Lecture one Planning the Essay

1. Lecture one Planning the Essay

2. Objectives Students will be able to: 1. have a clear sense of audience and purpose; 2. know what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in writing, and how they can refine a thesis statement for their draft; 3. grasp three prewriting strategies; 4. grasp outlining and organizational strategies.

3. Warm-up What should an effective essay include?

4. The real pleasure in writing does not come from knowing what to say but from the joy of discovering what we don't know until we discovered it on the page before us.

5. Thinking about Audience and Purpose • Audience and purpose not only determine how you write; they shape your content, or what you write as well. • The first step toward effective essay writing is to know why and for whom you’re writing.

6. Here are some questions you can ask yourself about audience: • Who is the audience of your writing? • Do you think your audience is interested in the topic? Why or why not? • Why should your audience be interested in this topic? • What does your audience already know about this topic? • What does your audience need to know about this topic? • What do you hope the audience will gain from your text?

7. who is your audience for the topic “dorm food”? • current students, prospective students, parents of students, university administrators, or nutrition experts • While students might be more concerned with the taste of the food or the hours food is available, parents might be more concerned with the price.

8. Each essay must have a clear purpose. • Why are you writing? What is the goal of your essay? What are you hoping to convey through your writing? What do you hope to achieve in your essay?

9. My goal in the essay is to: • demonstrate that I am a resourceful (足智多谋的)person. • explain why I took a year off after high school and show how that year prepared me for college. • show how my mistake taught me an important lesson: If you don’t follow directions, someone can get hurt.

10. Thesis statement • A thesis statement is a single sentence that is used to define the purpose of your essay. • When that purpose is expressed in a clear statement, that clear statement is the thesis statement.

11. Thesis statement • rarely longer than a single sentence (occasionally, a thesis statement spans two sentences) • Revealing the purpose of the essay in the thesis statement demonstrates critical thinking.

12. the lack of a thesis statement may well be a symptom of an essay lack of focus (even narrative essays contain an implied thesis statement)

13. Always determine the thesis statement before writing the essay. But it should remain flexible until the paper is finished.

14. frequently appears at or near the end of the first paragraph (the introductory paragraph ) • A good thesis statement will cause the reader to continue reading the essay.

15. Do not write"In this paper I am going to..." or "The purpose of this paper is to..." to begin your thesis.

16. a strong thesis: "Although computers are a great resource in today's world, they are hindering face-to-face communication."

17. Using a statement format like "Computers are bad because of X, Y, Z" shows poor writing and it is not a particularly strong statement.

18. Examples: • The Internet, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers. • A new report suggests social media Web sites can have real benefits and risks for children.

19. A good thesis statement 1. make a strong, clear assertion that conveys your attitude about the subject. No assertion: The School of Rock is about a substitute teacher. Mild assertion: The School of Rock is an entertaining film about an influential substitute teacher. Strong assertion: The School of Rock is about how a substitute teacher uses the transformative power of rock and roll to help his students and himself.

20. A good thesis statement 2. strike the balance between too broad and too narrow Too broad: Animals have developed many strategies for survival. Focused:Many animals have developed physical properties that serve to protect them from predators(捕食者).

21. Too narrow: In “The Open Boat,” the repetition of “If I am going to be drowned” conveys Crane’s theme of the indifference of nature. • Balanced: In “The Open Boat,” Crane uses several stylistic techniques to convey his theme of the indifference of nature.

22. 3. not simply an announcement of the subject matter; you need to tell readers what you are going to say about your subject. • Announcement:This paper will discuss some of the erroneous theories about the causes of the Great Depression. • Thesis statement:The Great Depression was caused neither by the stock market crash of 1929 nor the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act.

23. 4. not simply a question or list of questions Question:Why did Kafka choose to turn Gregor into a giant beetle? Thesis statement:Gregor’s transformation into a giant beetle isa powerful symbol representing his industrious nature and his role in his family both before and after his transformation.

24. 5.not simply a statement of fact; it must be an assertion that conveys your ideas Statement of fact: There are many important similarities between the Perrault and Grimm versions of Little Red Riding Hood. Thesis statement:Both the Perrault and Grimm Brothers versions of Little Red Riding Hood reveal the authors’ negative attitudes toward women.

25. Pre-writing strategies • Even the most experienced writers sometimes have trouble coming up with ideas. The three useful strategies for generating ideas are: brainstorming, free writing, and clustering.

26. Brainstorming Listing 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or words at the top of your paper. 2. Write down any word or phrase that might relate to your main topic underneath. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Your goal is to write down as many ideas as quickly as possible. Why I Want to Become a Nurse

27. Brainstorming Listing Why I Want to Become a Nurse Like science Like problem solving Many jobs available in nursing Good salary Like working in a hospital Want to help other people Challenging job Opportunities for promotion Interested in study of diseases Interested in study of human body Flexible hours Will always learn something new

28. Brainstorming How to be a Successful Language Learner • Practice speaking with others • Take classes • Guess at the meanings of words • Listen to radio or TV • Observe others • Set reasonable goals • Don’t be afraid to experiment • Study vocabulary in related topics • Ask others to correct you • Look for patterns in your errors • Organize your study time • Use special techniques to remember new words • Ask for help when you don’t understand • Review material regularly • Use a dictionary • Choose a good textbook

29. Clustering Mind mapping Transportation Alcatraz Museums San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge Chinatown Fisherman’s Wharf 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word in the center of your paper. 2. Write down any sub-topics that are connected to that main topic. Draw arrows to the sub-topics from the main topic.

