[Teaching_Composition] Source Work
Pat McQueeney
teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com
Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:41:00 -0500
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Our Comp I is primarily personal writing, though some of us use external =
sources extensively in order to lessen the leap to Comp II. This =
semester I liked the topics students chose for a brief commentary, and I =
could see the potential if they did additional research to support their =
points, so, when I returned those papers, I told them that the final =
paper--a research essay--would emerge from the commentaries. I've never =
done this before, but the commentaries had such potential that I wanted =
to see where they could go with them if they knew more.
=20
We then moved to reacting to literature in order to learn how to =
incorporate quoted material and learn about documentation, and, more =
importantly, to distance them from the commentary topics for a bit.
=20
Now, we're starting the research essay, which I'm defining as their =
thinking on a topic supported substantially by expert sources. I'm =
encouraging them to write in first person and to combine factual =
information with their well-grounded speculation. They just critiqued =
each other's research questions (for being grounded, intellectually =
engaging, and narrow) and completed a prospectus. They also have had a =
librarian provide database orientation after receiving an email =
statement of their topics from them. Before they submit the final copy =
they will have submitted an annotated bibliography, alternative openings =
and closings, a draft for feedback from me, an outline at the revision =
stage, and a draft for peer review. They will receive their final drafts =
back prior to their final, which will be an in-class reflective essay =
about their commentaries in contrast with their research efforts and =
themselves as commentary writers and as researchers and research =
writers. Usually, reflective papers are fairly rich, so, here's =
hoping....
=20
Mary Pat McQueeney=20
Johnson County Community College English Overland Park, KS=20
http://staff.jccc.net/pmcqueen <http://staff.jccc.net/pmcqueen> =20
=20
"Good writing is hard work!" ~~Snoopy
=20
=20
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto =
("e-mail") is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and =
is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or =
entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and =
state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader =
of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that =
retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is =
strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please =
immediately notify JCCC by email reply and immediately and permanently =
delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you.
=20
=20
________________________________
=20
From: teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com on behalf of Chris =
Anson
Sent: Tue 4/25/2006 7:03 AM
To: teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com
Subject: [Teaching_Composition] Source Work
This list has been pretty quiet lately! =20
One of the questions Cindy asks in her module is whether it makes sense =
to give students practice in source work as an exercise in itself =
(rather than in the context of a usually large(r) research project). =
Composition theory pushes us away from isolated activities when they =
seem to have little pragmatic or audience-based purposes, but I'm =
attracted to micro-level assignments that still don't seem like busy =
work or mere "practice." Say the entire class is engaged in discussing =
some topic of interest. What about asking students to find just one =
source of information about it and then documenting that source =
carefully and responsibly, "adding" the information to an ongoing, =
localized compilation? (We talked a little about this in connection =
with wikkis.) All this could be a parallel activity (to working on a =
larger project) that the class could take a little time every couple of =
days to work on, students could get credit for their small =
contributions, and some instruction could go on concerning the nature, =
use, and citation of the sources. Anyone do anything like this?
I also wanted to recommend a great book on research writing (which =
contains some good information on source use): Pavel Zemliansky and =
Wendy Bishop (Eds.). _Research Writing Revisited: A Sourcebook for =
Teachers_. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann-Boynton/Cook, 2004.=20
Chris
--=20
Chris M. Anson=20
Professor of English=20
Director, Campus Writing and Speaking Program=20
Interim Director, Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media=20
Box 8101 (OR) 131G Tompkins=20
North Carolina State University=20
Raleigh, NC 27695-8105=20
(919) 513-4080=20
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html =
<http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html>
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<DIV id=3DidOWAReplyText69994 dir=3Dltr>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Our Comp I =
is primarily=20
personal writing, though some of us use external sources extensively in =
order to=20
lessen the leap to Comp II. This semester I liked the topics =
students=20
chose for a brief commentary, and I could see the potential if they did=20
additional research to support their points, so, when I returned those =
papers, I=20
told them that the final paper--a research essay--would emerge from the=20
commentaries. I've never done this before, but the commentaries =
had such=20
potential that I wanted to see where they could go with them if they =
knew=20
more.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 size=3D2>We then =
moved to reacting=20
to literature in order to learn how to incorporate quoted =
