What’s Next? Thinking About

Life After High School

Developed by Rick HansenMODULE: STUDENT VERSION

Reading Selections for this Module

Graff, Gerald. “Hidden Intellectualism.” They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in AcademicWriting. Eds. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton,2010. 198-205. Print.

Hansen, Rick. “FAQ Guide for College or Work.” 2012.

Hansen, Rick. “Web Site Resources.” 2012.

Pérez, Angel B. “Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail.” Education Week 31.19 (2012): 23. Print.

Rodriguez, Joe. “10 Rules for Going to College When Nobody Really Expected You To.” Student Sites.SunShine Web Enterprise, 4 June 2012. Web. 1 Aug. 2012.<

Schlack, Lawrence B. “Not Going to College is a Viable Option.” Education.com, n.d. Web. Mar.2013. <

“The 10 Most Common Excuses for Not Going to College and Why They’re All Wrong.”

everyCircle.com, n.d. Web. Mar. 2013. <

University of North Texas. “Why Go to College?” How 2 Choose. University of North Texas, 23Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Aug. 2012. <

ReadingRhetorically

Prereading

Activity1:GettingReadytoRead—AnOverviewof “What’sNext? Thinking aboutLifeAfterHigh School”

Forthelastfewyearsofyourlife,highschoolhasmadeseveral demandsonyourtimeandenergy.Manypeople—teachers, family, schoolfigures,andothers—have workedhardpreparingyouforlife afterhighschool;andwhileyoumayormaynothavedevotedas muchtimeandattentionas youwouldliketolifeafterhighschool, thefactisthatthisstageofyourlifeisdrawingtoa closeandyou areconfrontedwiththeageoldquestion: What’snextforme?

Lifeafterhighschoolcantakemanyforms—someofyoumaybe preparingforcollege,andothersmaybepreparingforworkof anotherkind.Regardlessofyourreadinessas a studentandan individual,thinkingabouthowreadyyouaretoenterthenextstage ofyourlifeandmakinga fewdecisionsabouthowtogetstartedon thatpathareimportanttasksthatsupport yourpotentialsuccesses. Thismodule invitesyoutodojustthat—figureoutwhatitisyou wanttodonext,considerhowwellpreparedyouareforthenext stageofyourlife,andthenbegintodevelopplansformakingthe transitionintolifeafterhighschool.

Duringthenextfewweeks,youwillbelooking intoyourpast experiences,figuringoutwhereyouexcelandwhereyouneedmore preparation,andthenputtingtogether a portfoliothatwillrepresent theworkyouhavedonetoidentify,assess, andthenexpressyourgoals,plans,andreadinessforwhatever avenueoflifeyou intendtopursue.Thefinalexpression ofyourresearchwillbethe developmentofoneortwopiecesofwriting.

  1. If you believe you are more inclinedtopursuea careerorenter theworkforce,writea “letter of introduction”tothework communityorjobthatyouwishtopursue and a résumé.

OR

  1. Ifyouplan on entering college that requires an essay with the application, write a personal essay for a college application (Cal States do not require an essay).

Attheendofthismodule youwillhavereadaboutdifferentaspects ofcareerandcollegelife,donesomereflectionandwritingabout yourowngoalsandplans,andparticipatedinresearchaboutyour personalvisionforthefuture.Theseactivities willbedocumentedinyourportfolio,andtheinformationyougenerateduring these activities willhelpyouas youcomposethefinaltextforthe module—a letterofintroductionforworkora personalapplication essayforcollege.

Your portfolio will include the following items:

  1. Acollectionofshorterwritingsyoudeveloptohelpyougenerate ideas,thinkaboutyourideas,andfinally makedecisionsabout— orevaluate—the ideasyouhave
  1. FrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQs)inwhichyouprovide answerstoimportantquestions regardingyourapplicationfora schoolorcareeropportunity
  1. Yourletterofintroductionforworkora personalapplication essayforcollege

Workinthismodule providesguidanceandsupport as you investigatenotjustyourownhopesforthenextfewyearsbutalso therequirementsschoolsandworkplaces willputonyouas you enterthenextstageofyourlife.

Activity2:ActivatingPriorKnowledge

In this activity, you are using writing to collect ideas. In a way, you are taking inventory of your general thoughts about your future. If you need them, here are a few questions to get you started.

  1. Ifyouaregoingtocollege,whydidyoumakethisdecision,and wherewillyougo?
  1. Whatdoyouwanttogetfromyourcollegeexperience?
  1. Ifyouaregoingintotheworkworld orthemilitary,whyareyou choosing thatoption?
  1. Whatdoyouwantfromworkingorentering themilitaryorany othercareeryoumight beconsidering?

Onceyouhavefinished writing,rereadwhatyouhavewritten,and begintolistreasonswhy youarereadyforthenextstageofyourlife,or listquestionsregardingwhatyouneedtoknowaboutyourplans (one page total).

