By this time in your academic careers, the obligatory “What I did on my Summer Vacation” first-writing-assignment-of-the-year has probably grown a little stale. With that in mind, and because I want more than a list or itinerary to get a taste of your writing skills, we are going to focus on one incident from the summer just passed. Your task is to choose the best moment from the past two-plus months and describe it so that the reader begins to understand the significance of it.
Some things to keep in mind:
1.) Try to capture the moment in words. Make the reader feel as if they were there. Also, try to articulate what made the moment special.
2.) You will share your writing in class when we next meet, so you might not want to broach a subject that is too personal for you to read to your classmates.
3.) You will work on it in class today. If you need more time, you can finish the assignment for homework.
4.) The only requirement is that you have at the bare minimum one page written ready to turn in at the beginning of our next class.
5.) The assignment is worth a homework grade. You will be evaluated based on the fulfillment of the requirements. (Basically, if you write one page you receive full credit).
The assignment is meant to not only allow you to reflect on your summer, but also to allow me to gauge your writing skills at the beginning of the year. Therefore, have fun with the assignment and don’t feel any undue pressure as regards to your grade.