Introduction to Writing
Through Literature
Boot Camp
Reviewing Writing and Reading Strategies
Reading
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I
read so that I can both understand and analyze what
I read?
 Assignment:
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Read “Short Assignments” from Bird by Bird by Anne
Lamott on pages 693-696 in your textbook.
After you finish reading, answer the questions 1a-5a
and 1b-5b on page 697. Use the CSQT format to
answer the questions.
 Question responses will be collected at the start of
the period tomorrow for a 10 point homework/class
work grade.
Reading
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
when I read so that I can both understand
and analyze what I read?
 Warm Up: Write a paragraph summarizing
“Short Assignments” from Bird by Bird by
Anne Lamott.
 This paragraph will evaluated as a 10-point
reading grade and a 25-point baseline
informative writing grade.
Reading Strategies:Comprehension
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 Use prior knowledge.
 Decide what you need to know from the text.
 Preview the material.
 Monitor your own comprehension.
 If you don’t understand, backtrack.
 Visualize.
 Draw inferences, ask questions, make
connections, and summarize information.
Reading Strategies: Purpose
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 Know the reason for reading the material.
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For question and answer
For problem solving
To extend prior knowledge
To get directions
To be persuaded
For entertainment
Reading Strategies: Summarizing
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 A summary briefly gives the main points of
the reading including the main idea and the
most important supporting details.
 Paraphrasing is putting someone else’s
ideas into your words. Paraphrasing allows
you to use material while still maintaining
your own writing style.
Reading Strategies: Summarizing
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 Retain the author’s perspective. Identify the
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point of view.
Create outlines of the main ideas and the
most important supporting details.
Ask: when, what, how, who, why, where
Make sure you understand all vocabulary used
in the piece, especially if you are
paraphrasing.
Do not change the original meaning of the
material.
Reading Strategies: Summarizing
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 Partner Work: Turn to your partner, in ten
words or less, summarize “Short
Assignments” verbally.
Reading Strategies: Text Features
 Essential Question: What do I need to do when I read so that I can
both understand and analyze what I read?
 Use text features to help determine main
idea and details.
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Headings and subheadings
Bolded words
Italicized words
Captions
Illustrations
Photographs
Charts
Graphs
Maps
Labels
Reading Strategies: Text Features
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
when I read so that I can both understand
and analyze what I read?
 Group Work: With the other students in your
group, use the Nonfiction Graphic Organizer
to help you to identify the text features
commonly used by the textbook that will
assist you in your reading comprehension
and analysis. Fill in the graphic organizer for
“Short Assignments.”
Reading Strategies
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
when I read so that I can both understand
and analyze what I read?
 Warm Up: Answer the following question in a
complete paragraph: When you are assigned
something to read for class, how do you
approach it? What do you do with the
material that you have to read? What do you
do if you understand it? What do you do if
you don’t understand it? How do you
remember it?
Reading Strategies: Text Features
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
when I read so that I can both understand
and analyze what I read?
 Class Discussion: Review “Short
Assignments” graphic organizer and text
features.
 What reading strategies did we use with our
analysis of “Short Assignments”?
 What strategy helped you the most?
Writing Strategies
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
within my writing to communicate effectively
with my audience?
 Analysis: In a CSQT paragraph, identify and
analyze Lamott’s main claim citing a specific
detail she uses to develop her argument.
 This paragraph will evaluated as a 10-point
reading grade and a 25-point baseline
argumentative writing grade.
Writing
 Essential Question: What do I need to do
within my writing to communicate effectively
with my audience?
 Warm Up: Answer the following question in a
complete paragraph: What do you like about
writing? What do you dislike about writing?
What do you think is easy about writing?
What do you think is hard? Why is it
important to be able to communicate through
writing?
Writing Strategies: Read the
Question!
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Make sure you read the entire question.
 Know what you are being asked to do.
 Answer the question as it is asked. Don’t
answer the question you wish you were
asked!
 Assignment: Each group has one of the
essay questions from last year’s SAT. Read
the question and brainstorm how you would
respond. Write down your ideas.
Writing Strategies: What do you
need to do?
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Identify the audience.
 Audience:
a body of spectators,
listeners, or readers of a work or
performance.
 Identify the purpose.
 Purpose:
the reason for writing.
 Identify the appropriate diction for the
audience and purpose.
 Diction: word choice
Writing Strategies: What do you
need to do?
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Identify the format.
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Format: the form or layout of the writing.
 Identify the point of view.
 The angle or perspective from which a story or
account is told.
 First Person, Second Person, Third Person
 Identify the Mode of Discourse
 Mode: type
 Discourse: communication
 Mode of Discourse: type of communication
Writing Strategies: What do you
need to do?
