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Academic Strategies Unit 6 Seminar

Writing Effectively

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General questions?

Weekly Reminders & Announcements

Announcements Gradebook – Grades & Comments Late Assignments Ongoing Communication

Unit 6 Assignments Complete the Unit 6 Readings Writing Strategies & Tips Plagiarism Information

Complete the Anti-Plagiarism quizzes Self-quiz Graded 10-point quiz

Attend the Unit 6 Discussion

Complete the Unit 6 Paragraph Assignment Refer to Paragraph Structure information

Plagiarism – What It Is & How to Avoid It!

Unit 6 – Reading

What You Need to Know About Plagiarism

Self Quiz

Academic Tools – Plagiarism link

Student Guide to Plagiarism & Citing Sources

Plagiarism Plagiarism is:

Plagiarism refers to academic dishonesty that can be intentional or unintentional.

This can be the result of attempting to recycle your own work from another course or semester, inaccurately citing the work of someone else, failing to give credit to someone else for his or her ideas or writing, failing to summarize or paraphrase a quote in your own words, or anything else that falsely represents any part of your work.

KEY!!In short, be honest with your reader and yourself. Know when and how to use APA formatting and be sure that it is accurately implemented.

SOURCE: http://www.kucourses.com/ec/media/store/mediausobu/CS113_0902B/CS113_4/html/ku_plagiarism.pdf

Common MISconceptions

Reusing one of your own papers is not considered plagiarism. As long as you include a reference page at the end of your paper, you are

safe. It is ok to use someone else’s work as long as you replace a few of the

words and change the sentence around a bit. A source is plagiarized only if you forget to use quotation marks. Plagiarism counts only if it is intentional. “I didn’t mean to” is an acceptable excuse for plagiarism.

All of the above count as plagiarism. Students usually have a good idea of what it means to plagiarize, but there are some things you probably do not know. This short tutorial will tell you exactly what you need to know about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

SOURCE: http://www.kucourses.com/ec/media/store/mediausobu/CS113_0902B/CS113_4/html/ku_plagiarism.pdf

Unit 6 Paragraph AssignmentFor this activity you will write two separate paragraphs.

Select Unit 6 on your Course Menu and then select the Assignment tab.

Carefully follow all guidelines listed on the template as you compose your paragraphs.

Use the paragraph structure chart as a guide for your paragraphs (located at the end of the Unit 6 reading).

Carefully proofread your paragraphs and make revisions!

Paragraph Structure Chart

Elements of a Paragraph

Every paragraph should contain the following elements:

(1) Topic Sentence

(2) Supporting Sentences & Details

(3) Concluding Sentence

The Topic Sentence

Known as the main idea of the paragraph This is what you will be discussing in the

paragraph—the target point of your discussion

Supporting Sentences

These sentences give more information about the topic sentence

Details…details…details!

Facts Statistics Examples Definitions Descriptions Additional Points

Concluding Statement

Summarizes the information presented

Paragraph: Purpose: Describe: Write a complete paragraph about a person who has

influenced you in positive ways. Focus on at least one way in which this person has made an important impact upon you.

Convince: Write a complete paragraph about the advantages and disadvantages of taking online classes.

Use specific ideas and examples to illustrate your points.

Make sure to refer to the Paragraph Structure chart located at the end of the Unit 6 Reading. Include a topic sentence, supporting details and a conclusion

(minimum 10 complete sentences each).

Questions?

Effective writing leads to…

Strong communication skills Increased confidence in your ability to

communicate in the online classroom Real-world skills that are in high-demand

in most career areas

The Writing Process

Prewriting Drafting Revising Editing

Step 1: Pre-Writing

This is the planning part of the writing process. It is where you:

brainstorm different topics research material ask questions talk to other people write freely on a topic take notes (like creating an

outline, map, or chart) and narrow down your topic.

Prewriting gives you a chance to think about your topic (and assignment) in an unstructured, non-intimidating way.

Academic

Strategies

Let’s Discuss . . .

Do you usually pre-write?

If so, what is your strategy for pre-writing? Why might pre-writing be important?

Step 2: Drafting

This is the first draft of the writing assignment. It is where you bring in your prewriting ideas and form them into sentences and paragraphs.

Your first focus in this stage is on content. You want to think about your introduction, forming and organizing your ideas into the body of the paper, and starting on a conclusion.

At this stage of writing, do not worry about grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.

Step 3: Revising

This is a vital part of the writing process. This is where you use your critical thinking skills to make sure you covered all of the important elements in the directions of the assignment.

Questions to ask: Is the voice of the paper correct? Are you sending a clear message to your audience? Does the word choice, sentence, and paragraph structure flow? Did you follow the instructions? Does you paper meet the requirements as stated in the rubric?

