Application of the template
Over time, student application of the template to other instances of writing have emerged. For instance, in a vocabulary assignment for the word “misconstrue,” a tenth grade student, Shannon, wrote, “He misconstrued my essay because he marked my thesis as a warrant and my conclusion for my introduction” (Artifact 14). This demonstrates an internalization of (at least) the basic building blocks of the template and an understanding of the terms used in essay writing and where they fit in the order of constructing an essay. Shannon used these as the subject for this sentence unprompted, which implies that she associates them with the English classroom and is able to call up these ideas and can conceptualize them in a new context.
Another form of application of the concepts of the template has been observed in instances where students repurpose other written material and create what I’ll call “DIY Templates” when no clear formula has been provided to them showing them how to construct a certain kind of sentence. For instance, the formula for writing a thesis statement is Topic Sentence 1 (TS) + conjunction + TS2 + conjunction + TS3. Karamoko adapted the example of each topic sentence that I showed the students and created his own template out of my models. For example, the model for the second topic sentence is As a young female, Red’s natural streak of independence is at odds with the patriarchal society she lives in. In Karamoko’s working thesis statement, he writes, “…the fact that her desire couldn't be met because of the patriarchal society she live in don't see her kind as a equal,” which uses the same phrase as underlined in the model. Furthermore, the model for the third topic sentence is Red weighs these patriarchal social messages and familial pressures against her desires, and ultimately trusts her instincts and achieves independence without sacrificing intimacy. Karamoko finishes his thesis statement by writing, “yet she still manage to succeed to her goal by accomplishing her security but with sacrificing intimacy.” Though he uses different words, it is clear that he used the model sentence as a template for the syntax of his own statement. When questioned about his use of the word “sacrificing” in this draft, since the ending of the story implies that she has achieved intimacy with the male character, Karamoko clarified that the exclusion of the word “without” was in error. He has since revised this to even more closely adhere to the model's phrase, “without sacrificing intimacy.” Many similar instances of repurposing examples were observed in other student writing as well, especially in areas where no specific syntax was specified in the template, such as in the topic sentence, introduction, and conclusion templates.
Another form of application of the concepts of the template has been observed in instances where students repurpose other written material and create what I’ll call “DIY Templates” when no clear formula has been provided to them showing them how to construct a certain kind of sentence. For instance, the formula for writing a thesis statement is Topic Sentence 1 (TS) + conjunction + TS2 + conjunction + TS3. Karamoko adapted the example of each topic sentence that I showed the students and created his own template out of my models. For example, the model for the second topic sentence is As a young female, Red’s natural streak of independence is at odds with the patriarchal society she lives in. In Karamoko’s working thesis statement, he writes, “…the fact that her desire couldn't be met because of the patriarchal society she live in don't see her kind as a equal,” which uses the same phrase as underlined in the model. Furthermore, the model for the third topic sentence is Red weighs these patriarchal social messages and familial pressures against her desires, and ultimately trusts her instincts and achieves independence without sacrificing intimacy. Karamoko finishes his thesis statement by writing, “yet she still manage to succeed to her goal by accomplishing her security but with sacrificing intimacy.” Though he uses different words, it is clear that he used the model sentence as a template for the syntax of his own statement. When questioned about his use of the word “sacrificing” in this draft, since the ending of the story implies that she has achieved intimacy with the male character, Karamoko clarified that the exclusion of the word “without” was in error. He has since revised this to even more closely adhere to the model's phrase, “without sacrificing intimacy.” Many similar instances of repurposing examples were observed in other student writing as well, especially in areas where no specific syntax was specified in the template, such as in the topic sentence, introduction, and conclusion templates.
Another form of DIY template-making was observed in the "Girl/Boy" assignment, where students were asked to write their own versions of Jamaica Kincaid's piece (right). Students were asked to use a similar format to Kincaid, but they were not given specific requirements, models, or help beginning this piece. Some students met this challenge by using Kincaid's syntax as their model and replicating her prose with their own messages, while other students wrote it with more unique sentence constructions. For instance, the last lines of Fanta's piece mirror Kincaid's ending, down to the phrase, "I mean to tell you," which I think was a misinterpretation of Kincaid's line, "you mean to tell me": "this is how others will see you and want the better for you; this is how you will achieve in life; this how you will going to take care of your own family and friends; I mean to tell you that after all you are going to be the kind of woman who any man won’t let ago?"
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Kincaid assignment from the beginning of the Feminism Unit
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Sid, on the other hand, took more liberties with the style and message of the piece: "This is how to cut off a friend when you get tired of them; this is how to build clientele; you will be a man with a good hustle; this is how you should show that you’re a man; study other males who you admire; steal the traits of other men to make yourself a better man." So did Damon, who modeled his closing line off of Kincaid's, similarly to Fanta, but wrote from the perspective of Mr. Ford rather than adhering to gender-specific messages, as the other students had: "You mean to tell me that you still come to school late to my class while I’m lowering your grade?" Rae took the most liberties with the piece, writing a long, inspirational piece full of statements of personal significance (above). She took the basic form of the original piece and expanded it as she wrote, moving from the "this is how…", instructional constructions to powerful declarations of self-expression. Looking at Rae's piece in comparison to her feminist perspective essay, as well as Sid's inventive, detailed prose in contrast to his skeletal essay draft (see "Modification," "Failure"), I wonder how I might have helped these students find this inspiration in their literary analysis and develop a stronger, more confident voice in their essay writing (Rae), and to craft a polished piece of writing (Sid). Application of the template is difficult to assess most of all because it will likely not occur under my watch but as the student goes out into the world and finds some reason to draw on this stored knowledge.