“The Writing Process”

1. “The Writing Process” • Bell Ringer: What are the elements of a good essay? • Presentation • The Myth of Persuasion • Stages of the Writing Process • The Thesis Statement • Parts of the Essay • Toulmin Method and Mel-Con • Transitions • Application: America is like… Patterns for College Writing, Chapter 1 (pp.13-60)

2. The Myth of Persuasion Myth: Persuasion is a separate mode of discourse from narration, description, and exposition with different rules and principles. Truth: It really isn’t! Reasoning: All good writers try to persuade their readers to believe the validity of an opinion or idea, which is known as a thesis. Since all good writers write with a thesis, all good writing contains an element of persuasion!

3. Stages of the Writing Process I. Invention A. Prewriting 1. Free Writing 2. Journaling 3. Brainstorming 4. Clustering B. Organizing 1. Graphic Organizers 2. Outlines II. Drafting III. Revising IV. Editing V. Publishing

4. An effective thesis statement… Clearly expresses your essay’s main idea (position) and reflects your essay’s purpose, which can be descriptive, expressive, informative, or persuasive. Takes a stand, justifies discussion, expresses one main idea (position), and is specific. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 29-34)

5. An effective thesis statement is not… An announcement of the subject. A statement of intent. A statement of fact. A title. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 29-34)

6. Basic Thesis Pattern Topic + Strong Action Verb + Because Clause w/ Main Point Preview Example: The health-care systemin American needsrepair because many Americans are without insurance and those who are insured tend to be inadequately covered. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 29-34)

7. Application: Is it a strong or weak thesis? 1. Sugar consumption. • Weak: This is a sentence fragment; it is a subject for a paper, but it is not a thesis statement. 2. Reducing sugar consumption. • Weak: This is also a sentence fragment; it is a subject for a paper, but it is not a thesis statement. 3. More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices available to elementary school children. • Weak: While better, this statement is still to vague and does not specify why. 4. Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar. • Weak: This is a statement of fact; it does not make an assertion. It is a statement that could be used to defend an assertion made in a thesis statement, but it is not a thesis statement. 5. Because half of all American elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy alternatives. • Strong: This statement takes a stand, justifies discussion, expresses one main idea, and is specific.

8. Application: Is it a strong or weak thesis? 6. There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement. • Weak: This statement does not take a stand, and it is too vague. 7. Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers. • Strong 8. While most American families would view consanguineous marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family. • Strong 9. My family is an extended family. • Weak: This statement is a statement of fact. 10. Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support. • Weak: The relationship between the two ideas is unclear. 11. Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support. • Strong 12. Hunger persists in many third world countries because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable. • Strong 13. World hunger has many causes and effects. • Weak: This statement does not take a stand, and it is too vague.

9. Parts of the Essay Introduction • Generates interest with a relevant anecdote, definition, fact, statistic, rhetorical question, or quotation. • Provides necessary background information. • Clearly states the thesis and previews main points that support or defend the thesis. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 38-45)

10. Parts of the Essay Body • Each body paragraph should be unified and focused on developing one main point. • Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that specifies the main point of the paragraph. • Each body paragraph should develop its main point with evidence (e.g., anecdotes, descriptive details, examples, facts, statistics, and documented research in the form of direct references and indirect references) and elaboration linking the evidence back to the main point. • Each body paragraph should conclude with a clincher sentence that reinforces or restates the main point of the paragraph. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 38-45)

11. Parts of the Essay Conclusion • Restate your thesis. • Summarize your main points. • Leave a lasting impression by making a relevant recommendation, making a relevant prediction, or citing a relevant quotation. Patterns for College Writing (pp. 38-45)

12. Toulmin Method for Argumentation and Persuasion • Make a claim, a main point that supports your thesis. • Provide grounds (data, details, evidence, and examples) to support your claim. • Provide a warrant (bridge or link) explaining how the grounds supports the claim. • Provide further backing (grounds and warrants) to support your claim. • Address the counterclaim. • Refute the counterclaim. *See the OWL Purdue packet for further information!

13. Evaluation: What is America Like? Dropping into the American Half Pipe America is a lot like skateboarding. Just like skateboarding, in America a person has the freedom to roam around. While a person is free to roam around, that person can get punished if he or she goes into restricted zones. As one can see, America is like skateboarding. • What are the strengths of this essay? • What are the weaknesses of this essay?

14. Application • Write an essay in which you describe what America is like. • If you are suffering from writer’s block, you can being writing by completing the following statement: America is like… • After writing for twenty minutes, share your essay with a partner and answer the peer-review questions. • Return the essay with your responses to the peer-review questions to your partner. • Turn in your essay and peer-review sheet as you leave class.

15. Peer Review Questions • What is the one part of the essay that you think is most memorable? Why? • What are three strengths of the essay? • What are three things that could use improvement? • What is an “ah ha” moment that you had while reading the essay?