Questions to Help You Compose Your Stage 5 Reflective Essay

Your Stage 5 reflective essay is the place where you will show me the need for your document--the need for the message and for "packaging" your public text the way you have chosen to. It is in this essay that you will need to discuss the research you did and how that played into the making of your argument.

 

To help you compose your reflective essay (around 4 double-spaced pages; see sample essays), here are ten questions to ask yourself about the overall experience of the creation of your public text:

1. What is my Stage 4 theory? Would the public agree with me? If not, am I aware of all opposing opinions? How has what the audience already knows and what they value affected the choices I made about how to make my argument, what pictures to use, etc.?
2. How would I describe my public text? How is it helping me raise awareness to my Stage 4 theory?
3. How did my public text grow out of my previous work in class?
4. How am I ensuring that my public text is rhetorically effective? Who is my audience, and what have I done with my public text to make my argument for my particular audience?
5. Is my public text the best way to reach the public, including those who do not agree with me?
6. What resources (articles, interviews, websites, construction paper, etc.) have I used in the construction of my public text? How easy/difficult has it been to use these resources?
7. What specific difficulties/successes have I experienced in the construction of my public text?
8. Besides the current form I have chosen for my public text, could a different form have worked just as well/better? Specifically, how have other existing public texts helped me construct my own public text?
9. Are any of my classmates working with similar theories/public texts? How are they constructing their public texts, and how would we benefit from collaboration/sharing information?
10. What have I learned in the construction of my public text? What specific connections can I make between the construction of my public text and the readings/discussions from class?

Public Text Samples and Resources

Here's a list of public texts created by former students:

• Websites
• On High School-to-College Transition
• On Writing and Occupational Therapy
• On Writing and College Athletes
• On Simple Writing
• On Pre-Med Majors and Writing
• On Writing Biology Lab Reports
• On Writing and Kinesiology
• On Writing and Marketing
• On Nursing and Writing
• Other Public Texts
• "Rhetorical Gaming" Video
• "Writing For Teachers" Prezi
• Law Enforcement Badge
• Bumper Sticker
• Book Cover
• "Writing is Important" Video
• "Communication and Writing" Video
• "Flags of Our Writers" Movie Poster
• Nursing and Bilingualism" Video
• Viral Flyer
• "The Silence of Writing" Movie Poster
• Magazine Cover

And here are some resources to help you gather ideas and create your own Stage 5 public text. Enjoy!

• For Video Editing
• Best FREE video editing software
• Microsoft Movie Maker (on computers)
• For Photography & Image Editing
• Pixlr
• Adobe Photoshop (on computers)
• For Board Games
• Game Board Template
• For Comic Books, Cartoons, and Animation
• Marvel Comics
• Disney
• Miniclip
• Powtoon
• For Presentations
• Prezi
• PowerPoint (on computers)
• For Movie Poster
• Big Huge Labs
• for Personal Blog
• Blogger
• For Websites
• Wix
• Microsoft Word (on computers)
• Campaign Poster
• Scholastic
• Make Your Own Campaign Poster Activity
• "No-to-Drugs" Campaign Poster
• For Parodies
• Edmodo (like Facebook)
• Meme Generator
• Face-in-Hole
• Sound Recordings
• Audiopal
• VoiceThread
• Voxopop
• Audacity

Week 13 Agenda [Tentative]

Tuesday, November 18th

• IN COMPUTER LAB, EDUC 3.224
• Activity: Stage 5 Description/Drawing 
• Discuss Stage 5 Reflective Essay
• Work on Stage 5 Public Text
• Homework
• continue constructing Stage 5 Public Text
• begin drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay in Google Drive
• in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage5Essay_YourFullName
• read/print/bring Stage 6: Reflecting on Reading, Writing, and Learning in Your Portfolio to class for discussion on Thursday
• continue revising ALL previous assignments in Google Drive 

Thursday, November 20th

• IN COMPUTER LAB, EDUC 3.224
• Discuss Stage 6: Reflecting on Reading, Writing, and Learning in Your Portfolio
• Final Portfolio Guidelines
• Discuss Presentations
• Course Evaluations

• Homework
• continue drafting Stage 5 Reflective Essay
• due on Google Drive for instructor feedback on Saturday, November 22 by 5pm
• continue constructing Stage 5 Public Text
• begin drafting Stage 6 Reflective Essay in Google Drive
• in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage6Essay_YourFullName

Week12 Agenda [Tentative]

Tuesday, November 11th

• Peer Review Stage 4 Essay Draft
• Homework
• Homework
• revise Stage 4 essay in Google Drive
• due on Google Drive for instructor feedback on Friday, November 14th by 5pm
• print/read/bring Stage 5: Adapting Your Theory to a Public Audience to class for discussion on Thursday

Thursday, November 13th

• Discuss Stage 5: Adapting Your Theory to a Public Audience
• Public Text Activity
• Homework
• Stage 5 Drawing/Description
• type a one-page, single-spaced preliminary description of your public text that also discusses 1) who your public text will be for AND 2) the overall purpose of your public text
• hand-draw a preliminary picture of your public text (color is ok, but not required)
• staple your picture ON TOP of your writing assignment
• bring drawing/description to class on Tuesday for discussion/credit
• *IMPORTANT*: we will meet in EDUC 3.224 (Computer Lab) on Tuesday, 11/18 and Thursday, 11/20

Structuring Your Stage 4 Essay

As discussed in class, there is no one way to present a theory. Your Stage 4 essay will give you the opportunity to share your unique theory about writing, reading and/or learning with your target audience. Overall, Stage 4 asks you to state your Stage 3 research question and interest in it; to discuss your primary/secondary research and findings; and ultimately to explain your own original theory about writing, reading, and/or learning.

