The document outlines key concepts and skills necessary for good writing, emphasizing the importance of rhetorical knowledge, critical reading, and inquiry in the writing process. It debunks common myths about academic writing and stresses the need for adaptability to various genres and conventions. The focus is on fostering critical thinking through inquiry, encouraging students to engage deeply with their writing and research topics.

1. Key Concepts &
Inquiry
HOW THEY FIT TOGETHER

2. Daybook Entry
Try to describe what it “good writing” looks like; compare this to what you
know about your own writing.
Questions to consider—
 How do you know when you see good writing? What does it look like? What
features stand out?
 What are some skills strong writers have?
 What kinds of writing have you done in the past?
 What kinds of writing do you find easy? Enjoyable?
 What kinds of writing do you find more difficult? Explain.
 What have you been told you do well as a writer?
 What kinds of things do you struggle with?

3. Daybook Entry
Daybook Prompt: Based on
what you described, which of
these is an example of good
writing? Write about a
paragraph comparing them and
explaining why.

4. Daybook Entry-- Myths about
Academic Writing
Write in your Daybook about 2 myths that resonate with you. When writing, consider why this
jumped out at you. Is it because you have been taught this somewhere? Is it because you know a lot
of people tend to feel this way? Is it because this doesn't seem like much of a myth to you?
Myth 1: The "Paint by Numbers" Myth -- Writing should follow certain learned steps in order to
get a good final draft.
Myth 2: Writers only start when they have everything figured out-- Good writers draft in their
head, so there's no point in writing until I know exactly what I'm going to say and how.
Myth 3: Perfect first drafts -- Good writers create amazing first drafts without the need to revise;
that's what makes them good writers.
Myth 4: Some got it: I don't -- the genius fallacy -- Whether or not you are a good writer is
virtually out of your control. Good writers are predisposed to it.
Myth 5: Good grammar is good writing -- Good writers have good grammar and that is the basis
for what makes writing "good." It makes or breaks the piece.
Myth 6: The 5 Paragraph Essay -- This format defines most essay experiences.
Myth 7: Never use "I"-- Good academic writing should always be objective and formal, so it should
avoid personal experiences and personal pronouns.

5. KEY CONCEPTS
AKA WRITERLY SKILLS & LANGUAGE

6. OVERVIEW
Each skill represents a commonly held value among the
academic community for skills that good writers and
communicators have.
PAY ATTENTION!
A large portion of your grade is based on how well your
portfolio displays your engagement with this skills. THIS
MEANS YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN, IDENTIFY,
AND DISCUSS THEM USING A WRITERLY VOCABULARY.

7. Rhetorical Knowledge/Awareness
Basically, rhetorical knowledge is being able to understand—
 how writing situations (or rhetorical situations) work
 what aspects of the situation you have to consider
 how to use and adapt various skills effectively in individual situations--
-
 rhetorical appeals
 audience awareness
 multiple modes
 genre features
 styles
 digital tools
 ...and many others

8. Knowledge of Conventions
We typically know that conventions...
 are formal rules & informal guidelines that define genres
 determine obvious things like mechanics, usage, spelling, and citation
practices.
We typically don't know that they..
 influence content, style, organization, graphics, tone, word choice, and
document design.
 are developed over time by the leading readers, writers, and users of a
genre.
 shape readers’ and writers’ expectations of correctness or appropriateness

9. Knowledge of Conventions Cont.
Therefore..
 Correctness is a myth. What is correct or expected varies depending
on values within that genre. determine obvious things like
mechanics, usage, spelling, and citation practices.
 Good writers are adaptable to the expectations and values of
multiple genres.
 Having a knowledge of conventions is basically understanding genre
and how to figure out and use the conventions (rules, values,
features, audience expectations...) of a genre.

10. Composing Processes
1. The Writing Process Itself...
 various stages in the writing process understanding that processes and
strategies are unique to individuals
 understanding that processes are reciprocal
2. Your Writing Process & How You Write...
 awareness of your own process -- everything from how you
brainstorm to knowing your own strengths and weaknesses
3. How You Use Other Writing...
 interpreting and make choices about feedback received
 gleaning ideas from other voices and other texts

11. Critical Reading
What critical reading is not:
 mere comprehension or skimming for the gist
 offering unfounded opinions, meaning those based solely on personal
experience and/or apart from the current conversation
 being critical in only a negative sense without fairly considering
multiple views or valid points made by opposing views.

