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Academics:WritingAssignments
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InaFirstYearSeminarorawritingintensivecourse,itisbesttohaveseveralwriting
assignmentsandavarietyoftypesofwriting,usuallyintegratedwithcoursereadings,
ratherthanonelongassignmentattheendofthecourse.Onthispagewewill
emphasizethedifferencebetweeninformalwriting,orwritingtolearn,andformal
writing,orwritingtocommunicate.
Thinkofinformalwritingasshortandoftenimpromptu,writtenprimarilyforthebenefit
ofthewriterasanaidtoclarifyingpurposeandnotrequiringextensiveinstructor
response.Avarietyofinformalwritingactivitiescanhelpdevelopstudents'critical
thinkingskillsbyprovidingthemwithaspaceforaskingquestions,raisingcritique,and
playingwithideas.
Formalwritingismorereaderbased,withspecificconsiderationsforaudienceand
convention.Eachtypeofwritingisintegraltothestudents'literacydevelopment.

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ReadingandWriting
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WritingAssignments
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ongettingstarted,organizing,
andcompletingadraft,visit
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A LUM N I/ A E

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Considerthefollowinggeneralsuggestionsforplanningandcreatingwriting
assignmentsthatworkwell:

AdditionalResources

makesurethetaskisclearlydefined,usinglanguagethathelpsstudentsknowwhat
theyareexpectedtoproduce,when,andwhy.
offeranauthenticsituation,onethatprovidesstudentswithaclearsenseofpurpose
andaudience.
iftherearespecificstepsthatstudentsneedtofollowtocompletetheassignment,
makesuretoincludethem(length,planstoseeathesisstatement,notes,and/or
draftplansforconferencingandpeerreview,etc.).
writeassignmentssothatstudentscanunderstandhowtheirpurposetiesintothe
overallplanforthecourse.
ifappropriate,includeinformationabouthowyouwillrespondtothewriting
assignmentandgradingcriteria.
considerwhetherthereareaspectsoftheassignmentthatcanbemadeflexiblefor
studentswithspeciallearningneedsordifferentlevelsofability(extended
deadlines,timeforconferencing,etc.).
Writingassignmentscanbedevelopedfordifferentpurposes:asawaytosupport
learningaswellasameansofcommunication.
InformalWritingAssignments:WritingtoLearn
Whetherconsideringwritingintheclassroomforawritingcourse,aFirstYearSeminar,
oracontentareacourse,itisimportanttounderstandhowcoursecontentcanactually
beunderstoodandsecuredthroughwritingtolearn.Inthismode,studentswritein
ordertodiscover,examine,andtesttheirideasaboutreadingassignments,class
discussions,lectures,andessaytopics.Suchwritingisusuallyinformal,cantakea
varietyofforms,andrepresentsthekindofactivethinkingandcriticalengagement
withcoursematerialthathelpsstudentsprepareformoreformalwritingtasks.Writing
tolearnbecomesavehicleforfiguringoutandrefiningwhatwethinkbeforewe
communicatepubliclytoothers.
Ideasforusingwritingtolearnintheclassroom:
1.READINGLOGSORCOMMONPLACEBOOKS
analyzethewriterbehindthetext:
thinkoftheuniquehumanbeingusingwritingtoexpressanidea.Listas
manyfactsasyoucanthinkofaboutthewriterbasedonwhatisfound
inthereading:aretherethoughtfulconclusionsandcarefulevidence
presentedaboutthesubjectunderdiscussion?Whatdoesthistellyou
aboutthewriter'sintellectualresponsetothesubject?
tryapassagecommentary:

