Academic writing in English By David Rogers -...

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Academic writing in English

By

David Rogers

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Course Notes

Week 1

Syllabus

Week 02

Your Wiki

Introductions

Week 2 Activities

Week 03

Conclusions

Compare and Contrast

Week 3 Activities

Week 4 Preparation

Week 04

Essay Workshop

Week 4 Homework

Week 05

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements - Activities

Presentation 1 Preparation

Week 06

Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences - Activities

Presentation 1 Workshop

Week 07

Presentation 1

Week 07 Homework

Week 08

No Class

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Week 09

Definition

Description

Week 9 Activities

Week 9 Homework

Peer Review Rubric

Week 10

Cause and Effect

Argumentation

Week 10 Activities

Week 11

Analogy

Classification

Week 11 Activities

Week 12 Preparation

Week 12

Note Taking Activity

Week 12 Homework

Week 13

Different Paragraph Types


Week 14

Examination Essays


Week 15

Presentation 2

Week 15 Homework

Week 16

No class

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Week 01

Syllabus

The purpose of this class is to help students to write English in an academic style. In

particular this class will look at the features of thesis/support essays and try to help students

to produce these features themselves.

This class will be divided into three main sections:

Instruction

Review

Writing

Instruction

The notes for this class will be posted at:

www.drwriting.pbwiki.com

However, a hard copy version of the notes will be available from the university copy shop.

The name of the textbook is:

“Academic Writing in English” by David Rogers

Many people find it easier to read from a paper copy and it also allows students to make

their own notes on their textbooks.

In this class the teacher will deliver the instruction which will later be the basis for student

review and writing.

Review

Students will be required to write reviews of academic writing as well as doing peer review

on classmates writing. The purpose of this is to help students to identify features of

academic writing. Often it is easier to identify writing features in other’s writing than in

your own. If you can learn to see features in other peoples’ writing it may be easier to

produce these features in your own writing.

Writing

Students will be given the chance to produce pieces of academic writing both in the class

and as part of their homework. This will give students the chance to practice what they

have learned in the class.

Websites

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Students will be expected to open their own wiki at pbwiki.com. Each students will use

their wiki to do their own writing. Each student’s wiki will be linked to the teacher’s

homepage so that students will be able to read classmates writing. This is meant to give

students a feeling of writing for an audience as well as helping students with idea

generation for their own work. Reading classmates writing is designed to help you to

develop ideas not to steal other student’s work.

During the semester I will show students how to open a wiki and how to use it.

Grading

During the course of the semester students will have to do various writing activities. For

each of these activities students will receive a mark. At the end of the semester each

student’s marks will be totalled and students will be ranked (1st, 2

nd, 3

rd…etc) according to

who has the most marks.

Those ranks will be put into the universities computer and it will give grades according to

students’ ranks. For example:

Grade A+

1st

2nd

Grade A

3rd

4th

5th

Etc

Please note that there is no grade for attendance.

NOTE – Unless I make a mistake at the end of the semester I do not alter grades. If the 3rd

student asks for an A+, this will drop the 2nd

student’s grade to an A. I do not think that this

is fair and so I have a policy of not altering grades.

Contact

If you want to send me an e-mail to ask a private question you can e-mail me at:

[email protected]

NOTE – Writing is hard work. Do not take this class if you want an easy grade. However,

if you want to develop your academic writing skills I hope that I can help you.

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Week 02

Your Wiki

Opening your wiki

Go to the website: pbwiki.com. Type in the name that you want for your site. My site

name is “drwriting”. Therefore, my homepage address name is:

www.drwriting.pbwiki.com

If you choose a name that is already taken then your will be asked for another name. Then

type in the name of your e-mail address. You will be sent a confirmation e-mail. Go to

your e-mail account, it may have been sent in your junk mail. Open the e-mail and click on

the confirmation link. You will be asked for a password for your account. Remember your

password. Make sure that you make your wiki PUBLIC.

How to create a new page

At the top of your front page click “Create a New Page”. In the box that apears type in

“Homework1”. Click Enter. You have now created a new page.

How to edit a page

Click “Edit page”. Now in the top of the writing panel that appears type in “Homework1”.

Click Save. You have now edited this page. Click “Edit page” to add or delete anything

from your wiki page.

How to link pages

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Introductions

Purpose

The introduction is a place of great emphasis and therefore, it should be short, purposeful

as well as creating expectation.

There are many different ways to write an introduction so do not feel that you always have

to follow the same pattern. However, it is good to try and think of an introduction as a place

where you give a brief introduction to the main points that will be explored in your essay.

Introductions - How Long?

You may wonder how long your introduction should be. It is important to consider the

length of your introduction in relation to the length of the piece of writing as a whole. If

you are writing a five-paragraph essay or a dissertation, then obviously your introduction

will be of a different length. In a five-paragraph essay your introduction will be the first

paragraph whereas if you are writing a dissertation then the introduction will be the first

section.

As a rough guide you may try to have your introduction as 5 to 10 percent of your total

word count.

One chance to make a first impression

Remember that you only have one chance to make a first impression. What you say in the

introduction can make a lasting impression on your reader as well as affecting their view of

what is to follow. Let us illustrate this. Imagine that a man goes on a blind date.

Unfortunately, he has forgotten to zip up his trousers properly so that his shirt is sticking

out of his fly. What is the first impression that his date is going to have when they meet? It

does not matter how handsome and charming the man is, when his date goes home the

thing that will be remembered is that the man’s shirt was sticking out of his fly.

Grab the reader’s attention - Show what is to come

When writing an introduction try to achieve two things: grab the readers’ attention and give

the reader an indication of what is to come. The thesis statement should act as a means of

telling the reader what is to expect. You can get the readers’ attention by means of a “hook”.

Try to think of a hook in the same way as when someone is fishing. Once the fish has

swallowed the hook the fish then travels in the direction dictated by the fisherman.

However, the hook has to first be baited with something attractive that will appeal to the

fish. Let us look at some ways in which the writer can “bait the hook” and so hopefully get

the readers’ attention.

Road Map - Signposting

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If your essay is a road taking your reader from the beginning of your argument to the end

then the introduction can be said to act as a road map showing the different stages that you

will explore along the way. Identifying the different sections of your argument is called

signposting. Therefore, you may use phrases like:

“Firstly we will look at…”

or

“The second section focuses on…..”

Identify the subject

Probably the easiest and most common way of identifying the subject of your essay is to

refer back to the question that you have been set. However, be careful not just to repeat the

question virtually word for word. Your teacher or your examiner already knows the

question and so they do not need you to repeat it. Therefore, try to find a creative way to

refer to the topic in the question.

Here is an example. Imagine that the question is:

“Evaluate the claim that ‘Citizen Kane’ is the greatest movie ever made.”

You may want to mention in your introduction:

“Citizen Cane has consistently been voted by critics as the greatest movie of all time. This

essay will look at the basis of this popularity and evaluate its success in comparison to

other major films.”

Here the subject has been identified as well as indicating how the subject will be examined.

Define Terms

While you may not need to define everything that you will look at in your essay the

introduction may be used to define such things as key concepts, technical terms, specific

aspects of theories that will be explored or terms that are to be explored.

