You can earn up to 25 points of extra credit for this class, through any combination of the optional assignments listed below and "Copy Edit the World" submissions. All extra credits are due by Thursday, Nov. 30. Late extra credits will not be accepted. The only exception to this deadline is for Feature Photos or Graphics (#5). If you are planning to submit photos or graphics to accompany your final paper (a.k.a., the feature or trend story), you may hand them in with your paper. By the way, all extra credit writing counts toward the 8,000-word requirement for this class -- keep that in mind if you are concerned that you may come up short.
1.
Similes & Metaphors -- Collect some similes
and metaphors that you find particularly striking and effective.
These examples should be gleaned from your daily reading --
from current newspapers, magazines, or web sites. Type up
each example, identify it as a simile or metaphor, note the
source, and briefly explain why you think it works. That is,
explain how your examples "clarify and breathe life into
the common and familiar" and allow the reader to "see,
hear, smell and feel" what is being described. Please
note: handing in a list of examples plucked from a
"simile/metaphor" web site will garner no credit
for this assignment.
(5 points per pair -- that is, one simile and one
metaphor. You can submit up to three pairs for a maximum of
15 points)
2.
Grammar Site Review -- Try out some of the online
grammar and AP style resources (listed under "Online
Resources" on the main 100W page, or you can simply click
here).
I'd like some feedback on these sites and I'm willing to "pay"
in extra credit points (5 points per grammar site, for up
to four sites and a maximum of 20 points). In return, I'd
like you to tell me what grammar weakness(es) you were trying
to remedy by visiting these sites, what you found, and how
helpful (or unhelpful) it was. Tell me what worked and what
didn't; what was clear and what wasn't. Tell me which sites
you found easiest to navigate, which were most entertaining
to use, and anything else that might help me evaluate the
usefulness of these sites.
3.
Write a Review -- Write a 500-word
review of a current film or new television series. Your paper
should offer a critical review and analysis, not just a plot
summary. Don't just wing it -- be sure to read some reviews
first. (15 points)
4.
Coffee Shop Sketch -- Choose
a coffee shop and write a short feature or sketch (350-500
words) in which you create a "word picture" of the
people and the place. Try to capture the atmosphere of that
shop in words. (15 points)
5.
Feature Photos or Graphics --
You may provide one or two photographs and/or a chart or graph
to illustrate your feature/trend story. The photographs, charts
and/or graphs must be your own work -- that is, photos you
took, or charts or graphs you created. Be sure to write a
short cutline to accompany each photo or graphic. (10 pts.
each, up to 20 pts.) As an alternative, you may create a multimedia version
of your story (post online or submit on a CD; up to 20
points).
To
encourage you to continue to sharpen your editing eyes, I'm
offering you the opportunity to earn up to 20 points extra
credit for finding and correcting any typos and/or
spelling, word use, grammar and AP style errors you find in
printed materials distributed to the public, as follows:
| Type
of publication |
Point
value |
|
Newspapers,
magazines & web sites (news, corporate & organization
sites only Ð no personal/amateur web sites) |
1 point |
|
PR and
advertising materials, including brochures, flyers,
newsletters, ads, direct mail, menus and posters |
2 points |
|
Academic
& non-profit publications, including green sheets,
assignment sheets, newsletters, church service programs
and bulletins, etc. |
2 points |
Caveats: To earn extra credit, you must circle
or highlight the error and correct it. Repeated errors count
only once per document. No more than one "a.m./p.m."
AP style error per person. The instructor has final say on
whether or not an "error" qualifies for inclusion
in this program.