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Comp I Assignments 1003C
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
| Week
1: Getting Started |
Course
Overview What is academic
writing? What kind of academic
writing will we do in this class? How do I find a
topic to research?
- browse magazines in the
library
- ask instructors
- visit http://word-crafter.net/CompI/TopicExploration.html
At this stage, your topic ideas can be
very broad. For example, you could start
by exploring the idea of lying. You might
narrow that to how brain scans have been
used in court to try to prove that a
witness is not telling the truth.
In Comp I, you should stick to facts: you could explain how scientists
use
scans to study lying, summarize how scans have been used
in court up
to now, or discuss advantages
and disadvantages of using scans as evidence.
In Comp II, you could go a step further to make an argument:
for example, brain scans are (or are not) reliable evidence.
When you choose your Comp I topic, choose one that you can be
objective about, one that will hold your interest for nine weeks, and one
that you will be comfortable doing a presentation on.
Homework:
- Read
• KU-ACE: “What
Is an Essay?” (link in Unit 1 Reading
on KU-ACE)
• KUH: “An Overview of
the Writing Process,” pp. 27-32; 102-110, or Kaplan
Writing Center 1.1A The Writing Process:
An Overview.
• KUH: “From Topic to
Research Questions to Thesis,” pp. 29–31
- Take 20-question Grammar
Diagnostic (cut-and-paste your results
into
an
email and send to yourself and to cmunzenmaier@kaplan.edu)
- Research at least three potential
topics
you
might
write
about. NOTE:
If you choose a topic that is not listed in the Unit
1 Reading, you must get your instructor's approval.
- Write Baseline (Diagnostic)
Essay (complete in class and submit to KU-ACE dropbox)
(10 pts)
Additional resources |
| Week
2: Andy, EBSCO, and Quality Sources |
Overview
of research process How do I locate
sources?
Preview U2 Project For next class:
- bring at least three sources you might use to class
- complete 5-question quiz
on KU-ACE (you
may use your
syllabus and
the Overview PPT)
- write rough draft of Unit
2 assignment (Topic Exploration Paragraph), and turn
in to dropbox
Readings back to top |
| Week
3 Finding Sources / References Page |
Peer-edit Topic Exploration Paragraph
- Warm up with editing
activity
- Use rubric (Week 2) to check your Unit 2 project
draft
- Apply 3-pass revision technique: target one
error each time (choose from this
list, or focus on mistakes you know you
tend to make)
How do I know I can trust a website?
Work with other members of your group to compare the two sites
assigned to your group. Decide which one
is most credible and be prepared to explain
why.
Group
1: Which source is more credible? Why?
Healthy
Strategies for Coping with Stress (Almost Organized)
The
Psychology of "Stress" (Richmond)
Group 2: Which definition is more credible? Why?
Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (click Dental
Dictionary on left nav bar)
Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (click Alternative
Medicine Encyclopedia on left nav bar)
Group 3: Which source is more credible? Why?
Tai
Chi Benefits (Everyday Tai
Chi)
Tai
Chi: An Introduction (NCAAM)
Group 4: Which source is more credible? Why?
The
Truth About the Effects of Too Much
Television on ADD or ADHD (Ezine)
The
Truth About TV & ADD/ADHD (ADDitude)
Group 5: Which site would provide more trustworthy information
about stem cell research?
Why?
Stemaid:
The Future of Medicine (Stemaid)
Do No Harm
Home Page (Do
No Harm)
Finished early? Visit Primate
Programming Inc. and explain why you would/would not hire
one of their programmers. Not sure? Check out this article.
But Google gives me millions of hits: search
engine strategies
Search for Internet resources on your topic
- using at least three different search engines
(such as Yippy, Google
Scholar, FindArticles, IxQuick,
or a search engine in your subject
area, such as OmniMedicalSearch)
- adding one of these to your search terms
- a domain such as .edu, .gov, or
.mil
- a term such as interview, survey, statistics,
research, public opinion
- a time limiter (click Web link
on Google)
- searching for the name of an author, study,
or reference mentioned in one of your sources
(or in Wikipedia's references or external links)
Rate your sources:
Choose at least four sources you plan to use in your paper.
