COLLEGE WRITING SKILLS WITH READINGS AN INTRODUCTION TO WRITING CHAPTER ONE AN INTRODUCTION TO WRITING
THE PROCESS: 4 STEPS IN A NUTSHELL 1.Discover a clearly stated point or thesis. 2.Provide logical, detailed support for your thesis. 3.Organize and connect your supporting material. 4.Revise and edit so that your sentences are effective and error-free.
POINT AND SUPPORT Any idea that you advance MUST be supported with specific reasons or details. (What kind? How many? What did it look/feel/smell/taste/sound like?)
POINT AND SUPPORT IN A PARAGRAPH A paragraph usually consists of a topic sentence… Ex: Although I love the movies, Ive found that there are drawbacks to moviegoing.
…followed by supporting sentences. Ex.: On a recent visit, teenagers were throwing popcorn and ice cubes to the left of me. The seats were torn and missing springs, and the floors sticky with spilled soda…. POINT AND SUPPORT IN A PARAGRAPH
POINT AND SUPPORT IN AN ESSAY In an essay, the thesis appears in the introductory paragraph, and the support appears in the paragraphs that follow.
STRUCTURE OF THE TRADITIONAL ESSAY Parts of an essay: Introductory paragraph Body (supporting) paragraphs Concluding paragraph See Diagram of an Essay on p. 10
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS SHOULD attract the readers interest; advance the thesis; and preview the major points that will support the thesis.
BODY/ SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS begin with a topic sentence that states the point to be detailed in that paragraph.
CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH briefly restate the thesis and the main supporting points, and present a concluding thought about the subject of the paper.
BENEFITS OF THE TRADITIONAL ESSAY Mastering the traditional essay will help make you a better writer, make you a stronger thinker, and strengthen your skills as a reader and listener.
WRITING IS A SKILL! Writing is not a talent. It is a skill that can be mastered through practice and hard work.
WRITING A JOURNAL The more you practice writing, the better you will write.
SOME TIPS ON WRITING WITH A COMPUTER Save your work frequently. Keep a backup. Print out your work at the end of every session. Copy your file before making major changes – you might want to go back to the original!
THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITING Delete ideas you dont want in your paper and add new ideas that occur to you. Shuffle supporting ideas around to find the best order. Get down as many ideas and details as possible about your subject.
THE WRITING PROCESS: WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFT THE WRITING PROCESS: WRITING YOUR FIRST DRAFT You can write out your first draft by hand and then type it into the computer for revision. If you compose directly onto the screen, however, you can benefit from the computers special features: cut, paste and copy.
THE WRITING PROCESS: REVISING Substituting, adding, deleting, and rearranging can be done easily on the computer. If you prefer, print out a hard copy of your file and revise first in longhand.
THE WRITING PROCESS: EDITING AND PROOFREADING Take sufficient time to carefully review your grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY ACTIVITY 5, PAGES GROUP WORK Activity 1, p. 5 Activity 2, p. 8 Activity 3, p. 8, 9 Activity 4, p. 9, 10