6/26/2014 Week 1 Overview (June 23-29) - COMP 303 OL Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2014, Thannickal) Week 1 Overview I. INTRODUCTORY READING Read all of the material listed under Course Information and Introductions. You are responsible for abiding by all of the instructions listed there. If you have questions, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor for clarification. II. INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION Go to the Discussion board to the topic named Introductions, and introduce yourself to the class by Thursday, June 26, 11:59 p.m. Your introduction should be 1‐2 paragraphs with each paragraph containing at least five sentences. III. LBH READING AND QUIZ OVER THE INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL After you read the following pages from Little, Brown Handbook, take the quiz over the LBH pages, the Course information, and introductory material by Thursday, June 26, 11:59 p.m. The quiz will close at 11:59 p.m. (central time zone) so plan accordingly. Once it is closed, I will not reopen it. "Recognizing plagiarism," pages 626‐35; "Integrating Sources into Your Text," pages 620‐25; "Using MLA in‐text citations," pages 644‐45, 651‐52; "Preparing the MLA list of Works Cited," pages 653‐57; "Using MLA document format," pages 689‐691. IV. VARIETY EXERCISE Choose one of your introductory paragraphs and complete the following assignment. Upload your findings and your chosen paragraph to the dropbox in a Word document by Thursday, June 26, by 11:59 p.m. Be sure to indicate which findings go with each part of the assignment. The purpose of this assignment is for you to evaluate the variety and emphasis in your writing. 1. Count the number of words per sentence. Please list the number of the longest, the https://d2l.oru.edu/d2l/le/content/776052/viewContent/2807456/View 1/4 6/26/2014 Week 1 Overview (June 23-29) - COMP 303 OL Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2014, Thannickal) shortest and the average. (For your information, compare your sentence to this suggestions: academic average should be in the mid to uppertwenties. Your long sentences (45+ words ) are for more descriptive topics and the short (510 words ) are for more powerpacked lines.) 2. Label each sentence type: simple, compound, complex, or compound ‐complex. These terms are defined in chapter 12 "Understanding Sentence Grammar," section 12f " Classifying Sentences," pp. 262‐263. (All of your sentences should not be one type of sentence, like complex. You should have a nice balance of the sentence types. If you have four sentences, you should have one of each.) 3. Underline and count the number the weak "to be" or linking verbs. (You should limit these weaker verbs and focus on strong, active voice action verbs.) 4. Highlight the beginning words of each sentence. Note how many times the subject of your sentence is within the first couple of words. Also, note if you have started many of your sentences with phrases, like prepositional phrases or ‐‐ing/‐‐ed phrases. (You should not recognize a pattern in your paragraph of the sentence beginningsrather they should all be varied.) 5. Count the number of times you use a semi‐colon, colon, or dash. (You don't want to overdo these punctuation marks, but you need to use the semicolon the most of the three, then the colon, and lastly the dash, to add strong emphasis.) 6. Bold each time you use parallel structure (see chapter 4 in LBH for description). Indicate how many times you douse parallel structure. (Adding parallel structure to your sentences increases the fluidity of your paragraph and brings a rhythmical feel to your sentences that helps the reader to remember your points.) IF YOU WOULD LIKE FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE VARIETY EXERCISE, PLEASE SEE MY DISCUSSION BOARD QUESTIONS FOR PROFESSOR THANNICKAL. Please Note, in academic writing, you should have a variety of sentence lengths and types. Don't expect to be perfect; remember that writing is a process. Unfortunately, most of use get stuck in a rut and don't try new things. This exercise is to get you thinking analytically about your writing. Consider really trying to update your old style in your next writing assignment. Variety in style makes me OOOH so happy! (Here's another hint: if you look over the grammar review numerous time and try to employ the suggestions given there, you will make me extra happy!) Remaining activites will be completed by Sunday, June 29, 11:59 p.m. Remember that is one minute before Sunday ends. You will not receive any points for late discussion postings. https://d2l.oru.edu/d2l/le/content/776052/viewContent/2807456/View 2/4 6/26/2014 Week 1 Overview (June 23-29) - COMP 303 OL Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2014, Thannickal) V. READING AND VIDEO ASSIGNMENTS Please read the following selections from Encounters: 1. "Introduction," pp. vii‐viii. 2. "Experiencing Through Literature," pp. 1‐2. 3. "Ways of Knowing," pp. 3‐4. 4. Helen Keller, "The Day Language Came into My Life," pp. 5‐8. 5. Virginia Stem Owens, "Telling the Truth in Lies," pp. 9‐14. Video the following videos in D2L: 1. The Active Reader (Please note, that some of your computers may take a long time to download the videos. I suggest you download the videos at the first of the week, when you may have plenty of time, so that when it comes time to watching them, you won't be pressed.) 2. The Active Writer 3. Constructing an Essay 4. The Importance of Literature VI. WAYS OF KNOWING DISCUSSION Participate in the Week 1 Ways of Knowing discussion by Sunday, June 29, 11:59 p.m. You must make one original post (2 paragraphs), and you must reply (one paragraph) to at least one other person's post on each topic. Remember, your discussion postings take the place of classroom discussion. The more you put into this discussion, the more you will get out of it. I https://d2l.oru.edu/d2l/le/content/776052/viewContent/2807456/View 3/4 6/26/2014 Week 1 Overview (June 23-29) - COMP 303 OL Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2014, Thannickal) https://d2l.oru.edu/d2l/le/content/776052/viewContent/2807456/View 4/4