Step 4: Editing

After you are completely satisfied with your paper, it is time to begin the editing process. This is where you look at the technical aspects of the paper such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

You look over the spacing of your project, look at capitalization elements, and make sure to limit contractions. This is a great time to print the latest version of your paper and slowly read every word (reading out loud helps as well).

Source: MIT Online Writing and Communication Center, 1999.

3 things to consider BEFORE you start writing

1. Purpose Examples: to inform, to persuade, to explain, to share an

opinion Note: there can be more than one purpose when

writing

2. Audience Examples: your instructor, your boss, a lay person, or an

expert Consider—based on your audience, do you alter your

writing style?

3. Form Examples: email, memo, formal research paper, letter

Purpose When you write, you should always have a clear

idea of your purpose. In order to establish a clear purpose, begin each writing assignment by asking yourself the following questions:

What is my purpose? Do I have more than one purpose? Am I trying to inform, explore, explain, entertain, describe a process, argue, persuade, evaluate, analyze, compare, solve a problem, express feelings or share an opinion?

Audience

You should also have a clear understanding of who your audience is as you write. In Unit 6, you will read about three major categories of professional audiences: the Lay Audience, the Managerial Audience and the Expert Audience.

The Lay Audience has no prior knowledge or experience with your topic. They tend to understand the "human aspect" more than technical details.

The Managerial Audience tends to have some knowledge about your topic but may not understand or care about too many details.  

The Expert Audience already supposedly knows the basics, so you can use more specific terminology in your explanations.

Form

You also need to know which form is appropriate or required for your writing. Forms you might consider include the following: lists, paragraphs, essays, reports, presentations, emails, memos, etc. If a paragraph is required, for instance, you would not want to simply present your ideas in a list format or as an essay. Have a clear idea of the appropriate form!

Four Steps You Can Take to IMPROVE Your Writing Skills this Term

Practice Make use of other writing resources Use constructive criticism (comments) as

a guide for ongoing improvement Use the KU Writing Center

Step #1: Practice

Writing is much like any other skill. In order to make improvements with your writing skills, you must PRACTICE as much as possible…

Step #2: Make Use of Other Writing Resources

The OWL at Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu A great site to use for grammar and basic writing concerns! This site

provides handouts, PowerPoint presentations and hypertext workshops. CHECK IT OUT!

A Guide to Grammar: http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/ This site is excellent! You’ll find information regarding grammar, punctuation

and essay development. EXPLORE!

NOTE: I will share these online resources with you in the Unit 6 Discussion area as well.

Step #3: Use Constructive Criticism as a Guide

To "construct" something means to BUILD it!! Keep this in mind!! Constructive criticism can help you to "BUILD" a better product.

You must take time to look closely and listen carefully! Review comments with an open mind. Try to see your own strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. Try to have a strong sense of what you do well as a writer and where you need to keep working.

Try to use feedback constructively (to build stronger skills); it should be your guide to IMPROVEMENT! Ask questions if you need points clarified! Ongoing improvement should be something you focus on in all of your courses here at Kaplan!

Step #4: Use the KU Writing Center

The following services are offered:

Writing Tutor Paper Review & Q & A Service Writing Reference Library Writing Workshops & Podcasts The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing

Take time to EXPLORE the Writing Center this term—see what it has to offer!

Field Trip!

Let’s EXPLORE the KU Writing Center

The KU Writing Center is located on your KU Campus page directly under the My Studies and Academic Support Center tabs.

The Case of Carmen

Six years ago, Carmen graduated from high school and found a job as a receptionist at an accounting office. She has become a valuable asset to the small company, helping with accounting issues in addition to greeting customers, but her salary has remained too low to meet today's living costs.

Most of her coworkers either have a college degree or are working on one, so she has decided that in order to advance, she should also go back to school. But Carmen is concerned about her writing abilities for college work. In high school she did most of her writing last minute, and since then has only written short memos and sent e-mail. She knows there will be writing in her classes and is concerned.

How might making use of the FOUR steps of the Writing Process help Carmen?

Prewriting Drafting Revising Editing

“Why is it so important to write clearly and communicate effectively?”

DID YOU KNOW???

One of the #1 qualities employers look for in potential employees is the ability to write effectively and communicate clearly!

Working on these skills NOW, will definitely pay off well for all of you in the long run!

Think about it:

I'll use the Olympic athletes as examples here. If an athlete wants to become a stronger skater or skier, he/she keeps working on his/her skills, day after day! In fact, he/she looks for constructive criticism from coaches and teammates and constantly asks questions such as “Where can I improve?” “What are my strengths?” “What are my weaknesses?”

Go for the GOLD!

Final Questions?

Thanks for attending…..