December 15

Today was your last "official" day of class. I will be in my office on Thursday if you have questions - and the lab will be available for you to work on your portfolios. You have been a great class and I thoroughly enjoyed working with you this term. I wish each of you the best in your work at Kean University, and if you run into a writing project where you could use some ideas - hopefully you can come see me at the Kean University Writing Center (in CAS).

Turning in your work:

Portfolios are due no later than Thursday at 12:15. If you finish early, I'd appreciate it if you send me an email so I can get started on grading the work from your class. Be sure you have sent me the links to both portfolios: the portfolio for the Director of Composition; and the portfolio for your grade for this class.

In class today, rather than having you do additional reflective writing, I suggested that you paste the introduction from the College Composition Portfolio into the tab for the "Reflective writing on overall portfolio." This should be an essay - and it is worth 50 points. Also - for the Evidence of Progress folder - post your ungraded final exam. I will return your final exam with the grade sheet that provides comments & your final grade for the course.

Use the guide sheets; make sure you have set up your portfolio correctly, and that you have included all the required work. There will be no revisions once I start to read for the final grade.

Posting grades:
I will read through your portfolios and send your grades to you via your email account - hopefully by Sunday. Look over your grade - and if you have questions or if I have made a mistake, send me an email ASAP. If I don't hear from you, I will assume the grade makes sense to you, and I will post your grade on Keanwise.

December 10

In class today you created the portfolio site to share with the college composition director (collcom@kean.edu) - and me, of course.

You titled this site with your last name and the course number and section, and you set it up in a way quite similar to the site you have been working on throughout the semester.

You included the following pages:

Home page (with the introductory reflective writing where you discussed what you learned in the course, and used examples from your writing to show what you learned).

1. Analytic essay to include:
Planning work
At least one draft with instructor comments
Final draft (unmarked)

2. Persuasive essay to include:
Planning work
At least one draft with instructor comments
Final draft (unmarked)

3. A response essay (unmarked)

4. Your in-class final exam (unmarked)

In class Tuesday you will do some reflective writing to evaluate the course - and you will work on completing your portfolios. I will also be in the classroom to talk over revisions for the essay/work of your choice.

December 8

You wrote your final exams this morning and emailed them to me as attachments.

I will have comments for Revised Project 2 to everyone by tomorrow AM (I have sent comments to everyone except for three of you and just didn't get finished tonight-sorry).

On Thursday you will work on your portfolios - or on your revisions to Project 2, as you choose. We will meet in CAS 304 for the first class & in CAS 303 for the second class - so we will have computers available for both classes.

See you Thursday!

December 3

Today we did a rhetorical analysis (consideration of audience, purpose, & form) to think about how to create the letter for the Project 2 assignment. You decided who you were writing to & the purpose of your letter - and then used a writing handbook to see what you could find out about the form such letters are supposed to take. Thanks for your help in reviewing + evaluating the handbooks!

In the computer classroom we checked out sites to help you find your state and federal representatives, and looked at some more sites that gave sample formats for letters. You spend most of the class composing your letter. The final letter is due with your portfolio on the last day of class.

I will review your drafts for Project 2 over the weekend - and provide you with some written feedback by Tuesday. I am going to look at your plan for revising your essay (the work you turned in during class Tuesday - and see if you followed through.

For the 9:30 class on Tuesday, I will be available in CAS 340 for conferences - or to talk through how to write an inclass essay. We will talk about how to plan + organize an effective in-class exam.

During the second half of class - you will write your exam.

Have a good weekend and see you on Tuesday.

Calendar for the remainder of the term

T Dec 1 Due: Draft Project 2
Workshop: plagiarism check + revising for focus, organization + development
Reflective writing for your portfolio: plan for revising Draft Project 2
Integrating quotation + paraphrase into your essay
Write: Revise Project 2

Th Dec 3 Due: Revised Project 2
In-class work on letter / opinion piece for Project 2
Write: Keep working on finishing Project 2 + your letter


T Dec 8 Returned: Revised Project 2
9:30 Conferences drop by my office or schedule an appointment (NO CLASS in the CLASSROOM)
Final exam in computer classroom
Write: Final draft Project 2 + letter

Th Dec 10 Due: Final Project 2 + letter; Returned: Final exams
Reflective writing + portfolio analysis
In-class work on essay of your choice + finish portfolio
Write: Finish your portfolio


T Dec 15
How would you change this course? Revising ENG 1031-1032
In-class worhshop - finish portfolio

Th Dec 17
Turn in your portfolio
Congratulations!

December 1

Workshop:

State the focus of the essay

Who is the audience?

Does this essay acknowledge the assumptions/beliefs held by the audience?

Does the introduction do a good job setting up the focus for the chosen audience? Any suggestions?

Organization: state the point of each paragraph and how it connects to /develops the focus

does the writer identify the position they will argue against –BEFORE – s/he begins her/his discussion/argument?
does the writer provide necessary background information BEFORE beginning the discussion?
Development: need any more information? any material that is unnecessary?

Does the conclusion draw the essay to a close?


Plan for for revision: what do you need to work on to strengthen your essay?

What do you need to change/re-word/substitute?

What do you need to add?

What do you need to delete?

What do you need to re-organize?