Kristin Winet

Application for: Wildcat Writers Teaching Award

Spring 2011
Short Statement:
A course in rhetorical analysis is a natural space for service-learning, as students
are learning to visualize their own words and ideas in a real-world context through a
deeper understanding of audience, context, and purpose. While these goals can certainly
be accomplished in the confines of the classroom, I have found that challenging students
to take the content from this course to a community partnership is not only rewarding, but
actually uite vital to the success of our !"#$%&' curriculum(and to our ongoing
development as instructors. )hrough the lesson I am including here, in which students
participate in a panel discussion with their mentees and then complete a writing
assignment on the rhetoric of educational spaces, I*ve discovered that the value of a
community partnership lies not +ust in the personal edification of participating in
something beyond the university*s walls, but also in the transformative seeds it plants in
our students* thoughts and writing.
)he pedagogical reasoning behind this lesson comes from the notion that
education is not only transformative, but that collaboration and mutual understanding are
critical components for achieving social change. ,ne of the primary goals of the Wildcat
Writers program(to offer a space for students to interact, share their work, and form
new perspectives on their writing(is a goal that only be truly achieved once students
develop a trusting relationship with each other, the educational space they belong to, and
the instructors they meet with on a weekly basis. )his trusting relationship is not
automatic, and reuires a lot of patience, planning, and collaboration- three attributes that
the Wildcat Writers program not only values, but strategically supports. .tarting the
semester with a lesson that reinforces the notion that the Wildcat Writers program is a
safe space that values real-life experience, critical thinking, and collaboration, students
begin to understand that professional relationships(and the roles they play as academics
and future workers in their respective fields(should not only be helpful and supportive,
but respectful, friendly, and mutually beneficial.
/y participating in a real-life panel discussion with high school students 0and then
taking the work critically to a mini-writing assignment1, both high school and college
students can benefit tremendously from this lesson- not only do the high school students
have a space to ask real uestions, get advice, and start the process of demystifying
getting a +ob, going to college, +oining the military, or engaging in other post-secondary
options, college students have the change to share their own experiences, give advice, and
dispel myths about the sometimes murky process of life after high school. In my
experience with this lesson, students on both sides were able to find common ground, feel
important, and gain multi-vocal perspectives on the uncomfortable period between high
school and beyond. )hen, through a writing assignment focusing on their assumptions
about the physical spaces of the high school and college environments, my students took
their personal experiences a step further, contextualizing them in terms of rhetorical
strategies and persuasive elements(the content they*d been studying in the classroom. In
their writing, I was amazed at the connections they made- students contemplated such
details as the gated walls of the high school versus the open-air .tudent 2nion at the
university and what these architectural decisions convey, the demographic makeup of the
students and their goals for attending each institution, the legal ramifications for funding
at both the secondary and post-secondary level, and the current legislative propositions in
Arizona 0such as 3/ ''4%1. )his lesson 0and how successful it was for my students1 is, I
hope, an excellent example of what can happen when community blends with campus(
and when students meet over breakfast.
Title of Lesson- 5eet 6our 5entee- #etting-to-7ollege 8anel 9iscussion, /reakfast, and
8aired Writing Assignment
Schedule for Lesson- 0:; minutes1
Course: E!L102
Semester Taught: Spring 2011
"e#uired $aterials: .ocial networking site 0we use www.!dmodo.com1 and either an
!$5, or handouts 0either is fine for the goals of this lesson<1
Conte%t of the Lesson in "elationship to the Course Curriculum: )his lesson, which
has multiple parts, works really well when situated in the first few weeks of the semester.
