By Nima Kianfar of Contra Costa College
Description #
It’s important for us to read other scholars’ works/writings, especially those scholars whose writings have met or exceeded requirements and expectations. This practice helps us develop as writers because it shows us how to fulfill particular requirements in writing assignments.
What do I need to do first? #
Actively read “How Words May Save the World” and, just as you would with any other active reading activity, annotate the text following the active reading guidelines. However, in addition to those guidelines, mark or identify the following elements in the text and provide your reactions, connections, evaluations, questions, and suggestions about them; that is, explain your thoughts about how the writer develops the following and provide comments on how it is well done, could be done better, or may be unclear and require additional clarification:
- Introduction
- Thesis
- Topic Sentences
- Evidence
- Explanation
- Evaluation
- Significance
- Wider implications
- Counterargument
- Conclusion (bigger argument)
- MLA format — including Works Cited page
What do I need to do next? #
For those areas of the paper in which you found limitations or have questions, provide alternatives; that is, if the text requires greater clarification, provide that clarification; if the thesis could be made stronger, make it stronger; if the evidence is not formatted correctly or not introduced properly, fix the formatting and provide a legit introductory phrase to introduce the evidence.
What do I need to do third? #
Respond to at least five different scholars’ annotations by adding to, reacting to, evaluating, questioning, or synthesizing their points, either with your own and/or with the general trajectory of the annotations. In other words, should you see others’ additions or edits to the paper and still find them requiring greater development — develop them! Should you see others’ questions and find you know the answer, answer them! Remember to use the active-reading guidelines throughout.
How do I use Hypothesis? #
Here’s a tutorial on how to use Hypothesis. One additional note I forgot to add is that when you install the Chrome extension for Hypothesis, you’re able to activate it on pretty much any webpage you’re on to see all the comments other people from around the world have made on the page. That’s pretty cool.
How do I submit this assignment? #
Submit this assignment by clicking on the “load” link below, which will open up Jones’ article as a PDF in a new window using the Hypothesis application. Complete the above requirements on the PDF version of the article.
How will I be graded? #
I will score your work based on the “Active Reading Rubric,” which you can access by clicking on “grades” on the navigation bar (on the left side of your Canvas screen) and, then, finding and clicking on “Actively Reading a Model Research Paper.” Once on the “Actively Reading a Model Research Paper” page, click on “show rubric” on the top right of the page to see the “Actively Reading a Model Research Paper” rubric. Be sure to read the rubric carefully to know how you will be scored.
Extra-Credit opportunity #
For every additional person to whom you respond (thoughtfully, mindfully, constructively and purposefully) beyond the required five scholars, I will provide you with an extra-credit point; however, your responses MUST do more than express, “I agree” or “good point.” Make them thoughtful.
