TODAY’S GOALS
• Discuss important skills for timed writing
• Review relevant material for the final exam
• Practice outlining for a timed writing exam
SYNTHESIS ESSAY THESIS
• Original, original, original
• Related to the topics of the articles you have reviewed without repeating
their ideas
• Does not need to mention the articles you will analyze (do this in your
forecasting)
• Make it arguable and not just a statement; this will aid you when providing
support for your thesis
• It may help to focus on a thesis question which your thesis statement will
answer. This thesis question can also serve as a powerful tool to hook readers
in your introduction
• Should likely appear in one of the first 1-2 paragraphs of your essay
SYNTHESIS ESSAY FORECASTING
• DOES need to mention all articles you will be summarizing
• Must also mention the supporting points you will use to argue for your thesis
• Should occur almost directly after your thesis
• You must summarize three articles in the body paragraphs of your essay.
These are the sources that must be forecasted. You may use additional
sources for supporting information, but these sources do not need to be
summarized or forecasted (although you must cite them normally)
TIMED WRITING SKILLS
• Ability to store and access appropriate knowledge into an organized essay
• Ability to quickly analyze the specific requirements of an exam question
• Ability to deal with pressure, text anxiety, and time constraints
TIMED WRITING KEY TERMS
• See pg 600
• Analyze, apply, argue, compare, contrast, construct, critique, define,
discuss, enumerate, evaluate, explain, identify, illustrate, prove, review,
summarize, and trace
• Each key term has specific response strategies and tells you the type of
information you should include in your response
IMPORTANT STRATEGIES FOR
SUCCESS
• Follow directions!
• Have a clear and strong thesis
• Have coherent organization with transitions
• Support each part of your argument with evidence (rhetorical appeals can
be helpful here)
• Have an independent analysis and argument. Be original.
• Have a conclusion. It need not be long or fancy but should recapitulate your
important points
GROUP ACTIVITY 1: ANALYZE
ESSAY QUESTIONS
• In your synthesis topic groups
• Read the passage on page 603 and questions on pg. 604
• Determine which of the four questions best fits the essay and provide an
explanation (3+ sentences using examples from the text) as to why
MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
• Angle of Vision
• Rhetorical Context:
• Purpose
• Audience
• Genre
• Rhetorical Appeals
• Ethos
• Pathos
• Logos
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
Rhetorical
Concept
Literacy Narrative
Genre
Open form, concrete language, autobiographical
narrative, implicit theme
Audience
Students at fiu, your peers, professor, informal
audience,
Purpose
Tell a story about who you are
Angle of Vision
Lessons we’ve learned, important events, settings,
characters. Leave out embarrassing details,
unimportant events
Ethos
True Story about you.
Pathos
Emotions you’re feeling, descriptive language,
relatable problem and resolution
Logos
Dates, specific descriptions/details. Weakest appeal
in literacy narrative
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
Rhetorical
Concept
Strong Response
Genre
Closed form. Thesis driven. Strong
argument/reaction. Transitions. Blended strong
response: rhetorical analysis, ideas critique,
reflection
Audience
Teachers and professors. Educated ppl. More formal
Purpose
Agree/disagree with article. Rhetorical analysis.
Support argument with details. Provide own
ideas/exp
Angle of Vision
Elements that support your argument. Leave out
counterarguments
Ethos
Quote the author, personal experience with the
issue
Pathos
Word choice. Examples from the article. Real life
events.
Logos
Examples from article. Quoting statistics/dates.
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
Rhetorical
Concept
Synthesis essay
Genre
Closed form. Very formal. Persuasive/research
writing. Thesis driven. Academic conversation
Audience
Academic conversation with writers. Professors,
educated ppl, writers
Purpose
Provide your own viewpoint in academic
conversation, persuade, analyze/summarize
Angle of Vision
Details that support argument. Leave out personal
experiences/first person. Don’t state thesis/ideas too
strongly
Ethos
Credible sources, quotes from articles, research
Pathos
Examples from sources, imagery. Weakest appeal
here.
Logos
Dates/statistics/facts from sources. Logical
GROUP ACTIVITY : TIMED WRITING
PRACTICE
• In the same groups
• Read the two example essay prompts on page 607 and prompt 3 at the end
of this slide
• Create a detailed outline for each prompt. Make sure to include: a thesis,
forecasting, and the main points of your supporting paragraphs
• (You do not need to write a full essay, just the outline)
• Prompt 3: During the course of the class, we have discussed how all writing
has a rhetorical context that affects its form and content. Discuss and
illustrate how the three elements of rhetorical context have shaped the
essays we have written in this class. Be sure to include specific examples with
quotes from each of the major essays.
HOMEWORK
• Read A&B 595-608 (optional)
• Continue working on Synthesis essays
• Review concepts we discussed in class for final exam
• Angle of Vision
• Rhetorical Context:
• Purpose
• Audience
• Genre
• Rhetorical Appeals
• Ethos
• Pathos
• Logos
• Portfolio: Final Draft
• Bring to the final exam on Friday (you will need it for the exam)
• It should contain your: literacy narrative, strong response essay, and synthesis essay draft