English Homework

Due Date: Thursday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word limit: 300 words minimum Points: 10 Responses: No peer responses are required.

Purpose: You should be well into your research at this point. The purpose of this discussion board is to report back to your professor on the status of your research, your successes, pitfalls, hurdles, questions, and strategies.

Task:

1. Create a new discussion thread below.

2.  Please discuss how your research is progressing. Are you encountering any problems? Have you changed the direction of your paper? Have you found good sources? Do you have any tips for your fellow students? Do you have any questions for your professor?

Criteria for Success:

Successful responses will thoughtfully reflect on the challenges and strategies of the research process and seek help and ask questions about any challenges encountered.

Inquiry Plan

Due Dates: Thursday, 11:59 p.m. PST. Word limit: 300 words minimum Points: 40

Purpose: Academic writers make inquiries. As you read through the article of your choice, did questions occur to you? In asking these questions, did you realize that you might need more information to answer them properly? For example, in our last activity, "Entering the Conversation," I responded to the article "Why Games are Good for You" by Steven Johnson. I primarily disagreed with his article, so I thought of some good points that might refute his claims, but I also realized I would need more research to do so properly. The following research questions occurred to me:

· Are there sources that talk about the detrimental content of some video games?

· Should I explore the idea of video game addiction? Is that relevant to my main point? Are there articles on this?

· Can we separate  how we think from  what we think?

· Are there philosophers that discuss this distinction?

All of these questions would require research. In this activity, you will ask questions like these and let them lead you to a plan of inquiry that will guide your research in Module 2.

Task:

1. Copy your "Entering the Conversation" discussion into this assignment.

2. Below your initial quote and responses, ask the questions that occurred to you that may require research to answer. You may have more questions about some quotes than others.

3. After you have asked the questions and considered them, develop an inquiry plan. This will be a statement of what you intend to research and why.

Body Paragraph

Due Date: Friday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word Limit: 200 - 400 words Points: 30

Purpose: Body paragraphs are the most basic unit of "support" in any academic essay, and writing strong body paragraphs will be essential in all college writing. Different fields may use support in different ways. The purpose of this activity is to get some writing on the page, to identify which type of support your field prefers, and to practice common body paragraph strategies. 

Task:

1. Read the lesson on body paragraph strategies.

2. Compose a body paragraph in a word processing document (e.g., Microsoft Word). The paragraph should be between 200-300 words.

3. Next, in a separate paragraph on the same document, reflect in 100 words on which body paragraph strategies you chose and why.

4. Start a new discussion post below and copy and paste your body paragraph and reflection into the post.

5. Read the body paragraphs of your classmates and upvote the three most highly-developed body paragraphs. In upvoting, consider the following questions:

·

· Does the body paragraph have a clear topic sentence?

· Does the topic sentence seem to fit the body paragraph?

· Does the body paragraph actually prove the topic sentence?

· Does the body paragraph use an effective strategy from the strategies we reviewed?

· Does the end of the body paragraph use a transition statement?

Criteria for Success

Body paragraphs will be graded on the quality and effective application of body paragraph strategies as outlined in class materials. Successful body paragraphs will successfully employ basic elements of paragraph organization like topic sentences, support, and transitions. They will also choose and apply an appropriate evidence strategy for fitting rhetorical reasons as appropriate by the conventions of the chosen field.

Introduction Paragraph

Due Date: Saturday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word Limit: 100-200 words Points: 40

Purpose:

The introduction of a paper is one of the most vital and challenging portions of an essay. It must engage the reader, set up the necessary context, frame debates, and lead to a thesis. It is a tough task. In this discussion, you will draft an introduction paragraph using some tried-and-true introduction strategies with the hope that you will add these strategies to your writing toolbox.

Task:

1. Read the lesson on Introduction Strategies in this module.

2. Think about the needs of your paper and write the introduction to your essay in one (or a combination) of the following styles: 

· Summarizing the Conversation/ Mind the Gap Introduction

· The Inverted Triangle, "Funnel Introduction"

· The Narrative Introduction

· The Interrogative Introduction

3. Describe in 50 words or less which introduction strategy(s) you chose and why.

4. Start a new post in this discussion and copy and paste your introduction paragraph and rationale for the strategy you chose below.

5. Read the responses from your classmates, and upvote the three most highly-developed introduction paragraphs. If you're unsure how to upvote, view the GIF at the bottom of these instructions. When considering the most "developed" paragraphs, ask yourself: 

·

· Does the introduction paragraph make clear the existing conversation that your classmates have entered? Did you get lost?