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Modes of Discourse p. 363
Mode of Writing
Purpose
Example
Expository/
Informative
To inform, analyze,
classify, compare
News article,
research report,
how-to essay
Narrative
To tell a story, to
share a perspective
Biography, family
history
Personal/
Expressive
To reflect
Diary entry,
personal letter
Persuasive/
Argumentative
To persuade or
convince readers to
respond in same
way
Editorial, petition,
academic analysis
Imaginative
To entertain, enrich,
enlighten
Poem, short story,
Humorous essay
Writing Strategies: What do you
need to do?
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Group Work: With the members of your
group, decide:
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What format do you think is most appropriate
for this writing? Why?
What point of view do you think is most
appropriate for this essay? Why?
What is the best mode of discourse for this
essay? Why?
Writing Strategies: Prewriting
 Essential Question: What do I need to do within my writing to
communicate effectively with my audience?
 Write a thesis that answers ALL PARTS OF
THE QUESTION.
 Thesis: the position taken by someone
discussing a particular topic with the intent of
proving that position plausible or correct.
 Identify the major points that will make up
your body paragraphs.
 Establish what evidence is necessary to fulfill
your purpose with your audience.
Writing Strategies: Thesis Statement
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
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to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
Your thesis statement should:
be one sentence long.
be the last sentence in the introduction.
answer all parts of the question.
be specific.
incorporate the main points.
answer the entirety of the question in one, detailed sentence.
present the argument you intend to make in the essay.
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Argument: A piece of writing or an oral presentation in which an
author or speaker seeks to persuade an audience to accept a
proposition or an opinion by giving reasons and evidence. An
argument does not necessarily involve controversy or anger;
often it is simply a statement that presents a claim or a particular
point of view.
Every thesis statement in an academic paper presents an
argument!
Writing Strategies: Introduction
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Your introduction should:
 be your first paragraph.
 be at least five sentences long.
 begin with a hook to grab your audience.
Hook: attention-getting device
 contain relevant information about your topic.
 effectively lead to your thesis.
 end with your thesis.
Writing Strategies: Body Paragraph
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Your body paragraphs should:
 be at least five sentences long.
 have a main idea established by the first sentence.
Topic Sentence: Sentence that presents the main idea of a
paragraph
 have at least three specific details to support the main idea.
 Supporting Sentence: Sentences that provide supporting
details for the topic sentence or main idea in the paragraph
 directly reflect the points of the thesis.
 conclude the point within the paragraph and transition into the
next paragraph. Avoid using transition words!
 Transition Sentence: Sentence that concludes that
previous topic while introducing the next topic to lead the
reader through the writing.
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Writing Strategies: Conclusion
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Your conclusion should:
 be the last paragraph of the essay.
 be at least five sentences long
 tie together all of your major points.
 reiterate your thesis.
 not introduce new material.
 NEVER include the words : In summary, In
conclusion, Finally.
Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and
organize my ideas in order to effectively
communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Assignment: Write the first draft of the SAT
essay your group was assigned.
 You need to have this draft finished at the
beginning the period Thursday. You will have
part of the period tomorrow to work on this.
Grammar
 Essential Question: How does properly using
standard English grammar help me to
effectively communicate in writing?
 Warm Up: Answer the following question in a
complete paragraph: Why is it important to
use correct standard English grammar in your
writing? How confident are you regarding
your grammar skills?
Common Grammar Mistakes
 Essential Question: How does properly using standard English
grammar help me to effectively communicate in writing?
 The following are mistakes students often
make in their writing:
 Sentence Structure
 Subject/Verb Agreement
 Pronoun/Noun Agreement
 Verb Tense
 Assignment: Complete the Sentence
Structure and Part of Speech pretest.
Grammar Review
 What do the following two groups of words
have in common?
Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is an isolated
island 2000 miles from the coast of South
America, it has captured the attention of
historians and anthropologists world wide.
Wondered about those massive statues
surrounding the island.
Practice
Components of a complete sentence
1. A complete subject is a noun, a group of
words acting as a noun, or a pronoun, plus
and modifiers that describe what or who the
sentence is about
2. A complete predicate is a verb or verb
phrase plus any modifiers and words that
complete the meaning of the verb or the
verb phrase.
Not sentences
 Sentence fragment—a group of words that
fails to express a complete thought but is
punctuated as a sentence.
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fragments may lack a subject or a verb or both
 Run-on sentence– two or more sentences
masquerading as a single sentence because
of incorrect punctuation.
To fix a fragment
 Add a subject or verb to complete the
thought.
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Early explorers wondered about the those
massive statues surrounding the island.
 Attach the fragment to the sentence before or
after it, if it makes sense.
 Drop or replace words until you have both a
complete subject and complete predicate.
To fix a run-on
 Separate the two sentences using capitalization and end
punctuation.
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Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is an isolated island 2000 miles
from the coast of South America. It has captured the
attention of historians and anthropologists world wide.
 Use a conjunction, preceded by a comma.
 Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is an isolated island 2000 miles
from the coast of South America, and it has captured the
attention of historians and anthropologists world wide.
 Insert a semicolon, or a semicolon along with a transitional
word or phrase followed by a comma.
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Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is an isolated island 2000 miles
from the coast of South America; it has captured the
attention of historians and anthropologists world wide.
