Grossmont College
English 98: English Fundamentals
Instructor: Sydney Brown
This Boy’s [or Girl’s] Life
Assignment for Essay #2 (100 points)
IMPORTANT DATES
THURSDAY, MARCH 14: No class meeting. Use today to draft your
essay.
DUE TUESDAY, MARCH 19: Bring three copies of your narrative essay
in response to the prompt below for Peer Workshop (20 points). Draft
should be at least two pages in length and in MLA format (which includes
double spacing). For the Peer Workshop only, you may print on both
sides of the page.
DUE THURSDAY, MARCH 21: Revised narrative essay. Please staple one draft from Peer Workshop
behind your revision before coming to class.
THE PROMPT
After a close and critical reading of Tobias Wolff’s “Fortune” from This Boy’s Life (1-7),
you are in a position to write your own Wolff-style narrative about a significant journey
or a trip you have taken.
• Keep in mind the different formal writing moves (rhetorical strategies) Wolff makes and think
about how you might use them as you develop your own narrative.
• Be sure to use vivid concrete details to illustrate the personalities of the persons in your
narrative as well as what those traits reveal about the environment, class, family, and feelings.
• Keep in mind our discussion of the main idea(s) conveyed by Wolff ‘s piece, as you should have
something to communicate as well. In other words, your writing should illustrate a theme/main
idea, either directly stated or implied, about the journey.
GUIDELINES
Format your paper according to MLA standards and use no more than 750 words, approximately
three double-spaced, typed pages.
2
Literary Arts Festival English 98 Writing Contest
EVALUATIVE CRITERIA
Reading
o Is the paper a direct response to the prompt?
Grammar
o Is the narrative relatively free of errors in spelling, punctuation, mechanics, and
grammar? For this assignment, work to avoid fragments and run-ons: comma splices
and fused sentences.
Writing
o Has the author used the writing process to develop a narrative with clear, coherent
paragraphs, supported by adequate detail, to directly state or imply a thesis/main
idea?
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSED
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME
READING
GRAMMAR
WRITING
1. Comprehend various test questions and
writing prompts.
2. Paraphrase and summarize both student and
professional writing.
1. Identify and repair common sentence
problems such as, but not limited to, comma
splices, run-ons, fragments, subject-verb
agreement errors, ambiguous pronoun
references, and pronoun agreement errors.
1. Compose sentences using the four basic
sentence patterns (simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex), subordinating minor
ideas using dependent clauses and
emphasizing major ideas using independent
clauses.
2. Understand and use the writing process
(invention, drafting, revising, editing, and
reflection) to develop clear, coherent
paragraphs controlled by topic sentences,
supported with adequate detail, completed with
appropriate conclusions, and utilizing various
rhetorical patterns.
3. Recognize and apply the basic principles of
grammar, punctuation, and mechanics to their
own writing.
4. Create a multi-paragraph composition
containing a thesis, body paragraphs with topic
sentences, content developed with adequate
supporting material, transitions, and an
appropriate conclusion.
THIS BOY’S [OR GIRL’S] LIFE WRITING PROJECT
•
•
•
The Prompt: Evaluative Criteria, Reading (comprehend
writing prompt)
2nd Read Discussion Question, Content #5 (summary of
professional writing)
The Prompt, Evaluative Criteria, Grammar (repair)
•
The Prompt: Evaluative Criteria, Writing (probably simple and
compound)
•
The Prompt: Evaluative Criteria, Writing (response to prompt)
•
The Prompt: Evaluative Criteria, Grammar
•
The Prompt: Evaluative Criteria, Writing (Wolff-style narrative:
implied or stated thesis/main idea)