Today’s Plan:
- Questions
- Drafting Time
- Homework
Questions
Round 2.
I have trouble writing a clear thesis statement. Any ways I can get better at it? AND What is the biggest difference between an A and a B on an essay?
Thinking back to last class, I have two strategies. The first is to look at your conclusion. Chances are, having just drafted your paper, you have a clearer idea of what you actually wrote. You can’t write a clear thesis until the paper is “finished.”
The second is to “road map” the paper. This isn’t exactly the thesis (which is a claim), it is the steps the paper needs to take to do that claim. Something like:
This paper argues that the Dolphins +7 is a smart bet this week because their secondary matches up well against the Patriots and their quarterback has the kind of mobility that gives the Pats troubel. First this paper examines Vegas lines for the upcoming Patriots vs. Dolphins game, noting how the line has moved in favor of the Patriots as the week has gone on. It then surveys various expert predictions of the game which stress the issues with the Patriots secondary and pass rush this season, the efficiency of the Dolphins offense, and the stellar play of Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. It concludes by looking back to last year’s December 12th contest between the Patriots and the Dolphins, noting how the Dolphins had trouble pressuring Jay Cutler and the Patriots had trouble protecting Tom Brady. While many experts find it hard to predict the Patriots going 1-3, I believe that mystical thinking is why the Patriots are 7 point favorites. Looking at how both teams have played thus far, I cannot find any reason to believe the Patriots are the favorite to win this game, never mind a -300 favorite.
So, a third strategy: make sure your thesis gives specific things–that’s one of the things that distinguish an A from a B. The other is the quality of your reading and engagement with a source. There’s a difference between a “drive-by citation,” where it feels like you are just dropping in a quote or reference in order to check a box and an authentic engagement with someone else’s idea, where you’ve done the work to present their idea, surveyed their evidence, and given a response (be it additive–this is a good idea and it reminds me OR Smith’s idea can help us understand OR I would add to Smith the fact that OR While I appreciate Smith’s effort here I feel she overlooks OR any other kind of They Say, I Say template.
Are we able to write on topics that have already been addressed by someone else in our writing groups?<
Ab-so-lutely! Respond to them. Thank them. Challenge them. Cite them. Link to them. Treat them like any our source!
Do we (should we) go through every sentence and re-write them? AND I’m confused on how to make a good sentence with the subject and the verb, those confuse me? AND struggled with Canvas quiz, no sure if I did it right
Short answer: probably. Longer answer: re-reading your work is a part of the revision process. Think about it this way: the first draft, the one you will finish for Friday’s class, is the rough draft. That’s about getting some ideas out there. The second draft is where you want to refine those ideas. Think about how they are ordered. That’s the draft you send me, so I can focus on helping you further develop and clarify those ideas. The third draft–the one you post to medium–should be where you give attention to copy editing, style, and voice. That’s where you should go through the paper and identify the subject and the verb for every sentence. We’ll practice this in class on Monday–the characters as subjects and actions as verbs thing can take time to internalize. Some folks get it right away, others don’t. Don’t worry if you still aren’t sure about it, we’ll keep working on it
Will you tell us if we need extra help for this class?
So I’ve read at least one sample of everyone’s work and I don’t think there’s anyone here who necessarily needs the supplemental class (there is an optional, one credit, extra help class for ENG 122). I mentioned that class early in the semester. The instructor, Sonya Scullion, is really cool. Email her: sonja.scullion@unco.edu. It is a late enroll class, so you can still decide to join.
Ultimately, you probably have a better feel for how you are doing. I have to try and decide whether I am getting your best effort–are you putting in an hour a night? Are you spending 4 hours on a rough draft? Or are you trying to rip off a draft in an hour or two the night before they are due? I can’t always figure that out.
I’m also not a mind reader. I can’t always tell who is really struggling. If you need help, COME TO OFFICE HOURS. Seriously, I can probably do more in five minutes working one-on-one than I can do in five whole class sessions. Bring whatever you are working on. Come and say “I have no clue what to write about.” Come and tell me you have no idea what a verb is because you never got taught that in high school. I can do my job better when I know what I should do. And if you have a question, then so does someone else.
Homework
Friday: bring two print copies of your second article to class for peer review.
