Writing Journal Prompts
#5:
Due Wednesday, December 3rd
§ Browse the essays at www.thisibelieve.com. You can browse categories,
see the most popular, search for specific keywords, etc. Choose one essay that impresses you and print
it out. We will share these essays in
class on Wednesday. After reading this
essay carefully, type a 1 page response detailing:
o
Why this essay
impresses you—BE SPECIFIC! Don’t just
talk about content, but also STYLE (the way it’s written).
o
Ways that this
essay fulfills (or does not fulfill) your own essay requirements.
o
What this essay
made you think about in your own life.
#4:
Due Wednesday, November 5th
§ Find one textual source for your project—website, newspaper
article, scholarly journal article, etc.—and Evaluate that source according to the criteria explained in
14c. You can answer in bullet points,
and you do not need to use complete sentences, but you DO need to do a thorough
analysis.
o
Cite the
source using proper MLA citation at the top of the page
o
Submit both
your analysis + your source. Can be
hand-written or typed.
o
See in-depth
examples of evaluating sources p. 254-257
§ This WJ re: Deborah Tannen’s essay, “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue,” involves two parts:
1.
Summary: In 2-3 sentences, summarize Tannen’s
argument. Your summary should not just
explain the “topic” of the essay, but rather what the author thinks about it.
What is her claim? What are
the main ideas she considers, and how does she define key terms? See this link for
examples of summaries, both effective and ineffective.
2.
Letter: Write a brief letter to Ms. Tannen
evaluating and expanding upon her argument.
§ Evaluating: You should play both the believing
game—i.e. explain what points you agree with and why—as well as the doubting
game—i.e. offer distinctions or questions or disagreements to her
claims. Be specific. Give examples.
§ Expanding: In your
letter you should also make new connections. How do her ideas relate to arenas outside of
academia? Apply her ideas to at least
one other setting (relationships, politics, religion, whatever), and explain
how these concepts do and do not relate to this new arena. Utilize your own personal experience. Again, fully develop these connections by
giving examples and being specific.
§ Please include at least two
specific quotes in your letter, and practice incorporating effectively, as we discussed using these examples.
This WJ should be 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, and submitted
in hard copy in class. Go to it!
§ This WJ re: Fenton Johnson’s essay, “Notes of an Emigrant Son,” involves two parts:
1. Highlight Details: First read Johnson’s essay without a pen
in hand, just to see what he has to say.
Then when you read it the second time, take out a highlighter and
underline the details he uses to
make his hometown come alive for the reader.
These details could be sensorial (what you can see, hear, smell, taste,
touch), or they may not. What images
stick out in your mind when you think of where he grew up?
2. Capture Details: Now it’s your turn to make a
place come alive via well-chosen details.
Spend 1-2 pages describing a place that you may write about for your 1st
essay. Physical description
is good, but remember to also give us a sense of what it’s like to be
there: What usually happens in this place?
What do people do or talk about there?
What kinds of attitudes do the people have? What makes this place compelling?
This WJ should be 1-2 pages, typed, double-spaced, and submitted in
hard copy in class. Go to it!
§ This WJ re: Parker Palmer’s essay, “Community of
Truth,” involves two parts: summary and critical-reading. See SM
27-32 re: Critical Reading.
1.
Summary: In 2-3 sentences, summarize Palmer’s argument. Your summary should not just explain the
“topic” of the essay, but also what the
author thinks about it. What is his
claim? What are the main ideas he
considers, and how does he define key terms?
2.
Critical
reading: I’ve
asked you to “stomp around” in this essay, i.e. to ask questions of the text
and to contribute your own ideas. In
essence, I’ve asked you to hold a conversation in the margins with the author,
Parker Palmer. Now write a brief letter
to Mr. Palmer offering your feedback and asking him questions. What did you learn from the essay? What passages struck you? What points reminded you of something in your
own experience? Are there statements
with which you disagree? What is
confusing or unclear to you? What are
you curious about? These questions are
merely guideposts; only answer those which seem pertinent to your
response. Please include at least one
specific quote from the essay in your letter.
This WJ should be 2
pages, typed, double-spaced, and submitted in hard copy in class. Go to it!