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College Writing

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Title: College Writing


1
College Writing
  • In almost every course you will take in college,
    you are going to be asked to present your
    understanding of the course using the written
    word in tests, essays etc.
  • It is of paramount importance to your success at
    college that you master the skill of effective
    writing
  • Master the pen, it will serve you well.

2
Writing A Basic Skill That . . .
  • allows you to get ideas on paper, even if you
    dont think you know the concepts.
  • enables you to see relationships between ideas.
  • requires you to organize your thoughts.
  • inspires creativity.
  • enables you to share your ideas.

3
Five Steps to Better Writing
  • Pre-write to generate ideas.
  • Brainstorm, listing, free-writing
  • Organize your ideas in an outline or essay map
  • Write or draft to develop a structure for your
    ideas as you put them on paper.
  • Rewrite or revise to polish your work.
  • Proofread for errors, then submit it.
  • Use your campus Writing Center or
  • English lab for help with final drafts.

Process those words!
4
Habits of Effective Writers
  • Being ready
  • Getting started
  • Selecting a topic
  • Crafting a thesis
  • Developing your ideas
  • Organizing your argument
  • Creating the right tone
  • Following the rules
  • Drafting and revising
  • Consulting
  • Finishing touches
  • Learning from feedback

5
Prepare Before You Write
  • Know clarify your goal
  • Define your purpose
  • Know your audience
  • Select a topic
  • Narrow your topic
  • Develop a working thesis
  • Support your thesis

Preparedness is paramount!
6
Define Your Purpose
Know Your Goal
  • Are you writing an essay, research paper, etc. ?
  • To explain an idea or provide information
    (expository).
  • To persuade or argue a point.
  • To describe an experiment or process or report on
    lab results.
  • To classify, illustrate or demonstrate.
  • To tell a story

7
Who is your audience?
  • Probably your instructor, but personally?
    Academically? As a critic? As an expert?

What is your topic?
What I want you to write about is
  • Is your topic (subject)
  • An assignment ?
  • Your choice ?
  • Something completely out of the blue?

8
Develop a Working Thesis
  • It reduces the topic to a single idea, opinion,
    or key message.
  • It presents your position clearly and concisely
    in the active voice.
  • Its a statement that can be supported by
    statistics, examples, quotes, and references.
  • It creates interest in the topic.
  • It establishes the purpose of the paper.
  • It establishes the approach or pattern of
    organization.
  • Each paragraph should develop a point that
    supports your thesis.
  • Support your thesis with specific, coherent
    details.

9
Are you doing research?Then you need to gather
sources
  • Sometimes instructors will specify how many
    sources you should include in your paper, and
    sometimes they wont.
  • Plan to look at more materials than you will
    ultimately refer to in your work.
  • Sometimes you wont get a clear idea about what
    will help you until youve done some research.
  • Quality of evidence is more impressive than
    quantity.
  • Find some sources that argue against your
    assertions.
  • Be sure and write down the complete reference for
    each source as you go. This will make it much
    easier to compile a bibliography or works cited
    page.

10
Master the Library
  • Become familiar with your librarys resources so
    you can locate information quickly.
  • Take a tour with a librarian, and get to know
    someone who can help you find what you need.
  • Your assignment may or may not specify which
    types of sources you can use.
  • Most instructors prefer that you read original
    sources to support your ideas.
  • They are also more impressed by journal articles
    that are peer reviewed critically analyzed by
    experts in the field.

11
Use the Internet
  • Make use of the Internet for your research
    projects with caution.
  • Dont assume Internet sources will be acceptable.
    Look for
  • Articles written by a recognized authority in the
    field.
  • A site that is supported by a reputable host
    group.
  • Articles that are peer reviewed.
  • Most instructors still favor library research
    that will help you locate printed publications
    and peer-reviewed sources.
  • If you use an internet site, be sure to cite the
    URL and date you visited it.
  • Online databases such as JSTOR are acceptable
    because they feature articles that first appeared
    in print in journals and periodicals.
  • Be especially wary of articles on personal
    websites or other sites that are not affiliated
    with an institution of learning or research.
  • Do not plagiarize a website! A simple Google
    search will give you away.
  • Do not cite Wikipedia!

12
Refine Your Style
  • Write with an active voice, using action verbs.
  • Use descriptive language that draws on the
    senses.
  • Add more words only when it will enhance your
    impact.
  • Dont use big words just to impress.
  • Remove words to clarify your meaning.
  • Replace words that dont seem right.
  • Shorten sentences to make writing crisper.
  • Rearrange sentences so that each paragraph starts
    with
  • its main idea.
  • Write in the present tense.
  • Use dependent clauses to add complexity.

