Assignment #11- Patterns of Error

Every writer has their own pattern of error, and one of the goals of Writing I is for students to be able to identify their own pattern so that they may more effectively correct and strengthen their writing. With that goal in mind, I want you to look at the first two graded essays you have done, as well as any other writing you have done (it doesn't necessarily have to be from this class) that you think may be significant for this exercise, and I want you to identify 3-4 errors that you think are part of your own pattern. To help identify your errors, you can look at my comments, your peers' comments, and carefully re-read your own work. 

Once you have identified your 3-4 errors, I also want you to briefly explain how you think that error affects your writing and how you plan to avoid/correct that error in future writing. For example, I would write:

• In my writing, I tend to be excessively wordy. In particular, I tend to use equivocations like "I believe..." or "In my opinion..." when they are not necessary. This causes my writing to lack assertiveness and ultimately obfuscates my point. I know it is difficult for me to avoid this phrases when I am writing, but I will be cognizant of them as I revise my drafts, and read my essay through several times just looking for this type of phrase. 

The purpose of this blog post is both for you personally to identify your own pattern of error and also to demonstrate a development of self-awareness about your own writing. To successfully achieve this purpose, make sure you write at least a short paragraph about each of the error patterns you have identified, and keep in mind that "I can't find three types of errors" is absolutely not an answer.

Extra Credit Blog Assignment

Since it is Spring Break, you have no required blog post this week. However, you can write a post about a topic of your choosing for up to ten points extra credit. To get all ten points, posts should be thoughtful, interesting, and at least 250 words. Have a good break!

Assignment #10- Thinking Critically About Peer Review

As you know, in this class we do many different forms of peer review, ranging from relatively informal discussions to the more structured reviews of each others' drafts.

For this blog post, I want you to reflect on the peer review process. This post has several parts. First, I want you to tell me how specifically you think the peer review we do in class is effective and how it can be improved. For the second part, I want you to describe what you think are your specific strengths and weaknesses as a peer reviewer (like always, "I have no strengths" is not considered an acceptable answer). And finally, I want you to describe your ideal peer review process. Do you find it helpful to do peer review for earlier stages of the writing process? Are smaller or larger groups more helpful? Do you feel you have an appropriate amount of time for peer review?

The purpose of this post is to think critically about yourself as a peer reviewer so that you may become a more effective reviewer of works by both yourself and others. In addition, I would like your honest feedback so I can best tailor peer review to suit the needs of the class.

Assignment #9- A Choice in Topics

I've gotten feedback from many of you that you would prefer to have more freedom in your blog posts. So for this week, you can write a post of at least 250 words about a topic of your choice. It may be related to writing, but if there is another topic that you would like to address on your blog, that is fine too.

If you are stuck for ideas, you may address some of the following:

• Of the three assignments we have worked on so far, which have you found the most difficult? The easiest? Why do you think that is so?
• What are your larger goals for your education and how does this class (or others) fit into those goals? 
• What have you enjoyed the most so far in your college experience? The least?

Again, you are not required to address any of these in your blog posts, but are free to do so if you cannot think of any other ideas.