For example:

“Since the collapse of international communism Marxist theory has been in crisis”

Here you may want to define which aspect of Marxist theory you are referring to. You may

also want to explain how you would define the crisis that you are referring to.

An anecdote or story

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Try to use a short story that not only illustrates the point that you are making but also

appeals to the readers’ mind or heart. If you decide to use a story that will appeal to the

reader in an emotional way, remember not to make it too emotional. If the reader finds the

story too sentimental it will have the reverse of the desired effect and actually dissuade the

reader from reading further.

A surprising fact or statistic

Try to use something that will make your reader stop and think. You may decide to present

this information in a short, simpler sentence so as to maximize the impact. For example,

“Doctors claim that within two years one in five people in Africa will be dead from AIDS.”

Very little needs to be added to a statement like that to further maximize the impact.

Quotation

If you choose to use a short, effective quotation in your introduction remember to try to use

one from a relevant authority in the field that you are dealing with. For example, if the topic

of the essay is soccer then it is probably better to use a quote from the former Brazilian

soccer international Pele than from Mother Theresa. While Mother Theresa was a famous

person, she was not known as an authority on soccer.

Background

The type and extent of the historical background or context that is used may well depend on

the audience. This may be affected by what the reader already knows and what they want to

know about the context of what you will be saying. An academic audience may well expect

a detailed background to what you will be saying while the more casual reader may expect

less.

A common misconception

The statement of a common misconception helps to get your readers attention as they may

well share that belief themselves. It also shows your reader that you are aware of different

aspects of your topic and that you have done research on the topic.

Ask a question

Raising a question is a good way to get your reader thinking on a topic. You may raise a

question which will be briefly answered in the thesis statement but which will be more

fully developed in the essay as a whole.

Introduction Basics

Having mentioned many different suggestions for your introduction you may be feeling

that there are too many things to include in your short introduction. Remember that what

we have discussed are different possibilities. You do not have to include all of these

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suggestions in your introduction.

So if you are writing a short essay of about 1,000 words in length, what are some of the

basics that you really should try to include? Basics for an introduction should include:

• Identifying the subject of the essay and define any key terms.

• Show the main arguments that are behind the topic.

• Signpost your essays main argument.

When to write your introduction

The problem with signposting the main sections of your argument is that sometimes you do

not know what your arguments are until you have actually written your essay. Therefore,

you may find it beneficial to start with a “temporary” version of your introduction that you

will finish in your rewrite after you finally polished your argument. This may be easy to do

if you are writing using a word processor. However, if you are writing an examination

essay you may not have the chance for such a rewrite. Therefore, it is important to plan

your essay well before you write it. In this way your introduction can better signpost what

it is that you are to say.

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Week 2 Activities

Write an introduction to a 1,500-word essay with the title “If education provides the basis

for a society’s future then university level education should be provided free.”

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Week 3

Conclusions

Conclusions - Purpose

What is said last may well be the thing that is remembered first. When thinking of writing

your conclusion try to look at your writing and ask yourself “So what?” or “What do I want

my reader to take away after reading this?” The answers to these questions can give you an

idea of the sort of things you may want to include in your conclusion.

The main job of a conclusion is to provide a condensed version of your essays main

argument and to summarize the key arguments raise by the question.

Longer conclusions should try to recap the main stages of your argument and then show

your final position on the topic.

Conclusions - How Long?

As was mentioned with introductions the length of your conclusion is in part dependant

upon the length of your essay as a whole. Imagine that you have a 10,000-word dissertation

you would finish with a concluding section. It would not be appropriate to finish with just a

100-word paragraph.

As a rule of thumb try to keep you introduction below 10 percent of your word total.

Some things to try to avoid in your conclusion

Here are some things to try to avoid in your conclusion:

1 A pointless restatement of the thesis statement

2 Introducing a new point

3 Overemphasis on a minor point

4 An apology for your writing

Some things to try to include in your conclusion

Here are some things you may want to try to include in your conclusion:

1 A brief summary of the main points

2 A thought provoking question

3 A call to action

4 A warning

5 The possible consequences of a certain course

6 Try to give the reader something to take away with them as they finish your

conclusion, something that will hopefully keep them thinking about what you have

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written.

Conclusions Basics

If you are writing a short essay of about 1,000 words in length, what are some of the basics

that you really should try to include? Basics for a conclusion should include:

1 A recap of the main points in your argument.

2 Summarize and synthesize the main arguments raised by the question.

3 If needed highlight any areas that need to be explored in future work.

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Compare and Contrast

Make a comparison - Purpose

The purpose of making a comparison is to highlight the similarities between two different

things.

Comparison - Pattern

The pattern for comparing two different items is set out below.

Item 1 – Point A

Item 1 – Point B

Item 1 – Point C

Item 1 – Point D

Item 2 – Point A

Item 2 – Point B

Item 2 – Point C

Item 2 – Point D

Here the two different items are discussed separately, point by point, stressing how similar

they are. Let us look at an example.

Two of my female students are so similar that they could be twins. Mary is cute with long

black hair and a sexy belly button ring. Her father is rich so he bought her a new car and she

has just come back from Canada where she has been studying English for a year. She is one

of my best students. Jane is also cute, with long black hair and she has a sexy nose ring. Her

parents are both doctors so for her last birthday they bought her a new sports car. She has

just come back from studying English in Australia so her English is excellent. Mary and

Jane are similar in so many different ways.

Make a contrast - Purpose

The purpose of making a contrast is to highlight the differences between two different

things.

Contrast - Pattern

The pattern for contrasting two different items is set out below.

Item 1 – Point A

Item 2 – Point A

Item 1 – Point B

Item 2 – Point B

Item 1 – Point C

Item 2 – Point C

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Item 1 – Point D

Item 2 – Point D

Here the characteristics of the two items are placed next to each other with the purpose of

showing how different the two items are. Let us look at an example:

Mark and John are very different students. Mark is very clever while John is very stupid.

Mark has a lot of money and is very handsome while John is poor and ugly. As a result of

this Mark has a lot of girlfriends while John stays at home a lot on Saturday night and

watches the TV on his own. Mark and John are complete opposites.

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Week 3 Activities

Write an outline for a 5 paragraph essay entitled:

"Compare and contrast eating spaghetti and pizza"

Here is an example of an essay outline I developed for a 5 paragraph essay entitled:

"Compare and contrast Korean winters and summers".

Thesis

Korean summers and winters have very different climates although there are several

similarities. People like Korean summers and winters for opposite reasons.

Paragraph 1

Korean summers and winters are similar

The summer climate:

makes people adapt their clothing style,

there are extremes in heat and humidity,

there are special Korean foods eaten only in the summer time

The winter climate:

makes people adapt their clothing style

there are extremes in cold and dry air

there are special Korean foods which are only eaten in the winter

Paragraph 2

Korean summers and winters are different

Summer is very hot

Winter is very cold

Summer is very humid

Winter is very dry

Summer people wear less clothes

Winter people wear more clothes

Paragraph 3

People who like summer:

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prefer summer sports like baseball,

prefer to feel warm

like the lush green landscape

People who like winter:

prefer winter sports like skiing

prefer cold, dry weather

prefer the barren look of the landscape

Conclusion

Korean summers and winters have more differences than similarities

Different people may prefer either winter or summer, although Koreans often have

vacations in Korea in the summer and they often have vacations in other countries in the

summer.

