Table of Contents
Rubric for All Papers………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Response Circles/Peer Review…………………………………………………………………………………… 2
How I will grade your participation in response circles…………………………………………… 3
Some tips/pet peeves of mine……………………………………………………………………………………… 4
PHRASES TO AVOID (AND WHAT TO WRITE INSTEAD)…………………………………………….. 5
Top 10 things I love to see in student papers:…………………………………………………………….. 6
Helpful Transitions…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Rubric for All Papers
An “A” paper will:
- Will answer the question asked by formulating an original argument.
- Choose rich (but not too long) quotations that that support your main argument, and cite them correctly.
- Analyze the text in an original and inspired way, showing me that you are a strong reader and a sharp, deep thinker.
- The ideas in the paper will be very well developed; think of your paper as a map taking your reader on a journey–you can’t leave your reader stranded.
- Show a strong sense of logical thinking and organization. Each idea will flow from the next through the use of transitions and development.
- Use language very effectively: smart, concise, sophisticated (but clear and easy to read) prose.
- Follow the formatting and style guidelines detailed in the assignment.
A “B” paper will do much of the above, but will lack somewhat in one or two categories.
A “C” paper is adequate, and will do some of the above and generally get the job done, but will lack in perhaps two or three categories.
A “D” paper is inadequate in three or more categories described above
An “F” paper has not followed the assignment, or only followed it in the most cursory of manners. A paper may also receive an F if it is incomprehensible for reasons of either language or formatting.
Response Circles/Peer Review
After you have posted your papers on Blackboard under the Assignments section, you will be placed in a “response circle” which will require you to read 3-4 classmates’ papers and provide feedback to them through Blackboard/Turnitin’s peer review function. The directions and rubric for feedback is below.
Read each paper carefully. You can include comment bubbles throughout the paper as you’re reading. For each paper, you must write the following three paragraphs:
- Summarize the content and structure of the student’s paper in 3-5 sentences, covering each of the following:
- Which question the student answered and how you know that.
- The organizational structure the student chose, and whether or not the student uses paragraphing and a typical essay structure (intro-body-conclusion).
- How the student used evidence. Write about which text(s) the student chose to use as examples, and what they helped you to understand about the text and the student’s argument.
- In a second paragraph, restate the paper’s main argument. Explain whether or not you agree with the paper’s analysis and conclusions. Did you see the same thing, or did the paper show you a different interpretation?
- In a final paragraph, point out one or two areas (they can be based on the any of the points covered in paragraph 1 or about the interpretation you discussed in paragraph 2) that need expansion and/or revision. Explain what you think the paper needs to improve on for the next draft.
Editing: Narrowing your focus, and taking out extraneous information, ideas, evidence, or words;
Clarifying: Changing your language so that it is more immediately understandable and precise;
Correcting: Changing your interpretation so that it is more accurate, as in the case of a misreading;
Expanding and Developing: Including more evidence, interpretation, and/or analysis to further clarify your ideas.
How I will grade your participation in response circles
Each paper you comment on will be worth 10 points each.
You will receive 7/10 points for completing all three paragraphs.
You will receive the final 3 points for the quality and thoughtfulness of your responses. You do not have to be a great proofreader or a teacher for this assignment, you just have to try hard and be honest.
Some tips/pet peeves of mine
- Keep the first sentence and the first paragraph specific. No general statements about the history of the world, the history of literature, or about human nature in general. These shouldn’t be anywhere in your paper, as a matter of fact.
- Never address your reader in the second person (you) in a formal paper. (E.g. “don’t you hate it when … ” or “imagine that you are … “)
- Don’t turn in a paper that is obviously too short or too long. 3-4 pages means 3-4 pages. If you write more than 4 pages, find something to delete. If you can’t write more than 2 pages, don’t increase the font size or margins; don’t write a bunch of BS filler. A great way to make your paper longer and stronger is to explain and add more details. If you’re really stuck, email me a draft. I’m happy to look at it.
- Proofread! Yes, all of your words matter and I will be reading all of them when I grade your paper. I can’t just “know what you mean,” you need to know what you mean when you write it. Read your paper out loud, very slowly, with a pen in your hand or at your computer.
- Editing is not the same as proofreading. Editing means considering issues like organization, sentence structure, and how quotations are integrated. When you edit, you should be doing ARMS: Adding, Removing (deleting), Moving, and Substituting. Proofreading, on the other hand, means fixing typos, checking the spellings of characters’ names, and fixing punctuation and grammar errors. You must do both here.