Okay, lets clean it up!
13
Follow the Rules
  • Good grammar and spelling are the essential
    elements of a successful paper.
  • Instructors vary in how much they care about
    whether you follow specific guidelines (such as
    those of the MLA or APA). Be wary of your
    instructors particular foibles about writing.
  • Keep in mind that mistakes in spelling, grammar,
    and punctuation weaken the quality of formal
    writing.
  • Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Your
    goal is
  • always to say what you mean simply and
    clearly.
  • A writing handbook is indispensable at all stages
    of the
  • writing process.
  • Do not rely on spelling and grammar checking
    programs.
  • Students most common errors result from
    relying on these
  • tools!

14
Learn From Feedback
  • Read feedback from your instructor carefully so
    you can learn things that will help you in future
    assignments.
  • If youre faced with lots of red ink
  • take some time to recover before trying to learn
  • allow yourself to be disappointed
  • return to it with the intention of learning
  • If you only receive a grade, ask for more
    feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your
    paper.
  • If you dont understand something, ask questions.
  • There is no failure but the failure to improve!
  • Develop a need to know more...

15
Stay on Course
  • Consider your project as a series of small tasks
    that must be accomplished once over the course of
    a particular period of time.
  • Identifying a topic
  • Exploring sources of information
  • Collecting research materials
  • Reading materials and noting useful evidence
  • Mapping out the presentation of information
  • Writing your rough draft
  • Revising, proofreading, and finalizing your paper
  • Reward yourself for completing each step.

16
  • Be Creative!
  • Think outside the box.
  • Do something other than the typical approach.
  • Create an engaging title.
  • Use a thesaurus to expand your word choice.
  • Add interesting quotations.
  • Do for writing what George Lucas did for the
    movies!

May the Force be with you!
  • Push the envelope!

17
Tips for Becoming a Better Writer (and Thinker!)
  • Keep a journal. Write something every day.
  • Write about what you really like.
  • Dig for ideas and reject nothing at first. Be
    eclectic!
  • Read good writing. This is essential!
  • Practice, practice, practice!

18
Understand Avoid Plagiarism
  • Plagiarism is presenting someone elses words or
    ideas as your own.
  • It is a serious academic offense.
  • Instructors are very adept at noticing
    plagiarism, both intentional or careless.
  • Always make a conscious effort to translate
    information into your own words and describe it
    based on your understanding.
  • Also, many instructors frown on being given a
    paper you wrote for an assignment in a different
    class.
  • If it's somebody else's idea,
  • just remember to cite it in a footnote!

19
Public Speaking Opportunities
  • Addressing a class formally
  • Delivering a carefully researched position
  • Giving an extemporaneous speech about a topic you
    are handed just moments before
  • Expressive reading through the dramatic works of
    others
  • Group speaking projects panel discussions or
    debate
  • Asking questions in class

20
Fearless Public Speaking
I wont be scared!I wont! I wont! I wont!
  • Keep in mind
  • Anxiety usually decreases when you begin
    speaking.
  • Your listeners generally arent aware of your
    anxiety.
  • Some anxiety can be beneficial.
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • Dont think about it, just jump into it!
  • Think about something really scary,
  • like being stopped by a traffic cop!

21
Six Steps to Successful Speaking
Be thankful you arent speaking with a mouthful
of stones.
  • Step 1 Clarify your objective.
  • Step 2 Analyze your audience.
  • Step 3 Collect and organize your information.
  • Step 4 Choose your visual aids.
  • Step 5 Prepare your notes.
  • Step 6 Practice your delivery.

22
Using Your Voice and Body Language
  • Dont hide behind the lectern or your notes.
  • Make eye contact.
  • Make gestures for emphasis.
  • Pay attention to volume, pitch and speed of your
    voice
  • Enunciate clearly
  • Consider your appearance dress for success.

23
Speaking on the Spotwhen its extemporaneous!
Okay, here goes! No notes and working without a
net!
  • Use PREParation
  • P Point of view.
  • R Reasons.
  • E Evidence of examples.
  • P Point of view restated.

24
And Remember
  • The number one reason for writing and speaking is
  • So make your work
  • Clear
  • Concise
  • Understandable
  • Interesting
  • Effective Communication

Brevity is the soul of wit.
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