Creative narrative assignment sheet

Justification
As part of preparing to teach writing to children, you must write yourself. The best teachers of
writing love writing themselves. Your task in this assignment will be to apply what you are going
to teach. In doing so, you will discover what children feel and learn as they write and be better
able to experientially understand writing pedagogy.
Assignment
You will produce a polished short work of fiction. This work should be 3-5 pages,
double-spaced. The work should have an excellent plot, memorable characters, an engaging
style, and well thought out setting. We will be working through these elements in class with
model texts.
Beyond those basic requirements, you should write something that you enjoy that scintillates
with your personal voice. Use this as an opportunity to find why you enjoy writing. As part of
your draft-to-be-graded, you will be turning in a one-page reflection on how you discovered the
joy of writing creatively.
Grading Criteria
Craft (plot, character, dialogue, description, setting) -- 100 points
Style and Grammar -- 20 points
Writing Process (enjoyment, reflection, multiple drafts) -- 30 points
Reflection -- 50 points

Research Paper:
Making a Substantive Argument Using Scholarly Sources
Purpose

In this paper you will make an argument that answers a significant question relevant to professional elementary
educators and scholars. The assignment requires you to analyze and synthesize information and ideas from a variety
of peer-reviewed sources in a manner that is responsible, balanced, informative and insightful.
General Format

The text of the paper should be 10-12 pages (not including the title or references page), double-spaced with standard,
one-inch margins and 10-12 point font. It should be printed on standard-sized, white paper. The paper should
include a title page, the text of the
paper and a references list. Please staple the paper and do not put it in any kind of
folder or binder.
Your in-text citations and references page will follow APA guidelines. The references list should contain only those
works actually quoted, paraphrased, summarized or directly referenced within the paper.
Audience/Relevance/Purpose

Before you begin writing this paper, decide the audience it will address and the specific purpose it will serve. At the
very least your paper will be addressed to elementary educators, but you may wish to target a specific type of
educational professional within this context. In order for your appeal to be persuasive, you will need to establish for
your audience a clear sense of the issues relevance to them and to the profession at large. Clarify at once the
relevance and purpose of the essay.
Focus and Scope

Narrow the focus of your discussion to an aspect that can be developed fully and supported in detail in 10-12 pages.
If your scope is too broad your discussion will be too general and superficial. Allow yourself to explore a significant
idea in a way that achieves depth and a high degree of specificity. Look at an aspect closely enough that your reader
will learn something new or view the subject in a way they would not have without your contribution.
Making an Argument

A research paper is more than a report of information. It is an argument that addresses a question at issue for its
audience and asserts and defends a position. While you will use extensive outside research to defend and
substantiate your position, the argument you make in this paper should be your own. The list that follows contains
principles and practices that help make a researched argument persuasive and credible.

1.

Minimum Standards for the Research Paper

Use multiple sources: Use a minimum of 9 peer-reviewed sources. Over-reliance on two or three sources
is a clear sign the argument is not your own.

2.

Synthesize your sources: Bring together a variety of sources on all major aspects of the topic. With rare
exceptions no aspect of your argument should be developed exclusively from one source. If you go two or
three pages citing only one or two sources you are not getting the kind of synthesis you need.

3.

Use sources extensively and in depth: Cite sources multiple times and in meaningful ways. Do more than
just extract information uncritically from a source. Properly contextualize the information you cite and
work toward an engagement with your sources that goes beyond simple report. Remember that your
relationship to a source can be analytical and critical. You can make inferences, tease out implications,
interpret data and point out significance. One or two brief statements extracted uncritically from a source
do not constitute acceptable use of that source. Although there may be an occasional source that does not

contribute a lot, it should be rare for a source to be cited only once or twice. If sources dont have more
than a couple of brief comments that are worth dealing with, better sources are needed.
4.

Go beyond common sense and common knowledge: Tell your readers something they would not have
figured out without reading your paper. Help the reader learn new and applicable information or gain
heightened insight into the question you are exploring.

5.

Look at all sides of the issue: Avoid stacking the deck with evidence and explanations that look at the
issue only from your point of view. Be careful to acknowledge other perspectives and to indicate when
something you are asserting may be problematic or controversial.

6.

