Escritura

The best way to improve writing is to continually write. It’s true of your English and foreign language writing
skills. The writing assignments below are designed not necessarily around content, but rather form. I don’t
expect you to give an exhaustive analysis on each subject as you would in an English or history class. Rather, I
present topics for you to research and write about in order to create an interesting medium by which your
Spanish writing can emerge and take shape. I’m not expecting pervasive and exhaustive dissertations on your
subject matter; rather, I would like to see you using the grammatical structures and vocabulary that you’ve
learned. Nevertheless, keep it interesting and make your vibrant ideas drag me, the reader, through your work.

Major-----Roughly 23 to 25 pages of writing in all.

Essay set 1.1-1.3

Three essays of 3, 4, and 5 pages in length respectively. Double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font. You
must have at least three essays. One of which must be persuasive and another must be informative. The third
essay can be a comparison/contrast essay, an evaluative essay, another informative or persuasive essay, or
choose another type of essay (for a list of essay types see this site:
http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Types.html ). You may decide which essay will be three,
four and five pages respectively. Maybe you would like to make your five-page essay the persuasive essay in
order to give yourself more time to make a valid argument. You decide.

1.1 Persuasive essay—In this assignment you will take a stand on immigration. National immigration reform
is a difficult topic. On the one hand some would argue that illegal immigrants steal American jobs and cripple
our healthcare and welfare systems. Others would argue that undocumented workers do jobs that many
Americans choose not to do or would not do if given the choice. They say that if we crack down further on
undocumented workers food costs will rise. Another issue concerns the many undocumented workers that
already live in the U.S. Should they be sent home through inhumane raids that tend to break families apart, or
should they be granted amnesty and be permitted to stay in the U.S. and work legally? Should U.S. residents,
who live here in the U.S. legally be allowed to vote? What about U.S. citizens who have married
undocumented workers? What about children of undocumented workers? Should they be automatically
granted citizenship? Many Mexican citizens die every year while attempting to cross the boarder. Would a
fence between the U.S. and Mexico help save lives?
For this assignment you should focus on one of these pertinent questions and take a side.
In a persuasive essay one should:
1. Present the topic and what is already known about the topic.
2. Present all arguments with facts and pertinent statistics when appropriate.
3. Present one’s own argument.
4. Show why you are right, with real evidence and refute other arguments.
5. Conclude by restating where you stand on the topic and encourage us to do something about it.

Make sure you include at least three sources documented in APA style.

Note: If you feel strongly about another debatable topic for the persuasive essay, such as abortion, gay rights,
gun control, the war in Iraq, Hugo Chavez’s plans for perpetuity in office, Fidel Castro and the trade embargo
with Cuba, etc., feel free to consult with me.

See these resources on writing a persuasive essay:

http://www.howtodothings.com/es/hobbies/c%C3%B3mo-escribir-un-ensayo-persuasivo
http://www.hamilton.edu/writing/Effective_essays.html
1.2 Informative essay—For this essay you will choose one person of Spanish speaking descent from “La
galería de creadores” located in every chapter of Sueña. This section of the book helps us to understand the
enormous impact of Spanish speaking individuals in society today and in ages past. You might consider the
following:
1. Why is this person important to talk about today?
2. What major contributions has the person made?
3. Biographical information: Where is this person from? Significant events in childhood, contributions
to society by parents, etc.
4. Influences: What made this person the influential individual that he or she has become?
5. In what ways has this person made an impact on society? On you personally?
6. What do you admire about him or her? Why?
7. Any interesting facts that most people wouldn’t know?

In an informative essay, your purpose is simply to highlight, in an interesting way, information that a reader
would need to know to be well informed on a given subject. You can present this information in many ways,
but it is also important to show the reader why this information is important, so, in this way, an informative
essay hints at persuading the reader to also take an interest in the topic at hand.

