
Critical Reading and Writing 35
Write-to-Learn Activities 38
Designing Writing Assignments 40
Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing 44
Responding to Student Writing 44
Responding During Class 45
Responding During Conferences 45
Responding to Written Drafts 51
Evaluating Student Writing 52
Grading Criteria 53
Marginal and Summary Comments on Essays 60
iv
PART II: Chapter Commentary, Teaching Tips, and Answers to Discussion Questions
Chapter 1: Forming a Writer’s Habits of Mind 62
Chapter 2: Situations, Purposes, and Processes for Writing 64
Chapter 3: Reading as a Writer 69
Chapter 4: Analyzing and Composing Multimedia Texts 75
Chapter 5: Observing and Remembering 79
Chapter 6: Investigating 83
Chapter 7: Explaining 88
Chapter 8: Evaluating 94
Chapter 9: Arguing 99
Chapter 10: Problem Solving 103
Chapter 11: Responding to Literature 109
Chapter 12: Researching and Chapter 13: Research Writing 113
Handbook Answers to Exercises 117
PART III: A Select Bibliography for Writing Teachers
Writing Process 124
Rhetorical Backgrounds 124
Reading/Writing Connections 125
Collaborative Learning and Writing 125
Revising 125
Responding to Writing 125
Conferencing with Students 126
PART II: Chapter Commentary, Teaching Tips, and Answers to Discussion Questions
Chapter 1: Forming a Writer’s Habits of Mind 62
Chapter 2: Situations, Purposes, and Processes for Writing 64
Chapter 3: Reading as a Writer 69
Chapter 4: Analyzing and Composing Multimedia Texts 75
Chapter 5: Observing and Remembering 79
Chapter 6: Investigating 83
Chapter 7: Explaining 88
Chapter 8: Evaluating 94
Chapter 9: Arguing 99
Chapter 10: Problem Solving 103
Chapter 11: Responding to Literature 109
Chapter 12: Researching and Chapter 13: Research Writing 113
Handbook Answers to Exercises 117
PART III: A Select Bibliography for Writing Teachers
Writing Process 124
Rhetorical Backgrounds 124
Reading/Writing Connections 125
Collaborative Learning and Writing 125
Revising 125
Responding to Writing 125
Conferencing with Students 126
5
Author’s Notes
Thanks
The authors are grateful for the contributions of the composition faculty and students at Colorado State
University and York College of Pennsylvania. We are also in the debt of scores of researchers in Writing
Studies, whose work has contributed to the knowledge base and teaching practices of our field.
Author’s Notes
Thanks
The authors are grateful for the contributions of the composition faculty and students at Colorado State
University and York College of Pennsylvania. We are also in the debt of scores of researchers in Writing
Studies, whose work has contributed to the knowledge base and teaching practices of our field.
6
PART I: Teaching Guide
Teaching Resources, Objectives, and Guidelines
Most beginning teachers of composition are no longer handed a textbook, pointed toward a classroom,
and given a wave of the hand and a cheery “Good luck!” Now teachers often enroll in a class in the
teaching of composition, take seminars on teaching, and have the support of composition faculty who
teach composition themselves and know how to help beginning teachers. Even with a support group,
however, beginning teachers should take advantage of the wealth of published information about teaching
composition.
First, there is an abundance of material related to teaching composition available online. The Council of
Writing Program Administrators, at wpacouncil.org, has several important position statements, including
their “WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition,” “The Framework for Success in Postsecondary
Writing” and their especially helpful statement on plagiarism, “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA
Statement on Best Practices.” In addition, online writing centers such as the Purdue Online Writing Lab, at
owl.english.purdue.edu, and Colorado State University’s Online Writing Center, at writing.colostate.edu,
are valuable resources. At the CSU site you can access the Teaching Exchange at the WAC Clearinghouse,
which has information on teaching resources, sample class syllabi, class activities, and reading suggestions.
Finally, most schools have their own syllabi, lesson plans, and teaching ideas online at sites easily found
through search engines such as Google.
Next, many books on teaching writing are wonderful resources for both new and experienced teachers.
In Part 3 of this Instructor’s Manual is a brief bibliography of a few of the more popular introductory books
on teaching writing. Most of these give helpful advice on subjects such as teaching critical reading, designing
assignments, evaluating writing, using portfolios, conducting effective conferences, designing peer group
workshops, or responding to ELL (English Language Learning) students.
Finally, becoming a member of NCTE and its Conference on College Composition and Communication
and/or the Council of Writing Program Administrators and attending one of the many regional or national
conferences and workshops will continue the dialogue established in the teaching seminar on problems
and questions about contemporary issues in composition teaching.
