global revision thesis and paragraph organization

Global RevisionGlobal RevisionThesis and Paragraph Thesis and Paragraph

OrganizationOrganization

Global…what?Global…what?

[Global Revision] is simply the act of “reviewing and changing the ideas, reasoning, and conclusions of a piece of written work” (Short).

When doing global revision, here are some questions we might want to ask:

-Does the writing delivers the intention of the tutee successfully?

-Is the writing appropriate for the tutee’s targeted audience?

-Is the thesis statement too broad?

-Is the thesis statement too narrow?

-Are the relationships between the tutee’s arguments clear, appropriate, and effective?

Global Revision…why?Global Revision…why?Because by directly attempting to

correct their mechanical errors, our tutees are raising their probability to miss the bigger picture of their writings. Their papers may arrive at their instructors’ desks free from grammatical problems but also free from thesis statements.

It is important to let our tutees know that nobody produces a beautiful writing in one go. When facing grade-conscious tutees, assure them by saying that the structure and organization of their papers generally weighs more than the correctness of their grammar (but make sure to check with the instructor first!).

In the following are some ways to help our tutees in understanding the concept of global revision.

“[Y]ou may find that the sentence you spent twenty

minutes rewording into beautiful and

fluid prose isn't really relevant to your thesis

statement and you have to

delete it after all” (Tarbox &

Jackman).

Which of the two lawyers would you rather have?

Lawyer A: The defendant is innocent!

Lawyer B:

The defendant is innocent because she could not perform the murder and she lacks the motives to perform it.

(Lawyer A sits down)

(Lawyer B sits down)

An [argumentative essay] is like a [court case]

Both have a [Thesis Statement]

In an essay:

“Although the process involves continual struggle, Lauryn Hill strives for a sense of reality as opposed to fantasy by sharing rather than performing her music” (Hearn).

In a court case:

The defendant is innocent.

In an essay:

“Hill admit to feeling this pressure to be image conscious” (Hearn).

“Unrehearsed and unpolished, Hill seems at ease with sharing her emotions and imperfections.” (Hearn).

In a court case:

-Evidence A: The defendant could not perform the murder.

-Evidence B: The defendant lacks motive to perform the murder.

Both have [Evidences] supporting their Thesis Statement

An [argumentative essay] is like a [court case].

Most importantly, both have the same purpose:

To persuade the audience to agree with you.

An [argumentative essay] is like a [court case].


Lawyer A: The defendant is innocent!

Lawyer B:

The defendant is innocent because she could not perform the murder and she lacks the motives to perform it.




Lawyer B:

The defendant could not perform the murder because she could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder and because her fingerprints could not be found on the murderer’s weapon.



Lawyer A: The defendant could not perform the murder!


Lawyer B:

The defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder because she was in her English class. The instructor marked her attendance and her classmates could testify for that.



Lawyer A: The defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder!

Paragraph OrganizationParagraph Organization“The P.I.E. Paragraph” may help our tutees in understanding paragraph structure.

[P]oint

The claim: The defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder.

[I]nformation

The evidences: The instructor marked her attendance and her classmates could testify for that.

[E]xplanation

The development: These two evidences prove that the defendant was in her classroom when the crime happened. Since she could not be at two places at the same time, the

defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder.

Adapted from Jon Drinnon’s “Paragraph Organization and Development: The P.I.E. Paragraph”

The structure of Lawyer B’s essay:-Thesis Statement: The defendant is innocent.

-Evidence #1: The defendant could not perform the murder.-Evidence #1A: The defendant could not be at the

crime scene at the time of murder-The defendant was in her English class.

-Evidence 1A(I): The instructor marked her attendance

-Evidence 1A(II): Her classmates could testify for that.

-Evidence #1B: The defendant’s fingerprints could not be found on the murderer’s weapon.

-Evidence #2: The defendant lacks motive to perform the murder.

Essay as a big P.I.E.

Essay as a big P.I.E.

How To Write A Successful [Point] How To Write A Successful [Point] (Thesis Statement and Topic (Thesis Statement and Topic

Sentences)Sentences)

1. Don’t not make your point an announcement

Don’t: I will talk about my opinion in regards of the guilt or innocence of the defendant.

Do: The defendant is innocent.

2. Don’t be vague

Don’t: The defendant is innocent because of various reasons.

Do: The defendant is innocent because she could not perform the murder and she lacks the motives to perform it

Adapted from Lydia Hearn’s “Thesis Statements: Characteristics of an effective thesis statement”



3. Do not state only facts in your point

Don’t: If the evidences prove that the defendant is innocent then she is innocent, if the evidences prove that the defendant is guilty then she is guilty.


4. Do not be unreasonable

Don’t: The defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder because the all-knowing and all-powerful I say so

Do: The defendant could not be at the crime scene at the time of murder because she was in her English class. The instructor marked her attendance and her classmates could testify for that.



5. Do not be irrelevant

Don’t: The defendant is innocent because Kobe Bryant is the best NBA player.


6. Show the relationship between your arguments

Four Basic RelationshipsFour Basic Relationships

1. Cause – Effect

2. Contradiction

3. Addition

4. Illustration

Adapted from Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference.

In conclusion/To sum up/Ultimately/In the In conclusion/To sum up/Ultimately/In the end/end/

In summary/Finally/The last but not least…In summary/Finally/The last but not least…

These techniques should be able to remedy the basic problems in essay structure in our tutee’s writings. In fact, a De Anza College instructor still uses some of these techniques to help her students in EWRT2 level.

This is not, however, an end-all solution to each and every problem our tutees have. Sometimes a hearty smile helps a tutee better than an hour length of lecture.

SourcesSources

Drinnon, Jon. “Paragraph Organization and Development: The P.I.E. Paragraph”. Jon’s English Site. March 28. 2007. <http://jonsenglishsite.info/PIEParagraph.htm>

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.

Hearn, Lydia. “The Hills of Hill: Lauryn Hill’s Struggle for Reality in Her Music”. December 29. 2004. De Anza College Faculty. March 28. 2007.

<http://faculty.deanza.edu/hearnlydia/stories/storyReader$169>

Hearn, Lydia. “Thesis Statements: Characteristics of an effective thesis statement”. October 5. 2005. De Anza College Faculty. March 28. 2007.

<http://faculty.deanza.edu/hearnlydia/stories/storyReader$190>

“How to Write A Thesis Statement”. Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services. March 28. 2007. <http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml>

Jackman, Mike and Annie Tarbox. “Re/Visioning Revision”. April. 1996. WRite Away. March 28. 2007. <http://louisville.edu/provost/wroffice/new1-3tarbox.html>

Karper, Erin. “Writing a Thesis Statement”. August. 2002. Purdue Online Writing Center. March 28. 2007. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_thesis.html>

“Global Revision”. University of Virginia Writing Center. March 28. 2007. <http://www.engl.virginia.edu/writing/wctr/global.html>

Short, Susan A. “Revising, Grammar, and Punctuation”. January 14. 2007. ShortStreet. March 28. 2007. <http://shortstreet.net/WRsec5.htm>

SourcesSources

global revision thesis and paragraph organization

Documents