WR 121 Graded Writing
Assignments
Essay
#1 & Essay #3 (Free Choice Topic) Directions & Essay
Evaluation Criteria
(for Out-of-Class Essays)
Formal Academic Summary Directions, Useful Active
Verb
Lists, & Evaluation
Criteria
In-Class
Essay #2 Topics & Scoring/Grading
Guide (for In-Class
Essays)
Essay #3 (Free Choice Topic) & Essay
Evaluation Criteria
(for Out-of-Class Essays)
In-Class
Essay #4 Topics & Scoring/Grading
Guide (for In-Class
Essays)
In-Class Final Exam Essay (Handouts distributed in class during Week #11
for topics & scoring criteria common to all Wr 121 sections)
Need extra help with writing assignments?
Essay
Evaluation Criteria
(for Out-of-Class Essays #1 & #3)
_____1. TOPIC focus neither too broad/too narrow for satisfactory development within the scope of suggested essay length.
_____2. CONTENT, TONE, AUDIENCE: college-level critical and/or creative thinking demonstrated; tone effective for audience and essay purpose; clear sense of author engagement in the writing; addresses a “general” audience clearly & effectively.
_____3. THESIS, PURPOSE, UNITY: thesis & purpose clearly established &/or implied; thesis statement effectively placed; essay is unified (sticks to the stated/implied thesis & purpose); timely thesis transitions integrated to connect body points to thesis purpose. (See #4, 5 below) Overall, thesis/purpose well developed & supported, coherently presented, and effectively achieved by the essay.
_____4. ORGANIZATION, COHERENCE: sound, logical organizational plan overall; good internal body paragraph organization; reasoning is convincing and logical, with no unacknowledged/unreconciled contradictions; good continuity and coherence is maintained in the essay--through explicit, accurate transitions, clear expression, grammatical consistency (in person, tense, pronoun reference, etc.).
_____5. BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT: each body paragraph presents a clear main idea (topic sentence) which unifies the rest of the paragraph; paragraph breaks are logical and “readable”; good balance of meaningful generalization and specific supporting development: specific development is effective to clarify, support, elaborate, illustrate, dramatize/make vivid the author’s general points; good idea progression - unnecessary restatement and circling are avoided. (See also #3 above) Overall, good material is selected to achieve the essay purpose/thesis well; body points important to support of thesis/purpose are appropriately emphasized and well developed.
_____6. ESSAY FORM: title, introduction and conclusion are effective and appropriate to essay thesis/purpose; correct manuscript format is followed in the final draft.
_____7. STYLE & COMMAND OF STANDARD WRITTEN ENGLISH: sentence style and word choice are clear & effective; major sentence errors (esp. fragments, fused sentences, comma splices) are avoided; good command of other conventions of grammar, usage, punctuation, and mechanics.
Formal Academic Summary
Text(s) to be Summarized: Your choice of the AT&W Ch. 2 text of the "oral history assignment" or the texts of the "economics assignment" (as assigned in class - contact Cora with your questions: cagatucci@cocc.edu).
Deadlines, Late Work Policy, etc.: See WR 121 Course Plan and Syllabus
Directions & Grading Criteria
1. Length & Format: Your summary should be no longer than one typed double-spaced or wordprocessed page, using a readable, standard-sized font and point size, and standard 1" margins. Format your summary as one single paragraph and follow standard manuscript form for heading, title, etc.
2. First Sentence(s): Formally introduce the name of the author(s) and the title(s) of the text you are summarizing, and integrate relevant or significant information about the communication context. Then establish the topic and focus of the text(s) that you are summarizing.
3. Summary Body: Present the main points, clearly and concisely: i.e., the author’s or authors’ major purpose(s) and emphasis, central thesis, claim(s), and/or message(s). Use occasional "author tags" (e.g., "according to Ehrenreich," or "as Ehrenreich says") to remind the reader and yourself that you are summarizing another’s text(s), not giving your own ideas. Try to represent the major point(s) of the text as accurately, fairly, and objectively as you can. Select material for inclusion carefully. Do not exceed the length limit given above or your summary will be penalized at least one-half grade. Staying within that limit means you cannot be comprehensive: omit less important points and supporting detail; generalize the point of specific illustrations. Use your interpretation of the author’s/authors’ main purpose, central message, and emphasis to guide your decisions regarding what to include and exclude.
4. Don’t include:
a. . . .Your opinions about the ideas summarized or the quality of the writing (e.g., whether you agree or disagree with the author’s ideas, or whether you think this is good or bad writing);
b. . . .Unnecessary repetition and restatement: be clear and provide transitions to be coherent and show relationships among main ideas represented, but be concise and make every sentence count;
c. . . Extensive quotations: keep quotations to a minimum, limited to key ideas or phrasing. In general, paraphrase, in your own words, the main ideas both to be more concise than the original text(s) and to show your understanding of the text(s).
d. . . .Minor points and details: stick to the major points; mention specific details and examples only if they are given primary emphasis and proportional space by the author(s) and/or they seem essential to illustrating the thesis or main idea of the text
5. Command of Standard Written English (grammar, usage, punctuation, & mechanics), Style, Clarity, and Coherence will also be considered in instructor’s grading. Please edit and proofread carefully.
Useful Active Verb Lists
Here are a list of verbs you may wish to use when introducing or summarizing an author's ideas, words, or examples.
