Unit One Homework Assignments
This page does not list the readings, only writing assignments. For all other homework, click on the "Unit One" tab.
Email Question (Due 9/9)
This is your opportunity to email me any of your questions about the class or campus. Do you not understand something in the syllabus? Are you confused about the structure of the class? Do you not know where to park? Do you need to find a place off campus to eat? Any of these examples are fair game to ask. You can ask anything you like, but make sure you are addressing the email properly. Remember, put the course name in the subject line and reason for communication so your email catches the professor's eye. Some professors require the CRN# and section number in the subject line as well, so make sure you check the course syllabus before you email.
"Superman and Me" Response (Due 9/11)
"Superman and Me" is a form of a literacy narrative. Alexie touches on how comic books helped him learn to read. He explains several metaphors which help him understand the world around him. What did you think of his metaphors? Do they change the way you view literature or the world? In this very short piece, he tells us a lot about his life and how he was treated in school. What was your reaction to all this? Your responses are to be posted on the threaded discussion "Write Space" on EMUOnline. Make sure the posts are well-written and thoughtful before posting. Your post should be at least two (2) well developed paragraphs.
Instructor's Biography Markup (Due 9/15) (please complete assignment by 9pm on 9/15)
This may be a poorly conceived assignment, but I'm all about experiments and having fun with them. I am going to share a very dry biography with the class over Google Drive and allow the class to creatively revise it. Every word in the biography is fair game. You may change where I was born, grew up, what I studied in my undergrad... whatever your heart desires. If you want to say I was born to a carny and magician, so be it. If you think I should have studied Barbie fashion at the institute of Mattel, maybe that's so. They key here is being absurd. If it seems somewhat probable, think of something a little more over the top. Anything is fair game as long as you follow three rules:
The goals of this assignment are to have fun with it. I want to stress that writing doesn't always have to be dry and strictly "academic" by nature. Writing is a great tool of communication and entertainment. Please be conscious of grammar and sentence structure when revising. Have fun!
- The bio must remain a bio. You are not allowed to delete the entire bio or copy and paste over it with song lyrics. It must still have the structure of a bio. You may add events, but please do not delete them off.
- Please refrain from using vulgarity. I have thick skin and can take whatever you want to write, but others in the class may not. If you feel the need to cuss for whatever reason, use symbols to block out the word. If you think something you write may not be well received or beyond offensive, I would advise you to write something else.
- If someone clearly changed a section already to something absurd, please add something else. We want to give everyone a chance to write something, but we also want to be able to read everyone's contributions. With that said, please only change one thing that is written. You may add however many things you want to the bio, but please only change one fact.
The goals of this assignment are to have fun with it. I want to stress that writing doesn't always have to be dry and strictly "academic" by nature. Writing is a great tool of communication and entertainment. Please be conscious of grammar and sentence structure when revising. Have fun!
"Superman and Me" Peer Response (Due 9/16)
This is the first assignment where we will be reviewing each other's work and commenting. This is strictly a response to what our peers have written, not an editing session. You will comment to two (2) peers' posts on EMU Online's "Write Space" with a minimum of two (2) well-developed sentences. You may use the following questions as prompts, or come up with your own ideas:
- Did your post have something in common with someone else's?
- Do you share a common experience with someone's post?
- Did a post have a different reading of the article than you?
- Did a post say something interesting that you would like to comment or elaborate on?
My (super)Identity (Write Space) (Due 9/18)
Based on our in class discussion and group work, I want you to think about your identity. The first part of the assignment is to write a list of all the identities (hats) you believe you wear. Rank all your identities from the most difficult to the easiest. Your definition of difficult is up to you. Under the list, explain how you deal with all these identities in a given day. Is it tough to be a student and then go home to be "mother" or "father"? Is it difficult to be a supervisor and low level worker if you have two jobs? You can decide on how to approach this, but you need at least a paragraph of explanation.
The second part of the assignment is to create your (super)identity in a superhero maker. Below are two that you may use, but you can choose any creation site you wish.
Marvel: Create your own superhero
HeroMachine 2.5
If you like to draw or graphic design, you may make your own, but ALL creations must be saved as an image and uploaded to our Write Space! (the sites sometimes do not save, so you may have to hit ALT+PRT Screen in order to save it).
Below your superhero, answer the following questions:
The second part of the assignment is to create your (super)identity in a superhero maker. Below are two that you may use, but you can choose any creation site you wish.
Marvel: Create your own superhero
HeroMachine 2.5
If you like to draw or graphic design, you may make your own, but ALL creations must be saved as an image and uploaded to our Write Space! (the sites sometimes do not save, so you may have to hit ALT+PRT Screen in order to save it).
Below your superhero, answer the following questions:
- You must select four out of the seven above questions and answer them.
- You must explain why you created your superhero in the way that you did.
- Do you feel like your superhero is a good representation of you?
- Did you feel any limitations when creating your superhero?
Literacy Narrative Half Draft (Due 9/23)
Your literacy narrative half draft is due. For this assignment, make sure you bring in two copies of your half draft. For full credit on this assignment, you must have at least 600 words.
You may also email or post (Google Drive) your half draft by 9/23 for additional review by me before your project is due (the earlier the better).
You may also email or post (Google Drive) your half draft by 9/23 for additional review by me before your project is due (the earlier the better).
My Top 5 (Write Space) (Due 9/23)
After reading through the "Top 20" create your own "Top 5" and post below.
These five items are the things you want to work on most in the class. They can be grammar issues, sentence structure, vocabulary, etc.
These five items are the things you want to work on most in the class. They can be grammar issues, sentence structure, vocabulary, etc.