Due October 28, 2011
Talking to you about writing about American Sign Language (ASL) doesn’t make you better writers.
You learn to write about ASL by writing about ASL.
Therefore: You should write more about ASL.
This is a syllogism that catches the great dilemma of my teaching ASL in a nutshell. I am fully aware that the predicament cries out for an approach to ASL that is simple, is relatively convenient, and works. I know you wrote reaction cards about various class activities which leads me to this following syllogism:
As ASL students, you write more, much more, than you ever did before during an equivalent span of class time.
You write reaction cards with little hassle, at least compared to other classes you are attending.
Your writing about ASL shall be more interesting to read.
I do look forward to reading your essay, a luxury that I, for one, have enjoyed all too often during my professoriate career.
To begin your essay writing, let me take you where you are. I will subscribe to this starting point, without being very clear about what it means or why you are brushing up ASL. It is important, I think, to persist in not telling you what to write or how to write. I do not wish to succumb to the pressure and make you to flip back to the same old please-the-professor channel. You do have your freedom to write out of your perceptions, not mine.
So I ask you, “What do you think is the best thing about your progress in this ASL class? And why?” When you are done with your essay, you are to save it with PDF and then put it in your e-portfolio.
How would I grade your essay? Here is the essay rubric:
Writing about ASL Rubric
CATEGORY | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Introduction (Organization) | The introduction is inviting, states the thesis and previews the structure of the essay. | The introduction clearly states the main thesis and previews the structure of the essay, but is not particularly inviting to the reader. | The introduction states the thesis or position, but does not adequately preview the structure of the essay nor is it particularly inviting to the reader. | There is no clear introduction of the thesis, position or structure of the essay. |
Focus on Topic (Content) | There is one clear, well-focused topic in each paragraph. Main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information. | Main idea is clear in each paragraph but the supporting information is general. | Main idea is somewhat clear in each paragraph but there is a need for more supporting information. | The main idea is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information. |
Support for Topic (Content) | Relevant, telling, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable. | Supporting details and information are relevant, but one key issue or portion of the storyline is unsupported. | Supporting details and information are relevant, but several key issues or portions of the storyline are unsupported. | Supporting details and information are typically unclear or not related to the topic. |
Conclusion (Organization) | The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader with a feeling that they understand what the writer is “getting at.” | The conclusion is recognizable and ties up almost all the loose ends. | The conclusion is recognizable, but does not tie up several loose ends. | There is no clear conclusion, the essay just ends. |
Grammar & Spelling (Conventions) | Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content. | Writer makes 1-3 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | Writer makes 4-6 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | Writer makes more than 6 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
Delivery (Organization) | Innovative | Purposeful | Standard | Problematic |
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