PART I: Teaching Guide
Teaching Resources, Objectives, and Guidelines
Most beginning teachers of composition are no longer handed a textbook, pointed toward a classroom,
and given a wave of the hand and a cheery “Good luck!” Now teachers often enroll in a class in the
teaching of composition, take seminars on teaching, and have the support of composition faculty who
teach composition themselves and know how to help beginning teachers. Even with a support group,
however, beginning teachers should take advantage of the wealth of published information about teaching
composition.
First, there is an abundance of material related to teaching composition available online. The Council of
Writing Program Administrators, at wpacouncil.org, has several important position statements, including
their “WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition,” “The Framework for Success in Postsecondary
Writing” and their especially helpful statement on plagiarism, “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA
Statement on Best Practices.” In addition, online writing centers such as the Purdue Online Writing Lab, at
owl.english.purdue.edu, and Colorado State University’s Online Writing Center, at writing.colostate.edu,
are valuable resources. At the CSU site you can access the Teaching Exchange at the WAC Clearinghouse,
which has information on teaching resources, sample class syllabi, class activities, and reading suggestions.
Finally, most schools have their own syllabi, lesson plans, and teaching ideas online at sites easily found
through search engines such as Google.
Next, many books on teaching writing are wonderful resources for both new and experienced teachers.
In Part 3 of this Instructor’s Manual is a brief bibliography of a few of the more popular introductory books
on teaching writing. Most of these give helpful advice on subjects such as teaching critical reading, designing
assignments, evaluating writing, using portfolios, conducting effective conferences, designing peer group
workshops, or responding to ELL (English Language Learning) students.
Finally, becoming a member of NCTE and its Conference on College Composition and Communication
and/or the Council of Writing Program Administrators and attending one of the many regional or national
conferences and workshops will continue the dialogue established in the teaching seminar on problems
and questions about contemporary issues in composition teaching.
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7
Objectives for First-Year Composition
The following guidelines for composition courses appear in the “WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year
Composition” (Version 3.0, approved 17 July 2014). The Reid Guide is designed to help students and teachers
meet all of these outcomes.
Rhetorical Knowledge
Rhetorical knowledge is the ability to analyze contexts and audiences and then to act on that analysis in
comprehending and creating texts. Rhetorical knowledge is the basis of composing. Writers develop rhetorical
knowledge by negotiating purpose, audience, context, and conventions as they compose a variety of texts for
different situations.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Learn and use key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts
• Gain experience reading and composing in several genres to understand how genre conventions
shape and are shaped by readers’ and writers’ practices and purposes
• Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts
in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
• Understand and use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences
• Match the capacities of different environments (e.g., print and electronic) to varying rhetorical
situations
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• The expectations of readers in their fields
• The main features of genres in their fields
• The main purposes of composing in their fields
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, situations,
and texts. When writers think critically about the materials they use—whether print texts, photographs,
data sets, videos, or other materials—they separate assertion from evidence, evaluate sources and evidence,
recognize and evaluate underlying assumptions, read across texts for connections and patterns, identify and
evaluate chains of reasoning, and compose appropriately qualified and developed claims and generalizations.
These practices are foundational for advanced academic writing.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various
rhetorical contexts
• Read a diverse range of texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion and evidence, to
patterns of organization, to the interplay between verbal and nonverbal elements, and to how these
features function for different audiences and situations
• Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on) primary and
secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books, scholarly and
professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and informal electronic networks
and internet sources
• Use strategies—such as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign—to compose
texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
Objectives for First-Year Composition
The following guidelines for composition courses appear in the “WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year
Composition” (Version 3.0, approved 17 July 2014). The Reid Guide is designed to help students and teachers
meet all of these outcomes.
Rhetorical Knowledge
Rhetorical knowledge is the ability to analyze contexts and audiences and then to act on that analysis in
comprehending and creating texts. Rhetorical knowledge is the basis of composing. Writers develop rhetorical
knowledge by negotiating purpose, audience, context, and conventions as they compose a variety of texts for
different situations.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Learn and use key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts
• Gain experience reading and composing in several genres to understand how genre conventions
shape and are shaped by readers’ and writers’ practices and purposes
• Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts
in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
• Understand and use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences
• Match the capacities of different environments (e.g., print and electronic) to varying rhetorical
situations
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• The expectations of readers in their fields
• The main features of genres in their fields
• The main purposes of composing in their fields
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, situations,
and texts. When writers think critically about the materials they use—whether print texts, photographs,
data sets, videos, or other materials—they separate assertion from evidence, evaluate sources and evidence,
recognize and evaluate underlying assumptions, read across texts for connections and patterns, identify and
evaluate chains of reasoning, and compose appropriately qualified and developed claims and generalizations.
