I must stand corrected. And I have two questions.
I was discussing the 5-paragraph essay (5-PE) with my youngest
daughter (who oddly enough is majoring in Writing & Rhetoric at UBC). She,
of course, has more recent and direct experience with how it is taught in
high school hereabouts. When I said to her that the basic structure is
defined by a thesis statement in the form of 'X is true because a, b, and
c' or 'X is true as exemplified by a, b, and c,' Sasha informed me that, in
practice, the structure is not nearly so precise. Having written a thesis
that defines a topic, she says, the student need only discuss anything
three things that fit into the topic; the three things need not necessarily
prove or support the claim of the thesis statement in order to get a good
grade.
I am presently responding to some short course papers from 1st
year students in a large lecture course (over 200 students, 4 TAs). A few
students tried to use the 5-PE format. And what they did confirms Sasha's
assertion. They are on topic, but off task: although they demonstrate
that characters in the plays they have studied face specific ethical
issues; they do not fulfill the assignment, which asked them to discuss how
the dramatic action of the plays cause audiences to consider ethical
issues. (This, I should add, is a distinction that has been emphasized in
the course and even defined in the syllabus.) The paper I am reading just
now demonstrates, for instance, that the characters in An Enemy of the
People face the issue of whether or not to renovate the Baths, but not that
the play causes audiences to consider whether one should do what is safe
and expedient or what is right.
If what Sasha says is correct, I am asking them to do something
they have not previously been required to do, i.e., to write not just on a
topic, but to fulfill a purpose. (N.B., Not even a rhetorical purpose.)
Does my explanation make sense to anybody? Am I being too picky
in what I want from 1st year students? (I realize, of course, that if I
were teaching the way Russ advocates, this problem probably wouldn't arise.)
Thanks,
Rick
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|