English 1550 (Thursday, Dec. 8)

1. Class:

* Karen assigned Minor Writing #10 in class and also allowed students time to finish Minor Writing #10. Both writings were due by the end of class.

* She briefly revisited a quote by Ernest Hemingway from the beginning of the semester: "Sometimes I'm lucky and write better than I can." Although she acknowledged that sometimes the writing process feels that way, she also noted that good writing is often a result of hard work and careful application of skills. Karen also commended her students for working hard this semester and producing some really good pieces of writing ("The work earns the grade.").

2. Class analysis:

Today's class was a great way to wrap up the course and the semester. I liked that Karen devoted the entire class period to letting her students write and reflect on their English 1550 experience. It's also a good way to find out (from a student's perspective) what was helpful and what wasn't, or what worked and what didn't, in order to make effective tweaks to next semester's classes.

3. Class implementation:

For my final English 1550 minor writing assignment, I'd like to ask students to write a reflective essay, similar to the one Karen used in her class. See below for Karen's Minor Writing #10 prompt.

Talk to me about this course. Write a response of more than one page in which you discuss the following topics:

How has your writing changed since taking English 1550? In what way or ways? Be as specific as possible.

Consider various aspects of the course: textbook, class discussions, minor writing assignments, handbook, major writing projects, individual conferences, peer review. What did I forget?

Which elements should I keep? Which should I eliminate?

Which aspects of the course were the most valuable to you? Why? Least valuable? Why? Explain.

To end, consider the three major writing projects more closely. Which of those assignments prompted you to do your best work?