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Considerations For Writing Assignment Guidelines

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Writing Assignments

Considerations for Writing Assignments

Types of Writing Assignments
Freshman Rhetoric courses require at least 30 pages of writing that the instructor reads and responds to, and that counts towards the student’s final grade in some way. Because this is a writing course, students should be engaged in writing in some form throughout the entire course. The following list describes the major forms of writing that instructors assign. 1. Essays (out-of-class papers). Instructors usually assign three to five essays. These essays are 3-5 pages on average and address overall themes of the course that the instructor is also working through in readings and in-class discussion. 2. The research paper (assigned in 102, 104, …show more content…

Peer review could count towards the final assignment grade or also as part of a participation grade if it happens in class. These are the major types of writing that instructors typically assign. The idea is to get students writing early and often, both inside and outside of class, and to be responding to their writing both inside and outside of class. It works well when instructors are enthusiastic about the kinds of writing they assign; is not useful to assign writing as punishment to students. It is important for students to come to see writing as a central and positive part of their lives as students.

Essentials for Composing Writing Assignments
• Choose your writing assignments carefully. Spend time selecting and formulating your assignments. Well-developed assignments are more likely to result in good student writing experiences than topics thrown together hastily. Try to anticipate how students will handle a topic: they may respond in ways you hadn’t counted on. Be specific about requirements. Always hand out your assignments in written form; specify due dates, length, format, background readings, grading criteria, and the purpose of the assignment. Integrate your assignments. Make sure there is a relationship between in-class work and outof-class work; encourage your students to talk about (and write about) their assignments in class. Devote a part of class discussion to the purpose and the position of a particular

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