30. Cable Car BART Bus Civilian Prison 1934-1963 American Legion Modern Art Museum Old Military Prison Transportation Asian Art Museum Famous Prisoners Alcatraz Museums Restaurants San Francisco Completed 1937 Stores Golden Gate Bridge Scenic View Theaters Chinatown Fisherman’s Wharf Clam Chowder Ships boats Clustering 3. If you have new ideas, connect those words to the appropriate sub-topic.

31. Volleyball Soccer Cleaned Houses Housewife Went to church Waitress Taught Sunday School Hard Worker Very Religious My Mother Gave to charity Intelligent Read many books A Leader After-School Club Coordinator Had many different interests President of PTA Liked Sports Clustering

32. Freewriting 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or words at the top of your paper. 2. Freewriting is like talking to yourself on paper. Write as much as you can in connected sentences (not lists) about your topic. Write as quickly as you can without stopping to think about grammar or organization. My Favorite Book

33. Freewriting My Favorite Book My favorite book… I don’t know where to start. I read so many books that are interesting that it’s hard to choose just one. I guess I could start by talking about the kinds of books I really like. I like biographies and autobiographies the best. I really enjoy reading about another person’s life. One of my favorite books is called Roots by Alex Haley. How the author was able to trace his family history all the way back to Africa was amazing! Another book I really enjoyed was Carl Sandburg’s biography of Abraham Lincoln. What an incredible president! There are also some very interesting books about leaders like Napoleon, Churchill, and Stalin. Well, I guess that gives me a few ideas about where I can start on my topic.

34. Freewriting A Problem I Have I have of course many problems in my life like everybody has, but right now I am feeling new problems like the cultural shock. I got out of my country and came to study in the U.S.A. One of the biggest problems is to make friends, to make or have the good old friends I have back home. It’s so hard here- you don’t know how to act, whether you should ask them their telephone number or wait for them to do it, whether you should call them very often or not. Are they bothered by my language problem? Can they not carry on a conversation with me because they always talk about local or national subjects about which I am not informed? This is really hard and sometimes makes me feel like a stranger in a group where everybody is laughing and talking and they supposedly were my friends. (Spack, R., 1996)

35. Through brainstorming, clustering and freewriting, students can come up with ideas and possibly find a tentative thesis for their essay.

36. Outlining and Organizational Strategies • Now that you have a tentative thesis, you may be tempted to start drafting. • Sometimes, this approach works, especially if you’ve done a lot of brainstorming, have thought carefully about your assignment, and your writing skills are strong. • More often, however, a great essay is the product not only ofbrainstorming, but of organization as well.

37. Outlining and Organizational Strategies Whether an essay is organized by chronology, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, or some other strategy, every essay has the same underlying structure: assertion ➞ support. • The essay asserts(主张,坚持) an idea (its thesis) • and then supports the thesis with specific examples, evidence, and details.

38. The structure is like this: Main idea (thesis) ↓ Major supporting idea Minor supporting idea Support Minor supporting idea Support ↓ Major supporting idea Minor supporting idea Support ……

39. The exact underlying structure will vary depending upon the number and type of supporting ideas, but in all its variations, it is the foundation for most essays.

40. Outlining and Organizational Strategies The Benefits of an Outline First, it will give structure to your ideas. Second, help you determine where you need more support for your thesis. Third, help judge the plausibility(合理性) of your thesis. A good outline can help you revise, modify,and strengthen your thesisbefore you begin writing.

41. Kinds of Outlines Informal Outlines: List only the major supporting ideas Example: Evaluate the proposal to replace the current graded income tax system with a flat tax. Should we institute a flat tax system? Why or why not? 1. Introduction—thesis: A flat tax would be good for the government and for citizens. 2. Problems with current system 3. How flat tax works 4. Benefits of flat tax system a. for government b. for citizens 5. Conclusion

42. Formal Outlines: it includes specific, supporting details and several levels of support. Here is a part of a formal outline for the same assignment: →

43. I. Describe problems with the current system. A. complex 1. tax rates vary greatly 2. too many intricate details B. unfair 1. deductions, loopholes, special interests 2. people with same income can pay different amount of taxes C. wasteful 1. different forms for different people 2. huge administrative costs 3. huge compliance costs 4. advising costs

44. II. How flat tax works A. all citizens pay same rate—17%—for income over a set minimum B. all citizens get same personal exemption C. no breaks for special interest D. no loopholes

45. III. Benefits A. citizens 1. sense of fairness—all treated equally 2. poorest pay no taxes 3. simple to calculate and file 4. families save more 5. more faith in government 6. people will save and invest more B. government 1. streamline IRS a. reduce cost i. fewer employees ii. less paper, printing, etc. iii. less auditing costs 2. healthier economy

46. Topic and Title • Topics are not titles of your essay. • Titles add value to an essay. • They provide readers with an initial impression. • They can also establish tone. An amusing title, for example, tells readers that the essay will probably be humorous.

47. In many cases, essay titles are straightforward and simple. • Based on the main points in your essay, think of a creative way to make the title stand out. • Most of the time, it is a phrase; but it can also be a brief sentence that reveals the thesis of the essay.

48. The following are good titles: • Icy Defender • Daydream a Little • Writing for Myself • Public Attitudes Towards Science • Tony Trivisonno’s American Dream • What Animals Really Think? • Do Animals Fall in Love • Why This Scientists Believes in God

49. Topic sentence • Topic sentences express the main idea of each paragraph. ●The topic sentence is an effective signal that keep both the reader and the writer on track.

50. A valid topic sentence includes a subject/topic and a controlling idea. 1. the subject/topic: the idea the paragraph is about 2. the main/controlling idea: the statement that make a point(表明观点) about the topic