Category: Assignment Showcase

Summary
Students practice adapting writing for the Web 2.0 mediums they interact with daily – and that are becoming a more central part of writing in the workforce. Several corporations, for instance, have put their handbooks and other documentation on wikis so that users of their products can help improve the accuracy and usability of guidelines and instructions.

Goals
Students should be able to select and integrate multimedia elements that would enhance their text by providing evidence, illustrating a point, catching readers’ interest, etc. They should be able to make basic assessments of how their rhetorical strategies and writing processes might change when writing for the web.
Timing

This project works well towards the end of the semester as a capstone or cumulative project. If students know they will have an opportunity to adapt their writing for the web, they can pick topics that allow them to take fuller advantage of the multimedia components they can integrate into a wiki entry.

Materials/tools needed

• Prior student project
• Access to a wiki, such as WetPaint
• Rhetorical analysis worksheet

Overview of Activity

1. Prior to class, students select their favorite writing product from the class and bring an electronic copy to class.
2. Instructor introduces Digital Literacies wiki. (5-10 minutes)
3. Students complete rhetorical analysis worksheet to compare characteristics of the project’s original form to possible features in the wiki. (10 minutes)
4. Students prioritize two aspects of their project that they could adapt to take advantage of the wiki interface. (5 minutes)
5. Students post a revised version of their project to the wiki. (15-30 minutes, at instructor’s discretion)
6. Students reflect on the changes they made and comment on additional web 2.0 features they could use if they had more time to adapt their writing. Students post their reflection with their project. (5 minutes)

1. • How do the changes you made take advantage of the capabilities you have when writing in a wiki? In other words, what does the wiki interface enable you to do with your project that the original form didn’t?
   • What additional changes would you make if you had more time? What additional web 2.0 features would you use?
   • How might writing in a wiki change your writing process?

Description of Activity

This innovation gives students hands-on practice with three types of databases: general scholarly, news related, and subject-specific. Through discussion and group work, students will search several databases, evaluate search results, and create a collaborative document that analyzes the rhetorical uses and technical aspects of each database.

Goals

By connecting technological skill with critical source evaluation and research methods, this innovation supports the College Writing course goals of developing in students a more sophisticated writing and research process and an awareness of varied writing conventions within the academic and professional worlds.

Suggested Timing and Sequencing

When implementing this innovation, allow at least half an hour of class time, although some instructors report using a full 70 minutes to implement it.

This innovation is best approached early in the semester and should be integrated into an assignment that uses research. Those who’ve been most successful with this innovation have revisited these database strategies for each subsequent project that involves some level of research. If students do not have multiple opportunities to revisit these databases, they tend to revert to Google-dominated search methods and to forget about the availability of library databases.

The Activity

1. Have class generate a research question

1. Introduce class to a general database (Academic Search Premier)
   1. Overall functions (full text, sorting, peer reviewed, etc.)
   2. Sample search
   3. Quick analysis of source types (popular? scholarly?)
   4. Narrowing and sorting functions
   5. Introduce various storage methods – Elon’s U Drive, Blackboard, Permanent Link, etc.

1. Activity 1: Direct students to JSTOR. Students individually search for the class-generated sample topic in JSTOR. As a class, discuss their search results and compare sources and functions of JSTOR to Academic Search Premier (relevance, types of sources, ease of use, etc.)

1. Introduce library Databases by Subject link.

1. Activity 2: Have students work in groups and complete attached worksheet (see Group Database Worksheet below). Ask each group to generate a new topic and to brainstorm possible subject areas (disciplines) that this topic could fall under (ex. Articles on “Legalizing Marijuana” could conceivably be filed under chemistry, biology, psychology, history, law, etc.). Students then use one of these subject areas to pick a subject-specific database for this exercise.  Students compare the following three types of databases:

General Scholarly Database: Students choose either JSTOR or Academic Search Premier and search for information on their group’s topic.

