1. WELCOME to Seminar 8 We will begin on time. Meanwhile, enjoy chatting. Don't duck the most difficult problems. That just ensures that the hardest part will be left when you are most tired. Get the big one done - it's downhill from then on. Norman Vincent Peale Don't duck the most difficult problems. That just ensures that the hardest part will be left when you are most tired. Get the big one done - it's downhill from then on. Norman Vincent Peale

2. It’s SHOWTIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to Seminar #8 How is everyone today? How was your week?

3. Unit 8 Overview The Road Home In the conclusion of the hero’s journey, Campbell describes the need for the hero to return what he or she has learned to the people. Sports are full of these examples. You’ll find that many coaches were strong players themselves, but the job of a coach is a different responsibility. They must find ways to share their knowledge in order to give people the skills and inspiration for success. In many ways, you have been participating in this process all term. Each week, you have offered your classmates advice on their writing topics, thesis statements and drafts, and in turn, they have also given you the same helpful guidance. You have received feedback and advice from your instructor, and this week, you have the option of seeking help from friends and family members, co-workers, or even the Writing Center tutors. The more feedback, the better.

4. Unit 8 Overview The Road Home You are also in the process of sharing your knowledge with others through your Final Project essay. You first selected a topic that would allow you to focus on a particular problem that someone in your field is dealing with, and then you located an audience that needed the help you could give them. In the past couple of weeks, you have researched the topic so that you could become as informed about your topic as possible, so that you could arm yourself with knowledge and experience. You have also begun the process of revising the draft of your essay, and this week you will continue that process. Writers bridge gaps and in many ways act as helpers and mentors, just like a coach. They give audiences knowledge that they need, either to help them to understand a subject or solve a problem, and that means a writer can make a difference in a person’s life.

5. Unit 8 Overview The Road Home One of the biggest challenges that writers face is making sure that the audience reads what they have written. If you have ever read a newspaper or magazine article that didn’t, for example, capture your attention in some way or motivate you to read on, you know what you do, right? You move on to the next article. You as a writer will need to make sure your audience is motivated to read what you have written, and one way to do that is create an introduction that captures their attention, that hooks them, and that motivates them to read on. This unit’s reading and video assignments will provide you with helpful strategies you can use to make sure that happens. You will also learn strategies for writing an effective conclusion that does not simply repeat what you have already written or end your essay on a dull, flat note.

6. Unit 8 Reading For advice on writing strong introductions and conclusions, review the following Writing Center information: http://khe2.acrobat.com/p44415570/ For help with revision strategies, review the following Writing Center information: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/DocumentStore/Doc s11/pdf/WC/RevisionWorkshop.pdf

7. Unit 8 Discussion Part One: By now, you have received a great deal of feedback on your Final Project draft. Your instructor has reviewed your draft and offered you advice on improvement and your classmates have provided you feedback in the Unit 7 peer review. For this part of the Discussion, think about all this feedback and write a statement briefly summarizing these suggestions, focusing on what you think are the most helpful suggestions you have received. Then write a brief plan for moving forward with your revision of your draft. In other words, what do you still need to do to make your essay even stronger and how will you make that happen? Be positive and remember that feedback is intended not to point out errors but to help you to make your writing stronger.

8. Unit 8 Discussion Part Two: For Part Two of this Discussion, using the reading assignment from The KU Guide to Successful writing and the Writing Center material on writing effective introductions and conclusions, write or revise the introduction and conclusion to your Final Project essay draft and post them here. Keep in mind that an introduction should aim to hook the readers and motivate them to continue to read, but don’t be afraid to try a strategy you haven’t used before that might really draw your audience in. If that strategy doesn’t work, you can always change it later. That’s the beauty of revision. But for now, post what you have written and then use your classmates’ comments and advice to help you if you need to make any revisions to your introductions and conclusions. Be sure that your response refers to the unit reading and video assignments and that it is well-edited and developed. When you respond to at least two classmates, be sure to go beyond simple agreement or praise and instead offer constructive advice. Make suggestions about your classmates’ introduction and conclusion and offer any advice you can for strengthening your classmates’ plans for moving forward in the revision process. Add to what your classmates have already written. Ask questions. Engage in debate. Remember that responses that merely congratulate and praise do not earn credit. Aim for at least 150 words in your initial Discussion and around 100 words each for your responses to classmates. Click the View / Print icon below for a sample discussion board response.

9. Unit 8 Discussion In your posts to peers, you’ll be practicing peer review. Peer review is acting as a reader for others and then giving them comments about your experience as a reader. To afford the most feedback for all introductions, we will limit the responses to each to two. If you see two replies to a draft, choose another draft with fewer than two responses. If everyone on the board has two replies when you post, you may choose any draft for your peer feedback.

10. Unit 8 Learning Journal JOURNAL 8 (UNIT 8): Right now, you are in the middle of revising your draft of the Final Project. That Final Project isn’t due until the end of Unit 9, but by this point, you are well on your way to an excellent Final Project. For your final journal entry, please reflect on the following issues: What are you most proud of in your writing development so far? What skills have you learned and how are they helping you to become a stronger writer? What is the Project you are working on now teaching you about yourself, your writing skills, and the subject you are writing about?

11. The Paramedic Method This is just a fancy name for making your writing less wordy. –Example: The boy with the blond hair who ran through the room tripped and fell. [14 words] –Revised: The blond haired boy running through the room tripped and fell. [11 words] Think of it as an exercise where you try to shorten sentences.

12. Final Essay - For the Final Project (due at the end of Unit 9), you will be writing an academic essay of around 750-850 words in which you serve as a mentor and share your knowledge with someone who needs your help. You can either write to a group of people who have a particular problem that someone in your field of study might be facing, for the purpose of motivating this group of people to overcome this particular problem; or you can write to people who are themselves just entering the field you are studying but who are facing a dilemma and who need your guidance and knowledge to help them with dealing with this issue.

13. Final Essay - A criminal justice major might for example write to people with a specific drug habit; or an education major may write to a new teacher who has special needs students in her class and isn’t sure how to handle the situation; a student might write an essay helping a family make end-of-life decisions for an elderly parent; a business major might write an essay for the purpose of informing a bank of the benefits of refinancing people’s homes at lower rates instead of foreclosing on them.

14. Final Essay - Here is a chart of possible topic ideas from five popular college majors. The list is not inclusive, nor should you feel you have to write on one of these particular topics. Choose a topic that is of interest to you, a subject you know something about and that you think is an important issue that someone in your field might benefit from learning about. Health Science: obesity; quality of school lunches; cost of healthcare Computer Science: hackers and security; cyberbullying Business: employee theft; fraud; starting a small business; housing crisis Psychology: living with a diagnosis (Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Borderline Personality Disorder); alternative treatments; marriage counseling Criminal Justice: addiction to a particular drug; a specific criminal behavior; alternatives to prison sentencing

15. Final Essay - Your Final Project essay should meet the following guidelines: It must be an essay of between 750-850 words. It must be informative, rather than persuasive in nature. It must have a clear introduction and conclusion. It must have a clear thesis that limits the topic and establishes the essay’s main point. It must develop the thesis with a combination of original thought and resource material. It must use at least three reliable sources appropriately; source material should be used to develop the writer’s ideas, rather than becoming the focus of the paper. At least one of those sources must be from the Kaplan University Library. It must avoid unreliable sources or sources inappropriate for an academic essay, including but not limited to Wikipedia. Source material, whether it is quoted or paraphrased, must be given appropriate credit, including in text citations and a citation in the References page. It must follow APA format requirements, including an appropriately formatted title page, 12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced paragraphs and one inch margins. It should be written with an appropriate level of formality, avoiding first and second person.