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Week 4 Preparation

On week 4 there will be a writing workshop. Students will be given a worksheet which

they will have to use to develop a 5 paragraph essay. Students will have to develop the

essay in class and write the essay on their wiki as homework. If students finish the activity

early in the class they can start the essay in the class. However, the purpose of the activity

is to help students to see the process of developing an essay through brainstorming,

developing and supporting ideas, developing an outline and then writing, editing and

re-writing the final essay. If students just sit down and immediately write the essay then

little will have been learned.

The essay will be a compare and contrast essay. This has been chosen as it is often a

popular essay title for examination essays. The essay will be 5 paragraphs, including

introduction, conclusion and 3 body paragraphs.

In preparation for the class we need to develop a title for you to use in the workshop. The

title should be in this format:

'Compare and contrast ITEM A and ITEM B'

Between now and next week you will have to develop the title that you want to use in the

class. Therefore, you should come to class next week with the title that you want to use in

the workshop. The reason that you as the student are to develop the title rather than the

teacher giving the same title to every student is so that you as the student can write on

something that you know about and are interested in.

Therefore, for next week's class please think of a title for a compare and contrast essay that

you want to develop in the class next week and then write later as homework.

If you cannot think of your own title, here is a suggestion:

"Compare and contrast romance in your generation with that of your parent's generation".

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Week 04

Essay Workshop

Brainstorm

Free write ideas

Create a thesis statement (Check Week 5 notes)

Create three arguments that support your thesis statement (Check Week 6 notes)

These will form the topic sentences of each of your three body paragraphs.

List details to support each of your arguments

These will form the secondary details in each of the body paragraphs

Write an essay outline (Check Week 3 activities)

Write the essay

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Week 4 Homework

Write a five paragraph essay based on the notes you made during the workshop.

Remember that the first paragraph will be the introduction, the last paragraph will be the

conclusion and your essay will contain three body paragraphs.

Please post your essay on a new page on your wiki and link that page to your Front Page.

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Week 05

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements - Purpose

A thesis statement is the main argument of your piece of writing. It clearly summarizes

what you as the writer are trying to say and tells the reader what to expect. Try to view your

writing as a wall with every paragraph being like a brick and the thesis statement like the

mortar binding the bricks together. The thesis statement connects all of the paragraphs and

holds them all together in a solid whole.

The thesis statement should suggest a direction for the paper's development. For example,

the thesis statement may be:

Keith Dobson’s book “I Want to be Free” shows the limitations society places upon us in

our search for real freedom

The next sentence may extend the idea with:

Those limitations include societies need to protect other individuals, the established order

and the powers of control.

We can see that the thesis statement suggests how the main idea will be developed. If the

piece of writing were to be a five paragraph essay then the three body paragraphs could

deal with:

1) Societies need to protect other individuals,

2) Societies need to protect the established order, and

3) Societies need to protect the powers of control.

How and Why

A good thesis statement should try to deal with the questions "How?" and/or "Why?” We

may have a thesis statement like this:

The global image of the Asian economy is now very different from its image prior to the

1997 IMF crash in Korea.

To develop this thesis statement we could develop it by addressing the questions how

and/or why. We could therefore develop the thesis statement thus:

Because of the weaknesses that were exposed in the structure of many Asian economies the

global image of the Asian economy is now very different from its image prior to the 1997

IMF crash in Korea.

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Or

The global image of the Asian economy is now very different from its image prior to the

1997 IMF crash in Korea, as many foreign investors have lost their confidence in the

security of their investments.

The new thesis statements give reasons why or how we can accept the thesis statement.

Debatable Statements

Remember that the thesis statement should be debatable, otherwise there is little to say

beyond a mere description. For example:

London is a city in England.

After reading such a topic sentence the reader may well feel, so what? The topic sentence

here is a statement of provable fact with no argument added to make it debatable. However,

if the thesis were to read:

London is the greatest city in England.

Then we have a debatable statement. Added to this we could then add comments dealing

with “how” and/or “why”. This will not only help to unite the essay but it also indicates to

the reader the direction of the writing. For example:

London is the greatest city in England because of its facilities, its cultural diversity and its

role in commerce.

Here we have a thesis statement that comprises of a debatable statement plus three reasons

that show how and or why that statement is true. We also have an indication of the thread of

the argument through the essay and what to expect in the following paragraphs.

Where to place the thesis statement

When you are presenting or defending an argument, it is good to try and state what the

argument is early on. The thesis statement, therefore, is typically presented at the

beginning of the writing. Where the thesis statement is placed often depends upon how

long the writing is. In a five paragraph essay the first paragraph often acts as the

introduction to the essay. The thesis statement is often placed here in the first paragraph

and is usually placed at the end of it.

However, this is not always the case, for example, in an extended piece of writing, the

introduction may well entail several paragraphs.

Stating the Thesis Statement

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In stating a thesis statement we should look at our overall subject, then narrow it to a topic

by dealing with a particular aspect of that subject. We then need to formulate an argument

on that topic. We can then think in terms of how and or why we hold that argument to be

true.

Let us look at an example:

Subject

Punk Rock

Topic

The importance of the Sex Pistols

Argument (debatable statement)

The Sex Pistols formulated a milestone in the development of alternative music.

Thesis statement (showing how and/or why)

The Sex Pistols formulated a milestone in the development of alternative music because

they showed a generation of youngsters that they did not have imitate what had gone before,

they encouraged musicians to work outside of the corporate mainstream and they acted as a

catalyst for a generations of musicians that followed them.

Reminders

Try To Be

When writing a thesis statement try to be:

1 Intriguing

2 Worth attention

3 Suitably complex

Try To Avoid

When writing a thesis statement try to avoid:

1 Trite or irrelevant

2 Too emotional

3 Too sweeping

Ask Yourself

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When you have finished writing your thesis ask yourself:

1. Is my thesis statement clear and unambiguous?

2. Is my thesis a debatable statement that requires more information and an explanation or

is it a dead end?

3. Does my thesis statement make such a large claim that it will be difficult to deal

effectively with it in the time and space that I have?

4. Do I have sufficient evidence and/or argumentation to prove that my argument is true?

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Thesis Statements - Activities

The title of the essay is:

“Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers.” Do you agree or disagree? Use

specific reasons and examples to support your opinion

Create two different thesis statements for this essay. One thesis statement is to agree with

this title and one thesis statement is to disagree with this title.

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The class should divide into groups of 4 or 5 students. Try to be in groups with people that

you know or can easily make contact with as you will need to work together as a group.

When you have formed your groups you may want to exchange contact information with

each other (phone numbers, e-mail addresses).

The teacher will give each group an essay title. This is the title that each group will have to

make a presentation on and each student will have to write a report on. Please note that this

report will form a substantial part of your grade. You can find more information in the

syllabus.

