English 1101 Fall 2005
Assignments (Allow for changes) 1
English 1101 Syllabus
As presented at April 2nd workshop
Text: Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed.
ISBN: 0-13-170766-3
1. REMEMBERING ASSIGNMENT (135) Write an essay about your
memory of an important person, place, and/or event in your life.
Your purpose is to recall and then use specific examples and
sensory detail that recreate this memory and show why it was
important to you for a small audience of good friends who are
interested in your life.
2. OBSERVING ASSIGNMENT (79) Do a piece of writing in which you
observe a specific person, place, object or event. You goal is to show how specific,
observed details create dominant ideas about the person, place, object, or event. Your
initial purpose is to use your writing to help you observe, discover, and learn about your
subject; your final purpose will be to show your reader what you have seen and learned.
Important: Repeated observation is essential. Choose some limited subject—a person or
small group of people, a specific place, a single object or animal, or a recurring event—that
you can reobserve over a period of several days during the writing process
3. EVALUATING (PLAY REVIEW) ASSIGNMENT (396) Evaluate a performance of [a current COD
play]. State an overall claim about the play, give basic facts about the performance, choose
criteria most people would accept in a play review, state a judgment for each criterion,
support each judgment with evidence and balance your evaluation with both positive and
negative judgments about your subject. Approximately 1 double-spaced page.
4. RESPONDING TO LITERATURE (PLAY INTERPRETATION) ASSIGNMENT (594) Write an analysis in
which you focus on a single, clearly defined interpretation of [a current COD play]. Consult
the Study Guide for good directions to take. Be sure the aspect you choose has my
approval. Show which specific characters, events, conflicts, images, or themes prompted
your interpretation. Include at least three quotes from the play.
5. INVESTIGATING ASSIGNMENT (272-3) Investigate an academic major, a career, or a job you
are interested in. Research your major or career on the Internet and in the library. Plan to
interview an adviser, a friend who majors in the field, or a person who works at that job.
Then report your findings to a specific audience, presenting the information you find, not
arguing for or against any idea or plan.
6. PROBLEM SOLVING ASSIGNMENT (443) Select a problem that you believe needs a solution.
Narrow and focus the problem and choose an appropriate audience. Describe the problem
and, if necessary, demonstrate for your audience that it needs a solution. State your
solution and justify it with reasons and evidence. Where appropriate, weigh alternative
solutions, examine the feasibility of your own solution, and answer objections to your
solution.
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc
English 1101 Fall 2005
Class
Assignments (Allow for changes) 2
Homework
Week 1
Syllabus
REMEMBERING ASSIGNMENT 135
Introduce memoir essay as a genre. Have
students read 1-2 pages of Helen Keller
essay and identify features (work on task
in groups).
REMEMBERING: FINDING A TOPIC
Class brainstorm topics focusing on events,
people, places.
How to shape and organize an essay based on
memory. How do these kinds of essays
begin and end? How do they create an
impact on the reader?
REMEMBERING: FINDING A TOPIC
Read PHG Chapter 4, pages 104-112.
Complete two of the “Warming Up”
journal exercises on pp. 112-113,
writing at least one full page in
response to each.
Read pages 135-143. Read the student
work on pages 147-153.
Choose two possible subjects for your
memoir essay—see 135-136
REMEMBERING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Experiment with the three “Collecting”
strategies described on pages
136-37. Try all three strategies for
each of your topics.
Read “Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is
the Self,” by Alice Walker, PHG pp.
126-133 [personal essay]. Be
prepared for an in-class
assignment based on this reading
and on questions 3-5 on pp. 134.
Week 2
REMEMBERING: DRAFTING
In-class assignment based on Walker essay.
Draft-in-progress workshop
Prepare for peer review; discuss evaluation
criteria for this assignment.
REMEMBERING: REVISING AND EDITING
Introduce peer review with sample student essay.
Peer review
REMEMBERING: ORGANIZING/ DRAFTING
Select your memoir subject and narrow/
focus as much as you need to.
Write a plan for your essay—this could be
an outline, but it doesn’t have to
be. Work with the suggestions
under “Organizing,” pages 138-43.
