Grammar-Quizzes.com

Planning Guide

Planning Guide: foundation work for writing

• do the foundation work
• use your instructor's corrections to improve your work
  (sample correction symbols on page)

Before your pen touches the paper (or fingers touch the keyboard) do the foundation work:

• brainstorm
• organize thoughts
• write a rough draft
• edit 1
• redraft
• edit 2
• write a final draft

Focus Topic

Focusing Your Topic: detecting a reasonable amount as a topic

• choose a subject or area of interest
• focus it
• narrow and shape your subject into a specific topic

Focusing Steps

1. Take a broad subject and narrow it.
2. Determine your research question (controlling idea)
3. Create your thesis sentence (topic + controlling idea)

Topic-Thesis

Topic Thesis: creating your thesis sentence

Also, creating a topic sentence (same process)

• thesis sentence (topic + controlling idea)
• topic
• controlling idea (opinion vs. intent)

Your thesis sentence:

• focuses and directs the essay
• includes the topic and your attitude or opinion about it
• includes a statement (not a question)
• appears at the end of the introduction (usually, but may be anywhere within the introduction)

It never:

• announces itself  "I'm going to talk about . . ."
• personalizes  "I think . . ."  or " I believe . . ."
• questions   "Is English hard to learn?"

Introductions

Introductions: writing four types

Introduction Types

• funnel
• dramatic
• quotation
• turn about

An introductions should:

• introduce the topic
• indicate how the topic is going to be developed.  (cause-effect, reasons, examples -- Will it classify, describe, narrate or explain?)
• contain a thesis statement
• be inviting and entice the reader to continue after reading the first sentence

Spatial Organization

Spatial Organization: narrating your story effectively

• focused (zoom) to large picture
• large picture to focused (zoom)
• left to right
• low to high
• room to room

Add entertainment to your writing by considering:

• how you will reveal details,
• the order in which we reveal them
• the descriptiveness used for details

Copyright - Fair Use

Copyright, Ethics & Fair Use: giving credit to other people's work

• factors in determining fair use
• implications of today's media
• artistic standards & copyright
• Mona Lisa - most copied work
• strategies to avoid copyright infringement
• fair use exceptions or allowances

Strategies:

• generate your own work whenever possible
• if you need to use work, ask for permission to use
• give credit to the source – cite your sources

Fair Use Practice 

Fair Use Practice: determining what is or isn't copyrighted

• logos
• typeface
• cartoons
• graffiti
• phone conversations
• class notes

Which are examples of work protected by copyright?

Plagiarism

Plagiarism: strategies for avoiding plagiarism

• give credit to the author
• make it easy for the reader to find the source
• document the amount of research you have done (impress your reader)

Plagiarism is using the ideas and writings of others and representing them as your own.

Strategies for avoiding plagiarism:

• Quote it.
• Paraphrase it.
• Cite it.
   

Plag Examples

Plagiarism Examples: identifying plagiarized work

• word for word
• minor rephrasing
• borrowed ideas
• spellings from other dialects
• sudden style switch
• second-hand data

Identifying plagiarized work isn't so hard. See if you can "smell a rat".

Citing Sources

Citing Your Sources: What is MLA Style?

Examples of:

• in-text citations
• works-cited list
• common types of citations (books, journals, newspapers, Internet) from MLA  style
   

Remember:

• Your instructor does not expect you to be the genius who creates all original ideas.
• When putting together (synthesizing) other people's ideas in your work, give the people credit by citing their work.
• Choose a style (MLA, Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press, etc.)  and consistently use it.
   

Citation Order

Citation Order: practice arranging elements into proper citation order

• book
• magazine
• journal
• Internet
• media
   

Publisher | Year | Author | Title| Location

Determine the correct order.

(Requires a Flash Player.)

Citation Practice

Citation Practice: identifying correctly written citations

• book with one author
• book with multiple authors
• book with an editor
• magazines
• newspapers
• government publications
• academic web site
• wiki
   

Web Page Eval

Web Page Evaluation Criteria: separating fact from fiction

• apply critical thinking skills
• use evaluation criteria (download form)

Links to other evaluation criteria forms

Apply critical thinking skills.

Determine the following for the page:

• coverage
• authority
• objectivity
• accuracy
• currency
   

Evaluation Prac

Web Page Evaluation Practice: web page criteria

Evaluate three resources on the following topic:

• Subject — AIDS
• Topic —  What effect has AIDS had on the adult female population?

Evaluate:

• Coverage
• Author
• Objectivity
• Accuracy
• Currency