Next week there will be a presentation workshop in the class. This is your opportunity to

discuss your work together as a group as well as asking the teacher any questions on your

topic. Therefore, do some research before next week and bring some of your notes to class.

Each group should work together to research this essay title as well as prepare a

presentation to be given during the class. However, each student has to write their report

separately. Each student's report will be marked individually therefore the teacher needs to

see the writing that each student does.

The week of the presentations there will be 4 or 5 presentations given in the class. These

presentations will make up the entire class. Therefore, the length of your presentation

should be appropriate to this. Usually students prepare a power point presentation. Please

allow time to set up the computer before you begin your presentation.

PLEASE NOTE - If you prepare a PowerPoint presentation please check the version of

PowerPoint that is used in the classroom. In this way you can make sure that your work is

compatible with the software in the classroom.

My advice for the presentations is that half the students in your group give the first

presentation and the other half of your group gives the second presentation.

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Week 06

Topic Sentences

Supporting Your Thesis

Having written your thesis you now have to support it. You have made a claim that you

now need to try and prove through evidence and reasoning. It should be noted that saying

“I believe…” or “I think….” is not sufficient to convince your reader. Your reader needs to

be convinced. Your reader needs to see that you have investigated the subject and

developed ideas that you are now presenting for the readers consideration.

Try to think of reasons to support your argument. We will try to develop your thesis into a

five paragraph essay. Therefore you should try to think of three good reasons to support

your thesis. Your five-paragraph essay will look like this:

Paragraph 1 Introduction (containing your thesis statement)

Paragraph 2 Reason 1



Paragraph 5 Conclusion

Let us look at an example.

Subject

Punk Rock

Topic

The importance of the Sex Pistols

Argument (debatable statement)

The Sex Pistols formulated a milestone in the development of alternative music.

Thesis statement (showing how and/or why)




catalyst for a generations of musicians that followed them.

If you look at the thesis statement you will see that there are already three reasons given to

support the argument. Those three arguments are:

Reason 1 they showed a generation of youngsters that they did not have imitate what had

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gone before

Reason 2 they encouraged musicians to work outside of the corporate mainstream

Reason 3 they acted as a catalyst for a generations of musicians that followed them.

Now we have the basis to begin our essay plan

Paragraph 1 Introduction (containing your thesis statement)




catalyst for a generations of musicians that followed them


they showed a generation of youngsters that they did not have imitate what had gone before


they encouraged musicians to work outside of the corporate mainstream


they acted as a catalyst for a generation of musicians that followed them

Paragraph 5 Conclusion

We can see that we are now starting to develop the basis for the essay plan. Below are some

thesis statements. Look at them and see firstly if they are good thesis statements and if they

are well supported. Note any problems that you see and see if you can improve them in any

way.

a. Thesis: Keeping spiders can bring educational benefits.

Reason one: You have to read books on how to keep them.

Reason two: They teach their owners about the behavior of animals.

Reason three: Spiders kill flies.

b. Thesis: Elementary school is very important in the development of a child because it

builds patterns in a child that will be useful in later life.

Reason one: it helps to build patterns in interpersonal relationships.

Reason two: it can build good learning patterns.

Reason three: it can each a child discipline.

c. Thesis: Summer is the best season in England.

Reason one: It is the cricket season.

Reason two: There are a lot of music festivals.

Reason three: Young people fall in love.

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d. Thesis: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.

Reason one: It is a famous landmark.

Reason two: It can be seen in many French movies.

Reason three: It can be seen from all over Paris.

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Topic Sentences - Activities

Last week you made two different thesis statements on the title:

“Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers.” Do you agree or disagree? Use

specific reasons and examples to support your opinion

For each of the two thesis statements that you created you should create three topic

sentences. These would form the topic sentences for each of the body paragraphs for a five

paragraph essay.

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In this class there will be a presentation workshop. This is your opportunity to discuss your

work together as a group as well as asking the teacher any questions on your topic. Please

share your research together, discuss your ideas about how to answer the question that you

have been given and how to deliver your presentation. You may want to decide who will

prepare the PowerPoint and who will do the talking in the class. My advice is to have one

student working the computer during the presentation and two other students to do the

talking. My advice for the presentations is that half the students in your group give the first


NOTE - If you prepare a PowerPoint presentation please check the version of PowerPoint

that is used in the classroom. In this way you can make sure that your work is compatible

with the software in the classroom.

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Week 07

Presentation 1

There will be 4 or 5 presentations given in the class. The topics will have already been

given to the different groups. These presentations will make up the entire class. Therefore,

the length of your presentation should be appropriate to this. Usually students prepare a

PowerPoint presentation. Please allow time to set up the computer before you begin your

presentation.

NOTE - If you prepare a PowerPoint presentation please check the version of power point



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Week 07 Homework

Write a report based on the topic that has been given to you by the teacher.

Although there is no word limit for this activity, please note there are a lot of points

available.

NOTE – even though you have researched this topic and made a presentation with your

classmates, each student should write their report separately.

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Week 09

Definition

Definition - Purpose

A definition helps to set the boundaries for what is to be discussed, whether it is a thing an

idea or an emotion. A definition shows what something is and what it is not. Developing a

paragraph through providing a definition will help your reader to better understand what it

is that you are discussing in your writing. Therefore, if you are going to do this it may be a

good idea to do it early in your essay. In this way you show the reader exactly what you are

talking about before you explore it in great depth.

Types of definition - Formal

A formal definition is one where there is a general statement of the general class that the

item belongs. This is then followed by a statement showing how this item is different from

other items in that class.

For example:

“An earring is a piece of jewellery that is worn in the ears.”

In this example the general class is that it is a piece of jewellery and then it is shown how it

is different from other pieces of jewellery as it is worn in the ears.

Types of definition - Stipulative

A stipulative definition is one where you show the particular way in which you are using a

word. This may be the case where a word has more that one meaning. For example if you

are discussing the word “pride” then you need to stipulate which type of pride you are

talking about as pride may be a good thing or a bad thing. Therefore, you need to show if

you are proud in a good way, such as you are proud of the love that you feel in your family

or was he proud because he thought that he was better than other people.

Types of definition - Extended

An extended definition may be used where you want to explore something in great detail.

In this case you may have something very complex that you want to explore such as a value

or an emotion.

If the topic is something controversial you may find that in your definition you may have to

persuade your reader to accept your definition. For example in a piece of writing on mercy

killing you may want to define what is “life”.

Definitions Using - Synonyms - Negation - Etymology

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There are different things that you can use to define something.

Firstly you can use synonyms. This is where you look for words that have a similar

meaning to what you are defining. This can help to show the reader the range of what you

are looking at as well as using words that the reader may be more familiar with.

Negation shows the reader what your definition does not include. For example if you are

talking about the love that a mother has for her daughter you can show what it is by

showing how different it is from a woman’s love for her husband.

Finally you can explore the definition of a word by looking at the root of the word. For

example “patriotism” comes from the Greek word for “father”.

Remember that if you want to define something is greater detail you can use one or more of

the methods that we have just looked at. For example you may want to define “patriotism”

by showing that it comes from Greek and what it originally meant. Then you can use

negation by showing how it is different from the definition of nationalism. You can show

that you are referring to love of your homeland rather than using that love of your

homeland as the basis for viewing one country as greater than another.

