Assignment attached
| Style | APA |
| Number of words | 297 |
| Number of sources | 0 |
| Spacing | Double |
| PowerPoint slides | 0 |
Discussion
Each week, the discussion will require a minimum of 3 posts.
• Main post: Your answer to the discussion prompt questions (Part A, Part B, and the writing challenge)
• Response posts: A minimum of 2 responses to classmates
Please keep the following in mind:
• In your main post, include headings for Part A and Part B. Headings will allow your classmates and instructor to respond more specifically to your ideas. Click here for an example of how to label both sections of your main discussion post.
• Write your discussion posts in Microsoft Word, so you can take advantage of the spell and grammar checkers. Then, copy and paste your work to the discussion board.
NOTE: Microsoft Office (a cluster of software programs that includes Word) is free for all Walden students.
• Do not submit discussion posts as attachments. Place them directly on the discussion board so your good ideas are accessible to all students.
• The grading rubric requires you to post in the discussion area on a minimum of three different days each week to earn full points for timeliness/participation.
• Consider posting before the deadlines and exceeding the response requirements to make our discussion areas as dynamic and interesting as possible. The goal is to have an ongoing conversation, one you return to several times throughout the week as it evolves.
Submit Part A and Part B as a single post.
Click on the link to the Discussion Forum below, then click Reply to the top post.
NOTE: Each week, there will be a ‘challenge’ in the discussion area with additional tasks to improve your writing. It will be either in Part A, Part B, or Part C. Look for it before you start writing the main post each week.
Part A
In one paragraph (5-7 sentences), describe the moment you decided to go back to school, how you came to that realization, and how this journey is ultimately going to change your life. What did everything look like at that moment? Where were you? What was happening around you? Describe your moment. Use at least three of the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell). You can write more than one paragraph if you like.
Click the following link for a podcast on creating successful paragraphs:
Walden Writing Center. (2013, July). Wirecast: A Casual conversation for serious writers, Creating a successful paragraph. https://shows.acast.com/writecast/episodes/paragraphs
Click to access the “WriteCast: A Casual conversation for serious writers, Creating a successful paragraph” transcript
Weekly Discussion Challenge:
Each week, the challenge will delve deeper into a specific writing technique and encourage students to use it more fully. Please see the discussion grading rubric for how the weekly challenge will be assessed.
Complete this task:
In your Part A paragraph, write a line or two of dialogue between you and another person.
Click the link below for a definition and examples of dialogue: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/dialogue-examples.html
Part B
In one paragraph (5-7 sentences):
Introduce the TED talk by author and title, and then quickly tell what it is about entirely in your words. After you introduce and describe the TED talk, give an example of one way that you are rewriting your story by going back to school and pursuing your professional dreams. Be as specific as you can and talk about why you are editing your life in this way. What events, circumstances, or realizations led you to this point?
Click the link for Lori Gotleib’s TED talk, How changing your story can change your life:
Gotleib, L. (2019, September). How changing your story can change your life. https://www.ted.com/talks/lori_gottlieb_how_changing_your_story_can_change_your_life?language=en
Click to access the “How changing your story can change your life” transcript
Read the Part C instructions carefully before you respond to classmates as they differ each week.
Part C
Write at least one paragraph (5-7 sentences) per response. In each of your response posts, make sure to address at least one of the bullets below:
• Ask a question about the specific moment they chose and/or how they are rewriting their story. Try to help them understand their own moment better with the question you ask.
• Build on an idea from their post and give them a sense or description they can further develop. Explain what intrigues you and why you want to know more.
• Connect a fact, concept, or observation from their post with your own personal experiences. Explain the connection and why it relates.
• Quote or comment on a sentence or passage from their writing that you particularly enjoy. Explain why it captured your attention.
TIP: You can write your posts and responses in Microsoft Word, free to Walden students, and when you are satisfied, copy and paste the text onto the Discussion board.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 1 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 7
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 1 Discussion
________________________________________
Assignment: The Story of a Moment
For your first writing project, you will return to your Week 1 Discussion posting and use your moment as a starting point to write your personal narrative.
Click the link below for a resource that explains narrative writing:
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2020). Narrative Essays. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
Think about your decision to return to school. It is probably attached to a dream you have about doing something professionally. Now think about the moment that you realized that purpose, figured out your career path, or decided to return to school. This will be different for each person, so don’t worry about anything but your own moment and how it relates to telling the story of your professional goals.
Keep in mind that Part A of your main discussion post was a starting prompt for this narrative. Feel free to build upon your post as you create this essay.
In your introduction (click to expand/reduce)
Think closely about the moment you are describing. How did it start? Why did it capture your interest? Why did it work? Try to pique your reader’s interest and pull them into your narrative. A vivid description, a question, a line of dialogue, a description of the action (something that happened), or a reflection on a consequence are common strategies used within introductions. Think about the best way to start the story of your moment.
In the body paragraph(s) (click to expand/reduce)
Develop your description of the moment in time, where you are (the setting), and what is happening. Use sensory details (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) to help the reader connect with the narrative and understand its significance in your life. You can move beyond the one moment in your discussion post and talk about your past, your present, your future, or ideas you have about your professional goals. Feel free to reflect on things you learned during this moment.
In your conclusion (click to expand/reduce)
Step back and put the moment (and the path it has set you on) in context for the reader. Leave them with an observation, a question, or a final, vivid description. There are lots of great ways to finish. What do you want to leave your reader thinking about when it is over? Aim for a sense of completion.
Reflecting on purpose and audience
Your purpose for writing this piece is to share an important moment when you realized your professional direction. Consider your audience for this project as your classmates and instructor.
Purpose – The reason you are writing the paper: to inform, convince, explain, report are examples of purpose.
Audience – The intended reader.
Each week in your writing projects, considering your purpose for writing and the audience you write for will help you to make decisions about word choice, tone of voice, and what content is appropriate.
Reminders
• Make sure you use vivid, concrete descriptions and sensory details. Where were you, what were you doing, who was there? In the drafting process, try asking and answering these questions for yourself. They will help get you started.
• Feel free, if appropriate to the moment, to use dialogue and/or interact with other people in your narrative. If you were talking to someone when this moment occurred, consider including a bit of your discussion.
• Use the narrative conventions of description writing, sensory details, and dialogue.
• The goal of this piece is to bring your moment to life, make it as real and engaging for your reader as possible, try to capture the importance of the moment, and, in the end, either hint at or reflect on what the moment led to.
• This is personal writing, so feel free to use “I” and other personal pronouns to refer to yourself. However, be careful of overusing them, as this can create a repetitive writing style.
• One of the easiest ways to improve your writing is to read it out loud: to the mirror, to the dog, to the empty space around you. Your ears will hear what your eyes no longer see. This is a technique used by countless professional writers – plus it’s free. Read your paper aloud and make changes accordingly.
Write 300-600 words (maximum). Your piece should have 3 paragraphs or more. You must submit the essay as a Word/PDF file. Make sure to double-space your essay. Include your name and give the essay a creative title, one that draws your reader in.
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