Develops the poem from Lesson 2 into an essay.Final Writing Assignment: Write an essay that describes a significant place. Because your instructor was once a beginning writer, you can be sure that your instructor has written imperfect prose (many times). TIP: Each of your main points needs to be developed and elaborated upon. This format is best for independent, well organized students whose other commitments limit their available time. This course does not have any synchronous class meetings, but students may schedule one-on-one virtual meetings directly with the instructor. Which do you prefer? you probably think of the furry, four-footed mammals kept as pets (Felis domesticus). After going through this course though, I learned to enjoy the writing process, and I am much more confident about showing others my narratives. You know which you are. There are a final few points that are worth mentioning here, of course: 1- Aim for about 380 to 400 words. But, in other peoples' daily lives, CAT might not mean that. To qualify as an essay, in fact, the piece of writing must make a point expressly or by implication (109). Some people are allergic to wool; other people are allergic to man-made fibers. . Here is an example: You probably have a morning routine. This most popular writing course uses the personal essay to explore narration, description, and reflection. When you go on vacation or if you go away to camp, you might discover that it takes a couple of days to adapt to the new way of getting up. Each course format covers the same concepts, but differ in approach. We might say that, in an essay, you are trying out ideas, weighing thoughts, with the intention of discovering which are most valuable, or useful, or important. . Exercises demonstrate freewriting, expanding prewriting through free association, and culling prewriting for significant themes. You have to recognize form, even if you don't know its name. Many writers save grammatical and spelling corrections for the last draft. For example, my father, a theoretical physicist, spent virtually years and years exploring just a few extremely complex and challenging problems that no scientists had yet solved. ". Hold this page up to a mirror to read the one, correct answer. What is form? To get the one, correct answer to the CAT quiz, you have to be functionally unfixed enough to recognize that language is more than meaning. When we attempt something, we do not always succeed, especially on the first few tries. Exercises demonstrate the use of outlines after the first draft, how to choose a narrative's best starting point, and how to create a catchy title.Final Writing Assignment: Revise your draft narrative from Lesson 3 beginning either in the middle (in media res) or at the end (framed narrative). 2- Use two minutes to plan before you start writing … If you aren’t a strong writer, those three body paragraphs may be fairly short. The goal of this paragraph is to communicate very clearly to your rater what you’re going to be writing about in the rest of your essay. For each of these groups, CAT has become a different functionally fixed perception. Some people can only sleep with the light on. It’s talking about what leads to success: risk-taking or sticking to what you do well. By best we mean not biggest, but most accurate. may remain in the course after the student completes the course. The first sentence in each paragraph should be your topic sentence; it will clearly state the main idea of this paragraph. It is preferable to have three main points. This explanation can be as long as you wish, but no shorter than 100 words. My essay is 364 words, far fewer than some of my students’ work. Congratulations on joining Crafting the Essay. Exercises demonstrate how to recognize a persona's convincing voice and consistent psychology, as well as a method for developing a persona.Final Writing Assignment: Describe an event in the voice of a persona. . But in the real world, we must stop revising when the assignment is due. I finish up my written notes (what I would consider brainstorming) by jotting down a few preliminary ideas from my own experiences – an example of my father (not a risk-taker but a success in his profession) and some books I’ve been reading on risk-taking climbers who tried to ascend K2, the “savage mountain” in Pakistan. Artistic selection is still called for: don't feel compelled to include at least one detail for each sense. The student must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. I wrote fewer words, but I took more time organizing my ideas in the beginning, choosing my words and structures with care, and proofreading my work at the end. See calendar for session dates and application deadlinesRecommended School Credit: One-half academic yearCourse Length: 20 weeks (Early Fall, Late Fall, Winter, Spring); 12 weeks (Early Summer)Course Code: IWR3, Available Start Dates: 8/24/20, 9/21/20, 1/18/21, 4/26/21, 5/31/21. Don't wander off into descriptive limbo. Thank you! Your instructor will be sympathetic to your efforts. I didn't like the rhythm or precision and so recast it.) Use specific, concrete images. . The same is true for writers. You may be wondering what your instructor wants in the way of description. Your instructor is looking forward to the results. Your Assignment: Playing with Language/Committing an Act of Anthropomorphism. But I might also have started with a briefer introduction, for example: Being bold and adventurous, taking risks and trying new challenges may certainly but not always lead to success. Show, don't tell. The success of a company can be attributed to the market analysis of the executives of the company. An anecdote or a personal experience ("narrative hook") or an appropriate quotation may introduce feelings and opinions that are further illuminated and supported with appropriate examples. Sentence-level issues of grammar are not the main focus of instruction. "a snub-nosed motorboat" describes more precisely than "a little boat.". In College Writing: A Personal Approach to Academic Writing (1991, Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook), Toby Fulwiler provides