Writing

Writing Class

**Notes : Term One || Term Two || Term Three || Term Four**
==Assignments:Term One || Term Two || Term Three|| Term Four || Free Choice Papers==

__**Revise and Edit Documents**__




__**TERM ONE**__
 * = ===**__Skill Set #1__**=== ||= ===**__Personal Narrative Skills__**=== ||
 * [[file:Be Verb Notes.pdf]] || Introduction and Conclusion ||  ||
 * [[file:Vary Sentence Beginnings.pdf]] || Detail ||
 * [[file:Specific Nouns and Vivid Verbs.pdf]] || Show Don't Tell ||
 * || Effective Dialogue ||
 * || Tips for Personal Narrative ||
 * || [[file:Personal Narrative Checklist.pdf]] ||  ||

PERSONAL NARRATIVE

General Tips
Ask yourself the following questions to narrow the focus & choose your topic:
 * Choose a Topic**
 * Why do you want to write about this experience?
 * Have you recalled the sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells of the experience?
 * Did this experience change you in some way?
 * Do I remember enough specific details about action, scenes, and people to write vividly?
 * Which of my experiences would connect to their lives?

Example: Non-Complex Lesson– Don’t eat a lot of candy; you will get sick. Complex Lesson— Make wise choices OR Listen to your parents.
 * What to Include in a Good Narrative**
 * Specific, Concrete, Sensory Details
 * Allow the reader to infer
 * Lesson Learned: Applies to all areas of life and is complex
 * Dialogue
 * Reveal Personalities


 * Questions To Ask While Telling The Story**


 * What are the high points of my narrative?
 * How can I integrate details of the scene, objects, and people smoothly into the narrative?
 * How can I let actions and conversations carry the narrative?

(Back to Term One) (Back to Top)




 * Introduction and Conclusion**

__What to do in the introduction:__
 * Engage and orient the reader
 * Set out the problem, situation, or observation
 * Establish point of view
 * Introduce a narrator and/or characters

__Types of Leads__



__WRITE AN EFFECTIVE CONCLUSION__

Examples of type I want: []

Don’t say what I learned is…… Don’t say your feelings at the end show us You can reflect in the moment, or now looking back.

Detail
In constructing details, keep three main points in mind.

1. Show instead of tell: Paint the picture with your words instead of telling your reader. They will feel it more if you show. In a movie, we don’t say and then the girl cried and talk about her crying, we show the emotion.
 * See Show Don't Tell Section for more in depth training

2. Be as specific as possible. Don’t say bird when you mean yellow-throated vireo. Don’t say tree when what you mean the riddled bark of a pin-oak.

3. Don’t overwhelm your readers with a long, extended list of details. One carefully worded detail can conjure up a whole room for a reader, when five or six bland details won’t help him or her to even imagine it. Remember the detail of Georgie mopping and mopping the clean floor in Johnson’s story “Emergency.” Can you forget this image now? Denis Johnson did not describe how the room looked, what furniture or equipment it housed, or even how big the room was but his image of an orderly continuing to mop long after the blood was gone, made you imagine and remember his world.

(Back to Term One) (Back to Top)

Show Don't Tell
Anyone who’s ever written a short story or taken a freshman composition course has heard the words “show, don’t tell.” I know those words can be frustrating. You might not know exactly what “show, don’t tell” means. Or you might believe that you //are// showing when you’re really telling.

While “telling” can be useful, even necessary, most people don’t realize how vital “showing” is to an effective story, essay, or even a blog post. Showing allows the reader to follow the author into the moment, to see and feel and experience what the author has experienced. Using the proper balance of showing and telling will make your writing more interesting and effective.

DEFINED:
Telling: the reliance on simple exposition: //Mary was an old woman.//

Showing: the use of evocative description: //Mary moved slowly across the room, her hunched form supported by a polished wooden cane gripped in a gnarled, swollen-jointed hand that was covered by translucent, liver-spotted skin.//

Both showing and telling convey the same information — Mary is old — but the former simply states it flat-out, and the latter — well, read the example over again and you'll see it never actually states that fact at all, and yet nonetheless leaves no doubt about it in the reader's mind


 * Telling**: He sits on the couch holding his guitar.
 * There’s nothing wrong with that sentence. It gives the reader some basic information, but it doesn’t create an image. Compare that sentence with this:
 * Showing**: His eyes are closed, and he’s cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover. It’s as if he’s trying to hold on to something that wants to let go.
 * The second example takes that basic information and paints a picture with it. It also uses //figurative language//—in this case, the simile “cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover”—to help create an image.

**TIP #1: Remember description does not Equal Showing.**
The following sentence is descriptive, but tells instead of shows: He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and jeans, and a brown leather jacket.

TELLING EXAMPLE: //Mary was a pretty girl, with blue eyes and blond hair.// SHOWING EXAMPLE: //Mary's blue eyes glistened with joy, her blond hair bouncing with each step.//

//TELLING EXAMPLE:// //Sam is a talented musician//.

//SHOWING EXAMPLE: Consummation of the soul. That's what Sam called the gratification he received from music. When his passion became so intense it begged to be satisfied, pleaded to be released, and he was helpless to resist its urges. When his fingers assumed a life of their own, titillating the ivory keys with the complex music of Bach and Mozart and Beethoven, and he became one with the cadence, breathing with the crescendos, his fingers caressing the melody, until everything else faded, everything else disappeared, and only the music existed.//

TIP #2: Use Concrete words instead of Abstract
Instead of using **abstract** words like “interesting,” “angry,” “fun,” or “good,” use **concrete** and **specific** words to show

ABSTRACT: The children were having fun. (What were they doing?)

CONCRETE: Tumbling off the couch, letting out banshee-like screams, the toddlers fell to an imaginary death at the foot of the torn and tattered “cliff.”


 * //Telling://** //Singh had a reputation for being able to cut through layers of bureaucracy and get things done.//

//Suddenly the office door slid open, and in strode Singh, a slight lifting at the corners of his mouth conveying his satisfaction. He handed a ROM chip to Chang. "Here you are, sir — complete government clearance. You can launch anytime you wish."// //Chang's eyebrows shot up his forehead like twin rockets, but Singh was already out the door. He turned to Pryce, who was leaning back in his chair, grinning. "That's our Singh for you," said Pryce. "We don't call him the miracle worker for nothing."//
 * Showing:** //Chang shook his head and looked at Pryce. "All this red tape! We'll never get permission in time."//

In the first version, Singh is spoken about in the abstract, while in the second, we see him in the concrete. That's the key to //showing//: using specific action-oriented examples to make your point.

**TIP #3: Never tell an emotion a character is feeling.**
Instead describe what they are doing which shows their emotion.

Example Telling: She was anxious to leave class. Example Showing: She glanced at the clock every two seconds as her feet tapped impatiently on the floor.

When writing a romantic scene, don't tell us that John is attracted to Sally; show us that his heart skips a beat when she enters the room. It's rarely necessary to tell us about your characters' emotions. Let their actions convey how they feel instead

**Paragraph Example of Show Don't Tell:**
//TELLING EXAMPLE// : //Carey ate breakfast, then he took a shower and went to the store. At the store he met a girl and they talked for a long time. Carey liked her but she blew him off. Then he went home.//
 * Tells you a lot about Carey, huh? Okay -- so this example is really exaggerated, but it hits home the necessity of showing and not telling. What can we do to fix it? We need more detail, especially dialogue and action.

//SHOWING EXAMPLE////: Carey studied the frozen dinners. He'd had turkey and dressing for the last four days, so salisbury steak would be good for a change. But did he want the Big Man's or the regular?// //A scent teased his nose. Not the overwhelming smell of fish and frostbite, but a fresh smell, like the smell of skin just out of the shower. He glanced sideways and saw the most perfect arm he'd ever seen in his life. Long, slender, graceful, full of sinewy muscle and smooth skin. His eyes followed the arm to the shoulder and then the head. Her head. A head covered with long blond hair and containing a face that made his heart stop.// //"Hi," she said, her voice rich and melodious.// //Carey's mouth didn't work. He tried to return her greeting, but only a grunt came out. He tried to smile politely, but his face erupted with a grin as large and toothy and goofy as a cartoon character's. . .//
 * So now you have the idea. We need details. We need to know thoughts, feelings; we need to smell the perfume, taste the wine, feel the cashmere. Anything less cheats the reader from experiencing our imaginary world

(Back to Term One) (Back to Top)

Effective Dialogue
Dialogue should serve a function in our writing, telling us about character or moving the action along. We can edit our dialogue and not report everything that’s said—exact wording is not necessary and often boring.