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selectapassagefromthereadingthatseemsmostimportant,copyit
intothereadinglog,andthenwriteseveralparagraphsexplainingwhy
thepassageseemssignificant.
usetheancienttraditionofcommonplacebooks:
foreveryassignedreading,copyimportantpassagesbecausetheyhave
significantideasrelatedtothecoursematerialand/orbecausethey
representstrongwritingthatmightbeimitatedintermsofformand
stylechoices.Suchacommonplacebookwillhelpimprovememoryof
coursetopicsandserveasahelpfulresourceforreview.
2.RESPONSEPAPERS
foreveryassignedreading,writearesponsethatbothsummarizesthe
mainpoints(lowerorderreasoningskills)andanalyzes/critiquesthe
mainpoints(higherorderreasoningskills).
practicecriticalreflectionaspartofreadingresponse:
whatwasstrongandweakabouttheassignedreadingandwhy
whatwasinteresting,relevant,andconnectedtootherreadingsand
why
whatseemedoffthetopic,irrelevant,orinconsistentwithother
readingsandwhy
whatassumptionsseemedexplicitand/orimplicitinthereadingand
why
whatopposingviewpointstothereadingseemimportantandwhy
whataretheadvantagesand/ordisadvantagesofagreeingwiththe
readingandwhy?

3.MICROTHEMES
useaseriesofshort(100words),progressivelymoredifficultwriting
assignmentsthatcanbecompletedintheclassroomorashomework.
Short,quicksummariesofassignedreadingscouldbeaskedforfirst,
thenshortsynthesesofideasinseveralconnectedreadings,andfinally
analysesofthequalityofanargumentorstringofrelatedideas.As
microthemesgrowinnumberanddifficulty,topicsformoreformal
assignmentslikecriticalanalysismightemergeandsignalproductive
directionsforbothteacherandstudent.

4.EXIT/ENTRANCECARDS
using3x5cards,askstudentstocommentwithanideaorquestion
aboutthetopicunderdiscussionforaspecificclassperiod,thenuse
theircomments/questionstobeginthenextclassperiod.
using3x5cards,requirethatstudentsenterclasswithacommentor
questionabouttheassignedreadingwrittenonthecardandreadytobe
sharedforclassdiscussion.

5.INCLASSFREEWRITES
interruptalectureordiscussionwithashortfreewritethatasksstudents
tocommentonwhatisunderdiscussion.Theseshortfreewritescanthen
bediscussedortheclasscanmoveahead.Eitherway,freewritingwill
allowstudentstofocuscloselyonatopic.

6.INVENTIONTECHNIQUESFORPREPARINGTOWRITEANESSAY
useafocusedfreewriteonthedaythataformalwritingassignmentis
introduced:reviewthematerialthathasbeencoveredandtheactual
writingassignmentthenaskstudentstowritefreelyforaboutfive
minutesonwhattheyarethinkingaboutasapossibletopic.Sharethese
ideasinclassdiscussion,analyzingthestrengthsandweaknessesand
relevanceintermsoftheassignment.
useacenterofgravityapproach.Startfreewritingonapossible
directionfortheassignmentandstopafterthreeminutes,then:
reviewwhatwaswrittenandunderlineorcircletheideathatseems
mostprominent
copytheunderlinedorcircledideaonacleanpageandthenbegin
freewritingagainforthreeminutes,focusedonthecopiedidea
againreviewwhatwaswrittenandcompletethesameprocessof
underlining,copying,andfreewritingonthespecificideathathasbeen
copied.
Eachtimethestudentfreewrites,inotherwords,theoriginalidea
becomesmoreandmorefocusedthestudentsdrawsclosertothe
"centerofgravity"fortheactualwritingassignmentandhavesomething
tostartwithforadraft.
writeadiscoverydraftasafirstresponsetoaformalwriting
assignment,onethatissharedinapeergroupand/orreadbythe
teacherandcommentedonforthecoherenceofitsmainideaand
supportingevidenceonly.Suchadiscoverydraftwillthenallowthe
studenttobuildonearlyideasasamorecompletedraftiswritten.