material and=20
learn about documentation, and, more importantly, to distance them from =
the=20
commentary topics for a bit.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Now, we're =
starting the=20
research essay, which I'm defining as their thinking on a topic =
supported=20
substantially by expert sources. I'm encouraging them to write in =
first=20
person and to combine factual information with their well-grounded=20
speculation. </FONT><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2>They just=20
critiqued each other's <STRONG>research questions</STRONG> (for being =
grounded,=20
intellectually engaging, and narrow) and completed a=20
<STRONG>prospectus.</STRONG> They also have had a librarian =
provide=20
<STRONG>database orientation</STRONG> after receiving an =
<STRONG>email</STRONG>=20
statement of their topics from them. Before they submit the final =
copy they=20
will have submitted <STRONG>an annotated bibliography</STRONG>, =
alternative=20
<STRONG>openings and closings</STRONG>, a <STRONG>draft</STRONG> for =
feedback=20
from me, an <STRONG>outline at the revision</STRONG> stage, and a draft =
for=20
<STRONG>peer review</STRONG>. They will receive their final drafts back =
prior to=20
their final, which will be an <STRONG>in-class reflective essay</STRONG> =
about=20
their commentaries in contrast with their research efforts and =
themselves as=20
commentary writers and as researchers and research writers. =
Usually,=20
reflective papers are fairly rich, so, here's hoping....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><FONT face=3DVerdana color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT><FONT face=3DVerdana=20
color=3D#000080 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV id=3DidSignature6156 dir=3Dltr>
<DIV RE><FONT face=3DVerdana size=3D2>Mary Pat McQueeney </FONT></DIV>
<DIV RE><FONT size=3D2><FONT face=3DVerdana>Johnson County Community =
College English=20
</FONT><FONT face=3DVerdana>Overland Park, KS </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV RE><FONT face=3DVerdana><A =
href=3D"http://staff.jccc.net/pmcqueen"><FONT=20
size=3D2>http://staff.jccc.net/pmcqueen</FONT></A><FONT size=3D2>=20
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV RE><FONT face=3DVerdana size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Dright RE><FONT face=3DVerdana size=3D2>"Good writing is =
hard work!"=20
~~Snoopy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV RE>
<DIV RE><PRE></PRE></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=3Dltr><BR>
</FONT>
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<FONT FACE=3D"Arial" SIZE=3D"1">The information contained in this e-mail =
and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by the Johnson County =
Community College ("JCCC") and is intended to be confidential and for =
the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information =
may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or =
other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended =
recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution =
or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received =
this e-mail in error please immediately notify JCCC by email reply and =
immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any =
attachments thereto. Thank you.</FONT>
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<FONT face=3DTahoma size=3D2><B>From:</B>=20
teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com on behalf of Chris=20
Anson<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tue 4/25/2006 7:03 AM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> =
[Teaching_Composition]=20
Source Work<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>This list has been pretty quiet lately! =20
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>One of the questions Cindy asks in her module is whether it makes =
sense to=20
give students practice in source work as an exercise in itself (rather =
than in=20
the context of a usually large(r) research project). Composition theory =
pushes=20
us away from isolated activities when they seem to have little pragmatic =
or=20
audience-based purposes, but I'm attracted to micro-level assignments =
that still=20
don't seem like busy work or mere "practice." Say the entire class is =
engaged in=20
discussing some topic of interest. What about asking students to find =
just one=20
source of information about it and then documenting that source =
carefully and=20
responsibly, "adding" the information to an ongoing, localized =20
compilation? (We talked a little about this in connection with wikkis.) =
All this=20
could be a parallel activity (to working on a larger project) that the =
class=20
could take a little time every couple of days to work on, students could =
get=20
credit for their small contributions, and some instruction could go on=20
concerning the nature, use, and citation of the sources. Anyone do =
anything like=20
this?</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>I also wanted to recommend a great book on research writing (which =
contains=20
some good information on source use): Pavel Zemliansky and Wendy Bishop =
(Eds.).=20
_Research Writing Revisited: A Sourcebook for Teachers_. Portsmouth, NH: =
Heinemann-Boynton/Cook, 2004. </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Chris</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
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<DIV>-- <BR>Chris M. Anson <BR>Professor of =
English <BR>Director,=20
Campus Writing and Speaking Program <BR>Interim Director, Ph.D. in=20
Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media <BR>Box 8101 (OR) 131G=20
Tompkins <BR>North Carolina State University <BR>Raleigh, =
NC =20
27695-8105 <BR>(919) 513-4080 <BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html"><FONT=20
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