Literacy Design Collaborative

My thoughts about next Fall and the writing curriculum I will use is all jumbled right now. I am teaching two English 0301 classes, and I am thinking about merging Beans ideas with a project I recently became aware of called the Literacy Design Collaborative.

It has an excellent framework for designing "teaching tasks" that really are writing prompts built on template sentences. Bean talks about template sentences as well. Here's one example from the LDC:

After researching ________ (informational text) on _________ (content), write a _________ (report or substitute) that defines ___________ (term or concept) and explains _________ (content). Support your discussion with evidence from your research. What _________ (conclusions or implications) can you draw?

They have many other template tasks that teachers can fill in with their content to make a "teaching task." My thoughts are to create teaching tasks that are likewise RAFTS.

My thoughts are to design four of these kinds of assignments for my English 0301 class.

Assignment 1--Narrative
Assignment 2--Expository (explain something)
Assignment 3--Argument/Persuasion
Assignment 4--Researched Expository or Persuasive Essay

Assignments 2-4 would involve writing from readings. I am also thinking about adopting topics for some of these essays from the Cal State University Expository Reading and Writing Course since it has some pretty good topics I can choose from, and I may be able to adapt the course materials they have already created. We will see.

These are my rough thoughts for these courses at this point. My English 1301 class is another matter...