Organize your argument clearly and efficiently: Avoid wandering and repetition. Be sure that you have a
thesis and a clear and efficient pattern of organization. Taking notes and organizing them purposefully will
help you avoid common errors in organization and coherence.

7.

Carefully craft your paragraphs to promote cohesion: Individual paragraphs should have a clear
purpose, be adequately developed, cohere internally and link to the paragraphs that come before and after.
Occasionally it is useful to compose a short paragraph to provide a transition between sections or to
emphasize a point. Give yourself time in revising to analyze each paragraph individually. Make it easy for
your reader to discern what the purpose and focus of each paragraph is and how each paragraph relates to
the argument as a whole.

8.

Substantiate your premises: Be sure the evidence you use to back your premises is Sufficient, Typical,
Accurate and Relevant (the STAR system).

9.

Use sources ethically: Be sure that beginnings and endings of all borrowed material are easy to discern.
Be generous in giving credit where credit is due.

10. Avoid over-quoting: Be sure that not more than 10% of the text is in the form of a direct quote, and avoid
long block quotes and quoted lists. Although a high percentage of your paper will probably consist of
paraphrases and summaries of your source material, not more than 10% should be in the authors very
words.
11. Use APA format correctly: Be sure that APA conventions are followed so that the paper is professional
and clean.

Group Lesson Presentation:

Focus Lesson
English 313

Purpose
Groups of students will take turns teaching a lesson as if to elementary students. Our textbook provides rich
discussion on writing pedagogy, and you have been assigned to familiarize yourself with these ideas and practices
by making a close reading of the text. However, hands-on engagement of the material will help you internalize the
concepts better and gain a clearer vision of their potential value. While it is impossible for each student to flesh out
every aspect of the writing process approach in depth for herself in the time we have together, if each group
contributes fresh insight into applying the materials, we will begin to get a rounder picture of the range of
meaningful possibilities for elementary writing pedagogy. This part of the semester will be most useful if each group
is committed to making a thoughtful and creative contribution to the whole. In order to fully understand these
pedagogical principles, we will reflect together as a class and individually on the presentations.

Content Criteria
Create a focus lesson on an aspect of writing your group chooses. This could be a focus lesson on text
structures or on ways-with-words (Ray), or it could be a lesson/activity that departs from Rays suggestions but
that you feel is justified by theory or by the curriculumas long as it is relevant to writing pedagogy. Present your
lesson to the class as if we were elementary students. The lesson/activity itself should be short and focused, but you
should also provide an opportunity for students to interact with or practice your ideas in some way. Teach the lesson
as if you were teaching a class of elementary students of your chosen grade level (15-20 minutes).
After the lesson, discuss your teaching objectives and your theoretically informed rationale for designing
the activity the way you have with the class as writing instructors. For this part you should draw upon your own
reasoning and reflection, discussion within your group, and materials we have read this semester (Bruner, Ray,
Goldberg, Frager). You are also welcome to incorporate theories you are aware of from your research paper or other
education classes. (5-10 minutes)

Presentation Criteria
Keep the presentation to 30 minutes maximum. You will need to narrow the scope of your presentation to
one that can be treated adequately in this time frame. Your job isnt to highlight all the information in the text, but to
flesh out one meaningful application.
Involve each member of the group in both planning and presenting.
Create a presentation that is cohesive and clear. It should be clear how each individuals part ties in
logically with the whole.
Emphasize main ideas.
Appeal to the senses. Children (and adults) remember best when they are involved. Sight, sound, touch,
movement, emotion, interaction can add to the learning experience. Presentations allow us to use more than the
written word, so feel free to be creative.

Written Reflection
Each group member will submit his or her own written reflection discussing the rationale for the focus
lesson your group designed. You may also reflect on the teaching practices of other groups.

Make explicit theoretical assumptions that inform the goals and methods you demonstrated in the teaching
application you presented. Make reference to the materials we have studied together (Bruner, Ray, Goldberg,
Frager), and, if you like, to theories or foundations you have been introduced to through your research or in other
education classes.
Provide commentary on valuable insights you gained from this project.
The reflection will be due the class period after the last group presents.