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Description

We may develop a paragraph through a description when we want to create a word picture

of something that we can perceive. We may want to describe something concrete, an

emotion, a quality etc.

Objective and Subjective

There are two different types of description, objective and subjective. However, in

practice we often use a combination of both of these approaches. An objective description

is one that is factual and so does not include personal feelings or emotions. We may use

such a description in a business report or a scientific paper. A subjective description is one

that may add personal impressions or feelings to the facts. In this way the writer may

include in the description how something "is" and how something "seems".

When you describe something you have to decide what details to include. Which details

you include and how you present them will depend on the purpose of your writing and who

you intend to be your audience. Imagine that you are trying to describe something to either

a professor or a young child. The details that you would include and the way that you

would present them would be different.

If you are giving a subjective description then try to think of the main impression that you

want to create. Once you have decided this, it will make it easier to select the details, the

mood and the atmosphere that you want to include in your description.

How you present your details is also important. Details should be presented in an order

that makes it easy for the reader to understand and makes the impression that you want to

create. For example, if you were describing how you looked, you may want to start the

description at your head and then work down your body.

Be careful that you do not describe things in so much detail that the reader becomes bored.

You may find that a shorter and more limited description has a greater impact on your

reader than a very long description with too much information.

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Week 9 Activities

Activity (There are 3 points for this activity)

Wendell Berry from “Higher Education and Home Defense”

Education is the true sense, of course, is an enablement to serve – both the living human

community in its natural household or neighborhood and the precious cultural possessions

that the living community inherits or should inherit. To educate is, literally to “bring up,” to

bring young people to a responsible maturity, to help them to be good caretakers of what

they have been given, to help them to be charitable toward fellow creatures. Such an

education is obviously pleasant and useful to have; that a sizable number of humans should

have it is probably also one of the necessities of human life in this world. And if this

education is to be used well, it is obvious that it must be used somewhere; it must be used

where one lives, where one intends to continue to live; it must be brought home.

Write your answers in sentences.

1 – What synonym does the writer use for education?

2 – How does the writer use etymology in his definition?

3 – What implications does the writer mention of this definition of education?


Write a paragraph where you define the type of pride you feel when your country wins a

sports game. (Minimum 200 words)

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Week 9 Homework

Find a partner in the class. Exchange your name and the Internet address for your

wiki. Your homework is to writing a 3 paragraph review of your partners’ 5-paragraph

compare and contrast essay that was done in week 4. You may want to check the peer

review rubric that has been given. This will give you some ideas of what to look for in your

peer review.

PLEASE NOTE - this should be an activity that will help you to look for writing features

in your own writing.

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Peer Review Rubric

1 SENTENCE LEVEL FEATURES

Spelling

Grammar

Vocabulary

(HINT – if you are looking for errors look for the most obvious ones first. These are the

easiest to find, the easiest to correct and usually the most annoying to the reader.

2 – DISCOURSE FEATURES

A - Thesis Statement

Does the thesis statement adequately summarize the whole of the essay?

Are their things mentioned in the thesis statement that is not mentioned in the essay?

Are points mentioned in the essay that is not mentioned in the thesis statement?

Topic Sentence

B - Topic Sentence

Is each topic sentence connected to the thesis statement?

Does each topic sentence adequately state the theme of each paragraph?

Is each topic sentence appropriately located within its paragraph?

C - Paragraph Development

How are the body paragraphs developed?

Is the paragraph development appropriate to the purpose of the paragraph?

D – Introduction

Is the introduction of appropriate length?

Does the introduction state the purpose of the essay as a whole?

Does the introduction encourage the reader to read the essay?

Does the introduction present a background to the background of the topic?

E – Conclusion

Is the conclusion of appropriate length?

Does the conclusion only restate the main points?

Does the conclusion give any recommendations?

Does the conclusion give a call for action?

Does the conclusion recommend any further points that need to be examined?

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3 – DEVELOPMENT OF ARGUMENT

A - Argument clearly stated

What is the argument?

Is the argument clearly stated?

B - Argument well developed

How is the argument developed through the body paragraphs?

C - Logical development of argument.

Is the development of the argument logical?

Could the strength of the logic of the argument be improved? If so, how?

D - Argument well supported.

Is the argument well supported by definitions, explanations, examples, etc?

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Week 10

Cause and Effect

Paragraph Development – Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect - Purpose

The purpose of a cause and effect analysis is to look at the relationship between events. It

indicates to the reader why something has taken place.

Causes

When we look at causes we examine events that preceded a certain outcome. For example:

“What caused the outbreak of world War 1?”

Causes may be singular where there is only one reason why something has taken place.

Usually, however, there are several reasons or causes as to why something has happened.

Effects

When we look at effects we look at the events that follow a certain occurrence. For

example:

“What should we do to help AIDS victims in Africa?”

Effects may be singular where there is only one thing that has occurred as a consequence of

an event. Usually, however, there are several effects from a single cause.

Speculative Effects

Included in this are speculative “what if” questions that ask the reader to consider what

would be the future effects of a certain occurrence. For example:

“How would a cure for AIDS affect global culture?”

Cause and Effect

Questions which deal with both cause and effect can be both complex in the relationships

of events as well as the time over which the relationships are to be analyzed. At a simple

level we may consider:

“Why did the ball hit the floor?”

“What happened when the ball was dropped?”

“How long did it take for the ball to hit the floor?”

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Such questions can be dealt with quite easily. However, consider the following question:

“What led up to the outbreak of World War 1 and what were its consequences?”

At a simple level the writer may mention that World War 1 started because Archduke

Ferdinand was assassinated. However, at a more complex level the writer may discuss the

political events that had been taking place in Europe for many years prior to the outbreak of

World War 1.

At a simple level when considering the consequences of World War 1 the writer may say

that the Allies won the war and Germany lost. However, at a more complex level the writer

may consider such things as the long-term impact on not only European but world culture.

The writer may also consider Germany’s reparations to other countries and how the

collapse of the German economy may have contributed to the outbreak of World War 2.

Immediate Cause and Effect

An immediate cause and effect is where the cause or effect occurs nearest to the event. For

example the nearest cause for a company’s bankruptcy is the loss of a key business order.

Remote Cause and Effect

A remote cause and effect is where the cause and effect occurs much further away in time.

For example a remote cause for the company’s bankruptcy would be an increase in export

tariffs and changes in exchanges rates which cause the loss of a key business order.

Major and Minor Causes

When looking at causes you may want to divide them into major and minor causes. A

major cause is one that is directly responsible for an occurrence or it is the main reason.

For example:

“The ball hit the floor because I dropped it.”

A minor cause is one that only contributes to an occurrence.

For example:

“My mother told me to come inside the house as it was time to eat so I dropped the ball and

went inside to wash my hands.”

Necessary and Sufficient Causes

When writing about cause and effect try to distinguish between necessary and sufficient

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causes. A necessary cause is one that must occur for the effect to come about. However,

there may be more than one necessary cause. For example:

“Pollution from the factory caused people who lived nearby to become sick.”

