Snow? The forecast says we will get 1 to 3 inches in Blacksburg. If you get snow, post a photo in Piazza for fun. Maybe you can make us a mini-snowman or find enough snow for a snow angel 🙂

One Week Left: Be sure you are on track this weekend. We are now two-thirds of the way through the course. Next week, you will need to complete a progress report quiz, turn in your Genre Analysis Report and your Completion Report (the final), and finish the reading quizzes for all chapters of Markel.

If took advantage of the 1-day grace period, submit your Report Proposal by at 11:59 PM tonight, Friday, January 6, following the submission instructions.

Continue work on your Genre Analysis Report, which is due on Wednesday, January 11. Aim to have the basic information you need gathered before the weekend so you can begin concentrating on writing your report.

To prepare for writing your report, compare the Tables of Contents for the Genre Analysis Examples, and discuss what you notice in Piazza. Consider both the organization represented by the Table of Contents and the way that the Table of Contents itself is presented. Think about which strategies work best, and share your best advice for effective organization.

Want to work ahead? Read Markel, Chapter 12, “Writing Informational Reports” for tips on progress reports. You will complete a progress report on your Genre Analysis Report in a quiz on Monday.

Proposal Approval: Once you turn in your proposal, assume that you will receive approval and proceed to work on your Genre Analysis Report.

Submit your Report Proposal in Canvas by 11:59 PM today, Thursday, January 5, following the submission instructions. If you need extra time, take advantage of the 1-day grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Friday, January 6.

Begin work on your Genre Analysis Report, which is due on Wednesday, January 11. Today and tomorrow, focus on collecting examples and resources on composing the kind of writing that you are exploring. Aim to have the basic information you need gathered before the weekend so you can begin concentrating on writing your report.

It’s Midterm: Crazy, huh? Since the Winter session is only three weeks long, midterm comes quickly. Be sure that you are making progress on your readings and chapter quizzes.

Complete your Participation Mid-Session Assessment today, following the instructions in Step 4 on the Participation Assignment page. You will not submit the self-assessment in Canvas. It is an important step however. Make sure that you are on track for the participation grade that you want to earn.

Review the questions and answers in Piazza for tips on your current projects. Contribute to the discussion if you have a question or suggestion to share.

Continue working on your Report Proposal, which is due on Thursday. Post your draft for feedback from your Writing Group on Wednesday and then revise and turn in your proposal on Thursday.

Posting Questions: Thanks to everyone who has jumped in and gotten into activities on Piazza. If you have questions about the assignments or the course, please continue posting them in Piazza, rather than emailing them to me, so that everyone in the class can benefit and help find answers.

Course Pacing: Winter session is exceptionally fast paced. We have only 15 weekdays in the course. Since a regular semester has 15 weeks, this course needs to cover one week of work every day.

Work Hours: Normally, I am online from late afternoon through early morning hours. I’m not a morning person. So look for responses from me during those hours.

Follow the instructions on the Participation Log page to begin tracking your participation in the course. Thanks to those of you who have already set up your logs.

Get to know the members of your Writing Group on Piazza. I have set up three groups (listed below). If you want your name listed another way, let me know:

• Team Ada: Calvin, Nick, Alex, Graham, Pamela, and Chimere
• Team Adele: Onat, Jared, Jose, Michael, Dev, and Alexandria
• Team Grace: Moath, Stephen, Nicholas, Afrasiab, Kyle, and Shaifali

Draft your Professional Bio and share it with your writing group on Piazza. Use the Peer Feedback page to guide the questions you ask and the feedback that you give members of your group. Your bio is due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 12/28.