Lesson Plan Assignment

English 313
Purpose: Many of you have already prepared lesson plans for other elementary education
classes. Typically, these assignments concentrate on helping you work through some of the
pedagogical skills and principles focused on in that particular class or subject area. They are
meant to go into a personal file of lesson plans and the intended audience is usually yourself and
the instructor. In contrast, while this lesson plan assignment is also interested in seeing you put
into practice some of the specific skills and methods of writing instruction we have been
focusing on, it also asks that you communicate these instructions to a broad audience. Along
with reflecting on specific teaching objectives for elementary school writing then, you should
approach this assignment with the specific intent to learn how to present any process-based
information clearly and efficiently. A technical writing assignment of sorts, this exercise requires
you to consider the basic problem of writing complex directions for others to follow.
Audience: As you prepare your lesson plan, remember that though you may know very well
what to do, and though you may have already used your lesson plan to great success, your reader
can become confused if you fail to present the instructions clearly and completely. While you
can condense some instructions when your audience is very familiar with you and with your field
of reference, you need to be more thorough when your audience broadens. Just remember, the
broader the audience, the less common ground you can assume. I am requesting that you use the
lesson template for UtahLink and that you assume your audience consists of educators
throughout the state of Utah who use this database. Those educators, as well as other elementary
instructors you share the lesson with, will have their own methods for gathering students and
keeping their attention. Your objective is to write a sufficiently explicit set of instructions that
any teacher could use your lesson plan. They will want to see specific definitions, texts,
questions, and activities.
Context: The Utah State Government has given five million dollars to fund UtahLink, an
internet forum for sharing lesson plans based on the states core curriculum. But according to the
State Office of Education, most of the plans submitted for UtahLinki cannot be posted because
they are poorly written. In response, BYU-Public School Partnership has asked that the English
313 classes provide some practice in writing lesson plans using the UtahLink template. Below
you will find the general template for UtahLink lesson plans (sections on core standards and
assessment have been omitted.) I highly recommend that you review this site on the Internet
before preparing this assignment: The URL is:
http://www.uen.org/k12educator/corelessonplans.shtml

Scope: The plan should be a lesson or activity designed for one class session of a writing
workshop. The total time allotted for this lesson should be 45-60 minutes. The plan should
provide instructions for all steps and materials needed.
Content: To prepare for this assignment, decide on a specific teaching objective for one writing
workshop session, then develop an original teaching application (a short lesson or activity or
combination of the two) that will meet your desired objectives. The lesson should focus on a
specific grade level, and your objectives and methods should reflect the developmental needs of
that grade level. You may build from your group lesson presentation, your disciplinary research,
or your own writing experience.
Here are a few possible angles: (1) model a useful method of prewriting, revision or peer
conferencing; (2) reinforce a specific punctuation principle; (3) employ the reading/writing
connection to emphasize an important aspect of a genre such as expository writing, poetry,
narrative, etc.; (4) create a writing application that emphasizes writing across the
curriculumusing writing to learn--, such as using writing in science, math, history, etc. You
may also peruse the CORE curriculum for possible objectives.
Be creative and have fun. Keep in mind that the plan should be practical and pedagogically
sound (something a real teacher would do with a real class given the time and resources available
to most teachers.) For help with ideas, it may be helpful to look at the core curriculum as
specified for language arts under the grade level you are focusing on.
http://www.uen.org/k12educator/
Format: The format for submitting lesson plans to UtahLink is very specific. Please refer to the
categories below. The plan should be clearly organized and should use precise, specific and
concrete language. I recognize that the lesson plan template for UtahLink is by no means the
only possible format for writing a lesson plan. It may not even be the best. But for those using
the database, ease of information access is greatly enhanced by providing a uniform platform.
UtahLINK Template
Author: Your name
Title: Provide a descriptive title for your plan.
Abstract: Provide a brief but specific description of what will occur in the minilesson or activity
and a brief statement of goals for the lesson. Readers should be able to tell at a glance what the
actual lesson consists of and whether the plan is close enough to their needs that it is worth their
while to read on.

