1/27: practice run

I'm asking students to do a very pared-down kind of writing this semester in one of my classes.  The goal is for them to come up with an idea, think through it thoroughly, and keep revising their articulation of it until it can be expressed (crystallized?) in five sentences without becoming overly general or vague.  They did a trial assignment for Friday, and today I read them.  I think this is going to be a good ongoing format for the semester.