The author says, states, predicts, maintains, claims, argues, reminds [the reader] that, insists that, believes, asserts, notes, observes, analyzes, synthesizes, classifies, categorizes, objects, criticizes, questions, warns, indicates, points out, determines, identifies, defines, discusses, explains, concludes, speaks of, introduces, sees, views, decides, cites, suggests, infers, interprets, evaluates, traces, elaborates, compares, contrasts, satirizes, claims, repeats, reiterates, stresses that, emphasizes that . . .
A college thesaurus can help you to additional verbs to supplement this list. But note that these verbs are not interchangeable synonyms. Be sure to consult your dictionary and thesaurus to make sure you have the right word to express your exact meaning. For help, try links to Dictonaries, Thesauri, and General Reference Tools.
____1. Length & Format: Summary is no longer than one typed double-spaced or wordprocessed page, using a readable, standard-sized font and point size, and standard 1" margins. Summary is formatted as one single paragraph and follows standard manuscript form for heading, title,, etc
____2. First Sentence(s): The name of the author(s) and the title(s) of the text are formally introduced and fully identified, and relevant or significant information about the communication context is integrated. The topic and focus of the text(s) summarized are established.
____3. Summary Body presents main points clearly, concisely, objectively, and coherently. Main points are presented clearly and concisely: i.e., the author’s or authors’ major purpose(s) and emphasis, central thesis, claim(s), and/or message(s). Occasional"author tags" are used. Material is well-selected for inclusion based on the interpretation of the author(s)’ main purpose, emphasis, thesis claim. Main points are represented in a fair, accurate, and objective manner. Organization is appropriate to the text(s) being summarized, and coherence is strong, aided by clear transitions that establish relationships among ideas.
____4. These problems are avoided: Giving summarizer’s opinions about the ideas summarized or the quality of the writing; using unnecessary repetition, restatement, and wordiness; using extensive quotations; and recounting minor points and details.
____5. Style & Command of Standard Written English (grammar, usage, punctuation, & mechanics): Sentence style and word choice are effective, and expression is clear, concise, and coherent; and standard written English is used correctly (e.g., errors that hurt clarity and coherence, and major sentence errors are avoided).
Recommended Preparation Process and Wise Use of In-Class Writing Time were discussed in class. See Wr 121 Course Plan for deadlines.
Topic Choices for In-Class Essay #2
For any of the following topics that you choose, make sure your essay is unified by a clearly stated thesis and has a narrowed focus. The essay must be well-developed with supporting examples, specifics, and/or details collected from observation, experience, and/or reading. Give credit where credit is due within your essay if you use reading or other outside sources beyond your own personal observations and experiences; avoid plagiarism.
Choose one of the following topics for In-Class Essay #2:
Scoring/Grading
Guide:
4 = Strong Pass (A or B); 3 = Marginal Pass (C); 2 =Marginal
"No Pass" (D*); 1 = No Pass (F)
_____1. ASSIGNED TOPIC & TOPIC FOCUS: Clearly addresses the question (ie. all parts of the assigned topic) & explores relevant issues; topic is well focused & limited to allow for satisfactory treatment within timed writing period
____2. CONTENT, THESIS/PURPOSE: Shows depth, complexity of thought (not simplistic); establishes & maintains a clear "focus" with clear controlling sentences (e.g., thesis/purpose statements, topic sentences, thesis transitions, and unity) in exploring issues relevant to the assigned topic; engaged writing to communicate with the intended audience
____3. ORGANIZATION, COHERENCE, ESSAY FORM: Effectively organized with an organizational pattern appropriate to assigned topic; essay structure (e.g., introduction, conclusion, transitions) clearly establishes & carries out organizational pattern; transitions & clear expression maintain strong coherence throughout the essay
____4. PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT: Well-developed, with supporting detail; sufficient discussion of detail to establish relevance to essay "focus"/thesis); general points (e.g., topic sentences) directly supported by specific evidence & discussion of evidence.
____5. STYLE, & COMMAND OF
STANDARD WRITTEN ENGLISH:
Clear, coherent, effective style demonstrates control of
diction/word choice & transitions, creates tone appropriate
to topic & purpose, achieves pleasing syntactic variety &
appropriate emphases (in sentence structures),
Command of standard written English is demonstrated by few
flaws in grammar, usage, punctuation, mechanics; no serious
patterns of errors (e.g., in misuse of commas, subject-verb
agreement) and no more than three high distortion errors (e.g.,
fragments, comma splices, fused sentences, other errors that
"distort" clarity like unclear pronoun reference)
(See 2nd Revised Wr 121 Course Plan for deadlines)
Topic Choices for In-Class Essay #4
For any of the following topics that you choose, make sure your essay is unified by a clearly stated thesis and a narrowed focus. The essay must be well-developed with supporting examples, specifics, and/or details collected from observation, experience, and/or reading. Give credit where credit is due within your essay if you use reading or other outside sources beyond your own personal observations and experiences; avoid plagiarism.
Choose one of the following topics for In-Class Essay #4:
a. Advertising
b. U.S. Immigration
c. Public Education
Scoring/Grading Criteria: See above for In-Class Essay #2 (the same criteria will be used to score/grade In-Class Essay #4)
Go to WR 121
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WR 121
Assignments
Course Plan
Syllabus
Questions
or Comments?cagatucci@cocc.edu
