Writing time and conferences
Peer Response Protocol
Lesson: Interview Tips - Acing the Alumni Interview
Supplemental essay sample - Odd Numbers, U of Chicago Fall 2015
Sharing our Essays
End-of-Course Survey on Google Forms
Thank you for participating and for your hard work this week! See you in the fall!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
DAY 4 AGENDA AND HANDOUTS
Q&A from yesterday: Read and answer any questions from the exit slips
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas. Begin teacher conferences on drafts.
Peer Response Protocol/Continue teacher conferences on drafts.
Lesson/Activity: The power of revision: style!
Share the first draft and revised draft of the NYU Short Answer "What club would you start at NYU?"
Discuss as a group: What are some stylistic techniques this applicant used in his revised essay? What "works"?
Pass out " Ten Steps to Sexier, Sassier Sentences" and "Electronic Windex" handouts
Writing Time: Include some new stylistic techniques in one or both of your drafts. Experiment with sentence lengths and styles, figures of speech, figures of repetition, or other rhetorical techniques. Be prepared to share! Continue teacher conferences.
Share out w/ partner, then ask some to share with whole group--what did you try? Let's hear a line/paragraph you're proud of.
Handling short responses: be specific, and remember that even the shortest of short answer-essays should reveal positive qualities about you AND demonstrate your writing style!
Sample short answer using a character from literature
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas. Begin teacher conferences on drafts.
Peer Response Protocol/Continue teacher conferences on drafts.
Lesson/Activity: The power of revision: style!
Share the first draft and revised draft of the NYU Short Answer "What club would you start at NYU?"
Discuss as a group: What are some stylistic techniques this applicant used in his revised essay? What "works"?
Pass out " Ten Steps to Sexier, Sassier Sentences" and "Electronic Windex" handouts
Writing Time: Include some new stylistic techniques in one or both of your drafts. Experiment with sentence lengths and styles, figures of speech, figures of repetition, or other rhetorical techniques. Be prepared to share! Continue teacher conferences.
Share out w/ partner, then ask some to share with whole group--what did you try? Let's hear a line/paragraph you're proud of.
Handling short responses: be specific, and remember that even the shortest of short answer-essays should reveal positive qualities about you AND demonstrate your writing style!
Sample short answer using a character from literature
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
DAY 3 AGENDA AND HANDOUTS
Q&A from yesterday: Read & answer any questions from the exit slips
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas.
Lesson/Activity: PPT - Writing Effective Introductions
Following the powerpoint, review the essays already seen--baking, hurdles, marathon, pencil, and badminton. What type of introduction style does each one employ?
Writing Time: Begin a second prompt with a new introduction style, or revise the intro on your first draft to make it more engaging.
Partner share: What did you do to your introduction?
Lesson/Activity: Taking Risks
Film clip: From Legally Blonde, "Elle's Video Essay"
Return to yesterday's "Sound Advice from an Expert" article--what are the "risks" associated with a risky essay? Discuss and review as a class.
Examine Risky Essay #1: The Stanford "What makes Stanford a good place for you?" and Stanford "Roommate" short answer mini-essays
Discuss: What "risks" does this writer take? Are they effective? Which parts of this essay "work" or are well crafted? Which parts, if any, are not as effective?
Examine Risky Essay #2: The UC Berkeley "Catholic" essay
Discuss: What "risks" does this writer take? Are they effective? Which parts of this essay "work" or are well crafted? Which parts, if any, are not as effective?
Writing Time: Include a risk if you want to--or not!
Conduct Peer response protocol - remember, if you took a risk or used humor in your draft, get feedback on whether it works!
Exit slips: What's something you have learned so far about college essays? What do you want to work on next? How are your drafts coming along?
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas.
Lesson/Activity: PPT - Writing Effective Introductions
Following the powerpoint, review the essays already seen--baking, hurdles, marathon, pencil, and badminton. What type of introduction style does each one employ?
Writing Time: Begin a second prompt with a new introduction style, or revise the intro on your first draft to make it more engaging.
Partner share: What did you do to your introduction?