Note: If you would rather write this paper to inform an audience about a significant event, such as the Mexican
Revolution, or “La Guerra Sucia” in Argentina, consult me first. Or, perhaps you’d like to highlight a particular
group, such as “los Zapatistas,” or “Zetas” in Mexico or the “ETA” in Spain.

You should list at least three sources and cite them according to APA citation style
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ).

See these resources on writing informative essays:

http://word-crafter.net/CompI/InformativeEssay.html
http://www.spanish.fau.edu/gamboa/ensayo.pdf
1.3 Essay of your choice.
For this assignment you can write an essay of any kind on any subject of your choosing. Perhaps you would
like to write an essay of comparison and contrast that analyzes one of the movies you’ve seen lately against one
of the cortometraje movies we watch in class. Maybe you want to write a narrative essay describing why your
last trip to Mexico couldn’t have been any better. Maybe you simply want tell me about the amazing life of
your grandfather. Whatever you want!! Just make sure the essay contains an introduction, body and conclusion
and keeps your reader interested and contains dominance of grammar and vocabulary that will impress me.
Perhaps you enjoy the structure of a persuasive essay; go ahead and write another persuasive essay on a topic
that interests you. You do not have to research any outside sources for this assignment. Have fun!

For different types of essays and ideas to get started click below:
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/essay.html
http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Types.html

Essay Rubric
Average
Content Followed essay prompt somewhat.
Some components of essay are
included, many are occluded.
2, 3, 6
Grammar Significant grammatical errors
present. Writing does not
demonstrate mastery of grammar
studied in class. 11, 13, 15
Vocabulary Vocabulary topics and themes
discussed in class used, often used
correctly. 0, 1, 3
Presentation Writing is somewhat clear,
concise, well organized and
ordered. Assertions are sometimes
well articulated and sometimes
they are cited. 6, 9, 11
Good
Followed essay prompt well. Most
components of essay are included.
4, 5, 8
Only a limited number of
significant grammatical errors
present. Writing approaches
mastery of grammar discussed in
class. 13, 15, 17
Some sophisticated vocabulary
that goes beyond the vocabulary
discussed in class is present and
used correctly. 1, 2, 4
Writing is often clear, concise,
well organized and ordered.
Assertions are often well
articulated and most are supported
with cited evidences. 8, 11, 13
Great
Followed essay prompt and
instructions with exactitude. All
components of essay are
included. 5 (3 pager), 7 (4
pager), 10 (5 pager)
Very few if any significant
grammatical errors present.
Mastery of grammatical
structures that we have discussed
in class is evident. 15, 17, 20
Sophisticated vocabulary that
goes beyond vocabulary
reviewed in class correctly used
throughout. 2, 3, 5
Writing is very clear, concise,
well organized and ordered.
Assertions are well articulated
and supported with cited
evidences. 8, 13, 15
Creative set 1.4-1.7
1.4-1.5 Poemas
Now you will focus on writing creative pieces. In the first two pieces you will write poems. One poem can be
free verse; however, one of the two poems must rhyme. There are many types of poems that you can write,
sonnets, villanelles, cinquains, sestinas, triolets, and perhaps the most popular, ballads (click on the words in
blue to discover more about these poem forms, or invent your own poem form). Each poem must be at least
fourteen lines in length. If you choose a poem form that is, by nature, less than 14 lines in length, you must
write three or more total poems to meet the length requirement for this assignment.

