WritingProject#3TemplateIdeas

Inparticulargenresofwriting,writerswilloftenmakeuseofsimilarorganizationsandwaysof
structuringthecontentofparticularkindsofwriting.Often,writersfindithelpfultocreate
templatesorpatternstohelpthemaccomplishwritingtasksmoreefficientlyand
productively.Additionally,templatescanhelpreadersunderstandwhatwhatisgoingto
happeninaparticularpieceofwritingtheycanstructurethereadersexperienceofthepiece
ofwriting.

Inthematerialsthatfollow,youwillfindanorganizationaltemplateforWritingProject#3
TheTheoryofWriting.Youarenotrequiredtousethistemplate,butitmighthelpyou
constructyourTheoryofWritingmoreefficientlyandeffectively.

Note:inthetemplatethatfollows,youwillseeanumberofheadings.Theseheadingsareused
tohelpthereaderdistinguishdifferentsectionsintheproject.Headingscanalsobeusefulfor
thewriterbecausetheygiveabroadoverviewofwhatthewriterhasdoneinthepieceof
writing,andtheycanhelpkeepthewriterontrackwhentheyarecomposingtheproject(i.e.,a
writercanquicklytelliftheyarestrayingofftopicifaparticularparagraphdoesnotmatchup
withtheheadingunderwhichitfalls).

Introduction

Intheintroduction,youcangivesomebackgroundaboutyourtheoryofwriting,whatyouthink
youcangainfromthinkingthroughit,andsoforth.Ofcriticalimportanceisyour thesis
.
Rememberthatyourthesismustarticulatewhatyouunderstandtheactofwritingtobe.Your
thesismightreadsomethinglikethefollowing: Afterworkingthroughmytheoryofwriting,I
understandtheactofwritingtobe[INSERTYOURCLAIMABOUTTHEACTOFWRITING].
Alternatively,yourthesiscouldreadsomethinglikethefollowing: Iunderstandtheactof
writingtobe[INSERTCLAIMABOUTTHEACTOFWRITING].Inthecourseofthisessay,Iwill
explorethistheoryofwritingthroughadiscussionofmyidentityasawriterandthinker,a
reflectionuponmywritingintermsoftheENG101courseoutcomes,andanexplorationofhow
ENG101haspreparedmeforfuturewritingendeavors. Notethatthesecondversionofathesis
previewstheessaytocomeandalsotiesthewritersclaimabouttheactofwritingtotheother
componentsoftheessay.

WhoAmI?AWriter.(thissectionheadingcouldhavemanydifferentkindsoftitles)

Inthissectionofyourprojectyouwanttotieyourthesistoyourcurrentstruggles,
accomplishments,andabilitiesasareader,writer,andcriticalthinker.Thissectionslendsitself
tothreepossiblesubsections.Youcouldorganizethissectionasfollows:

Struggles
Accomplishments
Abilities

Youwouldapproacheachofthesesectionsintermsofyourcurrentidentityasareader,writer,
andcriticalthinker(ineachsubsection).

Alternatively,youcouldorganizethissectionofyourprojectasfollows:

Reading
Writing
CriticalThinking

Ifyouorganizedthissectionoftheprojectinthisway,youwouldapproacheachofthese
subsectionsintermsofyourstruggles,accomplishments,andabilities.So,forexample,under
Reading,youmightdiscussyourstruggleswithreadinginENG101,whatyouhave
accomplishedintermsofreading,andyourownsenseofyourreadingabilitiesasyounearthe
endofENG101.Youwouldthentalkaboutyourstruggleswithwriting,accomplishmentsin
writing,andyoursenseofyourcurrentabilitiesintermsofwriting.Youwouldthen,ofcourse,
dothesameintermsofcriticalthinking.

REMEMBER:youneedtosupportyourclaimsaboutwritingwithspecificandconcrete
referencestoyourownworkinyourtheoryofwriting.Thissectionisanexcellent(andeasy)
placetoprovidesuchsupportandtoexplainhowthatsupportworks(ifitisevidencefora
claim,besuretoexplaintoyourreadersHOWitisevidenceforaclaim).Also,besuretotryand
tietheworkofthissectionbacktoyourthesisasmuchasyoucan.