Lesson/Activity: Taking Risks
Film clip: From Legally Blonde, "Elle's Video Essay"
Return to yesterday's "Sound Advice from an Expert" article--what are the "risks" associated with a risky essay? Discuss and review as a class.
Examine Risky Essay #1: The Stanford "What makes Stanford a good place for you?" and Stanford "Roommate" short answer mini-essays
Discuss: What "risks" does this writer take? Are they effective? Which parts of this essay "work" or are well crafted? Which parts, if any, are not as effective?
Examine Risky Essay #2: The UC Berkeley "Catholic" essay
Discuss: What "risks" does this writer take? Are they effective? Which parts of this essay "work" or are well crafted? Which parts, if any, are not as effective?
Writing Time: Include a risk if you want to--or not!
Conduct Peer response protocol - remember, if you took a risk or used humor in your draft, get feedback on whether it works!
Exit slips: What's something you have learned so far about college essays? What do you want to work on next? How are your drafts coming along?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
DAY 2 AGENDA AND HANDOUTS
Opening Activity: Make Do's and Don'ts Posters
(In small groups, use one piece of chart paper to recall everything we should DO in our college essays, based on yesterday's lessons, clip, and articles/samples...use a second piece of chart paper to chart College Essay Don'ts. This will help students do most of the review and allow the teacher to comment only as needed.)
Q&A from yesterday: Read & answer any questions from the exit slips
Homework Share out: What surprised you in the Family & Friend Inventory? What was confirmed?
Create Chart: Positive Qualities, Stylistic Techniques, Potential Problems/What We Dislike
Lesson/Activity: Examine UC Prompts and Samples...discuss strengths, stylistic choices, what essays reveal about applicants, first at tables, then as a whole group (Teacher reads aloud all 3 while students mark comments, then discuss each)
UC Prompt #1, "Your world": "Baking" essay
UC Prompt #1, "Your world": "Softball" essay
UC Prompt #2, "Talent": "Marathon" essay
Supplemental Prompt, "Talent": "Hurdles" essay
Common App Prompt #1, The "Stroller" essay
Common App Prompt #1: The "Iranian-American" essay
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas.
Partner share: What's going well? What will you work on next?
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas.
Introduce Peer Response Protocol and use protocol to review a partner's draft.
Writing time: Make revisions or add to your draft based on the comments from the protocol. Continue to use the samples/articles to help guide you and generate ideas.
Exit Slips: What went well today? What are you nervous about, or wondering about, in terms of these essays, or college in general?
(In small groups, use one piece of chart paper to recall everything we should DO in our college essays, based on yesterday's lessons, clip, and articles/samples...use a second piece of chart paper to chart College Essay Don'ts. This will help students do most of the review and allow the teacher to comment only as needed.)
Q&A from yesterday: Read & answer any questions from the exit slips
Homework Share out: What surprised you in the Family & Friend Inventory? What was confirmed?
Create Chart: Positive Qualities, Stylistic Techniques, Potential Problems/What We Dislike
UC Prompt #1, "Your world": "Baking" essay
UC Prompt #1, "Your world": "Softball" essay
UC Prompt #2, "Talent": "Marathon" essay
Supplemental Prompt, "Talent": "Hurdles" essay
Common App Prompt #1, The "Stroller" essay
Common App Prompt #1: The "Iranian-American" essay
Partner share: What's going well? What will you work on next?
Writing time: Select one of the prompts to respond to. Use the samples to help guide you and generate ideas.
Introduce Peer Response Protocol and use protocol to review a partner's draft.
Writing time: Make revisions or add to your draft based on the comments from the protocol. Continue to use the samples/articles to help guide you and generate ideas.
Exit Slips: What went well today? What are you nervous about, or wondering about, in terms of these essays, or college in general?
