Teaching With Student Texts: Essays Toward an Informed Practice

4. Teaching the Rhetoric of Writing Assessment

“What Do We Want in This Paper?” 39 but if they cannot, the next step in the activity provides further guidance to aid their articulation. After all group members have been given a chance to read and analyze several of the student excerpts, they collaboratively list the characteristics of effective writing in their assigned category. Group members are encouraged to make full use of the class Web site and all previous notes, handouts, and textbook readings. Students in Domenica’s classes, for example, repeatedly return to the essay’s assignment sheet, their handout on effective topic sentences and thesis statements, and their notes on paragraph development and use of evidence. Because Domenica chooses to teach longer classes, she has the student groups rotate clockwise to the next station. Based on their analysis and discussion of the samples, the new groups attempt to revise or add information to the first group’s completed rubric section, which has been left at the station. When the entire activity ends, each group submits to Domenica (by email or hard copy) the rubric created at their station so she can compile all of them into a complete rubric for the paper. In debriefing the activity, Domenica asks the class to reflect on what they learned and provide feedback about the process. The next time the class meets, Domenica leads a discussion of the complete rubric she has pieced together between classes, and it undergoes further revision if necessary. The compiled and approved rubric is then immediately posted to the web site. Figure 3.1 shows a worksheet, focusing on introductions, that Domenica placed at one of the stations, along with excerpts from sample student papers. Figure 3.2 shows a student-created rubric for the same dimension (introductions) of this writing assignment. example 2: deriving Principles from Sample Texts In his graduate course, Teaching Writing in College, Chris Anson uses student-generated criteria to help new teachers of composition to learn how to write effective assignments. At this point in the course (as students begin focusing on assignment design), Chris has deliberately not provided any criteria or other evaluative information about assignment design—no rubrics, scales, or descriptions—the goal of the activity being to pull that information out of students’ existing experience and judgment. He then asks the students to read one or more sample 40 TEAC H In G WI T H ST U D En T T ExT S Criteria Excellent Fair Poor Introduction Keywords to consider: lead, thesis statement, specificity, comprehensive, analytical, provable , diction, context, argument, stance, general-to-specific For more information, go to: [a Web link to resources is included here] [Example] “Introduction provides a general introduction to and background context of the topic that is the subject of the author’s articles.” [Your criteria go here . . . ] figure 3.1. worksheet section that focuses on introductions. Students use this section of the worksheet to help them generate criteria as they examine example introductions at the introduction workstation. Scientific Argument: Criteria Excellent Fair Poor Introduction Courtesy of [students’ names] Strong opening sentences, not cute, overly dramatic or weak; opening sentences should capture the essence of the whole paper. Introduction is not too specific, but captures just the major points; don’t write the whole paper in the intro. However, the reader should not be confused as to what is to come in the paper; enough should be presented so they know what they’re reading. The author’s argument should be clearly made in the intro, not just “previewed.” Assignment is explained; audience knows that these two sources are different and that they will be compared. Also included is what makes the articles credible. Uses all information in context; points are not made arbitrarily and should be able to relate with the rest of the introduction. Thesis statement is not excessively long, drawn-out, or hard to find. not incomplete or too general. Make sure thesis is specific, comprehensive, analytical and provable. Introduction includes title of article and authors and year written. Include context of authors and their agenda if either is relevant. Strong transitions within introduction and into 1st body paragraph. figure 3.2. completed introduction section for the student-created rubric. after generating rubric sections like these for all parts, students participate in a class discussion about their criteria, followed by the instructor’s posting of the final rubric on the class website. “What Do We...