Ready to playLET’S MAKE AN ARGUMENT?

Enc1101: What is good writing? How would you define "good writing"?

“Good writing is being able to capture attention and never become boring. Good writing can also be defined as using good vocabulary and grammar usage.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? How would you define "good

writing"?

“A paper that is well organized, sends a clear message, and catches the audience’s interest is ‘good writing’ to me.”

“I think good writing is when you have an organized and thoughtful paper with good vocabulary and compelling arguments.”

“My high school teachers idea of a good writing was one without any spelling or grammar mistakes and also one that focused on the intended topic and got right to the point without any unnecessary fluff.”

“my high school teacher loved old literature so she would define good writing as anything written by Shakespeare.”

“That you actually turned the paper in on time. LOL Most of them didn't really read the papers.”

“Judging by the fact that they all told me something different, I'm not entirely sure.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? How do you think your high school teachers

would define "good writing"?

Enc1101: What is good writing? How would you define "good writing"?

“I believe good writing is based on the audience. There may be 100 people that read the article in question and 50 might say its the best they have ever read and the other 50 might say its absolute crap.”

“I wrote quite a few essays there were for applications going to different scholarships!”

“Yes, last summer I had to write about 96 application essays for med school...super fun ;)”

Enc1101: What is good writing? Have you ever been asked to write for an audience besides your teacher?

Enc1101: What is good writing? When teachers grade a paper, what do you think they mark off for most?

“lack of depth” “not following the instructions

(double spaced, name in the wrong place, no date)”

“I think teachers mainly mark off for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Rather than focusing on what the paper is actually about.”

“Either not making a point, being off topic, or bad grammar”

“Careless editing errors like a sentence cut off in the middle or missing words.”

“grammer probably” “In middle school and

highschool i feel they marked off for little things like spelling, grammer, puncuation but in college i think professors focus more on whether a student is getting their point across and understanding the material.

To write a good paper, you must…

Enc1101: What is good writing? What do you think is the purpose of using outside sources in a paper?

“It shows that you didn't plagiarize, and that you're a credible and ethical writer. Citing sources is important so the reader can check the source and your information will be backed up.”

“To gather ideas and facts from noted sources which helps your paper be more factual and correct rather than having false information and fluff in it.”

“they make your work seem more credible.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? Do you change what you write depending on your audience?

“I'd like to think I address my papers appropriately and talk to my audience directly that way I get my message out there and form my argument. Or at least I'm working on it…”

“Well since my audience is almost always my teacher, I really try cater my entire paper to what I think they want.”

“I just only think who I'm directing my paper towards and then I start writing. I don't really think too much about who else would be able to read my paper.”

“I never think about my audience when I write. It's a real problem but I'm hoping this class will help me with that.

“ive never had to write a paper for anybody other than my teacher”

“yes, for the college admissions. I was able to imagine a different audience and I made my writing persuasive so I would be accepted”

Enc1101: What is good writing? Has a teacher ever asked you to write for

an audience other than your classmates or your teacher? Were you able to imagine a different audience?

How did your writing strategies change?

Enc1101: What is good writing? Is texting good writing?

“Only if you use good grammar and dnt txt like dis” “No, texting could never be good writing. Although its

quick and to the point, its very improper and uses a lot of sentence fragments and grammatical errors.”

“Hahahaha, no” “That depends on how you define "good" writing.” “yes it can be if you get your point across, but it can

be bad writing if your autofill decides that a different word is what you want.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? Have you ever accidentally

plagiarized?

“wll lets see....plagiarism is when a person copies another piece of writing and claims it as their own.”

“lifting the same vocabulary, and general train of thought is also considered plagiarism, i believe.”

“copying or taking ideas from any source without consent or citing the source”

One of my high school classes used the turnitin.com website for our final research paper, and my report came back as having a--small, mind you--percentage as being plagiarized from other sources even though I'd written everything in my own words. I still don't understand how it happened and it's kind of funny to look back on.

No i havent im always afraid of plagiarizing so i make sure to put everything in my own words.

“It was in 9th grade when i realized paraphrasing from a source is still plagarizing. That was an eye opening experience.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? What counts as plagiarism?

Enc1101: What is good writing? Describe the worst paper you've ever written.

“The worst paper I ever wrote was last semester for my history class. It was an easy enough assignment but I didn't have any interest in the chosen topic and so I didn't put all my best effort into the paper. :\”

“The worst paper was a paper I had to write on William Golding's "Lord of the Flies". I didn't enjoy reading the book and writing a paper about it was even worse.”

“The worst paper I have ever written was probably my research paper back when I was a junior. Each of us were assigned a topic and I was given a topic that I did not care about. My paper was graded poorly because I my lack of enthusiasm to do the papers showed in my essay.”

“The best paper I've ever written was about the Catcher and the Rye. It was one of my favorite books!”

“The best paper I have ever written was a thought paper on restaurant operations. However, a large part of my success was based on the fact that I had worked in a restaurant. But, I did get an 'A'.”

“The best paper I've ever written was probably the research paper I had to put together for my SLS class last summer. I had to write about a career that interested me, and since I got to write about something I enjoyed it was really easy for me to pull together and do a good job on.”

