Lesson Report:
**Title: Orientation to Structured Writing and Text Analysis**
**Synopsis:** This session was dedicated to transitioning from reading and theme identification to structured academic writing. Students were introduced to their first major assignment: a mini intellectual essay. The lessons emphasized developing annotation skills and understanding main points in texts, culminating in discussions and exercises aimed at improving critical thinking and writing clarity.
**Attendance:** There were no specific mentions of absent students in the transcript.
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction to Major Assignments:**
– Overview of assignments involved in the course.
– Explanation of the mini intellectual essay, focusing on selecting a text and writing a concise, organized essay on a specific prompt.
2. **Completion of Annotation Charts:**
– Students continued working on annotation systems they started the previous day.
– Explanation of group work in the preferred “work area” to finalize the charts, promoting understanding of new texts through systematic annotation.
3. **Group Presentation of Annotation Systems:**
– Groups presented their methods of annotation designed to move from an unfamiliar text to comprehension.
– Various strategies included underlining key ideas, skimming, instant translation, and understanding context through memorization and analysis.
4. **Application of Annotation Systems:**
– Groups applied their annotation systems to “We Refugees” by Hannah Arendt.
– The exercise involved 15-20 minutes of reading and annotating the text using developed systems.
5. **Identifying Main Points and Themes:**
– Students synthesized the text into one-sentence summaries.
– Class discussion on identifying themes such as identity, time, historical struggle, and justice, and their interconnections within the text.
6. **Basic Concepts of Academic Writing:**
– Definition and understanding of ‘main point’ in academic writing.
– Exploration of the ‘main point’ through the lens of Hannah Arendt’s work—analyzing her perspective and purpose.
**Actionable Items:**
1. **Follow-up on Annotation Skills:**
– Ensure students are comfortable using their annotation systems individually.
2. **Prepare for the Mini Intellectual Essay:**
– Provide detailed resources and examples of how to choose a text and develop a thesis in preparation for the mini intellectual essay.
3. **Enhance Understanding of Main Points:**
– Additional exercises to reinforce identifying main points and themes in different texts.
4. **Address student uncertainties:**
– Offer office hours or a Q&A session to clarify any lingering questions about course objectives or assignments.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK. The transcript focuses on finishing in-class tasks, group work, and discussions about existing and future assignments but does not specifically assign any new homework.