two easily applied revision techniques. (In the previous sentence, the first version read like this: "I read out loud to myself and am able to hear when a sentence is not economical." (127). To assay is to "try" or to "weigh," as in assaying the contents of ore for gold. Don't merely tell us something, show us. With years of experience teaching English both in the classroom and online, as well as scoring TOEFL Speaking, I am well aware of various issues and problems that students have when they are learning English. Painters will go through a series of sketches to get to the final vision they want on the canvas. Please read both sets of instructions carefully. ", "We were pleasantly surprised at how well the web-based environment worked. Voice (consistent diction and psychology) and its interaction with audience and purpose are also examined. Writers need to see beyond the familiar meanings of words, to think about language in new ways. He was not only challenged by the material and the instructor, but also with time management. Some people get backaches from a too soft mattress, others from a too firm mattress. His comments were very constructive, and he always began and ended his feedback with positive comments. The TOEFL suggests an Independent Writing that is 300-325 words long, but we recommend writing 350-400 words. The first, which is mandatory, is to make sure the reader understands my thesis and what I’m going to talk about in the rest of the essay. Your instructor is likely to have fallen out of a tree (at least once) and burned the popcorn (several times). Here’s the topic (TPO 20): Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? If you can do something that's never been done before, and it works, the literary world will be your oyster (if not now, then maybe one or two hundred years after your death). Whatever your routine is, you more than likely perform the same simple tasks in the same sequence every morning. Unlike the Integrated Writing, your Independent Writing essay … The idea is to get lots of thoughts on paper. In the independent writing task, you are given the topic and the timer starts counting down: 30 minutes from start to finish. To do well then, you should start writing when you get the assignment, not the night before it is due. Obviously, your essay needs to show what "comfortable" means to you. Still, in general, appeal to more than one sense -- your descriptive picture will take on greater verisimilitude. TIP: Having trouble coming up with three ideas? What’s really real for you is what you know best. ", "A's teacher is very encouraging, my daughter has enjoyed the course very much, and we have noticed her progress in writing. Raters can usually tell when you are making up a story about yourself or “my friend Kenny.” Good English writing has its own “voice” … it’s genuine, not fake; individual, not generic; specific, not vague. Some city dwellers need sirens and car engines to go to sleep. However we define success, whether in our jobs or the pursuit of happiness, there are many roads to its accomplishment. Ten lessons are available. The first rule in using effective descriptive detail is that there are no rules. Becoming functionally unfixed about language is the first step in learning to write well. TIP: It’s absolutely okay and often preferable to write an “it depends” essay. He now approaches writing assignments with confidence and was wondering whether Ms. D will be teaching any classes next summer. The subjects given were a good variety and opened my mind to different situations. This is not my preference. Exercises demonstrate organic form (the interaction of content and form), the use of descriptive and metaphoric imagery, and appropriate use of diction and syntax.Final Writing Assignment: Revise 6 sentences to make them elegant, and write a paragraph for each revision explaining the revision choices. Although less fluent writers will find it impossible to produce a lengthy essay, length alone will not necessarily guarantee a high score. Thus, your essay is an attempt both to discover what comfort means for you and to communicate your discovery to the reader. Maybe you are writing an essay supporting children wearing school uniforms and you can only come up with two points: 1) schoolchildren feel less peer pressure to be fashionable and 2) it’s easier for parents. First of all, many jobs require focus and concentration on one area of expertise, rather than risk-taking and trying new things. The English word assay also comes from the French essai. (Instructors usually recognize rush jobs, though they don't always say so.). It’s sometimes easier to introduce the essay when I already know what I’ve said in its body. And although I once had a student whose teacher recommended initially writing about 500 words and then paring them down to about 400, I definitely don’t use that approach. Although your essay doesn’t have to be perfect to get a top score, you want to avoid as many of these mistakes as you can. Those who seldom revise should do one more than they want to. The independent experience does not include peer review workshops. There are, however, some favorably tested formulae for effective prose description. I admit that I was slightly upset as I submitted my last assignment; I had been exposed to such fantastic techniques throughout my journey, and now that I had reached the final destination, I wish the journey were longer. An essay describing your most comfortable place. Simply put, form is every aspect of language except meaning. You're functionally fixed! Think about how you might divide one idea in half. ", "The instructor was very helpful. Comfort to one person is agony to another. You wake up, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, wash your face, put on your robe, and go to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Necessary? ", "Ms. W was excellent for my son. When we are functionally fixed, we use language as if it only has meaning. Independence is usually important when you go to college, so students should be allowed to live in a single room if they want. TIP: Many students are told that, in their