CM 220 College Composition II Unit 6 Seminar Professor Russo General Education, Composition Kaplan University 1

ASSIGNMENTS AND DRAFT GUIDELINES Unit 6 2

Unit 6 Reading ReadingWhere to find The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, Ch. 6 (pp ) Doc Sharing The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, Ch. 14 (pp ) Doc Sharing KU Writing Center handout on quotations Doc Sharing Unit 6 overviewPDF file accessible from “Reading” icon on unit home page; has links to sites on Writer’s Block 3

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) 4

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. Do edit and proofreadWhile this draft will not be perfect, it is not “rough,” either. Do edit and proofread! Be sure to format according to APA guidelines. Consider submitting to the Writing Center for additional feedback. 5

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. 6

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. including title page, in text citations, and References pageFollows APA guidelines for the document layout and citations (including title page, in text citations, and References page) Meets 3-5 page length requirement (250 word page average) 7

DEFEATING WRITER’S BLOCK Having problems? 8

What causes it? Anxiety and stress Fear of others’ opinions Difficulties with research Too close to topic 9

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. 10

CREATING STRONG PARAGRAPHS The next step 11

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 12

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). 13

More Help with Paragraphs For a helpful Writing Center workshop on this topic, review: alse&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal 14

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). 15

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. 16

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? 17

EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS Putting paragraphs together 18

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 19

Some Example Transitions To indicate time order To provide an example To indicate results In the pastFor exampleAs a result earlierFor instanceconsequently beforeTo illustrateBecause of currentlyspecificallySince precedingIn particulartherefore presentlynamelyFor this reason 20

A more complete list LOGICAL RELATIONSHIPTRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION Similarityalso, in the same way, just as... so too, likewise, similarly Exception/contrastbut, however, in spite of, on the one hand... on the other hand, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, in contrast, on the contrary, still, yet Sequence/orderfirst, second, third,... next, then, finally Timeafter, afterward, at last, before, currently, during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, recently, simultaneously, subsequently, then Examplefor example, for instance, namely, specifically, to illustrate Emphasiseven, indeed, in fact, of course, truly Place/Positionabove, adjacent, below, beyond, here, in front, in back, nearby, there Cause and effectaccordingly, consequently, hence, so, therefore, thus Additional Support or Evidenceadditionally, again, also, and, as well, besides, equally important, further, furthermore, in addition, moreover, then Conclusion/Summaryfinally, 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 21

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 22

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 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. 23

What is wrong with this paragraph? How would you improve it? 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. 24

Paragraph Workshop Share a paragraph from your draft you are currently working on. Offer your classmates advice on strengthening their paragraphs. 25

References Brooke, B. (2009). Effective paragraphs. Bob Brooke’s Writer’s Corner. Retrieved from Clements, K. (2010). Essay development. In The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, eds. D. Martinez, S. Carlson, & K. VanDam, p 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 New York: Kaplan Publishing. Paragraph development. (2007). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved from Stokes, D. (2008, April 20). 6 tips to overcoming and cure for writer’s block [Video file]. Retrieved from Transitions. (2007). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved from