Week 1/Day 2—Wednesday, August 22 - Home - Composition

?Week 1/Day 2—Wednesday, August 22Homework Due:View your Joining the Conversation: A Guide to Research Writing at Colorado State University (JtC) textbook through Canvas by clicking on the Unizen Engage button in the menu and read the following:Chapter 1: “Why Think of Writing as a Conversation?” (pgs. 3-10)Purchase your FOOD-ENERGY-WATER reader. Read and annotate the following:The Introduction to the reader. As you read, try to get a sense of the course theme and how the book is organized.“Food Memories.” Consider how this article ties in with our course theme and what your reaction is to this article. As you read, consider how you react to certain ideas in the text and consider why you react this way (what about your background, beliefs, etc. cause you to react in a certain way)? Highlight at least three quotes from the article that you found particularly interesting, surprising, or any other strong emotional reaction. Be prepared to discuss the ideas and your thoughts on this text in class on Wednesday. In order to discuss and establish rules for engagement in the classroom, read “CSU Principles of Community.” As you read, think about what kind of community atmosphere you’d like to establish in our class and some ways that we might do that. **We’ll be discussing texts from the reader almost every day, particularly during the first part of the semester, so bring your reader to class every day even if no readings were assigned.Familiarize yourself with the CO150 Canvas page. Review the class syllabus to remind yourself of course policies and expectations. E-mail me with any questions or concerns.Begin composing your first Discussion Post: Getting to Know You Letter. In your letter, tell me a little about yourself: Where are you from? What is your major, or what are you considering for a major? What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What kinds of writing have you done in the past? What kinds of writing do you enjoy? What are your expectations for CO150? What do you want to learn and why? What do you think of when we mention the course theme: FOOD-ENERGY-WATER? What associations or connection do you have to them? What else should I know about you? Your letter should be at least 250 words and should be posted by Friday, 8/24 at ____(time)___ on the Canvas Discussion Post.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lesson ObjectivesIntroduce students to the course theme: Food-Energy-WaterIntroduce students to conversation metaphorBuild a community of writers comfortable with engagement with each other (developing a conversation model in the class for dialogue and discussion)Connection to Course GoalsToday’s class introduces students to the course theme and helps students see how vast this theme truly is. It also establishes a sense for how writing is like a conversation, with many points of intersection AND many points of controversy, which allows us to find many ways in which to enter these conversations. Students, too, are part of that conversation metaphor as both listeners and writers. Today’s lesson emphasizes skills necessary for effective dialogue and discussion with each other. PrepReview the assigned homework pages from the JtC (about Writing as Conversation)Carefully read the assigned reading from the FEW reader: "Food Memories"Carefully read through CSU Principles of Community and “How to Have Difficult Conversations”Carefully review all your notesWrite your own version of the day’s lesson plan (as it makes most sense to you)Preview the letters from your students —it may not be due yet, but you can start to get a sense of who your students are. Also, make plans for how you will assign points for homework assignments.ASK QUESTIONS of the Composition Faculty—we’re here to help you!!!!MaterialsFOOD-ENERGY-WATER reader (to walk through the text with students)Overheads:Day Two Ice Breaker (available in Assignment 1: Materials)The Conversation Model (an image is available in Assignment 1: Materials)CSU Principles of Community (available in Assignment 1: Materials) or use the copy in the F-E-W readerSuggested questions for discussion establishing classroom discussion guidelines (available in Assignment 1: Materials)WTL for "Food Memories: (available in Assignment 1: Materials)Lead-inFor today’s class, some students have thought about their identities as writers and expressed their expectations of CO150. It’s not uncommon to have a few students come to class the second day without having done the homework, or for new students to show up who won’t have contacted you about what work they should do before appearing. Unprepared students will be able to catch up without too much floundering, but dissuade them from trying to do so at the beginning of class. Have them come to your office hours (or, reserve a few moments after class if time allows). Arrange a way to help students with any problems (couldn’t figure out Canvas, bought the wrong textbook, etc…) It’s wise to plan a Write-to-Learn (WTL) or have some other means of holding students accountable for the reading assignments. For this class, you might want to explain the way students WILL be held accountable and, even, begin developing this habit for learning. Remind students of the upcoming limited add/drop policy deadlines. Refer them to the yellow sheet you handed out on the first day. ACTIVITIES:Before Class (5 minutes)If you arrive to class a few minutes early, write the “agenda” on the board. A brief list of today’s