Activity3:ExploringKeyConcepts

Words are more than lists to memorize for a test; they are concepts, the ideas that allow us to distinguish ourselves from one another. Some of us feel “courageous,” others feel “cautious,” and yet others may feel “indifferent” or “unconcerned.” The task here is (1) tofind the words that best match ideas about who you think you are at this stage of your life; and (2) to begin to unpack these words for the information they provide about your attitudes and assumptions, skills and abilities, plans and goals. The more language youhaveto describe yourself and what you are bringing to the next stageof your life, the more opportunities you have to represent yourself accurately.

What follows is a rather brief list of words, certainly not a comprehensive list, that will help you find words that name the values and abilities you are bringing to the next stage of your life.

Lookthroughthelist,andchoose10 wordsthatbestfityoursenseof self.Writethemdownona separatesheetofpaper.

absent-minded
active
adventurous
analytical
angry
appreciative
artistic
booksmart
complicated
cool
curious
dependable
determined
developed
devoted
disciplined
respectful
responsible
scientific / self-aware
self-promoter
self-reliant
self-starter
selfish
serious
shineatwork
shyperson
smallsteps
enterprising
enthusiastic
family person
fearful
goal-setter
habitual
happy
helpful
hungry
impatient / Inarticulate
indispensable
influential
inquisitive
intellectual
kind
socialperson
streetsmart
stressed
talkative
trustworthy
truthful
underachiever
valiant
warrior
wishful
worrier
leader
lifeofthemind / light-hearted
lowselfesteem
mindful
motivated
optimistic
organized
outgoing
passionate
patient
persuasive
pessimistic
positive self esteem
procrastinator
realistic

Nowrankyour10 wordsfrommostimportanttoleastimportantin describingwhoyouarerightnow.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Activity4:Making Predictions and Asking Questions

Aftergatheringvocabulary,takesometimetowriteaboutyourword choices.Thisactivity shouldhelpyouconsiderthesignificanceofthe wordsyouchosebyaskingquestions aboutthemas keyconcepts and thenmakingpredictionsaboutwhatyouwillneedtodotobest representyourself inyourletterofintroductionoryourapplication essay (one page):

•Whydidyourankthemas youdid?

•Whatdoyourwordstellyouaboutyouropinionofyourself in termsofreadinessforworkorcollege?

•Whatwould someonewhoknowsyouwellthinkofthewords youchose?

•Basedonyouranalysisofyourkeyconcepts,predictwhatyou willneedtolearnmoreabouttoachieveyourgoals.

•Predicthowwellyourkeyconceptswillworkforyouas you moveintothenextstageofyourlife.Forexample,ifoneofyour wordsis“stubborn,”writeabouthowthatconceptmayworkfor youoragainstyouas youconsideryourfuture.Themoreyou reflectonthesignificanceofthewordsyouchoosetoidentify yourself, themoreinformationyouwillhaveas youbuildyour finalportfolio.

Activity5:Understanding KeyVocabulary

After school, discuss your words with someone you trust, and ask them about the words you have chosen. As they talk about your words, take note of their comments by letting them talk for a while and then writing down the gist of what they say. So if someone says that your selection of “trustworthy” as a key word is good, but that there are times that you may not be so trustworthy, don’t argue—just listen. Then write down the gist of their point—what they are saying, not what you are thinking.

Yourjobistotrytocapturetheirthinkingandextendyour understandingofthewordyouhaveselectedas representingyour values,beliefs,orgoals.Thisinformationmaybecomea useful chunkofwritingforyourfinalletteroressay.

Remember:Itisdifficulttorepresentyourself wellifyoudon’thavea fairlysolidsenseofwhoyouareorwhatyoubelieveaboutyourself.

Captureatleastthreereactionsfromwhatsomeoneelsesaidabout yourwords,andbringthemtoclasstomorrow.

Text—“WanttoSucceedin College?LearntoFail”

Prereading

Activity6:Surveying theText

BeforewereadAngelPérez’s article,takea littletimetopreview itby respondingtothefollowingquestions:

  1. Lookatthetitle,andmakepredictionsaboutwhatyouthinkwill bePérez’s message.
  1. Take a lookatthelengthofthearticle,anddecideifyour predictionscanbefulfilledinthislengthofthearticle—752 words.
  1. Skimthroughthefirsttwoparagraphs, andreadthefinal paragraph. Onceyouhavedonethat,canyouaddanythingto yourpredictionsaboutPérez’s message?

Reading

Activity7: ReadingwiththeGrain

Wearealwaysreadingtogatherinformationforourwriting.But sometimeswereadtoextendourthinking.Justas youdidwhen yousharedyourkeywordswithanotherpersontogetmoreinformationforyourwriting,youareusingreadingas a stimulusfor morethought.Goodreadingshouldcauseyoutoconsiderideasor perspectives thatyoumaynothaveconsidered onyourown.

That is the case in this reading when we are “playing the believing game” to understand the specific advice Pérez offers about how to represent ourselves to an audience.

