CM 220COLLEGE COMPOSITION IIUNIT 9 SEMINAR

Professor O’Connor-ColvinGeneral Education, CompositionKaplan University

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Let’s Get Started!

Tonight’s Agenda Last Seminar announcement Unit 9 Preview: Final Portfolio

Requirements Revision and Editing Tips

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Announcement:

Tonight is your last required seminar.

Unit 10 does not include a seminar. There is no graded work for Unit 10.

Unit 10 does feature an optional discussion board that provides you with the opportunity to reflect on this term. This is a space where you can share your Final Projects as well if you like.

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ACTIVITIES Preview

Unit 9

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UNIT 9 Learning Activities

Reading: The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, ch. 17; Review the website for Food, Inc; Review a selected chapter related to a common writing error in William Strunk, Jr.’s Elements of Style, available at Bartleby.com

Invention Lab (40 points): Describe a common editing concern you have (passive voice,

apostrophes, commas, fragments) and how the chapter you selected from Bartleby.com helped clarify any questions you had.  

Discuss any other challenges you face as you revise & edit your draft this week & prepare the multi-modal component of your final project.

Respond to two classmates. Note resources that might help your classmate address the challenges mentioned in the post and mention any questions you still have about your classmate’s big idea.

Seminar: optional Q&A session about final project (automatic 10 points)

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FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (240 points)DUE May 1Required components of your PORTFOLIO1. Final Essay—5-7 page revision of paper

(blueprint for progress) drafted in unit 6 5 required sources (2 books/articles from Kaplan

Library)

2. Revised Letter to the Editor (Unit 5 discussion board)

3. Revised big idea Presentation (Unit 7 discussion board)

4. Responses to reflection questions

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FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Final Essay Guidelines 5-7 page persuasive essay

1 inch margins, double-spaced, 12 pt font PAGE REQUIREMENT DOES NOT INCLUDE TITLE & REFERENCES PAGES!

APA guidelines are required Title Page Header with title and page number In-text parenthetical citations References Page citations ALL SOURCES must be documented.

Your final paper must be original work written for this class: you must be the author (turning in a paper written by someone else is plagiarism & will not be tolerated) and you must not have turned in your final paper for a grade in another class.

FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1): Final Essay Guidelines

Your thesis must: Make argument stating the change in America that you think

should happen Offer specific key points to show why you think this change

should occur Not be a question (instead a declarative sentence(s))

Your “big idea” must be a solution to a problem in your community, a new product or software, improving an existing product or concept, or possibly starting a movement or business. It is an argument for change. This must be an idea that requires a persuasive discussion in order to be accepted by your audience.

Each point must be supported with scholarly research 5 required sources (2 books/articles from Kaplan Library)

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FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Letter to Editor Guidelines Revise Letter to Editor created in the Unit 5

Discussion Lab Message should pitch your idea to the specific

audience selected for the formal message Take into account questions raised by your instructor

and classmates as you revise the message. How can you make it more compelling for your audience?

FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1): Presentation Guidelines

The audience for this presentation of your ideas is WIDER than the audience of your actual paper.

How will this affect the presentation of information?

Remember to take into account the suggestions you received in unit 7.

Have at least 5 specific facts/ideas supported with evidence.

Be sure to cite sources. You can have those listed on your main References page.

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FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Reflection Piece GuidelinesYou will also write a reflection piece that answers the

following questions in paragraph form:

1. What did you learn about yourself as a writer? As a thinker?

2. What did you learn about the process of writing?

3. What skills did you develop that might help you in the future?

4. What did you take from the larger conversation with others?

5. How did your feedback from peers and your instructor affect the revision of your blueprint, letter to the editor, and presentation?

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Final Project Reminders12

The 5-7 length is just for the essay; this does not include the title and references page, letter to editor, presentation, or reflection questions.

The letter to the editor will be approximately ½ to 1 page, as will the responses to the reflection questions.

Put all components in one Word document unless you need to post a separate file for the presentation (such as a Power Point). If you have an external link, include that in the Word document. See the sample posted in the unit 9 folder of Doc Sharing.

Review the grading rubric and assignment instructions carefully!

FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Rubric (240 points:150 for essay, 50 for presentation, 20 for letter, & 20 for

reflection question responses)13

A 216-240 points

Essay:Content: Includes a compelling introduction with a logical persuasive thesis statement and a conclusion that effectively wraps up the essay. Supports main points effectively and clearly (no logical fallacies, outside sources used to support arguments where appropriate) and skillfully refutes counter-arguments without ignoring data that contradicts the student’s thesis. Shows original thought. Refers to at least 5 secondary sources in the body of the paper and on the references page. At least two of these sources are scholarly books or articles from the Kaplan Library or an academic database like Google Scholar. Other sources are appropriate for an academic audience.Meets 5-7 page length requirement (this does not include the title and references page).Significantly revises and expands the draft submitted in unit 6.