Purpose for Dialogue: Reveal Characters and Move the Action

Great Writers Tag Information or action to reveal things about characters

Example of a Great tags “Loena, Violeta, could you find it in your hearts to join the rest of us?” __she asked, calling us by our Spanish-class names, hitting just the right note of sarcasm.__

“Yes, Father,” __Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet.__

“You don’t know what it means?” __I said, grinning.__

“What is it, Amir?” __Baba said, reclining on the sofa and lacing his hands behind his head.__

Level 1: Hassan said (who said it) Level 2: Hassan mumbled (who + how said it) Level 3: Hassan mumbled looking down at his feet (who + how said + action)

---We can SHOW so much about characters by describing, or in this case, really narrating how they talk and move.

(Back to Term One) (Back to Top)

=__TERM TWO__=
 * = ===**__Skill Set #2__**=== || ===__Argumentative Writing Skills__=== ||
 * [[file:Thesis Notes.pdf]] || Topic ||
 * [[file:Topic Sentence Notes.pdf]] || Evidence & Commentary ||
 * [[file:Transition Notes.pdf]] || Organization ||
 * [[file:Supporting details notes.pdf]] || Ethos, Logos, Pathos ||
 * || Persuasive Techniques ||

=**NEWS STORY NOTES**=


 * Questions to Ask **

What has happened? Who was involved? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why did it happen? How did it happen?

**The Lead **

*The first paragraph (usually only one sentence) in a news article *should give the most essential info concerning the 5 ws and h. *Good leads almost never begin with the where and when, but rather the who and what.

Examples: __SAMPLE #1 __ An accident involving an elementary school bus and a tanker truck, loaded with milk, occurred at the corner of Main Street and first, near Martin Elementary School yesterday afternoon shortly after three-thirty PM. (//Here we have begun to answer the what, who and where portion of the story //). Of the thirty children who were on the bus, five were injured and taken to a local hospital, and the others transported by a second bus to their original destinations. ( //Here the who is more extensively explained.) // The drivers of the bus and truck were uninjured when the bus stalled as the driver tried to cross an intersection. Witnesses say that the truck driver attempted to avoid the bus as he approached the intersection, but skidded out of control and slammed into the bus's rear section. ( //Now we have addressed the what and some of the why - Note there is still a great deal of elaboration and detail that can be added.) //

__SAMPLE 2: __ Five elementary children were injured and taken to a local hospital today, after the school bus they were riding on was hit by a tanker truck, carrying milk. Traffic was backed-up for nearly three hours, while clean-up crews removed the debris and gallons and gallons of milk from the roadways.

( back to term two) (back to top)

ORGANIZATION
News Story Parts

Headline: Title of the article Sub-Headline: 2nd smaller title

Byline: Line saying who wrote the article Lead: 1<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">st paragraph of the article—short vital information



PARAGRAPH 1: THE LEAD PARAGRAPH 2 & 3: THE BODY PARGRAPH 4: ENDING (What the writer wants the reader to remember)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(back to term two) (back to top)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">News Story Rules **

News stories or articles have certain "rules" that govern their format.
 * ====== New stories give mostly factual information, but not the writer's opinion. ======
 * ====== News stories are written in third person voice, never first or second. ======
 * ====== News articles begin with a short, first paragraph, usually just one sentence that gives the reader the most important, most interesting, or most unusual of the 5 W's and 1 H: who, what, when, where, why and how. This sentence is called a lead. Good leads almost never begin with "when" or "where." ======
 * ====== News articles include many direct quotations from people the reporter interviewed in order to get facts. See the sample story to understand how to put these quotations in the story. A direct quotation should be used by the fourth paragraph. ======
 * ====== When a quotation is used, begin a new paragraph. Tags should just be standard level 1 tags. The use of the word said is perfectly acceptable in expository writing. ======
 * ====== News paragraphs are short, usually one or two sentences at most. They are not constructed like typical essay paragraphs. ======
 * ====== Information in news articles is given in order of importance. The most important information comes first, the next most important goes next, and so on until the least important at the end. ======
 * ====== A news writer never concludes the news story with a personal comment at the end. A reporter's opinion is not to be included in the news story. Articles that allow for opinion are editorials, columns, or even letters to the editor. ======
 * ====== News stories have headlines that summarize the main idea of the story. There may be a subhead that gives more details. The reporter's name is given in a byline: by your name . ======
 * ====== News stories are printed in columns. ======

