Note:

These are not the papers we discussed at the Grading Workshop; however, they are final papers from a Fall, 2009, section of ENG 1010, so they can be considered in terms of the learning objectives for the entire course.

ENG 1010

Assignment Sequence – Analysis and Argument Papers

Royanne Smith

Here is a condensed explanation of how the four formal writing assignments proceeded in my class, culminating in the argument paper:

The argument paper was the culmination a building process that began with the first paper, the summary paper.  Over two class periods early in the semester students were given two short articles and two summary papers that were derived from those source articles.  For the first lesson/class period, the article used was a report-style essay.  I demonstrated the process for writing a summary paper and showed how to organize a sentence summary style outline and draft an introduction that identified the author, source text, etc. and provided the topic and thesis of the source article.  For the second summary lesson, the source-article was an argument essay (from our reader).  For that lesson we worked in groups.  Each group created a sentence summary from one or two assigned source-text paragraphs.  As a whole class we formed a summary paper outline from the argument source-essay.  We discussed the difference between a purely informative piece and an argument paper, and we reviewed a sample summary essay I had written from the same source-article and organized with a sentence summary outline.   Then, each student was directed find his or her own article, making sure that the article was from a credible source on an issue that faces our society in some way, either locally, nationally, or globally.  This single article served as the source for both the summary paper and summary response paper that followed.

A similar strategy was used for the analysis and argument papers.  The analysis paper served as a springboard for the argument paper.  A distinction from the earlier two papers was that instead of merely summarizing one source article and then responding to it, each student explored a single topic using multiple sources and then created an argument paper based on his or her exploratory-analysis essay.  Again students were given models in class that we "took apart and reconstructed" and they participated in smaller guided exercises as well.  In-class peer review was a component for each paper.   For the argument paper, a visit to the Writing Center or Academic Success Center was also mandatory.

GRADE – S-