Transcript Document

Welcome to KU121
Unit 3 Seminar
Intro to Writing Skills and Strategies
Instructor – Carrie Jantz
You are in the right place :).
Seminar Agenda
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3.
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6.
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8.
Welcome!
The Writing Process
WSS Project
Tools for
Brainstorming
Parts of Speech
Writing Rascals
Unit 3 Assignments
Questions
Quick Review: Friends and Enemies
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. “
~ Sun-tzu, Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)
Friends
• Complete Sentences
• Understanding of the different types of
clauses
• Writing Center ‘ s Live Tutors
• Writing Center ‘s Q & A Center
• Writing Center ‘s Writing Reference Library
• Writing Center’s Paper Review Service
Enemies
• Fragments
• Run-On Sentences
• Comma Splices
Which enemy did you encounter this past week?
Which friend did you rely on?
Course Map
Unit 1
Unit 2
Units 3-8
Unit 9
Unit 10
Get to
know WSS,
the syllabus, each
other, and
the writing
process
Review
sentence
development and
learn about
the Writing
Center
Explore
writing
process steps
and create
bio essay.
Review basic
grammar.
Discuss
how to
evaluate
and apply
feedback
to polish
work
Reflect on
course
concepts.
Plan for
future
writing
success.
Welcome!
“The fixation on the finished article causes writers a lot of
trouble….
It’s a very American kind of trouble. We are a culture that
worships the winning result: the league championship,
the high test score. Coaches are paid to win….
Less glamorous gains along the way – learning, wisdom,
growth, confidence, dealing with failure – aren’t given the
same respect because they can’t be given a grade.”
Zinsser, W. (1998). On writing well. NY: HarperCollins.
Many times, our troubles with
writing result from the fact
that we expect it to be an
event rather than a process.
Sculpture and the
Writing Process
Let’s start with a quick question …
The writing process makes me want to:
a) Pull my hair out
b) Scream
c) Give up
d) All of the above
If you answered a, b, c, or d, it may be
because you experience writer’s block.
Writer’s block is really frustrating –
if you experience writer’s block you
may feel like you know your
stuff, but just can’t get
it on paper. It might
feel like something is
standing in your way
and preventing you from
moving forward.
If you answered the question with a, b, c,
or d, it may also be because you’re
not sure where to start!
During times like this it can be helpful to
remember that writing is a process – and
each of the steps in the process is needed
in order to have solid results.
In this way, writing is like sculpting -neither happens in a flash. Each takes
time, care, and multiple steps.
Steps in the Writing Process
1. Prewriting – Getting ideas flowing
2. Drafting – Creating a rough draft
3. Revising – Tweaking content
4. Editing – Tweaking mechanics and
formatting
Each of these steps corresponds with a step
in the process a sculptor uses when he works.
Think of a beautiful marble sculpture…
How was it created?
Step 1: Sculptor Chooses Stone
First, a sculptor chooses his stone. This step of
sculpting is like prewriting – the stage where we
plan ideas and come up
with a general sense of
what we want to write
about and put it into
outline form. Like with
sculpture, we can’t
expect perfection at
this stage – all we aim
for is a basic shape.
If you get stuck at this stage …
1. Brainstorm on paper
2. Brainstorm aloud
3. Free write about related topics in a journal
4. Discuss the project with someone else
WSS Project
• We will be working on this for the rest of the term
• Final Draft due in Unit 9
• This week, we will begin the pre-writing stage of
generating ideas
• We will do part of this process in this week’s discussion
… More details about the project are on the next two slides
WSS Project
Project Description:
Imagine that it is five years in the future. You
have completed your educational program at
Kaplan University and have been offered your
dream job! The company or organization you will
be working for wants to issue a biographical
essay about you to announce that you are
joining them and in what capacity. In order to do
so, they need a minimum 500-word background
essay from you.
WSS Project
More Details:
1. One introductory paragraph that identifies who you are, where you live,
the company or organization that has hired you and your new job title.
2. One body paragraph that gives appropriate personal details about
you and your life—your age, family, hobbies, etc. (NOTE: this is a
professional biography so you need to limit personal details to only what is
appropriate in the professional environment).
3. One body paragraph that talks about your education. You should
include high school or your GED, any previous college experience and your
Kaplan program.
4. One paragraph that details professional experiences, including past job
experiences, honors and awards and other related professional details.
5. One concluding paragraph that reinforces where you will be working,
your job title and what you will be doing.
Tools for Brainstorming
#1 – Lists
• jot down ideas in a simple list
• don’t think or judge, write!
Tools for Brainstorming
#1 – Lists
What is your dream job?
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
.
At this point,
try to generate as
many ideas as possible.
Don’t worry about how
good they are. Don’t
worry about spelling,
formatting, or grammar,
just write!