Draft Unit 3 Project: Working References Page
(75
pts)
- APA logic (adapted from Becky
Janni)
- Here are elements of a reference list entry:
Author last name, first initial. (Publication
date). Title. Where to find the source.
- Create an APA-style citation based on your life:
- Author: Your last name, first initial.
- Date: (year of birth). Note: you may make this
up if you don't want to reveal your age.
- Book Title: Choose a title that describes your life.
- City, ST: publisher. Choose your birthplace or the city/state
where you live now and make up a publisher (for example,
Des Moines, IA: True-Life Adventure).
- Check the formatting.
- Double
space everything.
- Use a hanging indent (Paragraph
dialog box or Control-T).
- Italicize the title and capitalize only the first word of
the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns.
- See how the reference list
and in-text citations work together:
Model Informative Paper: KUH, pp.
136-142, or Kaplan
Writing Center 1.2.F: A Sample
Informative Essay
- Put citation
makers to the test
- Resources for Unit 4 project
Reading:
Developing a Working Thesis (word-crafter)
back to top |
| Week
4: Taking Notes / Thesis
and Key Points |
Strategies for taking
notes
• In small groups, answer these
questions. Use the chart to
keep track of your answers.
- Which method(s) do you usually use to take
notes? List at least
three. Possible methods
include note cards,
highlighting, double-column notes, word-processing
files, PowerPoint slides, a combination...
- What are the advantages and disadvantages
of each method?
- What tips do you have to make each method
more effective?
- Now compare your answers to those on the Taking
Notes page. Add any new information
you find
to your chart.
• Sample
dual-entry notes
• Practice
activity:
- Scan the sources below to find information
you could use to write a one-paragraph definition
of peer-reviewed journal:
- As you take notes, be sure to
- put any words taken directly from the source
in quotation marks
- identify the source you used. For now, all
you need is the in-text citations provided
after each source.
- check your work to be sure you haven't plagiarized
•Tips to improve your note taking
Asking yourself questions like these will help
you do original critical
thinking as you take notes:
- Have I found this information in more
than one source? (It's probably important.)
- Have I found related information? For
example, researchers have
found that chimps have
a sense of fair play and babies seem
to have one
too.
- Why do I accept (or question) what this
author says?
- Do other sources agree or disagree with
this author?
- How can I use this information? (e.g.,
this
is the most complete definition I've
found)
- How might this information be used to
solve a problem?
- What
conclusion(s)
can I draw from this information?
Developing a Working Thesis • model
and rubric on KU-ACE • finding key points • writing a thesis
statement • writing
modes
For next class
- Keep taking notes on your sources. For help,
go here.
- Draft Unit 4
Project:
Thesis and Key Points (50 pts)
Reading: KU-ACE: “Learning to Outline
for Body Paragraphs: or
KUH, p. 40-44’ “Writing a Formal
Outline,” pp. 98–99; p. 148 Additional information KUH: “Prewriting Techniques,” pp. 32–39; “Writing
an Informative Essay,” pp. 102–110 back to top |
| Week 5:
Planning and In-text Citations |
Parenthetical citations Review
for midterm (and practice outlining for Unit 5
project) Draft
Unit 5 Project: Outline (100 pts) Reading KU-ACE: “Drafting, Peer Review, and Introductions
and Conclusions,” or KUH: “Writing
a Formal Outline,” pp. 98–99; “How to Write
a Strong Paragraph,” pp.44 –51; and “Introduction
and Conclusions," pp. 52–58 back to top |
| Week
6: Midterm and Intros/Conclusions |
Midterm Quiz Take the quiz on KU-ACE, Week 6 (open book, open notes). Then read pp. 1-2 of this model of how to develop an outline
into body paragraphs. We will come back to
the exercises after editing your outlines. Peer edit Outlines
- Is your thesis a sentence (not a question)?
-
Is your outline balanced?
(For every I, there should
be a II; for every A, a B;
for every 1, a 2)
- Do the points in your outline match the points in your
preview sentences? (They
should be the same points
in the same order.)
- Editing Exercise: Common errors in outlines
Body Paragraphs Many people find it easiest to start their papers in the middle,
or even at the end. So we'll look first at
how to develop body paragraphs. With a partner
or small group, complete the exercises on
pp. 3-5 of this handout.
