ENS132G
Academic Writing
Chapter 3
Súsanna Björg Vilhjálmsdóttir
Today´s schedule
Recap – what did we do last week
the essay and the thesis
Chapter 3
• the AWARE writing cycle
• different stages of writing
• strategies for each stage of writing
• recognizing the importance of rewriting
• the thesis statement
What did we do
last week?
• the structure of an essay
• the types of thesis statements/essays
• 7 types of thesis statements and
evaluated their content
• how to write a description
Framework and process of a thesis-
driven essay
• A – Arranging to write – Planning, focus, find a topic, ideas, build a
thesis, organizing and formatting
• W – Writing – Drafting the main part (paragraphs), building on ideas.
• A – Assessing – How effectively the content and organization supports
the working thesis
• R – Revising – The first draft is not the finished work! Experienced
writers understand that major changes are part of the revision process.
• E – Editing – Accuracy, convention, formatting. Making sure that rules
of convention are adhered to.
Strategies to achieve
goal
Steps to move from step 1 to step 3.
1. Conscious application –the effort of using a
method to finish a task.
2. Practice
3. Unconscious use
Strategy 1 – Brainstorming the
topic or subject
Each writer finds brainstorming
techniques that suit his or her writing
voice and task. We will be trying the
following
– Free writing
– Focused free writing
– Clustering (mapping)
– Listing
Free writing and focused free writing
Means writing privately and without stopping.
• Write whatever comes to mind or whatever you want to explore at
this moment.
• Don´t worry about whether anything makes sense.
• Don´t worry about spelling or grammar
• Keep on writing and see what comes...
• Remember – this is private writing and don´t stop
( we practiced focused free-writing in the first in-class assignment)
Free writing
Write for 5 minutes on your
Favorite Movie - What is
your favorite movie? And
why?
If you want to develop your writing
further, one good strategy is to make
writing a habit and set aside time for 5-
minute writing every day
· provides opportunity to recall
information
· develops and improves writing skills
· organizes thoughts under time
pressure
Listing
Developing a
working thesis
The thesis is based on two elements:
1. Topic or subject
2. The point of view the author will use to
examine the topic
Moves from the general topic to a narrowed
topic with a point view
Thesis statement – why again?
• summarizes the claim or explanation you will present;
• determines content and structure of the essay;
• is a roadmap for the paper;
• usually refers to the subject + the writer’s assertion about it +
and reasons for the assertion;
• tells the reader what to expect;
• appears in the introductory paragraph;
• is supported by evidence in the main body
Stategy 2 - Establishing evidence
The quality of evidence is important
expert source – written by academics, experts, practioners
facts - measurements, dates, scores, statistics
examples - reference to historical or current events
common/personal knowledge – often found in the introduction
Strategy 3 - Organizing the evidence
Outlining the essay:
Use the working thesis statement as a road map
Black Elk representation of
main body paragraph 1 - cultural details
evidence 1, 2, and 3
main body paragraph 2 - use of Indian words
evidence 1, 2, and 3
main body paragraph 3 - direct usage of quotes from Black Elk
evidence 1, 2, and 3
Strategy 4 – Writing the draft
Main body
Paragr. 1 - Topic sentence 1
cultural details
Paragr. 2 - Topic sentence 2
use of Indian words
Paragr. 3 - Topic sentence 3
direct usage of quotes from Black Elk
Strategy 5 - Assessing
How effectively the content and organization supports the working
thesis
a. The quality of ideas
b. The quantity of ideas
c. Does the vidence validate the point of view in the working thesis?
What is the topic sentence?
How many sources?
How many examples?
According to the research of Dement and Vaughn (2011), sleep deprivation was a major
factor in some of the greatest transportation disasters in modern history. Sleep debt
contributed to the 1989 environmental disaster caused when the oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, ran
aground, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska. The
authors attribute the accident’s cause to the accumulated sleep deprivation of the third mate
who was piloting the ship. The man had slept fewer than 6 of the previous 48 hours.
Similarly, the authors report that a year-long investigation found sleep deprivation played a
major role in the disaster of the space shuttle Challenger. The study cited an error in
judgment attributed to the sleep deprivation of the managers who decided to launch the
Challenger despite a lack of evidence that the shuttle was safe in cold temperatures. Dangers
to public safety only increase when sleep deprived professionals make decisions involving
huge and powerful craft.
Strategy 6 – Revising and editing
Revision takes time and is very time-consuming
Remember, the first draft is not the finished work! Experienced
writers understand that major changes are part of the revision process.
Editing
Accuracy, convention, formatting. Making sure that rules of
convention are adhered to. Formal language, grammar, spelling,
structure of essay and more…
Recap - Understanding thesis
statements
•The thesis statement is not a question!
•A statement that expresses the topic
• and the writer‘s position on the topic
• Thesis
– topic + author’s point of view + reasons
– your essay must relate directly to your thesis statement
Analyzing a thesis statement
Developing a thesis statement
• A thesis sentence
• expresses a topic and a point of view
• “Romeo and Juliet is about love.”
• a statement, not a thesis statement
• it only gives the topic
• “Romeo and Juliet” is a story of failed love.
• a weak thesis
• this is obvious
• there is nothing to persuade the reader about
Developing the thesis statement
• “In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare portrays the destructive effects of
family feuds through a story of the tragic deaths of two young lovers.”
• A good, viable thesis because:
• topic = Romeo and Juliet
• narrowed topic = family feuds in R & J
• point of view = family feuds are destructive
The bad and the ugly - “But why was the family feud so destructive and why
did it cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?”. The student would then
continue by writing, “In this essay I’m going to try to answer these two
questions.”
– Never begin a thesis statement with: In this essay...
Example from the book p. 50
General topic – increased sugar consumption
Narrowed topic- who/what/where/
effects on health of children
Point of view (why) – growth in debilitating diseases
Working thesis:
The increase of sugar consumption among children has contributed to
the growth of a number of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes,
and depression.
Example 2
General topic – Bicycles as transportation
Narrowed topic- who/what/where/
Bicycles as transportation in the urban environments
Point of view (why) – Improves the living environment
Working thesis:
The use of bicycles for cummuting in urban settings improves the
quality of life for citizens
In-class practice – now write your own
thesis statement
•Use the document and the slides in Week 3 to write your own thesis
statement (form group´s of 3-4 people)
1. Is a good education a right or a privilege?
2. Convince your best friend to try your favorite brand of junk
food.
3. What conveniences can change people’s lives?
4. What techniques or methods could help teachers do their job
more effectively?
Workshops on Writing Thesis Statements
• http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/
• http://www.cws.uiuc.edu/workshop/writers/tips/thesis/
• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process
/ thesis_statement_tips.html
• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/e
st ablishing_arguments/index.html
Summary of
the class
Reviewed
• the structure of an essay
• the AWARE process of writing
• the thesis statement, its purpose
• the thesis statement, developing
• The thesis statement, analyzing
