[ 65 ]
FOR GETTING RESPONSE AND REVISING
Northwestern State University
Thomas Reynolds
En glish 1010
Essay #1 Rewrite Assignment
Your next major assignment for En glish 1010 is to once again proofread, edit, revise, and
rewrite your rst essay. This pro cess is impor tant as it will help you gain a better under–
standing of what is expected from your writing in this class. Some of you may have little
What to Do
1. Review the chapter in Every one’s an Author on WRITING A NARRATIVE and complete the
assignments on analyzing narratives. This will give you one more look at narrative
writing and help you to reconsider your own choices as an author of a narrative.
2. Review the key concerns that apply to many of the submitted essays (listed below).
Some Key Concerns about Essay #1 Submissions
• Your essays should not include any major errors that disrupt the ability of the reader to
understand what you are sharing (fragments, run- ons, comma splices, or verb errors).
• Your essays should be complete, fully developed, and or ga nized (introduction with a
2 % A Sampler of Assignments and Activities
[ SAMPLE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ]
[ 66 ]
Rochester Institute of Technology
Paulette Swartzfarger
Writing Seminar
Peer Review Form
Reviewer’s name:
Student author:
Writing Assignment #:
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the very best), rank the paper you are reading for each
of the following skills, and then answer the question in each category.
1. This paper has a clear purpose statement that includes the intended audience.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
2. The information in the body paragraphs is speci c.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
a.
b.
3. The paper shows complex thinking.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
4. What is the best thing the writer did to or ga nize his/her paper?
5. The sentences are generally correct in grammar and word use.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
6. Did you think the writing throughout the paper was clear and easy to read? Why or
why not?
7. What questions do you still have for the student author after reading this paper?
[ 67 ]
Rochester Institute of Technology
Paulette Swartzfarger
Writing Seminar
Peer Review Form for Analy sis Paper
Reviewer’s name:
Student author:
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the very best), rank the paper you are reading for
each of the following skills, and then answer the question in each category.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
The paper shows complex thinking.
1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10
1. Did the student author provide enough information about 2 examples of Factual
Evidence?
3. Did the paper provide enough information about 2 examples of Authoritative
Testimony?
4. Did the student author explain WHY the testimony helped the purpose of the
essay under consideration?
6. Did the student author provide a conclusion that speci cally addressed how the 3
strategies worked together to achieve the author’s purpose?
7. Did the student include a personal insight? (Were you persuaded or informed
because of reading the essay?)
2 % A Sampler of Assignments and Activities
[ SAMPLE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ]
[ 68 ]
FOR ASSEMBLING A PORTFOLIO
Northwestern State University
Thomas Reynolds
En glish 1010
Portfolio Letter: Taking a Position on Your Learning
Over the course of the semester, you have written informally almost every day in class.
You have also taken notes on readings and written some homework assignments. You
have worked in writing groups to compose a meme and an infographic, and you have
collaborated in the writing pro cess of your classmates through idea sessions and peer
writing you have done this semester, and re ect on your development as a writer. Ulti–
mately, the letter should argue that you have learned what you need to know about
writing in order to move forward in your college writing track and demonstrate that
you have thought carefully about your writing as both completed product and an active
pro cess.
You will nd information about re ecting on your writing in the Every one chapter
on ASSEMBLING A PORTFOLIO, including a sample letter. Here are some prompts to help
you think about writing with a critical eye:
demonstrates about what you’ve learned. Which piece would you say was the weak-
est? How might you have changed it to make it stronger?
• Analyze your writing pro cesses for di er ent assignments. Study any drafts and other
preparatory work you did for your papers. How did you revise as you were working
seemed to help you the most, and how were they helpful? What was not very helpful
as you were working? Were there any strategies or techniques that you enjoyed?
semester and why? Did you particularly dislike any kind of writing you did this semes-
ter? If so, why?
• De ne your goals as a writer. What has thinking about your writing over the course
of the semester helped you better understand about yourself as a writer? What
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Your statement should be written as a one- page, single- spaced letter in Times New
Roman font size 12. You should include the date in the rst line, followed by one line
space, followed by a salutation to me like “Dear Dr.Reynolds,” followed by one line
2 % A Sampler of Assignments and Activities
[ 71 ]
IN JULY 2014, the National Council of Writing Program Administrators
updated the document identifying the knowledge, practices, and attitudes
that students should have by the time they fi nish a fi rst– year composition pro-
gram. The second edition of Every one’s an Author supports the teaching of these
outcomes, as demonstrated below.
