Unit 1: Developing a Writing Strategy: Tutorial

Which word correctly completes each sentence? On August 2, ---- prominent scientist Albert Einstein wrote a letter --------- to Franklin D. Roosevelt warning about the implications of ------- technology. In the letter, Einstein stated that extremely powerful bombs could be built from radioactive elements such as uranium. Einstein also informed Roosevelt that German scientists were already trying to develop such a weapon. Einstein, along with other US ----------, feared what would happen if Nazi Germany developed an atomic weapon. Two years later, Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Led by theoretical physicist Robert ----------- the Manhattan Project was a US program to develop the ------- first atomic bomb.

1939 President nuclear scientists Oppenheimer world's

What Is a Writing Strategy?

A writing strategy is a process used to craft a paper, such as an essay, research paper, or book report. This process can change depending on the type of paper, but developing and using a general writing strategy will help get you started writing any kind of paper.

Drafting

After you've finished the prewriting phase, it's time to start writing a of your -------- essay. Use the outline that you created and refer to the relevant information you gathered as you write your draft. Keep in mind that you might need to revisit the prewriting phase to add more information or refine the information you've collected.

Prewriting

Decide on a topic or an angle: If you haven't already been assigned a topic, do some brainstorming and select a topic that not only interests you but is also rich in information. That way, you'll have enough to write about. On the other hand, if your teacher has assigned a specific topic, figure out what angle you want to take on the subject. Find a way to make the topic interesting. Discuss it with people who might know more about it than you do.Identify your audience and purpose: When you select a topic, it's important to identify who your target audience is and what kind of information you want to get across. Once you know your audience, it's easier to figure out the tone or style that you should use in your writing. For example, the tone for an essay directed at your classmates would be much different from the tone used in an essay for the school board. Understanding your intended audience's background, such as age and level of education, will also help you choose the kind of information to include in your essay. In addition to identifying your audience, think about what you want your essay to accomplish. Are you writing an essay to convince your audience of something? Or do you want to inform them about certain issues that are important to you? Your purpose will determine the type of essay that you write: persuasive, expository, narrative, or descriptive. Do some research: After you've figured out your topic and put together your initial thoughts and ideas, you can start the research process. Begin by thinking of some questions that will help you focus on significant points to cover in your essay. These questions can guide your writing process and help you maintain a flow in your essay. Start collecting information about your topic to use when you write a rough draft. You can do some research online, check out books from your local library, and even enlist the help of someone in your community who is knowledgeable about your topic. At this stage, you should also define your thesis statement, the "glue" that holds your essay together. The thesis statement consists of the topic and the central idea of your essay. Say, for example, you're writing a persuasive essay arguing that the novel Gone with the Wind is among the best literary works of the twentieth century. Your thesis statement might read "Gone with the Wind is one of the best novels written in the twentieth century." Organize your research: Once you've collected all the necessary information for your essay, your next step is to organize that information into more manageable pieces. Notecards are a great tool for this step. Summarize the information that you've gathered from each source so that you can easily recall the appropriate details when you start writing the draft of your essay. Create an outline: Next, create an outline for your essay. This step helps you plan the general flow of your paper. It doesn't matter if the ideas in your outline are bullet points, thought bubbles in a web, or sentence fragments. The outline will give you an idea of how the information in your essay will be organized. When you create an outline, you can also create a map that will help guide the flow of your essay. The map may note how many paragraphs to include, what type of information to include in these paragraphs, and which topics will require greater or fewer details.

Spelling

Here are some other steps you can take to improve your spelling skills: Whenever you come across a new word, try to analyze it. Find out its meaning, examine the spelling, and see if you know any of its word parts. Say the word audibly and distinctly. Check whether the pronunciation matches the way that the word is spelled. Some words that have foreign roots may not be spelled the way that you would expect from their pronunciation. Also, make note of any silent letters or doubled letters. Spell the word out loud and write it down on a sheet of paper. Make sure you write the word correctly. Take a new piece of paper and write down the same word without looking at the correct spelling. Check whether you got it right. If not, try again.

Type: More students should be encouraged to learn to play an instrument and engage in music. Research shows that students who learn to play an instrument achieve higher scores on math and science tests. On average, children who play instruments score 100 points higher on college entrance exams than those who do not. Studies have also proven that music makes people feel less anxious and lonely. Music and other fine arts programs are critical factors in helping teenagers cope with stress.

Persuasive

Expository Writing

Provides information to readers. The writer assumes that readers do not have in-depth or prior knowledge of the topic. Is commonly found in nonfiction books, magazine features, and newspaper articles, but also sometimes in fiction.

Types of Essays

The first step toward developing a writing strategy is to understand what type of essay or paper you are supposed to write. Has your teacher asked you to write an essay explaining a literary movement in fine detail? Or have you been asked to write a persuasive piece with evidence and facts to sway readers to your point of view? Being aware of the type of essay you need to write will help you develop a more specific writing strategy, which will then create a smooth transition when you start writing.

