diagnostic and writing resources

The "Diagnostic" and Writing Resources

Many writing instructors, myself included, like to assign a short,

ungraded "diagnostic" writing assignment the first week of class. This

assignment serves a few functions. Most importantly, it gives you a

chance to preview students' writing and prepare for the task that lies

ahead; it helps you be able to steer developing writers to the

resources available outside of your class. It gives you a baseline for

later comparison. Additionally, the assignment allows students to

introduce themselves as writers. It gets them writing right away and

sets the tone of the class as writing intensive.

When I use the diagnostic assignment, I look for ability to follow

directions and write coherent paragraphs; complexity, fluidity, and

variety of sentence constructions; any evidence of shaping and

supporting arguments; and of course, glaring problems with grammar or

usage. I might have them start the piece as an in-class writing, then

ask them to take it home, revise it, and type it up.

Some possible prompts:

o Compare yourself with an older relative when he/she was the same age

as you are now.

o Make a metaphor of yourself as a writer. Explain how the metaphor

works. For instance, "As a writer I am like a dormant seed..."

o Write about an early reading or writing memory.

Other prompts or diagnostic assignments/activities? Please share; I'm

an avid collector of bright ideas! And if anyone can come up with a

better name for this assignment than diagnostic (yuck, sounds painful

and possibly humiliating, doesn't it?) I'll bake them a plate of

cookies.

At PSU students self-place into writing classes. You can help students

identify whether they might benefit from additional writing

instruction. Every term the following courses are offered (some are

full this term, but you can encourage students to sign up in the

future):

WR115 Intro to College Writing: For basic writers. This class is a

confidence-building course that introduces students to basic concepts

and conventions of college writing.

WR121 College Writing: The equivalent of traditional freshman

composition, this course gives students practice in writing and

revision for college courses. It usually introduces them to

researching, the concept of thesis, citation formats, etc.

LING115: Intro to College Writing for Non-native speakers. Introduces

non-native speakers to conventions of U.S. academic writing, with a

stronger focus on English grammar than WR courses.

WR199: A 1-credit course offered through the PSU Writing Center.

Students meet one-on-one each week with an assigned tutor to work on

FRINQ or other course writing assignments.

A course called Grammar Refresher is also offered through the English

department.

Last, but certainly not least, the PSU Writing Center has scheduled

appointments and drop-in hours for FRINQ students and faculty

(Wednesdays 11-1). Our web site is http://www.writingcenter.pdx.edu/;

the blog: www.psuwritingcenter.blogspot.com.