Below is the lesson plan, which includes the objectives guiding the lesson, the schedule breakdown, the homework assignment, and a link to a downloadable version of the lesson plan. 

 

Objectives:

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• Students will draft a class contract, considering what they need from the class community.

• Students will broaden how they consider writing and start to grasp the concept of "rhetoric," "audience," and "purpose"  

• Students will articulate their goals for themselves

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Schedule: 

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1. Introductions:

   • Read through syllabus [10 min]

   • Go around and share: name, the name you'd like to be called, your favorite book, and why you’re here [10-15 min]
     Oftentimes, students want to be called something other than their full legal names. I tell students that many writers choose to publish under pen names (like Toni Morrison, Dr. Seuss, and Mark Twain), and that they can choose what they'd like to be called in this class. This offers them the opportunity to self-define, and drops a hint about an idea we will come to again and again: that word-choice matters, and that the relationship between language and meaning are key questions in the study of literature and writing. 
      

2. Full group discussion: Why do we write? What is “good” writing? Who decides? [15 min]

   • Highlight the concepts: rhetoric, purpose, and audience. 
      

3. Class reading and discussion: “To Be Of Use” by Marge Piercy [30 min]

   • Give out notebooks
     When I give students their notebooks, I tell them that this is the place for them to do "raw" writing--this is writing done in class (taking notes or responding to in-class writing prompts) or any planning-writing they do outside of class. While I will collect the journal a few times over the course of the semester to gage their engagement with class activities, for the most part, the writing here is for them. It should be messy. In comparison, "cooked" writing is the writing they do that they hand in to the teacher--writing that is more carefully considered and often the result of many drafts. The shorthand of "raw" and "cooked" writing is helpful throughout the semester to help indicate when writing is low-stakes and high stakes, and subsequently how much time they should spend on it.

   • Writing prompt: Write about a time when you did a task/work/something hard and were satisfied after. 

   • Pre-read the poem "To Be Of Use,"  asking students: What is this? What do we know before we even start reading? (Highlight vocab such as: poem, stanza, title, line, poet, speaker.)

   • Have two different students read the poem out loud twice. (The second time, tell all students to highlight words/phrases that stand out, and places they have questions--this is called "annotating.")

   • In pairs, share what you highlighted. Then come together and discuss as a class. ​
      

4. Break - bathroom and water break, students can check in with teacher if they want [10 min]
    

5. Writing prompt: Goals [~8 minutes for each prompt.]

   • ​What are my strengths? Where do I want to grow/develop/improve? What do I need from this community? Anything else I want the teacher to know? 
      

6. Class contract: In pairs, draft a class contract → give it to the professor (who will compile all of the ideas into a master list) [10 min]

   • In framing this, I tell students that we are compiling our "rules of play" for classroom discussions. If our goal is that everyone can participate and learn in the class, ​what are the conditions we need to ensure this happens? I usually offer some examples, like: Speak from your own experience. Listen actively. Come to class as prepared as possible. Keep personal info revealed in the class confidential. 
      

7. Closing: Go over HW assignment, tell students to bring their reading packets to the Writing Center (tutoring office hours) if they have any questions, and thank them for a great first class.