Editing

The final stage is to edit your essay. Proofread it for errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and formatting. Taking notes on the types of errors you make might help you avoid those mistakes in future writing assignments. Do you often make spelling mistakes? Perhaps you have trouble with subject-verb agreement. Pay attention to your weak areas and proofread for those errors first. Subject and verb agreement: Find the main verb in each sentence and match the verb to its subject. Make sure that the subject and verb agree in number. Pronoun reference and agreement: Skim your essay, stopping at each pronoun. Look especially at it, this, they, their, and them. Search for the noun that the pronoun replaces. If you find a noun, be sure that it agrees in number and person with your pronoun. If you don't find a noun, change the pronoun to a noun for clarity. Spelling: Examine each word in the essay individually. Move from the end of each line back to the beginning. You could even trace each line with a pencil. Pointing with a pencil helps you really see each word. If necessary, check a dictionary to verify that each word is spelled correctly. Later in the lesson, you'll find out more about how to check that the spelling is correct in your writing. Capitalization: Check that all proper nouns are capitalized correctly. Usage Errors: Carefully look over your essay for errors in word usage. Some commonly misused words include to, too, and two; accept instead of except; and effect in place of affect. Comma splices: As you go through your essay, stop at every comma. Check whether there is a complete sentence on each side of the comma. If so, add a coordinating conjunction after the comma, replace the comma with a semicolon, or break the sentence into two sentences. Fragments: Look at each sentence in your essay to check whether it contains an independent clause. Pay special attention to sentences that begin with dependent marker words, such as because, or phrases such as "for example" or "such as." See if the sentence might be just a piece of the previous sentence that was mistakenly separated by a period, and fix it if that's the case. Run-on sentences: Review each sentence to see whether it contains more than one independent clause. Start with the last sentence of your essay and work your way back to the beginning, sentence by sentence. Break a sentence into two sentences where necessary. When you've finished the editing stage, ask someone, such as a parent, sibling, or friend, to read your essay and check it for mistakes in spelling or grammar and flow issues that make the text unclear. An extra set of eyes can only help improve your draft.

Developing a Writing Strategy

Typically, a writing strategy consists of four phases: Prewriting: This stage consists of gathering all the information you need to start writing. It includes brainstorming ideas and doing research. Drafting: In this stage, you write a rough draft of your essay. Revising: This stage involves revising your initial draft to enhance and polish your essay. Editing or proofreading: During this stage, you proofread your essay for any small surface errors that you may have overlooked during the revising phase.

Persuasive Writing

Used to convince an audience about a particular topic. The writer uses supporting evidence to back up a certain point of view. You can find persuasive writing in TV commercials, letters to the editor, college brochures, and reviews of products, movies, and books.

Narrative Writing

Used to tell a story. A --------- essay is a form of nonfiction that includes all parts of a story: introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and conclusion. A writer might create a ---------piece in which a lesson is learned or insight is gained.

Focus on the Language

You've seen that it's important to edit your essay to elevate the quality of your writing. Editing includes checking that the spelling and punctuation are correct in your writing. Because a misspelled word or incorrectly placed punctuation mark could alter the meaning of a sentence, editing is an important step in the writing process.

Type: Modern art comes in all forms, shapes,and sizes. Generally, the era known as the modern art movement includes paintings, sculptures, and other artwork created from 1880 to 1945. Artwork produced during this period became progressively more abstract and less realistic. In the early part of this period, artists experimented by interpreting color, shape, and form in unique ways that represented their own visions rather than nature. At the height of the modern art movement in the early 1940s paintings and sculptures were completely abstract, with no recognizable objects. Two interesting movements of this era include cubism and abstract expressionism.

Expository

Colons

Used to suggest that a list of items will follow. Here's an example: To make working out a pleasant experience for everyone, please follow the gym rules: Wipe down equipment after each use. Towels are provided in the locker room and at the front desk. Return weight equipment to its proper place. Limit use of cardio machines to 30 minutes. Keep gym bags and belongings in the lockers provided. Personal belongings should not be left on the floor or on top of a piece of equipment. The items in a list do not need to be formatted vertically. A colon is also to introduce a list in a sentence. Randy told Mandy that these items are must-haves for a road trip: a road map, a camera, travel games, bottled water, and snacks. A colon is also used after a salutation in a business letter or other formal communication. Here are some examples: Dear Mrs. Raleigh: Dear Speaker of the House: Dear Jack: Never use a semicolon after a salutation. In personal letters, use a comma after the salutation.

What writing process do you use when you are assigned an essay or paper? Are there any specific roadblocks that you face in your writing process?

Your answer should include the following points: Note the steps you usually follow when you work on a writing assignment: I don't have a consistent writing strategy. For example, I usually hold off on coming up with a thesis statement until I start my research, but not always. I'm pretty good about brainstorming for new ideas early. I don't tend to prepare an outline, but I do write a rough draft of my essay and then revise. I typically run out of time before I can edit my final essay. Mention roadblocks or difficulties that you face in your writing process: Sometimes I'm just not able to find enough information on the topic I'm writing about. In social studies, I struggle to put down my thoughts. I also feel like my ideas don't flow well throughout an essay. Because I usually don't edit, my writing assignments are filled with little errors, like punctuation and spelling mistakes.