PHRASES TO AVOID (AND WHAT TO WRITE INSTEAD)
Avoid Use Instead
| In today’s society,
In the modern world, In this day and age, |
Today,
Currently, BUT, you should avoid this in a literary criticism essay or paper; write about the author’s time period—if it is directly significant to your argument; more often than not, it actually isn’t and you actually don’t need to contextualize. |
| Back in the day,
A long time ago, In the old days, |
X years ago,
In the X century, In the days of [X writer or historical figure you’ll be talking about in your paper] |
| Throughout history
For all mankind Society and People |
These are just too broad, don’t use them or similar phrases
Be specific about what group of people you are talking about: Americans, New Yorkers, people who live in rural areas, people who live in urban centers, African-Americans, White Americans, Asian-Americans, students, construction workers, stay-at-home moms, etc. BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHO YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT |
| People have different opinions on | We may disagree about |
| I think, I feel, I believe, In my opinion | Usually you can take these out without hurting the rest of the sentence; it actually makes it stronger to take it out |
| This was giving me the impression that… | You don’t need this – don’t talk about your thought process. Go straight to the point. But also, impressions aren’t good enough for these kinds of papers, we need textual evidence! |
| The author uses a lot of imagery in this poem | The author uses images such as x, y, and z |
| In this paper I will talk about | I argue that (to distinguish your claims from another’s) |
| “quotation” all alone | sandwich the quotation with an introduction and analysis.
Even a simple: “The author writes/says/states/complains/claims/concedes/insists/questions/reminds us/reports/suggests that” to INTRODUCE. Signal analysis with similar words: “This means/suggests/points out that” |
| The author talks about this in a particular way | The author uses light/dark imagery or the poet uses the metaphor of a church to talk about a grave or the narrator uses a brash and arrogant tone to describe this |
Top 10 things I love to see in student papers:
10 – When you write counter-arguments into your paper. That shows me you’re thinking about multiple points of view.
9 – When you show an interest in authorial irony; it’s the greatest thing in literature since the alphabet!
8 – Pure analysis of the text itself, without any unnecessary biographical information about the author or summary of the text.
7 – Quotations that are used effectively: not too long, not too short. Quotations that could stand alone, but where you tell me smart things about them, too.
6 – Seeing that the student followed the directions completely, including all formatting requirements. Papers that all look uniform are easier to grade and don’t make you stand out for the wrong reasons.
5 – Thesis statements that really answer a question (whether it’s given or implied): you’ve asked yourself a good question about the meaning of the text in an early draft, or in your brainstorming, and now you’re answering that question at the end of your introduction in a specific, engaging thesis statement. Each of the paper prompts includes very specific questions to help you formulate your thesis. Feel free to use the language of the paper directions.
4 – Clear evidence that you have proofread your work thoroughly (used the spell-check!), and maybe even discussed it with someone else.
3 – A thoughtful organization and progression of ideas: I love it when your paper is almost telling me a good story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has some conflict, some uncertainty, and best of all, there is still a little ambiguity, a little doubt, and a little openness at the end.
2 – When the student has obviously enjoyed writing the paper (even—or especially—if it was also a struggle), either because s/he has discovered something in the text, or because s/he is challenging himself to think and write better.
And the number one thing I love to see in a student paper…
A really engaging, smart first sentence that tells me the topic of your paper (but without saying “the topic of my paper is…”).
Helpful Transitions
For ADDING IDEAS:
also another in fact equally important moreover
furthermore additionally indeed in addition
For MAKING A CONTRAST:
however nevertheless although conversely
on the contrary notwithstanding even though all the same
on the other hand by contrast nonetheless
For COMPARING:
likewise equally along the same lines
similarly in comparison in the same way
For CITING AN EXAMPLE:
for example in other words in fact
for instance specifically after all
as an illustration consider
For SHOWING RESULTS:
accordingly hence consequently
as a result thus therefore
For REINFORCING AN IDEA:
especially important above all most noteworthy
especially relevant a significant factor most of all
For ELABORATING (expanding upon a point):
actually by extension to put it another way
to put it bluntly in short to put it succinctly
in other words ultimately basically
For CONCEDING A POINT:
admittedly of course although it is true that
naturally granted to be sure
For CONCLUDING:
clearly hence consequently
obviously therefore thus
in short all in all