Graded Assignment: Diagnostic Writing in Two Parts

“Available Dates” see Canvas/Pages General handout #B2).  All graded work must be typed double spaced, with a standard header that includes your name, the course and especially the section #, and a label that notes the instructor’s name.  Early on in the course I will allow  you to submit work via Canvas/Assignments (which is this page/file you are on here).  However, you can also leave a printed hard copy of your work in the Testing Center of the David Glenn Hunt Library (in the back right of the library).  However, if you leave your printed hard copy of the assignment in the please send me a Canvas email letting me know that you have dropped it off there.  

Preview: Every institution of higher learning in America is required to pass an accreditation study if its credits are to be accepted for transfer and if financial aid, loans, and scholarships are to be awarded by the state, by the federal government, and by most scholarship granting entities.  In December 2015 Galveston College successfully received its reaffirmation of accreditation vote by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC).  In class we will discuss this process a bit.  Our Read Deeper QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) designed to help our students adjust to the rigors of reading in college, which we already started presenting when on our first day of class we went over the reading concept of a “Think Aloud” strategies for college level reading.  That accreditation goal is to produce skillful readers of college texts.  It was a major component of Galveston College’s reaffirmation of accreditation and, in fact, Galveston College passed it SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation with a very rare exceptionally high score. 

One step to becoming a better reader is to reflect back upon your life experiences as a reader. This short writing project will accomplish that goal.  The same kind of reflection is true for you developing as a writer.  This assignment will have you write about both.  So you will write about a moment in your life as a reader and then, separately, about your life as a writer.  These two shot writings will each be worth 25 points (50 points total), and if you can complete them and turn them in before class I will try and have them graded and ready to hand back to you by class time.  If not ready before class, you can turn them in at the end of class or leave it in the GC Testing Center.  We’ll talk further about this in class.

The Assignment: You need to write two brief reflections, one about your life as a reader and the other about your life as a writer. Each piece of writing needs to be about 300 words (about a full page typed double spaced).  If you’d like you can combine the two components into one piece of writing that comes in at 600 words (or about two pages typed double spaced).  Choose any significant moment in your life as a reader and then any one significant moment in your life as a writer.  You might reflect back to when you were first learning to read or write; or perhaps you might pick some later time when you became self-aware of yourself as a reader or writer.  Narrow your focus down to one or no more than two related moments in each category (reading/writing).  You can describe any memory positive or negative associated with learning to read and write.  Use your narrative to take your readers back in time.  There are some required details in these assignments.  Somewhere in each component part, i.e., reading and writing, you need to include a semi-colon and also a quote. In either component one aspect of your using a quote needs to be the presentation of a small exchange of dialogue.  Since you are writing in essay form that means your writing should come in at least two paragraphs per component part. 

If you are not combining the two topics, for your second part you need to accomplish the same thing by reflecting about your life as a writer.  Again take your audience through time and share one key moment (or two related moments) in your life as a writer.  You can tell the story of one particular experience or you can describe your experiences through time. Again you need to include a semi-colon and quote or an exchange of dialogue between two persons.  If it might help, you can write your draft by hand in the homework section of your notebook.  If you type out a rough draft, print it and include it in the homework section of your notebook that way.  To submit your work via this page, click on Reply or Post and attach your writing as a Word document.  Writing without a name will not be graded and will count as an F; writing with a name but no other accoutrements of a header will be docked -2.5 points.

Rubric: This diagnostic writing will be assessed at 25 points for each component part (Reading and Writing) for a total of 50 points for the diagnostic grade.  17.5 points per component part will be based in meeting the word count.  The remaining  7.5 points for each component part will be based on detail and development of each story.  Points will be deducted at a rate of 1 or 1.5 points for minor errors or error clusters (poor comma placement and such), with major errors (subject-verb agreement, run-ons, sentence fragments and such) being docked 2.5 points a pop, with forgiveness (no deduction) for the first incidence of a major error.   There will be forfeiture of 2.5 points per omission for not meeting specified requirements such as a semi-colon in each story or for not having a quote and a use of dialogue.  At the end of the semester, this grade will be combined with the 50 points value of the final exam for a weight of one graded paper.