Think-Pair-Share
 With a partner, complete the Fragments and
Run-ons worksheet.
On your own
 List all the parts of speech you know and
define them.
How many did you get?
 There are EIGHT parts of speech.
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Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Preposition
Conjunction
Article
Parts of Speech Review—the most basic
definitions
 Noun—person, place, thing, or idea
 Verb—action words
 Adjective—modifies or describes a noun or
pronoun
 Adverb—modifies or describes a verb or
adjective
Parts of Speech Review—the
most basic definitions
 Pronoun—takes the place of a noun in the
sentence
 Preposition—with a noun or pronoun, creates
phrases that denote time, place, location, or
introduces objects of verbs
 Conjunction—joins two independent clauses
(and, but, for, nor, so, but, yet)
 Article—a, an, the
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and
organize my ideas in order to effectively
communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Warm Up: In a complete paragraph, describe
an argument you recently had with someone
you know.
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Argument: “An argument is a form of
discourse in which the writer or speaker tries
to persuade an audience to accept, reject, or
think a certain way about a problem that
cannot be solved by scientific or
mathematical reasoning alone” The WellCrafted Argument (4).
 Rhetoric: the art of using language
persuasively.
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 A good argument:
 Makes a strong claim
 Includes relevant, convincing evidence
 Defines or explains necessary terms or
concepts
 Provides necessary background information
 Acknowledges other claims and provides
refutation
 Presents a logical pattern of reasoning from
thesis to conclusion
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Evidence: information that supports the
argument
 Specific evidence is necessary for every
assertion, or claim.
 Evidence should be accurate, timely,
relevant, and sufficient.
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Appeals
 Appeals are used to reinforce the evidence in
order to persuade the audience.
 Ethos: ethical appeals…tradition, authority,
ethical and moral behavior
 Pathos: emotional appeals…feelings, basic
human needs such as security, love,
belonging, health and well-being
 Logos: rational appeals…reason and logic
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Purpose and Audience
 Argumentative writing has a distinct purpose:
to present, support, or challenge a debatable
proposition The Well-Crafted Argument (18).
 You must recognize not only why you are
writing, but also why you want your reader to
agree with your position.
 The audience will dictate the argument;
therefore, the you must know your audience.
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Assignment: Look at the argument you
described in your warm up. Identify the
following argumentative features of your
argument under your paragraph:
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Claim
Evidence
Appeal
Refutation
Purpose
Audience
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Group Work: Look back at “Short Assignments”
starting on page 693 in your book. While this essay
is not persuasive writing, it can be considered
argumentative writing.
 Identify the following argumentative features of
Lamott’s argument:
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Claim
Evidence
Appeal
Refutation
Purpose
Audience
Writing: Argumentative Writing
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 In your essay you must:
 Present the problem: The problem must be
clearly stated, the audience must understand
why it should care about the problem.
 State the claim: You need to clearly state
your solution to the problem. Your claim must
be realistic, practical, and sensible.
 Report the evidence: You must communicate
the significance of the evidence, not merely
present facts and figures.
Writing: Argumentative Essay
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 In your essay you must:
 Refute challenging views: You must present
claims/evidence of the opposing side as fairly
as possible.
 Draw inferences and conclusions: Ask
yourself, how do I interpret my findings? Will
my argument convince my audience?
Writing: Argumentative Essay
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in order
to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Organization: Classical Model
 Introduction: lead-in, overview of situation,
background
 Thesis: position statement
 Appeals: ethos, pathos, logos
 Evidence: citing of statistics, results, findings,
examples, laws, relevant passages from
authoritative texts
 Refutation: often presented with evidence
 Conclusion: highlights of key points,
recommendations, illuminating restatement of
Writing: Argumentative Writing
Edit and Revise
 Essential Question: How can I create and organize my ideas in
order to effectively communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Peer Editing: Exchange papers with a partner.
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Identify the argumentative elements of your partner’s essay: claim,
evidence, appeal, refutation. Write suggestions on sticky notes and
put them on the essay.
Look at the structure of your partner’s essay. Does the essay have
an introduction, thesis, body paragraph with topic sentences,
supporting sentences, and transition sentences, and a conclusion?
Does the paper have grammatical errors with sentence structure or
subject/verb or noun/pronoun agreement? Write suggestions on
sticky notes and put them on the essay.
Return the draft to your partner and discuss the essays and the
suggestions.
Rubric
 The CRHS English department is using the
state writing rubrics to evaluate your writing
this year.
 Review the rubrics and grading scale.
Writing Strategies: Edit and
Revise
 Essential Question: How can I create and
organize my ideas in order to effectively
communicate my ideas in my writing?
 Assignment: You now have your first draft
finished with notes for revision. You also
have the rubric which will be used to evaluate
your essay. Edit and revise your essay using
these tools. Turn in a final essay with your
prewriting, first draft, revisions, and final copy.
If possible, please type the final copy.
 Final essays are due: