Updates

Just a reminder:  for class on October 5th, you should bring a printed copy of your descriptive writing rough draft.  We will be sharing them in class and I will be collecting them at the end of the day.

Also, for anyone who has not completed both of the blog entries due thus far (description of a meal & face descriptions) I will be checking your blogs this Thursday at noon.  If you would like partial credit for those assignments then please post all blogs by that time.  Have a great week....

Brainstorming your Descriptive Writing Assignment

What is your topic?

Why have you chosen this topic?

How do you want your readers to feel or think about this topic?

Who is your audience? / Who do you want to read and understand your writing?

What sensations do you feel can SHOW the ideas that you want to convey?
(What do you want readers to hear, see, touch, tasts, and smell?)

Write a short outline for your descriptive piece? 
What will be the point to each paragraph? 
How can you support and elaborate on this point? 

Your "Face" Descriptions

Just a reminder:  I would like everyone to post your "face" descriptions to your blogs before 12:00 on Thursday afternoon (September 27).  The rough draft and the functional outline are due on October 5th.  See the post below for details.

Homework: Due on October 5th

Descriptive Writing Assignment:

On October 5, the rough draft for your descriptive writing assignment is due.  You may write about any experience or event that you believe is worth sharing with others.  In the writing, I will be looking for the following:

1) Descriptive language – SHOW me don’t tell me what is happening in the piece.

2) A clear purpose – The writing should clearly SHOW a certain point of view, idea, concept, or point of view related the events.

3) At least 2 to 3 pages in length.

* For the rough draft, I am not going to pay attention to grammar.  At this point it is more important to use good descriptive language and to clearly convey your idea or your purpose for writing.  We will worry more about grammar issues when you produce a final draft.

You should also bring a completed FUNCTIONAL OUTLINE on October 5th (you can follow the guidelines posted last week. 

Descriptive Writing 2: September 21st

[Take a Snapshot]

Check out this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

He is lazy and his laziness is a burden to society.


We need to do more to help homeless people.


The woman might be nervous about her safety.


You would like to convince views of this picture to stay in school.





From "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

"When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick - one never does when a shot goes home - but I heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. In that instant, in too short a time, one would have thought, even for the bullet to get there, a mysterious, terrible change had come over the elephant. He neither stirred nor fell, but every line of his body had altered. He looked suddenly stricken, shrunken, immensely old, as though the frightful impact of the bullet had paralyzed him without knocking him down. At last, after what seemed a long time - it might have been five seconds, I dare say - he sagged flabbily to his knees. His mouth slobbered..."

Homework for September 21st

1) Please post the short descriptions that we worked on in class.  Remember I would like you to describe your experience eating one meal.  You can focus on the food, on the setting, on other people, etc.  Please remember to SHOW ME don't tell me about the experience.  Use as many active verbs and as much sensory description as possible.  Please upload your descriptions to your blog before Thursday September 20th at noon. 

2) Find a published piece of descriptive writing that you really enjoy.  It can be of any length (but shorter is better).  It should be in English (sorry I can't read Korean very well), and it should be similar to the kind of descriptive writing that you feel you would like to do.  Please copy the piece and bring it to class next week, September 21st. 

Have a great week!

Descriptive Writing: September 14

- Description versus Explanation




- The teacher was angry when he walked into the room.

Try using a thesaurus




- Sensory Descriptions
The lemon was sour. -------->
Her/his lips were soft. --------->
The wind felt cold. --------->
His voice was terrible. -------->
The soup smelled strong. -------->
The Dankook hill is high. -------->



A functional outline consists of brief statements about how each sentence functions within an essay; the purpose of writing a Functional Outline is to focus on how a writer develops coherence in a piece. Functional outlines may be written either in the margins of the essay itself or on a separate sheet of paper, such as the Functional Outline Worksheet below:

Steps For Writing a Functional Outline:

1. How many paragraphs are in the essay? _____

2. What is the main point of the entire essay? ______________________________________________________________________________


3. Look at each paragraph: Paragraph One: Main Point: ____________________________________________________________________

Function of Each Sentence:

a) ____________________________________________________________________________

b) ____________________________________________________________________________

c) ____________________________________________________________________________

DO THIS FOR EACH PARAGRAPH IN THE ESSAY

4. In the space below, indicate the function of each paragraph in the essay:

Paragraph #1 _______________________________________________________________

Paragraph #2 ________________________________________________________________

Paragraph #3 ________________________________________________________________

Paragraph #4 ________________________________________________________________

Homework: Due Sept. 14

Before next Friday (September 14), please create your own blog at blogger.com.  You will be using this for writing assignments during the semester. 