[The next five categories will require only a short response or list. Information here need
not be presented in complete sentences.]
Grade Level:
In-class Instruction Time: Let your reader know how long this lesson or activity will
take.
Group Size: Specify whether the plan is directed at individual students, the entire group,
a particular group size, or a combination of group configurations.
Life Skill: Specify the skill or skills this plan will teach that will be valuable to the
students. (Once again, review some actual plans on UtahLINK.) This section will consist
of a short list of one-word or short phrase classifications; i.e. effective communication,
complex thinking, collaboration, integrated process skills, responsible citizenship, life
long learning, etc.
Teaching Style: Describe the teaching method or methods employed. This section will
also consist of a short list of one-word or short phrase classifications; i.e. discovery,
collaborative learning, lecture, group discussion, hands-on learning, written, inquiry,
pictorial, social interaction, reading/writing connection, etc.

Intended Learning Outcomes: Identify specific and measurable learning outcomes intended by
this lesson or activity. This entry will differ from the abstract in that it will omit the brief
description of activities involved and will more carefully describe the intended outcomes. For
example (1) Students will understand that poetry isnt just about rhyming, (2) they will have a
broader understanding of the formal variety in poetry, and (3) they will gain a desire to write and
experiment with different kinds of poems.

Background: Identify the specific information students must receive or the experience they must
have to be prepared for the activities in the lesson plan.
Materials: Specify the materials required to carry out your plan.
Instructional Procedures: Provide a step-by-step outline of the procedures a teacher should use
to carry out this plan.

STEP 1:
STEP 2:
STEP 3: and so on.
The template allows for flexibility in this area. For example, rather than listing 12 steps of a
procedure, cluster the steps into 4 general categories of steps with 2 or three sub-steps in each
category. This will help your reader break down the procedures into more manageable units.
Bibliography: List, in APA format, any sources you used in coming up with this plan.

Helpful Principles for Writing a Set of Instructions

Here are some guidelines for writing clear instructionsthat is, process-based, expository prose.
These principles apply well to writing a lesson plan. (Adapted from a handout written by
Professor Sharon Black of the Education Department.)
There are three main principles to keep in mind. Ill summarize all three here, then treat each one
individually below:
Do not assume that your reader will share your knowledge and disposition.
Do not leave out steps.
Do not use vague or imprecise language.
Do not assume that your reader will share your knowledge and disposition.
Consider the readers disposition. Your audience may not share your values or
beliefs. Be careful not to offend your readers in ways that will make them
defensive and unwilling to give your material appropriate consideration. Be
sensitive to these characteristics that might cause others to react in ways you did
not intend:
Age
Prior training/experience
Cultural differences
Gender differences
Geographic differences
Ethnic differences
Single parenthood

Consider the readers knowledge base. The broader your audience the less you
can safely assume. It is better to explain processes, policies or concepts that
readers may know than to leave some of your readers confused and thus unable to
use your material.
Do not leave out steps
Brainstorm actions. You need a written list before you begin to organize your
instructions. It is a good idea to begin by listing actions that are involved. Once
you start writing them down you will be reminded of more. It is too easy to forget
little things when you are carrying them as impressions in your head rather than
as words listed on paper.
Group and classify actions. Readers tend to process and remember things better in
relationships than in isolated linear sequence. Break the actions down into steps
and select headings that will help the reader follow the process efficiently.
Avoid abstract, vague and imprecise language.
Use concrete, specific language.
Use words with accuracy and precision

Below are some examples to help you recognize language that is concrete, specific, accurate and
precise.
Abstract vs. Concrete
Abstract: Respond positively to student efforts.
More concrete: Point out and praise places in the students writing where they have
made good use of sensory detail.
Abstract: Have students critique each others work.
More concrete: Assign students to groups of three in which each student in turn reads
his or her paper and group mates point out examples of good detail and word choice, as
well as places where more detail would enable them to see as well as hear.
Abstract: Use creative drama to allow students to explore a conflict situation.
More concrete: Have students role-play a conversation in which a brother and sister
want to rent different videos for Friday night.

Vague and Imprecise vs. Accurate and Precise

Imprecise: This book makes an important contribution to a balanced literacy program.
More Precise: This book allows students to experience reading as an enjoyable activity,
although the vocabulary is controlled to a second grade level.
Imprecise: This activity is consistent with outcome-based education.
More precise: This activity will be assessed by student performance: Students will
identify a variety of time settings on a mechanical clock.