activities could go something like:Conversation ModelDeveloping guidelines for dialogue in classIntroduction to course themeDiscussion of "Food Memories"Tip: An agenda on the board may at first seem too structured to allow for flexibility in the classroom, but they are incredibly beneficial for your students. Giving students a clear view of what they are to cover in the day’s class helps them sustain focus and make the kind of class-to-class connections we want them to make. If you keep your agenda broad, there will still be plenty of room for flexibility.Tip: Some instructors put the homework due on the board (either in addition to an agenda or sometimes as a replacement). Any way to help students maintain focus on the course is a good strategy—just be sure to make whatever you adopt a reliable, consistent routine.Welcome Back and Attendance (2 minutes)Take care of any remaining registrations issues (such as new students or students absent on the first day—in order to save time, inform students of an appropriate time/place to take care of these issues). Be sure to note which students are absent. You might take attendance by asking each student to describe one thing he or she remembers about a classmate from the getting-to-know-you activity last time.Tip: It can be really engaging to “call roll” with an activity (such as recall something from last time). Ice Breaker (10 min)Helping students get to know each other can help build a stronger community of writers in your class who feel more comfortable sharing ideas with each other. This can be especially important for the first few weeks of class as you set the tone and expectations of the class. Use the ice break found in Assignment 1: Materials to help guide this ice breaker on the second day. Make sure that students are interacting with someone who they didn't have the opportunity to interact with on Monday. You can cover the second part of the WTL (talking with someone) until it's time for that part of the WTL so that students focus on responding to one question before chatting with someone else in the class. Transition: Becoming engaged in a conversation is a way to become more familiar with topics and ideas that others may have. This semester, we'll see how writing is like a conversation and how that can help guide you through specific choices you might make in your writing. Introduce the Writing as a Conversation Model (10 minutes) The Assignment 1: Materials has a visual representation of the way in which assignments for this course are designed—the design revolves around the writing as conversation metaphor. Before explaining, present it to students on an overhead or draw it on the board:Explain the ways in which writing is similar to conversation. Here’s a sample explanation: Like a conversation, writing involves exchanges of ideas that help us shape our own ideas and opinions. It would be foolish to open your mouth the moment you join a group of people engaged in conversation—instead, you listen for a few moments to understand what’s being discussed. Then, when you find that you have something to offer, you wait until an appropriate moment to contribute. We all know what happens to people who make off-topic, insensitive, or otherwise ill-considered remarks in a conversation (if you have a personal example of speaking before listening, it can be fun to share here). Each assignment will take you through each step of this conversation model: you’ll read to listen to the conversation (this is to determine WHAT is being said), then you’ll ask questions and gather perspectives by annotating those articles and doing additional research (to determine HOW the issue is being discussed), and finally you’ll contribute to the conversation by making various kinds of arguments. At the beginning of the semester, we’ll be using the conversation model for in-class discussions. This allows us to recognize our own role(s) in a conversation. Our engagement with a text (either as a reader or as a writer) often depends on our own backgrounds and experiences. For example, the way you think about readings and/or our class theme (food-energy-water) may differ from the person sitting next to you. Tip: The conversation model will be revisited many times throughout the semester, so a brief introduction to the concept is all that is needed at this time. However, it is the guiding principle for each unit, so it is important that we introduce it early. You may also want to emphasize that the students, too, are part of the conversation model and that their own experiences, background, values etc. affect their view, etc. of readings and what they choose to write about. Transition: Throughout the semester, we’ll be reading and discussing a variety of articles – immersing ourselves in multiple conversations. As part of the conversation, you and your classmates may have different views and ideas about these readings. Let’s consider how we will discuss the various topics we’ll be reading about.. In order to do that successfully and effectively, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard, let’s establish some guidelines of how we might best engage in these discussions and how to build a strong community of writers. Discuss and Establish Guiding Principles for Class Dialogue (10 min)Project the “CSU Principles of Community” on the overhead and walk students through the expectations that CSU has of students, faculty, and the rest of the CSU Community. Talk with students about the atmosphere that they would like to create in