16. Essay Depot: Tools You Can Use in Academic Writin Presented by Renee Gurley

17. Write a thesis!!!! First Step:

18. Why do you have to learn how to write a thesis?. In college, you are entering into a conversation. No matter what you are majoring in, you will join an academic conversation. – Math is having a conversation. History is having a conversation, even accounting is having a conversation…I don’t personally know what those accountants are talking about, but I do know they are talking about something.

19. So what does this CONVERSATION have to do with the THESIS?  Most of these academic conversations are written in the form of a ESSAY.  This is why COLLEGE COMPOSITION is the only class that EVERY student must take to complete a Bachelor’s Degree.  This is the class that shows newcomers what the academic conversation looks like and how to formulate writing to add to this conversation.  The essay is the primary way these conversations take place. During this class, we will cover the various part of an essay.  The most important part of the essay is the THESIS STATEMENT.

20. Why is the THESIS so important? Without a THESIS STATEMENT, there is no essay. – In other words, without a THESIS, you, the writer will not be heard in the academic conversation. The THESIS STATEMENT is the place where you, the writer, states your opinion about the topic at hand and explain why you have this opinion.

21. What does the THESIS STATEMENT consists of? The THESIS STATEMENT consists of THREE PARTS: – TOPIC What topic are you talking about? – OPINION What is your opinion about this topic? – REASONS What are your reason(s) for having this opinion?

22. How can these THESIS parts be put together?  The THESIS PARTS (topic, opinion and reasons) can be put together in THREE EASY STEPS:  The first step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader know what TOPIC you are going to talk about….  The second step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader know your OPINION about this TOPIC.  The third step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader your REASONS (also called KEY POINTS) why you think your OPINION is valid with regard to this TOPIC.  For some reason, in academia, the magic number is three…thus, traditionally, a thesis contains THREE REASONS (Key Points).

23. THESIS FORMULA= Topic + Opinion + Reason #1 +Reason #2 + Reason #3 Topic + Opinion Reason (key point) #1 Reason (key point) #2 THESIS Reason (key point) #3

24. Using this formula, let’s say the TOPIC was The novel Tale of Two Cities, the OPINION was you liked it and your reasons are the characters, the theme and the setting The novel Tale of Two Cities + was enjoyable The characters The theme The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the characters, the theme and the setting. The setting

25. Some items to note about the THESIS A comma and a because join the topic + opinion with the 3 reasons: – The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the characters, the theme and the setting. The THESIS is ONE SENTENCE The THESIS is NOT A QUESTION Traditionally, it is the LAST SENTENCE in the INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH

26. Write THREE TOPIC SENTENCE! Second Step:

27. Why do you have to learn how to write a topic sentence? Topic sentences are how you keep the conversation going, because these provide organization. As an academic writer, you want to create a voice of authority…being organized is one step towards achieving this.

28. Why is the TOPIC SENTENCES so important? Without a Topic sentence, there is no organization. The TOPIC SENTENCE is the place break your THESIS STATEMENT into PARTS in order to prove your thesis to be true.

29. What does the TOPIC SENTENCE consists of? The THESIS SENTENCE consists of THREE PARTS: – TOPIC (from thesis) What topic are you talking about? – OPINION (from thesis) What is your opinion about this topic? – ONE REASON (from your thesis) What was one of the reasons that you stated in your thesis regarding why you thought your opinion was true?

30. How can these TOPIC SENTENCE parts be put together?  The THESIS PARTS (topic, opinion and ONE reason) can be put together in THREE EASY STEPS:  The first step in writing a TOPIC SENTENCE is to restate the TOPIC that you used from the THESIS STATEMENT  The second step in writing a TOPIC SENTENCE is to restate the OPINION that you used from the THESIS STATEMENT  The third step in writing a TOPI SENTENCE is to restate the ONE of the REASONS (also called key points) that you used from the THESIS (also called KEY POINTS) as to why you think your OPINION is valid with regard to this TOPIC.  For some reason, in academia, the magic number is three…thus, traditionally, thus, you will usually in a research ESSAY have 3 TOPIC SENTENCES.