These strategies can be used to develop your
outline into a draft. They'll also help you
meet the 3-5 page length requirement. Introductions and Conclusions Reading: KU-ACE: “The Second Draft” or KUH, ”Editing
and Revising,” pp. 66–69; 3.8 "Plagiarism:
What It Is and How to Avoid It" from Kaplan
Writing Center (KWC) Homework: Draft Unit
7 Project (5-par. essay) (75 pts)
- create a draft of your Unit
7 Project (for help with introductions and conclusions,
see Hooks & Clinchers handout)
- if you need help getting started on your
paper, read 2.8 "Writing an Informative
Essay" from the KWC or see Drafting
resources
-
motivate yourself with
Dr. Wicked's Write
or Die
back to top
|
| Week
7: Revise Draft |
Register for
a free TurnItIn
account Paraphrasing Integrating Sources Peer edit Unit 7 Project (75 pts.; 25 pts. for edit)
- Work with at least one peer and use this form to
get/give feedback.
- Then revise your draft and turn the revised
version in to the Unit 8
dropbox. Use the comments
box to
- tell me about any major changes you made
- let me know if there's anything you especially want feedback
on
Reading
- KU-ACE: “Proofreading
and Editing
the Informative
Essay
Draft” or KUH readings: “The
Paramedic
Method
of Revision,” pp.
70–72,
and ”Proofreading
the Final Paper,” pp. 72–75
- Revisions for the final informative
paper (190 points)
back to top |
| Week
8: Polish Final Draft |
Good writing is essentially rewriting. Roald Dahl
I have never thought of myself as a good writer....but I'm one
of the world's great rewriters. James Michener Conventions of Academic Style
1. What is college-level writing? 2.
Rule
Seven: Don't Use "I" (or "We" or
"You" (Bailey-Hofmann) 3. Avoid
contractions. Use Word's Find command
to find apostrophes and make it easier
to spell out words like can't and
isn't. 4. Use Word's Find command
to do one-thing-at-a-time
editing. Check for errors you typically make, such as using
the wrong form of there, affect instead
of effect, it's instead
of its, or using
an apostrophe to form plurals
(To find sentence errors, use these sentence
tests or these strategies
from LEO.)
Working with Quotations 5. Integrate; don't regurgitate:
Use
quotation marks for anything
taken word-for-word from
a source:
- Quotations
quiz:
- How many of the four
methods of introducing quotations did you use?
- complete
sentence
and
colon
- signal
phrase
and
comma (According to ....,)
- combining your words and a quotation (Thoreau
states his purpose directly when
he says that "I
went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.")
- working
a short
phrase
into
your
sentence
(no
punctuation
other
than
quotation
marks)
- parenthetical
citation
review
- follow quotation with a sentence that summarizes the point
you want readers
to get or that
shows how it
relates to your
topic (also called
a
quotation sandwich)
Tightening 6. Trim excess verbiage
Proofing for Personal Pitfalls 7. Check your list of personal
pitfalls.
- Peer edit Final Project: Informative Essay (190 pts.)
Provide comments on
- at least two things the writer has done well
- any questions you have
- any suggestions you have for improving clarity, organization,
or grammar/spelling
- Turn in your revised draft. Use the Comments
box in the
dropbox to
explain what
changes you
made and
ask for feedback
on specific
issues. Please
avoid comments
like
"I made the changes marked"—comments
like "corrected run-ons and added
a
definition
of..." are much more
helpful.
Homework: Start thinking
about final
letter (15
pts)
One approach: describe your thoughts
about writing at the beginning of
the course and any changes or new
insights you've gained
Reading: KU-ACE: “Proofreading and
the Final Project”
Prepare: Informal
presentations (50 pts) with short PPT or handout (25
points)
back to top
|
| Week
9: Informal Presentation |
| Informal
presentations (50
pts) with short PPT or handout
(25 pts)
If you wish, begin
drafting final
letter (15
pts) back to top |
| Week
10: Final |
Complete
final quiz (group activity)
Turn
in final letter
Tools for continued progress back to top |
| |
|
|