· Did the introduction paragraph lead to a thesis statement?

· Do you think your classmate chose the best introduction strategy for their topic?

Criteria for Success

Effective introduction paragraphs should employ a clear strategy to engage the reader and put the thesis in proper context, effectively introducing the audience to the topic/debate.

Summary and Response

Due Dates: Friday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word limit: 

· Summary: 50-300 words

· Response: 500-word minimum

Points: 60

Purpose: A summary and response is a common prewriting strategy. It helps a writer create a preliminary summary of an important article that may be used in the final paper, particularly in the introduction or body paragraphs. It also helps the writer generate some initial ideas that might lead to possible claims (theses). In this assignment, you will write a summary of your primary response article. Next, you will respond to that article by bringing up your thoughts or feelings about it. As we learned, academic writing is a conversation, and an essential part of the conversation is summarizing what someone else has written before responding to it. This helps our audience understand the broader conversation that we are entering.

Task:

1. You have already read some articles from the class LibGuide on your topic. Choose the one article that you feel you want to respond to the most. We have been calling this your "primary response article."

2. Write a summary of your primary response article. Focus on the parts of the article most relevant to you. Your summary should be between 50-300 words.

3. After your summary, write a response to the article of at least 500 words.

4. Finally, after your response, write three possible working theses.

Criteria for Success:

Successful assignments will employ effective summary strategies and engage in a thoughtful response that continues inquiry and leads to three possible working theses. The theses should follow the patterns of effective thesis writing.

Here is a  blank template  that you can download and use for the Summary and Response assignment.

Instructions

Due Dates: Due by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word limit: N/A Points: 20 Purpose: It is essential to higher-level studies in your major to become familiar with the professional organizations and publications in your field. Task: 1. List the name of  one professional organization in your field. 2. Link to the website. 3.  List the following information: · What is the organization's mission? (Look for a mission statement on the first page, a page called "mission" or maybe "history.") · What kind of scholars are members of the organization? · In what areas/fields does the organization specialize?           4. Next,  find three scholarly journals in your field and list their names.         5. Briefly report on one of the scholarly journals. Provide a link to the journal's webpage and answer the following questions:   · What kinds of articles does the journal publish? · Does the journal state its focus? · What citation style is used in the journal? · Is the journal peer-reviewed? · Does the NU library carry the journal?

Due Dates: Saturday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word limit: N/A Points: 100

Purpose: An annotated bibliography is a useful tool in writing a research paper and sometimes a required assignment in higher-level coursework involving research. An annotated bibliography gives the citation of sources along with short summaries and annotations on how the source could be valuable in the paper or project assigned. Usually, an annotated bibliography is done alphabetically, but in this activity, we will combine an annotated bibliography with a paper outline. This activity will help you to decide on what sources you will use and where your sources might be useful in your argument.

Task: 

1. On a Word or .rft file, create a basic outline that includes the following sections:

· Introduction

· Thesis: (write your current thesis)

· Body Paragraph

· Body Paragraph

· Body Paragraph

· You may add as many body paragraphs as you need, but three is the minimum

· Conclusion

2. Gather all the sources from your research that you think you will likely use as support in your paper. Five sources are required. Two must be from peer-reviewed journals.

3. Create an annotated bibliography entry for each source. Each entry will contain three parts:

· Citation

· You may use whatever citation style is preferred in your field

· Useful Quotes

· An Evaluative Annotation for the source.

· In your annotation, explain why you placed the quote where you did.

4. Place bibliography entries in the outline of the paper where you think they would most likely be used. Refer to  this sample annotated bibliography  for an example.

Criteria for Success:

Successful assignments will choose relevant sources and quotations from them. The quotations will be placed in the outline where they will best support the paper's argument according to genre-specific discourse patterns. Evaluative notations will thoughtfully consider the uses of sources.

Entering the Conversation

Due Date: Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. PST Word limit: N/A Points: 20 Responses: Respond to two classmates by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. PST.

Purpose: This discussion aims to begin your engagement with class readings. As you may have already seen, the  ENG 240 Library Guide  contains selected articles on every undergraduate major offered at National University. This assignment will help you find one (or more) primary articles as starting points for your final paper. At this point, you likely will not know what your paper's primary claim will be; this activity will help you generate ideas and practice active reading strategies.

