First Assignment: Moffett Research

ENG 220 Research & Writing Assessment Paper

“The Ideas of James Moffett”

Research Question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

This weekend you will write a 3-5 page paper answering this question based on researching James Moffett. There are two reasons we are doing this: 1) so the professor can get a sense of your abilities to both locate information on line and evaluate which information is appropriate to both the assignment and the context of teaching writing; and 2) so the professor can evaluate a sample of your writing before the end of the “drop” period. In light of reason 2, be sure to pay close attention to writing well. Be conscious of producing an error-free paper which has a thesis that answers the question, and uses topic-centered paragraphs which support your thesis and offer evidence from your research. You must also include a works cited page. Remember: this is a course that gives you the opportunity to tutor in the LaGuardia Writing Center. As the professor, I have a serious responsibility to assess your skills in these areas before I let you tutor. This difficult assignment is one of the ways I will do that.

HINT 1: Be attentive to the exact language in the title of the assignment. Do not present information that does not concern the exact words of the main question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

HINT 2: If you do not know how to use the library search engines to look in Academic Search Premier, ERIC, or any other search engine that you might need, figure out how to get help. This assessment is, in part, a test of your resourcefulness—what do you do when you are presented with something that seems challenging or beyond your current knowledge base?

HINT 3: I have already conducted this search myself, and am aware of what will come up on Google when you search for Moffett using a variety of key words. I expect you to use the most informative of the online resources available to you, not just the first 1-2 things that come up on Google.

HINT 4: Because I have done this research already, I am already very familiar with the materials you will find. I will surely recognize any plagiarized material instantly, so do not plagiarize. If you plagiarize, you will not only fail the assignment but will be formally held accountable for cheating. Use summary, paraphrase, and quotation from your research to help you describe Moffett’s ideas, and always cite sources.

Good Luck!