Rhetorical Knowledge
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Learn and use key rhetorical concepts
through analyzing and composing a
variety of texts
• Every one’s an Author opens with six chapters on
The Need for Rhe toric and Writing, and every
chapter in the book gets students thinking about
their rhetorical situations. Ch.1 introduces
• Ch.2, RHETORICAL SITUATIONS, provides guide-
lines to help students think about genre,
readers, which will of course a ect their writing
as well.
three
How Every one’s an Author
Supports the WPA Outcomes
(continued )
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 72 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
• Ch.4 focuses on MEETING THE DEMANDS OF
ACADEMIC WRITING, explaining what’s appropriate
rhetorically— e.g., that students are expected to
• Ch.6,
WRITING AND RHE TORIC IN THE WORKPLACE,
demonstrates the importance of rhe toric at
work and provides guidance in using rhe toric
• All the genre chapters (Chs.11–16) include
prompts to help students analyze their rhetori–
cal situations as they compose and read texts in
par tic u lar genres.
• Ch.17 teaches students about ANALYZING AND
CONSTRUCTING ARGUMENTS— those they encoun-
ter, and those they compose themselves— and
covers classical, Toulmin, Rogerian, and invita-
tional argument, as well as the basic rhetorical
• Ch.30,
TWEETS TO REPORTS, shows students that
the rhetorical strategies they use routinely in
social media are the same ones that are needed
in academic writing.
• Ch.34,
WRITING IN MULTIPLE MODES, prompts
students to consider their rhetorical situation
when writing in multiple modes, and provides
[ 73 ]
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
nds that many of the most successful present-
ers use a similar structure, moving from what is
to what could or should be.
• Think beyond Words activities send students
online to analyze the rhetorical ele ments of a
prompting students to think critically about the
authors’ rhetorical choices.
Gain experience reading and compos-
ing in several genres to understand
how genre conventions shape and are
shaped by readers’ and writers’
practices and purposes
• Every one’s an Author provides readings, guide-
lines, and examples in eight genres:
• Ch.6 résumé / job letter
• Ch.11 argument
• Ch.12 narrative (and literacy narratives)
• Ch.13 analy sis (rhetorical / pro cess / data /
causal / visual)
• Ch.14 report (and pro les)
• Ch.15 review (and lit er a ture reviews)
time in response to shifting practices and
cultural contexts.
• Each genre chapter includes a discussion of how
that genre varies across disciplines, media,
cultures, and communities.
• Every one’s an Author with Readings includes 32
(continued )
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 74 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
provides additional readings from a wide variety
of sources— Wired, StoryCorps, Scienti c
American, NPR, Salon, and more— all accompa-
nied by questions that help students engage with
the se lections. These can serve as provocative
in– class discussion starters.
Develop fa cil i ty in responding to a
variety of situations and contexts
• Ch.2 helps students think about the appropri–
ate tone, level of formality, medium, and so on
• Ch.4, MEETING THE DEMANDS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING, o ers tips for responding to academic
assignments appropriately— using standard
En glish, structuring their writing to make clear
• Ch.29,
WHAT’S YOUR STYLE?, gives students tools
to think about and shape the style of their
writing in terms of appropriateness, formality,
and stance.
• Ch.30,
TWEETS TO REPORTS, helps students shift
appropriately between informal and formal
writing, online and o .
• Ch.35 prompts students to think about their
audience when designing and delivering
PRE SEN TA TIONS.
[ 75 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Understand and use a variety of
technologies to address a range of
audiences
• Every one’s an Author assumes students are
writing using a variety of technologies, from
text ing or tweeting on a smart phone to writing
• Think beyond Words activities send students
online to watch videos, listen to podcasts, and
visit websites— and questions prompt them to
think about how the technologies a ect the way
• Ch.30,
TWEETS TO REPORTS, helps students
understand that what’s appropriate on social
media and in academic writing depends in part
on the audiences they’re addressing.
• Ch.35 prompts students to think about their
audience when designing and delivering
PRE SEN TA TIONS.
