Ok, here we go with Week Two. I was incredibly impressed with everything over this past weekend. I was even prompted to get involved in the discussions myself. I guess that is part of the deal for me, though. Everyone who participated really gave it their all. I couldn’t have asked for a better effort from you. Or could I have?

You have proven to be very outspoken, opinionated young adults. But there seems to be one thing missing in almost 95 percent of your responses (that is a lot). While you all did fine sharing your opinions, you fell short when it came to supporting yourselves. You must realize that in order for your opinion to matter in any situation, you have got to be able to back up your position with real hard facts. In our case the ‘real hard facts’ must come from the book. Most of you were missing the support.

Let me break it down for you this way.

Remember that there are two parts to your credit in a discussion:

  • Answer to the Question,
  • Response to Another Student.

    I’m going to focus on the Answer to the Question (50%). If we divide it up into logical parts, then this is how it looks:

    • Answer the Discussion Question completely (50%).
      • Use the question in the answer (1/3).
      • Give your answer (1/3).
      • Support your answer with details from the book (1/3).
        • DIRECT QUOTES using “quotation marks”
        • Page references [if possible] or,
        • Chapter and Paragraph references [otherwise]

    This time out, I want you to support your answer with details from the text.

    OK. Now then, find your period below, and head over to your classes discussion area.

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email