Week One

Lessons for Developmental Writing/Reading Hybrid Courses

Week One:

I like to start the first day of a new term with a lively discussion on descriptive words and expressions before asking students to introduce themselves to the class. To stimulate conversation, I plan to use a painting available online such as this one by a contemporary artist named Valerie Hardy:

http://www.valeriehardy.com/large-view/Interiors/50916---3061/Painting.html

The painting depicts a woman deeply engaged in writing something, a letter, a poem or perhaps the first draft of an essay. After we discuss the painting, I will ask students to jot down environments that they find most conducive to writing and reading. When we exchange thoughts about such special places, the conversation may take a turn toward the personal, with students willing to share a bit about who they are and the subjects they are interested in writing about during the term.

Students can also use the painting to complete a descriptive writing sample. Rather than asking students to write about a topic disconnected from the day's discussion, I will ask them to continue thinking about places that inspire them to be more expressive and to describe those places for me using vivid language.

(Being in a computer classroom helps tremendously, but I could also bring a color print of the image.)

After this icebreaker, I hope the comments for the following online discussion board prompts will be more genuine:

Please write two sentences describing something that is important to you.You may choose to write about a topic such as your favorite author, a hobby, a family member or your hometown.

You are required to complete two things on this forum:

1. Write at least two sentences introducing yourself to the class.
2. Respond to one other person's entry in one or two sentences. This response can be a question or a comment.