Student Assignment #1

Basic Writing Assignment

Respond to journal prompts that encourage reflection upon the process of a completing math assignment

 

Sample journal prompts
related to math

What was it like for you to complete the small group activity related to graphing data? What surprised you? What frustrated you? What did you learn about the process of creating a graph?

After reading chapter two from The Hungry Ocean, comment on the quantitative information about supplies.  Explain the importance of this information to the success of the fishing trip.

 

Short essay analyzing a math process

Write an essay that analyzes a math process that you know well.  Break this process down into steps in order to teach it to another person.

Prewriting for Math Process Essay

Brainstorm-

Make a list of all the things you would want to tell a person to be ready to do a process.  Be sure to think of what a person might need in terms of materials or preparation.

List any do’s and don’ts that you want to forewarn a person about.

List the steps of the process.

Name any dangers or pitfalls of the process.

Prewriting for Math Process Essay

Make a flowchart- Using the information from your brainstorming activity, create a flowchart to visually represent the steps, the order and the ways they may interconnect.

Explain Flowchart to Small Group - Once you complete your flowchart, explain the steps in a small group with other classmates.  Sometimes speaking your ideas aloud to others will help you think of other steps or tips to provide to your process essay.

Composing a draft

When you compose this draft you will be using all the skills you have practiced up to this point in the semester.

Using your flow chart or brainstorming list, write an essay that follows the steps necessary to complete a process you know well.

Create an introduction that informs your reader about your topic, the process, and how you happen to know this process. Your credentials help make this essay more convincing.  In other words, I would prefer to learn how to swim the backstroke across the pool from a good swimmer rather than a novice swimmer.

Think about your reader as a person who has never done this process, so you must be careful to include all the necessary steps.

Write in second person, using you and your as the pronouns.  (This will be the only essay this semester where you will be encouraged to directly address your reader in this tone.)

Have fun with the essay.  You can reveal a sense of humor or instill your knowledge to a reader who might really want to learn from you.  Enjoy being the expert!

Expect to revise this essay several times.

Use the list of transitional terms to help you move logically and smoothly between ideas and paragraphs.

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