Informative Writing Using Focus and Form to Create a Fresh Approach

Key Features of Reports/Profiles Tightly focused topic Accurate, well-researched information Informative, but surprising thesis Various writing strategies Clear definitions Appropriate design Interesting or unusual Subject Necessary background Interesting angle Firsthand account Engaging details Narrative description or interview format

Tightly focused topic

Accurate, well-researched information

Informative, but surprising thesis

Various writing strategies

Clear definitions

Appropriate design

Interesting or unusual Subject

Necessary background

Interesting angle

Firsthand account

Engaging details

Narrative description or interview format

Focus is Key! Tightly focused topic Don’t choose a topic and just write ALL YOU KNOW about the topic—that’s not focus! Interesting or unusual subject (and that would be an F)

Tightly focused topic

Don’t choose a topic and just write ALL YOU KNOW about the topic—that’s not focus!

Interesting or unusual subject

(and that would be an F)

Take an Interesting Angle

“ Writing Home: High Street” specific, concrete, engaging details words with strong connotations

specific, concrete, engaging details

words with strong connotations

“ Georgia O’Keefe” Tightly focused Sense of context—”the men” Accompanying visual Didion’s daughter

Tightly focused

Sense of context—”the men”

Accompanying visual

Didion’s daughter

Profiles Dominant impression Quotations—if a person Pictures—if a place Additional research Details that support the angle Make it have a POINT! What are you saying about the person or place?

Dominant impression

Quotations—if a person

Pictures—if a place

Additional research

Details that support the angle

Make it have a POINT! What are you saying about the person or place?

Concept, New Drug, or a Food Detail Examples Use of various organizational patterns: defining classifying dividing comparing explaining a process analyzing causes or effects

Detail

Examples

Use of various organizational patterns:

defining

classifying

dividing

comparing

explaining a process

analyzing causes or effects

Don’t forget format --Try a magazine article look (but don’t forsake content over style)

Ways to Generate Detail for Your Topic comes from field of physics Applied to writing: 1) static view 2) dynamic view 3) relative view

comes from field of physics

Applied to writing:

1) static view

2) dynamic view

3) relative view

Static View of Your Subject like a snapshot view descriptions details frozen in time/space

like a snapshot view

descriptions

details

frozen in time/space

Dynamic View change over time different seasons different times of day what happens in space of a certain time how something’s changed what happens—chronolog. order

change over time

different seasons

different times of day

what happens in space of a certain time

how something’s changed

what happens—chronolog. order

Relative View Classified in a category Divided into parts Compared with like things Compared with unlike things (analogy) Things associated with it

Classified in a category

Divided into parts

Compared with like things

Compared with unlike things (analogy)

Things associated with it

Next class time: Generate pages of details, even a rough draft if possible on your topic Consider writing an essay on the topic that is due on Tuesday for the Common Hour, if you plan to enter contest.

Generate pages of details, even a rough draft if possible on your topic

Consider writing an essay on the topic that is due on Tuesday for the Common Hour, if you plan to enter contest.

The question again: Essay Question: The author of My Freshman Year claims that one of the most important things she discovered in her freshman year that made a difference from the professors was “compassion.” However, she also found that some of the best courses to take in college were “hard but not boring,” and “not easy but worth it.” How does a professor balance compassion with rigor in a course, reasonableness with challenges, and maintain appropriate, mentor-like relationships with students without babying or psychoanalyzing them at one extreme or remaining aloof from them at the other extreme? Your essay may contain advice for professors on how to be more rigorous while still being compassionate, it may address issues related to this delicate balance, like the problems with sites like RateMyProfessors, or may describe the kind of professor or course you hope to encounter (or have encountered) here at Edinboro University of PA. Do not mention actual professors’ names, but do use specific details from your own life and references from My Freshman Year in your essay.

Essay Question:

The author of My Freshman Year claims that one of the most important things she discovered in her freshman year that made a difference from the professors was “compassion.” However, she also found that some of the best courses to take in college were “hard but not boring,” and “not easy but worth it.” How does a professor balance compassion with rigor in a course, reasonableness with challenges, and maintain appropriate, mentor-like relationships with students without babying or psychoanalyzing them at one extreme or remaining aloof from them at the other extreme? Your essay may contain advice for professors on how to be more rigorous while still being compassionate, it may address issues related to this delicate balance, like the problems with sites like RateMyProfessors, or may describe the kind of professor or course you hope to encounter (or have encountered) here at Edinboro University of PA. Do not mention actual professors’ names, but do use specific details from your own life and references from My Freshman Year in your essay.

Thanks for listening! On Monday, I will ask you a two-question quiz and, if you listened to this podcast, you will be able to answer the questions correctly.

Thanks for listening!

On Monday, I will ask you a two-question quiz and, if you listened to this podcast, you will be able to answer the questions correctly.