Antebellum+Reformers

The Assignment

The Rubric

There was a really interesting email exchange about this assignment on Thursday, Dec. 6. Here are the exchanges, in reverse chronological order.

I’ve had one really good class discussion of Thoreau that makes the dinner with dissenters sound like a really welcome idea. One student called Thoreau’s act of resistance a “romantic fantasy” that one individual can somehow make a difference. Another student called herself “more cynical” than Thoreau and suggested that unless there is some kind of popular movement or organization to work with, individual action is basically worthless. Yet even to the skeptical, there was something immensely appealing about Thoreau’s declaration that the only place for a just man in an unjust society is the prison.

As to student concerns about the papers, I had only one serious objection when I handed back the first papers. One student complained of the unfairness, and while the complaint was quite emotional and personal, it was also familiar: how can someone who doesn’t teach English grade a paper for English credit? We discussed this at some length, and I don’t know if all were satisfied, but I have heard this same complaint each year of our course, and we faculty have raised similar concerns. I think we need to be clear from the beginning of the year that our plan is to work together as faculty on these papers, and if need be, we should explain the grading process to our students. I like Jeanne’s comment on the opportunity to revise, and we need to be clear about that opportunity when we assign the papers.

I agree that we should talk about student concerns, but I think we should try to address their concerns about this assignment on Tuesday. What are we hearing from our students about the design and the expectations that we can help them with in history class or during mx time on Wednesday?

ak


 * From:** Jeanne Barr
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 11:31 AM
 * To:** Theresa Collins; Andrew Bigelow; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Mike Mahany; Shanti Elliott
 * Subject:** RE: ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

Dinner with dissenters??? I love that!

Regarding the papers – I told everyone in SSDP that they could revise their papers for a higher grade, and as that’s been our practice for years, I’m presuming the same deal stands for kids in other groups. Thus far two out of 15 in SSDP did – what about in other groups? So while I hear you and agree that we need to continue to discuss and adjust our practice, I don’t think any kid who hasn’t yet attempted a revision of a three-page paper really has a leg to stand on in terms of complaining about his/her grade or the way the paper was graded. Sounds to me like some kids just wanted high grades without having to demonstrate or learn anything about their skills in written expression.

--JPB


 * From:** Theresa Collins
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:30 AM
 * To:** Andrew Bigelow; Jeanne Barr; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Mike Mahany; Shanti Elliott
 * Subject:** RE: ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

I agree that we need to address student concerns about these papers. At some point, I even have an idea to share about reforming the assignment J. It seems to me that the least we can do at the moment is to give the students a clear sense of how their work will be graded by explicitly going through the elements of the rubric that’s included on the assignment. Many on the last go around claimed that they were unclear on how their writing would be graded. There is more than enough room for differences in style with regard to the actual grading, however I think that there are ways that we can agree to be a little more consistent with the types of stuff we’re marking the papers for. So, taking up Andy’s suggestion, why don’t we focus our attention on how things are going with the papers with a specific eye toward two things: MX time on Wednesday—how will we use the time, what are we doing to scaffold the work? Second to the papers, let’s talk about the kids concerns. Next, we should delegate some planning stuff regarding the retreat: making reservations, arranging for a dissenters panel & dinner with dissenters (which came up on Tuesday). Sound okay?


 * From:** Andrew Bigelow
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:17 AM
 * To:** Jeanne Barr; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Mike Mahany; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** RE: ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

Hi, sorry, I just got this. This is all correct. Most kids won’t start the essay until next week and we’ll be meeting with our CC kids next Wednesday during MX time to discuss the assignment; so that is absolutely fine if you don’t spend a great deal of time assigning it this week or waiting until Monday. I have all of the copies on my built in shelf for your kids if they want a hard copy, otherwise - they can get it on Moodle. I had copies out in the hall but they were getting knocked around. I think the kids should be in great shape considering the fact that they are getting feedback/knowledge on Thoreau in English and History, MX time, and more than enough notice with a due date of 12/17. However, we had quite a discussion in class (relatively constructive) on the fairness of these assignments and who grades them, etc. So, on Tuesday, I suggest we share some of our kids’ concerns as well as the various approaches some of us have used to convey support, justification, and the value behind what we are doing as a team of teachers and as a collective team with our students of English and History. I hope I am not filling your inbox with too much, but I felt I should share this suggestion as “food for thought” or something we could discuss at some point. Have a great day, Andy


 * From:** Jeanne Barr
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 8:01 AM
 * To:** Andrew Bigelow; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Jeanne Barr; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Mike Mahany; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** RE: ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

This is what I can figure out, but I NEED HELP!


