Writing Tutorial #1

1. Sue Beckwith LWTA, Department of Anthropology Writing Tutorial #1

2. Goals • Introduce the assignment – logistics and content • Challenges for 1st year students • Writing tutorial and writing workshop • Resources available

3. Scaffolding Assignments • Learning process to promote deep level of learning • Provides various levels of support to promote learning • Effective when skills or concepts are first being introduced • Writing as a process – 3 phase assignment

4. Essay Assignment *** Must be accepted in order to get the Essay - Revision marked

5. Administrative Details • Submit assignment at ANT 100 Learning Portal - Turnitin • Student instructions on ANT 100 Website http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/ant100/submit.html

6. Administrative Details Cont’d. • Late assignments • Extension Requests • Need documentation • Late penalties (max. 7 days) • 3% off per day including weekends http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/ant100/extensions.html

7. Plagiarism • Critical Information !!! • No quotes allowed • No paraphrasing – No disguised copying • All should be in own words with the idea referenced http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/ant100/plagiarize.html

9. Why Cite? • Respect academic community’s rules and practices • Future source consultation • Demonstrates author’s credibility • Shows diversity of sources consulted • Separates the amateurs from the professionals

10. Documenting Your Source • AAA style • http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/ant100/documenting.html#refereed

11. Evolutionary Anthropology Evolution of bipedalism Food carrying or energetics?

12. Archaeology Why did modern humans replace Neanderthals? Important differences in behavior between the two species? 40,800 ya El Castillo, Spain

13. Linguistics and Semiotics Unconscious rules for using emoticons? How does their use relate to spoken and written English?

14. Social Cultural Warfare - Part of our nature as a species or developed in certain cultural contexts? Napoleon Chagnon with the Yanomamö

15. Unpacking the Topics • What do you think are the key elements of a good answer for your group’s topic? Consider content, organization, and style, etc. • What essential skills will your students need to develop a good answer?

16. Essay Proposal Assignment • See Handout for instructions • AAA citation style • Summary of main arguments • Thesis statement • Position – take a stand • Focus • Scope

17. Proposal Assignment Cont’d • Evidence • A fact that supports an argument • Events, personal and reported experiences, statistics, measurements • An author making a point is NOT usually evidence

18. Proposal Assignment Cont’d • Comparing articles • How authors present their arguments • Quality and use of evidence to support arguments • Compare authors' reasoning and conceptual approaches • Max. length - 600 words

19. Unpacking the Assignment • Imagine you are a first-year student new to university and unfamiliar with university-level assignments that involve research and writing. • Identify some of the possible difficulties your students might have with the writing and research phase of the assignment. • Develop a list of suggestions, strategies, resources, and tools for helping your students.

20. Tutorials, Workshops, Office Meetings Writing

21. Writing Tutorial: Goals • To invite students into the anthropological conversation through the writing assignment • To introduce and unpack the topics and the proposal phase of the writing assignment

22. Writing Tutorial: Activities • Administrative Details • Unpack the topics • Unpack the proposal assignment • Resources • LSW or Discussion: What concerns do you still have about the essay proposal assignment?

23. Writing Workshops • Opportunities for one-on-one conferences • Larger group discussions • Peer response

24. One-on-one ConferencesOffice Meetings and Writing Workshops Do’s Don’ts Dominate Edit Intimidate Patronize • Hard copy of assignment • Sit side by side • Make sure student has pen and paper • Keep short • Identify pattern of errors • Be realistic

25. One-on-One Conferences • Ask students to write questions in advance • Ask the student what specific questionstheyhave • Use open-ended questions to encourage student responsibility

26. One-on-One Conferences • Focus the paper • Organization of the paper • Be more specific in the paper • Use evidence to support the claim • Activity – Role play scenarios

27. Benefits of Peer Response • Students know the requirements of the assignment so are more helpful • Students know the challenges • Through reading one another’s drafts, students can learn more about how to fulfill the assignment

28. Peer Response • Guide students to use critical reading skills • Useful suggestions for improvement (future oriented) • Identify problem areas, clear, concise recommendations • Suggestions in the form of questions • Be respectful, but be honest

29. Writing Resources • ANT 100 Website • Writing Workshops – drop-in • TA office meetings • St. George Campus Writing Centres http://anthropology.utoronto.ca/ant100/writingskills.html • Library Guide for ANT 100 http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/ANT100?hs=a

30. TA - To Do List (Before 1st writing tutorial) • Read all the readings • Read all material relating to the essay assignment on ANT 100 Website • Email your students • Read the four topics • Read about the essay on the ANT 100 website • Office appointments

31. Ticket out the Door • Write one question or concern that you still have regarding the essay proposal assignment and/or the writing tutorials