Supplement 1: CTools Forum Post Guidelines

Throughout the term, study questions will be posted on CTools Forums that you must respond to before the next class. The goal of these posts is to deepen your engagement with the reading material and course concepts. These responses will be graded on the quality of your engagement rather than your prose. The following guidelines offer important considerations to keep in mind when adding your post to CTools Forums.

  • Responses must be posted to CTools sometime before the class when the readings are due. Late responses receive no credit.
  • You can take a “CTools Pass” once during the term and this will not affect your grade. To take a Pass, simply post a message for that week that says, “I’m taking my pass today.” However, you still must read the readings for the week as well as the week’s question, plus at least three peoples’ responses to it.
  • Your responses will not receive individual grades. Instead, I will tell you your cumulative CTools Forums grade at midterm. You may, however, ask me about your grade at any time.
  • Your response must include a reference to at least one other classmate’s response for that day’s reading and question (unless you are one of the first three students to respond to the question). Vary the people to whom you respond each day.
  • Your response to your classmates should be thoughtful and respectful. Any responses that personally attack or ridicule a classmate will receive no credit. If you disagree with another students’ point, state your position and back it up—do not criticize other students’ points of view.
  • You should spend approximately 45 minutes on each response, which includes the time it takes you to log in, read my question, read at least three other peoples’ responses (unless you’re among the first three people to post), and then write your response.

Grading Criteria for CTools Forums

The “A” response: Does everything the “B” or “C” response does but goes beyond: makes connections to broader ideas or issues; makes several keen observations or comments about very specific parts of the text; asks provocative, non-­‐trivial questions about the text and offers provisional answers based on evidence; uses a confident, relaxed, yet highly professional tone; shows some concern for having a central point and a method of organization, but is mostly interested in revealing a mind hard at work.

The “B” response: Does everything the “C” response does but with more depth, interest, and concern for clarity and writing style: makes many more specific references to the readings and to classmates’ ideas; asks good questions and offers “educated guesses” about the answers; uses appropriate semi-­‐formal language and style, writes clearly, and is edited for errors.

The “C” response: Answers the question thoughtfully, with references to the text and to classmates’ ideas; is clear enough to read without effort. The “C” response may show evidence of haste, or otherwise show signs that the writer has not given the assignment significant time or mental energy.

The “D” response: Either does not answer the question or answers it very briefly or superficially. The “D” response shows no “hard” evidence that the writer even did the reading.

Some strategies that can lead to an interesting, in-­‐depth “A” response:

  1. Go beyond the question asked and explain what interests/confuses/delights/enrages (etc.) you about the reading.
  2. Explain what you think the text is “about” or explore the main argument of the text.
  3. Discuss what factors influence your reaction and understanding. These can include personal factors as well as content you’re learning in other classes, or issues in the media/news, etc.
  4. Ask engaging questions your classmates can respond to.

How to use the CTools Forums page:

  1. Go to CTools Forums page and click on the topic for the day.
  2. Read over the question.
  3. If you are not one of the first three students to post, read over the conversations already posted by
    clicking on the header for each one.
  4. Click the “Start a New Conversation” to write your own response to the question. To reply to another
    student’s post, click on the “Reply” button above the message.

Adapted from Jennifer Lutman’s CTools Discussion Post Guidelines

Supplement 2: Twitter Assignments

Technical Directions

First you need to get a TweetChat account if you don’t already have one. The directions for that are as follows:

  1. 1. Sign in to your Twitter account. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, see the page “Signing up with Twitter” for step-by-step directions.)
  2. Open a new tab.
  3. Go to TweetChat (tweetchat.com).
  4. Click “Sign in” button in top right corner.
  5. Allow Tweet Chat to access your Twitter account (it will then send you back to TweetChat).
  6. Join our chat room (from TweetChat) by entering our Tweetchat account name __________ into the hashtag search at the top of the TweetChat page (where it says “Enter hashtag to follow”).

Tweet Your Thesis

  1. Freewrite – Before you tweet your thesis, you should freewrite about your topic. Explore the argument you are considering making, your reasons for choosing this topic, what others might say about the topic, and possible counterarguments.
  2. Develop Your Working Thesis – Once you have finished freewriting, develop a working thesis for your essay (a working thesis is a thesis in progress, as your thesis will often change while you draft your essay.) Some things to consider when drafting a working thesis:

    It should be debatable – make sure someone could make an argument against it.
    It should be specific – try to avoid broad generalizations about your topic.
    It should be complex – avoid oversimplifying the argument.