the class and what principles they can use to create that atmosphere. In other words, ask them to create the “rules” that you will follow as a class to engage in respectful and effective discussions. If you find your students are stuck, you might consider having some notes based on the material provided in the reader and the material provided during orientation. There is also a set of suggested questions in Assignment 1: Materials that you can ask students to discuss. They could then call out their answers after a brief discussion with a partner. There are some things you may want to ensure make it onto the list: allowing all perspectives to be heard (and allowing the space and time for that), not personally attacking another student (but rather try to understand where their perspective is coming from and why/how it might be different from yours), etc. As you have this discussion, write the principles and guidelines that they identify either on the board or on an overhead. After class, take a picture of the board or overhead paper and upload that to Canvas so that you and your students can reference it any time it's needed. Transition: Now that we have established some good guidelines for discussion in the classroom, let's get a good sense of what we'll be talk about this semester through our course theme: Food-Energy-WaterIntroduction to Course Theme (5 minutes) Students read the introduction for the reader to have an idea about the course theme, so you can begin the discussion with an overview of the main sections of the book: food (production, distribution, and consumption), energy, and water. Our reader for the class is the FOOD-ENERGY-WATER. The way it is organized helps to categorize some of these topics. Go through the book and discuss the categorization of the chapters and what each means (which is clearly outlined in the Introduction of the reader). What the FOOD-ENERGY-WATER reader offers is a way of seeing this theme as a complex conversation with MANY off-shoots of conversations which we can consider joining. Transition: Now that we’ve considered the framework for the reader, let’s consider our first text from the reader and use some of the guidelines that we've set to talk about your ideas and reactions to that reading. For homework, you spent some time thinking about the ideas that the author talks about and at least three specific quotes that you were particularly interested in or surprised by. “Food Memories” WTL and Discussion (10 min)Using the quotes that students highlighted for homework, guide them through a discussion of “Food Memories.” You might consider having them share in small groups for a few minutes and then as a whole class, asking for reactions to the article. Use this as a way to start modeling class discussions, referring to the principles they just created prior to the discussion as necessary. Use the WTL to get them started and then ask them to share their thoughts with a partner. It would be a good idea to ask them to talk with yet another classmate who they haven't the opportunity to chat with yet. If you find that discussion is lagging or need to get students more engaged in a larger classroom discussion, here are a few questions you might ask: "How would you describe the author's tone or style?" "What affect did this have on you as a reader?" "How would you describe the overall organization of this article?" "Why do you think the author chose to construct it this way?" Concluding Class: Over the course of the semester, we’ll continue to think about how our lives are impacted by food, as well as energy and water, in direct and indirect ways. To join this conversation today, you annotated “Food Memories”, and we’ll start with looking more closely at the annotations you’ve made on tonight’s readings in the next class. We’ll add a new reading strategy, and we’ll also start to think about how to read a text critically. Conclude Class and assign homework (2 minutes)Submit your first Discussion Post: Getting to Know You Letter. In your letter, tell me a little about yourself: Where are you from? What is your major, or what are you considering for a major? What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What kinds of writing have you done in the past? What kinds of writing do you enjoy? What are your expectations for CO150? What do you want to learn and why? What do you think of when we mention the course theme: FOOD-ENERGY-WATER? What associations or connection do you have to them? What else should I know about you? Your letter should be at least 250 words and should be posted by Friday, 8/24 at ____(time)___ on the Canvas Discussion Post.From the FEW Reader, read the following and annotate to be ready for discussion; consider especially what message you think each author is trying to promote and what connections each author is making to food. As you annotate, mark what you think the main idea is:“Friendship Bread: Can baking Promote Unity in a Divided World?” (Hartke)“Trash Food” (Offutt)In JTC, read the following:Chapter 3: “How Can I Read Critically?” and “What Strategies Can I Use to Read Actively?”Connection to Next ClassToday’s class introduced students to many key course concepts: the conversation model, the course theme and its many potential topics, AND dialogue. While it seems like A LOT of ground to cover in one class, don’t worry—we frequently come back to each of these concepts. Embrace the idea of writing as a recursive process. ................
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