Assignment for Week 2

Read pages 1-47 -- Patterns for College Writing – 12^th ed.

*PLEASE  NOTE: There is a different arrangement of introductory material in the 11^th ed.   Though it is as relevant as that which is present in the 12^th ed., the later edition may be more serviceable to the beginning college writer.  If you have an 11^th ed., familiarize yourself with the introduction and take notes as needed.

Numbers refer to page numbers in the 12th ed.:

1 – headnote

·         Background

·         Context – purpose & audience

11- the writing process

·         Recursive rather than linear

13 – critical reading—a.k.a., close reading—a.k.a., ACTIVE reading           

·         “Readers are presented with a writer’s ideas, but they also bring their own ideas to what they read.”

·         Read carefully, perhaps more than once

23 – Annotate the text – look carefully at the Questions for Critical Reading to assist you if you have trouble knowing what to look for or annotate in a reading selection

15 – be aware of VISUAL SIGNALS and VERBAL SIGNALS as you read—especially if you struggle with reading and understanding a text

26 & 27 – we will have little chance to use the information regarding Visual Texts, but it is important to be aware of their importance and to understand that reading Visual Texts is a skill, as much as reading Verbal Texts

30-31 – Length

·         Minimum: 2 pages, MLA format

·         Quality over quantity

PURPOSE

·         Expressive

·         Informative

·         Argumentative

AUDIENCE:  Writing is not done in a vacuum and NOT written for only one person

34 – Move from general subject to SPECIFIC topic:

The title should HINT at the topic

The introduction should grab the reader’s attention

Provide adequate background necessary for understanding

Move to a clear, explicit thesis statement

36-43—brainstorming techniques—what you use is up to you

·         Free writing

·         Clustering

43-47—THESIS STATEMENT

·         A thesis statement is NOT a statement of intent—DO NOT WRITE: “I will examine…” “This paper will discuss…”

·         A thesis statement is NOT a statement of fact – there’s no place to go, nothing to discuss,  with a simple fact

45 - What a thesis statement does:

For the Writer                                                                   For the Reader

Helps plan the essay                                                       identified the main idea of the essay

Helps organize ideas in the essay                                 guides readers through an essay

Helps unify ideas in an essay                                         clarifies the subject & focus of the essay

46 – What a thesis statement must do:

·         Be explicit

·         Express the controlling idea or main idea of the essay

·         Convey the essay’s purpose

·         Be stated clearly