Task:

1. Go to the  ENG 240 Library Guide  and find the tab that corresponds to your major. If you are a general studies major, you may choose any subject that interests you. If you are in Education, you may choose either the readings in education or the subject matter you intend to teach (e.g., if you plan to teach history, you may choose the readings in history instead of education if you like.)

2. Read three or more of the articles in the section.

3. After you read at least three articles, consider which article you felt like responding to the most.

4. In your chosen article, highlight passages in the article to which you wanted to respond.

5. Create a new Microsoft word document.

6. Note the subject of your paper (your major) and the title of the article you chose on the document.

7. Copy and paste three quotes from the article onto the new document.

8. Under each copied quote, respond briefly to each selection with your thoughts or questions about each quote.

9. Create a new discussion thread below.

10. Copy and paste your work from your word document to the new discussion thread.

11. Respond to two classmates' posts by Sunday. Try to respond to classmates who have the same major if possible.

Criteria for Success:

An example might look like this:

(Note, I use an example not in our ENG 240 readings. It is just an example, so do not worry that you haven't read this article.)

· Article: Steven Johnson, "Why Games are Good for You"  - PDF Document  (186 KB)

Successful posts will choose engaging quotes and interact with them by writing thoughtful responses that engage in the argument made in the paper, agreeing with, disagreeing with, or qualifying points made in the original article. Responses may ask thoughtful questions or suggest gaps that should be discussed in the argument.

Hide Assignment Information
Instructions
Writing Center Appointment Due Dates: Option 1: Writing Center one-on-one appointment · Appointment scheduled by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. PST (during Module 2) · Proof of attendance submitted by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. PST (during Module 4) Option 2: Writing Center drop-in hour · Proof of attendance submitted by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. PST (during Module 4) Points: 10 Purpose Learn about the NU Writing Center, a resource available to you not only in English but in all your NU courses, whatever your major or course of study. The goal of the NU Writing Center is to help you improve your writing skills by giving you feedback and guidance tailored to your specific writing questions and needs, such as: · Brainstorming possible approaches to a writing assignment · Developing a thesis statement · Sketching an outline to guide your writing process · Building focused, cohesive paragraphs · Crafting strong sentences and smooth, meaningful transitions · Assessing, integrating, and citing sources · Learning to apply the conventions of grammar and punctuation · Increasing your overall confidence and resourcefulness as an academic writer. To receive credit for this assignment, you will choose one of two options: 1) Schedule and attend a personalized Writing Center appointment;  OR 2) Attend one of eight group drop-in hours offered by the Writing Center throughout the course. Task: Option 1: Writing Center one-on-one appointment 1. Schedule a 45-minute Zoom appointment with a tutor on the NU Writing Center booking site to get writing support and familiarize yourself with a valuable service that you can use in all your NU courses. There are two ways to do this. The first is to login at the ASC here  https://nu.mywconline.com    or an ASC Chat coach can assist you with locating an appointment that best fits your needs. https://resources.nu.edu/Chatpage 2. Note the day and time of your appointment in your personal calendar or your phone. If for any reason you cannot make your scheduled appointment, you MUST cancel the appointment on the booking site and reschedule. 3. After you have set up the appointment, take a screenshot of the appointment confirmation email and upload it to this assignment.  4. After you have finished attending the appointment, take a screenshot of the email confirming you visited the Writing Center and upload it to this assignment. Please do not delete the email until after you have completed this course. Option 2: Writing Center drop-in hour 1. Visit one or more of the bi-weekly drop-in hours that the Writing Center is offering exclusively for the students in this course. Bring your questions and learn tips that will help you complete your weekly assignments and final draft with confidence and skill. The schedule for these group meetings on Zoom can be found on the NU Academic Success Center site  https://nu.mywconline.com/ 2. To get credit for attending, you must give the host your full name when you enter Zoom. After you attend the drop-in session, take a screenshot of the email confirming your attendance and upload it to this assignment. Criteria for Success For Option 1 (Writing Center one-on-one appointment), if you upload both the appointment confirmation email and the confirmation of completion of the appointment, you will receive the full ten points. This assignment is set up so you can upload the appointment confirmation and confirmation of completion proof at different times. Be sure to include both! For Option 2 (Writing Center drop-in hour), if you share your full name with the tutor when you attend the drop-in session and upload the email confirming your attendance, you will receive the full ten points.   You are encouraged to make as many appointments or attend as many drop-ins as you like, but the maximum credit on this assignment is 10 points.