Links for Keyhole Format, Thesis Statements, and Sample Essays

I provided the following links to my ENG 1010 (Metro) and ENG 121 (Red Rocks) students this week when we talked about essay organization, thesis statements, and process analysis:

Keyhole Format:

• “Keyhole Essay Model“
• “The Five Paragraph Essay“

Thesis Statements:

• “LEO Thesis Statement“
• “Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements“
• “Thesis Statements: How to Write Them“

Sample Essays:

• “The Three Africas“
• “Kool-Aid, Oh yeah!“
• “Bath Time“

Resources on Teaching Writing Online

Books:

• Alexander, Jonathan, and Marcia Dickson. Role Play: Distance Learning and the Teaching of Writing. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2006. Print.
• Anderson, Virginia, and Susan Romano. Culture Shock and the Practice of Profession: Training the Next Wave in Rhetoric and Composition. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2006. Print.
• Barber, John F., and Dene Grigar. New Worlds, New Words: Exploring Pathways for Writing about and in Electronic Environments. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2001. Print.
• Breuch, Lee-Ann Kastman. Virtual Peer Review: Teaching and Learning about Writing in Online Environments. Albany: SUNY. 2004. Print.
• Coiron, Ray, and Marlene Asselin. Literacy, Libraries, and Learning: Using Books and Online Resources To Promote Reading, Writing, and Research. Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers, 2005. Print.
• Harrington, Susanmarie, Rebecca Rickly, and Michael Day. The Online Writing Classroom. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2000.
• Herrington, Anne, Kevin Hodgson, and Charles Moran. Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom. New York: Teachers College Press, 2009. Print.
• Hewett, Beth L. The Online Writing Conference: A Guide for Teachers and Tutors. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann-Boynton/Cook, 2010. Print.
• Hewett, Beth L. and Christa Ehmann. Preparing Educators for Online Writing Instruction: Principles and Processes. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2004. Print.
• Penrod, Diane. Composition in Convergence: The Impact of New Media on Writing Assessment. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum, 2005. Print.
• Urbanski, Heather. Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2010. Print.
• Warnock, Scott. Teaching Writing Online: How and Why. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2009. Print.
• Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT: Utah State University, 2004. Print.

Blogs:

• Carbone, Nick. TechNotes: Teaching Writing in an Online World.
• Warnock, Scott. Online Writing Teacher.

Articles:

• Caverly, David C. “Techtalk: Teaching Writing Online.” Journal of Developmental Education 24.1 (Fall 2000): 42-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 July 2010.
• Imig, Stephanie. “Innovative Writing Instruction: Writing Rewired–Teaching Writing in an Online Setting.” English Journal 99.3 (Jan. 2010): 80-83.
• Kim, Loel. “Online Technologies for Teaching Writing: Students React to Teacher Response in Voice and Written Modalities.” Research in the Teaching of English 38.3 (Feb. 2004): 204-.
• Vinall-Cox, Joan. “Teaching Writing in the Age of Online Computers.” College Quarterly 8.2 (Spring 2005): 7 pp.
• “When Writing Class Moves Online.” 19 Mar. 2010. Inside Higher Ed.

Prewriting: Interviewing and Note Taking

This fall I’m teaching ENG 121, English Composition I, for the first time at Red Rocks Community College.  (I usually teach ENG 122, English Composition II, and ENG 131, Technical Writing I.)  ENG 121 is a first-semester freshman-composition class in which students have to write at least five essays “that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing.”

The textbook I selected is the eighth edition of Axelrod, Cooper, and Warriner’s Reading Critically Writing Well:  A Reader and Guide (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008).  The students’ first essay is an autobiographical essay about a significant person or event.

Since most of us can’t write (or even “type”) as fast as we think, it occurred to me that having someone else take notes while the student talked about the event or person.  In class, I divided the students into groups of three or four according to where they were sitting.  (The room is set up with round tables with four chairs each.)  I instructed them to take turns talking about the subjects of their essays while other members of the group took notes and asked questions to elicit details.