12. Critical Reading Cont.
What critical reading is: 🔎
Analyzing Evaluating Making Connections
Questioning Synthesizing Seeing Nuance
• Analyzing context, audience, language, genre use, and opinions of texts--
considering what's going on behind it & how it works
• Being able to understand, analyze, and use a wide range of texts and genres
• Reading for & recognizing patterns of organization, strategies, & communication
modes and paying attention to ways these features work for different audiences
and situations.
• Synthesizing multiple texts to make connections & draw conclusions
• Locating and evaluating the credibility and relevance of texts
• Making connections in various ways across a range of texts
• Reading for, recognizing, and evaluating relationships between claims and
evidence.

13. Critical Reading Cont.
Critical Reading is also--
 applying these strategies to the work of
your peers-
 offering a critical lens to ask questions, offer
ideas, analyze, evaluate, connect, and help push
their ideas forward.
PEER REVIEW!

14. Critical Reflection
Like critical reading, but it refers to your own own work,
thinking, & choices—
 FOCUSED ON CRITICALLY EXAMINING, EXPLAINING, AND QUESTIONING
YOUR OWN TEXTS & THINKING
 Contextualizing your own work and its relationship/connection to other
pieces of your own work, your own experiences, and other texts
 Interpreting feedback and then being able to make and explain your own
revision choices.
 Being able to "write to learn" -- to use reflection in a genuine way to
1. analyze your own thinking and decision making
2. to make transferable connections
3. to solidify learning

15. What’s the Point?
This course cannot teach all of you
the specific genre requirements of
each class, major, field, or
situation you will be in. EACH WILL
BE DIFFERENT.
THIS IS NOT A CLASS ABOUT
HOW TO WRITE.
There are no universal genre values
that apply to the same degree in every
situation.
THIS IS A CLASS
ABOUT HOW TO
THINK LIKE A WRITER.
It’s about learning transferable skills, language, and
ways of approaching writing in difference contexts…
...so that no matter the situation, you can know how
to to communicate with language AND with all of the
modes that support it, and you have the writer's
vocabulary to know what questions to ask.

16. Inquiry
WHAT IT IS AND HOW WE WILL USE INQUIRY AND
YOUR LOI TO ENGAGE THESE CONCEPTS

17. First…
What Inquiry Is

18. Research Paper – well-worn path
General
Pick Topic (maybe write the thesis)
Find sources
(Read sources…maybe)
OR
Go quote-mining
Write paper

19. The Result
 Nothing Learned (about both the issue and
about research)
 Often Biased Research
 Often takes shallow look at the issue
 Usually reports what others are saying
rather than adding to the conversation

20. What is Inquiry?
Inquiry is different from research because it encourages…
1) more than a hunt for black and white answers.
2) more than seeking information to support or refute an idea (like a thesis
statement).
3) an outlook that is open and willing to not only question, but follow where
those questions lead (risk-taking).
4) curiosity, a willingness to trust that THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE
TO KNOW, and that the more we know, the more fully we can understand
something.
5) room for multiple answers and perspectives, not just one or a pro and a
con or a dichotomous view.
6) leaves room for a path that takes you lots of places but still ending with a
question, probably a different one than you began with.

21. General
“Read” something
Find a source
Read the source
Ask a question
Write somethingRead the source
Read the source
Make something
Ask a different question
Find more sources
Find more sources
Ask more questions
thin
k
think
read
read

22. Why do inquiry
instead?
INQUIRY PROMOTES…
1) learning through active investigation of questions, problems, and
issues, often for which there is no one, single answer.
2) complex learning outcomes such as critical thinking, habits of
independent inquiry, responsibility for one’s own learning and
intellectual growth.
3) opportunities for deeper understanding of an issue by allowing you
too explore the conversation as a whole.
4) evaluation & comparison of different types of sources, discussions
about bias, etc. … rather than cherry picking to build a one-sided
argument with an incomplete & cursory understanding of the issue.
REMEMBER– YOU CAN’T REFUTE WHAT YOU DIDN’T READ.