Write two original sentences that correctly use semicolons and two original sentences that correctly use colons.

A semicolon is used to link two main clauses in a sentence when a connector, such as and or but, is not used. Semicolons can also be used before transitional words such as therefore and whereas. This punctuation mark indicates that the main clauses in the sentence are connected. Here are some examples of sentences that correctly use semicolons: Chloe forgot my umbrella; therefore, I was hoping you could lend me yours. (In this sentence, the semicolon is used before the transitional word therefore to join two main clauses that are connected.) Jack always likes to get popcorn at the movies; his sister prefers getting candy. (In this sentence, two main clauses that make sense together are joined with a semicolon instead of a connector such as but.) A colon is used before a list of items or after a salutation in a business letter or formal communication. Here are some examples of sentences that correctly use colons: Dear Mr. Smith: (In this example, a colon is used after the salutation of a formal letter.) I always pack these items when I go on a vacation: cellphone and charger sunscreen comfortable shoes first aid kit (In this sentence, a colon is used before a list of items.)

Type: My dream started out in a meadow blanketed in velvety greens and sprinkled with wildflowers. I was drawn to walk across the meadow. No one told me to. I just knew that I was supposed to. Everything seemed perfect, until I looked up and noticed the sky was turning a pale orange. It was terribly eerie and sent a chill down my spine. But I knew that no matter what, I had to face my fear and keep going. While I was walking—actually, I was running to beat the band—the sky turned bright blue with puffy clouds of cotton lingering about. The air filled with the deliciously yummy scent of freshly baked apple pie. The branches on the trees in the meadow shimmered gloriously in the bright sunlight. Even though I was no longer feeling particularly frightened, I still felt like I had to get across the meadow fast!

Descriptive

Which sentence should be revised for clarity? In the years following World War I, there was a great deal of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. As a result, the US government enacted various laws that restricted immigration. The Immigration Act of 1924 established a quota system. This law stated that no more than two percent of the population of each nationality living in the United States could be admitted as immigrants. Eliminating immigration from Asia, it also limited immigration from Europe, Russia and Italy in particular.

Eliminating immigration from Asia, it also limited immigration from Europe, Russia and Italy in particular. Revising is the process of rewriting or reworking a piece of writing for clarity, style, unity, and organization. In this passage, the sentence "Eliminating immigration from Asia, it also limited immigration from Europe, Russia and Italy in particular" should be revised because it does not flow well or clearly communicate an idea. The sentence could be revised in this way: "This law eliminated immigration from Asia and severely limited immigration from Europe, particularly Russia and Italy."

Descriptive Writing

Involves painting a picture in words for readers. The writer describes a person, place, experience, emotion, or situation through the use of vivid language. Uses details to discuss a subject rather than simply stating what a subject is outright. A writer using ------------ -------, for example, may say that this sunset is a blaze of orange and yellow stretching toward the horizon.

Semicolons

Links two main clauses in the same sentence without using a connector such as but or and. A semicolon in the middle of a sentence makes you pause before reading the rest of the sentence. Semicolons indicate that the two clauses are connected. Jenny sat down to eat lunch; her dog begged for morsels of her sandwich. You can also use a semicolon before a transitional word, such as however, therefore, or moreover, and before a transitional expression, such as for example, in addition, or since then. Thomas plagiarized his term paper; therefore, he will fail the class.

Type: Lani's father hired a private music teacher for his talented daughter when she was 6 years old. He offered Lani a trade: for the family to afford her lessons, she would have to make sacrifices. Money once spent on clothes and toys would be saved for piano lessons. Her father was surprised that his young daughter agreed to such an arrangement, and he was even more surprised when Lani kept to it with no complaints. She devoted herself to music and flourished under the instruction of Mrs. Morita. When she was 13, Lani came home from school on a spring afternoon, went to her room, and picked up a pamphlet from Bordon Summer Music Camp. She stared at the ivy-covered building pictured on the front. In her mind, Lani looked through those multi-paned windows and saw hallways that connected classrooms and studios. "I belong there," she said to herself.

Narrative

Revising

Once you've written your draft, take some time away from your essay. When you come back to it, you'll be able to read your writing with a fresh mind. Start by reading your paper aloud. Did you notice any mistakes that you missed earlier? Sometimes hearing the paper spoken aloud, instead of just reading it silently, helps you identify areas that don't sound quite right. Also, pay close attention to the content of your essay. Check the thesis statement and organization. Does your thesis make sense? Will readers be able to easily follow the ideas in your essay and understand how they support the thesis? Does the organization of the paragraphs flow well or do you need to move information around? Have you included enough details to support your thesis statement adequately? Always remember to show readers what you want them to know rather than telling them. You might need to go back to the prewriting stage more than once. Perhaps you'll need to find more information, modify the flow, or even tweak your thesis statement. In the revising phase, you should also check carefully for unity and clarity. Does all the information in your essay relate to the main idea or thesis? Are your points clear and concise? Are there ways to cut unnecessary words out of your essay? Have you used a thesaurus to avoid repeating the same words as you explain your ideas? Clarity will help your audience get a better view of your ideas.