Asyouread,underline(orputa checknextto)thebestadvicePérez givesabouthowtorepresentyourself, believingthattheadvicehe givesisgoodadvice.Duringthefirstread,simplymarktheideasor sentenceswhereyouthinkPérezisgiving adviceyoucanuseas you considerthebestwaytorepresentyourself tothecommunityyou wanttoenter.

Afterreadingtheessaythefirsttime,gobackthroughitagainand choosea fewofthesentencesyoumarked.Copythemdownonthe leftsideofthedialectical journal providedbelow.Onceyoucopythe sentenceintheleft-handbox,writefora fewminutes ontheright aboutwhatthequotemadeyouthinkaboutorwhyyouchosethe quote (please write on your own piece of paper instead of trying to cram your answers into the following boxes).

AdvicePérezgivesabouthow
werepresentourselvestoothers / Whathiscommentsmakeme think

Postreading

Activity8:Responding to Pérez

Afteryouhavefilledoutthedialecticaljournal,writea one-page descriptionofaneventormomentwhenyouwerelessthanperfect andexplaintoa readerwhatyourresponsetothatmomentsays aboutyourcharacter,values,orpotentialforworkorstudy.

Text—“HiddenIntellectualism”

Prereading

Activity9:GettingReadytoReadand ExploringKeyConcepts

  1. Take outa sheetofpaper,andwritedownthreepeopleyoufeel areintellectuals.
  1. Ingroupsofthreeorfour,shareyourlistandchoosethreefrom thecombinedlistthatallofyoucanagreeareintellectuals.
  1. Aftera classdiscussion, writedownyourdefinitionofan intellectual.
  1. Yourteacherwillnowpassoutthreequotationsabout intellectuals.Selectthequotethatbestmatchesyourdefinitionof anintellectual.
  1. Whydidyouselectthisquote?Shareyouranswerinyourgroup oras partofa classdiscussion.

Activity10:Understanding KeyVocabulary

Understanding—beforereading—selectedkeyvocabularycrucialto theconceptsofthetextandthenapplyingthatunderstandingas you readisanimportantstrategyforallsuccessfulreaders.Knowledgeofwordmeanings cansignificantlyshapehowwellyoureada text andcomprehendthewriter’smessageas wellas theargumentsthe writer makesinsupport ofthatmessage.

Thelistofwordsandphrasesbelowshouldsupport reading comprehensionbyallowingyoutoaddressunfamiliarordifficult conceptspriortoreadingthetext.Thislistfeaturesseveralkeyideas,difficultphrases,orchallengingwordsthatmaypresentsome obstaclestoyouas youread.

Workingingroups,predictwhatyouallthinkeachwordyouareassignedmaymeanbeforeyougototheparagraphwhereyouwill findthewordorphrase.Asa group,

  1. Predictthemeaning ofthewordorphrasebydiscussing what youallbelieveitmaymean.
  1. Onceyouhavepredicteda possiblemeaningforthewordor phrase,gototheparagraphlistedandfindthewordorphrase.
  1. Onceyoufindthewordorphrase,readthesentencesorsection thatsurroundsthewordandsee ifyoucanfigureoutthe meaningofthewordorphraseas itisusedincontext.
  1. Thenlookatthefunctionofthewordorphrase(whatitisdoing inthesectionwhereitisused).See ifyoucanaddtoyour understandingofthewordorphrase.
  1. Finally,ifneeded,usea dictionaryorotherresourcetofinalize yourunderstandingofthewordorphrase.Thedictionary definitionyouselectforthewordshouldmatchthecontextfor theuseofthewordorphraseinthepassagewhereitislocated.
  1. Afteryouhavefilledoutyourpartofthevocabularyworksheet, preparetoinformtherestoftheclassaboutthemeaningofthe wordsorphrasesyouhavebeenassigned.

Yourjobistocomeawayfromthisworkwitha senseofwhatothers needtoknowaboutthewordsorphrasesyourgroupislooking into andhowthesewordsrelatetowhatyouthinkGraffmightbesaying about“intellectualism.”

The wordor phrase / Our prediction / Its meaning in theessay
Group 1
educationaldepthand weight (¶3)
retrospect (¶8)
interminable(¶9)
toexploit itsgame-like elementandturnitinto arrestingpublicspectacle (¶12)
domain(¶16)
Group 2
cogitations(¶3)
it’smorecomplicated(¶8)
philistine(¶9) intellectualthirst(¶11) schoolculture(¶11)
Group 3
lifeofthemind(¶2)
anti-intellectualism(¶5) negotiatingthisclass boundary(¶6)
publicargumentculture thattranscended thepersonal(¶12)
a sociologicallyacute analysisonanissue(¶18)
Group 4
booksmart(¶6) eggheadworld (¶9) proposea generalization (¶10)
analysis(¶11)
literacytraining(¶16)
Group 5 inarticulate (¶7) ambivalent(¶8) AdlaioverIke (¶8) rudimentsofthe intellectuallife(¶10) schoolculture(¶11)
Group 6
thetrouble withthis assumption(¶3)
gristfor theirmill(¶3) theintellectualbit(¶8) invidious(¶14)
see thoseinterests throughacademiceyes (¶16)

Reading

Activity11:Readingfor Understanding—Stopand Respond

Gerald Graff’s essay “Hidden Intellectualism” poses questions about the way we see “intellect” in and outside of school. In this essay, Graff argues that a student’s intelligence may be “hidden” when viewed only from the perspective of school learning. He prompts all of us to look again at the intellectual abilities we possess, even if a person is not so proficient at school learning.