These practices are foundational for advanced academic writing.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various
rhetorical contexts
• Read a diverse range of texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion and evidence, to
patterns of organization, to the interplay between verbal and nonverbal elements, and to how these
features function for different audiences and situations
• Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on) primary and
secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books, scholarly and
professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and informal electronic networks
and internet sources
• Use strategies—such as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign—to compose
texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
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• The kinds of critical thinking important in their disciplines
• The kinds of questions, problems, and evidence that define their disciplines
• Strategies for reading a range of texts in their fields
Processes
Writers use multiple strategies, or composing processes to conceptualize, develop, and finalize projects.
Composing processes are seldom linear: a writer may research a topic before drafting, then conduct additional
research while revising or after consulting a colleague. Composing processes are also flexible: successful
writers can adapt their composing processes to different contexts and occasions.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
• Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting,
rereading, and editing
• Use composing processes and tools as a means to discover and reconsider ideas
• Experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
• Adapt composing processes for a variety of technologies and modalities
• Reflect on the development of composing practices and how those practices influence their work
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• To employ the methods and technologies commonly used for research and communication within
• The kinds of critical thinking important in their disciplines
• The kinds of questions, problems, and evidence that define their disciplines
• Strategies for reading a range of texts in their fields
Processes
Writers use multiple strategies, or composing processes to conceptualize, develop, and finalize projects.
Composing processes are seldom linear: a writer may research a topic before drafting, then conduct additional
research while revising or after consulting a colleague. Composing processes are also flexible: successful
writers can adapt their composing processes to different contexts and occasions.
By the end of first-year composition, students should
• Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
• Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting,
rereading, and editing
• Use composing processes and tools as a means to discover and reconsider ideas
• Experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
• Adapt composing processes for a variety of technologies and modalities
• Reflect on the development of composing practices and how those practices influence their work
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• To employ the methods and technologies commonly used for research and communication within
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9
• Explore the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate
documentation conventions
• Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• The reasons behind conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and citation systems in
their fields or disciplines
• Strategies for controlling conventions in their fields or disciplines
• Factors that influence the ways work is designed, documented, and disseminated in their fields
• Ways to make informed decisions about intellectual property issues connected to common genres
and modalities in their fields.
Basic Guidelines for Teaching Writing
If you are new to teaching composition, these guidelines will make more sense as you gain experience
and confidence in the classroom, so read these before you begin teaching and again after you have taught
for a few weeks. The following sections of this guide develop each of these ideas with specific strategies
and handouts for your class.
On Your Role as Teacher
! In the classroom, be absolutely honest about what you know or don’t know. To be a good writing
teacher, you don’t necessarily have to assume the role of the expert or writing guru. Students already know
quite a bit about the language. Let them teach you—and the rest of the class—what they already
know (or need to know). And this includes multimodal composing, in which students might well have
more experience than us—but less critical distance from it than we can supply.
! Resist the temptation to transmit ways to write by lecturing. To be a good writing teacher, you don’t
have to lecture about the aesthetics of nonfiction prose or the intricacies of passive voice, parallelism,
or topic sentences. Students learn to write better by writing and through feedback. To teach writing
effectively, you do need to listen to your students and carefully read what they are writing.
! Writing teachers should be coaches. A writing teacher helps other writers communicate their ideas. A
writing teacher gradually makes himself or herself dispensable by teaching writers to recognize and
solve the problems they confront during the writing process.
! Writing teachers should write. They should model for their students not just their completed essays or
products but their own processes for writing—however halting, recursive, or stumbling those processes
may be. Writing teachers should be part of the community of writers that they guide; you might even
complete the assignments you give students to see what it feels like—and perhaps even share that writing
(and the related struggles) with them.
On the Structure of Your Class
! A writing class should be a laboratory or workshop. Simply transforming a class into a workshop,
however, does not make it easy to plan and run. Start with learning outcomes, and then spend your
preparation time designing sequences of writing, reading, discussion, or workshop activities that will
enable students to achieve those outcomes.
! Be sure to connect any “lesson” or material to be covered to students’ own writing. If you are discussing
pieces written by professionals, focus not only on the content, but on the writer’s strategies and choices in
• Explore the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate
documentation conventions
• Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work
Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn
• The reasons behind conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and citation systems in
their fields or disciplines
• Strategies for controlling conventions in their fields or disciplines
• Factors that influence the ways work is designed, documented, and disseminated in their fields
• Ways to make informed decisions about intellectual property issues connected to common genres
and modalities in their fields.
