American Studies
1

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…
2





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.
3
3

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.
4
4
5

“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to
believe and take for granted; nor to find talk
and discourse; but to weigh and consider.”
6
6




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-forcomprehension.
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.
7
7


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
8


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)
9

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)
10
•
Underlining / vertical lines
•
Stars / asterisks
•
Numbering points
•
Page numbers for reference
•
Circling key terms or phrases
•
Writing in the margins
11
11

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)
12

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)?
13
14


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.
15




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?
16







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.
17

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…
18



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
19
20

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

Walk away if you need to—let thoughts percolate
21



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?
22



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.
23