Tag: Composition
MLA Formatting in Word and Google Docs
A simple handout that provides step-by-step details on how to add first line and hanging indents as well as inserting page numbers in the...
Process and Post-Process Writing in The Composition Classroom
This post does not seek to discredit teachers using older editions of Writing and Rhetoric textbooks. I will offer an alternative model that can...
Outlining Argumentative Essays
A useful handout that explains how to outline an essay. It draws on similar examples from my handout on Common Thesis Complaints.
Feature image by Andrew...
Common Thesis Complaints
This handout I made in sheer frustration after hearing the same complaints about thesis formulation over and over again from my students. I've learned in my...
The Bad Boyfriend Counterargument
This handout is a counterargument explanation sheet using the example of
trying to persuade your loved ones that your bad boyfriend is not so bad....
The Advice Column Two Ways–Part Two: First-Year Writing
My FYW classes include lessons on the rhetorical appeals, and Sugar offered me a concrete, easily-digested way of introducing these concepts in class.
Ransom Notes
If you're looking for a different type of in-class activity to get students thinking about word choice, you'll find it with this fun but challenging task.
Sidewalk Chalk
An activity designed to help students understand the vulnerability that comes with public photographs, particularly in the context of war images.
Is it Really All My Fault? Sharing on In-Class Discussions
I’ve become familiar with the resistance to classroom discussions, but, until recently, I always assumed good discussions were lacking because students are, generally speaking, lacking in “critical thinking.” But last week, something happened that made me reconsider.
The Hip-Hop Nation
An argumentative essay that requires students to clearly articulate their position on whether rap and hip-hop have a negative or positive effect on its listeners, if there should be control over the content of songs, and to explore the reasons why people are affected by these genres so strongly.
A Paraphrasing PowerPoint
A PowerPoint presentation explaining what paraphrasing is, how to paraphrase, and an in-class activity for paraphrasing.
Review Beyond the Food
This assignment goes beyond your standard food review as it asks students to research and evaluate all aspects of the restaurant including its history, location, and design. It includes a focus on using sensory descriptions and depictions to entice the reader.
Social Justice Proposal
A written group assignment that asks students to create a proposal designed to convince a funding agency to fund their organization’s new social justice project.
Public Art Profile
This assignment asks students to familiarize themselves with public art and their city by finding one piece to describe, research and analyze. It encourages students to reveal the connections between artists, locations, and communities.
MLA & the Annotated Bibliography
A 2-page handout focusing on MLA citations and formatting for an annotated bibliography.
Grammar Lesson Presentation
A grammar presentation assignment for small groups on an assigned topic. Each group is required to provide an explanation, examples, and a way for the class to practice the lesson. This assignment also includes a reflective component.
Incorporating Quotations, Claims, & Evidence
A PowerPoint presentation that breaks down different types of evidence and explains how and when to use them.
The World as Seen, Heard, Experienced, Written
An assignment sequence where students explore the world of the arts, beginning with photography and increasing in writing involvement and critical scrutiny through the worlds of music and film before finally concluding in a work of literature. Through these various lenses, students examine both the status of these arts, what goes into evaluating them, and their relation to their campus, its history, and the world at large.
The Current Event Article
I’ve taught multiple sections of composition over the years and without fail a majority (but not all) of my students have little interest in...
Visualizing Class Participation
A diagram that helps students and teachers be on the same page when it comes to understanding expectations for and evaluations of class participation.
Post-It Notes Activity
This is a great first-day exercise used to create a sense of community as well as clarify questions or misconceptions about the course. It can also be used mid-semester as a check-in for the class.
Writing a Research Proposal
Submitted by John Casey. A research proposal assignment for a required composition class focused on academic writing and research.
Career Profile
An engaging and easily adaptable assignment for early career students that helps them navigate their college career paths
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MLA & the Annotated Bibliography
A 2-page handout focusing on MLA citations and formatting for an annotated bibliography.
Three Ways to Visualize Your Syllabus
While the syllabus forms the foundation of a course, it doesn't always reach it's full potential. By nature, the syllabus is linear. The daily plans...
Intro to the Writing of Fiction
Below you'll find a syllabus for a 200-level Intro to the Writing of Fiction course complete with readings and assignments.
Feature image courtesy of Andrew Seaman