Asyou and your classmatesreadthisessaytogether, yourteacherwillstopatvarious pointsandask youtorespond,notbytalkingbutbywritingona separatesheetofpaper.Youwillbegivena fewminutestowritedownwhatever thoughtsyouhave—questions,observations,ideas, comments,stories,thingsthetextreminds youof,whatever comes tomindas youread

Allowingyourselftoactivelyrespondtothetextisimportant— thinkingaboutwhatitmeansandhowyouareresponding.Onceyou havehadafewminutes towritearesponsetothereading,youwill discusswhatyouhavewrittenwiththeclass.Thisdiscussionwillgive youtheopportunitytosaywhatyouarethinkingaboutthereading.

Don’twaitforyourteachertoanswerorrespondtowhatyouhaveto say.He orsheissimplyreadingtheessayandprovidingyouwith placestostop,write,andthendiscussthereading.Themoreyousay aboutthereading,thedeeperyourunderstandingofwhatGraffhas to sayandhowthisworkrelatestoyourownwritingprojectwillbe.

Youwillrepeatthisprocessseveraltimesduring thereading.Atthe endofyourreading,youwilldiscusswiththeclasswhatyouhave discoveredandhowthetextrelatestoyourthinkingaboutthenext stageofyourlife.

Ifyoudothiswithanopenmindaboutmakingsenseofthetext, yourwritingshouldprovide plentyofinformationforyoutouse inthedevelopmentofyourletterofintroductionoryourcollege applicationessayattheendofthismodule (at least a ½-1 page of notes).

Postreading

Activity12:Thinking Critically

InresponsetoPérez’s andGraff’sessays—aswellas yourlistofkey conceptsandkeyvocabulary—writethreeseparate“idea chunks” thatrespondtothesethoughts.Ideachunksareshortpiecesof writing,maybeonetothreeparagraphs long,thatattempt tocapture anideayouhave,findsomesupport forthatidea,andexplainthe importanceoftheidea.Thesearenotessays;youarestillwritingto figureoutwhatyouarethinking.Inthisactivity, youareprimarily makingconnectionsbetweenwhatPérezandGraffhavewrittenand aspectsofyourownlifeandexperience.

Ideachunksarejustthat—chunks ofideasthatyouaretryingoutfor thepurposeofusinginyourwriting.Themoreyouwriteaboutthe ideayouhavechosen,theeasieritwillbetounderstandandexplain itssignificance.Pushyourselftobeas specificas youcanbe.

Activity13:Summarizingand Responding

Withoutreallyworryingabouthowwellyouspellorwhether youare makingcomplete sense,writea lettertoa trustedpersonabouthow wellyouare—orarenot—preparedforthenextstageofyourlife. Use block letter format and make sure it’s a page long.

Texts—

“10RulesforGoingtoCollegeWhenNobodyReallyExpectedYouTo”

“NotGoingtoCollegeisaViableOption”

“WhyGotoCollege?”

“The10MostCommonExcusesforNotGoingtoCollege andWhyThey’reAllWrong”

Prereading

Activity14:Surveying the Text

Theclasswillbereadingfouressaysthataddressdecisionsabout whether tostartworkingorgotocollege.Youwillbeassignedonetexttoread,analyze,andthensummarize foritsrelevant information.Inpreparationforreading,surveythetextandthen makepredictionsaboutitsvalueintermsoftheusefulnessofthe informationitprovides.

•Whatkindofinformationdoyouthinkthearticlewillprovide?

•Whatvaluedoyouthinkthearticlewillhaveinrelation toyour ownresearchneeds?

•Whatdoyouthinkisthepurposeofthearticle?

•Whodoyouthinkistheintended audienceforthearticle?

•Whatdoyouthinkthewriter wantsyoutodoorbelieve?

Reading

Activity15:Readingfor Understanding

Aswehavediscussed,theactivitiesinthisstageofthemodule signal a shiftinfocusandemphasisinthemodule. Ourworkismovingawayfromthekindofself-assessing,identification,andgenerative qualitiesofthefirstpartofthemodule toa moreresearchdriven focus—afocusthatrequiresyoutocontinue togatherinformation aboutyourplansanddrawconclusionsaboutyourownreadinessfor lifeafterhighschoolas italsoemphasizeslearning abouttherequirements,processes,andexpectationsofworkorcollegecommunities.

