Assignments

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The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool. These assignments and quizzes come pre-loaded with specific assigned point values. We recommend changing the point values to match your course design.

This course includes a series of assignments associated with most modules, as well as essay assignments that can be included in the course as you see fit. Some instructors assign multiple rhetorical styles, while others scaffold just one or two large essays throughout the course. For this reason, the essay assignments are listed at the front of the course and can be easily moved into the appropriate places within the LMS. The different rhetorical style essays are each split into at least two parts, with one for prewriting and one for the final draft.  They could also be combined into one assignment or split into several smaller assignments; for example, you could divide each essay into a prewriting, drafting, and final draft stage (which is how the argument essay is currently organized).

The “Writing Process—Revising and Proofreading” module also includes a discussion assignment that has students peer review whichever essay is assigned during that module (Discussion: CARES Peer Review).

  • Narrative Essay
  • Compare/Contrast
  • Illustration Essay
  • Cause and Effect Essay
  • Argument Essay

The optional “Essay Reflection” Assignment can also be paired with any of the rhetorical style essays listed above.

The assignments can also be broken down into smaller steps or combined/simplified as desired. Remember, these can be deleted, modified, or replaced within your LMS to meet the needs of your students.

Module

Assignment or Discussion

Narrative Essay

  • Works well after rhetorical modules are introduced in the “Writing in College” module or alongside “The Writing Process” modules. Can be paired with the Peer Review Discussion Assignment.
  • Assignment: Narrative—Prewriting and Drafting
    • Students begin working on a narrative essay, choosing from a list of topics that includes friendships, the world around you, lessons of daily life, or firsts. This assignment includes a prewriting activity, an outline, and a first draft. Note: you may want to split these steps into even smaller chunks so that the first draft is due at a later date.
  • Assignment: Multi-Modal Narrative
    • This is an alternate option to turning in the multi-modal essay final draft, and allows students to use any medium for their narrative. This can be done through a medium of your choosing, including video, ppt, Prezi, audio, comic book, essay, etc.

Compare/Contrast Essay

  • Works well after rhetorical modules are introduced in the “Writing in College” module or alongside “The Writing Process” modules. Can be paired with the Peer Review Discussion Assignment.
  • Assignment: Compare/Contrast Essay—Prewriting and Draft
    • Students write a comparison and contrast essay using three points of analysis, comparing one of the following topics: two jobs you have held, a good and a bad job interview, your relationship with two friends, two relatives, places and things, a place as it is now and as it was years ago, two towns or cities, nature in the city and in the country, or passive student and an active student. This assignment consists of an initial brainstorm and the first draft.

Illustration Essay

  • Works well after rhetorical modules are introduced in the “Writing in College” module or alongside “The Writing Process” modules. Can be paired with the Peer Review Discussion Assignment.

Cause and Effect Essay

  • Works well after rhetorical modules are introduced in the “Writing in College” module or alongside “The Writing Process” modules. Can be paired with the Peer Review Discussion Assignment.

Argument Essay

  • Works well after rhetorical modules are introduced in the “Writing in College” module or alongside “The Writing Process” modules. Can be paired with the Peer Review Discussion Assignment.

Reflection Assignment

  • Included in front of course; could go with any of the rhetorical styles essays
  • Assignment: Essay Reflection
    • Students write thorough and thoughtful responses to the following questions:
      • What was most the challenging aspect of creating this essay?
      • What did you learn about yourself as a writer?
      • What might you do differently the next time you write this type of essay knowing what you know now after writing this essay?

Other Extra Assignment

  • Included in front of course; could be included anywhere

Module 1: Success Skills

Module 2: Reading Strategies

Module 3: Writing Essentials

Module 4: Writing in College

Module 5: Grammar Essentials

Module 6: The Writing Process
  • Assignment: Prewriting
    • Complete a free-write an outline for the essay topic: select a specific category of college students and, considering challenges facing this category of students, detail a practice that could lead to enhanced success for that category, and argue for the adoption of that practice.
  • Discussion: Narrowing a Topic
    • First, students post a broad topic and then post defining questions to help narrow the topic before suggesting ideas for approaching the topic.

Module 7: The Writing Process—Revising and Proofreading

*This assignment requires having an existing essay draft to work with that can be shared with peers.

Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis

Module 9: Academic Argument

Module 10: The Research Process—Finding and Evaluating Sources

Module 11: The Research Process—Using and Citing Sources

Module 12: Grammar Basics