The purpose of the prewriting assignment is to set clear expectations for future assignments and discussions. By providing detailed instructions, students understand what to expect in upcoming tasks. We begin by reading a short story, which indicates that this course will be reading-intensive. Additionally, a secondary link offers further information about the story and its author, allowing us to deepen our understanding. The assignment also includes guidance on developing a strong thesis, correctly inserting quotes, and understanding proper structure through a brief video and an accessible MLA guide. The thesis-building PowerPoint outlines a thesis and its purpose and provides examples to help students distinguish between a strong and weak thesis. The “Inserting Quotes” PowerPoint gives clear instructions on incorporating quotes effectively in essays, and setting clear standards. Lastly, the video on the importance of structure emphasizes that having good content is not enough; the ability to follow instructions is crucial. We are also provided with essay directions that act as a guide and an example of a student paper utilizing the directions from the previous document.
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4 thoughts on “Nada (Nan) Abushami Week 1 Discussion”
Nan, you’ve covered it all in this response! Of particular concern to me is the reading and following of directions for assignments. Essays for this class will be multi-layered and involve independent, critical thinking. The first written essays will be informed by this pre-writing assignment. Students will not be able to complete the written work, which comes next week, wiithout a full understanding of the pre-writing materials. (Looks like you will not have any problem). As you note in your post, this first assignment sets the expectations for all work in this class.
Hi Nada, the aim of the prewriting is indeed to establish clear expectations for our future assignments and discussions. The guidelines provided in Week 1 offer insights into what we can anticipate during this course. As you pointed out, it will be a course with a lot of reading. Writing a strong thesis statement and citing in MLA will be required for all essays. I think there is a pattern showing such as, reading the short story, researching the author, developing strong thesis statements, etc.
Hi Nada, the prewriting does help us prepare for our future writing assignments. We can get ideas for how to write this essay by looking at the student sample essay that is offered on the weekly pages. The prewriting offers guidelines for what are needed to be written before the final essay, which aids in our ability to write more efficiently and smoothly. It offers an outline for developing an appealing thesis and statement.
Hello Nan, I agree with your analysis of the prewriting assignment. It certainly sets a clear standard on the type of essays we can expect to write throughout the semester. The reading assignments and links are a strong indicator of what we can expect to review in our weekly assignments. Alongside this, I believe the very detailed guides and PowerPoints will be beneficial in strengthening our writing skills as well as formatting our future work.