Task and Purpose

1. Task and Purpose English 1011 Freshman English Workshop

2. Write for 5 We write on computers, cell phones, and paper. What kind of writing do you do every day? Why do you write what you write?

3. Learning Competency Task/Purpose • Your writing will fulfill the requirements of the assigned writing task and have a clear purpose that is sustained throughout the text.

4. Objectives and Purposes You need to know the parameters of your assignment especially because off topic writing can result in automatic failure. • Identify and discuss the components of an assignment sheet. • Examine rubrics to uncover teacher expectations. • Discern your purpose for writing and develop a thesis statement. A rubric tells you how to get the grade you want and why you received the grade you did. Determining purpose is the first step to writing your thesis. Having a clear purpose for your essay will help you maintain your audience’s attention

5. Your Assignment Sheet Information to Look For Due Date(s) Weight Length Topic Audience Type of Writing Purpose Rubric Format Instructor Pet Peeves

6. Your Assignment Sheet By the time you’ve finished reading it, your assignment sheet should look something like this.

7. Your Assignment Sheet Let’s Practice! Look for this information on your own assignment sheet.

8. Your Assignment Sheet Your rubric… • answers questions you may have about your assignment requirements. • explains the teacher’s expectations of your writing. • reminds you of standards and requirements of the course. • explains how to receive the grade you want.

9. Your Assignment Sheet Let’s Practice! Look at your rubric. What do you have to do to get an A on your assignment?

10. Your Assignment Sheet Examining and Understanding Your Topic What type of paper are you supposed to write? What content and sources are you required to include?

11. Your Assignment Sheet Paper Type • Will your evidence come from personal experience, research, or both? • What rhetorical mode(s) do you need to incorporate? Argumentation Persuasion Exposition Narration Description Definition Comparison/Contrast Cause and Effect Process Classification

12. Your Assignment Sheet Let’s Practice! According to your assignment sheet, what kind of evidence are you required to incorporate in your writing? Which rhetorical modes will you use to complete the assignment?

13. Your Assignment Sheet Required Content and Sources Content Sources What are you supposed to write about? What will you use to prove your argument? For Example • Themes • Symbols • Characters For Example • Type of sources • Number of sources • Location of sources

14. Your Assignment Sheet Let’s Practice! What specific content do you have to include in your paper? What kinds of resources do you have to include in your paper?

15. Defining Your Purpose • Define what you want to write about. • Explain why you want to write it. I’m going to write about… so that I can…

16. Defining Your Purpose Let’s Practice! Define the purpose of your assignment.

17. Defining Your Purpose According to Hult and Huckin, “Knowing why you want to know will help you formulate more specific questions about the topic, and these questions will focus your exploration” (16). A clearly defined topic and purpose will become your thesis statement!

18. Defining Your Purpose A thesis statement is “a single claim that expresses your particular view on the concept” (Mauk and Metz 156). A thesis statement “may involve a long process of reflection and discussion. And often, a good thesis only emerges after a writer has thoroughly analyzed the topic” (Mauk and Metz 157).

19. Defining Your Purpose Let’s Practice! Write a tentative thesis statement for your assignment.

20. Review of Objectives • Identify and discuss the components of an assignment sheet. • Examine rubrics to uncover teacher expectations. • Discern your purpose for writing and develop a thesis statement. What parts of the assignment sheet did we discuss? What do you have to do to get an A on your paper? Why do you need to have a purpose for your writing?

21. Apply and Connect Reflect on what we have discussed in this workshop. What questions do you still have? What do you plan to do from now on when you get an assignment sheet?

22. Preview of Next Workshop Audience Awareness • Identify the audience for your writing. • Identify the needs of the audience. • Recognize the requirements of the writing situation. • Choose support that will meet the needs of the audience as well as fit the writing situation.

23. For more information… about task and purpose or for help with other writing concerns, come to TSU’s Writing Center. Visit room 300 in the Learning Resources Center, or call 615.963.5102 to make an appointment.