Day Sixteen Class Notes

Check your Wikipedia Article
Have your edits and revisiosn remained? If they have changed, what has changed? Do you know why there were changes made to your edits and revisions? Take a moment to check the talk/discussion page, too.

Editing sweep
Take 10 minutes to review and edit your revision.

Class Evaluation
Answer the following questions in the D2L Discussion component

What learning tools were effective? (Consider D2L Discussions, written peer responses, spoken peer responses, large group critiques of rough drafts, evaluating sources, learning how to navigate Wikipedia, using the course wiki, conducting research (for your project; for a classmate's project), having the lessons and assignments on the course blog, having the assignment deadlines embedded in the D2L course news, the instructor's audio comments, and so on.)

What learning tools were less effective?

Review the course goals - identify two of the goals which you were able to achieve and briefly describe how you achieved them - identify one goal that has remained elusive.

Evaluations of the Persuasive Analytical Essay revisions will be completed by the end of the work day on Monday, July 27. I will send you the scoring rubric as an email attachment. Within the email, I will indicate your final grade for the course. You will have 24 hours to contact me to address any discrepancies in your grade before I post the final grades to the registrar on Tuesday, July 28.

[photo: Albert feared the finality of completion by zen]

Day Fifteen Assignments

Revise and post your Persuasive Analytical Essay Revision. (Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the "revision" listing; don't post the revision in the "small peer response group" section.)

Michael will be available in his office (Helland Center, Room 4141) to respond to drafts and revisions between 12:00 and 3:00 pm on Tuesday, July 21. Send your revisions and drafts to him as email attachments (Michael.Kuhne@minneapolis.edu). If you wish to make an appointment to meet with him, please do so (rather than showing up unexpectedly).

Day Fifteen Class Notes

Instructor-led Writing Workshop - addressing common issues (25)

• establishing clear thesis statements (nuanced and nuanced; hint at essay's structure)
• establishing effective analytical body paragraphs (claim-evidence-explanation-closing)
• incorporating sources accurately and effectively (introducing the source-signal phrase-S?P?DQ?-in-text citation)
• making good use of the Wikipedia Article revising and editing experience
  

Small peer response group conferences (45)

• One person volunteers to have his or her draft to discussed.
• A different person volunteers to begin discussing the draft.
• At minimum, each person should discuss the draft's thesis statement, the body paragraph's topic sentence, the use of evidence (especially how well or how poorly the writer explains how the evidence supports the claim), and the conclusion.
• When everyone has had a chance to discuss the draft and the writer's questions of the group have been answered, move on to the next draft.

Submitting the Persuasive Analytical Essay revision. (10)


Class will end once these activities are completed. You will be free to leave. You are also welcomed to stay and work in the classroom on your revision. The instructor will stay in the classroom and be available for consultations until the end of class.

Day Fourteen Assignments

• Review and comment to the drafts posted within your small peer response group.
• Continue revising and editing your own Persuasive Analytical Essay.
• The revision of the Persuasive Analytical Essay is due by the beginning of Day Sixteen.

Day Fourteen Class Notes

Wikipedia Article - evaluated (check D2L); scoring rubrics and comments sent later this afternoon.

Take 5 minutes - check your Wikipedia article: has anything changed since you made the edits/revisions?

Persuasive Analytical Essay Rough Drafts (20)

• return to the wiki page where you posted the rough draft
• click "edit," scroll to the bottom of the screen
• in a short writing (2-3 sentences) address the most challenging aspect of this assignment
• also, write three questions for your peer reviewers - the more specific the question, the better

Discuss

Large Group Response and Norming Activity

• Review Response Guidelines (5)
• Cecilia's draft (25)

Drafting an accurate Works Cited page for the final essay (15)
--See "Preparing the list of works cited" at the bottom of MLA Manuscript Format
--MLA List of Works Cited - Hacker's Documentation Page
--Questions about Works Cited

Work Time(60)
You may use this time either to continue writing your own draft OR to begin commenting on your peer's draft.
There will be time for small peer response group conferences on Day Fifteen

Day Thirteen Assignments

Post your rough draft on the course wiki in the Persuasive Analytical essay rough draft and revision wiki page. This must be posted prior to the beginning of class on Day Fourteen.

Day Thirteen Class Notes

Reflection on the Wikipedia Article assignment (20)

• what did you enjoy?
• did anything surprise you?
• what was frustrating?
• would you describe the research that you had to do for the article as similar to or different from the research that you have done in the past? how so? in what ways?
• what did you learn?

Review Persuasive Analytical writing assignment (and calendar) (15)

• One might revise either the Wikipedia Debate or the Wikipedia Feature Article Analysis essay for the Persuasive Analytical essay IF the revision meets the guidelines (primarily the new, extended 1250-word limit)
• Remember: the new persuasive position articulated in the thesis should be nuanced (not over-simplified)
• You can also develop a new essay, as long as it focuses on Wikipedia and meets the assignment's requirements
• We strongly recommend that whatever you write addresses your experience as a Wikipedian. This can be either the focus of the final essay or a smaller section.
• In the final essay, a higher quality standard will be applied to various writing items such as thesis statements (with sub-claims); body paragraph development (claim-evidence-explanation-closing); the accurate and effective use of sources (introducing the source, using signal phrases, formatting the direct quote correctly, using accurate in-text citations, and signalling the use of summaries and paraphrases where necessary), MLA Works Cited accuracy, and overall quality of the writing.

Thesis and sub-claim work for the final writing assignment (35)
Some questions that might lead to a more nuanced approach:

• In your experience working with Wikipedia in this class, what were some of your most frustrating moments? Why were these moments frustrating? How did they affect your thinking about Wikipedia or its use?
• In your experience working with Wikipedia in this class, what were some of your most rewarding or fun moments? Why were these moments rewarding or fun? How did they affect your thinking about Wikipedia or its use?
• If you had to tell someone what you like about this class, what would it be? Why?
• If you had to tell someone what you don't like about this class, what would it be? Why?
• How has learning more about Wikipedia changed the way you think about it?
• How has learning more about Wikipedia changed the way you use it?
• If there were one thing you could change about Wikipedia, what would it be?
• If there were one thing you would never change about Wikipedia what would it be?

Discuss

Given your understanding of the assignment, revise or draft your working thesis statement Share this one other person: as readers of your peer's working thesis statement, ask yourselves these questions:

• is the thesis nuanced (not over-simplified)?
• is the thesis arguable?
• can you predict what the structure of the essay will be based on the thesis statement?

Once you have consulted with a peer, received feedback, and made the necessary revisions, please write your working thesis on the whiteboard.

Review working thesis statements

Organizing the Persuasive Analytical essay (30)

Based on the working thesis statement, create a list of potential sub-claims.

Scrap Paper Evidence activity(based on one sub-claim)

Writer identifies a claim in need of (better) evidence

--your name
--the name of the Wikipedia article you are discussing
--the claim for which you need better evidence

Instructor gathers and re-distributes to students working in pairs

Partners must then find evidence for the claim

When complete, partners return scrap - with evidence - to the original writer-- and discuss

Once the scrap paper has been returned, develop a working outline of your essay:

• include the introduction (working thesis, plus brainstorm ideas for a lead)
• include all of the sub-claims (plus supporting evidence, if available)
• include the conclusion (tentative offerings acceptable)

Drafting an accurate Works Cited page for the final essay (15)

• See "Preparing the list of works cited" at the bottom of MLA Manuscript Format
• MLA List of Works Cited - Hacker's Documentation Page
• Questions about Works Cited

Volunteers for Norming?

Drafting time (35)