23. How it Fits Together
• Think about your LOI and your writing regarding that inquiry as a practice
platform for these skills; it is the tool you will use to work on these skills
and develop writerly vocabulary.
• For example, as we explore your LOI, we will explore—
• Research (critical reading)
• How to evaluate sources (critical reading)
• What problems you are having (critical reflection and composing processes)
• Genre types (knowledge of conventions and rhetorical knowledge)
• How to present your research findings to an audience (rhetorical knowledge and
composing processes)
• How to meet academic standards (knowledge of conventions)

24. Developing Your LOI

25. Good Inquiry- Not a Rabbit from a Hat
1. Good inquiry doesn’t appear out of thin air or a vacuum.
• Topics do that… but we will be focused on issues and
problems that are framed by conversations.
The beginning of real inquiry has a “source” (a news report, an
article, a song, a documentary, a blog) to establish and clarify the
idea--
• Read something
• Watch something
• Listen to something
• Talk about something
2. Good inquiry stems from natural curiosity- from a question
about whether or not something is true, or why so many
people believe something, how something happens…
Abracada
bra…
Inquiry

26. Things to Consider When Developing Your
LOI:
 Am I truly interested in this topic? You must be invested and it show in your work.
If you aren’t interested, your audience won’t either.
 Is it answerable through research? --Which religion is better? Why do people
prefer this type of music? These are not answerable through research.
 Can I explain why the issue matters? This must be meaningful for you and your
audience, something that matters to people and makes a difference.
 You should be able to identify who would most benefit and be able to answer the
question, “Why should I care?”
 Is it something debatable and/or complex enough? Remember that you don’t want
to be on a fact hunt or merely looking at the issue through an oversimplified,
dualistic view. yes or no, for or against, right or wrong 🚫

27. Things to Consider When Developing
Your LOI:
 Is the subject current and relevant? Don’t bore readers with something they
already know everything about.
 Can I say something new or contribute something here (academic
writing should say something new)? NO REPORTS!!!
 Examples to avoid: abortion, legalizing marijuana, steroids in sports, whether or not
global warming is real… you get the idea.
 Issues that have been “over talked about” & “over researched.” If you Googled them,
you’d get 50,000 results, and they’d all say basically the same thing.
 Is the subject limited and clear enough in focus? Is there a specific enough
focus to end up with sources that are connected and speak to each other in some key
way? Example of something too big or vague—
 What is beauty? (Huh?)
 What’s wrong with the public education system? (Get ready for a looooong semester.)
 Why do people get tattoos? (They have personal or cultural value & it varies widely…
no one wants a lesson on the global history of tattoos.)

28. Picking an LOI, Not a “Topic”
How are topics, issues, and lines of inquiry different?
1. Topics → used to group issues together
2. Issues → note where conversations about a particular within a topic might
exist
3. Your LOI → describes what you want to understand or find out about or within
a specific issue
General topic → Specific topic/issue → Focus/Interest/Question
Education Standardized Testing How does standardized
impact learning?
Ex. A camera lens: We don’t want to deal with the entire landscape in the photo; we want to zoom in on one
pivotal element in the landscape.

29. Banned List
 Abortion
 Nature vs. Nurture
 Stress and College -- unless you can defend a very probative approach to
the research
 Eating Disorders (If these come up in an LOI, that's fine-- but no reports on
different kinds of EDs)
 Tattoos in the Workplace
 Stem Cell Research
 Capital Punishment
 The Existence of God
 Life After Death
 The reality of Witchcraft
 Anything Sea World Related (whales/dolphins in captivity)
 Anything based off of Making of a Murderer (how reliable/accurate is the
investigation & judicial process)
 The Reality of Global Warming
 Same-Sex Marriage (other LGBTQ issues are allowed)
 Lowering the Drinking Age
 Changing the Driving Age
 Illegal Immigration
 Legalization of Marijuana
 Evolution vs. Creationism
 Euthanasia
 Conspiracy Theories (9/11, Tupac, The Illuminati, etc.)
 Gun Control
 The Danger of Pit bulls & any other pet restrictions
 Comparisons of Religion
 Concussions in Football
 Drug Use of Any Kind with Regard to Sports
 Texting and Driving
 Fitness (Health related questions are okay-- but no How-To Guides on
getting in shape PLEASE!)
 Student or Professional Athlete Pay
 Smoking Bans
 Evaluative Comparisons-– Ex. Mac vs. PC

30. Practice
LOI → Should the education
system change?
What’s wrong with this question?
Note: LOI’s aren’t always phrased as questions and might
include a series of questions.