Tools for Brainstorming
#1 – Lists
What is your dream job?
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
• Idea
.
Later,
when you
review your list, you
can sort the useful ideas
from those that are not
useful. However, don’t
reject ideas until after you
finish your list. Sometimes
a fantastic idea is just a
hair away from
a crazy one!
Tools for Brainstorming
#2 – Freewriting
Tools for Brainstorming
#2 – Freewriting
What makes it a job?
I want to do this job
because I want XXX,
XXX, and XXX. Also, I
like XXX and that
reminds me of XXX
which I don’t want. A
dream job means XXX to
me and it would change
my life by XXX if I
achieved this it would
XXX. And XXX too.
.
Again,
try to generate as
many ideas as possible.
This is the time to write,
not to judge. Later, you
can sort ideas and deal
with spelling, grammar,
and formatting.
Tools for Brainstorming
#3 – Mapping
• create a “mind
map” of ideas
• let one idea lead
into the next
• also called
“branching”
Tools for Brainstorming
#3 – Mapping
Idea
Idea
Idea
Idea
Idea
Idea
What
type of work
do you do?
Idea
Idea
Idea
Idea
Idea
Tools for Brainstorming
#4 – Talking
• think out loud
• listen to yourself
• listen to another
Tools for Brainstorming
#4 – Talking
What are your
co-workers like?
Talk to:
• classmates
• yourself
• friends or family
• children
• pets
• plants
.
It’s often
helpful to talk
to another person. Their
ideas, questions, and
suggestions might help you
think more clearly, deeply, or
broadly. However, simply talking
aloud can also be helpful.
Sometimes we don’t know
we have an idea until we
hear ourselves say
it aloud!
Parts of Speech - Nouns
Noun = a person place or thing
“A noun just is – or isn’t…. That’s the pure, simple beauty
of a noun: utter the word and you have company on your
hands, however abstract (apathy, hypothesis, dissent),
palpable (balsa wood, marzipan), or specific (the Loch
Ness Monster, Elvis Presley).”
Find the nouns:
1. He had a collection of homemade toothbrushes.
2. My son is a horse thief.
3. I gave her a piece of my mind.
Quote and sentence examples from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The ultimate handbook of
grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Parts of Speech - Pronouns
Pronoun = substitutes for a noun
“Columbine combed the snarls out of Columbine’s hair
and scrubbed Columbines’ body with the loofah
Columbine’s paramour (lover) had given the paramour’s
true love.”
v.s.
“Columbine combed the snarls out of her hard and
scrubbed her body with the loofah her paramour had
given his true love.”
How does the use of pronouns change this sentence?
Quotes from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The ultimate handbook of grammar for the innocent,
the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Parts of Speech - Verbs
Verb = a word that expresses action or state of being
“The verb gives the subject something to do.”
Find the verbs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
She missed the midnight train.
I prefer foreign gentlemen.
She looked into his eyes and blinked.
He was determined to dazzle her.
Quote and sentence examples from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The ultimate handbook of
grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Parts of Speech - Preposition
Preposition = a word that links the object (noun or
pronoun) to the rest of the sentence. Prepositions
often show relationships of time, place, direction,
and manner.
Examples: Along, among, around, after, at, before,
behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between,
beyond, by, despite … (see page 569 of text for more).
Fill in the blanks:
1. She called __________ our meeting.
2. We decided to make the trip _______ the snowstorm.
3. I walked _________ the block.
Sentence examples modified from: McWhorter, K. (2010). Pathways writing scenarios: Sentences and paragraphs.
NY: Pearson.
Writing Rascals
What is a Writing Rascal?
•
An issue with language
that prevents clear
communication
•
Can include grammar,
spelling, punctuation, or
sentence structure
•
Can be found and fixed
with review and editing
(like Whack-a-Mole!)
Writing Rascal #1
There are one lonely
mummy in the tomb.
Sentence example modified from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The
ultimate handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Writing Rascal #2
The four rats up on
the roof is unarmed.
Sentence example modified from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The
ultimate handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Writing Rascal #3
Here is the
horseshoes.
Sentence example modified from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe
transitive vampire: The ultimate handbook of grammar for the innocent,
the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Writing Rascal #4
There were my
runaway son!
Sentence example modified from: Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire:
The ultimate handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY: Pantheon.
Unit 3 To Do
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Reading
Discussion (20)
Seminar (5)
MWL Exercises (10)
Quiz (5)
What other questions
do you have?
Thanks for coming!
Works Cited
Gordon, K. (1993). The deluxe transitive vampire: The ultimate
handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed. NY:
Pantheon.
McWhorter, K. (2010). Pathways writing scenarios: Sentences and
paragraphs. NY: Pearson.
Zinsser, W. (1998). On writing well. NY: HarperCollins.