 * PAACT** -- “Dorothea Dix Succors the Insane” (1843) -- p. 1 on Moodle


 * Women --** Elizabeth Cady Stanton, //Declaration of Sentiments// (1848) – p. 4 on Moodle


 * Environment** -- George Perkin’s Marshes’ //Man and Nature//, “Cosmical and Geological Influences” – p. 6 on Moodle


 * LBGTQ --** Lucy Stone, “Statement on Marriage” (1855) – p. 17 on Moodle


 * SSDP** -- T.S. Arthur’s “10 Nights in a Barroom” (1854) – p. 18 on Moodle


 * Homelessness --** Orestes Brownson, “Individual Change vs. Institutional Reform” – p. 19 on Moodle

--JPB


 * From:** Andy Kaplan
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 7:57 AM
 * To:** Jeanne Barr
 * Subject:** RE: ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

I copied them in the order that Andy B gave them to me, but he had a sticky on each one that I couldn’t scan. Since those readings were approved by the group leaders, Andy and I agreed that the leaders would be able to tell their group which reading is theirs, but I agree that the documents should have been labeled. I can redo them with the labels – but I’ll need some help.

ak


 * From:** Jeanne Barr
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 7:49 AM
 * To:** Andy Kaplan; Mike Mahany; Andrew Bigelow; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** ANOTHER need to know by 8:10

Yikes! It’s not clear to me from Moodle which group is reading which document – can someone help with that?

--JPB


 * From:** Andy Kaplan
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 7:21 AM
 * To:** Mike Mahany; Jeanne Barr; Andrew Bigelow; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** RE: assigning the paper -- need to know by 8:10

Since the paper isn’t due until the 17th, I don’t see any reason why you have to make the assignment today. I am ending the week in Am Lit with Thoreau, so my students will bring that reading and some juicy passages to any discussion of how the individual responds to injustice. Are you going to post the assignment on moodle? If so, there’s already a block containing the 6 documents that Andy B gave me yesterday.

ak


 * From:** Mike Mahany
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 7:12 AM
 * To:** Jeanne Barr; Andrew Bigelow; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** RE: assigning the paper -- need to know by 8:10

It’s fine with me.

Mike


 * From:** Jeanne Barr
 * Sent:** Thursday, December 06, 2007 7:11 AM
 * To:** Andrew Bigelow; Andy Kaplan; Gary Childrey; Jeanne Barr; Karen Witkin Swidler; Kate Tabor; Mike Mahany; Shanti Elliott; Theresa Collins
 * Subject:** assigning the paper -- need to know by 8:10

Is there a specific reason I have to assign the paper by the end of this week? It would make so much more sense if I could finish a thread I’m on right now today in F and assign it on Monday – I don’t see them Friday, so I have a sense of urgency in making this call. My lesson for today is an intricate 55-minutes involving beloved film clips and a rock solid crescendo of marginalization and empowerment themes from the beginning of the semester through the antebellum period, focused on the incredible life and times of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I feel like I will lose the power of the theme if I cut it short. I’ve already talked to both classes yesterday about it without giving them the sheet – we touched on Thoreau, the Mexican American war, the expansion of slavery, the concept of what is the individual to do when faced with injustice, and how each of them in their Com Conn groups might have encountered a system that is unjust (pause to think about that) and that each of them might now be in a place to consider what an individual such as themselves might be moved to do in response to said injustice (pause to think about that). So it’s out there. I can assign everyone their document and the assignment sheet over the weekend so that they’ll have read it when we talk it through on Monday, and even do a little pre-write brainstorming, which will help them write better papers...I think there might be some masterpieces brewing, and I’m very hopeful that we’re going to get some great pieces from these kids – publishable stuff. I’m also planning on pushing my DBQ exam to adjust to this paper deadline and the seminar, which will make more sense for the students’ work load.

So, does it screw with anyone’s plans if I assign it over the weekend, or can I go with it???

--JPB