DISCUSSION POSTS – U.S Literature

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Also, I need responses to at least two students discussion posts each week. The responses need to be at least 100+ words long. I will copy/paste the students posts to a word doc and eml you it. 

 

Got many people messaging me for this already but can’t reply right now. I have to run out for a couple hours. If you are interested in taking on this task then just send the handshake and I will review your profiles/messages when I get back. Thank you.

 

Evaluation Procedures

FORUMS: (a minimum of 3 weekly posts required, over at least two separate days)

Students will be asked to respond initially to eight forum topics by Thursday of the assigned week. Each student will then be responsible for building onto the points of two other students by Sunday. Forums cannot be made up, so make sure you post your responses by the weekly deadlines. Again, your initial post is due by Thursday 11:59 p.m. EST, and the feedback posts are due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST. Students are required to post over at least two separate days each week to encourage week-long, evolving discussion. Each forum entry must be pertinent to the subject matter and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the topics discussed with an appropriate introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. Direct references to the weekly readings (specific lines, page numbers, etc.) should be included to support–but not dominate–student posts.

The initial forum entries should contain 300-400+ words and cite references to the text under discussion.

Responses to classmates should approximate a 100+ word requirement each; however, responses to classmates should address the nature of the topic and advance the discussion forward.

Attention to proper spelling/grammar/punctuation and organization of ideas is important and will factor into the final score. “Texting”-type language (lowercase i’s, no punctuation or appropriate capitalization) is unacceptable in the forums.

FORUM RUBRIC : See forum description for rubric

FORUM EXAMPLE:

The prompt to a forum might ask how an author uses figurative language to create a picture in the mind of the

audience.

3After reading “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, I was captured by how Baldwin describes the terrible numbing shock that his narrator experiences in learning that his younger brother has been arrested for possession and sale of heroin: “It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that, as I walked from the subway station to the high school. And at the same time I couldn’t doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny. He became real to me again. A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there all day long . . . . It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream” (319). The image of the “great block of ice” creates the picture of the numbing sensation that the narrator feels at the moment of discovery and wondering what the future will hold for his brother. In addition, the “great block of ice” signifies the ice that one uses to numb one’s pain…plus another 200 words for an exemplary post.

INSTRUCTIONS: To post, click on the topic title to access the topic and then click the “Post New Thread” button.

 

(Quick ‘about me’ for parts 1 & 2 found below)

Part I: Emily Dickinson touches upon concepts of self and intellect in these two poems. How does she identify herself? For that matter, how do you identify yourself? Please make your introduction to the class and tell us something memorable about yourself that makes you special, unique.

Part II: In the vein of Whitman’s theme of isolation and self, can you identify with anything Whitman is communicating? How is isolation and/or the need to connect to others important in your life? Tell us about the connections that mean the most to you in your life.

Part III: Authors use a variety of techniques to tell a story and convey a message. Twain clearly demonstrates good storytelling by injecting wit and humor. Examine how Twain amuses us (and himself) with his uncanny hilarity and absurdity. This is where the twain shall meet. It’s your turn to share a humorous anecdote that has happened to you in your personal or professional life.

Please respond to all three parts. Initial responses should approximate or exceed 300 words. Feel free to break up your responses to the three parts over separate posts or days if you prefer to respond to them one at a time. It’s important that you make your initial post no later than Thursday of each week to give you and your classmates time to read and respond to each other’s posts.  Posting earlier in the week is preferable. You should also respond in a meaningful way to at least two of your classmates by the end of the week with posts of 100-150 words each.  Strive to post over at least two separate days in each week’s forum.  Our goal is to read the literature and then respond to it as a class in each evolving, week-long forum. Write with careful attention to proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Examples of meaningful posts to classmates include:

-providing additional information about a topic

-elaborating on previous responses from classmates

-presenting explanations of concepts or works of literature to help fellow classmates

-arguing for or against a topic

-sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic(s), and/or

-providing a quotation (and URL) and explanation for an area you researched on the Internet

 

Your score each week reflects how well you meet the criteria above.

ABOUT ME FOR PARTS ONE AND TWO (ADD TO THIS OF COURSE, VERY BRIEF QUICK TINY RANT, NOT AT ALL WORTHY OF POINTS WITH JUST THIS – MAKE UP STUFF BOUT ME AFTER THIS MUCH)

for question 1 and 2; the need to connect with others is extremely important. Living in Naples, Italy, and being thousands of miles away from my family back in the states (they all live in Maryland), communication is extremely important and valuable because of the distance. Ultimately the family connection is the most important, as you only get one family in your life, so its important to have a good relationship.