This document provides an agenda and discussion for a class on analyzing genres and conducting language awareness projects. It includes discussions on writing personal essays, conducting genre analysis, interviewing participants for language awareness projects, and information literacy. Students shared ideas for their proposed language awareness projects, discussed tips for interviewing and collecting data through interviews, and were assigned homework to conduct interviews and gather more information about languages.
2. Agenda Conducting genre analysis Discussing Getting Personal by Irene tylor Brainstorming Language awareness projects
3. Willi says When you write an personal essay, the writer is the only person who knows the facts and points he wants the audience to understand. So he needs to make clear what are his points and he needs to make the reader feel comfortable because you don't want to waste the readers time.
4. Anthony says When writing a personal essay, you are the only person who knows the point that is trying to be made. In order to make the information clearly understandable, you need to provide enough detail and support. You want to make your writing interesting and helpful enough to make the reader feel like reading your text is worth their time and effort.
5. Rosetta The point of a personal is that you, the writer, are the only person that can get the point you are trying to make across. When writing a personal essay you have to find ways to get the readers attention because you do not want them to say after reading it, "why did I just read this?". As a writer its your responbilty to pick a topic that you do not mind in depth with. I also learned that a personal essay should also make the reader feel comfortable.
6. Dimond says… Taylor shows how to write for yourself while still being conscious of your audience. By giving examples from her writing experiences, she lets the reader know that writing is mainly about being vulnerable especially when writing a personal essay.
7. Tuomas says… M. Irene Taylor's article "Getting Personal" gave advice for writing a personal essay. In her opinion, the personal essay comes from your thoughts and you must be willing to commit yourself completely. You have to take a risk, tell your own thoughts about issue and also have to trust yourself. Those are the principles to write a personal essay. Essay isn't a personal if you are unable to explore it in depth. Aftering reading a personal essay, one should feel it was worth it to read the text.
8. Nicole says… From reading "Getting Personal" I learned that you have to want to "dig deep" and really put your feelings out there to be able to write a personal essay. If you just list events it becomes more of a narrative. You must meet the expectations of your readers, so that they feel like it was worth their time to read what you had to say
9. Genre Analysis What’s the difference between reading a genre critically and critiquing genre? Why is it important to critique genres? See the student critique of wedding invitations. Distinguish the parts that perform a critical reading of the genre and the parts that perform a critique of the genre. Tell us the difference by giving examples.
10. Critiquing genres in groups Pick one of the genres below. Find a few online examples. Save them on your laptop and conduct a critical genre analysis in your groups. Revisit the article called “Changing Genres”. Use box 4.1 on page 161 to conduct your analysis: Wedding Invitations Poster about a social issue Analyzing an advertisement Analyzing class syllabus A job ad
11. Irene’s Getting Personal Compose an email message to Irene explaining: Your favorite three points that Irene makes in her essay called “Getting Personal.” Why do you like the points she makes about personal writing? How do you relate to her views? How do you think her essay help you become a better writer in your Language awareness project?
13. Agenda Genre analysis homework sharing Discussing your language awareness projects Information literacy Interviewing Homework
14. Asking for help http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/755/279742/AskingForHelp.swf
15. Language Awareness Paper 1. Introduction What’s the topic of your language awareness paper? What’s the importance of it? 2. Participants Who are your participants? What are their relations to you? What do they do? Where do they come from? What is their educational background? 3. Methods How did you collect your data? Where did you collect your data? 4. Findings: Discuss what you found out as a result of your interview(s) What languages are spoken? What accents are spoken?(at home, at work, while growing up, now) What are the immigration stories?
16. Interviews: some initial research activities As your participants’ permission for her or him to participate in this study. Remember this is a volunteer participation. Set the interview time and location with your participants (the people you will be investigating) Prepare your interview questions (what do you need to know?) Keep your questions open ended. Decide how to record your interviews
17. Living sources (Curious Researcher) “Most people no matter who they are love the attention of an interviewer, no matter who she is, particularly if what’s being discussed facilitates them both” (p.99)
18. Conducting Interviews Interview people who can give you rich data. After soliciting participants, prepare for your interview questions. Make a list of specific questions. As you are constructing your questions, think back to your literature review exercise: What theories and ideas encountered in your reading would you like to ask your participant about?
19. Question categories Opening questions Could you please describe…? Can you tell me about…? Please discuss… I am interested in….What can you tell me about this subject? Follow-up Questions Really? How so? Can you elaborate on X point? Probing Questions Can you tell me more about…? Could you please give me an example…?
20. Soliciting participants Begin looking for participants Ask their permission to be a part of your study. Describe your study Describe the purpose Give your participants some information about the background. Schedule your Interviews Begin your interviews (USE A DIGITAL RECORDER TO RECORD YOUR INTERVIEWS)
21. Class Activity on Interview Find out more about your classmates’ language(s)—both in the family and his/her larger community. Come up with at least 5 polished questions that can best answer this large research question Conduct a 5 minutes long interview. After your interview, write one paragraph about your participant’s views/experiences on spring break.
22. Homework Conduct your interviews. Make sure you record your interviews or take abundant notes. Find more information about the languages spoken 1) from your family 2) from an outside source.
