College Writing Students:

Thank you to those of you completed the classroom Hows Class Going evaluation form on Friday. I consider this input a valuable means of improving your learning experience. As it would be difficult for me to address each of you on an individual basis and many of your opinions coincided, I will instead tackle the five main concerns in a response to the group as a whole. If your comments were more distinctive, I will be contacting you individually. 1)

Essay Structure: This has been discussed in class, so start by going back over your
notes. Additionally, everyone has been given essay rubrics and outlines to diagram the different aspects of formulating an essay. If you are still confused, read below. o Beginnings: See attached for an example. o Basic Essay Map: Every essay has a basic skeleton it builds on: Introduction>Body>Conclusion. The number of paragraphs varies according to your objective. If you would like more detailed information about what features should be in each portion of the essay, as well as how to formulate individual paragraphs and transitions. See attached for an example. o Thesis Statements: A thesis statement consists of 2 parts: a main claim and supporting reasons. See attached for an example. o Supporting Reasons: if you cannot think of reasons to support your position, it may be time to rethink your main claim. However, some ways to generate reasons is through research of the topic. How do others involved in your topic support their position? Another way to locate your supporting reasons is to look at who is in opposition to your position. Sometimes knowing why others disagree helps you to realize why you support your position. o Conclusions: This is just where you summarize the main claim in your essay. The trick is to restate this information in an original way. See Chapter 29 in your text book, for some ideas. o Conventions: The writing center is a valuable tool available to all Southwestern students. Use it. If you are having trouble understanding words, look them up in the dictionary or ask me to help clarify.

2)

General Confusion: a few of you have expressed that you need more explanation.
This can be easily remedied in one of the following two ways: o Ask: Unfortunately, I havent had time to hone in on my telepathy skills. So, if my directions are unclear, the best reaction is to directly ask me for further assistance. We are limited to fifty minutes in the classroom, so if you do not feel there is enough time you can arrange to meet with me outside of class, send me an email, or arrange a Skype conference. I am available on campus most days to help you, but I cannot do that if I dont know you need assistance. o Attendance: One of the main reasons some of you need more explanations is because you dont come to class. As one student put it, you must have good attendance and

participate in class, in order to get something out of it. Understand that when you are absent, regardless of it being excused or not, it is your responsibility to arrange a time to meet with me outside of class, otherwise you will fall behind. Furthermore, according to Southwestern policy, after 8 unexcused absences you will fail the course.

3) Research:
o If you are having trouble finding sources to reinforce your argument, maybe you missed the library tutorial. The Deets Librarian is available in the Library to direct you in the process of locating research both in person and online. Utilize this valuable assistance. Maybe you just need to find different ways of expressing what you are looking for. This was the intent behind our Liberians Taboo game that she had the class play. You also may need to consider that maybe the reason you cannot find support is because it does not exist. It is possible that you need to modify your main claim or supporting reasons or maybe even change your topic altogether. Chapter 43 in your text book also offers suggestions with regards to research and my office doors are always open.

o o

o 4)

Public Speaking: Some of you do not like being put on the spot in class discussion;
either individually or as a group. o The syllabus clearly states that students will be required to communicate orally through frequent discussion and that no student is exempt from this activity. Therefore, you may be disappointed to hear, that I will continue to put you on the spot. o Among helping you to organize your thoughts, speak clearly and focus you message, learning to speak in front of a group builds confidence and self image. It can help you network and meet new people, have a successful job interview, deal with adverse situations, and work with others. A person who can speak well in front of a crowd and convey their point powerfully and persuasively will have an edge over others in the professional world. o Use the opportunity to speak in class to your advantage. Our classroom is a safe environment where classmates can give you constructive feedback. They are all in the same boat as you and want to see you succeed. o On my end, understand that the questions I ask are designed to hold you accountable for your learning. It demonstrates to me whether or not you have been keeping up with the readings and working on your essay outside of class. The questions are not meant to make you feel insecure. When you answer incorrectly, the criticism you receive is meant to be constructive so that in the future you will not make the same mistake. If you dont know the answers, study harder or meet with me to discuss your confusion outside of class. o Just be yourself and dont let your ego get in the way of relating your answers. Sometimes you will be wrong. That does not mean you are stupid, and no one is thinking that. In fact, one of your peers stated that she [did]nt think anyone judges one another when giving answers. Another fellow student emphasized that he was not

ashamed to ask if [he] had a question. No one is laughing at you. In fact, they may not have known the answer themselves. When you dont know the answer, it simply means that particular point is one that you have not learned yet. That is why you are here. If you already knew everything, what would be the point of college? 5)

Time Management:
o Readings, topic generation, thesis building, outline organization, peer reviews and revision workshops have all been built in to your syllabus. These assignments and your active participation provide time for you to work on your essays in class. In fact, since this is a college writing course, every class is designed to help you formulate your essays. Essays test your ability to combine everything you have learned into one fluid piece of writing. They are the application of what is taught in class. When you know you have a psychology exam, you study. Just as you are not allowed to bring your text book into that exam, you cannot expect to write your entire essay in class. Instead, you have to take the time outside of class to prepare the final draft. You will have plenty of opportunities to write an essay in class. However, you will be expected to write it on the spot, and there will be no peer review or period of time to revise your paper. Well get to that next semester Your text book provides a Scheduling Checklist that can help you to plan your research on page 376.