Going by your plan, write about a page (or
about a third) of your first draft.
Bring it to class (does not have to
be typed, but should be readable
by another student).
Essay draft due. Typed, double-spaced, no
more than four pages. Put your
name on each page. Print your
essay before class. Back up your
file or disk. Bring disk to class.
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc
English 1101 Fall 2005
Assignments (Allow for changes) 3
Week 3
Essay revision due
Complete Postscript Writing in class. Debrief
writing process successes and concerns.
Read “Revising and Editing” on pp. 144-46
before Revising and Editing.
Essay revision due
OBSERVING ASSIGNMENT 79
OBSERVING: FINDING A TOPIC (79-81)
Wolf or wild animal experiences shared by class 1
OBSERVING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Techniques for writing about observations—54-55
Class observation exercise (e.g. Journal #1, 60)
OBSERVING: TOPIC & COLLECTING
“Observing Wolves,” [personal essay] 6978, vocabulary & questions 1, 2, 4
OBSERVING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
1st set of observation notes for paper 81-83
Week 4
OBSERVING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Discuss “Observing Wolves”
OBSERVING: ORGANIZING
Dominant idea 55
Small group observation of unusual objects to
discern function (Teacher’s ed. 57)
Students share observation notes and search for
focus.
Organizing 83-88—Class makes visual maps of
these organizational strategies
Title, intro, conclusion 88-89
OBSERVING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
2nd set of focused observation notes 81-83
OBSERVING: ORGANIZING
2 maps for paper using different
organizational strategies, for
example, compare/contrast and
narrative, or definition and
classification
OBSERVING: DRAFTING
1st Version Observing Paper, 2 copies
Week 5
OBSERVING: REVISING AND EDITING
Peer response 91 and mini-conferences
ASSIGNMENT FOR EVALUATING 396
EVALUATING: FINDING A TOPIC
Techniques for Writing Evaluations 363,
Evaluating Performances 370
Introduction to plays using video from Literary
Visions series
Discussion of differences between plays and
movies
1
OBSERVING: REVISING AND EDITING
Revision 90-93, Postscript on the Writing
Process 93
Manuscript format 617
EVALUATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
“Peter Jackson’s Sorcery” (Review of Lord
of the Rings movie adaptation)
371-374
Disney’s Wolves is based on this story—a short clip might introduce topic and reading assignment
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc
English 1101 Fall 2005
Assignments (Allow for changes) 4
Week 6
 Observing Portfolio due
OBSERVING: REVISING AND EDITING Grammar
correction
EVALUATING: ORGANIZING
Discussion of “Peter Jackson’s Sorcery”
emphasizing criteria and judgments
included in a play review
EVALUATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Brainstorm questions for production member(s) of
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble [who will visit
your class if you ask them.]
Questions and answers from BTE—either before
the first performance, or on a class visit
EVALUATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Report on the talk by the BTE. Include
names, comments about set,
lighting, sound, the question you
asked and their answer and
anything else of interest or helpful
for your papers
LITERATURE & EVALUATING: COLLECTING
View play and save program and ticket
stub
Read script 2(literature)—answer study
questions provided by Buffalo
Theatre Ensemble
Week 7
EVALUATING: ORGANIZING
Techniques for Writing Evaluations 363 Analysis
of “Peter Jackson’s Sorcery” for
organizational and stylistic features of
reviews
In-class writing of review introduction
LITERATURE ASSIGNMENT 594
LITERATURE: FINDING A TOPIC
Discussion of study questions to understand play
and generate ideas for writing topics
Topic mini-conferences
LITERATURE: ORGANIZING
Class analysis of “A Singular Perpetuation” 603605 (academic writing) for features of
academic writing that students should use
in their own writing
Using quotations, works cited 655-673; quotations
from drama (MLA Manual)
DRAFTING, REVISING AND EDITING 405-406
Write Play Review for next class
LITERATURE: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Script annotation
LITERATURE: DRAFTING
1st Version of Play Interpretation with 2
hard copies
Week 8
 Play Review due
LITERATURE: REVISING AND EDITING
Peer response and mini conferences
INVESTIGATING ASSIGNMENT 272-3
INVESTIGATING: FINDING A TOPIc
“Why I Am Choosing _____ as My Career” free
write & class sharing
Key investigative question
Mini conferences (set up office appointments for
those who need and/or want them)
INVESTIGATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Interviewing 279-280
Practice interview--Journals # 1 & 7 241-242
INVESTIGATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
“Plotting a Net Gain” (journalism) 245-251,
Questions 1 & 3
Interview someone with first-hand
knowledge of your career
Formulate questions, set up interviews
244-247
Report on interview
2
If you decide to use the assignment with a play as I have done, you can require students to purchase
the script. Check on Amazon. Dramatists Play Service publishes plays for @ $7.00.
