Designing an assignment sequence?1
NOTE TO SELF: I want to ADD SOMETHING about making sure an assignment identifies focal skills/concepts and
whether the instructor will attend to some things in evaluation and not others (i.e. the high order stuff—thesis,
argument, and support; the middle order stuff—organization, transitions, framing; and lower order stuff—mechanics,
style, formatting)
Think about your assignment sequence as a logical progression.
Assignment sequences may follow one or more logical progressions. The later assignments would typically require more
sophistication and independent work of the student, building upon skills and confidence earned with the earlier assignments. The
instructor should consider, when devising a sequence, these progressions2:

Minimal research required  substantial research required3

Instructor provides much of the structure (more scaffolding)  Instructor provides minimal structure (more studentdriven)

Writing for peers, class mates  writing for scholars in a particular field

Aiming to inform to analyze to persuade

Increasing complexity: writing a narrative based upon observation  writing an essay that contributes to a ongoing
scholarly conversation
What are the typical characteristics of sequences in WRTG 100 and WRTG 101? How are they similar? How
are they different?
WRTG 100
WRTG 101
The assignment sequences (if not the individual assignments) in both WRTG 100 and 101 should:

help students to see the opportunities for transfer (where and how they may use what they’ve learned in College Writing in their other classes and beyond).

build upon critical reading skills that grow from the class’s reading and discussion of the course texts

require sophistication…challenge students to move beyond false dualities and simplistic argumentation of (some) high school writing
The assignment sequence in WRTG 100 should help students to

see essay writing as a process

begin to establish themselves as critical thinkers

distinguish between observation and argument

think in terms of thesis, of intellectual contribution

see themselves as capable of joining scholarly conversations

identify and interact with scholarly sources and quality popular
sources
The assignment sequence in WRTG 101 should challenge students to

understand an assignment clearly from the beginning and then set in motion
the process learned in WRTG 100

locate discussions that are scholarly in scope and intellectual value

see the opportunities to contribute to those discussions

reach for sophistication in choices of topic, approach, and research

develop knowledge of the course content/theme through the assignment—in
other words, the assignment sequence should foster academic inquiry into the
course theme
See the CWP Faculty Handbook for …..
However, there is precedent also for putting the most time-consuming and sophisticated assignment in the middle of the semester (for example, to
allow students plenty of time to complete that most important assignment, and to allow for some levity and/or play in the final assignment)
3 These progressions were inspired by “Models and Criteria for Sequencing Writing Assignments” (LINK)
1
2
Examples
This table presents a broad overview of possible sequences. A sequence of three assignments per class is typical but
certainly not required.
Course
WRTG 100
WRTG 101 Sample A4
1.
2.
1st Essay
assignment
What is it?
A narrative that requires some reflection
and/or analysis of an issue or situation: e.g.
“write about a time when you’ve had to
confront/respond to something that makes
many people your age uncomfortable.”
-orA research-based response to an easily
observed (but perhaps under-scrutinized)
phenomenon: e.g. “investigate, analyze, and
write about the acronym “YOLO”
What is the rationale?
A ‘hit the ground running’ assignment,
perhaps with some research required. It
allows students to begin writing within first
few class meetings, allows the instructor to
focus heavily on teaching writing as a
process, and on thesis building, organization,
and audience awareness.
What is it?
2nd Essay
Assignment
What is it?
A Textual Synthesis that tasks students with
bringing together multiple texts to create and
join a conversation about the course theme or
a field of study (e.g. fantasy/science fiction,
political punditry, food, or the business of
sports). Students collect published works that
reflect both the cutting edge and the historical
progression of the field of study, and then
they develop a claim of their own about the
intersections of the texts.
What is the rationale?
This assignment “launch[es] the semester by
immersing students in one of them ore
conceptual yet complicated academic
discussions about the course theme. It
require[s] them to analyze individual texts,
synthesize them carefully, and find a place
among them, intellectually. The essay itself
[draws] upon their fall skills of building an
argument-driven essay and integrating and
3.
engaging with sources.”
What is it?
An Annotated Bibliography and Proposal
for the 3rd assignment of the semester.
Students settle upon topics that suit the
course theme, devise research questions,
collect and evaluate sources (perhaps from a
prescribed list of source types), and then
propose a direction and working thesis.
What is the rationale?
What is the rationale?
Building upon the class’s instruction in
information literacy, students should be
ready to investigate complex and interesting
topics. An assignment like this encourages
exploration and the seeking of opportunities
to contribute to those topics (instead of fasttracking the regurgitation of information).
3rd Essay
Assignment
4.
What is it?
A Feature-Style Researched Essay of 8-12
pages. This would be the fruition of the
Annotated Bibliography and Proposal. The
essay would engage a topic and contribute to
it; it would make the topic matter to readers
and offer a solution, resolution, or fresh
point of view.
What is the rationale?
4
The required length and scope of this essay
will challenge students to sustain an
argument and support it through reason and
interaction with published sources. The
feature style component can underscore the
intellectual value of “popular” writing and
dash the common assumption that academic
essays must be dull and inaccessible.
This progression is adapted ffrom Prof. Charles Cox
What is it?
What is the rationale?
WRTG 101 Sample B
-------From Previous draft
1. Field-Research Essay
Many course themes have field-research
potential (polls, surveys, observation,
interviews, etc.). This first assignment
could get students out ‘in the field’ to
gather some primary data, interpret it,
use it Style
to make
an argument.
2. Researchedand
Feature
Essay
The culminating and cumulative essay
assignment of the semester (perhaps
even of the 2-semester sequence).
Naturally, it would be theme-inspired.
The following “process assignments”
would give you the opportunity to
reinforce the importance of the scholarly
moves that you’ve been teaching since
the beginning of 100.
Curiosity Papers
…requiring students to propose 3
possible topic ideas, identifying for each
idea exigencies and possibilities for the
student to contribute.
Literature Review
Investigating scholarship on the topic
ideas…finding connections,
disagreements, and opportunities for
contribution.
Annotated Bibliography and Proposal
…finally narrowing to one topic and
working thesis…proposing an approach
and methodology …presenting and
assessing the value and viability of set of
sources (sources that meet specified
criteria meant to mandate breadth)