A sufficient cause is one that causes the effect by itself. A sufficient cause is only

established when all other possibilities are eliminated.

For example:

“Chemical Pollution from a factory was of a sort not found anywhere else in nature and so

was the sole cause of illness among people who lived nearby.”

Oversimplification

Cause and effect relationships are often very complex and there is a danger of

oversimplifying relationships of events over time. The writer may decide to not only look

just at obvious immediate major causes and effects but also remote and minor ones as well.

Making an inference

When you look at cause and effect relationships you will have to make inferences. This

means that you will have to look at different events and make deductions as to the strength

of their relationship together. You will also have to make assumptions as there may be no

direct statement that this happened because (and only because) of this.

Therefore, you will have to be clear about the evidence that you base your inferences upon.

Also you need to be clear about the logic behind why you are proposing a cause and effect

relationship. This may entail looking at other possible causes and effects and stating why

you have dismissed them as possible causes or effects.

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Argumentation

Argumentative writing asks the reader to choose a side in an issue or a particular course of

action. The writer should present facts and ideas in a logical and persuasive order so that

they provide strong support for a particular point of view. The writer may also need to

present background information and acknowledge and refute opposing points of view so as

to make the writer’s argument appear stronger

The writer’s main argument should be presented in the thesis statement.

An argumentative essay may fall into one of three main categories. One type of essay may

ask the reader to agree with a value judgment. Another type of essay may propose a certain

type of action that needs to be taken. Another type of essay may propose an opinion that is

quite different from one that most people may hold. The writer may use each or a

combination of either of these purposes.

A distinction may be made between logic and persuasion. A logical argument may be

made to the reader’s logic and reason. However, a persuasive argument maybe used to

appeal to the reader’s emotions. The writer may use both of these forms of argument in

combination. Whichever form of argument is emphasized may depend upon the subject

that is being discussed and the audience.

The type of supporting evidence that is selected to support an argument may depend upon

the subject, the audience and the situation. However, if the writer uses a variety of

different types of supporting evidence this may give the writer the chance to develop an

argument fully and also may appear more persuasive to the reader.

The writer needs to make sure that supporting evidence is presented accurately and fairly.

This is not just a question of morality but also a question of getting the reader to trust what

it is that the writer is saying. If the reader feels that evidence is being manipulated then the

reader may lose trust in what the writer is saying, even when other evidence is being

presented fairly.

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Week 10 Activities

Activity 1 (There are 2 points for this activity)

Nancy Mairs from “Illiteracy”

The illiterate woman is essentially helpless to shape her own life. Unable to find work at

wages that will support her family, she must live on public assistance, which is inadequate

for her needs, and which, more importantly, reinforces her passivity. In such a situation,

earning a GED (General Equivalency Diploma) can be of enormous practical significance.

Not only can she now qualify for numerous jobs previously closed to her, but she becomes

eligible for further training that may prepare her to work outside traditionally female

occupations, which traditionally offer both low pay and low status. Moreover, she can

assume an active stance, earning rather than receiving the money with which she feeds and

shelters herself and her family. Thus, her entire relationship to society is transformed.

Write your answers in sentences

1 – What are the effects of illiteracy?

2 – What are the effects of literacy (getting a GED)?


Susan Allen Toth from “Blooming: A Small-Town Girlhood”

Aside from basic money management, what did I actually learn from all my summer and

after-school jobs? Each one may have given me some small skills, but the cumulative

effect was to deepen my belief that work was the essential aspect of grown-up life. Even

now, I am sometimes filled with anxieties at the prospect of stretches of free time. When I

do not immediately rush to fill that time with work, I have to fight off guilt, struggling

mentally against a picture of a Real Grown-up shaking a finger at me, someone with the

droning voice of our high-school career counsellor, but with firm overtones of former

employers, teachers, even my mother. “This”, the voice beats relentlessly in my ear, “is

your preparation for life.”

Write your answers in sentences

1 – What are the causes identified in the paragraph?

2 – What are the effects identified in the paragraph?


Write a paragraph in which you explain why you like or do not like a certain school subject.

(200 words)

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Week 11

Analogy

Analogy is a type of comparison used to explain something abstract or complex by

showing how similar it is to something concrete or easy to understand. Therefore, an

analogy may be used when you are trying to explain a difficult concept or give greater

emphasis to an explanation.

Analogy and Comparison

An analogy is slightly different from a comparison. In a comparison between two items we

are equally interested in both items. However, with an analogy we are only interested in

one item and are using the second item mainly to highlight features of the first item.

Therefore, for an analogy to be effective the reader needs to be familiar with the

characteristics of the second “easier” item. An example of an analogy would be:

“Living here is like living in a goldfish bowl.”

If we were making a comparison we would be interested in both the characteristics of

where we live and those of a goldfish bowl. However, with an analogy we are only

interested in explaining where we live. We are only using the analogy of a goldfish bowl to

make it easier for the reader to understand the characteristics of where we live.

Analogy and Metaphor

Technically there is also a slight difference between an analogy and a metaphor. The

purpose of a metaphor is mainly to describe something for the reader, whereas the purpose

of an analogy is to explain something to the reader. In practice, however, this may be a

difficult distinction to make and an analogy and a metaphor may seem very similar.

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Classification

Many people naturally like to classify things in their everyday life. For example, when we

buy a new set of drawers for the bedroom we may put socks in one drawer, underwear in

one drawer and T-shirts in another drawer. The different drawers may be used to divide

our clothes and so group similar items together. This helps to create an order whereby we

can see where things are and what they are.

Classification in our writing provides a structural pattern whereby we can provide an

explanation of different categories and the items within them. This means that the writer

has to do two things: there needs to be a division and a categorization. Therefore, we have

to divide items into different categories and then classify them by explaining the

characteristics of the different items within each category. For example:

“I keep socks in the top drawer. The type of socks I like include…”

There is no universally correct system of classification. Methods of classification may

vary according to the purpose of the writing as well as between individual writers.

However, whatever method of classification that the writer uses should be consistent

throughout the writing. Therefore, categories need to be of similar types and these types

need to cover all items. Also be careful that there is no overlap between the items. Make

sure that items belong to one group or another and not both.

The division and classification of items will help to form an outline for your writing.

Therefore, the means of classification should become clearer after you have researched

your topic thoroughly and begun to plan your ideas.

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Week 11 Activities


Palmville is not a planned town that sprang full-blown from an architect’s drawing board.

After all, the town has been around since 1880, and for its first ninety years it grew more or

less by chance. In 1970, however, M&T Realty developed a building plan that has been

followed informally by most if the other major developers. As a result the town now has

four main neighborhoods, each categorized by a different kind of housing, and each using

the name originally assigned by M&T’s urban planner. Brooktown is a neighborhood of

modest starter homes, each with three bedrooms, 11/2 baths, a small dining area, and a

one-car garage. The plain occupied by the homes is bisected by Talley’s Creek (now

running mostly in culverts), and is the dustiest area in town, at least by general reputation.

The houses in Kingston Hills are a bit more costly. Some have three bedrooms, some four,

but all have dens, dining rooms, two-car garages, and yards big enough for an in-ground

pool or an elaborate patio. The streets in Brooktown and Kingston Hills are straight, but

those in Paddock Estates curve gracefully around the three-acre lots of custom-built homes.