“The best paper ive ever written in my mind was the one that got me into UCF. It was a topic that came very clearly to me and evoked emotion in the reader.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? Describe the worst paper you've ever written.

Enc1101: What is good writing? Usually people notice

grammar/punctuation errors...but do you ever notice when people use grammar/punctuation correctly?

What do you notice?

“i dont usually notice good grammar and punctuation until im done reading and realize how well the paper flowed”

“It's in human nature to notice flaws over--so no, correct usage of grammar/punctuation generally doesn't catch my eye.”

“When it comes to errors, we expect there to not be errors, or when we're reading something, we focus more on the point or argument meant to come across more than any errors.”

“Its kind of strange, but when I was first learning to write I was always told to never begin a sentence with the word because. To this day I have never broken this rule, despite being a seasoned writer, and knowing that its use is occasionally appropriate.”

“Good use of grammar and spelling! I try to make sure everything is spelled correctly.”

Enc1101: What is good writing? What is the one writing rule you

always follow?

Let’s make an argument!

Want to add your own voice? Students may think that good writing

depends on having correct grammar and punctuation, but the poetry of E.E. Cummings shows that good writing really depends on the writer’s exgience, audience, and constraints. In his poem “i was sitting at mcsorleys,” Cummings experiments with punctuation use, writing, “a;domeshaped interval of complete plasticity,shoulders, sprouted the extraordinary arms through an angle of ridiculous velocity commenting upon an unclean table” (549). Even though Cummings’ poem breaks so many grammar rules that it’s almost unintelligible, the poem serves the writer’s exigence because it causes the reader to question the way we use language to communicate.

USE RHETORICAL SITUATION!

Now it’s your turn.

Ready to start writing?

Choose a paragraph (or panel of your cartoon) and write a topic sentence/sentences. Try to create a generalization that suggests your argument.

Example

Students seem to value grammar on a superficial level--perhaps because that is what they have always been graded on. However, scholars suggest that grammar can be useful if understood on a more complex level.

More writing…

Now incorporate the main argument of one of your sources, setting up their ideas and including a quotation. Be sure to choose a quotation that represents their argument, and is not just a sound bite.

Example

Students seem to value grammar on a superficial level--perhaps because that is what they have always been graded on. However, scholars suggest that grammar can be useful if understood on a more complex level. For example, Laura Micciche advocates teaching a rhetorical understanding of grammar, writing that “rhetorical grammar instruction is just as central to composition’s driving commitment to teach critical thinking and cultural critique as is reading rhetorically, understanding the significance of cultural difference, and engaging in community work through service-learning initiatives” (717).

More writing…

Now incorporate your other source, again setting up their argument and including a quotation or paraphrase. Make sure that you create a conversation between the sources.

Example

Students seem to value grammar on a superficial level--perhaps because that is what they have always been graded on. However, scholars suggest that grammar can be useful if understood on a more complex level. For example, Laura Micciche advocates teaching a rhetorical understanding of grammar, writing that “rhetorical grammar instruction is just as central to composition’s driving commitment to teach critical thinking and cultural critique as is reading rhetorically, understanding the significance of cultural difference, and engaging in community work through service-learning initiatives” (717). Eileen Simmons also sees the value of understanding grammar, noting that her students’ lack of grammatical expertise prevented them from comprehending the content of The Odyssey.

It’s time to make an argument…

Now weigh in on the sources you’ve summarized; use their material to support your own argument.

Example Students seem to value grammar on a superficial level--perhaps

because that is what they have always been graded on. However, scholars suggest that grammar can be useful if understood on a more complex level. For example, Laura Micciche advocates teaching a rhetorical understanding of grammar, writing that “rhetorical grammar instruction is just as central to composition’s driving commitment to teach critical thinking and cultural critique as is reading rhetorically, understanding the significance of cultural difference, and engaging in community work through service-learning initiatives” (717). Eileen Simmons also sees the value of understanding grammar, noting that her students’ lack of grammatical expertise prevented them from comprehending the content of The Odyssey. Though Williams may seem somewhat glib about the value of grammar, Micciche and Simmons show how grammar can benefit students if they understand it within a rhetorical context, instead of as an isolated concept.

Let’s make an introduction!

Remember Swales and the CARS model? Establ i sh terri tory

– Clai m central i ty

– Make a topi c general i zat i on

– Revi ew previ ous i tems of res earch

Establ i sh ni che – Counter-clai m

– I nd i cate a gap

– Rai s e a quest i on

– Cont i nue a trad i t i on

Occupy ni che– Outline purposes– Announce principal findings– Indicate research-report structure

Let’s establish a territory

Grammatical error is often the bane of students’ existence. Receiving a paper back so covered in red ink it looks like it’s been through war can traumatize an impressionable student’s mind. Teachers’ comments may even be responsible for the fact that many students believe that correct comma usage and properly placed apostrophes are a sure path to a good paper.

(topic generalization)

Let’s establish a niche

However, closer examination reveals that there is more to good writing than just correct grammar and punctuation.

(counter-claim)

Let’s occupy the niche

If we consider Keith Grant-Davie’s description of rhetorical situation, we will start to realize that good writing really depends on the rhetor, the audience, the exigence, and the constraints of a given situation. Developing a rhetorical understanding of writing will help students understand when and how grammar matters.