As always, if you feel that you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

How to Write a Strong Beginning

Ways to Grab the Reader's Attention
March 7, 2009 by Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph from http://suite101.com/article/how-to-write-a-strong-begining-a100937

When writing a paper, there are some ways that work better than others. Choose the right beginning whether it is a personal, persuasive, opinion or argument essay. The King of Hearts tells Alice that the way to begin is to "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." This is sound advice. How to follow this advice is a stranger matter. Here are some things to consider when beginning a piece of writing:
Points to Consider 1. A really good beginning cannot be written until its understood what the paper is about. This is because writing is first and foremost a process of discovery. The beginning can be a mystery right up to the third, fourth, or fifth draft. The best beginnings are written near the end of the drafting process. 2. The beginning is how you want to grab your readers attention. This is not easy, knowing that most people would rather do anything than sit down and read. So think about the sort of beginning that grabs your attention and see if you can begin your essay the same way. 3. Once you have a strong idea of the overall direction and tone of your essay, you can include this in your opening paragraph. Thus the tone or overall point to your story or essay will be introduced right at the top and is referred to as the thesis. Possible Ways to Begin Anecdote: Beginning with a brief story that in some way captures the essence of your larger narrative or essay is an often used and very effective start. Analogy/Comparison: This serves a piece of writing that is about some subject that might at first seem dull or uninteresting. You can snag the readers attention by drawing an analogy to something that grabs more. Dialogue/Quotation: Sometimes opening with the voice of another person, whether it be something overheard somewhere or read, can help focus the paper. Irony or Humor: This is an easy way to catch a readers attention. Just be sure it is appropriate to the piece youre writing. You dont want to begin with a joke and then go on to discuss the black plague in the Middle Ages. This would probably just win you an award in the bad taste category. Short Generalization: It is a miracle that New York works at all. E.B. White Startling Claim: It is possible to stop most drug addiction in the United States within a very short time. Gore Vidal Rhetorical Questions: Just how interconnected is the animal world? Is it true that if we change any part of that world we risk unduly damaging life in other, larger parts of it? Matthew Douglas (However, this should be the only question in the essaynote from dos Santos) Beginnings to Avoid Apology: I am a college student and do not consider myself an expert in the computer industry, but here goes. Complaint: Id rather write about a topic of my own choice than the one that is assigned, but here goes.

Websters Dictionary: Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines the verb to snore as follows: to breathe during sleep with a rough hoarse noise due to vibration of the soft palate. Platitude or Clich: America is the land of opportunity, and no one knows it better than (fill in the blank). Reference to Title: As you can see from my title, this essay is about why we should continue to experiment with human transplants.

Writers Tip: Sometimes the only way to get going on a piece of writing is by using one of these clunky openers (Beginnings to Avoid). They serve as a sort of spark plug for the writing engine and can get you into your main material fast. Then, and this is very important, go back and REMOVE the unseemly clunker and replace it with a far more elegant and enticing beginning. Back to top

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Reviewing Thesis Statements: The main claim is the driving force of the essay. Since the thesis should package the entire essay into one, neat statement, then, above all, the main claim must be included in the thesis statement. The main claim is the most important part of the thesis and each reason must be intimately tied to it. This is why it is always very important to map out your thesis before anything else. Before you write it, first identify the main claim (the driving force of the essay), and how you will support that claim (the reasons). Put simply, look at the following example: Main claim: North American Culture (is what? Ask yourself these kinds of questions after establishing what you want to write about) Reasons: 1. has a long history 2. blends traditions from several other cultures 3. provides a rich heritage Complete Thesis: North American culture has a long history, blends traditions from several other cultures, and provides a rich heritage. In turn, the essay will demonstrate that North American culture has a long history; North American culture blends traditions from several other cultures; North American culture provides a rich heritage. Notice that EVERY PART of the essay refers back to the main claim. This is absolutely imperative to the internal structure of an essay. The thesis statement not only guides the reader it is also there to help the writer stay focused on the objective; use it as a gauge. Please review the following and modify your papers as necessary.

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