The Writing Centre

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Content Literacy Writing Across the Curriculum

• The Writing Centre
• Nancy Marenick

http//people.stfx.ca/nmarenic/
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We Learn

• 10 of what we read
• 20 of what we hear
• 30 of what we see
• 50 of what we see and hear
• 70 of what we discuss
• 80 of what we experience
• 95 of what we teach others.

William Glasser
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Communication Skills are Crucial

• Students must have the ability
• To solve problems
• To examine ideas carefully and support them with
  evidence
• To incorporate and synthesize information
• (Sully,1995, Malaspina University-Colleges
  Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Project)
  http//www.mala.bc.ca/www/wac/proj.htm

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END PRODUCT
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Content Literacy

• http//www.literacymatters.org/teachers/index.htm

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One can write.. only as well as one reads.

Kurland (2002) Reading and Writing Ideas As Well
As Words www.criticalreading.com
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Active Reading

• Judging the quality/value of the information
  (Evaluating)
• Making connections (Synthesizing)
• Examining for details (Analyzing)
• Comparing (Applying)
• Finding the main ideas (Summarizing and
• inferring)

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http//www.stfx.ca/resources/writingcentre/multipl
e20article20graphic20organizer.pdf
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Vigorous writing is concise.

• William Strunks
• Elements of Style

• http//www.bartleby.com/141/

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Whats the difference?
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Sentences are complete thoughts.
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Common Error
Manuela is Ramons lifeline, he doesn't
appreciate all she does for him.
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• ?
• __________________ . _________________
• __________________ , and ______________
• __________________ _________________
• __________________ however, _________

Complete sentence
Complete sentence
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• ?
• _ . _ . _ . _ ._ . _ , _________________

Phrase
complete sentence
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Solutions
Manuela is . . . . He doesn't . . .. Manuela is.
. . , but he doesn't . . . . Manuela is . . .
he doesn't . . .. Manuela is . . . however, he
doesn't . . .. Although Manuela is . . . , he
doesn't . . ..
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Agreement

• About one in ten of us are blessed with a variant
  that promotes a log-like slumber.
• Singular subject ? plural verb
• About one in ten of us is blessed with a variant
  that promotes a log-like slumber.
• Singular subject singular verb

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Pronoun Agreement
The group presented their report. Group
(Singular) ? Their (Plural)
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Pronoun Reference

• singular
• The group presented its report.

• plural
• The group members presented their report.

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Would have / Would of

• I ___________ gone to class, but I was sick.
• I would have gone to class, but I was sick.

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Affect/Effect

• Affect Action Verb
• The researchers results affected later studies.
• Effect Result Noun
• The effect of the drums added suspense.

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Then/Than

• He ran faster th_n his friend.
• He ran faster than his friend.
• Th_n she went to the store.
• Then she went to the store.

comparison
sequence
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Its/Its (it is)

• ___ your turn to present your proposal.
• Its your turn to present your proposal.
• The dog wagged _____ tail.
• The dog wagged its tail.

contraction
possessive
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There/Their/Theyre
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Common Error and Solutions

• There are many reasons for this effect.
• Many reasons for this effect are ..
• Smith discussed many reasons for this effect
  including ..

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Wordiness..Solution

• The evident restrictions on the movement of fish
  in low-water temperatures are

• It is evident that there are restrictions on the
  movement of fish in low-water temperatures

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Punctuating Properly
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vlm2OzAX86JU
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• http//shopping.sympatico.msn.ca/prices/quick-acce
  ss-reference-for-writers-third-canadian-edition/it
  emid19598759/?itemtextitemnamequick-access-refer
  ence-for-writers-third-canadian-edition

ISBN 0132384213
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Great Sites

http//grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ http//gr
ammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/powerpoint.htm http
//grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm h
ttp//owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/ http//owl
.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/611/01/
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The Grammar Lady

• http//www.aacton.gladbrook.iowapages.org/id3.html
  

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Punctuation

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vHG5xxK9xDvo
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vsZqDUJEICV0feature
  related

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Helpful LInks

• http//www.chompchomp.com/
• http//english-zone.com/index.php?ID1
• http//web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar
  /parts.htm
• http//andromeda.rutgers.edu/jlynch/Writing/
• http//leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/editing.html
  
• http//www.teachmeteamwork.com/

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References

http//dictionary.reference.com/ http//www.yourd
ictionary.com/
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Writing Centre

• http//www.stfx.ca/