News Database: Students choose either LexisNexis Academic or Newsbank and search for information on their group’s topic.

Subject-Specific Database: Students choose one subject-specific database and search for information on their group’s topic.

Have students compose a final in-class document that compares these three databases and is addressed to future College Writing sections. Some possible questions that this document could address include the following:

1. Discuss your reason for choosing your general database. Why did you choose one over the other?
2. Compare the number of results that each database generated. How many overlapping results are there?
3. Using examples from your search results, generally compare the quality of sources that each database generated. Did each give mostly scholarly or popular sources? Which database returned the most credible research material?
4. How many journals does each database subscribe to? Which database gives more specific information on your topic?
5. Compare the relative ease of use of each database. Did any features stand out as being particularly useful?
6. For what types of assignments or classes would you use each of these databases? Be specific.

Student Reflection Prompt

• What aspects of this activity will be most useful in your other college classes?
• Discuss how this activity using academic databases will influence your responsible use of knowledge, both at present and in the future.
• Did this activity change your perception of electronic information (organization, accessibility, etc.)? If so, describe your new outlook.

Instructor Reflection Prompt

• What aspects of this activity seemed to engage students? How could the presentation of this material be improved to be more engaging and relevant to students?
• Describe any technological difficulties (personal or systemic) that you encountered. How could these issues be better approached?
• How can this database use and source evaluation be built upon for future projects? Describe a specific assignment for which you could revisit this innovation and briefly remind students how to access and evaluate sources.

Group Database Worksheet

As a group, generate a new topic and brainstorm possible subject areas (disciplines) that topic would fall under. Compare the following three types of databases:

General: Choose either JSTOR or Academic Search Premier and search for information on your group’s topic.

News Database: Choose either LexisNexis Academic or Newsbank and search for information on your group’s topic.

Subject Specific: Choose one subject-specific database and search for information on your group’s topic.

Compose a final in-class document that compares these two databases and is addressed to future College Writing sections. Your document should address the following questions:

1. Discuss your reason for choosing your general database. Why did you choose one over the other?
2. Compare the number of results that each database generated. How many overlapping results are there?
3. Using examples from your search results, generally compare the quality of sources that each database generated. Did each give mostly scholarly or popular sources? Which database returned the most credible research material?
4. How many journals does each database subscribe to? Which database gives more specific information on your topic?
5. Compare the relative ease of use of each database. Did any features stand out as being particularly useful?
6. For what types of assignments or classes would you use each of these databases? Be specific.

Overview of Activity

This activity aims to help students understand that 21st-century “writing” often goes beyond words, sentences, and paragraphs to include visuals. Evidence to support written arguments is sometimes most effectively presented in pictures, graphs, tables, charts, maps, and other types of illustrations.
Goals

The exercise requires students to examine the role of illustration in an article recently published in the New York Times. It then asks students to produce a brief illustrated argument of their own in response to the article. They will need to (a) determine what kind of image will most effectively illustrate their response, (b) find the image, (c) insert the image into their written text, and (d) caption the image using MLA documentation style.

Connection to ENG 110 Objectives

The exercise helps students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship between purpose, audience, and voice, and an awareness that writing expectations and conventions vary within the academy and in professional and public discourse.

Scheduling

This exercise works best mid-semester, after students have some experience in making effective rhetorical choices in written arguments. It takes about 50 minutes. (Part II can be finished as homework.) Because students tend to be careless about proper captioning and source citation, we recommend integrating illustration into subsequent classroom exercises and/or assignments to give them additional practice after they have completed this initial exercise.