  3. Tweet your Thesis – Once you have a working thesis, post it on Twitter. Be sure to include the hashtag for our class chatroom.
  4. Read and Reply – Respond to at least two tweets with comments or questions about the working thesis. You can compliment a working thesis, critique a specific aspect of it, or offer further thoughts on the argument itself. Whichever you choose, be sure to offer brief but specific feedback. Don’t just say “great thesis!” or “Good work!” Say why it is or isn’t working. And be sure to tag the student in your tweet!

Examples:
@janestudent – Your working thesis is great because it offers specific reasons why you are taking this position. #engl125
@johnstudent – I think this might need more attention to the counterargument. Did you consider Smith’s point of view? #engl125

Tweet a Summary

  1. Freewrite – After you have finished reading, freewrite about the material until you come up with a concise summary of some aspect of what you read that will fit into a Twitter post (a Twitter post allows for 140 characters, including the hashtag and its name).
  2. Post – Post your summary to Twitter, making sure to include the hashtag for our class.
  3. Read and Reply – Read over other students’ posts to see what they chose to emphasize. Respond to at least two student posts with compliments, questions, or concerns about their summary. Include brief but specific reasons for your comments and avoid general responses, such as “great summary!” Discuss what made the summary work or ask a clear question about it. Be sure to tag the student and use our class’s hashtag in the post.

Example:
@janestudent – I notice you don’t mention reverse osmosis. I wonder if you feel this process is less important in this situation? #chem243

Tweet a Question

  1. Choose Your Question – After class or after reading, write down the questions that came up for you. Choose a question that you wish to pose to the class.
  2. Post – Post your question to Twitter, making sure to include the hashtag for our class.
  3. Read and Reply – Read over other students’ posts and try to answer at least one. If you can’t answer any of the questions, comment on a question. Be sure to tag the student in your post.

Example:
@janestudent – I have questions about that too because if positive psychology is so popular does that negate other forms? #psych230
 

Supplement 3: Process Journal Exercises

The following process journal exercises are to be done by the due dates listed on the schedule and brought to class on the day they are due. No late exercises will be accepted. You may handwrite these (if your handwriting is legible) or type them, though typing is recommended, as many exercises will become part of your essays in progress. Be sure to take these exercises seriously as they will help you create stronger drafts and improve your writing practice.

These will be evaluated based on the depth of your engagement on a check scale:

  • √+ = thoroughly follows directions and engages deeply in writing practice
  • √ = follows directions and shows a satisfactory engagement with the writing practice
  • √-­‐ = does not follow directions or does not show satisfactory engagement with writing practice.

Process Journal Exercises for a Research Essay

1. Read carefully over the guidelines for the assignment that was handed out in class. Then freewrite about a topic that interests you. If you need to write about several topics to find out what you’re most interested in first, that’s fine too, but once you identify a topic, write about that one. Discuss why you are interested in this topic and what position you take on it. After freewriting for a while, do some preliminary research on your topic on Google or in Wikipedia to discover what others have said about it. Note: though you will use more scholarly sources in your essay, this search is meant to spark some ideas about avenues you might pursue. Then freewrite again from your new perspective. Are there new issues that you want to take into account? What issues warrant deeper research? Finish this freewrite by coming up with a driving question that will guide your research.

2. Visit the library or access a database on the library website, such as ProQuest or another database relevant to your field, and locate at least three secondary sources that you plan to use for your research paper. Copy down the title, author, and other bibliographic information located in the source citation, and write down some notes about how these sources will be useful in helping to answer your research question. Then choose at least one passage from one source that you are considering directly quoting in your paper and freewrite about it, focusing on how this passage connects to your driving question. Be sure to indicate the page number where this passage is found. Though this is all that is due for your journal, you might consider freewriting about other passages that you find as you begin to draft your essay

3. Write a draft of a paragraph that sets up the stakes for your research essay. Discuss why this research topic is important and/or what gaps or issues you feel need to be explored and why.

4. Write three consecutive body paragraphs toward your research essay. These paragraphs should integrate research and build on each other using meaningful transitions that highlight the shifts in your thinking from one paragraph to the next. Provide clear and detailed context for each source, make smart choices about the format of your evidence (quotes, paraphrase, summary– use block quotes if your quote is longer than four lines), and follow your evidence with thoughtful analysis that connects your evidence to your research question. When analyzing, ask yourself: what aspect of my research question does this evidence answer or address and why does it matter?

5. Write a paragraph that addresses one or more of the counterarguments to your position. Include at least one outside source in this paragraph and be sure to introduce and analyze the outside source.

6. Freewrite about the further implications of your argument. Why does it matter to the world? What difference does it make? How has your position changed in relation to the topic since making the argument?

Process Journal Exercises for an Analysis Essay

1. Choose a subject that you might consider focusing on for your analysis. If your subject is a text, freewrite about what you notice in the text. If your subject is an image or a place, freewrite a detailed description. If your subject is an organization, freewrite a detailed description of how it works or who is part of it. This isn’t a formal paragraph so it can be jumpy and erratic, but try to be as objective as possible (don’t judge the subject, just freewrite about what you observe). For
example, you might select a few quotes and discuss them in terms of argument or language use, or explore what they mean to you. Or you might notice an aspect of the image connects to larger themes in our class. Once you are done, go back through your freewrite and circle (or underline) observations that you made that seem to unlock some greater understanding about the work or that might provide a guiding idea for your essay. Look for any reoccurring themes or conflicting ideas that you want to explore and take note of them.

2. Write two paragraphs that introduce the context behind the subject of your work. You might choose to write one on the historical significance and one on the audience reception, for instance. Or you might write one on a surprising fact about the author or about the author’s life in general. Bring both versions to class.

3. Write two paragraphs that each focus on a selection of evidence from your subject; either select passages of the text or concrete details of the image—perhaps some details you made note of in your freewrite. In each paragraph, introduce the evidence in a meaningful way and then provide thorough analysis of the evidence. Consider analysis questions such as “Why does this matter?” “How does this evidence reveal something unexpected about the subject?” Try to take the
analysis further in the second paragraph, either by building on previous analysis or expanding on a key theme. When you are done drafting, underline the evidence and put a wavy line beneath your analysis.

4. Consider what evidence and analysis you presented in the last two paragraphs you wrote, and write a paragraph about another aspect of your subject that will complicate what you have so far. Consider quotes or images that contradict or complicate earlier points you made. For example, does the context of the work cause us to see the quotes or images you’ve described so far differently? Look for potential clashes, conflicts, or contradictions in the subject that might
build on and evolve the paragraphs you have so far. Remember to include both evidence and analysis in the paragraph.

Process Journal Exercises for a Narrative Essay

1. Freewrite about what comes to mind after reading the prompt for the writing assignment. Explore different experiences you have had, describe in detail what imagery you remember, tell a story. While freewriting, try to discover what questions you have about this experience. What would you like to understand better about how it affected you? What did the experience mean in the larger scheme of your life? How did it affect your view of the world? Write without stopping for at least ten minutes, preferably more. At the end of this freewriting experience come up with a specific question that you might use to guide your writing experience–a question that could be the DRIVING QUESTION of your essay. What specifically do you want to know about this experience? Bring these to class for discussion and to hand in.

2. Begin to write your essay by drafting two paragraphs about your topic in two different paragraph modes. There are six different paragraph modes to choose from, each offering a different angle of approach to your topic. Narration, Description, Comparison, Example, Cause and Effect, Definition, or Classification/Division. Choose two of these modes and explore your topic through the angle they offer. These two paragraphs need not be in order, nor does either
paragraph have to serve as the introduction (though it can!). Focus on answering your driving question by using one mode at a time. Regardless of what kind of paragraphs you choose to write, be sure to include concrete details, choose words wisely, and transition between sentences as needed.

3. Once you finish your first draft, return to your initial question and freewrite about the answer you have come up with. Take your answer further by asking, “What other outcomes could there be?” Or, “Is that really true?” Or, “Is this answer too clichéd or easy?” Or, “Why does this answer matter in the larger context of my life or the world?” Read over your freewrite and see if there is anything you would like to add to your essay to make it more complex.