3.1: Using the Assignment to Plan
- Page ID
- 315238
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Thoroughly reviewing and analyzing the assignment page or prompt is the first step in planning a paper. Locate your assignment (this might be a sheet of paper or a page in Canvas) and analyze it. When you analyze something, you look at all the individual parts of something to draw conclusions about the whole. You want to pay particular attention to the following on an assignment sheet:
- Verbs
- Bolded Words
- Clear requirements (page or word minimums or limits, formatting, etc.)
- A teacher's suggestions or tips
Chances are, your teacher has been teaching you about the concepts they want you to incorporate in the essay, so looking at your assignment sheet through the lens of your course notes or other information from the course can help you plan. Remember, your teacher generally wants you to demonstrate mastery of the content they have been teaching you, so if they have been teaching you about compare and contrast and paraphrasing, those concepts are likely skills your teacher expects you to use in the assignment.
Begin your assignment analysis as soon as you are given an assignment in an English class and use this analysis to build a timeline for writing your paper. The more complicated the assignment, the more time you are going to need to think, plan, and write, but you won’t know how complicated an assignment is until you’ve taken the time to sit down and analyze it.
An Example of Using the Assignment to Plan
Chase is given the following assignment in his EG 101 class and underlines the important portions when his teacher reads through the assignment:\
After reading “The Danger of a Single Story,” write a response to the essay. Begin by introducing the text and its author in the introduction but also set up your point about the text in your introduction (your thesis).
In the body of your paper, relay evidence from the text and examples from your own life to show your point. What have your experiences with “a single story” been and what can we say about this concept when coupled with the text?
Your body paragraphs should use signal phrases, parenthetical citations, and quotes as needed. Be sure to integrate at least one quote from the text during the course of your essay, but your paper should not exceed 20% quotes total. You will also want to continue to focus on topic sentences and transitions.
As you end the paper, assess the significance of your point. Why do these concepts matter to your life? What did you learn from this essay? What might others learn from it?
This should be a brief paper, just 2-3 pages in MLA format. The number of paragraphs is up to you, but make sure that your paragraphs are well structured and include a good balance of summary and analysis.
After reading through the assignment and annotating it, he makes a list of the important requirements for himself:
- Respond to "The Danger of a Single Story"
- Introduce and use at least one quote from the essay
- Use signal phrases
- Write 2-3 pages in MLA
- Balance summary and analysis
- Use evidence from the story and my life
Drawing from this list, Chase then decides to start by looking back at "The Danger of a Single Story" and observing what evidence really jumps out to him and would help him build an essay. He also decides that documenting the evidence he might use from his own life would be good as he brainstorms; after all, if he doesn't have anything to say about certain points from the text, then those points would end up being summary-heavy if he put them in the essay.
Of course, there are other important elements on the assignment sheet, such as the instructor's expectations regarding the conclusion. However, Chase doesn't need to worry about the conclusion as he pre-writes, so focusing in on the central content that helps to guide is brainstorming helps him to not get distracted as he begins writing. In choosing to focus his prewriting, Chase is not focusing on too much at once, and he is able to start with ideas for the body paragraphs and then return to the other elements on the assignment sheet as he writes.
Using Other Course Work
Chances are that your teacher has had you do some type of writing that will relate to the paper you are working on, whether it is a journal or a discussion board. Look back at this past writing and consider if any of it can be a jumping off point for the paper. In the case of Chase, he realized his teacher had him write a discussion board post over "The Danger of a Single Story" that you can see on page 44, and he used this content to shape one of his body paragraphs. It is always best to check that you can use previous, shorter assignments from the course in an essay, but this does let you get the most out of your work in a course.