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American Studies

Raise your hand if you found the homework assignment to be easy.

Raise your hand if you found the homework assignment rather difficult.◦ WHY??

…which leads us to…

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How to Read for Better Writing Practice -- “Grandmother Grace” Strategies galore--writing anxiety,

brainstorming, etc Do some writing

HOMEWORK = 2 pages (double spaced) of your test essay for TOMORROW.

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Since most of the writing you’ll do throughout school will be based on some kind of reading (historical sources, literature, scientific articles, textbooks, etc)…

It makes sense that there are things you can do while you read that will help you when it comes to writing.

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“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.”

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MOST people will find that the best thing to do with text is to read it twice:

The first time I read a SHORTER text, I read it to read it. Sure, I’ll notice stuff and start marking it up. But my first read through is generally a quick read-for-comprehension.

While I’m reading quickly, however, I will MAKE NOTE of things I notice--even if they later end up being irrelevant

Then I go back and read a SECOND time, looking for specific things.

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For a novel like The Scarlet Letter or other readings in English class, instead of doing a quick read through followed by a slow one, do the reverse… sort of.

Step One: Figure out what you’re SUPPOSED to notice. ◦ Did the teacher give you a purpose for reading

(an essential question, or a literary device to watch for)?

◦ If not, do a bit of research before you read. Sparknotes can help with this, as can simply googling the novel. Learn ahead of times what symbols, motifs, and themes to watch for

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Step Two: Read carefully. Write down anything that seems to relate to whatever purpose you identified for reading. Take lots of notes and mark up the next.

Step Three: Once you’ve brainstormed and created a thesis, you will want to skim and pull out references to whatever you’re writing about (like what I had you do with “Sweat” and the laundry)

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I like to look for

◦ Repetition

◦ Description (especially if it seems unnecessary)

◦ Comparisons—anything that seems to have an opposite (light/dark, inside/outside, weak/strong)

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• Underlining / vertical lines

• Stars / asterisks

• Numbering points

• Page numbers for reference

• Circling key terms or phrases

• Writing in the margins

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Left Brained Folks:◦ Bulleted Lists◦ Venn Diagram

Right Brained Folks:◦ Mind Map/Web◦ Group Ideation◦ Brain Writing

Once you’ve brainstormed, you MUST go back and look for patterns and categories (those categories usually become your arguments)

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If you get stuck, try changing how you’re thinking:◦ Reverse: Think of what everyone else will argue.

Then do the opposite.◦ Laundry List: Just write a big list of, say, 25

possible ideas. Go wile and write whatever you can think of without restricting yourself.

◦ Change: Consider the effect of changing a major aspect of whatever you're writing about. What if this were a different time period? What if the main character was a woman instead of a man? What if the people were all a different race? What if this was happening in a different place (country, state, geographic location)?

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Make sure you brainstorm your support, too! If you are a deductive thinker, you probably do this naturally. If you are an inductive thinker, you will need to make an effort

Otherwise you get stuck with arguments that sound great but for which you can’t find enough or the right kind of support.

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Read “Grandmother Grace” twice. The first time, read it to understand.

The second time, read it to analyze. Both read throughs, mark up the text like

crazy. When you are done, try to brainstorm and

work slowly towards a thesis… monitor how your brain works. What type of brainstormer are you naturally?

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Try writing a short body paragraph defending your thesis.

Stick to ONE aspect of the poem (say, repetition of references to Jesus)

Pick your topic. Like, now. I’ll wait. Got it? Good.

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Embed PIECES of them into your sentences. Like:

In the first few stanzas of the poem, Wallace mentions Jesus in lines that talk about his grandmother’s “empty house,” (Wallace 4) her “spit moistened hankies,” (11) and how she had to “drag [the speaker] onward” (15).

However, later in the poem, he focuses on the “words of Jesus” (24-25) and says he “might have even prayed to Jesus” (32), indicating that…

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Write a SHORT paragraph. Focus on ONE thing, and aim for about 6 sentences.

Yes, you should have a topic sentence. Then dig into your argument.

Use the quotations to make your point. DO NOT make your point around the quotations

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Give yourself time (Note about “comfort zone”)

Choose as good of a topic as you can (spend more time on this than you think you need—it’ll pay off)

Make sure you understand the assignment

Mentally and physically relax (breathe!)

If you get stuck in the middle, stop and brainstorm

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How does all of this translate to different types of writing? Can I use the same skills with anything I have to write??

Sure—sort of. As long as you give yourself time, have confidence in your skill, and do additional preparation, you can apply these skills to all types of writing

You do need to keep in mind criteria. ◦ What makes a good solution/analysis/resume/research paper?

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You pulled support. Yay. Does it prove your point? Could you have

found better quotations? Can the support fit your ideas so that you don’t have to craft your ideas around the support?

Take 10 minutes and try to write some of the essay. Start anywhere you like.

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