31. Remember the Thesis Formula ???Topic + Opinion + Reason #1 +Reason #2 + Reason #3 = THESIS Topic + Opinion Reason (key point) #1 Reason (key point) #2 THESIS Reason (key point) #3

32. Introducing the TOPIC SENTENCE FORMULA- Topic + Opinion +Reason = TOPIC SENTENCE Topic + Opinion Reason (key point) #1 Topic sentence

33. Using this formula, let’s say THESIS was “The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the characters, the theme and the setting.” The topic sentence for the first body paragraph would be… The novel Tale of Two Cities + was enjoyable The characters The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the characters.

34. Using this formula, let’s say THESIS was “The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the characters, the theme and the setting.” The topic sentence for the SECOND body paragraph would be… The novel Tale of Two Cities + was enjoyable The theme The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the theme.

35. Using this formula, let’s say THESIS was “The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters, the theme and the setting.” The topic sentence for the THIRD body paragraph would be… The novel Tale of Two Cities + was enjoyable The setting The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because of the setting.

36. Some items to note about the TOPIC SENTENCES Topic sentences are the first sentence in every body paragraph Topic sentences come straight from the thesis statement – If it isn’t in the thesis statement, it shouldn’t be in the topic sentence Topic sentences are one sentence. Topic sentences are never a question Topic Sentences are not quotations or paraphrases. – Thus, topic sentence should never have in text citation after them as well.

37. Yes, this formula may leave our writing (for now) a bit repetitive. However, I suggest you use this formula in your first draft to help you get the organization. In the second drafts, start using synonyms and rewording the TOPIC OPINION AND/OR REASON. Heed this advice, because TOPIC SENTENCES is the place where students make the most mistakes, because of the desire to want add more. – DON’T ADD MORE!!

38. Write Body Paragraphs Third Step:

39. How to organize a BODY PARAGRAPH using outside sources Body Paragraph FORMULA:  Sentence #1 – Topic Sentence (TOPIC + OPINION + COMMA+ BECAUSE + REASON)  Sentence #2 – Introduce EVIDENCE (explain where this evidence came from and WHY it is RELIABLE!!!!!!)  Sentence #3 – State Evidence (Quote or paraphrase an outside source and follow it with IN TEXT CITATION)  Sentence #4 – Analyze EVIDENCE (explain in your own words HOW the evidence proves the TOPIC SENTENCE to be true)  Sentence #5– Conclude the paragraph (reword the TOPIC SENTENCE)

40. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #1- Topic Sentence  The first sentence in all BODY paragraphs are TOPIC SENTENCES.  Topic Sentence Formula: TOPIC + OPINION + COMMA+ BECAUSE + REASON)  Topic sentences come straight from the thesis statement  If it isn’t in the thesis statement, it shouldn’t be in the topic sentence  Topic sentences are one sentence.  Topic sentences are never a question  Topic Sentences are not quotations or paraphrases.  Thus, topic sentence should never have in text citation after them as well.

41. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #1- Topic Sentence EXAMPLE Let’s say the THESIS was: – The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters, the theme and the setting. The TOPIC SENTENCE for the FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH would be: – The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters.

42. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #2- Introduce EVIDENCE  After stating your TOPIC SENTENCE, the next step is to PROVE IT!!  There are THREE STEPS to PROVING your TOPIC SENTENCE:  The FIRST STEP is to INTRODUCE EVIDENCE  INTRODUCING EVIDENCE means:  Telling the reader where the EVIDENCE is from  Which means you MUST explain to the reader: who said it OR where it was said  Telling the reader WHY the EVIDENCE is RELIABLE  Which means you MUST explain to the reader: WHY EVIDENCE can be trusted AND WHY EVIDENCE isn’t just fluff

43. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #2- INTRODUCE EVIDENCE EXAMPLE  The INTRODUCE EVIDENCE example for the FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH would be:  Dr. Mitchell Serious, a literary critic, discusses the characters in The Tale of Two Cities in the peer reviewed Victorian England Quarterly

44. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #3- STATE EVIDENCE  After INTRODUCING EVIDENCE, the SECOND STEP is to STATE EVIDENCE  STATE EVIDENCE means:  STATING a QUOTE or PARAPHRASE from an OUTSIDE SOURCE (not your thoughts, but someone else’s)  Telling the reader WHERE you found the QUOTE or PARAPHRASE  This is called IN TEXT CITATION Which means after you state the evidence place in parentheses the AUTHOR of the OUTSIDE SOURCE or the OWNER of the WEBSITE where you found the QUOTE COMMA PUBLISH YEAR EXAMPLE: (Smith, 2007).

45. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #3- STATE EVIDENCE EXAMPLE  The example for the FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH would be:  Quote: Serious writes, “The characters in Tale of Two Cities represent the human condition” (Smith, 2007).  Paraphase: Serious writes that the people portrayed in Dicken’s novel exemplify universals (Smith, 2007.)

46. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #4- ANALYZE EVIDENCE  After STATING EVIDENCE, the THIRD STEP is to ANALYZE EVIDENCE  ANALYZE EVIDENCE means:  Explaining in YOUR OWN WORDS, how the QUOTE or PARAPHRASE proves the TOPIC SENTENCE  AVOID simply writing: This quote proves the point.  YOU need to explain HOW the evidence PROVES THE TOPIC SENTENCE This proves the point, BECAUSE _______.

47. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #4-ANALYZE EVIDENCE  ANALYZE EVIDENCE means:  Explaining in YOUR OWN WORDS, how the QUOTE or PARAPHRASE proves the TOPIC SENTENCE  AVOID simply writing: This quote proves the point.  YOU need to explain HOW the evidence PROVES THE TOPIC SENTENCE This proves the point, BECAUSE _______  The example for the FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH would be:  INCORRECT: Serious’ quote demonstrates the qualities of the characters in Tale of Two Cities.  CORRECT: Serious’ quote demonstrates the qualities of the characters in Tale of Two Cities, because he discusses how these people represent the many shared human experiences, and this representation is one factor which makes this novel a good book.

48. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #5- Conclude After you ANALYZE EVIDENCE, Conclude the paragraph (reword the TOPIC SENTENCE) – Readers need a sense of closure, the last sentence in a body paragraph does this. » One way to do this is by REWORDING THE TOPIC SENTENCE

49. BODY PARAGRAPH FORMULA: Sentence #5-CONCLUDE EXAMPLE  The example for the FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH would be:  TOPIC SENTENCE: The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters.  CONCLUSION SENTENCE: Charles Dicken’s novel is fun to read, because of the characterizations in the story.

50. Putting it together: Body Paragraph Example The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters. Dr. Mitchell Serious, a literary critic, discusses the characters in The Tale of Two Cities in the peer reviewed Victorian England Quarterly. Serious writes, “The characters in Tale of Two Cities represent the human condition” (Smith, 2007). Serious’ quote demonstrates the qualities of the characters in Tale of Two Cities, because he discusses how these people represent the many shared human experiences, and this representation is one factor which makes this novel a good book. Charles Dicken’s novel is fun to read, because of the characterizations in the story.

51. Some items to note about the BODY PARAGRAPH Topic sentences come straight from the thesis statement – If it isn’t in the thesis statement, it shouldn’t be in the topic sentence – A paragraph will never start with a quote or paraphase NOR in-text citation Introducing evidence means mentioning who your outside source is and WHY the source is reliable Stating the evidence means using an OUTISDE SOURCE to SUPPORT (PROVE) topic sentences.

52. Write Introduction Paragraph: The introduction paragraph has three functions: Grab the readers attention – Use a rhetorical question – State a startling information – Tell a story Give background information State the thesis statement – -Note: these functions should be in this order in the introductory paragraph Fourth Step:

53. Write Conclusion Paragraph: The conclusion paragraph has three functions: Echo the INTRODUCTION – Use a rhetorical question – State a startling information – Tell a story Restate the thesis Give a call to action – Ask a question – Relate how issue impacts reader – Give suggestions on how reader can get involved :

54. 54 What are the modes of writing?