Part I: Examining an Illustrated Argument (whole-class activity)

1. Show pre- and post-make over photos of Susan Boyle, published in the April 29, 2009, issue of the New York Times, via PowerPoint. Don’t label or identify the photos as you show them; see if students can do this. Then, ask students to explain the significance of the two images.
2. Have students read the New York Times article from which these illustrations were taken, “Yes, Looks Do Matter” by Pam Belluck <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/fashion/26looks.html?_r=1&em>.  Discuss the relationship between the illustrations and the argument, using the following questions as prompts:

• How does Belluck explain the meaning of these images of Susan Boyle? How does her analysis of their significance compare with what we had to say about them?
• Are these pictures an essential part of Belluck’s argument? Or are they superfluous and expendable? (Would a “text-only” version of this essay be as effective as the illustrated original?)

3. Have students find the article using the Newsbank database, where it appears without the illustrations. Ask students, has anything essential been lost?

Part II: Producing an Illustrated Argument (individual assignment)

Assignment: Write one or two paragraphs in which you:

1. Describe a particular stereotype that has influenced the way you view others or the way others view you. (This stereotype can be based on race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, occupation, or other characteristics.)
2. Explain the personal and cultural significance of this stereotype.
3. Follow the “Guidelines for Using Illustrations” to present an image (e.g., a photo, cartoon, ad, or painting) within your paragraph(s) that vividly captures the stereotype you’re examining.

Suggested Process:
1. Show sample images of different kinds of stereotypes to get them started. (Create PowerPoint slides to show sample images.) Three that we might write about:

• gender stereotype: publicity poster from new Katherine Heigl movie (because we are feminists): http://www.filmofilia.com/2008/10/09/the-ugly-truth-movie-poster/

• President Sarkozy of France standing on his tiptoes (because Jean is short):

http://www.driftingfocus.com/blogs/?p=3723

• stats from a recent article on living in retirement that illustrate stereotypes of the elderly (because Jean has parents in their 80s whom she worries about):

http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/retirement/hanging-on-at-home/ (Peter Keating, “The New Retirement: Hanging on at Home,” SmartMoney, Aug. 2009: 38-39).

• stats from a recent Pew Social Trends report that compares the reported happiness levels of working, stay-at-home, and single mothers—see the “What About Happiness?” visual (because Paula is a working mother):  http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/745/the-harried-life-of-the-working-mother

2.  Suggest good image sources other than Google: Flickr, photobucket, Artstor, and other Art/Art History databases, etc.

3.  Review “Guidelines of Illustrating Arguments” (Post to the class Blackboard account before class if you’re in a computer classroom; otherwise, distribute hard copies.)

4.  Ask a tech-savvy volunteer to demonstrate how to insert images and captions in Word. (Have the volunteer insert the publicity poster for The Ugly Truth into the “Guidelines for Illustrating Arguments” document.) Pods should collaborate and help one another do this as they work on their own mini- illustrated arguments.

5. Students create their own illustrated paragraph(s) about a stereotype that affects the way they see or the way others see them and post it (as a Word attachment) to a forum on Discussion Board.

Questions for Reflection

1. Ask students the review the postings of their pod members. Which of these mini-illustrated arguments is most interesting and effective? Why? Have a pod secretary answer these questions in a posted reply to the author of the best-in-pod.
2. Have students answer this question in a posted reply to their own illustrated argument: What did you learn about visual arguments that you can use for other assignments in this class or any other classes?

Follow-up exercises and applications to build on this workshop in later classes:

1. How to create charts, tables, and graphs using Word tools
2. How to format illustrations (and embed them within written text) using Word;
3. How to copy/save pictures from an article in PDF form;
4. Require students to illustrate at least one of the arguments that they present in a paper required for the course.

Guidelines for Illustrating Written Arguments

I. Introduction

Visuals can sometimes convey or illustrate points that are central to your argument better than words. Color photographs of melting glaciers and shrinking mountain snowcaps powerfully enhance Al Gore’s presentation of the “inconvenient truth” of global warming, for example, just as the dynamic charts designed by physics professor Tony Crider dramatically demonstrate grade inflation at Elon over the last 30 years. (See http://org.elon.edu/vizcult/Viz_Cult/Elon_Grades_with_Motion_Chart.html .)

