IDEAS AND DEVELOPMENT

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IDEAS AND DEVELOPMENT
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Ideas and Development DOS

• Make sure that your thesis has a VEHICLE and a
  MESSAGE in it.
• What does the author/poet/playwright DO and what
  is the effect of that decision, technique?
• Make sure that you include DIRECT EVIDENCE from
  your primary text and, if appropriate, your
  secondary texts.

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Ideas and Development DOS cont.

• Make sure that your evidence is RELEVENT and
  CONCISE
• Make sure that you ANALYZE the direct evidence
  completely, and link it back to your thesis.

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Ideas and devel. DONTS

• DONT Create a thesis that is listy
• DONT Leave your arguments unsubstantiated
• DONT Include random evidence (or huge block
  quotes) just to take up space
• DONT Summarize or paraphraseANALYZE

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DONT Summarize or paraphraseANALYZE

• Do not write the paper as if I, your audience,
  have not read the book
• Write it as if I have read it but pretend that
• I dont remember some details
• So summarize them in one sentence as needed and
  then MOVE ON
• And I dont UNDERSTAND THE DEEPER, MORE
  SIGNIFICANT MEANINGS OF THE AUTHORS
  CHOICES/TECHNIQUES

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ORGANIZATION
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ORGANIZATION DOS

• Start your paper with an ATTENTION GETTER (a
  broad, more general means to open your paper)
• Create an introduction that PREVIEWS THE POINTS
  that you will make in your paper.
• Create a LOGICAL PROGRESSION within your paper.

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ORGANIZATION DOS cont.

• Create TOPIC SENTENCES that state the ARGUMENT OF
  THAT PARAGRAPH (note not a factual statement)
• Create TRANSITIONS that link ideas conceptually
  NOT elementarily so that I learn more and more as
  I read
• Create a conclusion that REVIEWS THE POINTS made,
  and ends the paper with a food for thought
  comment.

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ORGANIZATION DONTS

• DONT Start your paper by jumping right into the
  topic or book (unless you are writing a very
  short response. Intros should be 1/8 of total
  length of paper)
• DONT Speak generally in the intro and then hit
  me with your specific thesis. The introduction
  should snowball into your thesis

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DONT

• DONT Jump to another topic that has seemingly
  nothing to do with the paragraph before it
• Dont be arbitrary in your placement of
  paragraphs. How you structure your paragraphs
  SHOULD affect the argument in your paper
• DONT Create topic sentences that are FACTS.

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SENTENCE FLUENCY
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SENTENCE FLUENCY DOS

• VARY YOUR SENTENCE STRUCTURE. Play with moving
  clauses and phrases around.
• Be CONCISE. Say what you want to say in a
  sophisticated yet CLEAR manner.
• Include THREADING-transitions in between your
  sentences. These should build off of the idea in
  the previous sentence

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SENTENCE FLUENCY DOS cont.

• AVOID THE PASSIVE VOICE. That helps to keep your
  writing pointed.
• Have someone READ YOUR PAPER OUTLOUD. That will
  help to identify awkward sentences.
• Create COMPLETE SENTENCES
• Create SANDWICH QUOTES

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Sandwich quotes

• a clear introduction to your direct evidence, so
  its not just plopped in as its own sentence
• Upon your first use of a piece of evidence from a
  secondary source be sure to
• Introduce with full name
• Credentials
• Work published

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SENTENCE FLUENCY DONTS

• Dont start every sentence in the same way
• DONT Ramble.
• DONT Assume that if its clear to you, its
  clear to the reader.
• DONT Create a quote plop (leaving a piece of
  direct evidence alone as its own sentence)
• DONT Ignore the computer when it tells you that
  you have a fragment, comma splice, or run-on

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WORD CHOICE AND TERMINOLOGY
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WORD CHOICE AND TERMINOLOGY DOS

• Use words that WORK APPROPRIATELY (word choice
  fits the context of the entire sentence)
• Use words that are appropriate for YOUR GRADE
  LEVEL OF LITERACY!!
• CLARIFY TERMS specific to the subject of your
  paper.

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WORD CHOICE AND TERMINOLOGY DONTS

• DONT Thesaurize your piece. Multisyllabic lexis
  lack sufficient reliability relative to artisans
  assigned piece. Come onbig is not always
  better. It can come across as trying to hard to
  attain intellectual snobbery

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however,

• DONT Talk to the reader like you would to your
  friend, or even to your teacher in class.
  Remember, this paper calls for a FORMAL VOICE.

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WORD CHOICE AND TERMINOLOGY DONTS cont.

• DONT Leave me in the dark with terms that are
  specific to the topic of your paper.
• DONT Assume that you are talking to someone who
  is completely comfortable with your area. Dont
  be too technical. (This is especially relevant
  with the Senior Project research paper)

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CONVENTIONS
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CONVENTIONS DOS

• Spell check and then PERSONALLY CHECK. You are
  responsible for your spelling and grammar NOT
  your computer
• Be sure that your paper follows the basics of
  GRAMMAR (agreement, comma use, semi-colon use,
  etc).

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CONVENTIONS DOS cont.

• Respect more FORMAL GRAMMAR (see the dont
  below)
• PUNCTUATE correctly.

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CONVENTIONS DONTS

• DONT Assume that some errors are old school
  (i.e. prepositional endings, who/whom etc.) and
  therefore you do not have to use them. THEY
  MATTER
• DONT Just hit print and think that you are all
  done.