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CM 220College Composition II

UNIT 5 Seminar

Professor Catherine CousarGeneral Education, Composition

Kaplan University

Class Announcement

• In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday, there will not be a seminar next Monday, May 28th.

• Our seminar has been rescheduled at the same time on Tuesday, May 29th.

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UNIT 5 Learning Activities• Reading: Introduction to unit; The Kaplan

Guide to Successful Writing, chapters 7, 13, 14 (pp. 167-168)

• Invention Lab 1: Map ideas for draft• Invention Lab 2: Formal and informal

communications of big idea (letter to editor and post on Facebook, for example)

• Seminar: Organization and development of ideas for draft, audience, comparison of letters to the editor

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Getting Started with your Big Idea

In unit 6, you will submit a 3-5 page draft of your Big Idea.

Why is beginning early, in unit 5, helpful to you as a writer?

What can you do to GET STARTED? If you have trouble with Writer’s Block, how can you solve

this problem?For ideas on how to get started writing and avoid Writer’s

Block, consider reviewing this Writing Center Workshop:http://khe2.acrobat.com/p13592508/?

launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

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Unit 6 Project Guidelines

• Blueprint for Progress • This week’s project is your first version of the essay component of

your final project. You will present your big idea in a persuasive and research supported manner and include your revised thesis statement. The style of the essay should be appropriate to an academic audience: avoid slang and stay in third person, and use the proper APA citation and formatting style

• For this project, review the feedback you received for the Units 2 and 4 projects as well as the Invention Lab comments relating to the ideas, plans, and prewriting exercises you have completed so far. Expand these ideas into a first draft. You do not have to implement all of the comments from your instructor or classmates, but you should pay attention to them and follow the advice you feel will help build a strong paper.

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Unit 6 Assignment

• Your draft must be at least three to five pages long (not including the title page and references page) and contain a brief introduction and conclusion. Make certain that your introduction includes your revised thesis statement, one to two sentences that identify your big idea, the problem the big idea will address, and why your solution/idea should be implemented. You will also have cohesive body paragraphs that provide a specific, focused analysis of your main points supported by the sources you found during the research process.

• You must include at least three sources in this draft (in the text itself, not simply in the references page), one of which must be an academic source from Kaplan's Library. Your sources, of course, must include in-text citations in the body of the paper as well as full citations in the references page following the APA format. If you do not include the appropriate citations, your paper will be considered plagiarized.

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Unit 6 Assignment

• In addition to at least three pages of text, you must also include both a title page and references. These pages are in addition to, not included in, the three to five required pages. You can view models of APA formatted essays in the Writing Center's reading, Sample APA Research Paper, and unit 4 includes links to numerous Writing Center resources on citation style

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Audience and Purpose• Why is paying attention to your audience KEY to

successful persuasion?

• Who is the audience you would like to communicate to?

• What do you know about them and what do you need to know about them?

• What do you want to communicate to that audience?

• How can you best communicate your information to that audience

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Purpose

• What are your goals for writing the message?

• What would you like to persuade your audience to do or to believe?

• What is the most effective means of achieving your purpose

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Formal vs. Informal Writing

Formal• Avoids slang• Avoids personal references (I,

me, etc.)• Avoids shorthands like texting

abbreviations and contractions• Speaks to professional

audience • Uses Standard American

English• May use language for specific

field• (“What is the Difference

between Formal and Informal Writing,” 2012)

Informal• Often uses slang or

makes personal references

• Less concerned with grammar, spelling, and mechanics

• Examples include texting, personal e-mails, Facebook posts

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Organizing and Developing your ideas

• Establish a thesis• Consider writing an outline (it can be changed

later)• Take the ideas in the outline and brainstorm

each concept/argument• Begin researching and incorporating evidence to

support your argument/claims

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More help with developing ideas

Review the following Writing Center Workshop for help with fleshing out your ideas:

http://khe2.acrobat.com/p35695303/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

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Letters to the Editor

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Washington Post Editorial Guidelines

• Submission format: letter or e-mail (not as attachment)

• Length: 200 words or less• Purpose: Response to an article or

other item from the WP

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Other WP recommendations

• Edit carefully for errors in grammar and punctuation

• Fact check carefully!• Include contact information• “Disclose any personal or financial

interest in the subject matter of their letters” (Washington Post editors, 2011, para. 2).

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Letters to the Editor: Topic

• Pappas, G.A. (2012, January 2). Closing the suspension gap in D.C.-area schools. [Editorial]. The Washington Post.

• December 30, 2011 “No Simple Solution to Universities’ Budget Woes,” which are selected readers’ responses to a Washington Post article published on December 27, 2011, titled “Investment in Public’s Ivory Towers Is Eroding”

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Pappas’ Letter

• Does he agree or disagree with the ideas expressed in “Wide Gaps in School Discipline”?

• What information does Pappas disclose about himself in the letter? Does this strengthen his argument?

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Universities’ Budget Woes

• Which of the four responses to the “Investment in Public’s Ivory Towers is Eroding” article do you find the most effective and why?

• How do the editorial writers differ in their reactions to the article?

• How do they support their claims?

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Letters to the Editor Discussion

• Are these letters effective?• What is the argument each makes?• Are the facts that the authors use

credible? You can go to FactCheck.org to read credible information on this topic.

• Select at least one argument in each letter that you can verify, or not, and discuss how this adds to or detracts from the writer’s argument.

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Selecting an Audience

• Which of the four responses to the “Investment in Public’s Ivory Towers is Eroding” article do you find the most effective and why?

• How do the editorial writers differ in their reactions to the article?

• How do they support their claims?

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What other forms might I use to present my big idea to a wider

audience?

• Post on Facebook page • Blog post• Email to friend• Flyer to distribute to community• Twitter feed

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Helpful Writing Center Tutorials

• Topic• Audience and

Purpose• Developing Ideas • Avoiding Writer’s

Block

• http://khe2.acrobat.com/p19397839/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

• http://khe2.acrobat.com/p35695303/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

• http://khe2.acrobat.com/p13592508/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

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References

The University of British Columbia. (n.d.) Writing an effective opinion-editorial piece or letter to the editor. Retrieved from http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/services-for-ubc-faculty-staff/writing-an-effective-opinion-editorial-piece-or-letter-to-the-editor/

Washington Post editors. (2011, November 11). How to send a letter to the editor. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ask-the-post/post/how-to-send-a-letter-to-the-editor/2011/11/17/gIQAoi7IlN_blog.html

What is the difference between formal and informal writing? (2012). Kaplan University Writing Center. Retrieved from https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/WritingReferenceLibrary/WritingTypesAndTools/samplesOfFormalWriting.aspx

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Wow! So much to Cover

• Thanks for a Great Seminar• See you on next Tuesday for Seminar

• Review the Archives as necessary

• Catherine Cousar ccousar@kaplan.edu

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