Inshort,thissegmentexposesyoutothesocialrequirementsyou willencounter as youmovetothenextstageofyourlife.

Youaregoingtobeginyourinvestigationintothesequestions by takingpartina jigsawactivity. Asa class,wewillbereadingfour documentsthatprovide informationandopinionsaboutbothgoing tocollegeandentering theworkforce.Youwillbreakintogroupsof fiveorless,readthedocumentyouhavebeenassigned,andprepare a reportfortheclassthatdeliversthefollowing:

•Abriefsummaryofthedocument’sargument

•Importantquotesorinformationthewriterprovides

•Anexplanationofwhatyouthinkisimportantaboutthe document.

Onceyouhavecompletedyourreadinganddiscussion ofthetext,be preparedtopresentyourinformationaboutthearticletoyourclass.

Postreading

Activity16:Summarizing and Responding

Afterallgroupsreporttheirfindings,spendsometimewritingabout whether itisbesttogotocollegerightawayormoveintowork.This shouldgeneratesomecommentsaboutwhatyouarecarrying away fromthediscussion andhowitrelatestoyoursenseofwhatyou wanttodonext.

Texts—

“WebSiteResources”

“FAQ Guide for Collegeor Work”

Prereading

Activity17:Making Predictions and Asking Questions

Read “Web SiteResources,”andgeneratequestions youbelievecan beansweredbya Website.

Nowconsiderwhichsitesseemliketheymayprovide information aboutsomeofthequestions youhaveraisedandlisttheminyour notes,ormarkthemonthe“Web SiteResources” handout.

Reading

Activity18:Considering the Structure of a Web Site

YourteacherwillbedemonstratingeffectivesearchesonWebsites ofinterestforcareerorcollegeinformation.Youwillbedoingyour ownsearchforyourpaper,sotakenoteson

•Theprocessofaneffectivesearch

•Stayingorganized

•Findingrelevantinformation

•Skillsandstrategiesthatsupport effectivesearches

Activity19:Readingfor Understanding and CollectingInformation

Reviewthe“FAQGuideforCollegeorWork,”andselectfourtopics forresearch. Write them down.

Nowselectsites(write these as well) thatseemtoofferthebestchanceofprovidingthe informationyouneed.Asyouresearchquestions orissuesthatare importanttoyou,thepersonalFAQyoudevelopwillhelpyouknow as muchas youcanaboutgetting thejobyouwantorgettinginto thecollegeyouwant.

Postreading

Activity20:Summarizing Research Findings

Inthisactivity, youwillbewritinga personalFAQforyourportfolio. TheFAQswillbefairlysimple.Youwilllistatleast10 questions aboutyourcollegeorcareerchoiceandprovide simpleanswersto thequestions. Wearealsogoingtoreadoneanother’s FAQs.Soyouwillneedtomakeyouranswerstoyourquestions accurate, helpful, clear,andconcise.Remember,FAQsareresourcesthathelp peopleunderstandproblemsandgatherinformationthathelpssolve problems.

ExampleFAQ

WhenisthedeadlineforapplyingfortheCSU?

•AllCSUs havethesameapplicationdeadlineforfreshman. For thefallterm,theapplicationdeadlineis . Go tocsumentor.eduforup-to-date information.

HowmuchmoneywillI makeifI wanttobeanautomechanic?

•In2011, theaveragesalaryforanautomechanicwas$43,050.00, butthatwasnotwhatnewmechanicsmade.Thestarting salarywasaround$23,000 for full-timework.Andas faras gettinga job isconcerned,itlookslikethenextyearwillbringabout530 job openings duetogrowthandabout1,440 replacementjobs.

OnceyouhavefinishedwritingyourFAQ,youwillneedtobring twocopiestoclass.Inournextclass,wearegoingtodoa “read- around,”inwhichwereadoneanother’s FAQs.Youwillneedto bringa hardcopytoclass.Makesurewhatever youbringislegible andreadyforsomeoneelsetoread.

Activity 21:Reflecting on Your Research Findings—Reading One Another’s

Findings

WewillcirculatetheFAQsthroughclass,soyouwillhavethe opportunitytoreadwhatothershavediscovered aboutenteringtheworkworld orcollege.Duringthereadaround,keepa separate sheetofpaperhandytowritedownanyhelpful informationyoufind onsomeoneelse’sFAQ.Also,writedownthenameofthewritersoyoucanmeetwithhimorherlatertosee ifheorshehasmore informationyoumight finduseful.

ConnectingReadingtoWriting

DiscoveringWhat YouThink

Activity22:Considering the Writing Task

Duringthepastfewweeks,youhavereadaboutdifferentaspectsof careerandcollegelife,donesomereflectionandwritingaboutyour owngoalsandplans,andparticipatedinresearchaboutyour personalvisionforthefuture.Thefinalexpression ofallthisreading, research,andwritingwillbethedevelopmentofa letteroressayyouwillusetoapplyforacceptanceintothecommunityyouwishto enter.

