Essay Prewriting

1. KUWC Workshops2. The Writing Process3. Discussion – Dream Jobs4. Pre-Writing 5. Unit 3 Project Review6. What is a thesis?7. How to create an outline8. Sample Outline9. Unit 4 Project10. Review and Questions

A PDF schedule of March Workshops in the KUWC has been placed in Doc Sharing.

Please review it and try to attend or listen to the recording of any that you think might help you.

Contact the KUWC directly with questions about the workshops.

Name the different components of the KU Writing Center.

Where could you go to find an article about the writing process?

Writing processBrainstormingPre-writing techniqueThe quiz is only 5 questions, all T/F.

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Is writing the process or the product?

The question is asking if writing is an ongoing process with steps to complete or is writing the end, the result, the finished product?

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We begin with the understanding that writing is a process, not a product.

By this we mean that the action of writing goes through several steps or phases. It’s like following a path with clearly designated markers along the way.

Or, think about baking. When you bake something, you begin by choosing a recipe, then you have to purchase the ingredients, measure them, choose how to combine them (do you mix? blend gently? knead? stir?), and heat them to a specific temperature for a specific length of time.

Only once these steps are finished do you have a finished baked good that you can be proud of. Imagine if you skipped an ingredient, or substituted peanut butter for cocoa in your cookie recipe, or didn’t get the oven quite up to 350 degrees -- the results might not be what you expect!

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The same is true with writing, where you have to move through multiple steps in order before you have a final product.

These steps include :Discovery (Unit 3)Planning (Unit 4)Drafting (Units 5-7)Getting Feedback and Revising (Unit 8)Editing (Unit 9)polishing and publishing (End of Unit 9) For every person, the goal of each step is the same but the choices you make along the way may be different.

You will start your process by defining the parameters of your writing task – in this case creating your biography. When you are first given a paper assignment, it is imperative that you understand all the requirements and expectations.

Review the assignment and ask yourself:When is it due? How long should the final writing be? Why am I writing? Who is my audience? What details should I include?

If you’re confused about something, if something is unclear, or if there is anything you don’t understand about this or any other assignment, discuss it with your instructor via email, office hours, during seminar or in the classroom discussion boards.

1. When is it due? The final version of your writing is due in Unit 9. You have components due in each Unit starting in Unit 3.

 2. How long should the final writing be? 500 words is the minimum. But don’t panic! We will discuss several techniques and tips for generating writing ideas so you likely will have no problem reaching this total. For now, just concentrate on the “big picture.”

 3. Why am I writing? You will be writing your professional biography, not only to fulfill a classroom assignment, but also so you can explore your professional goals and aspirations in a concrete way.

 4. Who is my audience? Your classmates and your instructor are your audience.

 5. What details should I include? As you begin the first step of the writing process, you will discover which details will best fit your writing purpose.

This is where you get to have a little fun! Think ahead and think about what matters to you, professionally. Visualize yourself five or so years from now: You have finished your program at Kaplan and have been hired to work at your dream job.

What is your job?What makes it a dream job? What company do your work for, or do you work for yourself? What is the name of your company or business?What type of work do you do?What is your job title?Who is your boss?What are your co-workers like?What would constitute a “good day” at this dream job?

Write out the specifics of your dream job in this weeks’ discussion before so that you have a concrete topic and focus in mind for your essay.

Answer the questions provided.This is meant to focus your thinkingYou may simply list the questions and then

the answers or do a free writeRespond to your peers’ ideas by making

specific comments or asking specific questions

Check your spelling and as always reread carefully before submitting

My dream job is to become an administrator for Richmond Hill Medical Center. This is my dream job because it will allow me to use my training to help provide the best care to patients and to improve the medical profession. Since I work as a CNA currently, I want to progress in my profession. I will need to first earn my associates then my RN as well as my BSN and MSN. Once I’ve earned those degrees, I will begin to add to my supervisory experience by working as a charge nurse and shift supervisor and volunteering for committees.

My title will be Director of Nursing. My boss will be the Chief of Staff. My co-workers will be the nurses and other medical professionals in various departments as well as the other administrators and staff. A good day at my job would be when the entire medical team works together to provide the best patient care. We may be dealing with normal, day to day issues or a major influx of patients, but regardless we will work as a team.