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc
English 1101 Fall 2005
Assignments (Allow for changes) 5
Week 9
 Play Interpretation Portfolio due
REVISING AND EDITING Grammar corrections
Interview report due
INVESTIGATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Quotation, summary, citation 277-279; 655-673
Library Orientation with a focus on career
information
INVESTIGATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Make photocopies of 2-3 library sources
that answer your investigative
question 247-249
Source Report #1 Write a journal reporting
on what you found in your best
source. Incorporate at least 2
quotations and 2 summaries from
the source, and end with a Work
Cited page. 249
Week 10
Source Report #1 due
INVESTIGATING: ORGANIZING
Investigating techniques 227
Introduction, lead in, conclusion, title 284-285.
Bring in professional samples of classic
leads (pages 340-346) and “catchy” titles.
Have students identify strategies and
practice their own.
Mini conferences
Paraphrasing
Works Cited 629
INVESTIGATING: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Source Report #2 Write a journal
reporting on what you found in a
second source. Incorporate at
least 2 paraphrases from the
source, and end with a Work Cited
page.
INVESTIGATING: DRAFTING
1st version of Investigating paper
Week 11
Source Report #2 due
INVESTIGATING: REVISING AND EDITING
Peer response and mini conferences 286
Documentation 655-673
INVESTIGATING: REVISING AND EDITING
Revision 287; Postscript on the Writing
Process 287-288
Week 12
 Investigating Portfolio due
REVISING AND EDITING Grammar corrections
PROBLEM SOLVING ASSIGNMENT 4433
PROBLEM SOLVING: FINDING A TOPIc 420-426
Analyze the softball visual 428; do some journal
exercises from pages 427-8 and read the
sample guidelines and accompanying
essays for “Demonstrating That a
Problem Exists” and “Proposing a
Solution and Convincing Your Readers”
424-426
PROBLEM SOLVING: TOPIC AND COLLECTING
Brainstorm ideas for topics and make notes about
identifying the problem and possible
solutions and about their audience and
context of their problem
Mini conferences
3
PROBLEM SOLVING: DRAFTING
Write a first draft of your essay
PROBLEM SOLVING: REVISING
Read one of the student or professional
essays by Berube 429
(journalism), Tannen 436, Busch
456 (journalism), or Cook
462(academic)
This section of the syllabus was contributed by the textbook author, Stephen Reid
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc
English 1101 Fall 2005
Assignments (Allow for changes) 6
Week 13
PROBLEM SOLVING: ORGANIZING AND REVISING
Students compare their drafts and plans to the
assigned essay. How are these essays
organized? Where do the writers identify
the problem? Where do they propose
their solution? Who is the audience and
what is the context for their solution?
After students read the professional
and/or student essays they can look at
their own drafts and begin to revise.
PROBLEM SOLVING: REVISING
Revision workshop 452, Guidelines for Revising
453
PROBLEM SOLVING: REVISING AND EDITING
Revise draft
Week 14
PROBLEM SOLVING: REVISING AND EDITING
Students bring revised draft, do proofreading and
editing in class, and write a postscript
455. Then they hand in the paper
Week 15
Conferences and end-of-quarter activities
 I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live. FRANÇOISE SAGAN 
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 7th ed. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice, 2006.
02/16/16 Sykes 1101f05.doc