(back to term two) (back to top)

PERSUASIVE WRITING **TOPIC**

**Find an issue:** The topic for this paper should be an issue or controversy that interests both you and your readers.

*Tip to find topic: Look at headlines of newspaper or magazine *Make sure it interests you and your readers *Do not make it too broad or too complex

Vague Question: Is sexism bad? Clearly Debatable: Should we fight sexist stereotypes in advertising?
 * Start with a Question and a Thesis:** Many writers find it useful to pose the issue as a question–a question that will be answered through the position they take. Remember that you need to skip vague questions that most readers wouldn’t debate or convert them to questions that allow different stands. You can help focus your position by stating it in a sentence–a thesis, or statement of your stand.

Your thesis should invite continued debate, not state a fact, by taking a strong position that could be argued.

(back to term two) (back to top)

**EVIDENCE**

Evidence is anything that demonstrates the soundness of your position and the points you make in your argument.
 * Assemble supporting evidence:**

The three most important sources of evidence are these: 1. facts, including statistics 2. expert testimony 3. firsthand observation.


 * Evidence to support your position:**


 * Offer evidence that agrees with your stance up to a point, then add to it with ideas of your own.


 * Present evidence that contradicts your stance in order to argue against (refute) it and therefore strengthen your position.


 * Use quotations to support your assertion, not merely to state or restate your claim.


 * How to Incorporate Evidence:**

In order to use evidence effectively, you need to integrate it smoothly into your paragraph by following this pattern:


 * State your claim.
 * Give your evidence, remembering to relate it to the claim.
 * Comment on the evidence to show how it supports the claim.
 * Evidence & commentary repeat

Evidence is useful and trustworthy when it is
 * Evaluate Effectiveness:**
 * Accurate
 * reliable,
 * up-to-date
 * to the point,
 * strong enough to back the claim and persuade your readers.
 * Appeals to your AUDIENCE (THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE)


 * Weak Use of Evidence:**

1) Today, we are too self-centered. Most families no longer sit down to eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.

This is a weak example of evidence because the evidence is not related to the claim. What does the claim about self-centeredness have to do with families eating together? The writer doesn’t explain the connection.

The same evidence, however, can be used to support the same claim, but only with the addition of a clear connection between claim and evidence, and some analysis of the quotation’s content.


 * Strong Use of Evidence:**

2) Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. In fact, the evidence shows that most American families no longer eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.

This is a far better example, as the evidence is more smoothly integrated into the text, the link between the claim and the evidence is strengthened, and the evidence itself is analyzed to provide support for the claim.

(back to term two) (back to top)

INTRO
 * Gain reader's interest (HOOK)
 * State your main point (THESIS)
 * If useful, supply the background or an overview of the situation

BODY

2-3 Supporting Paragraphs
 * Transition
 * Claim (Topic Sentence)
 * Evidence
 * Commentary
 * Evidence
 * Commentary

1-2 paragraphs refuting the opposite
 * state an argument for the other side
 * refute it (in a polite way)
 * state another argument for their side
 * refute it

CONCLUSION
 * Restate thesis
 * summarize main evidence
 * concluding line

Block Format Click the link below to look at a completed sample business letter.
 * BUSINESS LETTER **

(Begin at top margin) 1600 Main Street Springfield, Kansas 12345
 * 1. Return address of the letter writer.**

(Four Single Spaces) This is usually typed in one of two ways:
 * 2. The date of the letter.**

(Begin with the day, no comma) 15 January 2006 or (Begin with the month; use a comma) December 1, 2006

(Double-Space) Use "Mr." for a male recipient. If you do not know how a female recipient prefers to be addressed, it is best to use "Ms."
 * 3. Complete name, title, and address of the recipient.**

