Hi everyone,
I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. In our last class for 2013, you submitted your final drafts and completed your course test. We have now finished ALL the requirements for our Academic Writing course, so you are completely free during the holidays. No homework!!! In our lesson on January 9, I'll returned your final drafts and your courses tests. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
0 Comments
Hi everyone,
I can't believe how quickly our semester has passed and that we'll be finished our research papers next week! Conferences: I was able to finish talking with everyone about their drafts. If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me before Thursday. Course Test: We'll be having our course test in next week's lesson. Please review the following for the test:
Homework:
Blog Question #10: How did Academic Writing differ from IE3 Writing (e.g. writing tasks, feedback, teaching styles, etc.)? *Write 10-12 sentences. *Use capitalization, punctuation & spelling correctly. *Submit by Wednesday, December 18 by 6:00pm. Hi everyone,
Just one more week, and you'll be finished your research paper. You must be relieved!! Peer Editing Discussions: In the first part of our lesson, you discussed your peer editing activities with your partner. When you edit/revise your conclusion, you can use your partner's comments. Also, check corrections I've made in your research paper. You may have made the same errors in your conclusion. Conferences: For our lesson next week, I'll talk to the remaining students about your drafts. Make sure you prepare your questions because I'll only have about 5 minutes to talk with you. Computer Room for Dec. 11: For our conferences, we'll be in the computer room 218, so remember to bring a USB and your Aogaku ID card to access the computers. Final Draft: For your final draft, you have to: * submit it by December 19 by 11:00am by email * submit a copy in class on December 19 Homework:
Blog Question #9: What advice did your partner give you about your writing in your peer editing discussions? *Write 10-12 sentences. *Use capitalization, punctuation & spelling correctly. *Submit by Wednesday, December 12 by 6:00pm. Hi everyone, I can't believe it's almost December! Just three more weeks before the holiday break! Revising and Editing: In today's class, we learned about revising and editing. When you revise, you correct the content and structure of your research paper. When you edit, you correct grammar and style mistakes. You then have some time to work on your peer editing task. For this task, you will revise/edit your partner's concluding paragraph. You need to complete the following for this task:
In next week's class, you will give the original copies to your partner, and the copies to me. The worksheet is attached at the end of today's blog summary. Conferences: For our lesson on December 5 and 12, we will be having conferences. You will be able to discuss your first drafts with me in an individual meeting during class while other students revise/edit their drafts. Make sure you prepare your list of questions for me before our conferences. I've attached our conference schedule and explanation about it at the end of today's blog summary. Computer Room: For our conferences, we'll be in the computer room in Building 2 / Rm. 218. The room is a little difficult to find. When you enter building, turn left and go down the hall. At the end of the hall, turn left. The computer room is the last classroom on the left (across from the washrooms). Homework: 1. Peer Editing Task (=10%) 2. Blog Comment #9 3. Bring to class next week:
Blog Question #8:
My Christmas TreeHi everyone, Can you believe it? We have now finished our entire first draft of our research papers! The most difficult part of our course in now over. Concluding Paragraph: In today's lesson, we looked at the different parts of a concluding paragraph: thesis restatement, body paragraph summaries and a final thought. The most important sentence will be your final thought; you want to leave the reader with a strong impression so that he/she remembers your essay. For your final thought, you can use the following types of sentences: a. prediction b. recommendation c. rhetorical question d. quotation Homework:
Blog Question #7:
Hi everyone,
The Christmas decorations and lights are already up throughout Tokyo. I always love the Christmas season in Tokyo. Review: At the beginning of class, we reviewed some of the key terms we've studied in class over the past two weeks: in-text citation, plagiarism, paraphrasing and shared language. We also reviewed how to make an in-text citation for a second-hand quote and how to paraphrase. Summarizing: For the last part of our lesson, we learned how to summarize. This is similar to paraphrasing in that you use your own words, but you only include the main ideas from a passage. Remember to include an in-text citation for both paraphrases and summaries. However, if you are paraphrasing and/or summarizing general facts, you do not need an in-text citation. The steps for paraphrasing and summarizing are on the lesson handouts, which you can download from the website in the Writing --> Research Essay section. Important Dates:
Homework: 1. Complete Body Paragraph #3
No blog comment this week! Hi everyone, Just two more weeks and the most difficult part of our course will be over. Paraphrasing: In today's class, we learned about paraphrasing. This is another way we can include information into our research papers from our sources. When you paraphrase, you put the author’s ideas into your own words. Even if you want to use general facts from your source, you still have to paraphrase this information. Remember that some paraphrases need in-text citation and some paraphrases do not require it.
