Planning and organizing your text based writing Information received from Core Connections training February 9, 2015 Prepared by Jane Besuden

Hierarchy of writing Conventions Elaboration Organization Evidence Focus

What do I do first? Read the task Understand what the task is asking Stay focused on the question at hand

How should I budget my time? Understand your task Read the article(s) Gather evidence Organize Plan Brain Break Write essay Revise/Edit 45 minutes [plus 15 minutes] 35 minutes [plus 10 minutes] 10 minutes [plus 5 minutes]

Importance of a plan Most people who plan what they are going to write, do a better job writing Spend time organizing your information into main ideas Main Idea=Topic + Point who or what the article is about + examples or details that support the point Examples: Because of Winn Dixie is a story about how a dog changes a town. Miss Franny is embarrassed because she mistakes Winn Dixie for a bear. Animals should not be kept in zoos.

How do I organize my plan? Overarching Main Idea (what ALL of the articles are about)-Introduction Supporting Main Idea Details to support Main Idea #1 Details to support Main Idea #2 Details to support Main Idea #3 Conclusion *like an outline

Write Must have introduction and conclusion (separate from main ideas/thoughts) Must compare at least 2 different sources, but draw conclusions from multiple sources to support analysis, reflection, and research Must be organized in a clear, cohesive structure

What is my task

Think What is my task? What do I need to do? How do both of these articles relate to my task? How can I organize this information?

What is my overarching main idea? Main Idea = Topic + Point Animals should/should not be kept in zoos. Who or what + what about them What can support my idea of keeping or not keeping them in zoos?

Pros and Cons Keeping in Zoos Not keeping them in zoos Zoos are great place to learn about animals Cared for: fed, have vets Up close and personal Safe from predators Breed so they don’t go extinct Not natural Don’t have space needed Forced to entertain They’re not happy Don’t really teach us anything because they are not in their natural habitat

Pick your opinion Whether you agree with it or not, pick what has the most support that you can use in your writing

Pick your main ideas/points Let’s go with not keeping animals in zoos. Main Idea #1 Animals should not be kept in zoos because it is not natural to them. They cannot run free They are not happy in their cages Orcas in captivity have to circle their tank 1900 times to swim as much as they would in the wild Can’t run, climb, fly, hunt, or have families (babies are taken and sold/killed) Main Idea #2 Animals should not be used for entertainment. Sea World and other marine parks use Orcas and other sea life for shows Circuses cage all kinds of animals-many people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes

Example Intro: Imagine yourself driving down I4 in your car at rush hour. Think about how frustrated you feel not being able to move around because you are stuck in a metal cage. That is what captured animals feel like when they are put in zoos. They are confined and not able to move freely. You don’t like it. They don’t like it. So, in my opinion, animals should not be kept in zoos. MI #1: When a dog or cat chases a squirrel, you think to yourself they are doing what comes natural to them. They are out and about in nature following their instincts. Animals in zoos don’t have that opportunity. They aren’t free to roam around, climb trees, run for miles, or chase prey. They are just stuck in their cages. Orcas in Sea World have to swim around their pools 1900 times per day just to complete a journey they would do in the open ocean. That is why animals should not be kept in zoos because it is not natural to them.

Questions