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SNL - Problems with Literacy

In this course, you will be engaging in:

• Weekly HW Reading Notes (Practice annotating/pulling important info from our content).
• In-Class Writing Exercises addressing the readings, project essays, and working with each other. Participation is a big part of composition and this class.
• Essays which show personal, narrative, analytical, argumentative, and evidence-driven growth throughout the semester. 
• Constructing and creating content beyond the written word and into multimodal spaces.
• FINAL GRADE NEEDS TO BE A "C" TO EARN CREDIT FROM THE COURSE.

Course Overview

Tuesdays/Thursdays, 75 min.

• Kickstarter: This 5-10min. warm-up writing exercise will draw on content and idea generating, Elbow's Free-writing techniques, and responding to a prompt. 
• Discussion/Presentation on Readings/Topics: (10-15min) Your instructor will go over key insights from readings, ask questions, share content and get everyone ready for larger writing tasks. 
• Main Class Writing Activity: (25-30min) In Comp 1 you will be given in-class time to complete an activity connected to readings and major essays. Some of this time will be individual and some will be in groups. 
• Debrief (5-10min.) Sharing with class and instructor goes over any HW or upcoming assignments.

Course Structure

• I follow a THREE-STRIKE system for unexcused absences. Absences only start to impact your grade from 4 absences onward. Do NOT expect to pass the course if your attendance grade falls below 70%.
• Excused absences are because of:
  • Sickness/Illness
  • Family Emergency
  • Professional or Legal Obligation
  • CMU sanctioned events
• 2-3 minutes late = tardy; 5+ minutes late = absence

*Note: Regardless of the type of absence, YOU are still responsible for Due Dates and making arrangements with your instructor to make-up work you will be missing.

Course Policies - Attendance

• Late Work
  • As the instructor, I reserve the right to decide what can be made up and what cannot. Be advised there are In-Class Assignments/activities such as Peer Reviews that count towards participation and cannot be made up if absent.
  • ANY late assignment is subject to partial credit (HW, in-class, etc.) or half credit (major assignments).
  • Extensions are handled on a case-by-case basis unless instructor opts for a change in schedule collectively.

  • IMPORTANT: Email me and keep the line of communication open as to what is going on with you as this helps me understand your situation and determine whether you are able to make up your work or not.

Course Policies-cont.

• Be respectful of one another during and outside this class. Whether in-class discussion, group collaboration, or presentation; be kind and helpful to one another.

• I want to promote a positive mental well-being in my class, and if there is something that impacts your presence, please let me know if you need to leave or can't make it. Participation, discussion, and collaboration in a writing class is important. Good work ethic depends on YOU.

• I have posted office hours for a reason - Please stop by to visit if you have questions about the class, an assignment, or how you can be successful in the course. I do want to help.

Course Etiquette

A.I. Reflections

A.I. + Writing Policy

Always CITE- like this (SOURCE) where info comes from.

In Summary, Plagiarism is taking another person, thing, or construct's work and claiming it as your own. Avoid this at all costs by:

• Always CITE your sources (MLA, APA) and show readers where you got your content from.
• LIMIT information or writing you are getting from A.I. Writing Tools or generators
• DO NOT Copy and Paste Content directly into your Word Doc WITHOUT CITATION (SOURCE), especially if it is your ESSAY.
• Have ideas of your own, not just relying on what sites, writers, or A.I. say.

A.I. Plagiarism can lead to major grade deductions, zeros, academic dishonesty forms, or even failing the course! If in doubt, ASK!

Academic Honesty and Avoiding Plagiarism

For today, we will spend some time identifying "artifacts" that connect to our life story that you want to share with your fellow classmates. In today's discussion writing thread, you'll find two objectives:

• Individually: Compose in a solid paragraph or 2 your own Introduction Post, sharing fun information about yourself. An "artifact" may be a photo, pet/travel related, skill-related, or URL link to content, organization, or club you follow or are interested in. You can post text or images in discussion thread *you may want to start in a Word doc and then copy over to thread*
• As a Group: Add to your group's creative writing thread based on your Scenario Card! Go to Group Thread link in today's activity.

Show N' Tell Artifacts - Scenario Writing Game

• Grammar & Style are tools to better communicate with our audience - tools that we are controlling, rather than it controlling us; words help us accomplish our purpose for our audience (Hulst 87-88).
• Content vs. Context - Ask yourselves when writing:
  • What am I saying? How am I saying it? Why? And for whom? (does my information fit the situation?)

When I write do I have...

• Subject (the sentence is about...noun, pronoun)
  • Can I use "I" "My" in college writing? - The answer is yes!!
• Verbs (action words) - jumped, leaped, catapulted
• Adverbs (words that describe actions, e.g. boldly)
• Punctuation = (.) (,) (!) (?) (;) - end your sentence or thought

Writing Styles & Techniques - Doc's Notes

• Both Cassel & Hulst discuss what can happen to the meaning of a piece of writing when we don't observe certain rules of punctuation, grammar, and basic writing style. Let's take a look at some fun examples.

Writing Styles & Techniques - continued...

• What are Cassell's THREE strategies for "Reading like a Writer"? (5-6).
  • Strategy 1: Learning Explicitly
    • (Tip: Ask yourself - What are the rules for this writing assignment? What are the Do's and Don'ts?)
  • Strategy 2: Visual Reading
    • (Tip: Do my words, paragraphs, punctuation, or figures on the page flow well or are appealing?)
  • Strategy 3: Aural Reading
    • (Tip: Read out loud what you write - where do things sound wrong?)

Writing Styles & Techniques - continued...

Our week 1 readings propose helpful insights into critical reading and writing strategies to consider when becoming better writers. To help you prepare your Week 1 notes, contribute to the class discussion thread.

• Choose at least TWO of this week's readings/resources and discuss some valuable information they provide about writing, grammar, and reading critically. Importantly, what do you want to improve on with writing? How does our content this week help you think about the writing process? What was your Free-Write Exercise about?
• After you post your findings, take some time to look at other posts and reply to another student (Did they find the same useful information you did? Did they focus on the same concept or idea?) Leave them a quick reply why you believe this matters to you as a writer.

In-Class Week 1: Writer's Techniques

Within any Writing Course you want to identify these things:

1. What content is MOST important to apply and use from readings and sources I'm using?

2. What is the instructor or writing prompt expecting from  me? What should my writing style be like (e.g. personal, rhetorical, compare/contrast, find evidence, persuade, inform etc.)

3. Do my ideas flow well from one paragraph to the next? Will my readers understand?