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FormalWritingAssignments:WritingtoCommunicate
Whenwritingtocommunicate,studentsmovefromtheirinformalandmorediscovery
basedwritingtomoreformal,demandingandpublicexpectationsofparticulardiscourse
andrhetoricalconventions.Learningtheconventionsforspecificfieldsofstudy,
developingdifferentmethodsforanalysisandargument,aswellasfinetuningthe
detailsofgrammar,documentationandmechanicsarecentraltothemodeofwritingas
communication.
Attheirmosteffective,assignmentsinwritingtocommunicatecanbebuiltdirectlyoff
thescaffoldingthathasbeenprovidedthroughwritingtolearn.Thetwomodesof
writingareconnectedintermsofdevelopingcontent,butwritingtocommunicatewill
callformorecoherentdevelopmentandstructure.
Studentscanbeaskedtorevieweverythingtheyhavewritteninformallythrough
writingtolearninordertodetermineafocusordirectionfortheirmoreformal
assignmentsinpubliccommunication.Theymayfindaninitialthesisforaspecifictopic
emergingthroughtheirideasforusingwritingtocommunicateintheclassroom.

1.ESSAYASSIGNMENTS
ConsiderthePURPOSEortheprimaryfocusthatwillbeemphasizedbya
specificassignment.Doyouwantstudentstodevelopanalytical,informational,
argumentative,reflective,orexpressiveskills,oracombinationofseveralskills?
Theessayinstructionsshouldmakecleartostudentswhatsetofskillswillbemost
valuedwhencompletingtheassignment.
Analytical:Whatisvaluedisthestudents'abilitytoexaminecloselythe
connectionbetweenthepartsandthewholeofaparticularsubjectandtheir
abilitytoinvestigateandarticulatethewayideasconnecttoorcontrastwith
oneanother.
Informational:Whatisvaluedisthestudents'abilitytosummarizeand
synthesizeinformationaboutaparticularsubject.
Argumentative:Whatisvaluedisthestudents'abilitytoarticulateaclaim
aboutaparticularsubjectwithappropriateevidencetosupportsuchaclaim.
Reflective:Whatisvaluedisthestudents'abilitytolookatexperiences
retrospectivelyandarticulatewhathasbeenlearnedfromthem.
Expressive:Whatisvaluedisthestudents'abilitytoconsidertherelevanceof
personalexperience.
Analysisistheskillunderpinningallothers.Towritewellfromaninformational,
argumentative,orexpressiveperspective,inotherwords,studentsneedtouse
theiranalyticalabilitytofocustheirwriting.
Asenseofpurposewillconnecttodevelopingacentralideaorthesis.Knowing
whatkindofwritingisexpectedofthem(informational?argumentative?
expressive?)andreviewingtheideaspresentintheirwritingtolearnassignments
willhelpstudentsaccomplishthedifficulttaskofdeterminingacentralidea.After
reading,classdiscussion,andwritingtolearn,studentswillbemoreableto
decidewhattheywanttosayandthushaveastartingpoint.
Asetofessayinstructionscanaskstudentstofollowthroughonthesekindsof
reviewandexplorationstoarriveataworkingcentralidea.Studentscanbe
encouragedtobeginwithaworkingcentralideainordertodevelopapreliminary
draft.Ideasmightberoughlysketchedouttobeginwithusingthefollowingseed
sentencesasframes:
Iamanalyzing/arguingabout_______________inorderto
understand/examine_______________________.
Mostpeoplebelievethat_____________________,butmyinvestigationhas
shownthat__________________.
Weknowthis_____________about____________wealsoneedtoknowthis
__________________about____________________________.
Seedsentencescanhelpstudentsgetstartedwritingandcanthenbefurther
refinedlaterintheprocessofwriting.Workingwithseedsentencesmightalsobe
aproductiveapproachtowritingtolearn.
EffectiveassignmentsshouldalsoaskstudentstoconsiderAUDIENCE.
Aretheytobethinkingoftheteacherexclusivelywhencompletingthe
assignment?
Shouldtheybethinkingofageneraleducatedaudience,oranaudienceonlyof
theirpeers?
Shouldtheybethinkingoftheaudienceascompletelyorpartiallyinformedabout
thesubject?
Willtheaudienceholdvaluessimilartoordifferentfromthewriter?
Howmuchwilltheaudienceidentifywiththesubjectandtopicunderstudy?
Suchconsiderationswillhelpdeterminetheformandstylechoicesthatcanbe
madeandarecentraltothewritingtask.
Oncethepurpose,centralidea,andaudiencehavebeenestablishedaspart
oftheassignment,considerprovidingstudentsadditionaladviceonthe

