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The UofL Efiles: Resources for Instructors of English

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Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Sample Student Paper/Website
This essay was originally formatted for the web. I may have introduced some errors in trying to reformat it as a traditional paper essay. At some point, I lost the images that accompany it. It is a good essay though.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/19/09
Document Type: Sample Student Paper/Website

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 10/02/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
This zip file contains four sample definitional arguments of varying quality on the topics of

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/29/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Articles for

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/29/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Articles associated with the

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/29/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
I revised this slightly on 9/29 to reflect the articles I actually uploaded in the zip files.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/28/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Articles associated with the student athletes are/are not university employees argument

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/28/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Articles for the Internet Addiction is/is not a mental disorder topic.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Discussion Material
Here's a 2004 article that talks about other groups that have been considered for tax-exempt status. The supreme court has been asked to provide a definition of religion.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Student Version

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Unit 3 Student Version

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Discussion Material
This is the article on the schedule for the definitional unit.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/23/09
Document Type: Discussion Material
This is the article referred to in the Definitional unit

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/17/09
Document Type: Other
This is the article (and citation!) that Stephen discussed in 602 on 9/16. I think it's a really fascinating reading. Higgins, Lorraine.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/17/09
Document Type: Other
This is the article Sutton talked about in 602 on 9/16. Simpson, Michele L., and Sherrie L. Nist.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/14/09
Document Type: Computer Tutorial
Attached is the formatted PDF version of the essay that goes with the Learning to Format exercise. (Note: this assignment was inspired by Michael Day in the Speed School of Engineering)

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/14/09
Document Type: Computer Tutorial
Oftentimes students do not know how to use their word processing functions to format their papers. You'll find students who manually insert line breaks to double-space or who manually number pages. Most student experience some difficulty using a hanging indent for their works cited. This exercise gives students a formatted PDF version of an essay and an unformatted RTF version of the same essay. Their assignment is to use the AUTOMATED FORMATTING features in their Word Processor to make the unformatted version exactly match the formatted PDF file. Attached are the instructions and the unformatted version of the essay.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 09/02/09
Document Type: Peer Review Instructions
This is a set of peer review guidelines that I used later in the semester. These guidelines are very tied to discussions I had been having in the class all semester. For instance, we had spent significant class time discussing evidence, topic sentences, transitions, repetition, responding to opposing viewpoints, and logical fallacies--all of which are reflected in my instructions to students.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/25/09
Document Type: Grading Rubric
Here's a very flexible rubric that I've started using. I like it because it prompts me to be specific about positives before I go into any critiques. It also reminds me to try to make my suggestions for improvement generalizable to future writing assignments.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Here's the assignment template for the evaluation argument. This pop culture take on the evaluation assignment has always worked well for me & I think provides a nice slow introduction into working with sources that aren't as intimidating as academic articles. However, you should feel free to make it more formal or modify in any way. There are many, many good ways to do this assignment.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Unit 2 daily schedule for Tu/Th students

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Daily schedule w/ notes for instructors. Unit 2. TuTh version

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Student version of MWF unit 2 daily schedule

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Daily schedule w/ notes for instructors. Unit 2. MWF version.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/24/09
Document Type: Sample Student Paper/Website
This is on syllabus template for week of Sept 21. Paragraphs of varying quality taken from students' evaluation arguments.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/22/09
Document Type: Other
Handout created by Matt Dowell providing very basic instructions for students on how to access course materials on BB

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/20/09
Document Type: Assignment-- Other
For new instructors....checklist of what needs to happen before you walk into the classroom

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/19/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
The attached file contains boilerplate statements about plagiarism, students w/ disabilities, and grievance procedures. These items can be placed on Blackboard as long as the hard copy syllabus explicitly tells students that is where they can find the policies)

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/10/09
Document Type: Other
The composition program handbook. Read the outcomes on Page 10 for the first day of orientation and skim the other sections for the second day.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/10/09
Document Type: Discussion Material
We will discuss this on Thursday, 8/20 of the new GTA orientation.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Template for the first assignment: a rhetorical analysis

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Discussion Material
Reading Due on first day of orientation, August 17

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Day to day schedule of suggested unit I activities for MWF sections

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
This is a template for the unit I schedule that students will actually see. For MWF sections

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Suggested day-to-day activities for Unit I

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Sample Student Paper/Website
Examples of student writing for the rhetorical analysis assignment, the first major assignment of the course. These three essays are of varying quality. This is the assignment referred to at the end of week two on the schedule.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Syllabus Template for Fall 09--Tu/Th version

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/12/09
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
This is a template for the unit I schedule that students will actually see. For TuTh sections

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 07/11/09
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Fall 09 syllabus template for 602 instructors teaching MWF.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 03/24/08
Document Type: Other
From the St. Martin's handbook to teaching writing. This reading discusses Ed Corbett's method for teaching style and provides examples of the worksheets he uses. I've never used Corbett's materials exactly as he lays them out, but I have used a hundred big and small variations on the basic method.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 03/17/08
Document Type: Grammar Exercise
Linguistic theory suggests readers comprehend best when sentences begin with information the reader already knows (old info) and end with new info the writer wants to emphasize. This handout introduces the concept and gives students sample paragraphs to revise. For more reading on the old/new contract see Gopen & Swan's classic The Science of Scientific Writing (http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/23947?fulltext=true) or Vande Kopple's work on lingustic theory in the composition classroom (http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/pubs/BR/functionalsec6_16.htm).