Some of my favorite Spanish poems:

El viento en la isla—Pablo Neruda
http://www.poemas-del-alma.com/el-viento-en-la-isla.htm

Poema 20—Pablo Neruda

http://www.mundolatino.org/cultura/neruda/neruda_4.htm

Poem Rubric
Average
Content Followed poem prompt somewhat.
Some required components of
poem are included, many are
occluded.
2
Grammar Significant grammatical errors
present. Writing does not
demonstrate mastery of grammar
studied in class. 11
Presentation Poem’s purpose is not distinctly
clear. Organization is lacking.
Little creativity is present. 6
Good Great
Followed poem prompt well. Followed poem prompt and
Most required components of instructions with exactitude. All
poem are included. required components of poem are
3 included. 5
Only a limited number of Very few if any significant
significant grammatical errors grammatical errors present.
present. Writing approaches Mastery of grammatical
mastery of grammar discussed in structures that we have discussed
class. 13 in class is evident. 15
Poem’s purpose is often clear, well Poem’s purpose is clear, well
organized and ordered. Ideas organized and ordered.
presented are somewhat creative. Creativity is apparent on every
8 hand. 10
1.6-1.7 Short stories
Write two short stories. One must be three pages in length, the other, six pages. These short stories can be
written on any topic. However, whenever possible you should place the characters in a Spanish speaking
setting and/or in a Spanish speaking country. Extra points will be given for authors who, through their stories,
portray a captivating plot as well as cultural norms and artifacts that are authentically indicative of the setting of
the story. For example, you may want to write a short story about a man’s trip from the suburbs to the capital
city for work each day and how it varies depending on weather, time of day, transportation choice (bus, train,
subway, etc.), and/or people he meets on the way. In order to do this effectively, you may want to research
“public transit in Mexico’s larger cities”. Have fun with these writing assignments! Keep in mind that good
short stories have a plot, dynamic characters that we grow attached to throughout the story, and conflict
between characters and/or other elements that may cause conflict. In addition, keep in mind that the best stories
also hold in-store for the reader a captivating ending that ties the story together or makes the reader think about
or doubt something that was presented at the beginning of the story. Be creative and have fun with this topic.
The instructions are specifically vague to leave you room to maneuver. You do not need to site sources for this
topic, but if you do utilize research sources that are not your own, you should list them in a bibliography page
with *asterisks demarcating them within the body of the paper. Remember, 1 inch margins, 12 point font,
standard font type (Times New Roman or Arial, etc.).

Short Story Rubric

Average
Content Followed story somewhat. Some
components of story are included,
many are occluded.
5, 10
Grammar/ Significant grammatical errors
present. Writing does not
vocabulary demonstrate mastery of grammar
studied in class. Sophisticated
vocabulary is lacking. 13, 24
Culture/Plot Plot and cultural elements are
lacking or not present. 1, 3
Presentation Writing is somewhat clear,
concise, well organized and
ordered. Evidences not cited
generally. 9, 13
Good
Followed story prompt well. Most
components of essay are included.
7, 13
Only a limited number of
significant grammatical errors
present. Writing approaches
mastery of grammar discussed in
class. Sophisticated vocabulary
often used. 17, 27
Story has a plot that is somewhat
engaging and cultural norms
products and practices are present.
3, 7
Writing is often clear, concise,
well organized and ordered.
Evidences often cited correctly.
12, 17
Great
Followed story prompt and
instructions with exactitude. All
components of story are
included. 10 (3/4 pager), 15 (6
pager)
Very few if any significant
grammatical errors present.
Mastery of grammatical
structures that we have discussed
in class is evident. Sophisticated
vocabulary used throughout.
20, 30
Story has a captivating plot filled
with cultural norms, products and
practices. 5, 10
Writing is very clear, concise,
well organized and ordered.
Evidences were cited correctly
when applicable. 15, 20
Writing—4 pieces of writing. 2 essays (one informative and one persuasive in nature, each three pages in
length or more). One poem (length will vary). One short story (four pages in length or more). Roughly 11
pages of written work in all. Writing topics and assignments are negotiable.

Minor—Roughly 11 pages of writing in all.

Follow the writing prompts and instructions for the writing major (included above). Choose selected
assignments to complete, four in total.

1. Two essays, one informative and one persuasive in nature (this may be negotiated with instructor). Each
should be at least three pages in length or more.

2. One poem as described in the criteria above.

3. One short story as described in criteria above at least four pages in length.