• The companion Tumblr site, everyonesanauthor
. tumblr . com, includes texts produced using a
range of technologies addressing many di er ent
audiences: TV commercials, blogs, Twitter,
(continued )
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 76 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Match the capabilities of di er ent
• Ch.2, RHETORICAL SITUATIONS, helps students
• Each genre chapter (Chs.11–16) notes how the
genre is used across media, academic disciplines,
genres, and cultures and communities.
• Think beyond Words exercises send students
online to view compositions in vari ous media
and ask them to consider how the medium
a ects the way the message is conveyed.
• Other exercises ask students to consider how
vari ous texts change across media.
• Ch.34,
WRITING IN MULTIPLE MODES, prompts
students to consider their rhetorical situation
when writing in multiple modes, and provides
guidance to help students produce illustrated
essays, blog posts, wikis, audio and video essays,
and posters.
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Use composing and reading for
inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and
• Ch.1,
THINKING RHETORICALLY, pushes students
to think hard about what others say and to
the text is saying while asking questions and
responding with ideas of their own.
[ 77 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
• Ch.4, MEETING THE DEMANDS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING, teaches students how to engage with
academic texts, ask questions, and formulate
ideas of their own.
arguments— those they encounter as well as
those they make themselves.
• Ch.7, MANAGING THE WRITING PRO CESS, encour-
ages writing as a nonlinear pro cess of learning
and inquiry.
• Part V frames all research, and the reading and
writing involved in research, as driven by
exploration and inquiry.
rhetorical situations. Each also includes prompts
to help students look critically at their draft.
Exercises throughout ask them to re ect on
their thinking and learning.
Read a diverse range of texts,
attending especially to relationships
between assertion and evidence, to
features function for di er ent
audiences and situations
• Ch.3,
READING RHETORICALLY, provides strategies
to help students become intentional, attentive
readers.
claim, the reasons and evidence o ered in
support of that claim, and so on.
• Ch.13,
WRITING ANALYTICALLY, teaches critical
reading and analy sis of both verbal and nonver–
bal texts.
ARGUMENT, shows the vari ous kinds of
evidence— verbal and visual— that writers can
use to support those assertions.
(continued )
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 78 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
• Part VII, Design and Delivery, applies earlier
discussions of relationships between assertion
and evidence to patterns of organ ization, to the
interplay between verbal and nonverbal
• Every one’s an Author with Readings includes a
diverse range of texts, each followed by
questions asking students to think about how
• The companion Tumblr site, everyonesanauthor
. tumblr . com, includes a diverse range of
texts— photo essays, cartoons, speeches, blogs,
ads, and more— all accompanied by questions
Locate and evaluate (for credibility,
su ciency, accuracy, timeliness, bias,
and so on) primary and secondary
research materials, including journal
articles and essays, books, scholarly
• Ch.20,
FINDING SOURCES, teaches students how
to identify primary, secondary, scholarly, and
popu lar sources— and how to use advanced
search options, online e- sources, and online
databases.
Use strategies— such as interpreta-
tion, synthesis, response, critique, and
design/ redesign—to compose texts
that integrate the writer’s ideas with
• Ch.4,
MEETING THE DEMANDS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING, teaches students how to actively
engage with academic texts, respond to others’
ideas, and formulate ideas of their own.
• Ch.25, QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING,
shows students how to appropriately weave the
ideas of others into their own writing.
[ 79 ]
Pro cesses
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Develop a writing proj ect through
multiple drafts
• Each genre chapter (Chs.11–16) includes a
Roadmap that leads students through the
pro cess of writing a text, with genre– speci c
a topic to considering their rhetorical situation,
generating ideas, drafting, getting response and
revising, editing, and proofreading.
• A checklist for revising on the back cover ap
provides a handy reference to help students
review their drafts and refers them to places in
the book for help with par tic u lar issues where
they may need guidance.
• Ch.8,
THE NEED FOR COLLABORATION, explains
that collaboration is inevitable and essential and
provides tips for working e ectively with others.
• Ch.9, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WRITING CENTER,
explains that all writers can bene t from
receiving feedback from others and suggests
• Ch.32,
CHECKING FOR COMMON MISTAKES, o ers
guidance and examples to help students do
sentence– level editing of their drafts.
