W RITING TO INFORM ENGLISH 1101 Week 4 - October 3, 2014

Describe differences between informative writing and other types of writingDescribe differences between informative writing and other types of writing 1 Make ethical choices when writing to informMake ethical choices when writing to inform 2 Identify situations that require the delivery of information 3 Develop strategies for organizing your writing 4 Write to inform within other rhetorical purposes 5 Use visuals as a means of informing 6 Today’s Overview

What is informational writing? Why is it important? How will it help YOU? It is important because….

Informative writing imparts knowledge and meaning

It delivers knowledge in a way the audience can visualize or understand

Informative writing is a type of expository writing

Expository Writing - inform, explain, describe, or instruct can be persuasive depending on which elements are presented i.e news clip of interview (meant to be straight forward, but can be a reflection of the editors viewpoint) Informative Writing direct and objective Explanatory Writing subjectively analyzes who what where why how

Ethical Considerations Disclosure (the degree of detail you provide) Accuracy (truthfulness in reporting)

Audience Situations that require the delivery of Information Immediate need (software manual) Investigatory need (levels of curiosity) Direct need (procedure/policy manuals) Indirect need (additional information required)

Strategies for Writing to Inform Essays Reports Instructions and Manuals Tweets and Status Updates Web Pages Blogs Articles Press Releases

“Our generation is an always on, always communicating and always consuming, flipping between tabs, apps, updates and posts at a rate that would have given our hard copy-loving predecessors some seriously nasty paper cuts. This daily deluge of facts, stats and opinions can get overwhelming, resulting in information fatigue for even the most voracious online appetites.” from That’s It Communications

Write to inform within other rhetorical purposes (Dobrin, pg. 189) Conduct research Be clear, inform ethically Focus Be direct Define key terms Provide details Use descriptive adjectives Provide examples Organize effectively Use visuals

Visuals that Inform: Increase Comprehension Clarify Illustrate Organize Emphasize Establish Authority Reach a Broader Audience

S TRATEGIES FOR A SSIGNMENT #2 – S ID D OBRIN S PEAKS … DmEkVTRVE&index=21

Your Turn. Divide into groups of three. Your collective tasks… 1. Make a chart that is similar to one of the three charts on page 187 for Paul Greenberg’s article, “Tuna’s End.” 2.Imagine that you are Paul Greenberg, BEFORE you’ve actually written your article for the New York Times. Create a map of your writing situation that is similar to the one on page 190 of the Dobrin text. Your chart must address every question and follow each step in order to receive credit for this project. It is my hope that as you map the writing situation for Paul Greenberg, you will begin to think about how you are going to map your writing situation for our next assignment, as well as for the final research project. 3.On page 580, answer ‘Analyzing the Rhetoric’ 1 and 3, and complete a group writing project for ‘Writing’ question #3 (3 paragraph minimum). 4.Spend some time within your group brainstorming about the online component of Assignment 2. How are you and your classmates going to structure this? What format do you envision for the final project? Brainstorm a list of at least 10 different ways the project might be approached. You will have an opportunity to write about the project and share your ideas in next week’s discussion post.