May 29

First, we completed the writing into the day about “rules” for a thesis (see PowerPoint slide 31).

Together, we created a class list of “rules” on the board.

• Blunt
• Informative
• Descriptive
• Concise
• Persuasive
• Clear message
• Located in introduction
• Short, not long winded
• Often expressed in one or two sentences
• Usually some form of statement
• Affirmative
• It doesn’t always have to be in the beginning of the paper
• It has to be explained or proven in the rest of the paper
• It should be restated in the conclusion
• Expressed throughout the paper, but not necessarily explicit
• It needs a centralized idea/main topic
• It should be used if you are writing opinion
• It shouldn’t be used if you are doing personal writing
• Without typing it back to the beginning, it’s not a thesis

Do you always need a thesis for academic writing?

• Not all academic writing will use a thesis because it can be personal
• Yes, because it follows a specific format, which requires a thesis.
• The thesis is your point.

How are you defining academic writing?

• A narrative is academic writing if your teacher asks you to write it.
• Writing in school, no matter the type of paper.  If it’s graded, it’s academic.
• Academic writing is research writing.
• Academic writing is writing that circulates through academic communities.

We discussed how what we believe about a thesis affects the way we write.

Next, we got into small groups and discussed the questions on slide 32 of the PowerPoint. We read the sentence on slide 33 and took one minute to rewrite it in our own words.  We did the same with the sentence on slide 34.  Then, we talked about which sentence is better for academic writing.  Most students agreed that sentence two is better because it is clear.  Some students, thought, argued that the first sentence is better because it sounds more sophisticated.

After this, we discussed slide 32 in whole group:

• Colorful and descriptive vocabulary
• Intelligent, no slang
• You can one word to replace several (use livid instead of very, very mad)
• You can replace words that you use all the time (grab a thesaurus)
• It depends on the writer and what words he/she wants to use/change
• It’s personal.  It’s a feeling.  You change what you don’t think sounds good or doesn’t flow.
• You need complete sentences.
• Punctuate correctly.  It makes a difference in how you read it (Let’s eat grandma.)
• Avoid run on and fragments.
• It needs to read naturally.  It should be choppy. 

• I have done research so I sound like I know what I am talking about.
• Use resources like the Easy Writer book.
• I first draft everything.
• Read it to someone.
• Read it aloud.
• I have always hated writing.
• I have a difficult time writing something that doesn’t interest me.
• I need to emotion or passion to write. 

Finally, we discussed the questions on slide 36 about specificity.

• Most of the time they have a specific topic they want you to write about.
• Without it, it’s going to be vague. The reader won’t be able to follow your writing.
• It’s more interesting if it’s specific.
• You can be too specific.  You can give too many irrelevant details.
• You need to have enough specificity to get the point across but not drown them in detail.
• It depends on the writing.  If you write about the war, you need to be specific about the war.  You want to entice your reader.
• You can be vague if you want them to draw your own conclusion.
• If you are writing a persuasive essay, you can’t be vague.
• You need to give insight.  If you are giving them information but not persuading them – letting them make their own conclusion – you’re being vague.  So it can be effective.
• You can’t be vague in informative writing because if you are vague you aren’t informing them.
• You might be vague in the definition essay.  Would that be effective or not?

Homework:

• Read Anne Lamott's "Finding Your Voice" (on Moodle)