Bedford Reader Key Terms Chapter 1: Critical Reading

An introduction may include:

Startling facts Anecdotes/ brief story Background information Striking quotation Challenging questions

What are the components of the writing situation?

Subject, audience, genre, and purpose

Developing an understanding of the text involves _________ and _________.

Summarizing and thinking critically.

Why is previewing the genre important?

This will tell you what the authors intentions and tone will be.

Reflection

An experience, observation, or idea.

The four step process of critical thinking is:

Analysis, Inference, Synthesis, and Evaluation

Method is an important part of writing strategy because?

It's how the author develops and organizes ideas to achieve their purpose. Ex. Compare and contrast, description, cause and effect.

Evaluation:

Judging the quality, significance, or value of the work.

Topic sentences are important to

Keep paragraphs related to the thesis and the sentences within the paragraphs related to the topics.

Why is previewing the author important?

Knowing information about the author can often help making predictions about the text.

Why is previewing where the work was published important?

Knowing whom the authors audience was will give an idea about the message they were sending.

Development of a text for writers is important because

Some points may need to be worked on to be made stronger. General statements need to be backed up with evidence.

A digression is

Something that gets in the way of your writing having UNITY. Digressions can be cut out or reworked so that the flow with the thesis, or you may choose to write about the digression instead.

Summary is

using your own words to break down what an authors meaning was. While summarizing you must source the author and page number.

Questions to ask during revision:

Will my purpose be clear to readers? What are readers' expectations for this kind of writing? What is my thesis? Is this essay unified? Have i developed my points well? Is the essay coherent?

Signal phrases are used to

Words used to introduce quotations, paraphrasing, or summaries, telling the audience how the source should be interpreted.

Coherency relates to

Writing in a way that makes sense. Often drafts are not fully developed. Coherency means there is clear flow and relation to parts.

Synthesis states

You ideas and how ideas from what you've read support your ideas.

Structure of writing is important because

It can capture, hold, and direct readers interest. Clear and convincing writing has UNITY and COHERENCE.

Evidence is important because

It delivers a point by backing up ideas using reason, examples, expert opinions.

Explanation

Sharing information by experience or investigation. Science reports, newspapers, textbooks, etc.

Journaling and free writing are ways to ____

Discover ideas

Genre:

Each genre has distinctive features: narratives, analysis, argumentative response, etc. C losely related to audience and purpose.

Critical thinking, reading, and writing separates into:

Elements to see and judge meanings, relations, and assumptions.

Entertainment

Entertain others, fiction is often meant to entertain.

Unity is

Everything relating to the main idea

Analysis:

Examining the elements: thesis, purpose, audience, genre, evidence structure and language.

A conclusion may include:

Restatement of thesis Significance of topic Final example Prediction Important point How info can be applied Drama

Synthesis is not

A summary

Social sciences should be cited in

APA format

Purpose and Genre is important to revision because:

Adding deleting and reorganizing until your purpose is clear to readers and their expectations have been fulfilled.

Almost all writing offers an _____________, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Argument.

Qualities of a thesis statement:

Asserted an opinion, taking a position Project a single, focused idea Accurately forecasts the scope of an essay Hints at the writers purpose

The conclusion of an essay:

Completes and restates what the authors purpose was, while letting readers know the essay is finished and not abruptly over.

Academic writing calls on a writers what?

Critical thinking, reading, and writing abilities to build the exchange of knowledge from reading to responding.

Evidence includes:

Details, examples, analysis, info from sources, and whatever shows a reader that a point is valid.

How do you support a thesis?

Developing ideas and organizing the evidence

Drafting:

Exploring ideas, filling in details to support your ideas, beginning to workout the shape and aim of the whole.

Imagery can help

Figures of speech can help capture meanings or attitudes better than literal words.

Word choice can

Help with the tone. Connotations of words.

Why is previewing when the work was published important?

Help with understanding the background of when the text was written and what was happening during that time. Give insights of older texts and reliability in newer research versus older.

Introduction of an essay plays the role of:

Identifying and narrowing the subject for readers and tp capture their interest so they are more inclined to continue reading.

Summarizing is

In your own words, stating what the authors meaning was, without details.

Two types of summarizing are:

Long and short.

English should be cited in

MLA format

Inference:

Makes what is implicit, explicit. Finding underlying meanings of the elements and assumption and intentions of the author.

Synthesis:

Making your own idea about how the elements function together to produce a whole and deliver a message.

What are the elements of writing?

Meaning, writing strategy, and language

Transitions include

Moreover, along with, contrarily, on the other hand, addition, and at the same time

Approaching developing ideas with these methods can help the discovery stage of writing:

Narration, description, example, comparison and contrast, process analysis, division or analysis, classification, cause and effect, definition, argument, and persuasion

Academic writing follow what conventions?

Presenting thesis, provide support for thesis, analyzing meaning, inferring assumptions, synthesizing texts with their own views. Assuming educated audience Essay acknowledged use of sources

Reading Actively involves __________ and __________ before reading the text.

Previewing and annotating the text.

4 purposes to keep in mind while writing:

Reflection, entertainment, explanation, persuasion

Paragraphs should contain:

Related information on one point at a time,

Tone is

The feelings that are brought about when reading the text. The words carry a "tone of voice". Can express authors regard to a subject. ,

Thesis/ thesis statement is

The main idea or point that the writer wants to communicate.

The authors purpose is

The reason the author has for writing. (entertain, persuade, argue, explain, reflect, etc.)

Coherence is

The relations between parts are clear

What 5 things are we looking for whilst previewing the text?

The title, the author, the genre, where the work was published, when the work was published.

Plagiarism is defined as

The use of someone else's ideas or words without giving them the proper credit for their work.

In the discovery stage it is important to keep what in mind?

Thesis, audience, and purpose.

Why is previewing the title important?

They give us insight into what we are about to read, and they draw us in to want to read the text.

Persuasion

To persuade audience to accept ideas or take action.

Language consists of

Tone, imagery, and word choice

In what ways can you annotate text?

Underlining, marking key passages, writing ?s, noting associations, venting feelings.

Quotation must be

Used and cited properly. You cannot take a writers idea as your own.

Questions to analyze authors language:

What is the overall tone of the essay? How effective are the writers words? Does the writer use any figures of speech?

Questions to analyze meaning:

What is the thesis? What is the writer purpose?

Questions for organizing evidence:

What is your aim? What do you want readers to think/feel?-How do you achieve that?

Audience is important to keep in mind why?

Who the text is intended to be read by, helps the writer in choosing the strategies, methods, details in which they will use to shape their argument.

Audience pertains to what while you are writing?

Who will read your work? What do readers need to know? Shows you what evidence you need to know.

Questions for analyzing writing strategies:

Who's the intended audience? How are supporting details structured? What evidence does the writer provide?

Thesis is developing the _______

main idea to the readers in revision.

Coherency can be achieved by

paragraphs, transitions, and organization.

If similar wording is used to what the author has said then,

quotes must be used to source the author. Unless changes to the sentence structures and wording is made to make the paraphrasing your own.

Paraphrasing is

restating a passage in your own words, this adheres more closely to what the author has said, though. Words need to be exchanged. If similar wording is used, quotes must be used. Authors acknowledgments and page number are required.