1. Today’s goals Introduce Major Essay 1: Write to Reflect
Begin study of descriptive writing techniques

2. Major Essay 1
Please open “Major Essay 1: Write to Reflect Assignment Sheet” on the class website
Purpose: describe and reflect on an experience in which media was impactful in your life.
Audience: your classmates and peers in ENC1930. This audience can be considered informal, so conversational language and first person writing are acceptable.
Genre: an autobiographical narrative with a focus on reflection. This should be theme driven, utilize the full reflective process, and showcase descriptive writing abilities.
1,000+ words
MLA format heading
Due 2/11 to Turnitin.com by midnight

3. Group Activity: WTR sample analysis
In your unit 1 groups:
Select and read through one of the sample WTR essays on the class website. When you are finished, answer the following questions:
What characters does the writer give detailed descriptions for?
What setting/locations does the writer describe? How would you describe the mood or atmosphere for each setting?
What emotional responses does the writer show in their essay? Use specific examples here.
What did the writer learn from their experience?
How would you evaluate this student essay? Give it a grade based on the assignment sheet we have just examined.

4. Open Form Prose
Examples: Novels, poems, short stories, some articles, literacy narratives, exploratory and free writing, journal entries, etc
Important characteristics:
Organized around a theme or plot rather than a thesis
Has characters and settings that are vividly described
Uses concrete language and figurative language to portray or evoke emotions. Dialogue may also be used to provide further emotion and information

5. New Vocabulary Scale of Abstraction Concrete Words Abstract Words
Dominant impression
See page 53 of A&B for the scale of abstraction

6. Group Activity: Contrasting Descriptions
Select a setting that everyone in the group is familiar with. Suggestions include: the beach, a mall, a particular place or building at FIU, a park, etc. Be specific here.
Produce a 1 paragraph description of the setting that extensively uses abstract words and is very vague
Then, produce a 1 paragraph description that heavily uses concrete words and conveys an appropriate dominant impression for the scene
The whole group should work on both descriptions rather than dividing them up
Produce a single paper to turn in for the whole group

7. Homework- Blog Entry 2
Prompt: Brainstorm possible ideas for your WTR essay
Take a few minutes to begin brainstorming possible topics for your WTR essay. Rather than thinking of just your favorite media, try reflecting on your own identity and then try to identify ways that media may have been important in shaping it. You may wish to consider:
Who am I? What makes me special or unique and sets me apart from my peers?
What significant experiences with media might have contributed to these differences?
Are there any places back home that I miss? Why might I feel that way?
How is my own culture or identity represented in the media? How was US culture represented in media in my home country?
What events in my history helped shape who I am?
If you already have a media in mind for your essay, instead begin thinking of why that media is important and what you will write about it. You may wish to consider:
What are my emotions or reactions when I think back to my experiences with that media? When I view/visit it again?
How many times have I viewed/used this media? How many times will I do so in the future?
How can I tell a story about my experiences with this media? What events, settings, or characters will I focus on?
What part of my identity was affected by this media?
What did I learn from this experience?