Basic Guidelines for Teaching Writing
If you are new to teaching composition, these guidelines will make more sense as you gain experience
and confidence in the classroom, so read these before you begin teaching and again after you have taught
for a few weeks. The following sections of this guide develop each of these ideas with specific strategies
and handouts for your class.
On Your Role as Teacher
! In the classroom, be absolutely honest about what you know or don’t know. To be a good writing
teacher, you don’t necessarily have to assume the role of the expert or writing guru. Students already know
quite a bit about the language. Let them teach you—and the rest of the class—what they already
know (or need to know). And this includes multimodal composing, in which students might well have
more experience than us—but less critical distance from it than we can supply.
! Resist the temptation to transmit ways to write by lecturing. To be a good writing teacher, you don’t
have to lecture about the aesthetics of nonfiction prose or the intricacies of passive voice, parallelism,
or topic sentences. Students learn to write better by writing and through feedback. To teach writing
effectively, you do need to listen to your students and carefully read what they are writing.
! Writing teachers should be coaches. A writing teacher helps other writers communicate their ideas. A
writing teacher gradually makes himself or herself dispensable by teaching writers to recognize and
solve the problems they confront during the writing process.
! Writing teachers should write. They should model for their students not just their completed essays or
products but their own processes for writing—however halting, recursive, or stumbling those processes
may be. Writing teachers should be part of the community of writers that they guide; you might even
complete the assignments you give students to see what it feels like—and perhaps even share that writing
(and the related struggles) with them.
On the Structure of Your Class
! A writing class should be a laboratory or workshop. Simply transforming a class into a workshop,
however, does not make it easy to plan and run. Start with learning outcomes, and then spend your
preparation time designing sequences of writing, reading, discussion, or workshop activities that will
enable students to achieve those outcomes.
! Be sure to connect any “lesson” or material to be covered to students’ own writing. If you are discussing
pieces written by professionals, focus not only on the content, but on the writer’s strategies and choices in
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relation to students’ drafts . T h e n y o u c a n ask students to apply what they learned to their own
drafts. If you are reviewing punctuation or usage, cover a few rules and then ask students to look for
those usage issues as they edit their own—and others’—writing.
relation to students’ drafts . T h e n y o u c a n ask students to apply what they learned to their own
drafts. If you are reviewing punctuation or usage, cover a few rules and then ask students to look for
those usage issues as they edit their own—and others’—writing.
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! Writing improvement is achieved by both individual practice and collaborative writing and learning.
Use collaborative groups to balance (but not eliminate) writing performed by a single person.
! Use writing-to-learn as one of your teaching strategies. Before discussing an essay, for example, ask
students to describe, in their journals, their own experiences with or knowledge of its topic. At the end
of a discussion session, ask students to write one question they still have. When students read each
other’s papers, ask them to write a short summary of the paper before offering feedback to the writers.
! Remember that individual students have different learning styles. Some learn quickly by reading, some
through discussion, some by hands-on experience, some by drawing or diagramming, some by reading
aloud or listening, some by a combination of styles. Draw on a variety of these styles as you plan your
classes, and help the class members become a kind of writer’s group.
On Your Role as Audience and Evaluator
• Establish clear standards and criteria for your evaluation of writing. (Students can help generate
and articulate these criteria.) Encourage students to use these criteria as they revise their own and
other students’ writing. There should be no “hidden agendas” in the evaluation of writing. And be
sure that your comments focus on the criteria that you set.
• Give your most careful written responses to mid-process drafts, when students can test and apply your
suggestions and comments. Your intervention during the writing and revising process should, along
with peer responses, receive more emphasis than comments on final drafts.
• Let your responses to drafts and final products be guided by the writer’s sense of purpose, audience,
context, and genre/mode. Your evaluation should begin by estimating how successfully the writer
has achieved his or her purpose for that particular audience and context.
• Although you may feel torn between your “enabling” role as a coach and your “judgmental” role
as evaluator, the roles are not really in conflict. As a coach, you encourage students during the
writing process by offering advice, pointing out weak areas, and suggesting revision strategies.
As an evaluator of a written product, you praise strengths and note weaknesses. You work just as
hard communicating your high standards for writing as you do encouraging students to do their
best. Excellence is a single standard.
! Writing improvement is achieved by both individual practice and collaborative writing and learning.
