First-year composition instructors do not always reach for early American literature. But Franklin's Autobiography is a useful text for a writing course. It shows a writer thinking about process, audience, and self-presentation, which are exactly the topics a composition class covers. The excerpts are short, and the prose rewards close reading.

Composition instructors also carry heavy grading loads. Sections of twenty-five, multiple sections per term, and multiple drafts per assignment add up quickly. Any assignment that adds to that burden needs to earn its place.

Franklin offers something else that helps: a built-in conversation about how people learn to write. His description of studying The Spectator gives students a model for their own practice. That gives assignments a purpose beyond literary analysis.

The sections below outline three assignments and a plan for grading them at scale.

Three assignments that fit

The first is a rhetorical analysis of a short passage, such as Franklin's account of the virtues chart. It teaches close reading and the vocabulary of audience and purpose. The second is a writing process narrative, in which students describe how they learned to write and compare it with Franklin's method. The third is a short argument on whether Franklin's self-improvement system is realistic, drawing on the text and one outside source.

• Rhetorical analysis: focuses on claim, evidence, and commentary about a short passage.
• Process narrative: asks students to reflect on their own development as writers.
• Argument with a source: adds research and synthesis to the analytical skills.
• Revision memo: a short note explaining what changed between drafts and why.
• Portfolio reflection: a final essay on growth across the course.

Grading with portfolio revision in mind

Many composition programs use portfolios, which let students revise before final grading. That changes what feedback is for. Early comments should be developmental, pointing to larger issues, while the final assessment can be more evaluative. Tell students which stage they are in when you return their work.

Keep the rubric consistent across drafts so students can see how their work is changing. Changing the criteria midstream confuses them and makes it harder to track growth.

Handling large sections

With seventy-five or more students, instructors need efficient feedback strategies. Use a rubric with checkboxes and short comments, and reserve longer comments for two or three key issues. Group conferences can replace some written feedback and often work better.

Consider a rubric-based AI feedback tool for first-draft comments. It can handle the repeated issues, such as unclear theses and unsupported claims, while you focus on the larger questions of argument and voice. Programs that allow it should set clear policies so instructors and students know what the tool does and does not do.

Aligning to program outcomes

Most composition programs have shared outcomes, such as rhetorical awareness, critical reading, and revision. Map each Franklin assignment to one or two of them and say so in the syllabus. That helps students see the point and helps the program collect evidence of learning.

If your program uses a common rubric, calibrate with colleagues before scoring. A short session with a few sample essays keeps standards consistent across sections and makes end-of-term data more trustworthy.