In order to help you structure your essay in the best way possible, here is a schematic that explains each section of your Stage 4 essay, what you should consider in each section, and some questions to help you compose the best essay possible. In addition to the guidelines below, you should also study both of the Stage 4 Essay Samples available on our course blog in order to see how previous students have completed this assignment.

• Your Introductory Paragraph/s
• Your title is part of your introduction, so don't forget to include a PERSUASIVE title
• In this section, your job is to compel your target audience to listen to what you have to say. There are various way to do this, such as by discussing your research question and interest in it. Another good tactic is to also include interesting facts or quotes that you have found as you have researched your topic. In my own experience, I have found that the inclusion of personal stories (that is, your own real-life stories) really help draw in readers. If your research revolves around procrastination, for example, you could include a personal anecdote of a time when you procrastinated and the repercussions for that behavior. Overall, your introduction should 1) draw in your reader and 2) state your thesis: the overall idea of your paper and your stance around that topic. 
• For a more detailed breakdown of the types of information your introduction should include, check out this handout. 
• Your Middle Paragraphs
• The middle of your essay should provide your target audience with discussions surrounding the primary/secondary research you compiled for Stage 3. As the researcher and author, it will be your job to include the best primary/secondary research for your target audience, which means that you will have to decide what interviews, survey results, and secondary sources to include in order to best convince your audience that your original thesis is correct. This does not mean that you should not include those sources that do not agree with your original claims, but rather that you should confront these counterarguments, and discuss in your essay what the significance of these counterarguments means to your overall project.
• Don't think of this section as one long paragraph, but as multiple paragraphs. Consider how SUBHEADINGS can help you organize these paragraphs into cohesive sections. Ask yourself: How do Diaz, Kantz, Sommers, etc. contrive their subheadings? In your essay, for instance, one section could focus on discussions revolving around your primary research, while the next section could detail your secondary research. The final section of your essay could be reserved for your conclusion and Stage 4 theory. This is not the only way to structure the middle portion of your Stage 4 essay. Nevertheless, you should all consider this structure and how it can aid you in communicating all of your ideas to your target audience.
• Remember to cite ALL your sources both in-text and in your Works Cited page (see sample essays, MLA Cheat Sheets, and blog post entitled "Common MLA Citations")
• Here are some questions you should also consider as you compose your middle paragraphs: 
• Where did you get the information from and why?
• What did your sources have to offer to your overall topic?
• If some of your sources did not agree with you or with each other, what do these disagreements mean?
•  Overall, how/why are these sources important to proving your thesis statement right?
• Final paragraph/s
• Your Conclusion
• Start by restating your question and/or thesis and your overall interest in your topic. 
• If you included an anecdote in your introduction, remind the reader of the impact of that experience and how it revolves around your overall topic
• Summarize the main observations you made throughout your essay
• Finally, now that you have discussed your topic and research in your essay, what is your theory about writing, reading, and/or learning? What is the answer to your research question?

Week 11 Agenda [Tentative]

Tuesday, November 4th

• Stage 4: Pursing Your Question, Developing Your Theory
• Activity: Drafting a Compelling Introduction to Your Stage 4 Essay
• Homework
• begin drafting introduction to Stage 4 Essay in Google Drive
• in Google Drive, title file like this: Stage4Essay_YourFullName
• print/bring three (3) copies of Stage 4 intro draft for peer review on Thursday
• continue working on Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry
• continue revising ALL previous assignments in Google Drive

Thursday, November 6th

• Continue Discussing Stage 4 Essay
• Activity: Stage 4 (Introduction) Peer Review
• Homework
• continue drafting Stage 4 Essay in Google Drive
• print/bring three (3) copies of full Stage 4 draft for peer review on Tuesday
• continue working on Stage 3 Plan of Inquiry
• continue revising ALL previous assignments in Google Drive

Common MLA Citations

Here is a list and examples of the most common citations you’ll be using moving forward. For further reference, feel free to use the links under the 'MLA Info & Links' section on the right side of our blog:

INTERVIEWS

Format:

Name of Person Interviewed. Kind of Interview (e.g., Personal interview or Telephone interview). Date.

Example:

Ury, Connie. Telephone interview. 2 Nov. 2002.

In-text:

(Ury)

SURVEYS

Format:

Person(s) who conducted the survey. Accurate Description of Group Surveyed and Topic of Survey. City: Location, Date of survey. Medium of publication.

Example:

Wilcox, Kenton. Survey of 100 Undergraduates Concerning Use of E-Books in Reading for Pleasure. Maryville, MO: J. W. Jones Student Union, Northwest Missouri State University, 15-20 Mar. 2009. Unpublished Survey.

In text:

(Wilcox)

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Format:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title. Volume.Issue (Year): Page #s.

Example:

Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): 78-99.

In-text:

(Dolby 78)

BOOKS

Format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. City: Publisher, Year. Medium.

Example:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1925. Print.

In-text:

(Fitzgerald 78)