A. Understanding CAT Evaluation

1. Read and annotate "How Your Writing is Scored by the CATW Readers" and "Writing Assessment Analytic Scoring Rubric" on pages 18-21 of the packet. (15 minutes)
2. Class discussion of the way the test is scored.

Click on to Enlarge: 
President Obama's Revision of One of His Speeches
from The Alchemist's Kitchen

B. Revising Your Response to CAT Practice #1

Once you get your CAT response back from me:

1. Calculate your score.
2. Read my feedback. 
3. Determine ONE, or at most TWO areas of your writing that need the most work.
4. Plan on how you will revise your writing in the area(s) you have chosen. Your goal is to try to reach the next score level for each area your are revising. If you had a 2, figure out how to get a 3; if a 3, how to get a 4, and so on. 
5. Begin Blog 7: Revision of CAT Practice #1. You may  have to start your response all over or add/delete ideas as you see fit. The completed blog entry is due Tuesday, October 18. This blog entry must be 400+ words.

Feel free to ask questions at any point.

HOMEWORK

1. Finish Blog 7.
2. Go to CAT Tutorials on the top of my blog. Do the exercises for the area(s) that you have identified as in need of work. Print a copy of your completed exercise and give it to me.
3. On your own, watch The Matrix and complete The Matrix Quiz at the top of my blog. There are two copies of the film in the library. You may also watch it on campus by logging in to the Library Streaming  Services HERE. Then there are two places online: letmewatchthis.com (with my thanks to Franco!) or www1channel.ch (with my thanks to my mystery student!).

Thesis-based Writing (3/21)

To Do:

You will have until 6:05 to write Blog 6: Things I do Not Believe in Any More. See instructions below.

Last week, the class was brainstorming on connections to Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave." Here is one way to get you started thinking about how you can relate to Plato's notion of "coming out of the cave":

Blog 6: Make a list of ideas and facts you thought were true at some point in the past but you no longer do (for example, "Santa Claus"). For each item on the list, explain the change in your beliefs. What brought you to doubt the reality of something you used to believe true?

***

Today we will

• Read about and discuss thesis-based writing
• Review sample claims and theses in response to a CAT reading
• Work in groups to create a claim and a thesis for a second CAT reading
• Work individually to create a claim and a thesis for a third CAT reading 
• Reflect on what we have learned

I.  Understanding Thesis-based writing
We will read and discuss the information on pages 3-4 of your packet. Then we will re-read "How To do One Thing at a Time" (page 9) and examine and discuss the "Claim to Thesis" document below, which has a series of possible claims, reasons, and thesis statements that identify a significant idea and respond to it.

Claim to Thesis

II. Writing Claims and Theses

1. With your group, write a BOTH a simple claim AND a map thesis that identify a main idea in "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" (page 11) and respond to this main idea. Once the group is satisfied with the claim and the thesis, copy and paste them under your group section in the Google Docs below.

Google Docs: Group Work for "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

2. On your own,  write a BOTH a simple claim AND a map thesis that identify a main idea in "I Know the Truth, so Don't Bother Me with Facts" (page 12). Copy and paste them under your section in the Google Docs below. 

Google Docs: Individual Work for "I Know the Truth, so Don't Bother Me with Facts."

3. I'll assign someone else in the class to evaluate your claim and thesis and give you feedback. For this person, please write a comment under that person's section that answers these three questions:

• What did you like about the claim and about the thesis?
• What was confusing about the claim and about the thesis?
• How would you have written this claim and this thesis?

4. Now go to your blog and create Blog 7: Reflecting on Thesis-based Writing. In this blog entry, please answer the following questions:

• What have you learned from the thesis-based writing class?
• How do you know that you have learned it?
• Can you describe how you learned it? 
• What helped your learning? What made it difficult?
• How do you feel after today's class? 

Third Lab, Blog 7: I Am / I Am Not a Cyborg (10/8)

"Making 'Dontcha Wish Your Cellphone Was Hot Like Me?'" 

by Steve Rhodes

Please title your entry EITHER “Blog 7: I Am A Cyborg” OR “Blog 7: I Am Not A Cyborg." Then write a 400-word essay where you prove to myself and your classmates that you either are or are not a cyborg. Start by giving YOUR OWN definition of what a “cyborg” is and then use evidence from your own life and experience to support your claims. Be as detailed as possible. You may quote any of the definitions that you found out yesterday, if it helps.


THE EVALUATION of Blog Series 2 will be this week-end (all blogs must be completed to get full credit!)