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STRUCTUREoftheirwriting.Theymightbearinmindthesestructuralpossibilities:
Thesis/Support:themostcommondeductivestructurewherebystudents
establishacentralideaorthesisafterintroducingthesubjectinthe
introductionandthenprovideaseriesofsupportingideaswithexamples,facts,
anecdotes,testimony,statistics,quotations,andotherdetails.
Problem/Solution:aneffectivetwopartstructurewherebystudentsfirst
examinethenatureofaspecificproblemandthendescribeaneffective
solutionthatcarrieswithittheircentralclaimaboutthesubject.Thewriting
situationconsidersaproblemtowhichthestudentisproposingasolution.
Studentscanbeaskedtoconsiderthecostsandbenefitsofthesolution
proposed.
Question/Answer:anothertwopartstructurethatisformedaroundan
analysisofacentralquestionorsetofquestionsthatarepertinenttoasubject
andthenmovesintoaclaim/analysisofpossibleanswers.
Narrative/Analysis:astructurebuildingonstorytechniqueswherebythe
studentdetailswhatishappening/hashappenedandusestheseeventsto
developananalysis/argumentaboutthesubject.
Finally,anassignmentcanalsobeaccompaniedbyaMODELthatillustrates
theexpectationforwriting.Successfulassignmentscanbesavedandcopiedfor
suchpurposesinfutureclasses.
Thefollowinghandoutsprovideexamplesofessayassignmentsthatstressvarious
purposes,senseofaudience,andstructuralideas:
sampleassignmentemphasizingcriticalanalysis(PDF)
sampleassignmentemphasizinganalysisandinformation(PDF)
sampleassignmentemphasizinganalysisandargument(PDF)
sampleassignmentemphasizinganalysisandreflection(PDF)

2.WRITINGABOUTREADING
Manyacademicassignmentsaskstudentstowriteveryspecificallyaboutwhatthey've
read.Thefollowinglinksprovidehelpfulstructuresforsuchassignments:
writingasummaryofwhatyouread(PDF)
writingasynthesisofwhatyouread(PDF)
writingacritiqueofwhatyouread(PDF)

3.ESSAYEXAMS
Unlikeessayassignmentsorresearchprojects,anessayexamhasalimitedpurpose
andaudience:theteacherwantsthestudenttodemonstrateunderstandingofspecific
coursematerialandtodosoinanarticulatemanner.
Thesegeneralstudyhabithintsmightbeusefulasstudentsworkwithmaterialthat
willbecoveredbyessayexams:
1. takecarefulnotesduringrelevantclassdiscussion.
2. readassignedchapterscriticallythatis,respondinawriter'snotebookwith
summaryandresponse,plusannotatethetext.
3. reviewnotesregularlybeforetheessayexam.
4. preparenotesoroutlinesaheadoftimethatreorganizethematerialaroundkey
topicsorissues.
Duringtheexamperioditself
1. readtheexamquestionallthewaythroughatleasttwiceinordertosticktothe
questionbeingaskedandtoansweritfully.
2. examinethekeywordsinthequestionandmakesuretoconsiderthedifferencein
implicationbetweenwordslike"summarize"or"define."
3. makeabriefoutlineofthemainideastobecovered.
4. writeathesissentencethatrespondsdirectlytothequestionbeingasked,using
someofthethequestion'swords.
5. writetheessay,tryingtowriteclearlyandconciselythefirsttimesincetherewon't
bemuchtimetorewrite.Makesuretouseplentyofspecificreferencestothe
materialinquestion.
6. Trytocorrectasmanyerrorsinspellingandmechanicsasyoucanfindbeforeyou
handinyourexam.Beaslegibleaspossiblebutdon?trecopy.
ExamQuestions
Examquestionsshouldbewrittensothatstudentsunderstandclearlywhatisexpected
ofthem.Isthegoaloftheexamquestion:
toshowthatstudentshaveacquiredaspecificbodyofknowledge?
toshowthatstudentscancreateaninformedopinionbasedonthisbodyof
knowledge?
toshowthatstudentscancreateaconvincingargumentbasedonthisbodyof
knowledge?
toshowthatstudentscancriticallyevaluateandacknowledgetheideastheyhave
beenreadingaboutandworkingwith?
Common"Key"WordsforEssayExamsandIdeasforOrganizingAroundThem

