Welcome To Unit 2 Introduction to Writing Skills and Strategies

Seminar  Case Study: Leeza is a new student at Kaplan University. All through high school, Leeza struggled with her writing skills.  She knew what she wanted to say, but she could not put her ideas on paper. Because writing frustrated her, Leeza would not complete writing assignments in many of her classes and that severely hurt her grades.

Seminar  Now that Leeza is in college, she wants to improve her writing skills. We will take Leeza on a virtual tour of the Kaplan University Writing Center and show her the different ways that the tools from the Writing Center can help her improve her writing skills in KU 121 and future classes.

10 minute pause  At this time I will pause class for 10 minutes. Please take this time to visit the Writing Center Quickly and to a look around if you haven’t already.  When you return be ready to share how the Writing Center can be useful to you

Seminar  Explain how to find the Writing Center using step by step instructions  List five topics covered in the materials found in the Writing Center.  Describe in detail how tutoring and essay review differ.  Identify 2-3 questions you want to ask about the Writing Center and their answers.

Seminar  Support – different services offered by the writing center, including the Question and Answer Center, Writing Reference Library, Paper Review Service, and Live Tutoring.   Question and Answer Center – Writing Center service that allows you to ask a writing- related question 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Seminar  Writing Reference Library – An online writing guide with over 250 pages of tutorials that provide help with things like grammar, punctuation, prewriting, and help with all stages of the writing process.  Paper Review Service - – The asynchronous, free process where students submit drafts to the Writing Center and receive feedback from a tutor; this process IS required in Unit 8.

Seminar  Live Tutoring – The process of working one on one with a virtual tutor from the KU Writing Center. This process is NOT required in but it is suggested throughout the course   Tutor – A Kaplan University instructor (but not necessarily YOUR instructor) employed by the Writing Center to work with students and provide essay reviews free of charge.   Feedback – Information given by a tutor that will help you improve your writing.

Discussion Which tools are you most interested in using and why?

 Reading and writing are parts of the same communication process.  Writers begin with a message they want to communicate.  Readers try to understand the message by connecting it to their own experiences.

1. Read and think about the title of the selection. 2. Check the author’s name. 3. Read the first paragraph. 4. Read all bold-face headings. 5. Read the first sentence under each heading. 6. If there are no headings, read the first sentence of each paragraph. 7. Read the last paragraph.

1. Ask questions about the reading and answer them. 2. Brainstorm by jotting down everything that comes to mind about the topic. 3. Think of examples, situations, people, or events that relate to the topic.

Writing  Annotation is a way of jotting down your ideas, reactions, opinions, and comments as you read. You will find annotation useful for helping you understand an author’s ideas and words.

Writing  Idea maps work because they force you to think about and analyze the relationships between ideas; they require you to express ideas from the reading in your own words.

Writing 1. Read the assignment several times before you begin. 2. Try discussing the assignment with a classmate. 3. Review your journal entries and notes of class discussions for possible topics or approaches to the assignment. 4. Don’t be satisfied with the first draft that you write.

Activity  Review pages 115 and pp138

Seminar  Any questions?