Reading Like a Writer

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Reading Like a Writer

• Find the Power in Academic Text How to Analyze
  Write Articles in New Genres

By Julia S. Austin and Jennifer L.
Greer University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB) TESOL, March 29, 2012
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Instant replay
Readers are fans. They read for content
only. Writers are players. They read for content
and a keen focus on learning how the game is
played. Whey they read a really good article,
they do instant replay.

• Freeze
• Rewind
• Analyze
• Model

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What do writers read for?

• Higher-Order Concerns (HOCs)
• Audience primary/secondary, near/far, your
  position
• Purpose goal/content/sources
• Organization structure/components/length
• Later-Order Concerns (LOCs)
• Style language/conventions/degree of formality
• Flow logical progression of ideas/general to
  specific
• Presentation mechanics/formatting/citations
• Please note that these are later, not lower,
  order concerns.

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First, take a genre walk

• Pick a copy of the journal Science get into
  pairs.
• Examine the Table of Contents compare it with
  the front and back of the book.
• How would you describe the front? Who is the
  audience? Who are the writers? Article types?
  Purpose? Structure?
• How would you describe the back? Who is the
  audience? Who are the writers? Article types?
  Purpose? Structure?
• Where is the easiest place to get published? The
  hardest place? Why?
• Where and what would you want to write/publish?

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Next, read like a writer

• Read the Science Brevia article quickly (like a
  reader) to understand the importance of the
  research.
• Re-read it like a writer, more slowly, looking at
  more than just its content.
• Analyze the article using the graphic organizer
  so that you read like a writer, noticing new and
  different features of the text.
• Discuss your observations. Is the article a good
  model for a writer to use? Why or why not?

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Map a model article

• After finding a model article, use
• the Outlining organizer to
• Analyze each paragraph
• List its purpose and main idea
• Study the overall structure and flow
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses with a
  partner

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Outline your own article

• Outline a Brevia article on a topic of interest
  to you
• Stick to the same number of paragraphs for now.
• Can you see the structure of the new genre in
  your own article outline?
• Share your outline with a peer partner critique
  each others outline for structure and flow

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Model the new genre

• When writing your own article, return to you
  Reading Like a Writer analysis and outline to see
  if you can model
• Structural strategies
• Transitional devices
• Formulaic language
• Clarity in style

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Benefits of reading like a writer

• Ability to analyze evaluate articles for
  writers concerns, finding better models
• Ability to outline and model the structure and
  strategies of good published articles
• Shorter learning curves with new genres, hence,
  better first drafts
• Higher, self-imposed writing standards
• Better critiquing and self-editing skills.

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Conclusion

• Reading Like a Writer is an independent learning
  strategy for teaching yourself how to write in a
  new genre.
• It can be adapted and applied to any
  publication and any genre at any level.
• Questions?

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References

• Carson, J. G., Leki, I. (1993). Reading in the
  composition classroom Second language
  perspectives. Boston, MA Heinle and Heinle
  Publishers.
• Grabe, W. (2009). Reading in a second language
  Moving from theory to practice. New York, NY
  Cambridge University Press.
• Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary discourses
  Social interactions in academic writing. Ann
  Arbor, MI The University of Michigan Press.
• Swales, J.M., and Feak, C. B. (2004) Academic
  writing for graduate students Essential tasks
  and skills. Ann Arbor, MI The University of
  Michigan Press.