Internet databases (free search engines like Google and Flickr and subscription databases such as Artstor, which is accessible through Elon’s library website) make it easy to locate and reproduce images. And software enables us to produce original graphics and insert images into the text of papers or PowerPoint presentations with a few clicks of the mouse.  As you research and write about a subject, be attentive to ways in which visuals—pictures, charts, tables, maps, cartoons, and so on—might advance your argument.  Be careful to incorporate graphics into a written text only when they serve a clear and explicit purpose, however. Otherwise, they’ll simply distract readers and waste space.

II. Criteria for illustrating an argument

In deciding about whether a written argument might be enhanced by illustration, consider these aspects of your rhetorical situation:

• Your subject: Is it visual in nature, such as an analysis of a magazine or television ad, an explanation of the difference between burqa and hijab in Islamic culture, or an interpretation of the strange Indian in Benjamin West’s painting, The Death of General Wolfe (1771)? Illustrations may help you to write effectively about subjects with strong visual dimensions.

• Your audience: Are you presenting data (e.g., the results of a survey or observational records) that you collected in research conducted for a psychology, sociology, biology, or environmental studies class?  Research data in the natural sciences, social sciences, and other academic disciplines are often most efficiently presented in a graph, chart, diagram, or table. Visuals are less common in many kinds of writing that you’ll do in the humanities, especially interpretations of print texts.

• The medium or form of your writing: Are you writing for a medium that typically includes visuals and/or audio components as well as written text, like the Internet? Presentational media like PowerPoint also lend themselves well to visuals.

III. Captioning and citing visual images

In academic writing, illustrations should be captioned with both numerical and descriptive labels. Captions should also cite the source of the illustration. For example, if you were to use the promotional poster for The Ugly Truth in a study of gender stereotyping in recent romantic comedies, the caption would be:

Fig. 1: Poster for The Ugly Truth (Sony Pictures, 2009).  Source: FilmOFilia. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. <http://www.filmofilia.com/2008/10/09/the-ugly-truth-movie-poster/>.

Required parts of this caption are:

1)      Numerical label: Fig.1. Fig. (short for figure) is used to label all illustrations  (pictures, maps, graphs, charts, etc.) except tables (which are labeled Table.)

2)      Descriptive label: Poster for The Ugly Truth (Sony Pictures, 2009).

3)      Source citation: Source: FilmOFilia. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. <http://www.filmofilia.com/2008/10/09/the-ugly-truth-movie-poster/>.

Other rules for using illustrations in academic writing:

• You must refer to the illustration within your text to clarify the connection between the image and your argument. In this case, for instance: “The promotional poster for The Ugly Truth (Figure 1) emphasizes the stereotypical assumption that women want love and men want sex.”
• Place the illustration as close as possible to your first reference to it.
• You do not need to repeat the citation for illustrations in your works-cited or references list.

If you are writing for a nonacademic audience, captions include a descriptive label and the source of the image. Using the same example, the full caption for The Ugly Truth graphic in a nonacademic piece of writing would be:

Poster for The Ugly Truth (Sony Pictures, 2009). Source: FilmOFilia <http://www.filmofilia.com/2008/10/09/the-ugly-truth-movie-poster/>.

In Chapter 9 of The Shame of the Nation, Jonathan Kozol issues an “invitation to resistance” to his readers. He asks, “What do we need to do to alter these realities?” (215). The specific reality Kozol refers to in this chapter is that of segregated—or apartheid—education in the United States. For Kozol, this is the root of all of the problems he writes about in chapters 1-8; solving the big problem of segregated schools would go far towards solving the problems found in those schools.

For this assignment, I invite you to propose a solution to one of the many problems with the U.S. school system. These problems can be ones identified by Kozol (from large to small) or ones you’ve identified as a participant in the U.S. educational system (and this applies even to private schools).

The best way to proceed through this assignment is to remain focused on Kozol’s question: What do we need to do to alter these realities?