The discussion is your starting pointUse it to define your dream jobThe pre-writing is details about your dream

job and WHY you will be qualified to hold it – personal background, education, experience

• Freewriting– Write nonstop about a topic for roughly 20 minutes– Don’t worry about paragraphs, grammar, sentence

structure, spelling, etc• Brainstorming

– List everything you can think of that has to do with your topic

– Stretch your imagination – think of everything and anything

• Branching– A type of diagram or drawing– Create an oval in the center with the topic inside then

draw radiating lines out from the circle. Write an idea related to your topic at the end of each branch

There are examples in your book on pages 20-21

• Choose a prewriting method that works for you.

• Highlight the ideas that mean the most to you once you are finished

• Please run Spell/Grammar check before submitting– Red zigzag lines mean misspelled word– Green zigzag lines mean grammar error

• Do not use lingo, slang, or texting language

Do generate as many ideas as you canDo plan to spend at least an hour brainstormingDo include details about your dream job and why you

are qualified – the three subtopics (personal background, education, professional background

Do use the discussion question as a jumping off pointDo not just list a topic – you are looking for about 1.5

pages of materialDo not just focus on the job or on your qualifications –

include bothDo not just restate the material in discussion

Submit a prewrite based on the list of questions presented in the Discussion Board.

The topic of your essay is Your Dream JobCreate in a Word document and submit

through the dropboxSave your paper in the following way…

KU121_Unit3_Prewrite_YourName

For the remaining units you will be working on a personal essay. This will be a 5 paragraph essay about your profession once you graduate.

You must write a biographical essay that will be included in a professional publication

Read the project description before beginning and post or email ANY questions you may have

What is brainstorming?

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During brainstorming, the writer (you) generates raw ideas.

During brainstorming, you write down whatever you can think of that will apply to your topic.

Brainstorming is NOT just about choosing a topic, but generating ideas too.

What are prewriting techniques?Should you try only one?

Prewriting techniques are the various ways we can brainstorm.

Try them all…see what works for you

Jot listsFree writingMappingTape recorders or voice to text software

What is a sentence?

What is a fragment?

A fragment is an incomplete thought.After I went to the store.Because it rained today.Ran the vacuum.Although all of the word groups have a period

at the end, they are NOT sentences; they are fragments or incomplete thoughts.

What is a run-on sentence?

A run on sentence is two or more sentences run together without proper punctuation.

First I went to the store then I went to the library the library was closed however the bank was open so I stopped there instead.

There are at least 4 sentences run together without proper punctuation.

What is a comma splice?

A comma splice is when a comma is placed incorrectly between two sentences instead of using a period or a semi-colon.

The library was closed, however, the bank was open, so I stopped there instead.

Correction:The library was closed; however, the bank was

open, so I stopped there instead.The library was closed. However, the bank

was open, so I stopped there instead.

Know, define, and write a thesis statement Check out the Webliography for useful

websites about thesis statements.Use the template available to create an

outline of the points to be made in your essay.

We will go into more depth at our next seminar, but here are some samples….

Must include:Your full name in third personExact name of employer (can be made up) or

name and title of business you want to ownThree main ideas – personal background,

education, professional experienceExact job title – can be made up

Cooper Medical Center (exact name of employer) announces that Jane Smith (name in third person), a 2012 graduate of Kaplan University, will bring her exemplary personal background, distinguished educational record, and varied professional experiences (three main ideas) to her new position as Director of Nursing (exact job title).

Use the format below for your outline, fill it in with your own sentences, and underline your thesis sentence. Every section should have at least 1 (one) complete sentence about the content you will include in that paragraph:

I. Introductory paragraph (general to specific ideas) – II.Thesis sentence: II. Body paragraph 1 III. Body paragraph 2 IV. Body paragraph 3 V. Concluding paragraph (specific to general ideas)

The following sample outline is more extensive than yours would be. You would just need the Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV, V) but the additional information shows you what type of information the paragraph would include.

We are getting ready to roll with our essay.Ask questions if/when you have themEmail me at: tcostello@kaplan.eduSchedule an IM conversationPost questions in the Course Questions

Don’t forget to review the discussion board requirements and I will see you there! Have a great week!!