Use collaborative groups to balance (but not eliminate) writing performed by a single person.
! Use writing-to-learn as one of your teaching strategies. Before discussing an essay, for example, ask
students to describe, in their journals, their own experiences with or knowledge of its topic. At the end
of a discussion session, ask students to write one question they still have. When students read each
other’s papers, ask them to write a short summary of the paper before offering feedback to the writers.
! Remember that individual students have different learning styles. Some learn quickly by reading, some
through discussion, some by hands-on experience, some by drawing or diagramming, some by reading
aloud or listening, some by a combination of styles. Draw on a variety of these styles as you plan your
classes, and help the class members become a kind of writer’s group.
On Your Role as Audience and Evaluator
• Establish clear standards and criteria for your evaluation of writing. (Students can help generate
and articulate these criteria.) Encourage students to use these criteria as they revise their own and
other students’ writing. There should be no “hidden agendas” in the evaluation of writing. And be
sure that your comments focus on the criteria that you set.
• Give your most careful written responses to mid-process drafts, when students can test and apply your
suggestions and comments. Your intervention during the writing and revising process should, along
with peer responses, receive more emphasis than comments on final drafts.
• Let your responses to drafts and final products be guided by the writer’s sense of purpose, audience,
context, and genre/mode. Your evaluation should begin by estimating how successfully the writer
has achieved his or her purpose for that particular audience and context.
• Although you may feel torn between your “enabling” role as a coach and your “judgmental” role
as evaluator, the roles are not really in conflict. As a coach, you encourage students during the
writing process by offering advice, pointing out weak areas, and suggesting revision strategies.
As an evaluator of a written product, you praise strengths and note weaknesses. You work just as
hard communicating your high standards for writing as you do encouraging students to do their
best. Excellence is a single standard.
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Course Syllabi, Policy Statements, Lesson Plans
Administrative Matters and Policy Statements
Any experienced teacher will tell you not everything will turn out precisely as you planned. Essay
assignments may not work; students may disappear and show up a month later; collaborative group
projects may fizzle or explode in your face; and students may challenge your authority. It is also likely that
students will seem obsessed in general about grades and in particular about their grade on the last assignment
or their grade in the course. An explicit policy statement is the best protection against grade complaints by
students. In many cases, the program within which you are teaching will have suggested or require policy
statement language. If that is not the case, or if you have some room for customizing, what follows can be
useful.
A thorough policy statement shows that you have carefully planned your course, determined which
activities or essays are most important, and carefully communicated your learning outcomes and standards to
your students. Think of your policy statement as a contract between you and your students. It spells out the
commitments agreed upon by both teacher and student.
As you write your own policy statement, pay attention to your tone and attitude. Remember that
your policy statement should not be just a legal document describing w h a t m i g h t s e e m l i k e a prison
sentence for your students. Be sure to include your side of the contract: How you will grade, how much
assignments are worth, and when you will return papers. Also, be positive about the value of the course and
your willingness to help. Let students know that you are eager to help them improve their writing.
Perhaps the most important element of the policy statement, and the piece of writing that will be
most generative for you as a writing teacher, is the course description. This will give you the opportunity
to tell your students your expectations for your class. Be sure to also include course learning outcomes.
They may be provided by your program or WPA, or you may need to construct them yourself; but in
either case, they should reflect your own voice as a teacher. The Learning Objectives for each of the chapters
of this edition are listed both in the parent text and in each chapter of Part 2 of this manual.
Use the following sample policy statement as a guide. Revise as necessary for your particular
course and students.
Course Syllabi, Policy Statements, Lesson Plans
Administrative Matters and Policy Statements
Any experienced teacher will tell you not everything will turn out precisely as you planned. Essay
assignments may not work; students may disappear and show up a month later; collaborative group
projects may fizzle or explode in your face; and students may challenge your authority. It is also likely that
students will seem obsessed in general about grades and in particular about their grade on the last assignment
or their grade in the course. An explicit policy statement is the best protection against grade complaints by
students. In many cases, the program within which you are teaching will have suggested or require policy
statement language. If that is not the case, or if you have some room for customizing, what follows can be
useful.
A thorough policy statement shows that you have carefully planned your course, determined which
activities or essays are most important, and carefully communicated your learning outcomes and standards to
your students. Think of your policy statement as a contract between you and your students. It spells out the
commitments agreed upon by both teacher and student.
As you write your own policy statement, pay attention to your tone and attitude. Remember that
your policy statement should not be just a legal document describing w h a t m i g h t s e e m l i k e a prison
sentence for your students. Be sure to include your side of the contract: How you will grade, how much
assignments are worth, and when you will return papers. Also, be positive about the value of the course and
your willingness to help. Let students know that you are eager to help them improve their writing.