Buyers get to choose from eight basic plans ranging from sprawling ranches, to oversized

capes, to French Colonial chateaus. Each basic plan must be modified inside and out both

to suit the homeowner’s taste and to make sure that each house appears different enough to

justify the ad for the development: “Unique Executive Homes on three-acre lots.” In

contrast Village Green, the center of the original village, offers charming restored

Victorian homes and cottages mixed with modern reproductions of homes from the same

period. The homes (or the styles) may be old, but the prices are contemporary, and almost

as high as the luxury homes of Paddock Estates.

What is the topic of this paragraph?

What are the different categories mentioned?

What are the characteristics of each of the categories?


Write a paragraph where you divide and classify the different types of university teachers.

(To give you an example of what to do, here is a paragraph that I have written where I

divide and classify the different types of university students)

From the teachers’ perspective there are three different types of university students: those

for the teacher, those against the teacher and those who remain to be convinced. Those for

the teacher vary quickly understand what the teacher is trying to do, they approve of the

teacher’s objectives, methodology and materials. Therefore, they want to work to make

the educational experience both positive and beneficial. Students against the teacher may

dislike the teacher personally or what is trying to be accomplished in the class and the

means used to achieve them. The majority of the students, in the middle category, remain

to be convinced both about the teacher and the subject as they wait to see how things

progress and how they fee about what they see. The job of the teacher is to draw the middle

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group to those “with” the teacher which isolates and so neutralises the objectives and

possible hostility of those against the teacher.


Write a paragraph where you use an analogy to explain your feelings about what it is like to

be a student at Hanyang Universities Ansan campus.

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Week 12 Preparation

For next week please think about what is your favorite song and why it is that you like it.

Each student will have to come to the front of the class and tell everybody what their song

is and why they like it.

Therefore, before next week please look at the instructions for the note taking activity and

prepare what it is that you are going to say.

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Week 12

Note Taking Activity

Each student should come to the front of the class and tell everybody what is their favorite

song and why. Students may want to tell the class why they like the song, how it makes

them feel, when they first heard it and any other special memory that they have with it.

The students will be called to the front of the class to talk in the order in which they are

listed on the attendance sheet.

When students come to the front of the class please write the name of the singer and the

song on the board so that everyone can see.

During the class students are advised to take notes that can be used in their homework.

This will be the only activity to be done in this class.

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Week 12 Homework

Write a five paragraph essay on the title:

'Classify your classmates favorite songs'

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Week 13

Different Paragraph Types

In this section we will look at the different places that the topic sentence may be placed in a

paragraph. We will look at the different effects that this creates and how and when they can

be utilized.

1 - The direct paragraph

Features – this is where the topic sentence is placed at the beginning of the paragraph.

Purpose – this is probably the most common type of paragraph used as it presents

something clearly and directly to the reader.

Example:

Recent findings by scientists have shown that the moon is made of chocolate. Space probes

have dug below the thin rock surface to discover and thick chocolate core to the moon.

Initial estimates put the thickness of this layer of chocolate at over several hundred metres

thick in places.

Let us look at this paragraph and see how the different elements function together.

Recent findings by scientists have shown that the moon is made of chocolate. (this is the

topic sentence of the paragraph. It is placed in the first sentence of the paragraph so as to

immediately tell the reader what it is that you are going to discuss).

Space probes have dug below the thin rock surface to discover and thick chocolate core to

the moon. Initial estimates put the thickness of this layer of chocolate at over several

hundred metres thick in places. (this and any more information that is to follow in the

paragraph acts as development of the initial topic sentence. Here the paragraph is

developed by supplying further information and details connected with the topic sentence).

2 - The turnabout paragraph

Features – you may start with a problematizing phrase such as “many people believe that”

or “some authorities have stated that.” Such phrases indicate to your reader that you may

not agree with the statement that is to follow. Then you state a point of view that you do not

agree with. Next, follows a contrasting connective, such as however, which indicates that

what is to follow is the point that you are actually making and this usually acts as the topic

sentence of the paragraph.

Purpose – this is good to use when you are trying to persuade the reader, when you are

dealing with a common misconception or when you are trying to get the reader to think on

an issue. It also shows the reader that you have done research and are aware of other

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arguments. This makes your conclusions seem more reasonable.

Example:

Many people believe that the moon is made of green cheese. However, recent discoveries

by scientists have shown that the moon is actually made of chocolate. (The paragraph will

then develop the point that the moon is made of chocolate)

Let us look at the beginning of this paragraph and see how the different elements function

together.

Many people believe that (this is the problematizing phrase which shows the reader that

you do not agree with the following statement)

the moon is made of green cheese. (this is the opinion contrary to your own. You are

showing the reader that you are aware of other opinions)

However, (this is a contrasting connective which indicates to your reader that unlike what

you have previously said you actually agree with what is to follow)

recent discoveries by scientists have shown that the moon is actually made of chocolate.

(this is the point that you are actually making and therefore acts as the topic sentence for

the paragraph).

3 - The climactic paragraph

Features – this is where the topic sentence is placed at the end of the paragraph. Usually the

paragraph begins with lines of arguments or proofs that results in a conclusion stated at the

end.

It is this conclusion that acts as the topic sentence.

Purpose – this is persuasive as it follows the way that we usually think where we examine

the facts first and then we draw conclusions afterwards.

Example:

Rock samples taken from beneath the moons surface have revealed a brown substance that

appeared familiar yet fantastic to scientists at NASA. Laboratory tests found that the

samples were in fact made up of trace elements including milk, sugar and cocoa.

Astonished scientists then tasted these moon samples to reveal startling information. The

moon is made of chocolate.


Rock samples taken from beneath the moons surface have revealed a brown substance that

appeared familiar yet fantastic to scientists at NASA. Laboratory tests found that the

55

samples were in fact made up of trace elements including milk, sugar and cocoa.

Astonished scientists then tasted these moon samples to reveal startling information.

(the beginning part of the paragraph shows the evidence that we must consider or be made

aware of in order to come to the seemingly inevitable conclusion).

The moon is made of chocolate. (the evidence that has been revealed before hand leads us

to this conclusion. This conclusion is stated at the end of the paragraph and functions as the

topic sentence for the paragraph).

4 - The interrogative paragraph

Features – the paragraph usually starts with a question. The answer to this question usually

comes in the sentence following the question, or thereabouts. The answer to the question

usually acts as the topic sentence for the paragraph. It is also possible to present the

evidence to be considered in answering the question first and then conclude the paragraph

with the answer to the question. This would result in placing the topic sentence at the end of

the paragraph.

Purpose – this can achieve a similar function as the turnabout paragraph in that it tries to

get the reader thinking by getting them to consider a question. However, the format of this

type of paragraph may act with greater subtlety than the turnabout paragraph.

Example:

Have you ever wondered what the moon is made of? Well finally this age old question

seems to have been answered by NASA scientists recently when they said that the moon

was made of chocolate. Samples taken from the moon’s surface have recently been brought

back to earth and examined by a team of leading experts. After months of repeated tests the

findings were finally revealed to the world’s media at a recent press conference.