Before you paraphrase, you have to identify shared language (= words that you cannot change) and find synonyms for words that you can change. This is the most important step in writing a good paraphrase. This is a difficult skill to master and it often takes a long time to paraphrase information. I even have trouble paraphrasing when I have to prepare research papers, too. Be patient and don’t give up! Homework: 1. Blog Comment #6 2. Correct Body Paragraph #1 3. Complete Body Paragraph #2
Blog Question #6: Review the feedback on body paragraph #1
Hi everyone,
Just three more weeks, and you will have written your entire research paper!! In-text Citation: In today's lesson, we learned to use use in-text citation. There are three types of in-text citation that you can use in your research paper: a. quotations b. paraphrases c. summaries We need to use in-text citation to support our own ideas. If we use the opinions of others and statistical information, this improves the credibility of your research paper. In other words, the reader will trust your opinions. Also, we need to use in-text citation to avoid plagiarism (= copy somebody’s idea and claim it as your own). If you use another person’s idea, you must tell the reader where you got that information. Quotations: We looked at different styles of using in-text citation and focused on how to cite direct and second-hand quotes. Pay careful attention to difference between direct and second-hand quotes. 1. Direct Quote When you use a direct quote, you are quoting the information directly from your source. For example: James says that “Less than half of all internet users use English as their native language, and this figure continues to decrease” (3). This tells us that James said the quote and you can find the quote on page 3 of James’ source. 2. Second-hand Quote When you use a second-hand quote, you are quoting a quote from your source. For example, President of the Council of Ministers for the European Union, Anna Lindh, says that “Russian, Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese have all been guilty of extinguishing other languages” (qtd. in James 3). This tells us that Lindh said the quote, but Lindh did NOT write the source. James uses this quote in his source and you can find it on page 3. Homework: 1. Body Paragraph #1
Blog Question #5:
Hi everyone, I can't believe how cold it's been this week! I sure wish all this rain would stop! Body Paragraphs: We focused on the type of organization you'll have to use in your body paragraphs: funnel organization. This means that information is arranged in this way: a. general --> topic sentence with subtopic b. less general --> supporting ideas c. specific --> details We also learned about the different types of details that you can use in your body paragraph: a. expert opinions b. statistics c. descriptions d. facts Keep in mind that descriptions and facts over overlap with each other. Many writers often use facts in their descriptions. Outlines: We also looked at how to prepare an outline. For your outlines, you need to include: a. Topic sentences (in sentence-form) b: supporting ideas (two for each body paragraph) c. details (3-4 details for each supporting idea). Remember that you can use note-form for your supporting ideas and details. You don't have to use sentence-form. Introductions: For the last part of our lesson, I returned your introduction with my comments. Make sure you start correcting your writing every week. In this way, you'll have less work to do when you have to submit your entire research paper. If you were not in class, you will have to get your introduction in next week's class. Homework: 1. Blog Comment #4 2. Research Paper Outline
Blog Question #4: Review my comments on your Introduction. What three points (e.g. structure, grammar, etc.) do you need to pay attention to when you write body paragraph #1?
