Week 3, Day 1

Lecture Notes from Patterns for College Writing – 12^th ed. – pages 1-47

*PLEASE  NOTE: There is a different arrangement of introductory material in the 11^th ed.   Though it is as relevant as that which is present in the 12^th ed., the later edition may be more serviceable to the beginning college writer.  If you have an 11^th ed., familiarize yourself with the introduction and take notes as needed.

Numbers refer to page numbers in the 12th ed.:

1 – headnote

·         Background

·         Context – purpose & audience

11- the writing process

·         Recursive rather than linear

13 – critical reading—a.k.a., close reading—a.k.a., ACTIVE reading           

·         “Readers are presented with a writer’s ideas, but they also bring their own ideas to what they read.”

·         Read carefully, perhaps more than once

23 – Annotate the text – look carefully at the Questions for Critical Reading to assist you if you have trouble knowing what to look for or annotate in a reading selection

15 – be aware of VISUAL SIGNALS and VERBAL SIGNALS as you read—especially if you struggle with reading and understanding a text

26 & 27 – we will have little chance to use the information regarding Visual Texts, but it is important to be aware of their importance and to understand that reading Visual Texts is a skill, as much as reading Verbal Texts

29 – Understanding Your Assignment

·         Direct vs. indirect assignments

30-31 – Length

·         Minimum: 2 pages, MLA format

·         Quality over quantity

PURPOSE

·         Expressive

·         Informative

·         Argumentative

AUDIENCE:  Writing is not done in a vacuum and NOT written for only one person

34 – Move from general subject to SPECIFIC topic:

The title should HINT at the topic

The introduction should grab the reader’s attention

Provide adequate background necessary for understanding

Move to a clear, explicit thesis statement

36-43—different means of brainstorming are discussed

·         Free writing

·         Clustering

43-47—THESIS STATEMENT

·         A thesis statement is NOT a statement of intent—“I will examine…” “This paper will discuss…”

·         A thesis statement is NOT a statement of fact – there’s no place to go, nothing to discuss,  with a simple fact

45 - What a thesis statement does:

For the Writer                                                                   For the Reader

Helps plan the essay                                                       identified the main idea of the essay

Helps organize ideas in the essay                                    guides readers through an essay

Helps unify ideas in an essay                                          clarifies the subject & focus of the essay

46 – What a thesis statement must do:

·         Be explicit

·         Express the controlling idea or main idea of the essay

·         Convey the essay’s purpose

·         Be stated clearly

Assignment for next class:

Read pages 51-80 in Patterns for Collge Writing, 12th ed.  and pages 211-227, the introduction to the Exemplificaiton Essay


"Just Walk on By," pgs. 240-245; in the 11th ed. of Patterns,  the title is "Black Men and Public Space" -- the author is Brent Staples

Be prepared to discuss the content of each essay and the Comprehension questions that follow each essay
Be ready to answer and hand-in the questions that follow on  Purpose & Audience and Style & Structure, all of which follow each essay


Read: :  "This is Water," by David Foster Wallace - available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/20/fiction;  the essay is also available in the 11th ed. of Patterns for College Writing
Be prepared to discuss the content of Wallace's famous commencement speech address AND the structure as well.