MyWriting,Outcomes,andHabitsofMind

OneofthemajordeliverablesofWritingProject#3reads:

Youressayshouldrelateyourwritingandyourwritingprocesstoonebulletpointof
eachofthefouroutcomeareasoftheWPAOutcomesStatement(i.e.Rhetorical
Knowledge,CriticalThinking,Reading,andComposing,etc.).Additionally,youshould
discusshowyouusedoneoftheHabitsofMindfromtheFrameworkforSuccessin
PostsecondaryWritingtoachieveoneormoreoftheWPAOutcomes.

Thisdeliverablelendsitselftoagainusingsubsections:

RhetoricalKnowledge
So,forexample,youmightdiscussyourworkinENG101withUnderstand[ing]andus[ing]a
varietyoftechnologiestoaddressarangeofaudiences(beingsuretouseconcreteexamples
fromyourwork).

CriticalThinking,Reading,andComposing
HereyoumightdiscussactivitiesinENG101thathelpedyoutoUsecomposingandreadingfor
inquiry,learning,criticalthinking,andcommunicatinginvariousrhetoricalcontexts.

Processes
Ifyoufoundpeerreviewstobeparticularlyhelpful,youmightwriteabouthowyou
Experience[d]thecollaborativeandsocialaspectsofwritingprocesses.

KnowledgeofConventions
ForKnowledgeofConventionsyoumightwriteabouthowyouLearn[ed]commonformats
and/ordesignfeaturesfordifferentkindsoftexts.
NOTE:theexamplesundereachoftheoutcomesaboveareonlyexamplestherearemany
otheroptionsundereachoutcome,andtheassignmentonlyasksyoutorelateyourwriting
andyourwritingprocesstoonebulletpointofeachofthefouroutcomesareas.

INSERTHABITandINSERTOUTCOME
Asthetitleofthissubsectionindicates,youwouldneedtochooseoneoftheHabitsofMind
(Curiosity,Openness,Engagement,Creativity,Persistence,Responsibility,Flexibility,or
Metacognition)anddiscusshowthathabithelpedyouachieveoneormoreoftheWPA
Outcomes.

REMEMBER(AGAIN):youneedtosupportyourclaimsaboutwritingwithspecificandconcrete
referencestoyourownworkinyourtheoryofwriting.Thissectionisanexcellent(andeasy)
placedoprovidesuchsupportandtoexplainhowthatsupportworks.Also,besuretotryand
tietheworkofthissectionbacktoyourthesisasmuchasyoucan.

MyGrowth,MyWriting,MyFuture (again,thissectioncouldhavelotsofdifferentheadings
justbesurethatyourheadingpointstowhatthatsectionisabout)

Thissectioncouldtakeanumberofdifferentapproaches,butusingsubsectionsmighthelp
youdisentanglethemultiplesubjectsyouwanttoaddresshere.Forexample:

AcademicProjects
Inthissubsection,youmightdiscusshowyourgrowthorworkinENG101willhelpyoufaceand
succeedwithfutureacademicprojects.

ProfessionalProjects
Inthissubsection,youmightconsiderhowthereading,writing,andcriticalthinkingworkdone
inENG101mightprepareyouforfutureprofessionalprojects.

PersonalProjects
AsweveseenthroughoutENG101,thereisalotofcrossoverinwritingbetweenthepersonal
andthepublic.Inthissubsectionyoumightthinkaboutpersonalprojectsthatmightbe
influencedorinflectedbyyourgrowthasareader,writer,andcriticalthinker.

NOTE:althoughthissectionseemslikeamorereflectiveone,itshouldstillberigorous.Besure
toexplainyourselfthoroughly.

ConcludingThoughts(aseparateconcludingsectionisoptionalyouwillneedtodecideifit
addssomethingtoyourprojectornot)
Inconcludingsections,itiscommonto:

(i) createaparallelismwithyouropeningsection(returntohowyouopenedthe
projectinlightofwhatyouwrotethroughouttheproject),and
(ii) takeyourreaderbeyondtheconfinesoftheprojectitself.

Youmightreflectonthevalueofcomposingatheoryofwriting,oryoumightmeditateonhow
theactcomposingatheoryofwritinghaschangedhowyouthinkofyourselfasawriter.There
aremanyoptionshere,justbesureyouhaveaclearreasonfordoingwhatyoudoinany
concludingsection:whatdoyouwanttoaccomplishwithyourreader,howareyou
accomplishingit,etc.?