Using Sample Essays

It is a good idea to save samples of A, B, and C papers for use in subsequent courses (particularly when you are teaching the same course fall and spring). By distributing copies of essays, you can demystify the grading process and, more importantly, provide models of what to shoot for and what to avoid. The grades for these essays can provided up front, or you can ask students to rank them in small groups and then discuss their findings and criteria in a plenary discussion. Unless the essays are very short, they should be distributed ahead of time as assigned reading. (To get around extensive copying, you can upload files to Prometheus and ask students to download them. Of course, this presupposes that you've asked students to submit their essays as attachments, which has its advantages; if you don't want all essays coming in as attachments, you can simply ask particular students to resubmit suitable essays as attachments for use in subsequent courses.) It can also be very effective to distribute samples of strong essays when students are in the process of revision in order to open up new rhetorical possibilities.