.tudents are eager to meet their mentors=mentees, and by introducing the course with a
5eet > #reet party and a paired writing assignment, students will feel positive about
their choice to be in the Wildcat Writers* program and feel proud that they have
something to offer their high school partners. Also, this lesson is an excellent way to
introduce the importance of audience and rhetorical situations(both online and in-
person<
As this lesson couples so well with the first unit 0the ?hetorical Analysis unit1, I suggest
pairing the breakfast=panel session and the writing assignment with the @isual=.patial
chapter of Writing Public Lives. I also recommend including some supplementary
readings that will help students solidify the notions of observing spaces and
understanding visual rhetoric. )he readings I used to accompany this lesson were
A9isney*s 7alifornia Adventure )heme 8ark- ?hetorical .hape of a 7alifornia 9reamB
by 5ichael Williams, and an excerpt from My Freshman Year by ?ebekah "athan. /y
having students read these models and think about their own observations in light of class
discussion, students have some tangible examples from which to frame their analyses.
Agenda for the Lesson:
&rior to the lesson:
Edmodo'com ()ello* &ost: 2sing a social networking site such as www.!dmodo.com,
have students write a A3elloB post to their mentee in anticipation of the 5eet > #reet
/reakfast. 05y students were also reuired to comment on their mentee*s research
pro+ect proposals, which the students had already uploaded1. )his gets students familiar
with the interface of the website and allows them time to get comfortable using it.
+uestion !eneration and "ehearsal: /efore doing this lesson, have the high school
teacher elicit a list of uestions from his=her students regarding college life. )his is a very
helpful step because it helps the high school students conceptualize the importance of the
Wildcat Writers* program and it helps us at the 2niversity of Arizona offer an invaluable
service to those students. After getting the list of uestions, take the lists back to the
students at the 2 of A, put them on the !$5, 0if the classroom has technology1, and
have students get into groups and discuss their answers to the uestions the high school
students have for them. .tress the importance of their role as mentors and how their
answers will help the high school students frame their ideas about college life and its
multiple realities. 9iscuss notions of audience, context, and purpose.
,a- of the lesson:
.:00/.:10: !ather Students: 5eet students at the high school and accompany them their
mentee*s classroom. ?emind them to take notes regarding differences they notice in the
educational spaces of the 2 of A and the high school environment.
.:10/.:00: 1ntroductions and !etting/to/Know/2ou 3rea4fast: Introduce the pairs
and open up the classroom to breakfast. 0Cor our lesson, .uzanne 3all*s students
generously provided breakfast for the 2 of A students1. .uggest that pairs sit together and
introduce themselves more fully, by discussing their interests, their hopes=fears for the
future, and their hobbies. .tudents will feel both included and excited to share their
stories with each other.
.:00/5:16: College &anel ,iscussion7+8A Session: At this point, pass out copies of the
high school students* uestions to various groups of students. !ither have volunteers read
specific uestions to start the conversation, or have students simply begin by asking their
own uestions. 0)he handouts can be a good idea if the conversation lulls1. In our
experience, we had no trouble keeping the conversation going, though, as the high school
students were full of uestions and the college students were incredibly engaged and
excited to share what they*d learned in their first year of college.
After the lesson:
$ini/Writing Assignment: As a follow-up, ask students to read the two articles on
visual=spatial analysis and have them complete a mini-writing assignment comparing the
educational spaces of the high school and the 2niversity of Arizona. )hen, discuss their
findings during the next class period.
0D"ote- 5y suggestion for teaching this lesson, in lieu of the recent restriction on taking
2 of A students off-campus, is to plan a field trip for the high school students well in
advance with your team teacher 0our suggestion is to get together before the semester
starts1. )his way, you can avoid any issues with permission slips, administrative
paperwork, or potential scheduling problems. It could be tailored to an analysis of the
rhetoric the high school students* use to discuss their knowledge and understanding of
college life, or to an analysis of the disconnect between high school and college
understanding of each other from different perspectives.1
Attached $aterials:
Instructions for 5ini-Writing Assignment
A9isney*s 7alifornia Adventure )heme 8ark- ?hetorical .hape of a 7alifornia
9reamB by 5ichael Williams
!xcerpt from My Freshman Year by ?ebekah "athan
!xamples of student work included- 5ini-Writing Assignments that turned into
!ssay %- ?hetorical Analysis