Peer Collaboration Drafts due: Thursday, February 26th (bring four copies of your working draft with
you to class on 2/26
Writing Center Signature Sheet Due to be Completed: Tuesday, March 3rd
Final Draft Due: Thursday, March 5th
 Turn in previous drafts and prewriting/brainstorming work with your final draft.
WR301 – Introduction to Basic Writing
S. Bereiter Spring 2015
FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2: Exploring a Personal Connection with Language
In the essay “Mommy, What Does Nigger Mean?”, readers see the kind of oppression, judgment, and
prejudice that one might expect after reading the title. However, Gloria Nayor also points to how this word is
used in different contexts and by different people—each with its own nuanced meaning. One larger purpose
that we can take from this essay is that it is not the dictionary that shapes the definitions of words; it is the
people that use them.
Assignment: For our second formal writing assignment, compose and craft one focused paragraph that uses
description and an extended example to illustrate your personal definition of one word. Your definition
should be unique to you and your experience/perspective, and your extended example should illustrate this
experience/perspective. Part of your goal is to show your readers how and why the word you have chosen
means what it means to you.
Organization: Your paragraph should begin with a clear and focused topic sentence that guides your reader
into the rest of the paragraph. Within the paragraph, you should include a specific and detailed anecdote or
extended example that illustrates the personal meaning that you connect with this word. Within this extended
example, remember to include description and effective word choice (as discussed and practiced with the
first formal writing assignment). The descriptive language you use should create an appropriate tone that
expresses your attitude toward your experience and/or toward this word. The final sentence of your
paragraph should offer a concluding idea.
Grading Criteria:
Excellent
Paragraph offers a focused and
controlling topic sentence that guides
the reader into the rest of the paragraph
Effective use of an illustrative extended
example/anecdote
Offers a clear connection between the
extended example/anecdote and the
larger purpose/focus of the paragraph
Effective use of specific/descriptive
language like effective word choice and
metaphor
Effective and appropriate use of tone
Paragraph offers a purposeful
concluding statement of significance
Clear and appropriate sentence
structure
Contains few spelling, syntax, wordusage or punctuation errors
Follows the standards of MLA
formatting
Above
Average
Satisfactory
Below Average /
Deficient
WR301 – Introduction to Basic Writing
S. Bereiter
Formal Writing Assignment 2 Writing Center Signature Sheet
Spring 2015
DUE: This WR380 signature sheet must be completed by Tuesday, March 3rd. Remember that your
Writing Center conference must be completed by this date, otherwise 10 points will be deducted from
your final grade for the assignment. There will be no exceptions to this rule, so don’t wait until the last
minute!
When you go to the Writing Center in Room B353 for your formal conference, take with you the
assignment directions and this signature form, and the writing you have completed for the writing
assignment thus far (brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, etc.). Check in at the counter, sign in the
conference request sheet and be prepared to wait to see a tutor. When the tutor calls your name, have
your papers ready so that you can get started quickly with the conference. Tell the tutor what you’ve
been asked to do, where you are in the assignment so far, and what you do or do not understand. It is
especially important to use this conference to help you with any challenges you might be having with
the assignment. Listen to the tutor’s feedback as a reader of your writing. Ask questions when there are
things you don’t understand. Remember that you are the writer. A reader’s feedback is important to
consider, but you are ultimately the one that must decide what to do with that feedback.
You may only have a few short minutes to work with a tutor, so make the most of your time by carefully
reviewing you work and determining what, specifically, you would like help with.
1. In the space below, identify two specific concerns (your topic sentence, incorporating description,
building your extended example/anecdote, brainstorming, organization, flow, clarity, how you conclude,
etc.) you have about your paragraph and why you want to discuss these with the tutor:
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WR380 Instructor Signature:______________________________________ Date:_________________
2. After your meeting with the WR280 tutor, what did you learn and how do you plan to do to revise
your draft?
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