Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
21 February 2016
Dear Dr. Hartman,
As one who is hoping to go on to teach, I found this project to be thoroughly helpful. My only
experience with creating assignments is from an ESL course I took during undergrad. I was assigned a
fictional person with a particular situation and had to write several lesson plans that I would use to help
her. So, since I have little experience with creating assignments, I really appreciated this assignment.
As I mentioned before, I know that many students taking a Freshmen composition course will probably
not have much experience completing this type of an assignment. If there are students who are familiar
with poetry, then it is still possible they have not done any type of criticism (at least where they had to
write their criticism down). But, even if they intend never to read another poem in their entire life, I
think this assignment will not only give them some exposure to it but also help them with writing skills.
I want the students to be able to think critically about what they are reading and be able to write well
concerning what they have read. Poetry can be useful in that it does require thinking and, in some form
or fashion, some interpretation to be able to write about. Moreover, I think the type of writing that they
are going to be doing is reflective in that it requires them to ruminate some on what stood out to them
as they read. Finally, while doing the compare and contrast part of the assignment, I want them to be
get used to viewing topics from different angles. In turn, this will give them an elementary beginning in
either defending their own views or synthesizing those views with others. There is more that I want
from the assignment, but that can all be seen in the goals/standards.
While formulating this assignment, the hardest part was actually determining what I want the students
to learn. Of course, using standards from a source did give me some great thoughts which helped me
nail down my goals/standards section. Even though I did have an idea of what I was going for before
watching the backwards design videos, they were profitable. I do think that backwards design really
allows the important stuff (what is it that you want your students to learn how to do) to take
precedence. In other words, thank you for sharing those videos.
To conclude, I am open to any advice or critique that you would like to provide. This is my first time
creating an assignment for a class, and I am sure that shows. However, I would like to refine my skills
and become better at doing it so that I can be prepared when the time comes.
Sincerely,
Brent King
Brent King
ENED 683
Dr. Shana Hartman
21 February 2016
Writing Assignment Design: Design Phase
Overview:
Although some first-year composition students might have had exposure to poetry, many have either
not been asked to be critical when reading poems, or have not been asked to compose thoughts about
them. This assignment is not only designed to give these college freshmen exposure to poetry but also
to advance their critical reading and writing skills. By reading, examining, and writing responses about
Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Break Break Break, students will be more prepared for critical reading
and writing later in their college career.
Yet, the assignment is not just going to require the students to read, assess, and write initial responses to
the poem, they will also be asked to compare and contrast their response with someone else in the class.
By requiring them to perform this part of the assignment, I hope to get the students engaged in and
prepared for doing textual comparisons. Furthermore, this part of the assignment will prepare the
students to see topics in more than one perspective, allowing them to either readjust their initial view or
substantiate their claims.
Objectives/Standards/Goals:
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing:
-Use strategiessuch as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesignto compose
texts that integrate the writer's ideas with those from appropriate sources (others);
-Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating;
-Develop critical reading skills through a reader response interpretation of poetry;
-Develop critical and reflective writing skills via interpretation and comparison;
-Develop abilities to compare and contrast perspectives
Processes:
-Develop flexible strategies for reading, reflection, reviewing, rereading, and writing;
-Use composing processes and tools as a means to discover and reconsider ideas;
Context:
This assignment will be given during the course of one week to a Freshmen composition class. This
particular class meets three times a week for fifty minutes each; however, this assignment will only
take up two of those periods. The first period (Monday), students will be given the first handout and
asked to complete. They will then turn in their responses to the poem to me. For the next class time
(Wednesday), students will be given back their response from the first class and asked to swap
responses with someone else in the room and then asked to complete the second handout, finally
returning all work to me for final assessment.
Works Cited
'Break, break, break' by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Poetry Foundation. Web. 18 February 2016.
WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition. Council of Writing Program Administrators.
Web. 19 February 2016. <http://wpacouncil.org/positions/outcomes.html>