PROCESS:

Once in Canva,  search "Venn Diagram," and many free versions of templates will pop up. I chose to have students select their own template and work with a rough definition of "Rhetoric."

Then, I had them choose three class readings that contribute to their definition in some way. 

Students can add images to the diagram if you/they like.

This exercise is appropriate for all writing classes, and it's fairly simple. 

It took about 20 minutes for the class to create, and we then presented them to each other in class. 

Talking about the relationship of the readings out loud is a great way to see if they chose readings that work together.

There is one caveat, students chose their three text sources in the class meeting prior to doing this exercise, so that is something that makes this process run more smoothly.

This exercise also touches upon at least 3 of the CLOs of WRI 1 and 10.

Objective: Describing and vocabulary review.

Preparation: For this exercise, you can use this digital image, which disappears when you press the spacebar for flashing. Or, you can make a copy of the presentation, replace the image with your own, and proceed with the procedure portion.

Procedure: You can flash any of the following for a brief moment if you choose not to use the above digital slide/image: a picture mounted on a card or a book, a text on a strip of card, a book cover, a newspaper headline, or an object of your choice.

The students then identify and/or explain/describe what they saw. Encourage differences of opinion, and do not discourage any idea. Flash several times to prompt attempts at identification and discussion. In the end, show the text, picture, or object.

Objective: Meta-Cognitive Writing (Informal)

Procedure: Ask the students to keep a diary and allow five minutes once or twice a week for this to be done. The diary can be about the student’s experience of the previous day's lesson and what they feel they have learned/achieved, or it can be about other matters of concern to them. 

The diary does not need to follow the convention of a day-to-day record. It can be kept private or shared with another student and/or shared with you. Note that this is not an appropriate vehicle for correcting mistakes in language/format/spelling/mechanics.

Multimedia Variation: You may choose to keep this exercise in a hand-written format, or you can choose to have students build a blog on Padlet, Google Sites, and/or Google Docs.