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English Composition 1

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Unit 2: Analysis of a Short Story (February 4 to February 23)

Click assignment links below to access the assignments.

The audio file linked below should help you strengthen your writing at the sentence level.

• Style and Mechanics Checklist audio file: Real Player | Windows Media Player (You can also read a transcribed version of the Style and Mechanics Checklist audio file.)

Below is a summary of the assignments and due dates for this unit. See below for assignment descriptions.

1. Tuesday, February 7: Reading assignment and quiz due
2. Monday, February 13: Final discussion comments due
3. Tuesday, February 14: Essay draft for peer critique due
4. Friday, February 17: Peer critiques of essays due
5. Tuesday, February 21: Reading assignment and exercise due
6. Thursday, February 23: Revised draft of Essay 2 due

Please review the assignments listed below to help ensure that you complete all assignments on time (and you might print this page to help you keep track of assignments). You may submit an assignment earlier than the due date, but the due date is the latest that an assignment may be submitted. 

As indicated elsewhere, you should expect to spend 6 to 9 hours a week on the course. This unit spans 20 days, so you should plan to spend about 17 to 25 hours on the assignments below. Essay Assignment 2 is the major assignment for this unit.

Unless indicated otherwise, assignments are due by 10:00 p.m. on the due dates.

1. Reading Assignment 1 and Quiz

Due Date: Tuesday, February 7

• Chapter 3: Shaping Paragraphs (51-77)*
• Selected pages of Chapter 17: Writing about Literature--"Responding to Literary Texts" (377), "Reading Fiction" (378-379), "Getting Ideas for Writing about Fiction" (400-401)
• Katherine Mansfield's "Miss Brill"
• Student Essay on "Miss Brill"
   
• Stephen Crane's "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" (and a version of the story with questions and comments)
• Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron"
   
• Unit 2 Quiz (Click the link to access the quiz.)

*On pages 53-54, the textbook authors explain the use of topic sentences at the beginning and the end of a body paragraph and having a body paragraph without a topic sentence but with a "topic idea." For all of your essays for the course, I recommend putting the topic sentences at the beginning of the paragraphs.

The stories and student essay are not in the textbook. Just click the links above to access the stories and essay. The stories are in printer-friendly format. The stories may not have much in common thematically, but each of them is a classic of American literature and should serve as a good subject for an essay.

This quiz is over material in the reading assignment above. Of course, use your textbook and the assigned stories as you are completing the quiz. There is no limit to the number of times you may access the quiz, but you may submit your responses only once. Access the quiz with your seven-digit IVCC student ID number, which is posted in your private conference area of WebBoard.

2. Discussion Assignment

Due Date: Monday, February 13

• Discussion Assignment (Click the link to access WebBoard.)

You will need to post at least six messages in WebBoard, at least three messages on each of the assigned stories (not including "Miss Brill.") Six messages is just the minimum requirement: posting more messages will help you earn a higher grade. You should enter WebBoard and begin posting comments as early as possible. The discussion assignment requires interaction with other students, so please do not wait until the last day or two to post all or most of your messages to the discussion. (Read the instructions in WebBoard carefully.)

The subjects of the Unit 2 discussion assignment are Crane's "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" and Jewett's "A White Heron," both linked above.

3. Draft of Essay 2 for Peer Critique

Due Date: Tuesday, February 14

• Essay Assignment 2 (Click the link to access the Essay 2 assignment.)

You will need to post a draft of your Essay 2 in WebBoard. The draft needs to be at least 500 words. This draft will not be graded, but you will receive feedback on your draft from other students in the class, helping you strengthen your essay as you continue to revise it. Post your draft as an attachment to a message in the "Drafts for Peer Critique" area of the Unit 2 conference in WebBoard.

4. Peer Critiques of Essay 2

Due Date: Friday, February 17

• Peer Critiques of Essay 2 (Click the link to access WebBoard.)

You will be assigned two essays written by other students to critique. Your comments should help other students identify the strengths of their drafts and identify ways that the essays could be stronger. (The peer critiques are graded. Offer as many constructive comments as you can.)

5. Reading Assignment 2 and Exercise

Due Date: Tuesday, February 21

• The Integrating Quotations into Sentences web page
   
• Unit 2 Exercise (Click the link to access the exercise.)

This exercise presents a series of sentences that include quotations. You need to identify the correct punctuation, if any punctuation is needed, between the writer's words and the quoted words.

The Integrating Quotations into Sentences web page presents all of the information you need to know to complete the exercise. Make sure to read that page carefully! Please note that the practice quiz on the Integrating Quotations into Sentences page presents the same kinds of problems that appear on the exercise.

There is no limit to the number of times you may access the exercise, but you may submit your responses only once. Access the exercise with your seven-digit IVCC student ID number, which is posted in your private conference area of WebBoard.

6. Revised Draft of Essay 2

Due Date: Thursday, February 23

• Revised Draft of Essay 2 (Click the link to access the Essay 2 assignment.)

This is the version of your essay that will be collected and graded. The minimum required length for the essay is 700 words. Post your essay as an attachment to a message in the "Revised Drafts" area of the Unit 2 conference in WebBoard.

Questions?

Of course, just ask if you have any questions about the assignments on this page.