Keena P. Day, M.A. Victory University Intro to Composition I Keena P. Day, M.A. Victory University

Classroom Norms Silence all cell phones and other technological devices. Do not hesitate to tell me to slow down or to ask questions. Keep side conversations to a minimum. Active participation is encouraged.

Important Information Instructor: Keena P. Day Contact Information: kday@victory.edu mrsdaysheffield@gmail.com Phone: 901-352-0141

Course Learning Outcomes See that writing is a form of social interaction. Analyze rhetorical situations and make effective choices based on audience and context. Responsibly synthesize material from a variety of sources. Make claims and support them with appropriate evidence. Use writing to critically explore, explain, evaluate, and reflect on their experiences and on those of others. Understand and effectively use a range of genres/forms. Use conventions of expression appropriate to situation and audience. Effectively revise and provide substantive feedback to others on their writing. Articulate a revision strategy based on an understanding of their own writing processes. Recognize the importance of technology in research, writing, and other forms of social interaction.

Help During the course Victory University. Online Writing Center. (http://www.victorywritingcenter.com/Home_Page.html) Storybird: www.storybird.com

Essay #1: Learning Autobiography Sometimes the moments and realizations that have most powerfully shaped the way we understand ourselves or our world happen in unexpected places and at unexpected times. In this first essay, you will identify and explore one such moment: Something that has influenced the way you think or feel about yourself, others, or the world.

Getting Started This account is an instructive experience or realization of your past. Writer’s look to their pasts to attempt to learn something new, to understand the importance of some moment or to understand the significance of a situation.

Getting Started Your goal is not only to tell a story or describe an experience, but also to analyze the experience and draw conclusions about how your experiences shaped your understanding or feelings, what your experience reveals about you or your world, and how others relate to that experience.

Preparing to Write After exploring your experiences through invention strategies, you will want to focus on a particular experience to create a more cohesive and coherent essay with a central point. You will also need to make decisions about which additional background information best supports the focus you’ve chosen.

Invention Brainstorming Ideas in order to write: Pre-writing strategies: Quickwrite Web/clustering Outlining

Assignments Read: Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Essay of focus: Bosley, “How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant”

Rhetorical Considerations The audience for your work is anyone who is unfamiliar with your background and experiences, upbringing, and/or culture. Therefore, you will need to develop your essay in a manner that will allow the reader to truly understand your experiences and attachments.

Putting It Together There is not a single, correct way to organize your document. You might chose: Narrative style, moving chronologically through time discussing the memories Thematic style that identifies central issues pertinent to the moment you’ve chosen

Putting It Together Makes sure each element of your essay flows by relating to and supporting your focus. Your essay should be 3-4 pages (approximately 750-1000 words)

Paper Format 1” Margins 12 pt. font, Times Roman Double Spaced First draft due: Thursday