Day 12 (Sep 22) - Commas & Other Advanced Punctuation

Today we will...

1. See some "Comma Jokes"

2. Discuss the correct use of commas & other punctuations in writing

Comma Jokes

Take a look at the following pictures and talk with other people about what is wrong with all these pictures. What can be a good way to avoid those?

Let's take a look at another funny but scary illustration.

The universal truth behind all these is that "Comma Matters"! Here are some rules regarding the usage of comma.

Actually...

All these advanced punctuations matter in your writing!

Here is some practice before we go into the advanced punctuation.

Get your hands on it!

Read all the sentences on the handout, and add any punctuation if necessary.

Additional Help & Homework

Please read all the assigned sections in Writer's Help on Comma, Colon, Semi-colon and Dash as a review of the content in class today. Do the exercises thereafter if there is any. Watch the video on Conjunction Junction.

Day 11 (Sep 19) - Academic Style & Tone

Today we will...

1. discuss what kind of writing style and language to use in academic writing
2. practice the academic style & tone

Warm-up

1. What kind of language should we use in academic writing?
2. What are the differences between academic writing language and daily conversational language?
3. What will happen if you use conversational languages in your writing?

How do we do it?

Please refer to the following advice on how to sound smarter and more professional in writing. Here is something you can keep as a reference when you write papers, and it can help you sound smart and academic.

Jeopary

Let's play some JEOPARDY and test your knowledge on word choices!

Get your hands on it!

Open this document in Googledoc, and you will work in groups of 3. Work with your group members to read carefully and find out all the words, phrases and structures that do not sound academic, smart or professional in this paragraph. Then rewrite it to make it look GREAT. When you are done, please compare your work with this sample.

Homework

Read through the assigned parts (Concise Language, Appropriate Language, Exact Language) in Writer's Help ebook on language use in academic writing, and do all the exercises associated with those topics.

Cool Video

Here is the link for the video that I mentioned last time in class. You can just watch it for fun.

Day 10 (Sep 17th) - Introduction & Conclusion

Today we will...

1. learn the structure and basic elements of introduction & conclusion

2. apply the skills in your introduction & conclusion writing

First of all

Let's take a quick look at this video and discuss the following questions:

1) What do you think makes his speech effective?

2) What are some good points or strategies that you have observed from the way he talks?

How to do it?

The effective way to write a good introduction is similar to the opening of a good speech. There are several points that you need to keep in mind when you write your introduction.

Now let's take a look at the sample paragraphs and see if you can identify the purpose for each of the numbered sentences.

What about conclusion?

The introduction goes from broad to narrow, but the conclusion is just the opposite. Here is how you should write your conclusion.

Putting them all together

Let's take a look at the diagram which demonstrates and compares the way introduction and conclusion are developed.


Now you all have learned how to compose the introduction, the body and the conclusion of an essay, and you should have no problem writing one perfect essay!

So keep working on your essay based on the content we have covered so far, and make sure that you are writing the introduction, the body and the conclusion exactly the way I am teaching you. In addition, make sure that you have a clear purpose and target the right audience.

Day 9 (Sep 15) - Body Paragraphs (The PIE Structure)

Today we will...

1. learn what a PIE structure is.

2. how to use a PIE structure in our essay writing

So far, we have learned how to write the introduction of an essay and how to compose an efficient thesis statement. In addition, we have also highlighted the importance of targeting the right audience and being coherent throughout our writing, as well as how to strengthen our arguments. Now it's time for us to take a look at the most efficient way (I mean the BEST way) to write good body paragraphs.

Now let's meet our BEST friend: P-I-E!!!

So what is the P-I-E we are talking about in writing?

Now let's do an analysis on a sample paragraph and see if you can identify the P (point), the I (illustration) and the E (explanation).

Again, let's take a look at the perfectly written research paper by Eric.

Now you all have grasped the gist of PIE, so you know what to do with your diagnostic paper.

Summary

P-I-E for the body paragraphs.
P is the point, I is the illustration (examples, statistics, research results...) and E is the explanation (supporting your point and making a connection between your point and your illustration).

Homework

Go back home and watch this video. Review the basic structures of academic writing.

Day 8 (Sep 12) - Coherence Part 2

Today we will...

1. continue with the Coherence Topic

2. learn more devices and ways to make our writings more coherent

What is there to learn?

