Institution: Neumann College
Discipline: English
Title: Writing: Process and Product
Instructor: Gail S. Corso
CA Eng458
Writing: Process and Product
With a Service Learning Component
Fall 2001
Writing: Process and Product
Dr. Gail S. Corso Office: 3021
Office Hours: MT 11:00 a.m. 12:50 p.m. 610 558 5515
gcorso {at} neumann(.)edu
Course Description:
Writing: Process and Product (3 credits) prepares future teachers of writing and writers, also, to understand composing and revising processes, methods for evaluating writing and teaching style and grammar. You will examine the design of writing projects for different contexts, and you will apply processes of invention, intervention, and revision in your own written reports about a service project and a researched inquiry or creative project. Ten hours of service learning will be part of this course.
Course Materials:
Evaluating Writing: The Role of Teachers' Knowledge about Text, Learning, and Culture. Edited by Charles R. Cooper and Lee Odell. Urbana, ELL: NCTE, 1999.
Heimlich, Joan E., and Susan D. Pittelman. Semantic Mapping: Classroom Applications. Newark, DE: International Reading Assn., 1986.
Neman, Beth S, Teaching Students to Write. 2nd ed. NY: Oxford UP, 1995.
Noden, Harry R. Image Grammar: Using Grammatical Structures to Teach Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
Optional Text:
Programs and Practices: Writing across the Secondary School Curriculum. Edited by Farrell Childers, Pamela, Anne Ruggles Gere, and Art Young. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1994.
Required Supplies:
Notebook
Folder
Miscellaneous writing supplies
Course Objectives:
Through projects and processes designed for this course, you will enhance your understanding of writing as a complex process. We will discuss the following topics:
1. Balancing the affective, constructive, and the cognitive
2. The writing process
3. Describing texts and their features'
4. Teaching grammar and syntax
5. Teaching an image grammar
6. Revision processes
7. Semantic Mapping (for readers and for writers)
8. Thoughtful responses to writers
9. Assessing writing
10. Designing writing assignments and assessing them in several disciplines
Students may choose one service project among five options related to writing:
1. Negotiate a project at the Assisi House Coordinator: Sheila O'Gara, Director of Activities
2. Negotiate a project with seniors through the office of Sr. Hildegarde
3. Negotiate one of two projects through the office of Sr. Corinne Wright, OSF, Director of Environmental Projects on campus
4. Negotiate one project as a peer tutor of writing in ARRC with Dr. Ed Peck as site coordinator
5. Negotiate one project at a local school as a tutor
Assignments:
Bi-weekly journals about readings posted to electronic: 40 points
Service Project: 30 points
- Initial Report
- Interim Report
- Final Report
Outcome of Service Project: 20 points
Research about an area of interest
Or creative products for the service experience
Oral presentation about your service project
(scheduled during Final Exam Week) 10 points
TOTAL 100 POINTS
Service Learning Project
Dates for meetings:
Initial meeting is October 13th, 2001 with the group of seniors.
Additional meetings will be arranged given the senior and student's schedules.
Location of meetings:
The initial meeting will take place in the McNichol room on Neumann's campus. Additional meetings will also take place on the Neumann campus with their exact locations to be decided upon later (most likely the McNichol room or library).
Goals for the Service Learning Project:
- Expand upon my current communication skills.
- Share my communication skills with others in hopes of teaching them, and gaining interpersonal experience for myself.
- To develop trust between myself and the seniors in hopes of learning more about each other, and help the communication process between the different generations.
- Apply theories and techniques discussed in class, and in the readings, to hands on situations.
- Learn about other people and what the writing process is like for them.
Class Agenda and Focus:
Week One
Balancing the Affective, Cognitive and Constructionist
H.W. Read "Teaching the Student" in TSW (3 3 1); "The Personal Teaching Approach" (559-563)
Week Two
The Writing Process H.W. In TSW "Teaching Pre Writing: Invention and
Arrangement" (56 110); "Teaching the Writing Process" (111 143)
Weeks Three and Four
Describing Texts and Their Features
**** Service Project: Initial Report due
H.W. In EW "Assessing Thinking: Glimpsing a find at Work" by Lee Odell; "What We Know about Genres, and How It Can Help Us Assign, and Evaluate Writing" by Charles R. Cooper; "Audience Considerations for Evaluating Writing' by Phyllis Mentzell Ryder, Elizabeth Vander Lei, and Duane H. Rouen; "Coaching Writing Development: Syntax Revisited, Options Explained" by William Strong; "Assessing Portfolios" by Sandra Murphy
Week Five
Teaching Grammar and Syntax
H.W. In TSW (230 277)
Week Six
Innovative Pedagogy to Teach Grammar in IG (1 108)
Week Seven
Revision Processes
In TSW "Teaching the Rewriting Stage: Structural Revision" (144 193)
SM (the booklet)
Week Eight
Assigning Writing H.W. In TSW "Assigning Writing (537 558)
**** Interim Report
Week Nine
Responding to Student Writers
H.W. "Responding to Students' Work"(505 536); "Reflective Reading: Developing
Thoughtful Ways to Respond to Students' Writing" by Chris Anson
Week Ten
Writing in the Disciplines
In EW "Assessing Writing to Learn in Four Disciplines" (13 7 222)
Weeks 11 and 12
Independent Research for Research Project
Individual Conferences
Research or Creative Project due
Weeks 13 and 14
Group Work in class to prepare for final presentation
Final Report for Service Project due
Week 15
Course Survey and Class Book distributed
Final Exam Week: Oral Presentations
Interactive Journey Book (adapted from Linda Flower's theory): Starting Point
Due Date: End of Second Week of Classes
Task: Design a Personal Web Page of you as a writer, you as a future teacher of writing, or of you as a professional communicator. At your course site in Blackboard.com, there is a design ready for your "Personal Page." Select "Communications" and you will find this space where you can add information.
1. In the section, "Intro Message," select one of the possible service learning projects, and explain why it interests you.
Options:
- Writing at the Assisi House. Contact Person, Sheila O'Gara
- Writing with the Seniors from Saturday Seminar. Contact Person, Sr. Hildegarde Grogan
- Community Garden at Neumann. Contact Person, Sr. Corinne Wright
- Westtown School. Contact Person, Linda Cobourn*
- Academic Resource and Career Placement Center at Neumann. Contact Person, Dr. Ed Peck
2. On your web page, there is space for personal information. Tell class members a bit about you. A picture can be uploaded to the site. If you have a picture that you like, then, you can scan it, and add it to the web page; if you need a picture taken, then you can have a digital picture taken.
3. On this site, you need to add at least three web addresses of sites in relation to your goals as a writer, future teacher, or communicator.
Please let me know which group you may be interested in, so you can collaborate with several other students in this class and meet with the coordinator together. Ideally we can meet together with the contact person to discuss the nature of what you can accomplish the clients involved or with the organization.
For this ongoing Interactive Journey Book, you may wish to start gathering data, such as six or so clip art images, several other web links related to your area of interest for the service project, shareware sound effect for your research project.