Have you ever wondered what the moon is made of? (this is the initial question that

hopefully gets the reader thinking)

Well finally this age old question seems to have been answered by NASA scientists

recently when they said that the moon was made of chocolate. (this is the answer to the

question and so acts as the topic sentence for the paragraph).

Samples taken from the moon’s surface have recently been brought back to earth and

examined by a team of leading experts. After months of repeated tests the findings were

finally revealed to the world’s media at a recent press conference. (this is the development

of the topic sentence, which in this case is the background or context for the revealing of

the information in the topic sentence).

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The class should divide into groups of 4 or 5 students. Try to be in groups with people that

you know or can easily make contact with as you will need to work together as a group.

When you have formed your groups you may want to exchange contact information with

each other (phone numbers, e-mail addresses).

The teacher will give each group an essay title. This is the title that each group will have to

make a presentation on and each student will have to write a report on. Please note that this

report will form a substantial part of your grade. You can find more information in the

syllabus.

Next week there will be a presentation workshop in the class. This is your opportunity to

discuss your work together as a group as well as asking the teacher any questions on your

topic. Therefore, do some research before next week and bring some of your notes to class.

Each group should work together to research this essay title as well as prepare a

presentation to be given during the class. However, each student has to write their report

separately. Each student's report will be marked individually therefore the teacher needs to

see the writing that each student does.

The week of the presentations there will be 4 or 5 presentations given in the class. These

presentations will make up the entire class. Therefore, the length of your presentation

should be appropriate to this. Usually students prepare a PowerPoint presentation. Please

allow time to set up the computer before you begin your presentation.

PLEASE NOTE - If you prepare a PowerPoint presentation please check the version of

PowerPoint that is used in the classroom. In this way you can make sure that your work is

compatible with the software in the classroom.

My advice for the presentations is that half the students in your group give the first


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Week 14

Examination Essays

John and Mark are standing by a wall. A few hundred yards along the wall is an open door

that freely allows people to go through the wall. John and Mark both receive orders that

they have to go through the wall. Very quickly, John runs as fast as he can at the wall.

However, Mark, walks along the wall to where the door is open and he easily goes through

it.

The point of the story is that quickest is not always the best and sometimes just a little time

spent in planning at the beginning can make something easier in the long term.

When writing an examination essay it may be your natural impulse to immediately start

writing as soon as possible, however, as we shall see there are advantages in the long term

to spending a little time before you start writing in planning and making some rough notes.

What is the purpose of an exam essay?

The purpose of an exam essay is to test the writers’ knowledge of a subject and the ability

to successfully communicate that knowledge in a timed context. An exam essay is not

simply a grammar test.

Influences on performance

There are many different influences that can affect performance in a written exam.

However, I would just like to focus on one of those influences here. Going into an exam

fully alert and awake is the best frame of mind to have. Therefore I would suggest that the

night before an exam it is better to relax and get a good nights’ sleep than to stay up all

night revising. If you do not know something the night before an exam it is too late to do

anything about it. The night before the exam try to relieve your stress, try to relax and

unwind.

Before you start writing

Read through the examination paper

Try to calmly read through the whole of the exam paper so that you can clearly see all that

is required of you and so get an overview of the exam as a whole. Remember to allow time

for this.

Plan your time

How you plan your time depends on how much time you have, how many essays you have

to write and the number of marks that you get for each essay.

Remember when planning you time to allow time for reading through the exam sheet and

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planning your essays. Also try to plan for leaving time at the end of your writing to check

through the work that you have done.

The amount of time you spend writing each essay should be in relation to the total possible

score for that essay. For example:

Total time for the exam 2 hours (120 minutes)

Essay 1 total possible marks 30




Total possible marks 100

Therefore, Essay 1 offers 30 out of a total possible mark of 100. Therefore, it offers 30% of

the total mark and so 30 % of the total writing time should be spent on it. Therefore the

division of the writing time should look like this:

Essay 1 30% of writing time




Remember that we are talking about writing time and total time, you still have to allow for

reading the exam paper, planning our essays and the time for reviewing your work at the

end.

How much time you allow for this may well depend on the individual and the total length

of the exam. Here is a possible break down of time for the example we have been looking

at.

Planning10 minutes

Essay 1 30 minutes

Essay 2 30 minutes

Essay 3 20 minutes

Essay 4 20 minutes

Review 10 minutes

Total time 120 minutes

Try to stick to the time plan that you have set out but remember that you do not have to be

obsessive about it.

Plan your answer

While you may feel an urge to immediately start writing as soon as you are able there are

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advantages to spending time in planning what you are going to write by means of an essay

plan for each essay that you have to write. At the beginning of the exam you are going to be

fresh and alert so this is the best time for you to think of ideas and the best way to set out

and present them. If there is a problem in an essay, for example you have missed out a key

point, this will be the easiest way to see it and the best time to correct it. In the example

used above it is going to be easier to think of what to say in essay four at the beginning of

the exam rather than after you have been writing for 90 minutes.

Due to lack of time or pressure that you feel to start writing, you may find it beneficial to

write a simple word outline rather than a sentence outline. Remember, however, to write

your essay outlines in a way that will be understandable to you later on when you are tired

and fatigued from writing.

Remember that spending a little time in the planning stage, at the beginning of your exam,

can reap you big rewards at the end.

Writing your essay

Once you have decided how to tackle your essay and you have planned what you are going

to say, the next stage is to write it. You do not have a lot of time so try to avoid anything

unnecessary, concentrating on essential information presented in a simple and

straightforward manner.

Remember to present your thesis statement near the beginning of your essay so that both

you and the examiner know what position you are defending or explaining. If you do not

have a lot of time to write an essay, you may find that you have to present your thesis

statement in the first sentence.

You may decide to utilize key words from the essay title but try not to needlessly restate the

essay title as this will take time and will get you no marks. Remember that redundancy is

time consuming and (literally) pointless.

After you have finished writing

If you are still writing as the examiner calls you that time is up, it could be that you have

mistimed your exam, as it is always wise to leave time to review your writing. The purpose

of reviewing your writing is twofold, firstly to proofread for surface errors such as

grammar and spelling and secondly to look for organizational errors such as the way that

the thesis statement covers all of the points made and the way that different points are

developed.

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In this class there will be a presentation workshop. This is your opportunity to discuss your

work together as a group as well as asking the teacher any questions on your topic. Please

share your research together, discuss your ideas about how to answer the question that you

have been given and how to deliver your presentation. You may want to decide who will

prepare the PowerPoint and who will do the talking in the class.




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Week 15

Presentation 2

There will be 4 or 5 presentations given in the class. The topics will have already been

given to the different groups. These presentations will make up the entire class. Therefore,

the length of your presentation should be appropriate to this. Usually students prepare a

PowerPoint presentation. Please allow time to set up the computer before you begin your

presentation.




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Week 15 Homework

Write a report based on the topic that has been given to you by the teacher.

Although there is no word limit for this activity, please note there are a lot of points

available.

NOTE – even though you have researched this topic and made a presentation with your

classmates, each student should write their report separately.

Academic writing in English By David Rogers -...

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