Other Assignments In This Series
This assignment is the third week of a five-week series. The personal narrative series is usually followed by the Reading Spaces series and then the Rhetorical Analysis of Generative AI series.
Invention Writing #3: Examples of “Home”
Outcomes
Rhetorical Knowledge, Writing Processes, and Reflective Practice
Activities
- Return to your previous invention writing.
- Choose three components of “home” that you or generative AI provided—for example, in the kitchen there may be community and tension, or in the bedroom, there may be frustration and success.
- In Copilot, use the following prompt to get assistance from generative AI in thinking about types of examples you could use to develop your personal narrative:
You are a first-year college student developing an essay on the meaning of home. Create a list of 5 example prompts for finding examples that express _________, ______, and _______. (In the blanks, provide the specific components from the previous bullet point.)
- Choose one or more of the suggested prompts and develop at least three paragraphs. Provide specific examples, descriptions, settings, characters, and other information that will provide the audience with a deeper understanding of your definition of “home.”
- Basically, create a simple rough draft paragraph of that key point to develop further in your project.
- As you set the scene, try to craft the writing so it illuminates the purpose and central meaning you have considered about definition of “home.”
- You will need to reflect on your experiences, your engagements with people and larger ideas/issues, and your understanding of specific concepts related to “home.”
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For your weekly submission, include these items:
- A copy of the generative AI content (your prompt and the 5 prompts Copilot generated). Please highlight the prompts from Copilot you chose.
- At least three paragraphs of YOU responding to a prompt that develops a specific example.
In-class Activity: Write-Pair-Share Activity
Outcomes
Rhetorical Knowledge, Writing Processes, and Reflective Practice
Activities
- For 5 minutes, I would like you to work on Week Three’s Invention Writing. Share your draft with a partner, using the following questions to provide feedback:
- How can the writer provide a clearer picture of the example?
- Could they use dialogue instead of summary/paraphrase? Where and possibly how much? (Be specific)
- Could they use more descriptive language to appeal to the reader’s senses of logic, credibility, and emotion? Where? (Be specific)
- Are there other things as a reader you would like to “see” to fully understand the importance of the example? (Be specific)
- When reading your partner’s draft, do you get a clear understanding of the point the example will support? Do you get an understanding of the thesis/controlling idea of the essay?
- What suggestions do you have to help your partner illustrate the key points and thesis of their essay more effectively to their audience?
- Afterward, go to Copilot and use the following prompt and a copy of a drafted paragraph:
You are a sympathetic and helpful writing tutor. In the paragraph below, provide three ways I can strengthen the reader’s engagement with the writing. Keep compare the AI’s suggestions to the insight your partner provided. Make revisions accordingly.
In-class Activity: Understanding Audience
Outcomes
Rhetorical Knowledge, Writing Processes, and Reflective Practice
Activities
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Let’s take a minute and think about audience:
- Who would be interested in your story and definition/s of literacy based on certain adopted identities?
- Why should this group care to learn about this topic from your perspective?
- What ways could you best reach them?
- What tone should you use when writing?
- How do you envision them receiving this communication—open-minded, skeptical, hostile, etc.?
Figuring out an intended audience is part of developing a good sense of the rhetorical situation and a key component of the invention stage of the writing process.
- Now, let’s get some help from generative AI, using the following prompt:
You are a first-year college student writing a personal narrative essay about your definition of home. Compile a list of 5 potential audiences and the tone the writing should take to reach them.
- Finally, let’s reflect, comparing our list to the generative AI’s list:
- What similarities/differences emerge?
- How can you use the AI content to further consider “audience” in Project One?
- What changes do you need to make to your draft based on your and generative AI’s insights?
Last Updated on July 8, 2025