Some students hadn’t chosen topics for their essays–despite being instructed to do so for this week.  Some groups just talked about their subjects without writing anything down.  However, I’m pleased to say that one group did follow my directions and told me later that they found the exercise very helpful.

I intend to try this technique again when appropriate–probably with more detailed directions.

Assignments in Blog

This semester I’m teaching four sections of second-semester freshman composition:  three sections of ENG 1020 (two on campus and one online) for Metro and one section of ENG 122 (online) for Red Rocks.   I’m using the same main textbook, The Bedford Researcher, for all the classes, and the assignments will also be the same for all of them.

I’ve been trying to figure out what would be the most efficient way to post instructions for assignments that I didn’t include in the syllabus (i.e., everything but the papers).  I could repeat the information in the wiki for the on-campus Metro classes and the course shells for both online courses, or I could post it once somewhere else and link to it.  That way, if I need to make any corrections, I only have to make them once.

I decided finally that this blog is the best place to post the assignments.  That way, my students can all ask any questions they have in the same place, and I’ll be notified immediately because I moderate the comments.

I’ll try it this semester and see how it works.

Using Wetpaint Wikis for Composition Classes

This semester I taught three second-semester freshman composition classes:  one section of ENG 1020 on campus for Metropolitan State College of Denver and two sections of ENG 122, one on campus and one online, for Red Rocks Community College.  For the two of these classes that were taught on campus, and the others I taught, I used Wetpaint wikis (linked in the previous sentence) to update course schedules and post assignments.  In addition, I created a College Research wiki where I provided information on research and students uploaded reviews of internet research tools.

For the last research journal assignment in the writing classes listed above, the students were asked to “[d]iscuss the usefulness and effectiveness of the internet tools you used in the class: the blog [for a research journal], the Delicious bookmarks, and the wikis.”

In their research journals, students offered the following comments about the wikis:

• “The class wiki helped me stay on top of our assignments and also was very helpful when I happened to have questions about the class.”
• “I believe the Wiki was extrememly helpful for organizing the class, the schedule, and the deadlines. I was able to plan projects based on the posted schedule and also look up information I had forgotten.”
• “I did not like the Wiki so much really confusing for me.”
• “As for the wikis, I liked them. All that I really used them for was to check my assignments. The web address is easy enough to memorize and there is no logging in, making it easy access from anywhere.”
• “I also really enjoyed the class wiki because it was a nice way to always check what home work may be due, or if you missed a class you can see what you missed. If was also a good way for the instructor to not have to worry about problems in changing the syllabus and having to print off new ones. Just post the new information or dates and when someone checks to see it is the most current information and is easy to trust. I do wish and hope that some instructors will adopt this form of class involvement, I used the wiki ALOT this semester.”
• “The class wiki was great too. It was better than having everything planned out in the hard copy syllabus. With so many changes and alterations over the semester in scheduling and deadlines, it was nice to have a location that was updated and easy to look at. (I bet it was nice for you as well Professor Clark, so everyone wasn’t emailing you constantly!)”
• “The college research wiki was helpful for sure but I don’t know that I will continue to use it regularly simply because it wasn’t so helpful that it stood out to me. There are so many ways to research things and some of the researching I did on with this was just so overwhelming. I guess it would depend on what I am looking for and how hard it is to find it.”
• “The college research wiki was useful in the way that it had a lot of different search tools lumped into one. However, some of the websites listed wasn’t much help. They would be too complicated or the information needed to be checked.”
• “The Wikis were also nice, and I found them to be much more efficient and well-organized than say blackboard.”
• “The wiki’s were a great idea I must say. Everything you need and almost any question you need to be answered is right at your fingertips on the wiki sites.”
• “The wikis were the most helpful to me. I would view the ENG 122 wiki every week to check out the course schedule, the research assignment, and find the links to other sites. I think the wikis were probably the most effective tool used this semester. The fact that I actually used them on a regular basis probably helped.”
• “The wiki was very very useful. I wished that other classes of mine used the same method. Whenever I was confused about an assignment I would check the wiki, and did not have that luxury for other classes. I found myself checking the wiki several times a week in order to be sure I knew what was going on in the class.”

To protect their privacy, even though their comments are on their public blogs, I’m not including students’ names.

