OMETs…And another survey!?!?!?! (15-20 min)
Let’s fill us out some OMETs. I’ll give you about 10 minutes. Need a volunteer to come grab me when everyone is finished.
I just wanted a little more feedback on more specific elements of the course. This won’t take long, promise.
What Sentences Can Do: An Example from Your Letters (15 min)
Thinking about syntax, punctuation, and sentence type as a way to change rhythms of your writing. Have some sentences from your letters this week that I wanted to talk about.
Peer Response and/or Independent Work (20-30 min)
Take out your work-in-progress draft (either same one from last week or a new one) and share with a peer. You can use the peer response sheet from last week, your own system, or you can just work independently if you wish.
Ask me questions as you work!
So what? (30-45 min)
Merge some groups! We have 9 campaigns in the class. I will count off groups 1 through 4 to have 4 merged groups. Once our groups are set up, I have five tasks for you to work through:
- Go to the Google doc that houses the reflections for Units 1-3. Read through, independently, all of the reflections and take notes one some common themes that arise. What do people commonly find important about public writing across units? What seems particularly important within specific units? What are some reflections that found particularly well written? Why? After about 5-10 minutes of independent work, discuss with your group about what you found. Among the themes discussed, come to a consensus on 3-5 themes that stood out above all others.
- Each person/group spend about 30 seconds to a minute sharing what you are doing for your pedagogical object and your rationale for what you taught through it and how. After each person/group shares, discuss whether or not these projects align or not with your 3-5 themes selected from the theme analysis from the first task. If not, do you want to adjust the theme list to include some of what came up in the pedagogical object discussion? Instead of “themes,” revise the list to become “core values” of public writing and the group’s ideal list of essential elements of public writing.
- Talk about your experience writing to a public (Did you revise your document for that context? What did you change? What was the experience of distributing like? How’d people receive your material? Anything stand out? Did the experience of distributing material alter how you thought about writing or preparing campaign pieces?). Did anything come up that was not included in your “core values” of public writing list that you formed in the last step? If so, revise your list accordingly.
- How has your experiences gone revising your campaign pieces, plans, and letters? Did that experience make you think about public writing in ways not yet reflected in this core value list from the last step? What did you learn as you revised? If there is something not yet reflected in the core value list based on what you learned through revision, adjust the list accordingly.
- Click on all three word clouds below. Skim through them (and make sure to reveal all words by scrolling bar in bottom left corner of page to the right; h/t, Lia). Does anything jump out at you that relates to something you find important that should be included in your core value list? If so, revise your list one more time. The word cloud lists are below.
Here is a word cloud from Unit 3
Here is a word cloud from Unit 2
Here is a word cloud from Unit 1
One last task: Under “Unit 4” in the Google Doc, paste your list of core values for public writing.
Let’s talk through “Unit 4.” I also want to hear a bit about your experiences handing out material or posting it online.
Here is a blank sheet for our Unit 4 reflection on revision and teaching. This is an open invitation to keep thinking, to keep writing, and to remember that you are someone knowledgeable about rhetoric and writing for the public interest–share that knowledge with others, be a teacher and learner both. The sheet is symbolic, you don’t have to do anything with it (and, I saved some trees since I couldn’t justify printing these out for symbolic reasons). This class is over only when you choose to stop learning and teaching.
THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOU CAN’T KEEP WRITING. Go write op-eds, blogs, go volunteer at a non-profit and offer any rhetorical or labor capital you can offer. As you become experts in your fields, I hope you take seriously the kind of good you might do by engaging with the public on issues that concern everyone’s well-being (or the well-being for a vulnerable “some”). You can have a lot of influence if you choose to.
Admin (5-15 min)
4/24: Revision of letter into a campaign piece largely reliant on alphabetic or alphanumeric writing
4/24: Revision of campaign piece one or two
4/24: Pedagogical object
4/24: Brief reflection on revisions, course, group work
–Informal work/lower-stakes work
—Major work/higher-stakes work
Optional: Hang until 8:30 to work
I’m assuming we didn’t have class until 8:30. With the time remaining, please feel free to stay and work. I’m here for questions.