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1. ComparisonContrast:"compareandcontrast"Analyzessimilaritiesand
differences
Twowaystoorganize:

PatternI

PatternII

Firsttopic

Advantages

advantages

Firsttopic

disadvantages

Secondtopic

Secondtopic

Disadvantages

advantages

Firsttopic

disadvantages

Secondtopic

2. Definition:"define"Specifiesdistinctivecharacteristics.
Howtoorganize:beginwiththetermtobedefinedanddiscussthegroupto
whichitbelongs,thenshowhowthetermisdifferentfromothermembersofthe
group.
Makesuretoincludeitsimportantfeatures.Usedetails,comparisons,and
examples.
3. Analysis:"analyze"or"discuss"or"explain"Breakstopicintoitselements.
Explainsandcomparesmainpointsofviewonthetopic.
Howtoorganize:analysisinvolvesacarefulbreakingofsomethingintoits
variousparts.Usingtransitionalwordslike"first,second,third?"or"next,"
"another,""inaddition"willaddcoherencetoyouranalysis.
4. CauseandEffect:"cause""why""effects"
Howtoorganize:likeanalysisquestions,causeandeffectquestionsaskyouto
tracesomething?sfeatures,inthiscase,specificeffectsofaparticularcauseor
viceversa.Usingtransitionalwordswillhelpyouorganizecoherently,especially
?because,??therefore,?and?consequently.?
WritingtheEssayExam
Startingtheessay:Youdon'tneedanembellished,excitingopeningforatimed
essay.Instead,youcanstateyourthesisrightawayandgiveabriefoverviewofwhat
therestoftheessaywilldo.Thiswillimmediatelyshowyourcommandoverthe
subject.Don'tjustrestatethequestionwithoutansweringit.Alwaysincludeyour
answertothequestionintheintro.
Developingtheessay:Thebodyofyouressayshouldbedevelopedwiththesame
attentiontologicalorganization,coherence,andadequatedevelopmentthatyou
provideinanyacademicpaper.Supportyourthesiswithsolidgeneralizationsand
specific,relevantdetails.Don'tfillouttheessaybyrepeatingyourself.Don'tuse
subjectivefeelingsinsteadofrealanalysis.
Concludingtheessay:Hereyoucanbrieflyrestatethethesisinnewwords,perhaps
pointingtowiderimplicationsinawaythatfollowslogicallyfromwhatyou'vewritten
ratherthaninawaythatdemandsmoreexplanation.
Beforesubmittingtheessay:Rereadandcorrectanyillegiblesections.Makesure
yourhandwritingcanberead.Checkforspelling,grammaticalmistakes,andaccidental
omissions.Ifyoufindanymaterialthatseemsirrelevant,crossitoutandaddother
informationonanotherpage,keyingtheadditiontothepagewhereitbelongs.

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