The Chapter Reactions

• At the top of the page, put the name which appears on your class nametag, the page number 1, and the words "I have read all of Chapter __," substituting the assigned chapter number for the blank line. If these instructions are correctly followed, you will receive 5 points. If you have in fact read all of the assigned pages, you will have earned these points. If the "I have read" statement is untrue, you'll still get the points, but you will have stolen them. As easy as these points are to earn, I strongly encourage you to earn them and not steal them. (Note: If your "I have read" statement is incorrect or missing, you will receive none of these 5 points. I'm prepared to pay you 5 points for doing the work of reading assigned pages from a textbook, but I won't pay you unless you submit an accurate invoice. So be sure to follow the instructions!)

• You may if you'd like to then write a reaction to the material you’ve read, which can earn you up to an additional 5 points, for a total of 10 points possible per chapter. Anything you write which summarizes or quotes from the chapter will earn no credit. The assignment is to react to the material you’ve read, not to summarize it.

• Here are some ideas of what you could write about:

• Did you like the reading assignment? If so, why? If not, why not?

• Were there things in the reading that surprised you?

• Things you disagreed with?

• Has the reading left you with unanswered questions?

• Remember, don’t tell me what the assigned pages say — I’ve read them. Tell me what you think about what the pages say. Don’t hesitate to use the word "I." You’re not required to like the material — although you’re certainly welcome to! The assignment is to tell me what you think about what you’ve read.

• There is no set length requirement for these assignments. However, know that I rarely give full credit to someone who turns in less than one double-spaced typewritten page per assignment.

• Use a 12-point font. Put your name and a page number at the upper left corner of each page. Leave 1" margins at the top, bottom, left and right of the page. Double space. Indent the first line of each paragraph, and don't skip an extra line between paragraphs. Do not right-margin justify your text. This is an upper-level college class, so I expect you to be writing at college level. Spelling, punctuation and grammar all count. Spell checkers and grammar checkers do not work, so I recommend strongly that you turn them off.

• If you have any questions about this assignment, or if you run into any problems, please don't hesitate to contact me by email (put "CST 151" as the subject line).

Grading Rubric

• In addition to following the instructions, an A assignment (9-10 points) will also have five or more of the following characteristics:

• Demonstrates that you have fully understood the material

• Shows that you can relate the material to your own experience of watching movies

• Offers specific comment on at least five (5) different concepts from the reading

• Avoids summarizing or quoting from the reading

• Is written in clear, understandable English

• Contains few or no errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

• A B assignment (8-8.5 points) will also have four or more of the following characteristics:

• Demonstrates that you have largely understood the material

• Begins to show that you can relate the material to your own experience of watching movies

• Offers specific comment on at least four (4) different concepts from the reading

• Avoids summarizing or quoting from the reading

• Is written in clear, understandable English

• Contains few errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

• A C assignment (7-7.5 points) will also have three or more of the following characteristics:

• Demonstrates that you have achieved some understanding of the material

• Offers minimal evidence that you can relate the material to your own experience of watching movies

• Offers specific comment on at least three (3) different concepts from the reading

• Contains some summarizing or quoting from the reading

• Is written in occasionally clumsy or confusing English

• Contains multiple errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

• A D assignment (6.5 points) will also have two or more of the following characteristics:

• Demonstrates that you have achieved minimal understanding of the material

• Does not offer evidence that you can relate the material to your own experience of watching movies

• Offers specific comment on only 1-2 different concepts from the reading

• Contains mainly summarizing or quoting from the reading

• Is written in clumsy or confusing English

• Contains many errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

• An F assignment (5-6 points) will also have any one or more of the following characteristics:

• Does not demonstrate that you have achieved any understanding of the material

• Offers no evidence that you can relate the material to your own experience of watching movies

• Offers no specific comment on concepts from the reading

• Contains entirely or almost entirely of summarizing or quoting from the reading

• Is not written in college-level English

• Is littered with errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

• You will receive no credit (0 points) if your assignment has any one or more of the following characteristics:

• Your class name does not appear at the top of the first page

• The first page is not numbered "1."

• The "I have read" statement is incorrect or missing

• The assignment is not submitted by the deadline

• Important note: I will throw away unread any pages which don't have your classroom name and a page number at the top of the page. You must put your name and a page number on every page you'd like me to read!

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