Dr. Craig Sylvestor Doctor of Cardiology St. Joseph’s Hospital 1415 University Drive Felicity, OH 45434 (Double-Space) Dear Ms. Brown: (Double Space) Single spaced Use a double space in between paragraphs (Double Space) The most common closing is "Sincerely." Follow this with a comma. Skip four single lines after the closing and type your name. Sign your name in the space above your name.
 * 4. Salutation with a colon.**
 * 5. Body of the letter.**
 * 6. Closing.**

Sincerely, (Four Spaces) Signed Name here

Typed Name Here

(back to term two) (back to top)

Ethos, Logos, Pathos


 * Ethos:** the source's credibility, the speaker's/author's authority
 * Logos:** the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument.
 * Pathos:** the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details.
 * **To appeal to Logic (logos)** || **To develop ethos** || **To appeal to emotion(pathos)** ||
 * Theoretical, abstract languageDenotative meanings/reasonsLiteral and historical analogiesDefinitionsFactual data and statisticsQuotationsCitations from experts and authoritiesInformed opinions || Language appropriate to audience and subjectRestrained, sincere, fair minded presentationAppropriate level of vocabularyCorrect grammar || Vivid, concrete languageEmotionally loaded languageConnotative meaningsEmotional examplesVivid descriptionsNarratives of emotional eventsEmotional toneFigurative language ||
 * Evokes a cognitive, rationale response || Demonstrates author's reliability, competence, and respectfor the audience's ideas and values through reliable and appropriateuse of support and general accuracy || Evokes an emotional response ||

**EXAMPLES**

Let us begin with a simple proposition: What democracy requires is public debate, not information. Of course it needs information too, but the kind of information it needs can be generated only by vigorous popular debate. We do not know what we need to know until we ask the right questions, and we can identify the right questions only by subjecting our ideas about the world to the test of public controversy. Information, usually seen as the precondition of debate, is beter understood as its by product. When we get into arguments that focus and fully engage our attention, we become avid seekers of relevant information. Otherwise, we take in information passively--if we take it in at all. Christopher Lasch, "The Lost Art of Political Argument" My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."...Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable in terms. I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in."...I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" For me, commentary on war zones at home and abroad begins and ends with personal reflections. A few years ago, while watching the news in Chicago, a local news story made a personal connection with me. The report concerned a teenager who had been shot because he had angered a group of his male peers. This act of violence caused me to recapture a memory from my own adolescence because of an instructive parallel in my own life with this boy who had been shot. When I was a teenager some thirty-five years ago in the New York metropolitan area, I wrote a regular column for my high school newspaper. One week, I wrote a colunm in which I made fun of the fraternities in my high school. As a result, I elicited the anger of some of the most aggressive teenagers in my high school. A couple of nights later, a car pulled up in front of my house, and the angry teenagers in the car dumped garbage on the lawn of my house as an act of revenge and intimidation. James Garbarino "Children in a Violent World: A Metaphysical Perspective"
 * Logos**
 * Ethos**
 * Pathos**

(back to term two) (back to top)

__**TERM THREE**__

Ap Analytic Statement: see powerpoint below



(back to term three) (back to top)

__**TERM FOUR**__


 * **Skill Set** || **Grammar** || **Research** ||
 * Review all previous terms skill sets || Nouns and Pronouns || Analyzing Sources ||
 * || Verbs || Note card Method ||
 * || Adjectives and Adverbs || [[file:Using Electronic Sources.pdf]] ||
 * || Prepositions || Integrating Sources ||
 * || Conjunctions and Interjections || MLA Citation ||
 * || Grammar Procedure ||  ||

= Analyzing Sources =

Not all sources are valid, credible, and reliable. You must analyze the source to ensure it is a good one to use.


 * 5 Keys for Evaluating Sources**

1. Check to see if it has been superseded by later sources

2. A popular magazine article is not as reliable as a literary source

3. Use articles with lots of documentation

4. University presses or big publishing names are more reliable

5. Find out about the author


 * Questions to Ask when Evaluating Sources**

1. What is the purpose: Understanding the purpose or intention of a source will help you decide whether it might supply solid evidence for your research project. Does it inform, report, persuade, offer alternative viewpoint....

