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Reading Responses

As you read the short essays in NWWK, each one describes a writing concept that we think is essential for your success as a college writer and beyond. Each of these concepts will be "troublesome." In other words these concepts challenge you to change the way you think about writing (and as a result, the way you use writing).

For each of the NWWK readings, you will compose a response that achieves the following purposes (choose one or more or craft your own that relate to student SLOs?):

  • Using quotes from the reading and examples of writing you have done in the past, explain this concept to seniors at your high school alma mater. They would want to know, in language they understand, how this concept is different from what they currently know / believe about writing. And they will understand your explanation if you connect it to examples of writing that might be relevant for them.

  • Explain your reaction to this concept: Is it obvious? Or is it new information? If it's obvious, offer examples from your past experiences with writing to show that you already understood this. If it's not obvious, use examples from your past experiences to show how you had the "opposite" or different understanding of writing.

  • Identify the sentence or sentences in the reading that you think best explain the concept. In other words, what part or parts of the reading helped you understand the concept?

  • What part or parts of the reading were not clear, and why? How / why did they confuse you?

  • What would you believe about writing if the concept were not true or accurate? What kind of writing would you do?

  • Using your past experiences with writing (in or out of school) choose examples that you think help you "apply" or illustrate the concept. For example, how was your use of writing in the past an example of not understanding or believing the concept? How would your use of writing in the past have changed or been different if you had understood this concept?

  • Considering your ongoing self-assessment as a learner, what would kind of evidence would you need to provide to show that you have passed over this threshold?

  • How does this concept change / transform / expand your knowledge about writing, the ways you think about using writing? Offer one or more "before" and "after" examples.

Naming what we know

Students will write a response based on the many readings completed in this class. Students should use their responses to grapple with and explain the meaning of these texts to an audience unfamiliar with the text.  Responses should use textual evidence where appropriate, and offer readers easy to understand examples, to help the students and their audiences understand the material. Moreover, students should explain their evidence and show how the evidence demonstrates their point and connects to the reading materials. The purpose of these responses is to practice the art of writing/communicating, reflecting, learning, and meaning-making, while reading these sometimes difficult texts closely.

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Reading Responses will be due on Sundays by 11:59 pm (by the end of the day). These will be on your running document for Reading Responses. 

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Each entry must contain the following: 

  • Entry number, date, and reading(s)

  • Textual evidence with quotations and page numbers

  • Easy to understand examples

  • Demonstrate connections across the readings

    • how do the readings from that week connect or support each other?​

    • how do they argue against each other?

  • Needs to be in paragraph form

  • For each assigned reading, depending on the source of the reading, pick one of the questions below and respond to that prompt. 

    • Copy and paste the prompt and write your response underneath. ​​​

​Select statements from the list below. Ask students to offer your candid self-assessment of your ability to do these tasks. If you think you can do this, offer an example to demonstrate your competence:​

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  • Describe the information cycle and explain how, by whom and when information is created.

  • Explain the difference between a Google search and a search in a library database.

  • Determine the point of view or possible bias in a research source; I can show how sources connect to each other in the conversation.

  • Brainstorm several questions I could use for a topic based on the results of my research.

  • Explain the differences between types of sources; purpose, audience, genre, currency, credibility;

  • Define different ways that someone can be an "authority" on a subject; professional status, subject expertise, special experience, social position.

  • I can conduct a search using Quick Search and narrow it to the proper focus to find results for my paper.

  • I can change my search as needed to find better or different results, or to fix a search that did not work.

  • I can choose sources that are suitable for my research project based on several criteria.

  • I know when and how to ask a librarian for help.

  • Describe the "conversation" you have discovered with your research;

  • Identify the intended audience(s), purpose(s), and genre (of the source)

  • Explain why a source is appropriate.

  • Explain why you did not select a source.

  • Explain how a source contributes to your purpose.

  • Explain how the conversation you have discovered relates to your writing (how are you joining this conversation?)

  • Explain why you chose or rejected a source based on the authority of the creator.

Framework for Information Literacy

Reading Response #1​ (due January 28th)

  • NWWK Intro., Preface, and Metaconcept, TC 1.0, TC 2.0

  • Framework Introduction, Information has Value

  • "Genre in the Wild"

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Reading Response #2 (due February 4th)

  • NWWK TC 3.0; TC 4.0; 

  • Framework Authority is Constructed and Contextual; Searching as Strategic Exploration

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Reading Response #3 (due February 11th)

  • NWWK TC 4.3; 3.1; 4.4

  • Framework Information Creation as a Process; Scholarship as a Conversation

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Reading Response #4 (due February 18th)

  • NWWK  TC 1.2; 4.3

  • Framework Pick 2 concepts to discuss; focus on Knowledge Practices and Dispositions (Knowledge Practices=how to practice the concept and Dispositions=mental approach to practice concept)

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