The Basic Checklist

1. The Basic Checklist

2. Chapter Overview 1. The Basic Checklist 2. Writing Effectively 3. Speaking Effectively Chapter 2, Lesson 1

3. Lesson Overview • What is the purpose of the basic checklist? • What are the six steps in the basic checklist? • What is your purpose? • Why is understanding your audience important? • What are ways of conducting research? Chapter 2, Lesson 1

4. Lesson Overview • How do you support your ideas? • What are the benefits of getting organized? • What are the organizational patterns? • What are the benefits of outlining? • What are the benefits of drafting and editing? • What are the benefits of fighting for feedback? Chapter 2, Lesson 1

5. Quick Write Imagine… that a new community service organization at your school has decided to sponsor a program, the “Lunch Project,” to make, package, and deliver meals for a local outreach center. The center serves food to the homeless in your community. One committee of the Lunch Project has the job of publishing a four-page monthly newsletter about the program. The newsletter, called Lunch Lines, will go to students, alumni, parents, teachers, local businesses, and community members. Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic # 20132907 www.clipart.com

6. Quick Write You are going to be a writer on the newsletter staff. What do you think the purposes of the newsletter should be? • To inform? • To promote the program? • To solicit donations? • To profile the families helped? Think about the kinds of stories you and the other writers might want to cover. Make a list of five specific story ideas. Share it with a partner in class. Chapter 2, Lesson 1

7. Purpose of the Basic Checklist • The key to good writing is process • The basic checklist is a set of guidelines to help you through the process Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

8. Fight for feedback • Draft and edit • Get organized • Support your ideas • Conduct research to support your ideas • Analyze purpose and audience Steps in the Basic Checklist Chapter 2, Lesson 1

9. Your Purpose • Your purpose is what you want your audience to think, do, say, or believe after they’ve read what you’ve written • Some possible purposes of your writing: • to inform • to direct • to persuade • to inspire Chapter 2, Lesson 1

10. Purpose Statement A purpose statement is a single sentence that sums up what you’re trying to do—your “bottom line” Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

11. Understanding Your Audience The better you know your audience, the better you’ll be able to write a message that will accomplish your purpose Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

12. Your Tone • When you are writing, think about the tone of your message • Tone is not what you say, but how you say it • Pay close attention to how your writing sounds Chapter 2, Lesson 1

13. Conducting Research Researchis the process of digging up information that supports your purpose—it can help you become an expert on your topic Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

14. Using the Library • Librarians (real, live human beings) can help you find information and give basic research advice • Free access to books and periodicals—most of which aren’t available on the Internet • Information has been critically reviewed—it’s more trustworthy Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

15. Using the Internet • Convenient source of information • Search engines are a good place to start—such as Google or Ask Jeeves • But be careful! How do you know if information on the Internet is reliable? Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

16. Using the Internet • Ask yourself: Who created the website? What are the authors’ motives? • If you find the same piece of information at two or more sites, the chances of its accuracy are greater • It’s better to refer to original material than to rely on someone else’s interpretation of it Chapter 2, Lesson 1

17. Supporting Your Ideas • Sort through the information that provides the best support • For a controversial question or problem, arrange the evidence in a logical argument Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

18. Using Good Evidence • A definition is the precise meaning or significance of a word or phrase • Anexampleis a specific instance chosen to represent a larger fact in order to clarify an idea or support a claim • Testimony is the comments of authorities that are used to support a claim • Statistics provide a summary of data in a numerical format • Explanation makes a point plain or understandable or creates a relationship between cause and effect Chapter 2, Lesson 1

19. Logical Arguments are Important • They make a case, or a series of statements intended to persuade others • They give your readers enough information to make decisions on your subject Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

20. Benefits of Getting Organized Time Saver… • You’ll save time and frustration • Help your audience see your points • If you take the time to organize and outline your work before starting to write, you’re halfway toward your goal Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

21. Organizational Patterns: To Inform • Topical Pattern • Follows a logical order that reflects the nature of the material and the purpose of the writing • If you were writing about types of foods needed for the Lunch Project program, you might categorize the material according to the Food Guide Pyramid Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of USDA.gov

