As part of a grant-funded Adjunct Incubator initiative, “Successful Lessons: Best Practices by Adjuncts in Composition/Rhetoric & Literature,” Mark Alpert and Maria Grewe, both adjunct faculty, organized opportunities for other adjunct faculty of the writing program to present their own approaches which have been proven effective. Below is a collection of these presentations.
Preparing English 101 Students for the Personal Narrative: Incorporating Anglo-Saxon Riddles, Fables, and Story-Generating Games to Promote Creative Use of Language and Adherence to Narrative by Maria Vint
ENG 101: Exploration and Authorship: An Inquiry-based Writing Course
In preparation for the narrative assignment, these activities spark creativity in students by challenging them to think outside the box, and guarantee laughs. Students play with language, perspective, tone, and audience in low-stakes, fun, assignments. Activities take place over the course of four separate class meetings. They include Anglo-Saxon Riddles, creation of modern-day fables, a story-generating group challenge, and a brainstorming session of tangible artifacts.
Helping First-Year Students Develop Ideas through Reading/Writing Circles by Michele Sweeting-DeCaro
ENG 101: Exploration and Authorship: An Inquiry-based Writing Course
Students follow a prescribed approach to analyzing texts through close reading and sharing ideas with classmates through “four stages of creativity.” The presenter will show how the approach is functional for class discussions, peer feedback, essay rubrics, and understanding various writing schemes.
How to Write a Police Report by Amanda Harris
ENG 201: Disciplinary Investigations: Exploring Writing across the Disciplines
Students will follow the prescribed rules and procedures outlined in The Art of the Police Report, by Ellen Collett, to write their police reports based on a scene from the HBO crime drama series, “The Wire,” from the point-of-view of Detectives McNulty and Moreland.
Helping First-Year Students Develop Thesis Statements by Antoinette Jones
ENG 101: English Composition I: Writing Across the Disciplines
Students follow a prescribed approach to create a thesis statement with the use of an ideation tool and present a proposal for an essay in the form of a business letter. The presenter will show how both items can be used for class discussion, peer feedback, and review of key writing concepts.
The Unreliable Narrator: Promoting the Use of Evidence in Literature & Composition Classes by Mark Alpert
This presentation focuses on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” as a creative means of allowing students to recognize the need for careful reading and utilizing textual evidence to support claims and develop conclusions. Suggestions for classroom and group activities will also be demonstrated. Fruitful for all levels of composition and literature classes.
