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A Return to Commas (20-30 min)
Commas are scary.
What freaks you out about commas? Why are they so spooky? Is it due to cannibalism?
Let’s talk comma anxieties:
- Am I using too many? Should I be using something else?
- Where I should place it? Before or after a word?
- Make big sentences and sometimes lean on commas too much, reckless
- Activities where you had to say it was correct, place too much importance
Commas, at least partially, scare us because these were the things we got “wrong” so often as we learned to write (at least I did!!). And while there are certainly grammatical “rules” for comma usage, they really aren’t all that different than anything in writing: there are better and worse ways to use them when you focus on what they can do for you and what they can’t do for you. When you focus on what they do, they don’t look so scary.
Let’s learn a thing (or more) about commas today. It will help us put together some previous lessons about punctuation and sentence types.
So, what do commas do? Here is one resource that I like that will get into some of it from a grammatical perspective: The Punctuation Guide
What do you notice about the heading that the commas falls under? What is it called?
Let’s get into groups. We are gonna figure out what commas do. Each group will claim one of the first 4 explanations of what commas do (two groups will do half of the fourth one, though):
- Group 1: Mechanical Uses of the Comma
- Group 2: The Listing Comma
- Group 3: Setting Off Nonrestrictive or Nonessential Information
- Group 4: Commas Based on Sentence Structure: Compound and Simple Sentences
- Group 5: Commas Based on Sentence Structure: Complex and Compound-Complex Sentences
In this Google Doc about commas, each group must complete their portion of the Google Doc:
- Explain how commas work for your particular situation (e.g., listing comma) in your own words (don’t copy/paste!!). In other words, how it works grammatically.
- Look in your past writing for this class and/or other classes. Find a sentence you have used that illustrates this function of the comma (e.g., a compound sentence) for each function under the heading you have received (e.g., a complex and compound-complex sentences). If each group member cannot find an example, that’s okay, but I think you should try to do so! Pick ones that could especially show the rhetorical work of the sentence (see below bulletpoint). Finally, if you can’t find one from your own writing, find it elsewhere on another website or print material you have and tell us where it comes from–or, (and probably even better) revise one of your sentences so it now includes a comma in the way your group focuses on.
- Explain why you might want to use a comma for that purpose. In other words, how does using a comma help readers understand something better or help writers accomplish their purpose better (think back to how we talked about sentence length and the effects it can have…how about for commas in these different situations?). Rather than grammar, we are focused on rhetoric in this task.
Once we are done, we will do some sharing and some writing (if time).
Peer Review (45-60 min)
Let’s go over these Peer Response Guidelines (link right here).
You will be with one other partner. If we have an odd number, there will be a group of three. Any independent workers today due to writing about something sensitive will also alter how we organize things.
Each person takes turns reading while following the “Writer” and “Responder” roles on Peer Response Guidelines. Each person should have about 10-15 minutes. I’ll help anyone who is in a group rather than a pair.
Let me know if you what you are writing about is too personal and you want to be in a specific group with people you know/trust. Or if you want to work one on one with me today, instead, rather than share with other classmates.
Once you are finished reviewing each other’s work, I want you to return to your partner’s paper and write down more in-depth feedback than what you shared verbally. That way, they have a record from their own notes and also a record from your own thoughts.
Guidelines for the Peer Review Letter are on Brightspace, which is the same place you will submit the assignment. I’ll go over that once you have had a chance to talk with your partner.
Grade Boost option for peer review (but keep in mind all grade boosts!). When submitting a grade boost peer review letter, make sure you submit it to “Grade Boosts” and not the peer review letter submission spot!
Once done, start writing your letter and submit it to Brightspace before the end of class.
Next Time
-Turn in your research draft by 11:59pm tonight. Please also fill out the AI survey if you use any AI programs!
-I will do my best to get comments to you by end of day Friday (Dec 6) or some time over the weekend.
-No homework due on December 9.
-Work on on revising research project, any grade boosts, final reflection, etc.
-For December 11, your last private journal entry is due: What is writing for? What does it do for you? List all the things you use writing for in your life. Try to be exhaustive. Of the things you listed, where does writing these journal entries fall in? If it doesn’t fit into that list, add a new list item where writing in this journal would fit in. What kind of writing is doing these journal entries and how can it be helpful? Was this journal helpful for you? (it’s okay if it wasn’t!). Before answering, re-read all of your journal entries (really! Do it!). Try to be generous here if it wasn’t helpful (I’m not reading these so this isn’t about my feelings! More about not being too dismissive too quickly, before you had time to think it through). If not helpful to you after thinking about it, explain why. If it was helpful, try to be specific—in what ways? Finally, think more about what writing is for, for you, and how it can help you in your life.