Writing Showcase Deadline Is Tomorrow!

The Writing Showcase celebrates the outstanding writing of SNL students. If you have received an “A” on a paper or glowing feedback on an Independent Learning Project (ILP), consider submitting your work to the Writing Showcase. You may submit up to three pieces of writing. By submitting your work, you not only share your accomplishment with others, but also provide inspiration to your fellow SNL students as they work on their writing assignments.  Excellent submissions will be recognized at the Spring Awards Luncheon.

Click here to download a submission form. Email your work and the completed submission form as Word documents or PDFs to snlwriting@depaul.edu.

The Wrong Way You Were Probably Taught Grammar

Yesterday Professor Michelle Navarre Cleary was a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s The Kathleen Dunn Show. During the hour she discussed, in short, the wrong way to teach grammar.

Many SNL students probably remember having to memorize parts of speech, complete grammar drills, and—perhaps the worst of all—diagram sentences. Research has shown, however, that teaching grammar before students are allowed to actually write is counterproductive, serving only to produce “people who are terrified to write.”

It is the rare person who steps into a writing course or approaches a writing project completely free of anxiety. “Writing is hard,” and “good writing is clear thinking,” Navarre Cleary explains. And sometimes, “it’s easier to worry about where the comma goes than to really push yourself to clarify your ideas.” But if you allow yourself to be challenged—by answering classmates’ questions about your work, your instructor’s questions, and your own—the grammar will follow naturally: “it’s in that effort to communicate that people start to learn what makes sense in terms of arranging their words in sentences.”

To listen to the full recording and hear more about why you should give yourself permission to quiet your inner copy editor, click here.

ALSO: Don't forget the deadline to submit to the Writing Showcase is April 1st! 

This Month's Incomplete Boot Camps

Do you have an incomplete grade? A final project that is dragging on? Finish your missing assignments, ILP, or AP through Writing Boot Camp and attend one or more free, faculty-led sessions. 

The program is designed for SNL students who currently have an incomplete grade on their transcript or students working on writing assignments. Sessions are set up to increase the likelihood students will complete necessary courses to obtain a bachelor’s degree and offer a supportive academic environment, writing assistance, and help with library services so that students can get assignments completed.

Refreshments will be served. 

Naperville

Saturday, March 8, 9:00 am-1:00 pm

150 W. Warrenville Rd., Bld. 200

Oak Forest

Saturday, March 8, 9:00 am-1:00 pm

16333 S. Kilbourn Ave.

Loop

Wednesday, March 12, 5:30-9:00 pm

Saturday, March 22, 9:00 am-1:00 pm

14 E. Jackson, Lab 1325

O’Hare

Saturday, March 15, 9:00am-1:00pm 

8770 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

To Register: Email your name, DePaul ID# and the incomplete course title(s) you wish to work on to snlsa@depaul.edu at least 3 days prior to your desired sessions (messages to this email are reviewed by DePaul / SNL college faculty and staff only). 

Items to Bring to Session(s):  Please bring a flash drive, your copy of the incomplete contract, all prior assignment preparation, including research material, assignment instructions, and assignment writing format (APA/MLA). Please let your faculty mentor know you plan to attend.