We have learned some transitional devices last time that we can use in our writings to make them more coherence and easier for readers to understand. So is there any other way that we can apply in our writings to keep coherence? Well, the answer is

There are 3 major devices in addition to the transitional words and phrases that we can use in our writings to maintain coherence. They are "Repetition", "Synonyms" and "Pronouns".

Get your hands on it!

Exercise 1

Work with your partner, and make sure you understand the meaning of all these words. Then place them in the right category.

Exercise 2

Check out the 3 major devices in addition to transitional words and phrases.

Only in sentences?

So, is coherence only within sentences? Of course not! Otherwise, you may have very clear individual sentences, but your reader would still be lost. It should also be in paragraphs. Here is a good example of how to be coherent in a paragraph.

Let's practice coherence within a paragraph. 

Summary

There are 4 ways for us to keep coherence in our writings, and they are "Transitional Words & Phrases", "Repetition", "Synonyms" and "Pronouns". They are used in different ways, but their function is to keep a logical sequence of your writing and help you maintain coherence throughout your paper. Remember, coherence doesn't only happen within sentences, it should be throughout your paper!

I Need Your Consent!

So here is a consent form that you need to fill out (it's not required though). Basically, you need to consent to that I, as the instructor, have the right to collect all your writing pieces and make them available to other students in this class as samples (I won't show your personal information, such as your name or UIN to others) and compile them as part of my teaching. No pressure, just take your time to finish it.

DON'T Forget your HOMEWORK for the weekend! For information on the homework, please refer to the previous blogger. Enjoy your weekend doing the HW!

Day 7 (Sep 10) - Coherence Part 1

Today we will...

1. introduce coherence in academic writing & its importance

2. talk about how to be coherent in your academic writing


Warm-up Activity: Story Rounds

Directions: The whole class will be divided into 2 groups, and each group will have a piece of paper with one sentence on it. Only one person is allowed to read the sentence and write another sentence according to the information of the given sentence, and then he or she will fold it and pass it down to the next person. Each person can only read the sentence that the previous person writes, and write his or her own sentence.


The Hospital Task

Directions: In this task, students will be divided into 3 groups, and each group will take turns (2 minutes) to describe the picture to the student (to be determined) who draws on the board. We will give each group 3 tries, and let's see how the person will draw the picture on the board. hospital


Question:

After doing these 2 activities, what are some implications you can get?


What is COHERENCE then?

Coherence warm-up can be found here. Read these 4 paragraphs and discuss with someone next to you on the given questions.

So what exactly is Coherence that we are talking about in writing?

Coherence can usually achieved by using good transitions in writing, and those transitional devices can be found here and here.


HOMEWORK

1. Do the exercises on "Thesis Statement" & "Introduction" on Writer's Help ebook as a review, and this should be done before the class time next Monday (Sep 15th).

2. Work on your introduction (thesis statement) and body paragraphs (coherence). The revised version of your introduction and body paragraphs are due next Monday (Sep 15th) before class time in my email (xinliu6@illinois.edu) and Compass 2g.


Again, Writer's Help ebook!!!

http://pages.mail.bfwpub.com/WritersHelp/Student_Ordering_Info/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKQAAhEOhek

http://support.bfwpub.com/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=322

http://support.bfwpub.com/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=393

Tutorial & Guides can be found here and here.

Get yourselves registered and do one exercise to make sure your name is on my list!

Hey everyone, I just uploaded a sample research paper than you can all read and get a general idea of what you are trained to do ultimately in this class. So here is the Sample RESEARCH PAPER.

In addition, here are 3 more sample research papers with illustrations and explanations. You can read them if you are interested, but we will definitely come back to those papers in the future. Paper 1 & Paper 2 & Paper 3.

Day 6 (Sep 8) - Strengthening Arguments

Review of the Basic Structure of an Essay
Here is a perfect illustration of it

Work with a partner & discuss the following questions:

Think of a time when you tried to convince someone to do or think something (maybe a parent, a teacher, or a friend)
1) What were you trying to get them to do or think?
2) How did you try to convince them? Did you try more than one strategy?
3) Did it work? Why or why not?

Let's take a look at the different strategies we can use in our writings to make ourselves more convincing.

Remember: When you want to persuade others, it's not about how loud you speak, but how convincing your words are. In the same way, it's not about how many words you put down, but how persuasive they are.

Another thing to bear in mind is to avoid the

  you may fall into!

But what is the trap?

Now go back home and take another look at your diagnostic exam. Try to figure out how you want to change your thesis statement, as well as making yourself sound more persuasive.

The last thing, check out the Mid-Autumn Festival.