COMP 1 MODULE 1 PRE-WR.ITE

Step 1: Selecting a Workable Topic Prepare for this module's descriptive essay by selecting a topic. You will use this topic throughout the module to learn how to develop an effective essay, and you will use the techniques you learned writing the descriptive essay to write your final research paper. Please adhere to the following tips as you select your topic:

A. Select a topic that interests you. Since you will spend a significant amount of time writing about this topic, it would serve you well to choose a topic that has meaning or interest to you. Many writers choose a topic that has connection with their career or vocational choice.

B. Determine your audience (the reader). Ask the following questions: Am I able to make this topic interesting to the reader? For whom am I writing this paper? Analyzing your audience helps you to arrange the precise details in a more relevant manner.

C. Narrow your topic. If a topic is too broad, you will have difficulty keeping the focus and continuity of your paper.

Example of a broad topic: the history of medicinal drugs for children

Example of a limited topic: the effects of anti-depressant medications on children with autism

Do you see how the limited topic provides focus to the essay?

Brainstorming and Clustering Once you have selected your topic, you may want to use brainstorming and clustering techniques to develop writing ideas. These techniques encourage a free flow of ideas. Write your topic on a sheet of paper, and begin listing any idea that is applicable to your topic. You don't need to screen your ideas or evaluate their quality; you can begin to organize your thoughts later.

Clustering creates the same effect as brainstorming. Place the topic in a circle in the middle of a piece of paper, and then organize your ideas with circles and lines around the main circle. Graphing your ideas this way allows you to generate ideas freely but provide some organization.

Below is an example of brainstorming and clustering.

Outlining Outlining is an effective tool to develop a systematic plan for your writing. The following outline format is sometimes called a schema, meaning a systematic plan of action. The schema creates a writing plan that includes an intro and thesis statement, three main points (which may include subheadings and details), and a concluding paragraph:

Sample: I. Intro and thesis statement

A. Additional information about introduction

B. Additional information about introduction

II. Body of the paper: point 1

A. Additional information about point 1 or subdivisions of point 1

B. Additional information about point 1 or subdivisions of point 1

III. Body of the paper: point 2

A. Additional information about point 2 or subdivisions of point 2

B. Additional information about point 2 or subdivisions of point 2

IV. Body of the paper: point 3

A. Additional information about point 3 or subdivisions of point 3

B. Additional information about point 3 or subdivisions of point 3

V. Concluding statement

Step 2.2: Gathering Resources Good writers utilize several techniques to gather and organize information.

Gathering Information: Research, Evaluation, and Questions Before investing time in the actual writing process, many writers like to do a quick research check on the computer. This helps you, the writer, to determine if your chosen topic produces a significant amount of material for the paper. In a later module, you will look at proper documentation and explore the reliability of sources. However, as you do your initial search for information, always check for source reliability, particularly with Internet sources. Keep in mind that there are two types of sources:

1. Primary source: This is an original text, document, or interview.

2. Secondary source: This is not an original text and tends to allow for someone’s comments on a text.

Both sources may be used; however, you will want to include a significant sampling of primary sources that are easily documented (APA format) with the author, page number, and publisher.

Step 2.3: Writing Research Questions Good writers utilize several techniques to gather and organize information.

Writing Research Questions

Once you have narrowed your topic, it is helpful to write research questions to organize your topic.

Example of a research topic: the effects of video games on academic and social performance in children

• Research question 1: What are the positive benefits of video games on the academic performance of children?

• Research question 2: What are the negative effects of video games on the academic performance of children?

• Research question 3: What are the effects of video games on the social behavior of children?

• Research question 4: What future guidelines are being introduced in the production and marketing of new video games?

Step 3: Writing a Thesis Statement Your thesis statement should establish a direction for your paper.

Thesis Statements To provide a clear focus of the direction of a paper, a good writer always utilizes a thesis statement. A thesis statement, in a sense, is the road map for the direction of your paper; it states the controlling idea in your paper and provides an overview of the topic. For clarity, it is suggested that you include a thesis statement in the first paragraph, or introduction, of your paper. All of the points of your essay should provide support for your thesis statement. For example, if your topic deals with the benefits of a certain program in your community, you would include a confident thesis statement such as:

Topic: the impact of the Big Brothers organization on the community Thesis Statement: Big Brothers, a community-based organization, has the means to provide a positive connection between young children and adult mentors.