  1. Ifyoubelieveyouaremoreinclined topursuea careerorenter theworkforce,writea “letterofintroduction”tothework communityorjobthatyouwishtopursue and a résumé using instructions given in class.

OR

  1. Ifyouplanonentering college that requires an essay with the application,writea personalessayforyour collegeapplication.

Rememberthefinalletteroressayneedstobearound1,000words,typed,proofread,andreadytosendouttoeithera schoolor employer.

Considerthefollowingquestionsas youbegintoplanyourwriting.

  1. Whatdoyouthinkisyourjobinthisassignment?
  1. Whatdoyouthinkmaybemostdifficultaboutwritingthispiece?
  1. Whoistheaudienceforthiswriting?

Activity23:Taking a Stance—Elementsof theRhetoricalFramework

  1. PURPOSE:Identifyingthepurposeofyourwritingmeansthat youareabletosaywhatyouaretryingtodotoanaudience throughyourwriting.Whateffectdoyouwantyourwritingto haveonthereader?

Herearesomequestions youcanusetofigureoutyourpurpose:

•Whatareyoutryingtoaccomplishinthisessay?

•Whatdoyouwantyourreaderstoexperiencewhentheyread youressay?

•Whatdoyouwantthisaudiencetounderstandas a resultof readingyourwriting?

Hereissomeimportantinformationtorememberaboutpurpose:

•Sometimespurposeisn’tclearuntilafteryouhavedonesome writing.

•Purposeisalwaysrelatedtoyoursenseofaudience.

•Sometimesanalyzingaudienceindetailhelpsyoufigureout purpose.

•Sometimeswritingaboutpurposebeforeyoudraftyour responsecanhelpyoufinda thesis,ora structure, ora plan.

•Yoursenseofpurposecanchangeas youmovetoward your finaldraftandunderstandmoreaboutwhatyouarewriting.

  1. AUDIENCE: Identifyingandanalyzingaudiencehelpyoudevelop a clearerunderstandingofyourpurpose.Yourknowledgeabout youraudiencefunctionsas animportantguideforyouwhenyou aretrying todecidewhattoputinyouressayandhowyouare goingtosequenceyourinformation.

Herearesomequestions toask aboutaudience:

•Whatdotheyknowaboutyourtopic?

•Whatdoyouwantthemtoknowaboutyourtopicandyour message?

•Whatinterestsdotheyhaveinyourtopic?

•Whydotheyneedtoreadyourwriting?

•Whatdoesyouraudiencebelieveaboutthetopic?

•Whatmakesyouraudiencea groupora community?

Hereissomeimportantinformationtorememberaboutaudience analysis:

•Be specificas youtakeinventoryoftheirinterests,their knowledge,theirsources,theiragenda,andtheirworldview.

•Trytosummarize theirargumentortheideastheycontribute totheconversationaboutyourtopic

•Be awareofthelanguageandknowledgetheaudiencefavors: whatkindoffactstheylike,whatsortofvaluestheyinsist upon,whattheirexpectationsare?

•Rememberthatyourwritingmovesfroma kindofinternal focus(whereyouarewritingmoretoyourself) outtoa specific focusonaudience(whereyouarefocusedonhowyourwriting affectsthereader).Howisyourwritingsupportinga shared understandingofwhatyouwanttocommunicate?

  1. SITUATION:Understandingthesituationinwhichyouare producingwritinghelpsyouunderstandthekindofrules youneedtofolloworthegenreconventionsthataremostimportanttoyourwriting.Wealwayswriteina specificcontext; understandinghowthewritingtakesplaceina particularcontext helpsyouunderstandwhatyouneedtoshowthroughyour writing.Forexample,youmaywritetosimply summarize a readingforyourself, oryoumaywritetoprovetotheteacherthat youhavereadsomethingwell;thesetwoscenariosconstitutetwodifferentwritingsituationsandcallfordifferentprocesses anddifferentproducts. Thus,thecontext,orsituation,ofthe writingwillinfluence thewayyouperformthewriting.

Herearesomequestions thatwillhelpyouanalyzethewriting situation:

•Whatdoesthiswritinghavetodowithyourcurrentsituation as a writer/student?

•Howdoesyourwritingrelatetowhatothershavewritten?

•Howdoesyourwritingrelatetothecurriculuminyourclass?

•Howdoesyourwritingrelatetootherworkintheclass?

•Forwhom areyouwriting?

•Areyousupposedtodemonstrateanythingthroughthis writing?

•Whatinthissituationhaspromptedyoutochooseyourtopic?

Hereissomeimportantinformationtorememberaboutthevalueofanalyzingsituation:

•Understandingsituationhelpsyoudevelopa clearersenseof purpose.

