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Published byLorin Robinson Modified over 9 years ago
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Understanding Reader Expectations
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Think like a Reader Map it out! Where are we going? How are we going to get there?
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Writers must…. Provide clues about where the text is going Show how each part of text is related to what came before Readers Need… Unity and Coherence Old Information before New Information Forecasting and Fulfillment
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Unity & Coherence Unity = Relationship between each part of an essay and the larger whole Coherence = Relationship between adjacent sentences, paragraphs and parts. Together the two terms define close-form characteristics; and as long as a passage has unity, coherence, and is close-form then it fulfills the reader’s expectations.
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Thought Exercise A. Recent research has given us much deeper – and more surprising – insights into the father's role in childrearing. My family is typical of the east side in that we never had much money. Their tongues became black and hug out of their mouths. The back-to- basics movement got a lot of press, fueled by its fears of growing illiteracy and cultural demise.
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B. Recent research has given us much deeper – and more surprising – insights into the father’s role in childrearing. Childrearing is a complex process that is frequently investigated by psychologists. Psychologists have also investigated sleep patterns and dreams. When we are dreaming, psychologists have shown, we are often reviewing recent events in our lives.
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C. Recent research has given us much deeper – and more surprising – insights into the father’s role in childrearing. It shows that in almost all of their interactions with children, fathers do things a little differently from mothers. What fathers do – their special parenting – is not only highly complimentary to what mothers do, but is by all indications important in its own right.
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Old Info before New Info Readers move from old to new information = New Information is only relevant if it is linked to old information that is relevant. Example: Phone Book Directory Person’s Name = Old Information Person’s Phone Number = New Information
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Old before New Helps establish main structural frame Puts in order the principle of the argument in the essay Brings more interest and understanding Answers the question "Who, What, When, Where, Why, How” More detail and depth to the essay
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Thought Exercise You are a passenger on an airplane flight to Chicago and need to transfer to Flight 29 to Memphis. As you descend into Chicago, the flight attendant announces transfer gates. Which of the following formats is easier for you to process and why?
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Option A: To Atlanta on Flight 29 Gate C12 To Dallas on Flight 35 Gate C25 To Memphis on Flight 16 Gate B20 Option B: Gate C12 Flight 29 to Atlanta Gate C25 Flight 35 to Dallas Gate B20 Flight 16 to Memphis
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Forecasting and Fulfillment Readers Expect writers to Forecast what is coming and to fulfill those forecasts.
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Thought Exercise The procedure is actually quiet simple. First, you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step; otherwise you are pretty well set. Next you operate the machines according to the instructions. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put in their appropriate places. Eventually, they will be used once more and the whole cycle will have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.
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????? No topic sentence! No context to provide reader with what to expect. Paragraph makes no FORECAST that can be fulfilled. Substitute opening sentences with: The procedure for washing clothes is actually quiet simple.
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Ways to Forecast Effective Titles and Introductions Putting points at the beginning of Paragraphs Creating effective transitions and mapping sentences Using effective headings and subheadings (if appropriate for genre)
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Where are we going?? “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz…..”
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The purpose: To get back home to Kansas. Transition #1 = Pauses/Yields Transition #2 Transitio n #3 The Goal: To get to Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz to get back home, a heart, brains, & Courage Forecast Fulfill ment There’s no place like home
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