1. 1. Conduct an analysis of your rhetorical situation:
   1. What is the specific “reality” you’re suggesting should be altered? What is the problem or need? You need to be able to describe it in your essay. You may also need to spend some time defending that it is, indeed, a problem (this would be an argument of fact, see Ch. 7 in Everything’s an Argument).
   2. Who is “we”? How will you position yourself as an authority? As someone who’s “been there” or who can speak partially from personal experience? As someone who has become an expert on the issue by conducting thorough research? What is your stake in the topic; in other words, how does exploring this issue serve your interests?
   3. Who is your ideal audience? Who needs to hear what you have to say? Who could benefit from the implementation of your solution? Who could help you implement the solution?
   4. What evidence should you collect? Where will you find details to support both the argument of fact and the validity or feasibility of your solution?
   5. What should be done? What is the hypothetical solution? Your thesis or claim will propose a practice or policy that will address the problem/need.
   6. Research all aspects of your topic. While your research should focus mostly on finding information that establishes the problem and supports your proposed solution, you may find that you need to research your audience to determine what information they may require to believe and act according to your argument.
      1. Consult (and ultimately include in your essay) at least 5 appropriate (scholarly, reliable, relevant) sources. See Ch. 16 and 19 in Everything’s an Argument for a discussion of sources.
      2. List and analyze these sources in an Annotated Bibliography, due Fri., Oct. 17. The Annotated Bibliography will be worth 10% of your course grade and will be independent of the grade for this assignment. See the Annotated Bibliography assignment for full instructions.
      3. Write a 8- to 10-page essay that presents your proposal. Follow the Guide to Writing a Proposal on p. 346-350 in Everything’s an Argument.

Proposal Argument’s relationship to course objectives

The Proposal Argument meets all course objectives, including the third: the development of an appreciation for the capacity of writing to change the world. This assignment also will provide you with the experiences of conducting library and online research, and—by analyzing, interpreting, researching, synthesizing, and evaluating a wide variety of sources—using this source material to support an argument.

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Annotated Bibliography for Proposal Argument

Due Fri., Oct. 17       10% of grade

A bibliography is the generic title of the list of sources included in an essay. An annotated bibliography includes two elements: the publication information for each source (author, title, date, etc.) plus a description and, sometimes, an interpretation or evaluation of the contents of the source.

Annotating your sources is useful for several reasons: you get an overview of the topic; you see connections between ideas presented in each source; you can see where holes may exist in your research, and consequently where you may need to conduct more research; you have a record of what you read, so that it’s easy to instantly see which source will be appropriate for supporting particular claims in your essay; and your summarize or paraphrase of all of part of the source can sometimes be used directly in your essay. Professors typically assign annotated bibliography assignments to determine the following about your research process: you are able to choose high-quality sources that are appropriate for the assignment; you are able to effectively comprehend and evaluate sources; and you are able to summarize, paraphrase, and analyze ideas presented by others. Audiences (or readers) rely on annotated bibliographies to locate and evaluate potential sources for their own arguments.

Assignment: Create an annotated bibliography for each source you selected to use for your Proposal Argument (You are required to use a minimum of 5 sources. Feel free to read and use more than 5 sources; however, you must include all sources in your annotated bibliography.).

What’s included

1. A title that reflects your proposal argument.
2. A statement of scope: An introduction of about two paragraphs that explains your topic.
3. Complete MLA-style publication information for each source.
4. A description of each source: A one-paragraph, unbiased summary of the major claim(s) presented in the source.
5. Relevant commentary on each source: A one-paragraph rhetorical analysis and evaluation of each source that indicates some discussion of how the source relates to your topic and/or purpose, what the author’s stance on the subject is, how credible the source is, and other relevant information about the author and audience, or the effectiveness of the source’s appeals, claims, and/or evidence (see Ch. 5 in Everything’s an Argument).