•Knowingthecontextforyourwritinghelpsyoudevelopbetter ideasforthewriting,allowingyoutowriteinrelation tosome otherideas;ithelpswithtopicselection,research,composing, andrevision. Youneedinformationaboutthewritingsituation tobeabletomakekeydecisionsaboutboththecontentand thesequenceofinformationyouchoose.

•Analyzing audiencehelpsyouunderstandtheinfluence situationhasonyourwritingchoices.

  1. PERSONA/ETHOS:Thissimply referstothewayyouare representingyourself inthewriting.Aspeoplewhowrite,we havelotsofwaysofpresentingourselves:as expertsonfamily, as expertsonlaw,as someonesearchingfortruth.Thereisan infinitenumber ofwayswepresentouridentitythroughwriting.

Ethosreferstothewayyoubuildcredibilitythroughyourwriting. Itisthewayyourepresentyourself inthewritingtogaintrust fromthereader.

Herearesomequestions toask aboutethos:

•Whatimpressiondoyouwanttomakeonthereader?

•Whattoneofvoicedoyouwanttouse?

•Whoareyouspeakingforwhenyouwrite?

•Areyoupartofa largercommunitywhenyouwrite?

•Howcanyouletthereaderexperienceyourcompetence?

Hereissomeinformationtorememberaboutethos:

•Readerswillpayattentiontothelanguageyouuseinmakinga judgmentaboutyourcredibility.

•Readerswillnoticethekindofexamplesyouuseas those examplessaysomethingaboutyourlevelofengagement withthetopic,aboutyourexpertise,orabouttheamount of researchyouhavedone.

•Readerswillnoticehowwellyouexplainthings.Yourideas findtheirclearestexpression inyourexplanations.Themore developed yourexplanationsaboutthetruth-valueofyour claims,themorecredibilityyouhavewiththereader.

•Readerswilldetectinaccuracyorlackofengagement witha topic

  1. MESSAGE:Initsmostelemental form,messageconsistsofwhat youwanttosayabouta particulartopic,event,oridea.Itisthe controllingideaoftheessay.Messageistheproduct ofyour thinkingaboutpurposeandaudience;itiswhatyouwanttosaytothereaderorthepointyouwanttogetacross.Itisyourmost dominantclaim.

Herearesomequestions toask aboutmessage:

•Can yousummarize themainpointofyouressayina short paragraph?

•Doesyourmessagesupport thepurposeofyourwriting?

•Doalltheevidenceandexplanationsyouuseinyourwriting relatetoyourmessage?

•Doestheaudienceneedtohearyourmessage?

•Is yourmessagemeaningful?

•Is yourmessageself-evident?

•Whathappenswhenyouapplythe“Sowhat?”question to yourwriting?

Hereissomeimportantinformationtorememberabout message:

•Remembertoask theage-oldquestion aboutyourwriting:So what?

•Messageisoftennotdiscovered untilafteryouhavedone quitea bitofwriting

•Another waytothinkofmessageisas thelargestclaimofthe writing.

•Rememberthatwepassalongalotofmessagesinourwriting, butinacademicwriting,onemessageseemstoprevailas the mostimportant.

Nowthatyouhaveconsidered the“rhetoricalframework”foryour writing,developa setofinstructionsforyourself abouthowyouwill usethisinformationinyourfirstdraft.

WritingRhetorically

EnteringtheConversation

Activity24:Composinga Draft

Todayyouaregoingtowritea firstdraft.Youhavetwochoicesfor howtoproceed,butyouhaveoneresponsibility—youmustbringa firstdraftofyourwritingtoclasstomorrow.

Option1:Juststartwriting.Inthisoption, yourplanistojustwrite andthenfigureout,onceyouhavewritten,whatyourstructure andorganizationisgoingtobe.Writerswhotakethisrouteshouldfeel liketheyarereadytowrite,whichmeansyouhavedoneplentyof thinkingandhavea goodsenseofhowyouwantyourletter/essayto develop.Writerswhotakethisrouteshouldbeabletodescribetheir papertoanotherperson,telling themwhatthepaperisgoingtosay andwhatitisgoingtodotothereader.Afteryouhavecompleted yourdraft,youshouldbeabletofillouttheorganizationalplanning chartweareusingtoidentifywhatyouwanttowriteaboutineach sectionofyourpaperandwhateffectyouwantthatsectiontohave onthereader

Option2:Inthisoption, youtakea littletime,maybe20 minutes, to sketchoutyourpaperusingtheplanningchartprovidedbelow.This optionisgoodforwriters whohavea senseofwhattheywanttosay butmayneeda littlerehearsalfortheirpaperbygetting someideas downbeforetheybegincomposing.Usingthechartbelow,think aboutthedifferentsectionsofyourpaperandwritetoyourself about whateachsectionisgoingtosayandwhateffectyouwanteach sectiontohaveonyourreader.Fillingoutthischartshouldhelpyou reacha pointwhereyoucandescribewhatyouthinkyourpaperis goingtosayafteryouhavecompletedyourfirstdraft.