Perhaps the most important element of the policy statement, and the piece of writing that will be
most generative for you as a writing teacher, is the course description. This will give you the opportunity
to tell your students your expectations for your class. Be sure to also include course learning outcomes.
They may be provided by your program or WPA, or you may need to construct them yourself; but in
either case, they should reflect your own voice as a teacher. The Learning Objectives for each of the chapters
of this edition are listed both in the parent text and in each chapter of Part 2 of this manual.
Use the following sample policy statement as a guide. Revise as necessary for your particular
course and students.
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Policy Statement English 101 Sec. 19 Spring 2013
Instructor: Ms. Norris
Office: 345 Aylesworth Hall Office Hours: 2–4 MWF & by appt.
Office Ph: 221-6723 Writing Center: 6 Eddy Bldg.
English Office Ph: 221-6420 Computer Lab: 300 Eddy Bldg.
Course Description
English 101 is a workshop class in essay writing designed to prepare you for the college academic community.
It will improve your critical reading skills and teach you processes and strategies for writing expository and
argumentative prose in a rhetorical situation. You will learn to develop and support a main idea or claim for
an audience. You will practice strategies for selecting and focusing on a topic, collecting ideas, shaping and
organizing your thoughts, supporting your ideas with evidence, and revising and editing to strengthen your
writing and clarify your style.
Required Texts and Materials
• The Reid Guide for College Writers, 12/e (Pearson), Reid and DelliCarpini
(Bring this text to every class.)
• A college dictionary
• [As appropriate for your institution] Access to word-processing software and connections to our
Course-Management site OR pocket folder for submission of papers
Prerequisites
To enroll in English 101, you must have taken the English Placement Examination and been placed in E
101. If you have not yet taken the placement examination, go to the English Department, 359 Eddy Bldg.
Course Policies
Attendance:
Policy Statement English 101 Sec. 19 Spring 2013
Instructor: Ms. Norris
Office: 345 Aylesworth Hall Office Hours: 2–4 MWF & by appt.
Office Ph: 221-6723 Writing Center: 6 Eddy Bldg.
English Office Ph: 221-6420 Computer Lab: 300 Eddy Bldg.
Course Description
English 101 is a workshop class in essay writing designed to prepare you for the college academic community.
It will improve your critical reading skills and teach you processes and strategies for writing expository and
argumentative prose in a rhetorical situation. You will learn to develop and support a main idea or claim for
an audience. You will practice strategies for selecting and focusing on a topic, collecting ideas, shaping and
organizing your thoughts, supporting your ideas with evidence, and revising and editing to strengthen your
writing and clarify your style.
Required Texts and Materials
• The Reid Guide for College Writers, 12/e (Pearson), Reid and DelliCarpini
(Bring this text to every class.)
• A college dictionary
• [As appropriate for your institution] Access to word-processing software and connections to our
Course-Management site OR pocket folder for submission of papers
Prerequisites
To enroll in English 101, you must have taken the English Placement Examination and been placed in E
101. If you have not yet taken the placement examination, go to the English Department, 359 Eddy Bldg.
Course Policies
Attendance:
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Sequences for Class Activities
As you select the activities most appropriate for your class, you need to think about sequencing them or
ordering them so that the class is coherent and effective. You should choose a logical sequence within an
individual class as well as a sequence for successive class sessions. Three logical patterns of movement
follow.
1. The writing process sequence
Writing processes for individual students are not linear or lockstep, but usually students will need help
with invention and prewriting during the early stages, help with shaping, organizing, and cueing the audience
(as well as additional collecting) in the middle stages, and help with revision and editing strategies toward the
later stages. Have your classroom activities follow (or anticipate) the progress of your students’ writing.
2. The concept/application sequence
Following a concept with an application is a time-honored learning strategy. In a writing class, improving
students’ writing is the ultimate goal, so all discussions, readings, and small-group activities should be
related to students’ own writing. Every class should ask students to apply what they are learning to their
own essays, by taking out their notes or drafts and revising based on what they’ve learned from the class
discussion or group activity.
3. The individual/social sequence
Experienced writing teachers alternate individual activities (reading essays, writing in journals, drafting)
with social group activities (annotation of texts, peer revision workshops, whole-class discussion and
synthesis). For example, a class may begin with a short teacher-centered presentation. Then the teacher
may ask students to write about a topic or ask small groups to do some activity. Then the class as a whole
synthesizes and discusses the ideas. Finally, the teacher asks students to work by themselves again, applying
ideas learned from the group as a whole. The individual-social-individual alternating pattern draws on the
strengths of both individual and social strategies for learning and writing.