Organization, Style, Mechanics, and APA:Paragraphs are well-developed, coherent, and logically organized. The style is appropriate for an academic audience, and sentences are engaging to read as well as clear, concise, and precise. Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted conventions of Standard American English.Follows APA guidelines for the document layout and citations.

FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Rubric14

A 216-240 points

Letter to the editor: The letter is clearly written and has a strong sense of purpose. The style is appropriate for the audience and situation. Demonstrates appropriate revision of the version posted in the unit 5 invention lab.

Reflection question responses: Responds to all reflection questions thoughtfully, providing specific examples from the student’s work throughout the course. Responses are written in at least two well-developed paragraphs.

Presentation: Message in presentation is original, clear, and effective for the intended audience. Includes at least 5 pieces of research-supported information related to the student’s big idea. Cites research in APA format. Demonstrates significant revision of the version posted in the unit 7 invention lab.

FINAL PROJECT/PORTFOLIO (DUE May 1):

Submission Guidelines

Submit the following two elements to the dropbox:

1. Written Elements: put all components of final project portfolio into ONE Word document. Paste Formal Message and Reflection Piece after the References Page on your Final Essay.

1) Final Essay: Title Page, 5-7 pages of text (intro, body, & conclusion paragraphs), References Page

2) Formal Message (sells big idea to a specific formal audience in letter form)

3) Reflection Piece (answers five required questions in paragraph form)

2. Presentation: can either be attached as a separate file in the Dropbox , or you can include a link to an external web site in the reflection section of your written document. Please also paste your URL in comment box in the dropbox.

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Final Project/Portfolio Tip:Use Project Examples as Model!16

DocSharing Contains: Example presentations in Unit 7 DocSharing

materials Example Final Portfolio textual requirement

(Final Essay, Revised Letter to Editor, and Reflection Paragraphs) in Unit 9 DocSharing materials

Course Webliography includes link to Gallery of 22 Sample Projects at https://sites.google.com/site/cm220galleryofbigideas/

Seven Steps for Revision

Editing Sentences17

Effective revision involves two steps:

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Step One: Global Revisions- Address issues of coherence and organization

Revise thesis and topic sentences to make more specific Omit any information not explicitly supporting thesis and

topic sentence. Revise or rearrange body paragraphs to make logic of

discussion more explicit Revise and add supporting sentences to better support

topic sentences Revise or add concluding sentences in body paragraphs to

create transition between paragraphs

Step Two: Local Revision- Sentence level revision Edit and proofread for grammar errors, weaknesses in

style, and conciseness in language.

Revision Strategy: Post-Draft Outline

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The post-draft outline is an extremely helpful Global Revision strategy. The usefulness of this technique is the reason we do this in our peer review workshops. As review, to create a post-draft outline, you:

1. Complete a full draft of your essay (introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, conclusion paragraph)

2. Get a blank piece of paper or new document available. 3. Read each your introduction paragraph and then turn the paper over or close the screen

so you can’t see it. 4. Write a one sentence summary of the main point of your introduction paragraph. Number

this sentence #1. 5. Repeat Steps #3 & #4 for each body paragraph and the conclusion paragraph. You will

have the same number of sentences in your post-draft outline list as you do paragraphs in your essay.

 

Once you have your Post-Draft Outline Complete, use this outline to help you revise by asking yourself:1.Is the organization effective?

Does the progression of sentences in my post-draft outline make sense?2.Do I repeat any points?

Is the same information/point in any of my post-draft outline sentences? 3.Does my introduction or conclusion still need work?

Do my summary sentences for these paragraphs offer more than just my main point? 4.Do I still need to make any additional points to support my thesis?

Does each thesis key point appear in at least one of the summary sentences for my body paragraphs? Do these summary sentences offer a more detailed point about each thesis key point?

Seven Steps to Local Revision(The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, pp. 196-204)

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1. Choose verbs carefully--they convey the action in your paper and should be vivid and compelling.

Highlight being verbs (am, is, are, was, be, etc.). Try to eliminate as many as possible since they are considered "weak" verbs.

Highlight "to have" verbs (has, have, had). Again, try to remove those.

Try to choose active, vigorous verbs whenever possible.

Seven Steps to Local Revision(The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, pp. 196-204)

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2. Take out unnecessary prepositions.

3. Make sure sentence lengths vary. You don't want too many very long or very short sentences.

4. Make sure all pronouns (it, they, everyone, etc.) have a clear reference.

Seven Steps to Local Revision(The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, pp. 196-204)

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5. Try to limit the use of pronouns who, which, and that.

6. Limit the use of "qualifier" words like really, every, very.

7. Take out cliches (children are our future, etc.)

Editing Practice23

Creating clear and concise writing takes practice.

Here is a link to an interactive quiz that allows you to practice eliminating wordiness:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/nova/nova8.htm

That’s all I have for you tonight!

Thank you for your attention!

ANY QUESTIONS???

Reminder:

1. There is NO seminar in unit 10, but we will have a final chance to share projects and discuss the Big Ideas you have all proposed this term!

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