writing response

Reading Responses Why reading responses? Reading responses provide an opportunity for students to think critically about what they have read and to articulate some of their ideas before coming to class. These short pieces allow for exploration of questions, concerns, supports, or disagreements before we discuss the reading as a group. The goal is to promote more active and engaged conversation in class by getting the conversation going before class. These are low-stakes writing assignments, so they also provide a space for trying out new styles or approaches to writing. What should my response be like? Responses may take a variety of forms, but the typical assignment will be 300-400 words posted on D2L the evening before we discuss the material in class. After posting, each student will read the other posts and choose 3 to respond to before class. These replies will be a few sentences each. In most cases, you won’t have a specific writing prompt. You will instead choose which aspects of the text you found most engaging and write about those. Your response should do the following:

- Reflect thoughtfully on course texts - Use quotes from the text when appropriate and supply page numbers - Take into account multiple perspectives on the issue at hand - Contribute interesting ideas or questions for discussion - Explore new insights - Show a willingness to engage with challenging material - Be respectful of other points of view - Avoid summarizing the text

Occasionally, we might write our responses in class or try an entirely different approach to the assignment. These changes will be posted on D2L and on the Google calendar. How will my response be graded? Responses that meet the length requirement, are turned in on time, and show evidence of thoughtful engagement with the text will generally receive full credit. You are not expected to produce a fully polished essay, though you should proofread at least once. You may still have questions about the text for which you haven’t formed a satisfactory answer. However, you are expected to show that you have read the material carefully, and that you have worked hard to understand it. Late responses will receive partial credit. Summaries will receive no credit. I may, on occasion, ask you to redo your response, especially early in the semester.