Go to blogger.com and sign up for an account (you will see a large red button that says SIGN UP at the top right-hand corner of the page).  If you already have a gmail account, then you can simply go to blogger.com and sign in with your gmail ID and password. 

There should be a button on the left side of the screen that says "NEW BLOG" or "CREATE A BLOG". 

Follow the instructions (select a background and a url address). 

Once you have created your blog, copy the link and paste it in the comments section of this post (directly below). 

You do not need to post anything to your blog yet.  I simply want you to sign up and post the link to my blog, in the comments section directly below. 

PEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU PASTE YOUR BLOG ADDRESS BELOW!!! 

Welcome to Basic Writing

I would like to welcome everyone to the course.  You can find the syllabus below: 

Basic Writing

Fall 2012

Friday 1:00 – 4:00

Curtis Porter

#413상경관 [Commercial and Management Building]

Office hours: Thursday 1:00 – 5:00 (or by appointment)

email: curtykorea@gmail.com

Class Blog:  dkubasicwriting.blogspot.kr 

General Remarks

This Basic Writing course introduces a variety of authentic texts and focuses on features that lead to effective writing. Participants will explore various techniques and strategies that writers utilize to produce various types of texts. We will explore a range of genres such as reporting, argumentative essays, short fiction, literary critique, personal narratives, and graphic novels. Material will be predominantly student-centered and student-generated, meaning that students will be expected to generate writing topics and produce relevant and meaningful work that conforms to the basic requirements of the assignments.

The course is designed to help students develop a greater sensitivity to ways that authentic written texts are constructed and to support the development of effective individual. There will be very limited focus on grammar. Instead we will investigate numerous examples of authentic writing in English and analyze different techniques writers use in order to create and develop a piece of writing.

Schedule

(This an approximate schedule and will probably change)

Sep 7    Week 1:   Introductions

Sep 14  Week 2:   Descriptive writing

Sep 21  Week 3:   Descriptive writing

Sep 28  Week 4:   Descriptive writing
Oct 5    Week 5:   Reporting

Oct 12  Week 6:   Reporting

Oct 19  Week 7:   Procedural Writing

Oct 26  Week 8:   Persuasive Writing

Nov 2   Week 9:   Persuasive Writing

Nov 9   Week 10: Creative Writing

Nov 16 Week 11: Creative Writing

Nov 23 Week 12:  Peer editing

Dec 30 Week 13:   Peer editing

Dec 7   Week 14:   Small Group Meetings

Dec 14  Week 15:  Closing thoughts

This course will cover several genres of writing. At the end of the semester all students will turn in a writing portfolio containing several assignments related to each genre. The final portfolio will include the following for each genre of writing we cover in class:

• A Functional Outline of a published piece
• A rough draft
• A statement/list of revisions
• A revised draft

(we will discuss the details of each of these in class)

Grading

Grades will be based on the following:

10% – Participation

Your participation score includes coming to class prepared and on time as well as actively taking part in all classroom activities.

30% – Blog

Each week you will be required to complete various short writing assignments and post them to the appropriate place on the class website.

40% – Writing Portfolio

Your portfolio will include all of your weekly writing assignments and drafts. I will post more specific guidelines to the class website. [Due on the last day of class]

20% – Weekly Assignments

Each week (or for homework) you will be completing a variety of short writing activities. These should be turned in on time (you are responsible for turning in work on time, even if you are absent from class)

* Due to Dankook University policy, I am required to curve grades as follows:

A: 30%

B: 40%

C: 30%

I deeply regret having to follow this grading policy. I believe that it decreases the educational value of our time together and it severely undermines what we can accomplish as individuals and as a group. I understand that every one of you needs/desires a good score and I regret that university policy will not allow me to give an 'A' to everyone I feel deserves it. I encourage you to direct your concerns with the grading policy to the administration and I will be happy to support thoughtful student action on the issue. But under the current rules, I simply ask that you do your best to engage in all classroom activities and feel free to take risks with your work. I do not give the highest scores to those who are best at following directions. It is my goal to reward thoughtful and meaningful work rather than work that adheres most closely to a set of predetermined guidelines.