Questions for Workshop

Anna, Bill, Todd, Sarah, Lindsey.

Please read Alexis's essay and respond to the questions.

Anne, Bobby, Georden, Brendan, Amanda

Please Read Danielle's essay and respond to the questions.

Alexis, Andrew, Michelle, Ben, A.J.

Please read Bill's essay and respond to the questions.

Danielle, Phil, Rebecca, Dan

Please read Brendan's essay and respond to the questions.



1. What are the three strongest parts of this essay? Think about both language choices, stories told, and development of themes.

2. What, if anything, gives you pause about the piece? Where did you do a mental double-take?

3. How is the writer using research to enhance his/her writing? What are your suggestions for further research?

4. What would you like to know more about? How should the writer expand this piece? Are there things that are not as important that the writer might think about taking out?

5. What seems to be the writer's tone? Is that consistent throughout?

Questions for Quick Workshop

1. What are the essays about (i.e. Bowling, relationships)?

2. No, really. What are they actually about?

3. What's most compelling in these pieces and why?

3b. What's confusing to you? What do you need to hear more about in order to understand?

4. Is there a writerly persona shining through? What can we say we know about each writer from this piece alone? Don't just think about content. Yes, we know that Ben went bowling this weekend, but is there something in his language that tells us about him, too?

5. If these pieces needed to be extended, how would you suggest that the writers went about that? What kinds of memories could they include? Are there rich descriptions of people and places? To what extent do you want to know more about, for instance, Palmer Bowl or Daniel?

6. Do the writers ask themselves questions?

7. Does the writer assume that we know what's being talked about? How can we help them counteract that?

8. To what extent are scenes blending with commentary? Should there be more commentary about the scenes, or more scenes on which to comment?

9. Does the writer show us how he/she feels or merely tell us?

10. Who/what do you think of when you read these essays? Are you competitive like Ben? What are your thoughts about relationships? Do they coincide with Lindsey's? If you had to write an essay based on the topics introduced here, how would it begin?

Questions for FSB posts

1. Is there a clear, argumentative thesis? Please identify it.

1b. Are the name of the author and the name of the work immediately, correctly identified?

2. What support does the writer offer for the apparent thesis? Are there applicable direct quotations from the text? Are they introduced properly (we can talk about this--See below)?* Are these the best examples to strengthen the thesis? Can you think of other parts of _FSB_ that might be more applicable? After direct quotation, has the writer analyzed the text or are quotations left to stand alone? Does the analysis connect to the thesis?

3. What parts of this post seem like summary? Are there places where this summary doesn't help the argument? Are there places where a bit more summary is necessary? Remember, we should assume that a reader of this post is familiar with the book but looking to the post to be reminded, instructed, persuaded.

4. What are possible counter-arguments to the thesis? Have they been addressed? Identify some counterarguments and help your group members refute them.

5. Identify mistakes in grammar, punctuation, spelling. Be polite, but not too polite!

6. Is the writer's opinion used as proof? Remember, opinions are terrific, but there's a difference between an opinion and proof. Though you're arguing a case, and that is, of course, a form of opinion, there's a way to do that with direct statements of fact. Be confident in your arguments and support everything.

7. Are there places that don't follow the thesis, that seem to get off track? Why do you think the writer included those? Are there ways that they can be integrated into the thesis, or should they be taken out?

Please read each post once before writing anything. Then, while re-reading, answer as many of these questions as you can and post your answers in a comment to the writer. You'll have about 30 minutes for each person in your group. Make sure to check in with each member of the group. You might be able to speak your concerns more easily than you can write them.

I'll be circulating in class to check on your progress. I want to meet with each of you to talk about the thesis you've developed.

Good luck.

Monday's Thought (the irony of which I recognize)

"You don't, after all (despite withering cultural pressure), have to use a computer, but you can't escape language: language is everything and everywhere; it's what lets us have anything to do with one another; it's what separates us from the animals." -David Foster Wallace

Thought for Friday

"Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed." -- David Foster Wallace

What are the best. . .

. . .songs about family?

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