Since you are practicing new skills and writing a new assignment for Unit 2, some of the options for Unit 2 weekly work are slightly different.
Please note that some of the weekly work options “double count”: you can complete one assignment and get credit for both weekly work AND for meeting some of the requirements on Assignment 2. Those options are marked below.
Class Recap: not required in this unit
Skill focus: This is an easy way to get some weekly work credit and to help out your absent or late classmates to catch up on the work that they missed.
- Sign up for a slot on the sign-up sheet in the #whatyoumissed channel
- Thread your comment for that day and don’t just add it to the channel!
- Write a short description of what we did in class. Remember: you don’t need to capture every detail. Give us an impression of what your experience was like, what interested you, what you thought about, etc.
- You do not also need to submit an assignment submission form for this.
Library Workbook: due no later than March 23 and counts as a research assignment
Skill focus: This is an exercise that the library has developed to help you prepare for the library workshop on Wednesday, March 30th. This will help you to develop your research question for Assignment 2, and start to narrow it down so that you can locate sources using the Queens College library databases. The requirements are:
- Complete exercise 1, exercise 4, and exercise 5 in the library workbook.
- For exercise 4, please put the research assignment (Assignment 2) into your own words. What is it asking you to do? How will Assignment 2 relate to Assignment 3?
- Copy and paste your answers to exercise 4 and exercise 5, and put them into an e-mail that you send to me at lindsey.albracht@qc.cuny.edu and also to Dr. Leila Walker (a QC librarian who will lead our workshop) at leila.walker@qc.cuny.edu.
- Fill out the “focused research question” and the “key terms and concepts” section in exercise 5 with the ACTUAL research question that you’re thinking of using for Assignment 2 and not just a random question.
- This task must be completed before Monday, March 23rd by 11:59pm,
Lateral Reading Assignment: counts as a research assignment
Skill focus: This assignment will help you to strengthen your ability to locate and evaluate credible sources. The requirements are:
- Fill out each box on this form
- For the portion of this assignment that asks you to select a source: this must be a NEW source, and not a source you have used in a previous weekly work assignment.
- Turn this in by a weekly work deadline to receive feedback. This cannot be completed after the first draft of Assignment 2 is due.
Paraphrasing and Quoting Assignment: counts as a research assignment
Skill focus: This assignment will help you to avoid plagiarism and overquoting from a secondary source by learning how to properly paraphrase from a secondary source. Complete this assignment if you are unsure about how to paraphrase or quote in college-level writing, or if you are unsure about American academic conventions surrounding the incorporation of other people’s ideas into your own work (i.e. avoiding plagiarism).
- Watch this video on avoiding overquoting.
- Watch this video on paraphrasing.
- After you have watched the videos, fill out each box on this form.
- For the portion of this assignment that asks you to select a source: this must be a NEW source, and not a source you have used in a previous weekly work assignment.
- Turn this in by a weekly work deadline to receive feedback. This cannot be completed after the first draft of Assignment 2 is due.
Reading Guide Assignment: counts as a research assignment
Skill focus: This assignment will help you to develop your skills with reading a scholarly source. It can also help you to make progress on locating, summarizing, and evaluating sources that you can use for Assignment 2. The requirements are:
- Fill out each box on this form.
- For the portion of this assignment that asks you to select a source: this must be a NEW source, and not a source you have used in a previous weekly work assignment.
- Turn this in by a weekly work deadline to receive feedback. This cannot be completed after the first draft of Assignment 2 is due.
Early Draft of Literature review: counts as a research assignment
Skill focus: Choose this assignment after you have completed a reading guide, the lateral reading assignment, or the paraphrasing and quoting activity and received feedback on it. In this assignment, you’ll begin to draft the “Literature Review” section of your Assignment 2.
- Complete a reading guide, the lateral reading assignment or the paraphrasing and quoting activity and receive feedback on it. To complete this assignment, you need to have done other weekly work and to have received feedback on it already.
- Read the Sample Student Essay, paying special attention to the “Literature Review” section.
- Synthesize at least 2 of your 3 SCHOLARLY sources that help you to answer your research question. You must incorporate scholarly sources to meet requirements for this assignment.
- Write at least 400 words.
- Take care to integrate MLA formatting to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you shouldn’t overquote, you should paraphrase your sources rather than keeping the original sentence structure and switching out words with synonyms, and you should incorporate a “Works Cited” page at the bottom.
- Turn it in via the Assignment Submission Form by a weekly work deadline to receive feedback. This cannot be completed after the first draft of Assignment 2 is due.
Writing Center visit:
Skill focus: Visiting the Writing Center is a great way to get some individual attention on your writing. Writing Center consultants can help you with any stage of the writing process: from understanding a prompt and pre-writing to revising between your first and second drafts to polishing your final draft. Visiting the Writing Center regularly can help with managing your time, developing your self-editing skills, building your confidence as a writer, and developing your ideas.
- Click here to make an appointment at the Writing Center
- Read “How To Prepare For Your Writing Center Consultation” and generate a list of at least 3-4 questions that you have for your Writing Center consultant.
- Once you’ve finished your appointment, fill out each of the boxes on this form to receive credit. You do not need to use the assignment submission form to submit anything else. You can do this assignment up to four times this semester.
- This can be completed before the end of Unit 2.
Share a draft and give feedback
This option allows you to share your work (for this class, or any writing that you’re doing) with your classmates to get some additional feedback from them. The requirements are:
- Post your Assignment 1 draft and a request for feedback on the #feedback channel on Slack. Say what the assignment is and give any relevant information about it. Say what stage of the writing process you’re currently in (e.g. Is this a final draft? A first draft? Something in between?) Say what kind of feedback you’re looking for (you can check out the feedback menu if you need ideas)
- Choose a draft that appears on the #feedback channel on Slack, or if none appear there, choose one the Sample Student Essay that we read for class.
- Fill out all of the boxes on this form
- This can be completed before the end of Unit 2.