Topic: the struggle between the North and the South during the Civil War Thesis Statement: While both sides fought for what they believed to be a worthy cause, the North focused on anti-slavery, but the Southern cause focused on states’ rights.

Characteristics of an Effective Thesis Statement

1. The thesis statement should never be interrogative in nature. Write your thesis statement as a declarative statement.

2. The thesis statement should be thought-provoking, causing the reader to want to read more of your information.

3. Make certain that your thesis statement stays focused on what you will discuss in your paper.

Step 4: Writing Your Introduction Your introduction should establish the background of your paper.

Writing the Introduction There are many effective ways to write an introductory paragraph, but every effective introduction provides a background for your topic. The thesis statement may be introduced at the beginning or ending of the introductory paragraph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, a highly recommended text for research guidelines, sums up the purpose of the thesis statement with this quotation: “The thesis statement is your answer to the central question or problem you have raised" (Gibaldi).

Additional supporting statements that address the background of the topic should be included in your introduction. A good introduction grabs the reader’s attention. For example, you may:

1. Use a thought-provoking quote: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” (Dickens).

2. Include an interesting fact about your topic: For example, “Until 1890 most new arrivals were from familiar places: the British Isles, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, the Netherlands. But now it was the turn of southern and eastern Europe to swarm…” (Weisberger).

Step 5: Writing the Body of Your Paper The body of the paper discusses and develops your main point and supports your thesis.

Develop the Main Points The body of the paper develops the main points. First, identify your main points. Then, write a well-developed paragraph (or paragraphs) for each point. You must develop your point comprehensively and coherently throughout each paragraph.

Use Evidence, Facts, and Examples Your paragraphs should support your points and your thesis with evidence, facts, and examples. In his text, Imagining to Learn, educator and author Jeffrey D. Wilhelm’s objective was to provide evidence that a disengaged reader could be motivated through drama. In the following paragraph, he supports his point using an example of a strategy he has used in the classroom.

One especially effective drama strategy that I have used has been what I have come to call the carousel or revolving role play. With this strategy, students initially each take on a single role…from a text and pair up with another student playing another role. They are given a topic to discuss or a task to complete in a short one to two minute role play. Through a series of role-plays, students take on various roles and often revisit and replay previous roles. (34)

Step 6: Writing the Conclusion of Your Paper The conclusion of a paper synthesizes the information, providing a sense of closure.

The Conclusion

The conclusion of your paper is your opportunity to wrap it up or to synthesize your information into a closing summation. The concluding paragraph brings closure to the paper through the use of various techniques.

1. You may choose to conclude your paper with an observation that focuses on your main points.

2. You may choose to conclude your paper with comments that neatly connect the ending to your introductory remarks.

3. You many choose to conclude your paper with an anecdote or quotation that illustrates the main focus of your paper. Novelist Toni Morrison, in The Bluest Eye, concludes her story with the following words: “And now when I see her searching the garbage—for what? The thing we assassinated?... We are wrong, of course, but it doesn’t matter. It’s too late…it’s much, much, much too late” (206).

Step 7: Enhancing Your Paper with a Strong Vocabulary One of the most effective ways to elevate the flow of your paper is to use transitional words and appropriate vocabulary.

Transitional Words One effective way to add a sense of movement, flow, and development to a paper is to use transitional words. Here is a sampling of words that will help you to move from idea to idea and paragraph to paragraph:

• for instance • therefore • thus • because • yet • eventually • first, second, third (etc.) • finally • similarly • in other words • in addition to • on the other hand • consequently • however • rather

College-Level Vocabulary Words If you want to elevate your paper's style, consider demonstrating your understanding of college-level vocabulary. The following is a sampling of vocabulary words that educators feel college students should understand. Consider using some of these words and other comparable words in your writing:

• obtuse - lacking perception • abstruse - difficult to understand • abeyance - to temporarily set aside • mitosis - cell division • nihilism - skepticism that denies all existence • parameter - boundaries • paradigm - an example that serves as a model • precipitous - steep • jocular - given to joking • chicanery - trickery • acumen - quickness; accuracy • bowdlerize - modify • circumnavigate - to go around • deleterious - having a harmful effect • churlish - bad disposition • enervate - to weaken • deciduous - shedding • antebellum - period before the Civil War • gauche - tactless • hubris - over-bearing pride • obsequiousness - fawning • fiduciary - holding in trust • feckless - ineffectual • lexicon - dictionary • kinetic - motion • inculcate - to teach by repetition