I will definitely continue using the wikis as I did unless I can find something better.  I just need to get around to requesting that the ads be removed since I’m using them for classes.

I plan include comments on the Delicious accounts and blogs in future posts.

More Mind Mapping Resources

On Tuesday, I wrote about some web-based mind-mapping services I had run across.  I didn’t discover until later that Mary Jaksch at Write to Done had written about mind mapping on Monday in a post titled “How to Use a Genius Tool for Writers:  Mind Maps.”  In addition to including a video of Tony Buzan explaining why mind maps work, discussing hand-drawn mind maps, and reviewing some desktop mind mapping applications, she lists the following web-based services that I didn’t include in my post:

Mind42.com:  “Isn’t 42 the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? Well, in this case it means FOR TWO and indicates the collaborative character of mind42. Manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world – collaborative, browser-based and for free.”

comapping.com:  “Try online mind mapping together with your friends and colleagues – simply using your browser.”

Video:  “Collaborative web-based mind mapping – Comapping“

Mind Mapping Resources

In a traditional classroom setting, I frequently have my composition students use clustering (or mind mapping) as a method of prewriting.  I’ve been thinking about having my online students try it too using web-based mind-mapping software.  I’ve found the following sites, all of which offer free accounts:

Wisdomap: “Wisdomap helps you to organise your thoughts in a powerful mind map format, and allows you to attach notes, videos, pictures, links and files to your map. The colourful, bright and clear maps engage the right side of the brain, while keeping notes and media outside the mind map itself ensures simplicity and clarity.”

WiseMapping: “Wise Mapping is the web mind mapping tool that leverages the power of Mind Maps mixing new technologies like vectorial languages (SVG and VML) and the power of the whole Web 2.0 concept. No pluggin required.” 

Video: wisemapping

bubbl.us:  “Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm online.”

Video:  “Bubblus Basic Mind Mapping“

Video:  “Bubbl.us Basics: Brainstorming and Mind-mapping Online“ 

MindMeister: “MindMeister brings the concept of mind mapping to the web, using its facilities for real-time collaboration to allow truly global brainstorming sessions. Users can create, manage and share mind maps online and access them anytime, from anywhere. In brainstorming mode, fellow MindMeisters from around the world (or just in different rooms) can simultaneously work on the same mind map and see each other’s changes as they happen.”

Video:  “Mindmeister“

Mindomo: “Mindomo is a versatile Web-based mind mapping tool, delivering the capabilities of desktop mind mapping software in a Web browser – with no complex software to install or maintain.”

I haven’t tried any of these yet, so I’d appreciate feedback from people who have used them of know of similar sites.

Grammar Resources

I’ve found the following grammar sites with explanations and exercises for my students:

• Big Dog’s Grammar
• Daily Grammar Lessons Archive
• English Works! Grammar Index
• Exercises in Traditional English Grammar
• Grammar Bytes
• Guide to Grammar and Writing
• Online Grammar Quizzes
• Handouts: Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (Purdue Online Writing Lab)
• The Tongue Untied

I’d appreciate links to any other good sites.

Resources for the Five-Paragraph Essay

Explanation

• “5 Paragraph Essay“
• “The Five-Paragraph Essay” (includes a sample essay)

Sample Essays

• “My Job in an Apple Plant“
• “The Hazards of Moviegoing“
• “The Three Africas“

Keyhole Format

• “A Visual Guide to Organizing Your Papers“
• “Keyhole Essay Model“

Resources for Writing Paragraphs

In my ENG 090 class, we’re starting with a review of writing paragraphs.  I’ve found the following electronic sources on this topic:

• Paragraph Development (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Paragraphs (RMIT University)
• Paragraphs and Paragraphing (Purdue University)
• Topic Sentences: Fact Sheet and Exercises (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Writing Effective Paragraphs (University of Richmond)
• Writing Resources: Topic Sentences (Wheaton College)
• Writing Tips: Paragraph Builder (WritingDEN)

I’ve included these links in the wiki I use for my classes at Red Rocks Community College.  I’ll update the links there and under Resources for Writing on my 4R x T wiki when I find more.