You will be writing the strong response assignment in groups of 2-3. The essay should be written with a person or people who are working on a problem similar to yours. Begin by finding one source concerning your similar problem that you would like to use as the subject of your strong response.

You will need to write your strong response with your partner or group outside of class; you may wish to exchange drafts via email, or perhaps meeting in person would work best for you. There is a sample strong response essay on pp. 124-126 of your textbook. If you are working in a group of 2, your essay should be 750-1000 words; if you are working in a group of 3, your essay should be 1000-1250 words.

You must email your strong response to the instructor with a process letter by midnight on the last day of class.

Your strong response will be graded based on the following criteria:

(1) Have you included background information about the general topic you are exploring?

(2) Have you included a summary of your source? Consider the qualities of the summary as described in the summary assignment above. (3) Have you included a thesis after your summary? Does your thesis include both a with-the-grain point and an against-the-grain point in response to your source?

(4) Do each of your body paragraphs develop some aspect of your thesis? Have you included textual evidence to support your points? Have you followed MLA citation rules?

5) Does your conclusion adequately wrap up your paper?

(6) Have you considered spelling, grammar, and fluency?