1. Writing Structure Templates

2. Some Important “Moves” in Writing
Summarizing
Framing quotations in your own words
Indicating the view that the writer is responding to
Marking a shift from a source’s view to the writer’s view, offering evidence, entertaining counter arguments.

3. “I know what I mean… but I can’t get it on the paper”
Disconnect exists… Solution?
You have skills to comprehend, summarize, analyze, etc.
Problem arises when you have to do many of these together in your own writing.
Templates can help!

4. The “standard view”
Definition: stan·dard (stān'dərd) n. Something set up and established by authority, custom, or general consent as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality as a model or example.

5. Introducing “standard views”
Common sense seems to dictate that ________________.
*Only claim that something is “common sense” if it can be demonstrated through simple logic and reason.
It appears obvious that ______________.
*Only claim that something is “obvious” to everyone if it is a view universally assumed and/or shared

6. Introducing “standard views”
The standard way of thinking about X has it that ____________________.
Unless the “way of thinking” is completely obvious to your readership, it may be a good idea to give examples of why it is safe to assume that this is the “standard” way of thinking.
Throughout my whole life I have heard people say that __________________.
It is sometimes helpful to ground a claim about “standard” views and ideas in your own personal experience.

7. Introducing “standard views”
Americans today tend to believe that __________________________.
When making sweeping claims about standard beliefs, make sure you don’t sweep too wide! Claiming that “everyone knows” something is too far-reaching, especially since what we “know” or “believe” in the USA may not hold as a belief in China, Serbia, or the United Arab Emirates.

8. Making what “They Say” something that You say
Readers sometimes identify with you as a voice and a persona when you personalize the views argued in your written piece

9. Making what “They Say” something that You say
I’ve always believed that _____________.
When I was a child, I used to think that______.
Although I should know better by now, I cannot help thinking that _____________.
At the same time I believe _________, I also believe _______________________.

10. Introducing something implied or assumed
Although none of them have ever said so directly, my teachers have often given me the impression that __________________.
One implication of X’s treatment of _____ __________ is that __________________.
Although X does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that ______________.

11. Introducing an ongoing debate
In discussions of X, one controversial issue has been ______________. On the one hand, ___________ argues ____________. On the other hand, ___________________ contends ____________________. Others even maintain ____________________. My own view is ____________________.

12. Introducing an ongoing debate
Theories of N have been dominated for centuries by two opposing views. One, X, sees N as (a). The other, Z, sees N as largely (b).
– Mark Aronoff, “Washington Sleeped Here”

13. Introducing an ongoing debate
Theories of how the mind/brain works have been dominated for centuries by two opposing views. One, rationalism, sees the human mind as coming into this world more or less fully formed—preprogrammed, in modern terms. The other, empiricism, sees the mind of the newborn as largely unstructured, a blank slate.
– Mark Aronoff, “Washington Sleeped Here”

14. Sorting out what “They” have said + introducing how “we” see it
When it comes to the topic of __________, most of us will readily agree that _______ _________. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of _________. Whereas some are convinced that ______________, others maintain that _______________.
In my own experience, _________________ has usually been the case.

15. Exercise: Convert “I say” claims into “they say” sentences.
Example:
Our experiments suggest that there are dangerous levels of Chemical X in the Ohio groundwater.
Smith and Jones concluded that there are dangerous levels of Chemical X in the Ohio groundwater (2006).

16. In-Class Practice: Convert “I say” claims into “they say” sentences.
My own view is that this novel has certain flaws.
Football is boring.
Male students often dominate class discussions.
In my view the film is really about the problems of romantic relationships.
I’m afraid that writing formulas like these will stifle my creativity.

17. HOMEWORK
Write a 2 page essay discussing the purpose of education. Use 3 or more external sources to integrate into your assignment.
You may use the Dr. Martin Luther King essay
Throughout the essay be sure to show how your thoughts engage the “on-going conversation” regarding the purpose of education
Due: Wednesday, July 13