2. Who is the intended audience: A source written for an audience of experts is likely to assume that the readers have plenty of background knowledge. For this reason, such sources typically skip general treatments. In contrast, sources written for general audiences usually defined terms and include background explanations.

3. Who is the Author: a. //Bias:// Because most authors have opinion on their topics there will be bias. How does the author’s viewpoint affect the presentation of information. Be sure to gather many viewpoints. b. //Print Credentials//: Check for brief biographical note at the beginning or end of book or article. Has this author been cited before, and listed in biographical databases. c. //Web Credentials//: Look for a link on its home page to information about the author. Try a web search for a person’s name, looking for associated sites or links to or from the authors site. d. //Materials with no Author Identified//: If no author is given, try to identify the sponsoring organization or publisher. On web site, check the home page, contact information, or about this site page.

4. Is this a primary or secondary source: A primary source is a firsthand account written by an eyewitness or a participant. A secondary source is an analysis of the information contained in one or more primary sources. For most research papers, you need both primary and secondary. Going back to the original research or statistics will help you to learn where the facts end and the interpretation begins.

5. How sound is the evidence: The evidence in a source–ideas, information, facts, expert or other opinions—can tell you a great deal about its reliability and usefulness for your research project. Is the evidence complete, up-to-date, and carefully assembles? Is any thesis supported by credible evidence? Is the argument or analysis convincing, with enough evidence to support?

6. Is the source up-to-date: In general you should strive to select current sources.

7. Is this source relevant to your research: Continue to question whether each of your sources is relevant to your topic, your research question, your thesis, and your ideas. An interesting fact or opinion could be just that—interesting. You need facts, information, opinions, and quotations that relate directly to the purpose and audience of your research paper.

(back to term four) (back to top)

= NoteCard Method =

With this method, you use notecards to jot down the information found in your sources. If you do this before writing your paper, it makes your paper much easier to write. I personally dislike writing the paper while simultaneously researching. I like to do all the research and have all the information before I begin writing.

A good research note includes three elements: 1. The identifier ( last name of author, location of the info, the page number, title).

2. A subject heading (some key word or phrase you make up yourself to help you decide where the information would fit in your paper).

3. The fact, idea, opinion, or quotation you plan to use in your paper.

**__ Note card tips __** 1. A note card can include any idea, statistic, quote, paraphrase that you think will be helpful in writing your paper. If you don’t want to rewrite the information down, just list the page number and paragraph you can find the information.

2. Put only one idea on each note card. It won’t help you later if you have two or three different ideas on one card.

3. Place the Indicator on the top left corner.

4. If you are writing out a quote or a paraphrase on the card, then write the page number on the bottom left hand corner. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!

5. In the right hand corner of the note card write down the subject heading.



(back to term four) (back to top)

= Integrating Sources =


 * When Writer Must Acknowledge Sources**

1. Quote someone’s exact words 2. Summarize or borrow someone’s opinions or ideas 3. Use information and facts that are not considered common knowledge


 * 3 Ways to Integrate Sources: Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing**


 * 1) Quoting: Transcribing the authors exact words directly from the sources
 * 2) quote sparingly, selecting only notable passages that might add support
 * 3) record the exact number of the page where the quotation appears; if 2, put both
 * 4) Paraphrasing: Restating the author’s ideas fully but in your own words
 * 5) When to Paraphrase: The language of another writer is not particularly memorable, but you want to walk your readers through the points made in the original.
 * 6) Avoid judging, interpreting, or hovering so close to them that it merely echoes the original.
 * 7)  Bad paraphrase: Exact word, exact phrase, same syntax, line by line rewording
 * 8) Summarizing: Reducing the author’s main point to essentials
 * 9) Convey main point in nutshell. This gets rid of unnecessary detail in paraphrasing.
 * Steps to Write A Good Summary**

1. Read original passage several times

2. Without looking back at the passage, state the gist of it, its central point or the main sense as you remember it.

3. Reread the original passage one more time, making sure you’ve conveyed its ideas faithfully. Revise if necessary.


 * Steps to Write a Good Paraphrase**

1. Read the entire passage through several times until you understand full meaning.

2. Divide the passage into its most important idea or points, either in your mind or by highlighting or annotating the page. Noting three or 4 points for each paragraph is good.

