Welcome to WRITING

WRITING IS THINKING Professor Donahue's English as a Second Language Faculty Page WRITING BLOG A Language Learning Site for students to explore. Many know the rules of writing, but cannot write well. The writing process is like the hands of a CLOCK CLOCK Here is a writing manual for you to master the building blocks of effective writing skills: a heartfelt and focused main idea, appropriate sentences and vocabulary, sufficient adjectives, adverbs, logical connectors, subordinators, and other puzzle pieces. MANUAL The formal definition of writing is to place marks on a medium (such as paper) that effectively conveys thinking: meaning and information.A quick review of those puzzle pieces are here: and here Writing Building Blocks Review Powerpoints Writing PowerPoints and a fun movieLAB MOVIE (FUN)

An Overview can be seen here: OVERVIEW Additional writing-block building exercise are below
Welcome to PRE-WRITING TIPS
 PREWRITING
1.Free writing

2.Journalling

3.Image streaming (transplant yourself to another place or time and describe from a first person point of view)

4.Lists

5.Visualization

6.Brainstorming - individually or as a group

7.Webbing/mapping/clustering

8.Graphic organizers

9.Topic or word chart

Welcome to INTRODUCTION TIPS
 INTRODUCTION
The introduction should attract the reader's attention and give an idea of the essay's focus.

Begin with an attention grabber or HOOK

EXAMPLE HOOKS

1. Startling information An example of this would be "Do you want to make a million dollars?" or "World peace can happen in our lifetimes." Follow startling information with a sentence or two of elaboration.

2. Anecdote An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point. An example could be: "When I was a child, my neighor was always inventing new things. Some of his inventions were ..."

3. Dialogue Use only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point and follow with a sentence or two of elaboration. An example might be: "Joe, did you do you homework?," his mother shouted from the other room. A guilty feeling washed over Joe ..

4. Summary Information A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader to your thesis with each sentence gradually becoming more specific until the thesis is reached.
5.Use the "Rule of Three," which will lead to each body paragraph of your essay.
For example, "There are three kinds of students at college: early ones, tardy ones, and on-time ones." Then devote a paragraph to each type.

Welcome to BODY TIPS
 BODY
The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued.

Each main idea will become one of the body paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you will have three or four body paragraphs.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.
If your main idea is "tardy students," you might write: "Tardy students rarely get good grades."
1. Write down each of your supporting points for that main idea.

2. Elaborate on each supporting point by providing additional information, examples, or facts.

3. Supporting points. For example," Tardy students do poorly because they are not in class, do not hear all of the teacher's points, and disrupt the class as well."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
You may wish to include a summary sentence for the paragraph.

Welcome to CONCLUSION TIPS
 CONCLUSION
The conclusion sums up your points or provides a final perspective on your topic.

All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences. You can simply review the main points (DO NOT restate them exactly) or briefly describe your feelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can end your essay.

FINAL THOUGHT

Your last sentence may be a final thought: "So now that you learned how to lose 10 pounds in ten days, begin that diet!"

Welcome to RESPONSE AND REVISE TIPS
 REVISING
You are almost finished.

One good hint is to let your paper "rest" so that when you look at it again it is with "fresh" eyes.

Here are some Response and Revise Steps:

1. Check the order of your paragraphs.

a. Lead with your strongest paragraph,

b. Make the flow logical. For example, if you are writing about the three daily meals, put them in the right order: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

2. Check the instructions for the assignment.

3. Read the paper aloud to yourself or a friend.

4. Check for Transitons

5. Check for Sentence Variety

Welcome to EDITING TIPS
 EDITING AND PROOFING
You should always write your Drafts with "Your Heart," and in this final proofreading step, "Read with your Head."

PROOFREADING STRATEGIES

1. Read aloud either to yourself or a friend.

2 Read with a "cover sheet"by sliding a blank sheet of paper down the page as you read.

3.Role-play.Take on the role of a reader.

4.Backwards. Read your paper from the bottom to the top in reverse order.

5.TOOLS.

a. Use Word Spell and Grammar Check

b. Use the Applications contained on this CD.

6. Know Yourself. Keep a list of the mistakes you make for grammar, spelling, or left out words.

And UP YOURVOCABULARY
ROAD RUNNER ENGLISH Vocabulary, of course, is a weak point for many writers and here are some games to help with that area: VOCABULARY Road Runner English also provides a method for strengthening parts of speech.

Important Writing Links