On the next few pages are lesson plans from a Monday-Wednesday-Friday composition class as
one assignment is being completed and a new one is being introduced. . These detailed instructions illustrate
how to build a logical progression of classes as well as how to sequence activities within an individual class.
Remember that estimated times for workshop activities will vary considerably from one activity to the
next, or from one instructor to the next. Be prepared with additional activities should you run short of
time. More frequently, however, beginning instructors underestimate the length of time required for workshop
sessions. Revise the activities and times in these models to fit your own class. (For specific advice about
conducting workshop sessions, see the Collaborative Learning and Writing Activities section in this instructor’s
manual.) It can also be useful to make notes on the effectiveness of each individual activity right after class;
this can help you to revise and innovate techniques for future classes.
Sequences for Class Activities
As you select the activities most appropriate for your class, you need to think about sequencing them or
ordering them so that the class is coherent and effective. You should choose a logical sequence within an
individual class as well as a sequence for successive class sessions. Three logical patterns of movement
follow.
1. The writing process sequence
Writing processes for individual students are not linear or lockstep, but usually students will need help
with invention and prewriting during the early stages, help with shaping, organizing, and cueing the audience
(as well as additional collecting) in the middle stages, and help with revision and editing strategies toward the
later stages. Have your classroom activities follow (or anticipate) the progress of your students’ writing.
2. The concept/application sequence
Following a concept with an application is a time-honored learning strategy. In a writing class, improving
students’ writing is the ultimate goal, so all discussions, readings, and small-group activities should be
related to students’ own writing. Every class should ask students to apply what they are learning to their
own essays, by taking out their notes or drafts and revising based on what they’ve learned from the class
discussion or group activity.
3. The individual/social sequence
Experienced writing teachers alternate individual activities (reading essays, writing in journals, drafting)
with social group activities (annotation of texts, peer revision workshops, whole-class discussion and
synthesis). For example, a class may begin with a short teacher-centered presentation. Then the teacher
may ask students to write about a topic or ask small groups to do some activity. Then the class as a whole
synthesizes and discusses the ideas. Finally, the teacher asks students to work by themselves again, applying
ideas learned from the group as a whole. The individual-social-individual alternating pattern draws on the
strengths of both individual and social strategies for learning and writing.
On the next few pages are lesson plans from a Monday-Wednesday-Friday composition class as
one assignment is being completed and a new one is being introduced. . These detailed instructions illustrate
how to build a logical progression of classes as well as how to sequence activities within an individual class.
Remember that estimated times for workshop activities will vary considerably from one activity to the
next, or from one instructor to the next. Be prepared with additional activities should you run short of
time. More frequently, however, beginning instructors underestimate the length of time required for workshop
sessions. Revise the activities and times in these models to fit your own class. (For specific advice about
conducting workshop sessions, see the Collaborative Learning and Writing Activities section in this instructor’s
manual.) It can also be useful to make notes on the effectiveness of each individual activity right after class;
this can help you to revise and innovate techniques for future classes.
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18
sources accurately in the text of your essay and on a Works Cited page. Copies of interviews, survey
results, written sources, and pamphlets must be turned in with your final
sources accurately in the text of your essay and on a Works Cited page. Copies of interviews, survey
results, written sources, and pamphlets must be turned in with your final
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19
draft. Essay length is approximately three pages. Final draft should be typed and double spaced. Essay is
due at Class #14. Consider possible multi-media enhancements for the project.
6. Discuss and explain this assignment. Do prewriting and discussion (20 minutes). Hand out copies of
your list of local and campus agencies and organizations. Ask students to write in their journals (write
to learn) for 5 to 7 minutes about a campus or community service or organization they have used or
participated in. They should jot down basic who, what, when, and where information and describe
some strengths or weaknesses they’ve experienced. You may wish to have volunteers read from their
journals and/or have two or three volunteers put their notes on the chalkboard or overhead so the class
as a whole can discuss them. Choose one or two of the organizations and ask students to tell you how
they might write their essay, using this service. You (or a student) can act as the recorder at the board.
Be sure you cover the following for each possible topic: purpose, audience, purpose of the organization or
service, description of the service, examples illustrating strengths and weaknesses, and possible criteria
for evaluation. Be sure to have students explain to you several possible audiences for their essay and
how choosing a different audience will change their evaluation.
7. Have students make notes for themselves about what organizations or services they might evaluate (2
minutes).