Organization: The annotated bibliography is organized alphabetically by the last name of the author or editor of each source.  Parts 3, 4, and 5 will be grouped by source in the following manner: Source 1: Publication information [space/new paragraph], description [new paragraph], and commentary [new paragraph]; then do the same for Source 2, and so forth.

The role of careful reading: Reading your sources carefully ensures that you will create a good annotated bibliography; reading carelessly will ensure the opposite outcome. Be sure you fully understand the source’s argument or claim. Take notes as you read, for two purposes:

• Locate and “save” ideas that you can use as evidence in your essay.
• Indicate parts of the text that will help support your evaluation and rhetorical analysis of the source.

In other words, be aware that you are reading both for information for your annotated bibliography and for evidence for your Proposal Essay.

Annotated Bibliography’s relationship to course objectives

The Annotated Bibliography should help you develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship of purpose, audience, and voice, and an awareness that writing expectations and conventions vary within the academy and in professional and public discourse. The assignment also will provide you with the experiences of analyzing, interpreting, researching, synthesizing, and evaluating a wide variety of sources, as well as writing to an academic audience.

Annotated Bibliography Grading Rubric

	Does Not Meet Assignment Requirements	Poor	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Statement of Scope Explains your proposal (your reason for conducting research) Describes the problem and the tentative solution At least two paragraphs
Annotation: Description Describes or summarizes each source, including information about argument, purpose, or relevant evidence At least one complete paragraph
Annotation: Evaluation/Analysis Discusses how the source relates to proposal topic and/or purpose, what the author’s stance on the subject is, how credible the source is, and other relevant information about the author and audience Evaluates the effectiveness of the source’s appeals, claims, and/or evidence At least one complete paragraph
MLA Documentation Includes complete and correct MLA-style publication information for each source. Sources/annotations are listed in alphabetical order
Research Quality and Sources Sources are reliable and relevant (and, if not, this is made clear in the annotation) Includes at least 5 sources
Spelling, Grammar, Style, Formatting, and Other Details Uses third-person perspective and formal tone Diction is precise and appropriate Syntax is clear and correct

Annotated Bibliography and Initial Research – Taking Stock of What You Learned

*in-class activity completed on day the annotated bibliography is turned in

Like any other type of writing—or invention/planning for writing—conducting research is a type of learning. Research is not simply a means to an ends (in the form of a writing assignment); more importantly, it is a chance to learn something new or clarify what you think about your subject. If you can learn to approach research as a learning activity, rather than simply an information-gathering activity, it will seem less burdensome and much more engaging.

Now that you’ve collected 5 sources for your proposal, it’s time to step back and think about what you’ve learned—about both your subject and about writing. To do so, please answer the following questions:

1. What did you learn about your subject?
2. How and why has your topic changed based on what you learned?
3. Is there anything that you still need to learn about your subject in order to complete the proposal essay? If so, try to frame this missing information in the form of a question (this will help you figure out how to proceed with more research).
4. What did you learn about conducting research, in general?
5. What did you learn about working with different types of sources material or evidence?
6. What else do you need to know about conducting research or working with source material in order to complete the proposal essay?
7. What resources did you rely on to help you with parts of the annotated bibliography assignment that you did not understand or know how to do? These resources might include your textbook, a website, the writing center, a peer reviewer, your past experience with a similar assignment, etc. How helpful were these resources?

Proposal Reflection

*submitted with completed assignment

Please answer each question below thoroughly and honestly. Submit the reflection with your Proposal Essay.

1. What about your work on this assignment are you most proud of?
2. What audience did you identify for your proposal? Why? How?
3. How did you attempt to address this audience in your essay?
4. How did you decide what evidence (from sources or from personal experience) to use?
5. What kind of feedback did you get on your essay (peer review, review by Prof. Patch, a friend, the writing center, etc.)? How did this feedback help you in the process of writing this document? What advice from your reviewers did you use? What advice did you not use? Why?
6. What part (s) of the writing process do you think helped you the most (pick as many as apply)?
   1. Invention (coming up with a topic, collecting sources, deciding on an audience)
   2. Drafting (organizing the ideas and elaborating on them by writing)
   3. Reviewing (giving and receiving peer review, feedback from Prof. Patch or Writing Center)
   4. Revising (refining ideas, incorporating peer or other advice)
   5. Editing (fine-tuning)
7. Why and how did this part (or parts) of the writing process help?
8. What did you learn during the process of writing the proposal—about your subject or about writing, or about both?
9. Optional: What else do I need to know about your experience creating this assignment?

