Best Practices

Norton Field Guide to Writing

Julie Malsbury Dabous
October 22, 2012
Fall In-Service

The Students

Many incoming students see the value of

writing well, but are unsure they are able
to do it.

They most likely didnt like writing in high

school, and most of them still dont now.

To lure them back to liking writing, or at

least hate it a little bit less, I try to create
assignments using the skills they already
have without giving them the same thing
they learned last year.

Semester Overview
Three

projects:

Profile of a Person,

Big Scary Research Project (includes analysis,

annotated bibliography, and refutation of an
argument), and

Narrative of Place.

Each

project is peer-reviewed in groups and

six volunteers (except with the Ann. Bib.) have
their essay workshopped by the class.

When

the final draft is submitted, the class

reflects on their writing processes.

The Profile
No

one has written a profile before, so

all students are on a level playing field.
Teaches students that they are control
of their own writing.
Unprepared or underprepared
interviews result in boring drafts.
Encourages students to go back for
more information.

The Assignment
DIRECTIONS: Write a profile that is 4 5 pages in
length. This does not include the bibliography.
Develop a specific angle through description (details),
narration (anecdotes), and dialogue (subjects voice).
A profile starts as an interview. The subject can be anyone
you interview face-to-face, including online interviews
through video chat, such as Skype or Google.
The content of the profile will ultimately be decided by the
subject, but you will need to be prepared for the interview.
Remember, you are in charge.
Be prepared with at least 20 questions, but they may or
may not all be used in the interview. Often, questions
develop naturally as part of the interviewing process.
Typically, you will not use all of your subject's
information/answers, just like you dont use a whole essay
when conducting textual research.

Reading as Process
Read

about Profiles (161), Field Research

(394), Citation (463) (1 class day), and three
sample profiles from the text book (3 class
days).
Johnny Depp: Unlikely Superstar shows what
happens when the angle is too wide.
Jimmy Santiago Baca: Poetry as Lifesaver
shows perfect angle, but the essay is missing
physical description.
Cookie Master (First Ed.) shows an incomplete
profile (according to their assignment and
rubric).

Writing as Process

Discuss good vs. bad questions.

Brainstorm 20 good questions, so they are
prepared for the interview.
After the interview, students use the
subjects answers to compose a rough draft.
Peer review rough draft (one day)
Workshop of six volunteers (three days).
Peer review revised draft (one day).
Submit and reflect on the final draft (one
day).

Sharing as a Process

The essay is about someone else, so

students seem more comfortable sharing
their work.
Students use rubrics to guide the
discussion, so they are objective and
consistent in their constructive critique,
rather than feeling bad about just criticizing.
Students are more receptive to feedback
because they have time to revise before the
final draft is due.

The Profile Teaches So I Dont Have To

Searching vs. researching.

Students use Facebook for background information, like they

would use Wikipedia for basic information about other research
topics.

Good research questions are complicated.

Good research takes time.

Students want to know if they are allowed to go back

and ask follow-up questions before the final draft is
due.

Good research often changes the students initial ideas.

They evolve as researchers and writers.

Writing an original (plagiarism free) essay is not

hard, but takes time.

Profile as Introduction to Citation.

Students learn about in-text citation (10% of

grade) as referring to the source (Subjects name)
through out the essay.
Students are introduced to bibliographic citation
(10% of grade).
The text book gives clear examples of how to cite.

Screen shot of p. 463 from ebook accessed through

CourseSmart. Also accessible through Norton.

Profile as Multi-Modal
Students can already write in the following
modes. The Profile combines many.
Descriptive
Expository
Narrative
Expressive
Reactionary
Composing on a computer
Online research and interviews

Profile Achieves Course Objectives

Demonstrate effective writing strategies after reading and assessing a variety

of texts.
Write assignments that consider various writing situations in terms of audience,
purpose, tone, organization, format, style, point of view, and diction.
Generate ideas, limit a topic, and formulate a thesis, utilizing prewriting
techniques.
Provide specific, concrete details to support the thesis.
Organize essays using appropriate types of development such as description,
narration, definition, comparison/contrast, causal relationship, classification,
example, process analysis, and argumentation.
Compose an original, unified, multi-paragraph essay with introduction,
conclusion, and transitions.
Revise, edit, and proofread writing to produce final drafts with a minimum of
errors in grammar, mechanics, and diction.

Technically achieves
Access and evaluate source material using current information literacy
techniques.
Summarize, paraphrase, and quote source material using MLA documentation.
Prepare a documented essay free of plagiarism.

Profile as a Text-Book Free Assignment

In the event English classes move away from using a textbook

in the future, I would still use Nortons Guide to Writing

As a reference for myself to teach rhetorical situations (Purpose,

Audience, Genre).
As an optional supplement for students.

Ebook version can be accessed through Nortons website or

CourseSmart.com
The Ebook doesnt have readings, but many profiles are
accessed online, such as Cookie Master, which was
published in the New Yorker and Johnny Depp: Unlikely
Superstar, which was published in Entertainment Weekly.
The Ebook does have citation, but students who opt not to
purchase an online copy can use our librarys resources or
Purdues Online Writing Lab (OWL), both of which are free.

Profile as Writing Across the Curriculum

It can be adapted for students to

interview professionals within their
future fields.
Could be expanded into a semester
theme, showing students the power
returning to the work after its
graded.

???
Any Questions
???

Thank You!