Assignment Template Response
The assignment template was very informative, not only as a basic structure to plan future assignments and engage students but also as a helpful resource in creating and interpreting assignments not just as homework to gauge learning but as tools for the students to utilize as well. I particularly liked the section about questioning the text prior to reading it. It allows students to think beyond just reading the text and is more focused on familiarizing the student with making inferences based on length, titles and any key points that are stylized as important.
I also found the section Key Vocabulary as important as the vocabulary of the text often has its own meaning in relation to the text than it does in general. Students can make inferences on vocabulary based on the language and tone around it and formulate their own conclusions on what it means in context of not just the story, but its themes, characters and plot. It not only sets the students up for further questioning on their inferences being correct or incorrect but also has the students thinking critically about their predictions and what the information they had did to give away or not give away what the concepts of the text were about.
The section asking students to write down what words, phrases and language they find confusing was also very interesting. I hadn't seen that as a strategy before in previous classes other than the lack thereof and the need to study harder. This section strategy allows students to bring up what they're struggling with for extra help and feedback to formulate inferences to further understand what the text is portraying. It also helps improve students' grammar since the strategy calls for them to focus on the sentence structure and parts of speech, as well as the context within the text. It not only improves students' writing and helps them grasp concepts more for them to consider what's confusing and go back to analyze and critically think about it more but allows them to develop and use that same skill on future assignments. Particularly in allowing them to challenge the author's view point and concepts and not just decide if they agree or not.
The Logos, Ethos, and Pathos sections were also something I agreed with in the text. Not only to infer about the author from what was gathered in the text, but it also allows students to determine about the facts given, the motivations and trustworthiness of the author and the division between unbiased facts and emotional persuasion from the author in that particular work. Focusing not only on that but the grammar of it, right down to the nouns, verbs and adjectives that make up the work. Engaging students to understand why the author chose particular words - what were they trying to accomplish? Were they successful? I think it's important for students to come to their own conclusions, both rhetorically and in writing, in order to relate to their peers on the subject and determine their own stance on the subject. Instead of simply falling back on the text as fool proof evidence, the students are given the option to engage in the topic, create their own inferences amongst their peers, citing the text and determining the author's outcome in success and meaning by articulating their skills.
Summarizing and Reflection are important together in my opinion instead of simply summarizing about what was read instead of analyzing and thinking about prior questions and answers. Students can build on their summaries by reflecting on these previous questions and answers to further understand the text. Taking it a step further than simply concluding their reading and writing when it comes to understanding the text. I agree that reading and writing are connected and should be connected through assignments. They go hand in hand as tools for students to understand and formulate their own ideas about the text and what concepts are being presented either through author being unbiased or favoring one side of the argument more than the other.
In all honesty, my biggest bane is revising and editing as it was also something I came to dread as a student. Mostly because it felt like I was stepping backwards in my thinking to comb over and correct any stray sentences and ideas and it often consumed more time than actually writing it out in my case. Still, it's a much needed and important part of writing. It gives students the ability to retrace their steps, determine their sources from their stance, and refine and polish their argument.
Feedback is important part of assignments to help students grasp key concepts and learn from their mistakes. The example questions in the template not only engage the student but encourage them to build upon their prior knowledge and analyze the text given in order to recognizes themes, language and tone but cause the student to think critically and apply what they know not only to solve questions but to firmly grasp the concepts. Relating that to draft edits is similar in concept - the feedback is there for students to build on and correct in future drafts to promote a polished and accurate final product.
The different methods on providing a response and feedback depend on the paper in my opinion. Rubrics work to show what the teacher is looking for in the paper and though annotating and one-on-one meetings are harder to do and are time consuming, they personally work better in my opinion, or at least they did for me in previous courses. Overall, the assignment template itself was a useful resource and guide for what to think about when creating assignments for students in order for them to succeed, understand and apply what they're given in both their reading and writing and ensuring their skills are apt for the future.
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