introduction, they should start with a “global,” very broad statement and include all the possible choices from the topic. "This was my second Writing course from CTY, and I couldn't have asked for a better instructor. An example of what to avoid: Students should be allowed to choose what type of room they want to live in at college. Never start writing without knowing what you’re going to say! We speak of people who are comfortable with calculus, comfortable amid chaos, comfortable with themselves, and comfortable with their earnings. ", "Teacher was very quick and engaging. For example, your stuffed animals may have had human emotions. So although we may enjoy reading stories about great risk-takers and adventurers, explorers and visionaries, in real life, most of us recognize that for many people and in many situations, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to the known and familiar. Student contributions (e.g., projects, forum posts, etc.) .". With some wonderful images -- precise and sharp -- he helps us visualize the scene vividly. In the following case, too many prepositional phrases slow down the reader: "I have never been very confident about my writing and it always seemed like a very big burden to me. If you're telling a story, readers don't want to lose sight of the story line. It tends to be relaxed and philosophic, or witty, or poetic, or all of these at once. Your assignment must be submitted by the due date specified in the course. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Submit to your instructor according to schedule: This course requires a properly maintained computer with high-speed internet access and an up-to-date web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox). . Pretend you are this object and write from that object's [first person] point of view. "I took the course by email, and it was fine because I did that for Writing Series Level 1 and 2. Along with your essay, you are required to send an explanation for your choice. I will definitely consider the next writing course for him. What is different between the Ecclesiastes and Orwell passages? These risks may be physical; mountain climbers trying to ascend Mount Everest or K2, for example, know that despite careful planning and extensive physical training, they will encounter many dangers during these pursuits. My teacher was amazing; she gave me tips and feedback that I would never have gotten in a school setting. In response to student essays, instructors comment on form, style, and content, generally holding students' work to college-level standards. TIP: Don’t start writing immediately! You present these thoughts in a familiar tone. For instance, you may want to emphasize one or another sense, or to avoid one strictly. This is the writing … What I’ll do in this article is show you the process I use to write an essay, with a lot of tips along the way. Some instructors ask to see your earlier drafts, and others do not. For example, when you see. But meaning is just the component we use most often. If you show us sweat, cracking sidewalks, that sort of thing, we'll see what you mean. Meaning, also called content, is only one component of language. The second, which is optional but definitely preferable, is to make the reader interested in what I’m going to say. TIP: Students are also often told that they should avoid using the first person, “I.” I disagree. Those who always revise may do one less. I hope these articles will give you very specific and practical information and advice you need to improve your English fluency. All in all, whether it’s better to take risks or play it safe really depends on a person’s individual characteristics and their situation. Most of the advice that follows was composed by writing instructor Greg Seagle under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Go back to your introduction. This dual purpose might suggest that you write more than one draft of the essay. Now I need to develop a few ideas about the question: these will help me establish my stance – do I totally agree, completely disagree, or have mixed feelings? You'll clean those up later. . An explanation of why you chose to write this essay. This course requires that the student use a web browser with the Adobe Flash plugin. I liked looking at and commenting on the work of my peers. Civilized as instructors may be, they are not perfect people. I really liked having her. © The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. . Entertaining? I enjoyed the class most of the time--the only exceptions I remember as being up late at night working on my assignment, but that doesn't describe the class. I have nominated her as an outstanding teacher. A concluding paragraph. You're functionally fixed in a pattern that helps you get through the morning without too much thought. Do not choose the ONE correct answer until you have seen all the choices. ", "I am pleased with both the content and developmental aspects of the course for my son. Each point should be expanded upon in its own paragraph. This aspect of his response allowed me to feel confident and prepared to tackle the next paper, and his criticisms helped me improve my writing greatly. Now let's see if you are able to free yourself from conventional notions about ways to use language. TOPICS TO EXPECT ON THE INDEPENDENT ESSAY. An example from one of my students: People will set up different goals for new year’s resolutions. Writing is a bit like speaking to yourself, and you aren't likely to say to yourself, "One likes to write." Do you want their eyes to glaze over or do you want to capture their attention? Children are frequently very good at thinking in unconventional ways. Essentially, the independent writing task follows the organizational structure of what teachers call “the five-paragraph essay.” The five-paragraph essay consists of: An introductory paragraph. From your own experiences, your own viewpoints, your own examples. Hemingway wrote standing up, with his typewriter atop a bookcase. What does describe the class is wonderful, interesting, and enjoyable.

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