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Proposal Essay Peer Review

*Italicized questions should be answered within the text using Microsoft Word’s Comments or Track Changes functions

Introduction:

Does the introduction define the subject, provide context, and engage the reader in some way? What are the strengths of the introduction? What would you suggest to improve the introduction?

Body:

• Has the problem been clearly defined? If not, what information is needed?
• Is the problem specific and focused? If not, what do you suggest the author do to make it more specific or focused?
• Is there enough evidence to support that the problem does, in fact, exist and that it needs to be addressed with a solution? What is the best piece of evidence (highlight this in the document)? If more evidence is needed, what do you think needs to be added?
• Is the proposed solution clearly stated? If not, what information is needed or how should the solution be reworded?
• Is the solution specific and focused? Does it clearly address the problem defined earlier in the essay? If not, what suggestions do you have for the author to make it more specific and focused?
• Is there enough evidence to support the solution as being feasible, practical, or the best out of several alternatives? What is the best piece of evidence (highlight this in the document)? If more evidence is needed, what do you think needs to be added?
• Is the essay organized effectively? Does the order of the information make sense? Are there clear transitions between claims/ideas? Does it build up to the solution or to the conclusion? Check to see that the author has organized his or her evidence around ideas/claims and not by piece of evidence. If the organization seems ineffective, indicate where the problems are and what suggestions you have for improvement.

Evidence and documentation:

• Is the evidence for both the problem and the solution (stories, quotes/paraphrases from sources) introduced and fully explained?
  • Remember: Introduce the evidence>Provide the evidence>Explain how the evidence supports the point being made in the paragraph.
  • If the evidence does not include all of the above, indicate this to the author and offer suggestions for ways he/she can fix it.
• Are all quotations introduced with signal phrases (“Smith argues,”) and ended with in-text citations? Do the quotes blend smoothly with the author’s own words? If not, try to fix them for the author.

Conclusion:

• Does the conclusion discuss the implications of implementing or not implementing the proposed solution (if this problem is/is not solved, then ­­­­_______)? If not, suggest ways the author can add this.
• Does the conclusion include a call for action (a statement of what the audience should do)? If not, suggest ways the author can state this.

Overall:

Mechanics and form aside, what do you think of the author’s proposal idea? Write your answer in a note at the end of the draft.

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Proposal Essay Grading Rubric                                                                                                       Grade:

	Does Not Meet Requirements	Poor	Average	Above Average	Excellent
Introduction Defines the subject Provides relevant context Engages the reader
Conclusion Discusses implications of implementing the solution Calls for action
Argument/Thesis Thesis centers on the solution, not on the problem Solution is clearly defined and focused (not too broad)
Problem Discussion Problem is clearly defined and focused (not too broad) Provides evidence that problem exists and should be addressed
Solution Discussion Solution clearly addresses the problem Provides evidence that solution is feasible, practical, or the best of several alternatives
Organization Problem>Solution Organized by claims (ideas) not by evidence Clear transitions between claim (paragraphs) and ideas (sentences) Ordered logically
Use of Source Material Source material integrated smoothly into sentences and paragraphs Source material introduced and fully explained Source material documented correctly in MLA style
Spelling, Grammar, Style, Formatting, and Other Details Uses third-person perspective and formal tone Diction is precise and appropriate Syntax is clear and correct
General Expectations Includes at least 5 sources   ____ Includes essay reflection     ____ Sources are reliable and relevant ___