Class #9
Learning Outcomes of This Class Period
Use techniques for developing a topic that requires explanatory writing.
Activity Sequence
(1) Preview; (2) Assignment; (3) Journal or advertisement activity; (4) Annotation of essay; (5) Peer
workshops; (6) Individual work on plans/answer questions
Class Activities
1. Briefly, preview for students the purpose and activities for today’s class.
2. Give the assignment for the next class meeting:
draft. Essay length is approximately three pages. Final draft should be typed and double spaced. Essay is
due at Class #14. Consider possible multi-media enhancements for the project.
6. Discuss and explain this assignment. Do prewriting and discussion (20 minutes). Hand out copies of
your list of local and campus agencies and organizations. Ask students to write in their journals (write
to learn) for 5 to 7 minutes about a campus or community service or organization they have used or
participated in. They should jot down basic who, what, when, and where information and describe
some strengths or weaknesses they’ve experienced. You may wish to have volunteers read from their
journals and/or have two or three volunteers put their notes on the chalkboard or overhead so the class
as a whole can discuss them. Choose one or two of the organizations and ask students to tell you how
they might write their essay, using this service. You (or a student) can act as the recorder at the board.
Be sure you cover the following for each possible topic: purpose, audience, purpose of the organization or
service, description of the service, examples illustrating strengths and weaknesses, and possible criteria
for evaluation. Be sure to have students explain to you several possible audiences for their essay and
how choosing a different audience will change their evaluation.
7. Have students make notes for themselves about what organizations or services they might evaluate (2
minutes).
Class #9
Learning Outcomes of This Class Period
Use techniques for developing a topic that requires explanatory writing.
Activity Sequence
(1) Preview; (2) Assignment; (3) Journal or advertisement activity; (4) Annotation of essay; (5) Peer
workshops; (6) Individual work on plans/answer questions
Class Activities
1. Briefly, preview for students the purpose and activities for today’s class.
2. Give the assignment for the next class meeting:
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20
the group activity, have recorders report to the class and synthesize results at the board. (Another
effective strategy is to form new groups that each contain one member of each of the former groups.
The new groups synthesize the findings of each of their former groups and report their findings to the
class.)
5. Have students work by themselves or in groups of two or three on their own tentative topics (15
minutes). Give students specific instructions. For each student’s tentative topic, students should discuss or
select the specific topic, audience, material needed for description, tentative criteria, and possible
supporting evidence they might find or have found. Specify exactly what you want them to do before
you divide into groups.
6. Have students write out plans (5 minutes or remaining time): when they will visit the organization,
whom they might interview, what they might find at the library, and what personal experience of their
own they might use. Answer questions that students have about the assignment or their topic.
Class #10
Learning Outcomes of This Class
Use collecting strategies to gather reliable information.
Learn to write interview questions that will enrich their evaluation of the organization they are studying.
Activity Sequence
(1) Preview; (2) Assignment; (3) Conference sign-up; (4) Workshop annotating student essay; (5) Three-
column log; (6) Individual work/answer questions
Class Activities
1. Briefly, preview for students the purpose and activities for today’s class.
2. Give the assignment for the next class meeting:
Continue to collect information; conduct at least one interview. Write out at least one page of a “zero”
or discovery draft for their essay.
the group activity, have recorders report to the class and synthesize results at the board. (Another
effective strategy is to form new groups that each contain one member of each of the former groups.
The new groups synthesize the findings of each of their former groups and report their findings to the
class.)
5. Have students work by themselves or in groups of two or three on their own tentative topics (15
minutes). Give students specific instructions. For each student’s tentative topic, students should discuss or
select the specific topic, audience, material needed for description, tentative criteria, and possible
supporting evidence they might find or have found. Specify exactly what you want them to do before
you divide into groups.
6. Have students write out plans (5 minutes or remaining time): when they will visit the organization,
whom they might interview, what they might find at the library, and what personal experience of their
own they might use. Answer questions that students have about the assignment or their topic.
Class #10
Learning Outcomes of This Class
Use collecting strategies to gather reliable information.
Learn to write interview questions that will enrich their evaluation of the organization they are studying.
Activity Sequence
(1) Preview; (2) Assignment; (3) Conference sign-up; (4) Workshop annotating student essay; (5) Three-
column log; (6) Individual work/answer questions
Class Activities
1. Briefly, preview for students the purpose and activities for today’s class.
2. Give the assignment for the next class meeting:
Continue to collect information; conduct at least one interview. Write out at least one page of a “zero”
or discovery draft for their essay.
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Subject
English