Benefiting Most from a Writing Tutorial

1. Benefiting Most from a Writing Tutorial Writing Lab Orientation for ESL Writers Purdue University Writing Lab

2. What is a Tutorial 30-minute One-to-One Session with a Tutor Purpose • To help you become a better writer What Happens? • You ask questions. • We try to answer them. • We also ask you questions to help you approach the writing task. Purdue University Writing Lab

3. A Tutor Can Help You at Every Stage of the Writing Process • Invention • Research • Drafting • Revising • Editing Purdue University Writing Lab

4. One Thing to Remember A tutor does NOT correct/proofread your paper because… that does not help you become a better writer. But the tutor can teach you HOW to proofread. Purdue University Writing Lab

5. Dos & Don’ts • Plan ahead: come when you start writing or with a first draft. • Before you come, set an agenda for the tutorial • Do NOT come at the last minute because you will have little time for revision! • Do NOT expect to work on too many issues in one tutorial. Purdue University Writing Lab

6. Setting an Agenda What do you want to work on? Why is agenda-setting important? • Tutorials are different from the instruction in the classroom setting. Tutors usually ask you what you want to work on. • You know your own writing best. • Be realistic about what can be done in one tutorial and set priorities. Purdue University Writing Lab

7. HOC and LOC • What are HOC (Higher Order Concerns)? • What are LOC (Lower Order Concerns)? Purdue University Writing Lab

8. Higher Order Concerns • Focus/Thesis • Purpose • Audience/Readers • Organization • Development Purdue University Writing Lab

9. Lower Order Concerns • Grammar --sentence structure --punctuation --prepositions --articles --verb tense • Word choice • Spelling Purdue University Writing Lab

10. The Need to Prioritize If you want to work on both HOCs and LOCs with a writing tutor, we suggest you plan to work on HOCs first because • We have limited time in a tutorial. • Starting with LOCs may distract you from global issues (HOCs) you may need to address. • After your work on HOCs, you may delete/add some parts. Purdue University Writing Lab

11. Five-Topic Agenda-Generator • Instructions for the assignment • Your familiarity with the writing task • Preferred textual patterns in AAE (American Academic English) • Development • Lower Order Concerns Purdue University Writing Lab

12. Instructions for the Assignment • Do you have any questions about the instructions? • Is there an assignment sheet? • Do you have notes taken in class? Purdue University Writing Lab

13. Your Familiarity with the Task • Have you worked on this kind of writing task before? • Did you read samples written by others? • What questions do you have about the writing task? Purdue University Writing Lab

14. Your Familiarity with Preferred Textual Patterns in AAE (American Academic English) • Thesis statement (your main point) • Structure • Transitions • Direct, concise and to the point OWL Handout: Writing for an American Academic Audience Purdue University Writing Lab

15. Development Have you supported your main points with supporting details? For Example: It is important for you to try to set the agenda for the tutorial in advance because 1. We have only thirty minutes; 2. The tutorial is more effective if we focus on one or two concerns; 3. Students usually learn best when they take the initiative in the learning process. Purdue University Writing Lab

16. Lower Order Concerns • Grammar What are the patterns of grammatical errors I tend to make? • Word Choice What are the words I am using but uncertain about? Actually, there is a 24-7 teacher to help you with most of your lower order concerns. Purdue University Writing Lab

17. Your Best 24-7 Teacher The right dictionary! • Tells you the part of speech of words • Gives you examples of word usage • Provides collocations • Provides usage notes Purdue University Writing Lab

18. Recommended Dictionaries for ESL Writers • Longman Dictionary of American English • Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English • Longman Web Dictionary www.longmanwebdict.com Purdue University Writing Lab

19. Dictionary Use Basics Read the Full Guide for Users in a hard copy! Learn Grammar: part of speech Learn Usage: collocation phrasal verbs usage notes Purdue University Writing Lab

20. Questions to Ask Yourself Regarding Grammar What are my grammar questions? • Can I find the answer in a good dictionary? If you cannot: • What exactly is my grammar question? Can I write it down? • Can I underline the parts I have questions about? Then take your questions and your paper with the underlined sections to the Writing Lab. Purdue University Writing Lab

21. We Have Covered • What a writing tutorial is • What a tutor can help you with your writing process • Dos and Don’ts • A Five-Topic agenda-generator We hope you have learned more about writing tutorials and benefit most from them in the future! Purdue University Writing Lab

22. For More Help with Writing • Visit the Writing Lab at HEAV226 • Call 49-43723 to schedule a tutorial • Attend more in-lab workshops • Visit Online Writing Lab at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu Purdue University Writing Lab