3. Look away from the original, and restate the first idea in your own words. Sum up the support for this idea. Review the section if necessary.

4. Go to next idea and repeat step 3 for each idea.

5. Go back and reread the entire original passage one more time, making sure you’ve conveyed its ideas faithfully but without repeating its words.

6. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.


 * Examples of Paraphrasing**

// Original: // In staging an ancient Greek tragedy today, most directors do not mask the actors.

// Too close to original: // Most directors, in staging an ancient Greek play today, do not mask the actors.

// A good paraphrase: // Few contemporary directors of Greek tragedy insist that their actors wear masks.

// The original passage: // Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

// Bad Paraphrase: // Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

// Good Paraphrase: // In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

(back to term four) (back to top)

= MLA Citation =

**Block Quotation**

1. Indented one inch or 10 spaces (2 tabs)

2. Don’t use “ ”

3. Introduce quote–preface it with author’s name before

4. Definition: Quote that is 4 or more lengths in length

5. Page number is given in parentheses after period

**Works Cited Page Guidelines**

1. Arranged alphabetically according to authors last name

2. All lines after the first are indented five spaces.

3. Everything doubled spaced...no extra lines between each source

4. Works Cited title is centered, but no underline or quotes

5. Works cited page should be on a separate page from the text of your essay

**Works Cited Reference**

__ BOOKS __ Author(s). __Title of Book__. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

// Book with one author //

Henley, Patricia. __The Hummingbird House__. Denver: MacMurray, 1999.

// Two books by the same author //

Palmer, William J. __Dickens and New Historicism__. New York: St. Martin's, 1997.

---. __The Films of the Eighties: A Social History__. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

// Book with more than one author //

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. __The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring__. Boston: Allyn, 2000.

// Book or article with no author named //

__ Encyclopedia of Indiana __. New York: Somerset, 1993.

__ A PART OF A BOOK (SUCH AS AN ESSAY IN COLLETION) __ Author(s). "Title of Article." __Title of Collection__. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Pages.

// Essay in a collection //

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." __A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One__ __to One__. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34.

// If use several essays in same collection: a way to simplify //

List the Collection: George, K Steven. Ed. __Title__ Publisher, date

List Each Article: Author. “Name” George 24-34.

// Article from a reference book //

“Jamaica.” __Encyclopedia Britannica__. 1999 ed.

__ ARTICLE IN A PERIODICAL (Newspaper or Magazine) __ Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year: pages

// Article with no author //

"Cigarette Sales Fall 30% as California Tax Rises." __New York Times__ 14 Sept. 1999: A17.

// Magazine or newspaper article //

Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71.

Trembacki, Paul. "Brees Hopes to Win Heisman for Team." Purdue Exponent 5 Dec. 2000: 20

__ AN ARTICLE IN A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL __ Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Vol (Year): pages.

// Essay in a journal with continuous pagination //

Allen, Emily. "Staging Identity: Frances Burney's Allegory of Genre." __Eighteenth-Century__ __Studies__ 31 (1998): 433-51.

// Essay in a journal that pages each issue separately //

Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's __White Noise.__" __Arizona__ __Quarterly__ 50.3 (1994): 127-53

__ A WEB SITE __ Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access.

// Web site examples //

Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15 Nov. 2000 <http://omni.cc.purdue.edu%7Efelluga/theory2.html>. __Purdue Online Writing Lab__. 2003. Purdue University. 10 Feb. 2003 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu>.

Ms. Madsen's Class Website. 5 Aug 2000 <www.crazenglish.wikispaces.com>

// Article on a web site //

Poland, Dave. "The Hot Button." __Roughcut__. 26 Oct. 1998. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct. 1998 <http://www.roughcut.com>.

"Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format." __Purdue Online Writing Lab__. 2003. Purdue University. 6 Feb. 200 <http://owl.english.purdue.eduhandouts/research/r_mla.html>.

// Online journal article //

Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." __Emerging Infectious Diseases__ 6.6 (2000): 33 pars. 5 Dec. 2000 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no6/wheelis.htm>.

__ INTERVIEW __ Name of Interviewee (LN, FN). Personal Interview. Day Month Year.

Purdue, Pete. Personal Interview. 1 Dec. 2000.

(back to term four) (back to top)