Group Agenda – Week 1

1. Introductions/Icebreaker

I’m hoping that we’ll be able to create a productive, supportive, and engaged writing community through this experience together. So, to get that started, you’ll be doing a short icebreaker in small groups.

• In your groups, do the following:
  • In either the *Class Activities –> Week 1 folder or your Group’s folder (in our respective Shared Google Drive), create a new document with your group members’ names in the title.
  • For this first activity, introduce yourselves and get to know one another.
    • Your ultimate goal for this session, however, will be to find 3 things you all have in common and 1 thing that is unique to each of you. Keep in mind, the things you have in common should not be “We’re all students at UCSB” or “We like the beach” (that’s pretty low-hanging fruit). Instead, really try to find out what you have in common, and don’t forget about figuring out what is unique to each of you in the group. (*Note, if you’ve done this with some folks in your group previously, try to find new commonalities between you–especially since you now know one another better.)
    • Be sure to write it all down in the document as you’re going.

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2. Discuss your Writing Processes

As explained in class, and is included on the schedule, you should have all read “Shitty First Drafts” by class today. For this next part of the group discussion, talk about your writing processes and in-class responses.

• Have someone (or everyone) take notes in the same document as above while you talk about any or all of the following questions:
  • What do you all have in common when it comes to your writing process?
  • What is unique to each of you?
  • Could you all relate to Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”? If so, how? If not, why?
  • What does all of this tell you about the nature of the writing process? That is, what conclusions have you come to as a result of your discussion and hearing about one another’s writing processes?
  • If you have thought about this question before, how has your writing process changed since you last considered it?

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3. Talk about your Initial Thoughts

As you are all aware, in class, I had you take some time to go through and complete the Initial Thoughts Activity for the Genre Analysis / “How-to” project. Take some time now to compare your responses and rewrites of the prompt and to talk through the prompt in general. Be sure to make note of any questions or concerns you have, so we can all talk about it in class together.

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4. Complete your Participation Notebook Entry

Don’t forget to complete your Participation Notebook Entry for Week 1. Technically, these are due by the end of the day Friday, but I always suggest trying to complete it as soon after your group work as you can. Really, it helps for a few reasons: everything will be fresh in your mind, you will have an easier time writing it (and it will take less time), and perhaps most importantly, you won’t forget. (It’s hard to remember on Fridays, sometimes.)