55. 55 Modes of Writing Narration is telling a short, nonfiction story, usually about your personal experiences or the experiences of someone whom you know or have read about. Readers like stories because stories help to make your ideas easier to understand. Be sure the story supports your ideas. Do not let your stories overwhelm your essay.

56. 56 Modes (slide 2) Description – Painting word pictures helps your readers to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel what you are describing. It makes your writing more vivid and interesting, as well as adding length to your essay. [LOL]

57. 57 More Modes (slide 3) Compare and contrast Compare means to find the ways in which two things, people, or ideas are the same. Contrast means to find the ways that they are different. In order to do either, you must have things, people, or ideas that can be compared in some ways. Also, one of the things being compared must be familiar to the reader.

58. 58 Comparing & Contrasting Comparing and contrasting can be objective (informative) or persuasive. Objective (informative): – Opponents of gay marriage say that it differs from heterosexual marriage because of traditions, nature, and religion. – Two forms of marriage are being compared. – Objective review of others’ opinions – what “opponents” say, not what the writer says. – Does not give writer’s opinions

59. 59 How to Write a Comparison There are two ways to write a comparison, but for either way, you must select the categories that you will use to compare the two things. Example: Living in New York vs. Living in Florida Categories: 1) weather, 2) cultural activities, 3) housing

60. 60 Ways to Compare: Divided Comparison I. Living in New York – A. Weather – B. Cultural Activities – C. Housing II. Living in Florida – A. Weather – B. Cultural Activities – C. Housing

61. 61 Ways to Compare: Alternating Pattern (easier for reader) I. Weather – A. New York – B. Florida II. Cultural Activities – A. New York – B. Florida III. Housing – A. New York – B. Florida

62. 62 Modes (slide 4) Definition – You can’t assume that the reader understands all of your terms, particularly if your topic contains words not used in ordinary conversation. Definitions can be short or they can be extended. In fact, you could spend an entire essay just defining a term. For example, if you wanted to define “global warming” in detail, you could spend pages explaining exactly what the term means.

63. 63 Definition (continued) Definition can include dictionary definitions, quotes from experts in the field, word derivation, information from encyclopedias and journals, etc. This can also include both denotative definitions (dictionary or literal meaning) and connotative definitions (associated feelings and meanings, can be favorable or unfavorable)

64. 64 A la Mode (slide 5) Process analysis – This means explaining how something is done or made. Understanding the steps involved can help the reader understand your concepts. This also includes explaining how something works or giving directions.

65. 65 Process Analysis (continued) Analyzes the process behind doing something and breaks it down step by step. Can be more difficult than it sounds, particularly when giving directions because anything you fail to explain will cause the reader to become lost. Have any of you ever tried to put together something following incomplete directions? I have put together book cases with directions that seemed to have been translated from Chinese since they made no sense in English.

66. 66 Modes (slide 6) Cause and Effect – This involves explaining what “caused” the problem involved with your topic and/or what the results or “effects” of the problem are. This type of writing requires clear, logical thinking and strong evidence. Evidence must be provided for each cause or effect.

67. 67 One Last Mode (slide 7) Classification – If your topic is complex, break it into its parts. It may be easier for your readers to understand the parts than the complex whole, but be sure to also explain the relationships between the parts themselves and their relationship to the whole.

68. 68 How to Use the Modes If your thesis was “Experts in the field of memory recommend eating chocolate on a daily basis,” here are ways you could use modes. – What causes memory loss? – Describe what it is in chocolate that helps with memory retention. – Analyze how the process works. – Give examples & descriptions. – Compare to other food products.

69. I would love to hear any questions, comments or suggestions with regards to audio enhanced assignment specific announcements, I can be reached at Rgurley@kaplan.edu Rgurley@kaplan.edu

70. 70 Farewell!! Thanks for coming to the Unit 8 Seminar