PlanningChart

WhatI willwriteaboutinthis section… / Theeffectthissectionwillhave onthereader…
WhatI willwriteaboutinthis section… / Theeffectthissectionwillhave onthereader…
WhatI willwriteaboutinthis section… / Theeffectthissectionwillhave onthereader…
WhatI willwriteaboutinthis section… / Theeffectthissectionwillhave onthereader…

Activity25:ConsideringStructure—Read Around Activity

Intoday’sclass,wearegoingtodoa Read Around. ARead Around isanactivity during whichweread,veryquickly,eachessayinthe class.Ifwedon’treadalltheessays,thatisokay,butwewillrunat leastfourcyclesofreadstogeta goodsenseofwhatourwriting lookslike.Afterwehavefinished ourreading,wewilldevelopa list ofthebestqualities wesawinthewriting,identifyingwhatweare doingwell.Thenwewillmakea listofthingsweneedtoworkon, andperhapsprovide someadviceaboutwhattodotoimproveour writing.

Asyoureadpapers,givesomeattentiontotheeffectiveness of beginnings,middles, andendsofthepaper.Makingobservations abouthowthesesectionsofyourwritingareworkingmayleadto morespecificadviceaboutimprovingyourwriting.

Followthesesteps:

  1. Organizeintogroupsoffourorfiveandfaceyourdeskstogether.
  1. Getoutyourpaper.
  1. Crossoutyourname,andwritea four-digitnumber aboveit(for example:5577).
  1. Electa tableleader.
  1. Thetableleadercollectsthepapers.
  1. Thetableleaderpassespaperstothegroupontheteacher’sleft.
  1. Thetableleaderhandsoutthepaperstohisorherowngroup.
  1. Onthesignal,readthepaperquicklywithnomarking.
  1. Oncetheteacherstopsthereading,passthepapertotheleft.
  1. Startreadingwhentheteachertellsyouto.
  1. Repeatlasttwostepsuntilyourgrouphasreadallthepapers.
  1. Discusswhichpaperisbest;thetableleadertakesnotesonyour reasonsthatpaperisbestinthegroup.
  1. Thetableleaderwritesdownthenumber ofthebestpaper.
  1. Tableleadercollectspapersandpassesthemtothenextgroup.
  1. Repeatsteps7-14.

Thekeyhereistoreadfast,readforcontent,andthenmakesureyouhavegoodreasonsforchoosing thebestpaperineach grouping.Duringthediscussion ofthewriting,takenotesonthe informationyouneedtoimproveyourownwriting,payingparticular attentiontobeginnings,middles, andendsofthewriting.

Qualitiesofthepapersthatwork / WhatI need toworkon
Beginnings
Middles
Ends

Revising andEditing

Activity26:RevisingRhetorically

Todaytheclasswillworkinsmallgroupstoassess theopenings toyourwriting.Wearegoingtolookfortwokeyelementsas you evaluatetheeffectivenessofyouropeners:

  1. Howintroductionsinvitethereadertogettoknowyou
  2. Howeffectivelyyourintroductionwillhelpyourreaders distinguishyoufromtherestofthelettersorapplicationsthey arereading

Homework:Reviseyourdraftandbringa hardcopytoclass.

Activity27:Editing

Editingisdifferentfromrevising. Whenyouedit,youarepaying attentiontosentencelevelconcernsinthewriting.Thatdoesnot meanyouignoreanycontentororganizationalissuesthatsurface, likeproblemswithcontinuitybetweensentencesorthedevelopment ofideas.

Wearegoingtoeditourpapersfortwoimportantelements:

•Spelling andwordchoice

•Sentencevariety

Activity28:Reflectingon Your WritingProcess

Nowthatyouhavecompletedyourwriting,havingimproveditas muchas youcouldoverthepastfewweeks,itistimetoputthefinal touchonyourportfolio.Afteryouhaveassembledyourportfolio, take15 minutes orsotodiscusswitha partnerwhatyouhave learnedduringthisunitaboutsomeofthefollowingideas:

  1. Whataresomethingsthatgoodwritersdoas theyprepare, generate,draft,andrevisewriting?
  2. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutbeinganeffectivereader?
  3. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutusingwritingtodiscoverwhatyou think?
  4. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutwritingas a processofdecision- making?
  5. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutreadinganditsrelationshipto effectivewriting?

Onceyouhavediscussedsomeofthesequestions insmallgroups, composeyourown“cover letter”foryourportfolioinwhichyou explainwhatyouhavelearnedaboutreadingandwritingduring thismodule. Answeringanyorallofthesequestions willnotonly provideyourteacherwithanunderstandingofthelearning youare carrying awayfromthismodule butalsogiveyoutheopportunitytosaywhatyouarelearning andkeepa recordofthestrategiesand assumptionsthatshapethehabitsofeffectivereadersandwriters.

Turn in your work according to the instructions given in class. Begin preparing for the exam on this module.

CSU Expository Reading and Writing CourseWhat’s Next? – Student Version │ 1