CM 220College Composition II

Unit 6 Seminar

Professor FeraldiGeneral Education, Composition

Kaplan University

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Happy Valentine Day!

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ASSIGNMENTS AND DRAFT GUIDELINES

Unit 6

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Unit 6 Reading

Reading Where to find

The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, ch. 6 (pp. 37-44)

Doc Sharing

The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, ch. 14 (pp. 169-180)

Doc Sharing

Interviews_Research_Quotations.pdf

Unit Six Student draft samples

Doc Sharing: Readings on interviews, research, and quotations from the Kaplan University Writing Center

Unit 6 overviewClick on “Reading” icon on unit home page; has links to sites on Writer’s Block4

Unit 6 Invention and Tech Labs

• Invention Lab: Strategies for defeating writer’s block. Review the links in the unit 6 overview reading for more on Writer’s Block!

•Tech lab: Prezi (animated presentations), Photoshop and Gimp (graphic design)

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Unit 6 Draft: The Blueprint for Progress

• Purpose: Pull together all the pieces of your research, pre-writing, and organizational techniques into a coherent essay.

• While this draft will not be perfect or complete, it is not “rough,” either. Edit and proofread!

• Format according to APA guidelines.• Consider submitting to the Writing Center

for additional feedback.

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Draft Guidelines• Includes introductory paragraph with thesis

statement and concluding paragraph. Note: Introduction and conclusion will be revised and expanded as part of the unit 8 Invention Lab.

• Supports main points effectively and clearly.• Uses research, evidence, and examples to support

assertions.• Skillfully refutes counter-arguments without ignoring

data that contradicts the student’s thesis. • Refers to at least 3 secondary sources in the body of

the paper and on the references page. One should be from the Kaplan Library.

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Draft Guidelines

• Paragraphs are well-developed, coherent, and logically organized.

• Style is appropriate for academic writing.• Style is clear and concise.• Project is free of serious errors in grammar, spelling, and

punctuation. • Follows accepted conventions of Standard American English.• Follows APA guidelines for the document layout and citations

(including title page, in text citations, and References page).• Meets 3-5 page length requirement; this does not include the

title and references page.

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CLEAR AND CONCISE WRITING TIPS

Writing workshop

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Writing Workshop: Seven Steps to Revision

1. Highlight all of the "to be" and "to have" verb forms in the paper and change as many as possible to action verbs. For example, change "The man was on the corner" to "The man lingered on the street corner." Try to use strong, vivid verbs whenever possible!

2. Take out any unnecessary prepositions. A preposition shows relationships between parts of the sentence: "The house with the purple doors at the top of the hill belongs to me" has several prepositional phrases ("with the purple doors," "at the top," "of the hill," "to me.") A much more concise revision would look like this: My hilltop house has purple doors.

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Seven Steps

3. Count sentence lengths. You want sentences to vary--have some shorter ones and some longer ones. Use phrases and clauses to start some sentences and vary sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Don't have any extraordinarily long sentences, though! These often confuse (and lose) your readers.

4. Make sure pronouns like "it, anyone, everyone, they" have a clear reference and make sure the pronoun agrees in number (singular or plural) to the noun it refers to. Original: It may rain today. Revised: Forecasters predicted rain today.

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Seven Steps

5. Find all of the sentences using "which, who, that." Try not to overuse those indefinite pronouns.

6. Try to avoid using words like "really, every, very." They are often unnecessary!

7. Take cliches out of your writing (like "she's walking on thin ice") and replace them with original analogies and expressions.

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Expletives

• “Expletives” are unnecessary words in writing, much like “um” in speech.

• Examples: There are many reasons to enjoy Thanksgiving.

• Revised: We enjoy Thanksgiving for the savory smells, the lazy afternoon watching football, and the time spent with loved ones.

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DEFEATING WRITER’S BLOCK

Having problems?

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What causes it?

• Anxiety and stress• Fear of others’ opinions• Difficulties with research• Too close to topic

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How to defeat it?

• Know your topic—be prepared.• Don’t strive for perfection—this is a draft!• Don’t edit and proofread while writing.• Don’t stress over the introduction—come

back to it later.• Be confident!• Just do it • Note: see the Dennis Stokes video for more details.

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CREATING STRONG PARAGRAPHS

The next step

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Strong Paragraphs

• Are limited and focused• Are unified and coherent• Are clearly related to the thesis• Are well developed• Include a clear topic sentence, supporting

sentences, and a clear conclusion

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How do I create such a paragraph?

• Decide on your main idea for the ¶. • Write a topic sentence expressing your

argument.• Explain/develop that idea in ¶ body.• Give example(s).• Explain relevance of examples.• Complete ¶ or transition into next

paragraph. (“Paragraph Development,” 2007).