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 03/03/08
Document Type: Peer Review Instructions
In a nutshell, the point-predict peer review involves reading a writer's paper *aloud*, pausing every few sentences to summarize what the main point is and then predict what will come next. When the reader's prediction does not match what actually follows, the writer and reader need to discuss why the reader had this expectation and what could be done to revise the paper. This is a great peer review technique for getting students to identify problems with organization and places where they need to elaborate with examples. The first semester I used this some students said it was their favorite activity of the semester. Make sure that students actually read aloud--some will try to do it silently and it doesn't work.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 02/18/08
Document Type: Source Documentation
This handout provides examples of citation practices in three different disciplines--Humanities (MLA), Social Sciences (APA), and Engineering (IEEE)--and asks students to compare and contrast them. This is a great way to jumpstart a discussion into how disciplinary genres embed particular values. For instance, MLA focuses attention on authorship and exact quotation, APA focuses attention on currency, and IEEE works to depersonalize knowledge contributions. A follow-up assignment might ask students to use academic databases to find full articles in each of these disciplines and discuss other types of genre conventions.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 02/04/08
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
Ranking is one of the few instructional activities that has been found to have a clear, measurable impact on student writing (see Hillocks, 1995). This ranking exercise presents 4 paragraphs from literary analysis essays & asks students to rank which ones make the best use of quotations. I usually have students do the ranking individually, get into groups to discuss the rankings and how to revise the poor examples, and then use overhead transparencies to discuss their revisions as a full class.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 02/04/08
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
Ranking is one of the few instructional activities that has been found to have a clear, measurable impact on student writing (see Hillocks, 1995). This ranking exercise is designed to help technical students see how important textual explanations of numbers or data can be and that numbers do not simply speak for themselves. Students should easily be able to note that the second example does a much better job explaining the data and that this is due to its clear use of transitions and hierarchical organization from most to least important.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 02/04/08
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
Ranking is one of the few instructional activities that has been found to have a clear, measurable impact on student writing (see Hillocks, 1995). This ranking exercise is designed to help students write effective abstracts/executive summaries on technical topics.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 01/28/08
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
This assignment is an alternative to the standard annotated bibliography. It relies heavily on the intro of Harris' Rewriting. The goal is to get students to think of sources as something they will *use* (or rewrite) rather than just summarize. Before students do this exercise independently, I usually assign a text to the entire class and have everyone in class answer the questions. We then share our responses and discuss the differences.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 01/28/08
Document Type: Other
If you assign ethnographies, interviews, or other kinds of

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 11/13/07
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
A more elaborate version of my variation on Corbett's numerical style analysis assignment. This is for a Writing about Literature class but can be modified for any writing class.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 11/13/07
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
Based on Corbett's famous numerical style analysis. I do some version of this in just about every writing class I teach and this exercise never fails to wake up some complacent students and make them think about ways to change their style

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 11/13/07
Document Type: Other
These materials try to radically re-think the tech writing course by focusing on the data-driven types of writing students in disciplines like engineering really do. Our initial studies have found major improvements in students' abilities to write abt numbers for non-technical audiences.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 11/13/07
Document Type: In-class writing assignments
These exercises use a once-popular strategy, sentence-combining, for improving student writing and try to combine it with rhetorical analysis. See http://louisville.edu/~jlwolf02/eif/ for other similar exercises.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 11/09/04
Document Type: Grammar Exercise
Describes main subordinate, relative and noun clauses. Gives lots of examples of comma splices

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 02/07/03
Document Type: Assignment-- Other
Describes how to write the literature review of a research article by defining four standard rhetorical moves identified by John Swales.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/27/02
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Part I of my Fall 2002 syllabus. It lists all of my course policies.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/23/02
Document Type: Syllabus/Policy Statement
Dale Billingsley's language for plagiarism, with quotations from relevant catalogs.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/11/02
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
Asks students to write a proposal related to their life at UofL. Contains a web component

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/11/02
Document Type: Sample Student Paper/Website
Here's a very good student's rhetorical analysis of a Saturn car advertisment. This student gave permission to have his paper used by other composition instructors.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/08/02
Document Type: Assignment -- Argumentative Paper
This assignment gets students interacting with film reviews by other critics. It's a great assignment for a web page.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/08/02
Document Type: Peer Review Instructions
This peer review exercise gets students pushing one another to elaborate and refine their ideas. It can be done as a computer

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/08/02
Document Type: Discussion Material
This handout leads students through an article that they have brought in. This article should take a position that the student disagrees with. Students analyze the author's argument, motivation, and weaknesses and then look for commonalities between that argument and their own position on the issue

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/08/02
Document Type: Grading Rubric
An old grading rubric I used to use. I circle the appropriate description for each category, underline relevant issues, and write comments in the box at the right.

Contributed By: Joanna Wolfe , 08/07/02
Document Type: Grading Rubric
This is the grading rubric I use for evaluation arguments (this one requires students to evaluate a film). The X's can be moved to indicate how the student is doing and comments can be typed.