Presentation Notes

Overall I want you to start developing a rhetorical strategy for what you will be presenting next week.  Think of our presentations today as a rough draft to your final presentation.  I'm looking for centralized and focused conversation dealing with reading and writing.  It is not enough to simply say that reading and writing are important in order to become successful.  This is an over generalization that will require more research and investigative initiative on behalf of your individual groups.  

Although I appreciate your motivational videos, motivation should also stem from a cognitive awareness that transitions into questions like: "Why we do what we do?" -->  "Why do we read and write the way we do?"

This is what I need for next class period:

• RESEARCH/ SCHOLARLY WRITING RESEARCH (Bring Articles to class)
• NO VIDEOS    
• CENTRALIZED TOPIC
• HALF PAGE INTRO THAT WILL EXPLAIN YOUR TOPIC and ARGUMENT 

Here are my notes on your presentations:

Group 4:

Interesting how writing is being related to physical activities:  Video Presentation

Writing is physical and mental

Same perspective / Confinement à Not life à Be an individual

Writing how you want to write.  How do other group members relate/or not relate to this idea?

Grammar, punctuation, central theme.

H.S was just about passing the TAKS

Job = Making essay?

Interview with little brother.  He is concerned with flow.

Good writing helps you to become successful?  Do you really believe this?

I like the Gloria Steinem reference.

Needs more cohesion.  Seems like everyone has their own independent views.  Need a collective perspective and not veer on topics discussed.  There is some things you might consider investigating, especially looking at writing through an administrative point of view, assessment etc…

Wish you would have done more class activities, and engagement.  You had them for a while towards the end of the presentation. 

25min

Group 3:

What makes a good writer? 

Drafting, be original, grammar (technical aspects), Express yourself.

Writing can be about anything?  Pick a topic you’re familiar with.

Prewriting/Drafting/Revising/

What makes you a good reader?

Know the topic?  Understand what you’re reading.   What if you don’t know what you’re reading or what the author is trying to express?

Learn about what you’re reading à use notes, re-read

Talking about a text

We need to investigate a specific aspect about reading and writing.  A lot of the information discussed in the presentation, are things that we have been covering in class.  I think focusing on a specific aspect of reading and writing will benefit the overall theme of the presentation.  During this stage, simply restating what we have already talked about in class will not be enough.  Try looking for scholarship that supports some of this data that you have provided in your presentation. 

24min

Group 2:

Interview investigation

I’m noticing the use of quotations as citations?  Why is this?

Reading from the paper directly affected the presentation; tend to lose your audience in this manner.

Fundamental strategies for writing.  à What makes writing “GOOD”? 

Specific and concrete/ Structure

Brainstorming 

Colloquial (informal)

Formal

Spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Mistakes are distracting!!! à YES

1.       All of my ideas are interesting.

2.       My examples are specific.

3.       The purpose of my wiring is clear to the reader

4.       My writing is well organized

5.       My Writing has an identifiable voice

6.       The work is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes

Reading and writing to become successful:  I’m not sure I quite buy into this yet. 

I like how you incorporated the checklist; I will expect you all to make sure that you use this in your own essay.  If anything, I like that you force the students to write this down and essentially make up their own mind if they wish to use this or not.   The presentation was too long; the use of too many videos in your presentation elapsed the time significantly.  Some of the context got lost along the way.  I appreciate your attempt at finding information online; videos are good if used appropriately.  Again the information needs to be more specific.  It’s too much information to take in at one time.  Think about what you think the students got from your presentation.  Do you think you lost them along the way?  Why?

35min

Group 1:

What is good writing?

Very strong video introduction:  I hope you follow it up with the rest of your presentation

Writing in a sociopolitical context, religion, music, art, and literature.

Reading off a paper really influenced your presentation.  I think you would have had a greater effect by eliminating it.  I think your group had an interesting take on reading and writing.  Talking about the historical and social significance of writing, I think the group could have done a better job tying in the information better.  There is a big transition from talking about writing in its sociopolitical context and all of a sudden talking about the personal interviews.  Where is the connection?  How are you trying to fit this information in to your own experience?  Are you advocates, activists, against or for, the substructure of writing?  It would be interesting to correlate the study to something local, something students in our area struggle with.  Brainstorm and focus your attention on something specific.

Although I appreciate the allusions to Shakespeare, Homer, and MLK, I think it’s important to find the core of what these people advocated for. 

17min