Help Me Help You

British Literature. Fri, Aug 29th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

I really enjoyed reviewing your drafts today. This gives me a chance to see where you are as writers, and an opportunity for me to give you specific feedback. As you finish your essays this weekend, keep these things in mind:

Go over the handouts I gave you in class. If you have any questions, or if an example is unclear, please post a comment and I’ll get back to you quickly.
Turn in anything you write on. I’ll only grade what you ask me to, but it helps me if I can see your thought process.
Avoid summarization. Each sentence should show your reader what you got out of the text, not how you would re-tell the story.
Papers are never perfect, but work on it at least once more after you get everything down, even if only for 10 minutes. Make sure your idea is clear and you’ve supported each major point with (cited) quotations from the text.
Don’t worry about typing them unless you:

Are unsure about punctuation, citations, etc. (I will grade all on this, but my explanations are clearer when the paper’s clean.)
Have really terrible handwriting.
Feel that you are a poor speller. (Please give me a copy of your handwritten draft as well if this is the case. I do not specifically count off for spelling errors at this stage, but I would like to see where I can help.)

3 Responses to “Help Me Help You”

crrrlgrrrl says:

August 31, 2008 at 3:10 pm

i just have a quick question. i’m typing my essay. does it need to be proper MLA format, like double-spaced or 12-font?
JStallings says:

August 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Good question. If you type it, it should always be 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced. Put your name, the class, and the date on the left side, and your last name and the page number on the right. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Josiah says:

September 4, 2008 at 7:02 pm

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ninja_parade_slips_through_town

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/new_wearable_feedbags_let

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/anonymous_philanthropist_donates

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/dominos_scientists_test_limits_of

these links have no relevance to anything we talk about in class, but in order to stay healthy you need to laugh a little each day

– Josiah

crrrlgrrrl says:

August 31, 2008 at 3:10 pm

i just have a quick question. i’m typing my essay. does it need to be proper MLA format, like double-spaced or 12-font?

JStallings says:

August 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Good question. If you type it, it should always be 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced. Put your name, the class, and the date on the left side, and your last name and the page number on the right. Let me know if you have any other questions.