Friday, August 8, 2008
DAY 1 AGENDA AND HANDOUTS
DAY 1: AGENDA FOR UCLA YWC COLLEGE ESSAY WORKSHOP
Following today’s session, students will be able to:
• Identify characteristics of powerful college essays and describe what to avoid
• Examine a variety of essay prompts, including UC prompts and Common App, and identify potential challenges
• List significant personal experiences
• List positive adjectives to describe themselves
• Rework potentially negative adjectives (i.e., procrastinate→good at working under pressure; shy→good listener) into positive ones
• Freewrite about significant experiences
Introductions and icebreaker: name, high school, hobby, college interested in, and something in the next year you’re excited about
Provide an overview of the week:
Monday: Examining prompts & prewriting
Tuesday: Examining more samples & drafting
Wednesday: Taking Risks and Effective Intros
Thursday: Revision & Style
Friday: Conclusions, Editing, Formatting, & Reflection
College Quiz and debrief: what does this make us think about in terms of selecting colleges?
Chart: What are colleges looking for? Then share Stanford acceptance envelope page and compare.
Film Clip: Gilmore Girls, Season 3 episode 3, “Application Anxiety” (from after opening theme song to approximately 10 minutes—until Lorelai and Rory are at the grandmother’s house and after Paris’s frantic phone call that shows she, too, is freaking out). Debrief--what does this clip reveal?
Small groups: Read, annotate, and discuss “The ---- That Changed My Life.” In what ways does it overlap/expand what you saw in the GG clip? What other advice does it give (add to chart)
Choral/Pointed Reading: "To Throw a Pot" (teacher reads aloud while students underline/highlight instances of good writing, then teacher reads aloud again. This time, students chime in by reading aloud any portions they underlined/highlighted. Detailed directions for choral reading are here.) Discuss: which parts were most popular/effective? Name strategies and techniques the writer used.
Small groups: Examine prompts—Common App and UC (word count & topics)
• What’s going to be challenging?
• What ideas spring to mind?
Getting Started brainstorm: list and discuss either adjectives or experiences
If time permits, write to Freewrite #1 (choose any topic)
Homework: Family and Friend Inventory chart (run this off on both sides so students have 2). Students should ask a parent, friend, neighbor, or other peer or family member to complete the worksheet. Bring it back tomorrow.
Exit slip: What went well today? What questions do you have, either about the college essay or the application/admissions process?
Following today’s session, students will be able to:
• Identify characteristics of powerful college essays and describe what to avoid
• Examine a variety of essay prompts, including UC prompts and Common App, and identify potential challenges
• List significant personal experiences
• List positive adjectives to describe themselves
• Rework potentially negative adjectives (i.e., procrastinate→good at working under pressure; shy→good listener) into positive ones
• Freewrite about significant experiences
Introductions and icebreaker: name, high school, hobby, college interested in, and something in the next year you’re excited about
Provide an overview of the week:
Monday: Examining prompts & prewriting
Tuesday: Examining more samples & drafting
Wednesday: Taking Risks and Effective Intros
Thursday: Revision & Style
Friday: Conclusions, Editing, Formatting, & Reflection
College Quiz and debrief: what does this make us think about in terms of selecting colleges?
Chart: What are colleges looking for? Then share Stanford acceptance envelope page and compare.
Film Clip: Gilmore Girls, Season 3 episode 3, “Application Anxiety” (from after opening theme song to approximately 10 minutes—until Lorelai and Rory are at the grandmother’s house and after Paris’s frantic phone call that shows she, too, is freaking out). Debrief--what does this clip reveal?
Small groups: Read, annotate, and discuss “The ---- That Changed My Life.” In what ways does it overlap/expand what you saw in the GG clip? What other advice does it give (add to chart)
Choral/Pointed Reading: "To Throw a Pot" (teacher reads aloud while students underline/highlight instances of good writing, then teacher reads aloud again. This time, students chime in by reading aloud any portions they underlined/highlighted. Detailed directions for choral reading are here.) Discuss: which parts were most popular/effective? Name strategies and techniques the writer used.
Small groups: Examine prompts—Common App and UC (word count & topics)
• What’s going to be challenging?
• What ideas spring to mind?
Getting Started brainstorm: list and discuss either adjectives or experiences
If time permits, write to Freewrite #1 (choose any topic)
Homework: Family and Friend Inventory chart (run this off on both sides so students have 2). Students should ask a parent, friend, neighbor, or other peer or family member to complete the worksheet. Bring it back tomorrow.
Exit slip: What went well today? What questions do you have, either about the college essay or the application/admissions process?
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