CHAPTER 1 Pg 3

Soup-can labels can be fascinating  How many of you would rather do ANYTHING (even reading soup can labels) rather than start working on a paper. Remember:  You have some valuable ideas to tell your reader  You want to communicate those ideas well

Selecting a subject  Start early  Find the best space for you  Select something in which you currently have a strong interest  Narrow a large topic

Pump-Primer Techniques: Jig-Saw it!  Get in groups of 3 people  You will be assigned to ONE (1) of the Pump-Primer techniques  15 minutes to TRY THE TECHNIQUE YOURSELF using the topics on pg 18  Explain it to the class

Pump-Primer Techniques  Listing  Free writing  Looping  The boomerang  Clustering  Cubing  Interviewing  Cross-examination  Sketching  Dramatizing the subject

Practice what you’ve learned  Practice B, pg 18  Select two of the large subjects. With a partner, loop, list, or use another pre-write technique to create a focused topic that would be appropriate3 for an essay of 3-5 pages.

Discover your Audience  How to Identify your readers  Who is the audience?  Why are they reading it – what do they hope to gain?  What knowledge does your audience have about the subject?  What is your audience’s attitude towards your subject?

Special qualities of your audience? 1. They don’t like to be bored. (if you are bored writing it, they’ll be bored reading it) 2. They hate confusion and disorder 3. They WANT to think and learn 4. They want to see/feel what YOU see/feel 5. They are turned off by pretentious/phony voices.

Practice what you’ve learned: pg 22, A Analyze these ads (Choose 1, write on a separate paper) 1. “Diamond Right-Hand Ring” pg “Gas Heat Makes me Nervous” pg “Some arguments for Nuclear Energy…” pg “Pierce Brosnan’s Choice” pg “PETA Anti-Fur” pg 310 By asking these questions 1. What age group does the ad target? Appeal to males? Females? Both? Social class of the intended audience? 2. What concerns/interest might this audience have? 3. What kinds of arguments are used to persuade (logic? Emotion? Sense of right/wrong?) 4. What are the specific words/phrases chosen to appeal to this audience?

The Ultimate in Diet Cults – don’t eat anything at all (pg 23)  Read the article  In groups of up to 4, Choose 1, 2, or 3 (pg 24-25) 1. Write a brief radio advertisement 2. Write a letter to the city, asking for a parade permit 3. Write a letter to report this company to the BBB. Present to the class

Consider keeping a journal 1. Confront your fears, conquer the blank page! 2. Improve your powers of observation 3. Save your own brilliant ideas 4. Save other people’s brilliant ideas! 5. Be creative 6. Prepare for class 7. Record responses to class discussions 8. Focus on a problem

Journaling – (continued) 9. Practice audience awareness 10. Describe your own writing process 11. Write progress reports 12. Become sensitive to language 13. Write your own personalized text book.

CHAPTER 2 Pg 31

The Thesis  What is a working thesis  What does a “working thesis” do?  Can “Working thesis” change?

Guidelines for a good thesis (pg 33)  States the writer’s clearly defined opinion on some subject  Assert ONE main idea  Have something worthwhile to say  Limit thesis to fit the assignment  State thesis clearly, in specific terms  In first or second paragraph.

Avoiding Common Thesis Errors (37)  Don’t merely announce your intentions  Don’t clutter w/ expressions like “in my opinion” or “I’m going to tell you”  Don’t be unreasonable  Don’t merely state a fact  Don’t express in the form of a question  DO state an attitude  Be forceful, speak directly and w/ conviction  Avoid irresponsible charges, name calling, profanity Don’tsDo’s!

Practice… pg 39  Identify whether each is adequate or not, explain the problem 1.Inadequate – be more specific, don’t say “I think” 2.Inadequate – Declare, don’t ask. Too broad 3.Inadequate –just a statement, not an opinion. “Bad” is not specific enough. 4.Inadequate – “my essay will tell you” is an announcement 5.Adequate 6.Inadequate – the two parts are unrelated and this is not specific enough to make sense 7.Inadequate – unclear: is body piercing to be illegal? Or is it just unsightly? 8.Inadequate – statement is unreasonable 9.Adequate 10.Inadequate – “very important” is too vague. Assert a specific idea

Essay Map  Use the handout to help you develop a topic. Choose from the list on pg 40 or pg 18.  Narrow the topic (what specific related things are you going to talk about, and what is your opinion about it)  Take those “reasons” and summarize them in the first 1-2 of paragraphs (map for your reader).