(continued )
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 80 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Use composing pro cesses and tools as
a means to discover and reconsider
ideas
• Ch.7, MANAGING THE WRITING PRO CESS, o ers
several strategies for generating ideas.
• Part V, Research, describes research as a
pro cess of inquiry and discovery.
• Each genre chapter (Chs. 11–16) provides
prompts for getting response from others.
• Ch.9,
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WRITING CENTER,
explains that all writers can bene t from
• Part I on The Need for Rhe toric and Writing
and Part V on Research pres ent all writing
as social, that is, a response to what others
have said.
• Ch.8,
THE NEED FOR COLLABORATION, and Ch.9,
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WRITING CENTER, o er
suggestions for responding to the work of
others tactfully and helpfully and for seeking
feedback on one’s own writing.
• There are examples of writing in multiple
technologies and modes throughout the book.
Each includes prompts asking students to think
about how these texts were composed and how
they might be revised.
[ 81 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
• Ch.34, WRITING IN MULTIPLE MODES, teaches
students about composing across technologies
and modalities, including a guide to managing
the composing pro cess.
• The Roadmaps in each genre chapter
(Chs.11–16) prompt students to re ect on what
they’ve learned and what they still need to work
on.
• Brief exercises throughout the book ask
students to re ect on what they’re learning in
the book.
Knowledge of Conventions
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
practice in composing and revising
• Ch.32,
CHECKING FOR COMMON MISTAKES,
provides advice and examples to help students
edit their own writing.
• Ch.4,
MEETING THE DEMANDS OF ACADEMIC
WRITING, explains that genres and other
conventions vary across academic disciplines.
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
[ LEARNING OUTCOMES ]
[ 82 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
Gain experience negotiating variations
in genre conventions
• Ch.10, CHOOSING GENRES, pres ents genres as
exible and evolving, and helps students choose,
combine, and adjust genres to t their commu–
nication needs.
• Readings are followed by questions that focus
students’ attention on par tic u lar genre features
and suggestions for writing in that genre.
Learn common formats and/or design
features for di er ent kinds of texts
• Ch.33,
DESIGNING WHAT YOU WRITE, provides
guidelines for thinking about audience and using
fonts, color, and visuals appropriately.
• Ch.34, WRITING IN MULTIPLE MODES, provides
guidance to help students produce illustrated
essays, blog posts, wikis, audio and video essays,
and posters.
• Ch.6, WRITING AND RHE TORIC IN THE WORKPLACE,
covers résumé and job letter formats.
• Ch.23 shows the format used for ANNOTATING A
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
• Each genre chapter (Chs.11–16) provides tips
for organ izing an essay in that genre.
movement— and then describing in detail what’s
expected of students here. This chapter will help
students understand what they must acknowl-
edge, what’s considered fair use, and how to
avoid plagiarism.
[ 83 ]
Desired Student Outcome Every one’s an Author 2e
• An online tutorial provides further guidance in
understanding fair use and avoiding plagiarism; a
plagiarism quiz in the Norton Coursepack is
designed to help instructors evaluate students’
understanding of fair use and plagiarism.
3 % How Every one’s an Author Supports the WPA Outcomes
[ 84 ]
THE FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS IN POSTSECONDARY WRITING was devel–
oped by representatives from the Council of Writing Program Administra-
tors, the National Council of Teachers of En glish, and the National Writing Proj ect.
Published in January 2011, the Framework identifi es eight habits of mind essen–
tial for success in college writing. This chapter identifi es how Every one’s an Author
helps students develop these habits of mind.
Part I, The Need for Rhe toric and Writing, encourages students to view them–
selves as active meaning makers who can satisfy their curiosity about the world—
and interact productively with other writers and readers—by attending to their
rhetorical situation.
Part II teaches students strategies for approaching Writing Pro cesses with an
open and curious mind, from generating ideas from the questions they have about
the world and staying fl exible to receiving new ideas while drafting, to being open
Together, Parts I, II, and III encourage students to use writing as a means of
learning, and thus as a means of developing and satisfying their curiosity about
the world. Parts IV and V— The Role of Argument and Research— build upon and
extend this framework, helping students to develop the skills that take them from
initial curiosity about a question or issue to a full exploration of it.
four
How Every one’s an Author Supports
the Framework for Success
in Postsecondary Writing