Hi everyone,
Can you believe one month has already passed! After next week, we'll be one-third through our semester. Introduction Structure: In the first part of class, we learned about the different parts of an introduction: a. hook b. general statements c. thesis statement You can choose from five different hooks: a. quotes b. rhetorical questions c. statistics d. interesting facts Thesis Statements: We also learned how to write a thesis statement. You need to include your main idea and your three sub-topics in your thesis statement. Homework: 1. Write your Introduction
(no blog question this week) Hi everyone, We had another busy class. I can't believe how quickly the time passes in our lesson. Bibliography We learned how to make a bibliography for a research paper. A bibliography is an alphabetical list of all the sources you use for your research paper. When you organize your source information in your bibliography, you need to arrange it using the MLA style (MLA=Modern Language Association). MLA Referencing: MLA referencing is one of the ways you can document your sources in your research paper. This style is used in the humanities, especially for writing about language and literature. Your AWSB does not include every format for all the different types of sources. If you can ‘t find the MLA format for a source in your AWSB, you can refer to this website for the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). It has the formats for all types of sources: Purdue Online Writing Lab Bibliography Guidelines: 1. Find five sources (one source can be in Japanese) 2. Type your bibliography. 3. List your sources in alphabetical order. 4. Use MLA referencing for your bibliography. 5. Submit by email by October 15 before 6:00pm. Most of the information from our lessons can be found in the Writing --> Research Paper section on the website. Additional MLA Referencing: Some students asked me during class for MLA referencing for You Tube videos, documentaries and books with no authors. You can find the format for these references in the file at the end of today's summary. Homework: 1. Bibliography: email by Oct. 15 before 6:00pm. 2. Blog Comment #3 Blog Question #3: What is your topic? What three subtopics are you going to analyze in your research paper?
Hi everyone, In today’s class, we learned about different types of sources and how to choose your sources for your research paper. Types of Sources: We also talked about the different sources that you can use in your research essay. These can include reference books, periodicals (journals, newspapers, magazines), video/audio recordings, government publications, interviews, and many others. Topic Selection: We also narrowed down your topic choices. Remember that your topic should be specific and not too general. To help you narrow down your topic choice, it should include one of these phrases: a. effects of ... b. themes in ... c. reasons for ... d. benefits of ... e. disadvantages of ... f. differences between ... and .... Library and Database Activities: We also reviewed the guidelines for your Pair Library and Database Activity. This is very important because it help you become familiar with the resources in the Aogaku library. For the library activity, you will have to go to the Aogaku library to complete it. You will also need to learn how to use the databases in the library (or from your own computer). The activities are include at the end of the blog post, as well as instructions for using the Aogaku databases. Lateness, Absences and Missed Deadlines: Let me remind you of our course policies, which are outlined in our syllabus.
Homework:
Attention: Naoki, please send me a new email address so that I can contact you. I cannot send email to your cell phone address. My emails get returned to me. Akinori and Shuhei, please send me your email contact information so that I can send you notices about our course. Blog Question #2: Tell me about your experience completing the library and database activities (e.g. When did you do them? Did you need help? Were the activities difficult? Were they useful activities? Do you think you can find sources for your research paper now?) Please read this question carefully. You need to tell me about your experience with the Academic Writing library activity (NOT experience from another class)!
Hi everyone, It was really great to meet everyone in today’s class. I really appreciated your attention and group participation during our class activities. Academic Writing is one of the most difficult skills in English to master. Please remember that Academic Writing is even difficult for native-speakers. When I have to write research papers for conference presentations, it usually takes me one hour to write just one page! Although this course will be challenging, you will be able to improve your writing and critical thinking skills. However, it will be very important to complete the weekly assignments. Remember to manage your time and give yourself enough time to complete your writing tasks. Essay Structure: In our lesson, we read a model essay and then identified the different parts: 1. Introduction 2. Body Paragraphs (3) 3. Conclusion Topic Selection For the last part of class, we looked at the different categories you can choose your research paper topic from: 1. American and British Literature 2. Applied Linguistics 3. Communications When you choose your topic, make sure it is specific. Refer to the handout in class to help you narrow down your topics. Homework:
Blog Question #1:
*Write 8-10 sentences. *Use capitalization, punctuation & spelling correctly. *Submit by Wednesday, October 2 by 6:00pm.
|
Categories
All
Archives |