WR1 - Writing 101 Overview

Writing 101

Introduction           Writing101 Learning, understanding and practicing proper written and verbal communication is of the utmost importance for college and career readiness

Learning, understanding, and practicing proper written and verbal communication are of the utmost importance for college and career readiness. Without profound literacy skills, even crafting a simple email to a professor or potential employer proves daunting. In the Writing 101 module, students will learn how to demonstrate a command of the English language in both writing and speaking, craft organized and stylistic pieces of writing that convey a developed idea, and use the research process to find and use evidence from reliable sources that supports individual claims.

To help in the research process, the Writing 101 module will provide insight in finding and using reliable sources. Also, students will understand the importance of the drafting and revision process in order to eliminate errors in communication. Along with communicating effectively, the Writing 101 module will provide the opportunity to hone presentation skills through thought-provoking discussions in which you will engage and persuade your peers.

Essential Questions

  1. How can I use valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to produce clear and coherent argumentative writing?
  2. How can I use relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources effectively and without plagiarizing to support my writing?
  3. How can I present information, findings, and supporting evidence to convey a clear and distinct perspective?

 

Key Terms 

  1. Sentence Fragment - A phrase or clause written as a sentence but lacking an element for it to serve as an independent sentence.
  2. Run-On Sentence - A written sequence of two or more main clauses that are not separated by a period or semicolon or joined by a conjunction.
  3. Comma Splice - The use of a comma, rather than a semicolon, colon, or period, to separate related main clauses in the absence of a coordinating conjunction.
  4. Subject/Verb Agreement - The subject and verb must agree in number this means both need to be singular or both need to be plural.
  5. Semi Colon (;) - A punctuation mark indicating a pause between two related, independent clauses.
  6. Slang - Very informal usage in vocabulary slang should not be used in formal writing.
  7. Word Choice - A writer's selection of words as determined by a number of factors, including meaning, style, and tone.
  8. Thesis -  A short statement, usually one sentence appearing at the end of the introduction, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence.
  9. Topic Sentence - A sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs.
  10. Introduction Paragraph - The first paragraph of an essay that introduces the main idea of the essay.
  11. Body Paragraph - The main part of your essay or paper. Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence that tells readers what the paragraph is going to be about, supporting sentences that discuss the idea or ideas in the topic sentence using examples and/or evidence to support that discussion and a concluding sentence that emphasizes the importance of the supporting examples or evaluates the connections between them.
  12. Conclusion Paragraph - The final paragraph in the essay that provides a call to action and not a summary. The conclusion paragraph should give your readers something to think or discuss about the points in the essay.
  13. Development Sentence - Occurs after the topic sentence in the body paragraph and provides a perspective on the topic that will allow for an understanding of the importance of the evidence that will follow--your opinion, thought, or idea regarding the topic.
  14. Evidence - All words, ideas, facts, or data from another source (other than the brain) that backs up the statements and opinions expressed--must be cited.
  15. Analysis Sentence - Explains why the evidence is important and how it connects to the thesis--do not restate or summarize the evidence.
  16. Conclusion Sentence - Last sentence in the paragraph that carefully links the ideas that have been proven and provide the reader with some sort of critical evaluation of the overall importance of the argument.
  17. Works Cited - A list of all source citations of the sources used in a piece of writing.
  18. In-Text Citation - The short version of the Source Citation that appears directly after the evidence used.
  19. Source Citation - Publication information for a source used in a piece of writing. 

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