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More Help with Paragraphs

• For a helpful Writing Center workshop on this topic, review:

http://khe2.acrobat.com/p75782349/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

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How do I develop paragraphs?

• Use examples and illustrations

• Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others)

• Testimony from experts (interviews, quotes, paraphrases)

• Use an anecdote or story

• Define terms in the paragraph

• Compare and contrast• Evaluate causes and

reasons• Examine effects and

consequences• Analyze the topic• Describe the topic• Offer a chronology of an

event (“On Paragraphs,” 2010).

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Use of comparison/contrast and example

Slave spirituals often had hidden double meanings. On one level, spirituals referenced heaven, Jesus, and the soul, but on another level, the songs spoke about slave resistance. For example, according to Frederick Douglass, the song "O Canaan, Sweet Canaan" spoke of slaves' longing for heaven, but it also expressed their desire to escape to the North. Careful listeners heard this second meaning in the following lyrics: "I don't expect to stay / Much longer here. / Run to Jesus, shun the danger. / I don't expect to stay." When slaves sang this song, they could have been speaking of their departure from this life and their arrival in heaven; however, they also could have been describing their plans to leave the South and run, not to Jesus, but to the North. Slaves even used songs like "Steal Away to Jesus (at midnight)" to announce to other slaves the time and place of secret, forbidden meetings. What whites heard as merely spiritual songs, slaves discerned as detailed messages. The hidden meanings in spirituals allowed slaves to sing what they could not say.

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How could this paragraph be developed?

We should provide more financial support for 9/11 First Responders. Many are currently in poor health or dying from complications resulting from exposure to toxins at Ground Zero. It is unfair for them to suffer and die without adequate support from the government.

What would YOU do to make this paragraph stronger?

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EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS

Putting paragraphs together

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Using Transitions

• Show relationship between ideas• Demonstrate that thoughts are

logical and progressive, rather than random and accidental

• Provide unity and coherence• Provide smooth “flow” within and

between paragraphs

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Some Example Transitions

To indicate time order

To provide an example

To indicate results

In the past For example As a result

earlier For instance consequently

before To illustrate Because of

currently specifically Since

preceding In particular therefore

presently namely For this reason

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A more complete listLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION

Similarity also, in the same way, just as ... so too, likewise, similarly

Exception/contrast but, however, in spite of, on the one hand ... on the other hand, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, in contrast, on the contrary, still, yet

Sequence/order first, second, third, ... next, then, finally

Time after, afterward, at last, before, currently, during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, recently, simultaneously, subsequently, then

Example for example, for instance, namely, specifically, to illustrate

Emphasis even, indeed, in fact, of course, truly

Place/Position above, adjacent, below, beyond, here, in front, in back, nearby, there

Cause and effect accordingly, consequently, hence, so, therefore, thus

Additional Support or Evidence additionally, again, also, and, as well, besides, equally important, further, furthermore, in addition, moreover, then

Conclusion/Summary finally, in a word, in brief, briefly, in conclusion, in the end, in the final analysis, on the whole, thus, to conclude, to summarize, in sum, to sum up, in summary 

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Other approaches

• Repeating key words or phrases• Using parallel structure (express

content in grammatically similar ways)

• Summarizing/rephrasing idea in preceding sentence or paragraph to link to new idea

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What transitions would you use and where?

One of Mary Washington University’s best features is its small student population. The average class size is 25-30 students. Students have many opportunities to meet in one-on-one conferences with their professors. This gives each student the opportunity to discuss class assignments.

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What is wrong with this paragraph?

Club Palm Resort's beaches are beautiful, and the surrounding countryside is quite scenic. The quality of the food leaves a lot to be desired. Many vacationers enjoy the variety of outdoor activities and the instruction available in such sports as sailing and scuba diving. Unfortunately, security is poor; several vacationers' rooms have been broken into and their valuables stolen. Christmas in the Bahamas can make the thought of New Year's in Chicago bearable.

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Paragraph Workshop

Share a paragraph from your draft you are currently working on.

Offer your classmates advice on strengthening their paragraphs.

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References

Brooke, B. (2009). Effective paragraphs. Bob Brooke’s Writer’s Corner. Retrieved from http://www.bobbrooke.com/WritersCorner/effectiveparagraphs.htm

Clements, K. (2010). Essay development. In The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, eds. D. Martinez, S. Carlson, & K. VanDam, p. 159-204. New York: Kaplan Publishing.

Jensen, M. (2010). The writing process. In The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, eds. D. Martinez, S. Carlson, & K. VanDam, p. 35-47. New York: Kaplan Publishing.

Paragraph development. (2007). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/paragraphs.html.

Stokes, D. (2008, April 20). 6 tips to overcoming and cure for writer’s block [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF9MxWxP3zQ

Transitions. (2007). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html

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