welcome to college composition ii!

CM226 College Composition II Thursday, April 20, 2023 1

Unit 6: Introductions, Conclusions & Constructing the First Draft

Welcome to CollegeComposition II!

Unit 6 SeminarDavid Becker



seminar agenda

Our seminar will focus on: How to begin your first draft What makes a strong introduction and conclusion The benefits of peer review Your questions

In this unit, we will discuss how to:

Understand the process of writing a first draft Learn to write effective introductions and conclusions Incorporate feedback on your pre-writing into your first draft Produce a first draft of a persuasive research paper



preparing for your first draft

Everything you have completed in this course so far has been a preparation for your first draft.

A first draft is essentially the first tangible draft of your paper.

It is when things start really taking shape!

A successful draft consists of an introduction, body and conclusion and is often based on an outline that puts your ideas into some sort of logical framework.



preparing for your first draft

The first draft is often the hardest to write and often the hardest part is simply getting started. Here are a few pointers:

1. Just start writing! Avoid researching while you write and be sure you know the main points you want to make. Try not to edit as you write… this can really slow you down! 2. Don't labor over your introduction or conclusion just yet. Papers usually develop as they are being written, so spending too much time polishing an introduction or conclusion can mean wasted time.

3. Develop an outline to map out where your paper will go. It will help keep you organized and remind you which points you need to address and when.

4. Ask for feedback from anyone willing to read your paper! Instructors, classmates, friends, family …



preparing for your first draftHere are a few more pointers that will make your first draft a less stressful task—you might even enjoy it!

Complete a majority of your research before you sit down to write

Organize your research and keep track of needed citation materials

Try a few prewriting exercises to generate more ideas

Create an outline to logically organize your ideas

Review your draft checking for gaps in ideas

and revise as necessary

Have a friend or family

member read your

draft

Edit your draft

Check for formatting

issues



expectations for the first draft

Your draft must be at least 4-6 pages long

This does not include the title page and References page. The draft must contain an introduction and conclusion (though they may not be perfect) and make sure that your introduction includes your thesis statement!

You must also include at least three sources in your rough draft

These sources must be in the text itself, not only in the References page), one of which must be an academic source from Kaplan's library.

You must include in-text citations in the body of the paper and full citations in the References page following the APA format.

If these citations are neglected, your paper will be considered plagiarized and you will receive a failing grade. Don't let this happen, folks!



introductions

The introduction to your persuasive research paper (which includes your thesis statement) consists of a paragraph or two that provides a general context for, or overview of, your topic’s primary issues and controversies.

Your introduction should be engaging and entice the audience to want to continue reading.



introductions

First impressions count! They can set the tone for the events to follow. The goal is to grab the reader’s attention, pull the reader into the paper and give him or her a reason to keep reading.

Create a compelling introduction

Begin with a quotation or a definition

Pose a question

Present the opposing viewpoint

Open with a brief narrative

Open with a startling fact or statistic



the body of the paperIt is difficult to mention the introduction and conclusion of a paper and neglect the body—the bulk of your paper that contains all the specific points or discussions you wish to make in regards to your thesis statement.

The body weaves the evidence (academic and professional sources) supporting your arguments or points of view together.

In order to make connections between all of these ideas, we rely on strong transitions—phrases or sentences that easily lead the reader from one idea to the next.



transitions

Strong transitions connect your ideas together and gracefully moves the reader from the introduction to the conclusion. Every sentence and paragraph is clearly linked to the next.

When your paper contains strong transitions, your writing will flow and feel effortless.

We can create strong transitions by using a final sentence at the end of a paragraph as a "conclusion" by wrapping up the main idea and then tying it to your thesis statement. It functions as a connection (or bridge) to the next paragraph.

Another type of transition focuses on the opening sentence of a paragraph by referring back to the preceding paragraph.

Check out the samples in your reading for this week to see how strong transitions work.

Creating strong transitions to weave your ideas together is essential.



conclusions The conclusion steps back from the specific points made in the body of your paper into a general summary or overview of the points argued and should promote deeper meaning. It wraps everything up and leaves your audience with a meaningful message and, depending on the topic, perhaps even inspires the reader to take action.

It answers what I call the "So What?" factor ... any guesses as to what that is?



conclusions

The conclusion of a research paper moves away from specific points made in the body toward a general summary or overview of those points—a reminder of the most important points you made.

A strong conclusion is like the end of a great movie— it leaves us with a message of value. Some readers will even have what I call an “Ah- haa” moment. A really strong conclusion might even inspire the reader to take action!



conclusions

Conclusions are not the place to introduce new materials or ideas since there is no place to defend or support them.

A powerful conclusion ties all of the threads together and again, especially in a persuasive research paper, inspires the audience to take action or at least find great meaning or purpose.



peer reviews

After your first draft is completed, it will then go through a formal process of collaboration (also known as peer review) in Unit 7.

Peer review will allow you to give and receive feedback on the ideas you have generated in your draft so far.



a few helpful hints Slow down and read your writing carefully Finish early so you have time to let it gel Submit your draft to the Writing Center If you are lucky enough to have others willing to read your work, let them! Watch out for sentence fragments, comma splices, redundancies, etc. and make each sentence is as clear and direct as possible. This will help your grades immensely!

Also … and this one is really simple: follow directions! Make a checklist if need be. Review the Unit 1 Final Paper Requirements and Information document. People lose points when they forget to include important parts of an assignment or project ...



a look ahead - unit 7

The Unit 7 seminar will focus on:

Discuss and practice the revision technique of post-draft outlining. This method is useful when it comes to analyzing your peers' work as well as your own. What to expect for Peer Reviews Your questions



Thank

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today!

welcome to college composition ii!

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