Writing A First Look

Why Write? It gives writers time to reflect on and research what they want to communicate. Let’s them shape and reshape the material to their satisfaction. It provides a permanent record of thoughts, actions, and decisions. It saves the reader’s time; we absorb information more swiftly when we read it than when we hear it.

The Purposes of Writing To Inform: Presenting information To Persuade: To sway your readers to see your point of view. To Express Yourself: Creative writing includes personal essays, fiction, plays, and poetry, as well as journals and diaries. Offers opportunity to use vivid images display a mastery of words. To Entertain: writing may simply entertain or may couple with a more serious purpose.

Audience Profile What are the educational level, age, social class, and economic status of the audience I want to reach? Why is the audience reading? For information, entertainment, learn new views. How are they likely to respond to what I say? Neutral, Opposed, Friendly? How much do they know about my topic? What kind of language will communicate with them most effectively?

Strategies for Successful Reading

Questions to ask before you read: Why am I reading this material How well do I need to know the material in the article? Is some material in the article more important to me than other material? What will I need to do with the material in the article? What kind of reading does the material suggest?

A First Reading Orient yourself to the background of the essay. Use the title as a clue. Skim to get the gist of the article Make connections with what you have read: summarize in your own words, jot down notes, underline the thesis.

Additional Readings….. Read carefully and actively: underline topic sentences, restate the ideas in your own words. Consider reading as a kind of conversation with the text. Ask questions about key facts, reasons, and ideas. Master Unfamiliar Words: circle it, uses context clues, check the dictionary. Understanding Difficult Material: Save the difficult sections for last, use the easier sections as keys to understanding the more difficult ideas. Discuss reading with others. Summarize the main points of the article.

Writing a Summary A summary condenses original material, presenting its core ideas in your own words. Presents the main points in their original order without distorting their emphasis or meaning, and it omits supporting details and repetition. “What points does the author make that have an important bearing on my topic and purpose?” Copy the points in order; then condense and rewrite them in your own words.

Writing a Critique A context for the essay. An introduction to the author. A statement of the essay’s thesis. The thesis for your critique. A summary of the essay. A statement of the points with which you agree. A statement with reasons and evidence for your disagreement. A conclusion.

Reading to Critique Don’t hesitate to dispute the information: Does the piece match your experience? Do the pieces of evidence support the claim? Do the ideas appear reasonable? Are there other pieces of evidence or other works that contradict these claims? Do the ideas connect in a logical way?