Tentative Unit 1 Schedule Week 2 1/20-Using library databases (bring computer to class) 1/22- Intro to Exploratory Narrative & Source evaluations Week 3 1/27-Research questions and results Minor Essay 1 Due 1/29-Strategies for introductions Week 4 2/3-Reflective writing and body paragraphs 2/5- Synthesizing sources &First Draft peer review Week 5 2/10- Strategies for conclusions & grammar 2/12-Editing, peer review, & unit 1 wrap up 2/15-Exploratory Narrative Due

Today’s Goals Learn about the importance of and strategies for reflective writing Understand the place of reflective writing in an exploratory narrative Practice reflecting on your research experiences thus far Understand the theories behind synthesis writing

Reflective Writing as Experiential Learning Adapted from Using English for Academic Purposes

Experiential Learning Cycle Concrete Experience- what you did or what happened Reflective Observation- think back on what happened in the concrete experience, how it happened, how that made you feel, and how you might do things differently next time Abstract Conceptualization- apply theories and concepts (or ideas you learn in class) to your experience Active Experimentation- thinking about and planning how you can take this knowledge to shape your future experiences

Reflective Writing Stages- Exploratory Narrative Concrete Experience Performing your secondary research: finding sources, reading and analyzing them Reflective Observation Thinking back on your research experiences. Writing about and reflecting on your research findings. Abstract Conceptualization Apply theories we have learned in class. Consider how the authors you read use rhetorical appeals and how you can use such appeals in your own writing Active Experimentation- Take what you have learned and what questions you still have unanswered and use them to shape your subsequent research on the topic

Reflective Writing Tips Use dialectic thinking: try to see and evaluate the issue from both sides. Try to empathize with viewpoints that would normally be opposed to your own Be honest: it’s ok to admit your mistakes or ignorance about something or when something surprises you. This can actually lead to better revelations or deeper understanding Use first person voice: for reflective writing you need to write about your own opinions, beliefs, proclivities, and prejudices. This is a necessary part of reflective writing although many students feel uncomfortable doing so at first. Select the most important information; you do not need to include every tiny piece of information you learned. Focus on the most important points Ask questions!

Journal Entry 7 Focus: Reflect on research experiences At this point in the development of your exploratory narrative, you should have selected a topic, formulated a research question, and evaluated at least two sources on this topic. Take a few minutes to think about what this research experiences has been like thus far. You may wish to consider: What did you know about your topic before conducting any research? Has this knowledge changed at all? What was the experience of finding sources with the library databases like? What about analyzing these texts? Was there any part of the experience you have found surprising or difficult? Why? If you could start this research over from the beginning, what would you do differently this time? What is your current viewpoint/stance on the issue? How have your past experiences shaped this? DO you think further research will change it? Note: this entry is not asking you to focus on synthesizing your research results. We will work on that next class.

Exploratory Narrative Body Paragraphs 1. Each source should have one or more body paragraphs devoted to it Do not feel limited to one paragraph per source. Most sources will take 2-3 paragraphs 2. You should explicitly name the article (and its author) that will be evaluated This will be important for the structure and flow of the essay 3. Identify the thesis or main idea of each source Quote this if possible 4. Sum up the most convincing, important, or rhetorically significant point(s) of the source 5. Reflect on how that source has affected your own viewpoint or understanding of the issue

Body Paragraphs Closed Form Prose Exploratory Narrative Clear topic sentences located near the beginning of each paragraph that summarize what is to come Usually written in 3 rd person Use sources in a rhetorically effective manner to support the topic sentences or thesis Transitions between ideas from paragraph to paragraph i.e. “the second reason...” Clear topics sentences near the beginning of each paragraph that identify the source (and its author) that will be evaluated Predominantly written in 1 st person (although some 3 rd person is acceptable) Summarizes the main ideas of each source and how it has affected your view Transitions follow and narrate the research process i.e. “the next source I found in my research... “

Group Activity- Reflective Writing Analysis In your unit 1 groups Read through Accounts 1-4 of “The Park” and answer the questions below: 1. Which of these accounts is a better example of reflective writing? Why? 2. What questions does the writer ask herself in each account? 3. How are the writer’s previous experiences (before the event at the park) considered in each account? 4. How is the writer critical of her own actions and thoughts in each account?

Source “The Park” passage adopted from ments/ /Reflearning.pdf

Synthesis What does this word mean? What experiences have you had with synthesis writing in the past? In ENC1101?

Synthesis the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity (opposed to analysis, ) the separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements. the third stage of argument in Hegelian dialectic, which reconciles the mutually contradictory first two propositions, thesis and antithesis.

Hegelian Dialectic Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was an 18 th -19 th century German philosopher. He believed that the pinnacle of human existence can only be achieved through constant ideological conflict and resolution. To him, this meant the struggle between opposing ideals and the eventual synthesizing of those opposites.

Hegelian Dialectic 3 stages: Thesis: an idea or proposition Antithesis: the negation or opposite of the thesis Synthesis: the reconciliation of the thesis and antithesis with a new idea that utilizes and considers the truths of both. This will generate a new thesis and start the dialectic over.

Synthesis in Writing Will usually have to work with more than two or three ideas or texts at a time You do not have to change your stance to support an opposing view. You should, however, look for common ground or ideas that

Group Activity: Synthesizing Sources In your unit 1 groups, answer the following question: 1. What is your view on the government’s ability to track people using their cell phones? When and why should the government be able (or not) to do this? 2. If you consider your answer to question 1 to be your ‘thesis,’ what would the antithesis to this statement be?

Group Activity: Synthesizing Sources Read through the articles “Mobile Phone Tracking Scrutinized” and “Reach Out and Track Someone” on A&B p Then answer the questions below. 3. What is the thesis or main idea of each article? Try to take this directly from the text if possible. 4. What ideas do these texts have in common? 5. What ideas in these texts contradict or oppose one another? 6. Generate a synthesis statement that takes in takes in elements from your original idea and reconciles (opposing) ideas from the two texts.

Homework Journal Entry 8: Source Evaluation 3 Find the third source you will use for your exploratory narrative Read and analyze your third source; Sum up the argument it makes in the journal entry as well as your reaction to reading the source. Then play the Believing and Doubting Game to find the strongest and weakest elements of the source. Finally, reflect on how the source has changed your understanding of the research topic. Exploratory Narrative First Draft: (Due Thursday 2/5) The first draft of your Exploratory Narrative should include your introduction as well as the body paragraphs for the first three sources of your writing. It is strongly recommended that you rely on your journal entries to aid you in writing these paragraphs.