22. Patterns: To Inform • Chronological Pattern • Use this pattern to discuss events, problems, or processes in the sequence of time in which they take place or should take place (histories, processes, biographies) • In profiling a Lunch Project volunteer in the newsletter, you might tell, in chronological order, how the student became involved with the project Chapter 2, Lesson 1

23. Patterns: To Inform • Spatial/Geographical Pattern • Start at some point in space and proceed in sequence to other points • It is based on a directional strategy—north to south, clockwise or counterclockwise, bottom to top, right to left, and so on • Maybe Lunch Lines could publish a map and directions for getting to the community outreach center Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

24. Patterns: To Persuade • Problem/Solution Pattern • Use to identify a problem and one or more possible solutions, or to describe an issue and possible techniques for resolving it • If scheduling deliveries for the Lunch Project becomes complicated, for example, Lunch Lines might publish an article on how to solve the problem Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

25. Patterns: To Persuade • Cause/Effect Pattern • Use to show how one or more ideas, actions, or conditions lead to other ideas, actions, or conditions • You can begin with the effects, and then identify the causes, or vice versa • For instance, an editorial in Lunch Lines might discuss how poverty leads to unhealthy, high-risk behaviors Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

26. Patterns: To Persuade • Reasoning/Logic Pattern • State a position and then provide support for it • Use this pattern when your purpose is to present research that will win over your audience • If you are trying to persuade teachers to support the Lunch Project, look at this issue through their eyes: Start out with the argument that they are most likely to accept, and then move on Chapter 2, Lesson 1

27. Benefits of Outlining Outlining will: Test the flow of ideas Ease the pain of writing the first draft Help you focus on your purpose statement Save you effort when you edit Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

28. Drafting • Drafting is a quick, first writing of a paper, focused on ideas and not style • When you draft, you are a creator Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

29. Editing • When you edit, you shift from creator to critic • Editingis the slow, careful examination of a piece of writing to correct and clarify ideas and to ensure the proper form Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

30. Three-Step Approach to Editing • First pass: the big picture Arrangement/flow of ideas, purpose, length, introduction, conclusion, completeness • Second pass: paragraph structure and clarity Organization of main points and support, unity of focus, topic sentences • Third pass: details Unclear language, wordiness, and grammar and spelling errors; read your paper aloud as you edit Chapter 2, Lesson 1

31. Fight for Feedback! • Feedbackis the response of another person to your writing • Why is a second pair of eyes necessary? • Even the best writers get so close to their projects that they can no longer see them objectively • You may omit vital information, fail to see a weakness in an argument, or overlook need for a transition Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

32. Accept Feedback • To make good use of feedback, you need an open mind • Learn to accept criticism • Don’t take comments personally Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com

33. Review • Experienced writers know that the key to good writing is process • The basic checklist can help guide you through that writing process • The checklist has six steps: analyze purpose and audience, conduct research, support your ideas, get organized, draft and edit, and fight for feedback Chapter 2, Lesson 1

34. Review • Your purpose is what you want your audience to think, do, say, or believe after they’ve read what you’ve written • The better you know your audience, the better you’ll be able to write a message that will accomplish your purpose • Researchis the process of digging up information or evidence that supports your purpose. It can help you become an expert on your topic • For informative writing, you provide facts to support your ideas. For a controversial question or problem, you must assemble sound evidence as your foundation Chapter 2, Lesson 1

35. Review • The organizational pattern you choose should depend on your purpose, the needs of your audience, and the nature of your material • You’ll save time and frustration if you take time to organize your thoughts and write an outline • When you draft, you are a creator. When you edit, you shift from creator to critic • Fight for feedback, accept it willingly and use it constructively—it’s an important step in the writing process Chapter 2, Lesson 1

36. Summary • What is the purpose of the basic checklist? • What are the six steps in the basic checklist? • What is your purpose? • Why is understanding your audience important? • What are ways of conducting research? Chapter 2, Lesson 1

37. Summary • How do you support your ideas? • What are the benefits of getting organized? • What are the organizational patterns? • What are the benefits of outlining? • What are the benefits of drafting and editing? • What are the benefits of fighting for feedback? Chapter 2, Lesson 1

38. Next • Done—the basic checklist • Next—writing effectively Chapter 2, Lesson 1 Graphic courtesy of Clipart.com