Thlog 8

This week really helped me understand how to go about writing WP3. When we read the assignment I felt totally confused and had no idea where to go with the prompt, but after this past week I realized I just had to sit down and really think about what genres people use. After brainstorming for a while and with the push from class I was able to come up with two really good ideas to use for the project and I think that the words will just flow out. I think this project is the most important one in learning how to write in genres, because the last few writing projects we have simply been picking apart what makes genres. For this project we are actually writing in a new genre, which takes a true talent to be able to dissect a genre and be able to write in it.

I think that by learning what conventions create genre my writing has improved all around, I have even noticed that my writing has greatly improved this quarter in my other classes that I have had to write essays for. While this class may not have been the most enjoyable (simply because writing is not that fun) I have truly learned a lot about how to be a better writer. This week's exercises really helped me notice that because as Zack was asking the journal questions I was able to get out some long, full answers, whereas at the beginning of the quarter I was having trouble being able to jot down just one sentence. Now I feel as if I can express my ideas more fully and clearly to a reader. I am actively thinking about how a reader will be interpreting my writing, how each decision I make affects tone, credibility, clarity, etc…, and how to tie every paragraph to my thesis statement.

PB 3A

For my writing project I will be translating Mike Bunn’s Motivation and Connection: Teaching Reading (and Writing) In the Composition Classroom into two different genres. One genre will be something that is viewed by a younger audience than myself and one that is viewed by an older audience than myself. For the genre that is viewed by someone who is younger than myself I am going to write the opening script to a television show. For example at the beginning of an episode the narrator says “Previously on The Walking Dead…” but instead I will be writing as if the show is educational show for younger children on PBS or a similar channel. I will begin with “Previously on Motivation and Connection with Mike Bunn, we discussed how most students believe that writing is one of the most essential skills to learn, that writing is a lifelong skill that takes practice…” I will write 2-3 of these depending on how long each one turns out. I will not only go over what was previously covered on the fictitious show, but also give a short preview of what to expect in the new show; for example: “Today you will be learning about how teaching practices affect writing, how readers construct reading…” In each of the openings I will cover some of the main concepts of the article and attempt to do so in a simple and understandable manner, since it is intended for a younger audience.

As for the piece that is going to be read by someone who is older than myself I plan to do a live-tweet as if Mike Bunn is reading this essay at a teaching conference. I will compose several tweets that will cover most of the main points of the article. I will begin with something like “Only 15 more minutes until Bunn takes the stage! #Teachercon2016” and continue in such a manner until Bunn has actually arrived on stage. Then I will make fake tweets as if he is reading a speech for instance “Bunn says students believe writing is important but don’t like it so teachers have to make it more interesting #Brilliant #Teachercon2016” I will do all of this and still stay within the 140 character limit of twitter, even if I have to chain responses to get a full thought out. As of right now, I am not sure how many tweets I will compose because I am not sure how much information I can fit into just 140 characters. I plan on using conventions from each of these genres such as the opening of the TV show starting with “Previously on…” and foreshadowing; as well as hashtags and emoticons in tweets.

The TV show opening I believe is a good example of something someone younger than me would see because kids are always watching TV and an educational program about writing is something that a strict parent might force their child to watch to improve his/her writing. The live tweet works well for an audience older than myself because even though Twitter is mainly used by the millennial generation the people typically looking at live-tweets from something like teachercon would be teachers older than me (especially because I am still a student). I plan on using each of these to display how I can pick apart multiple genres and apply the concepts of this class to not only dissecting, but creating genre as well.

Thlog 7

I think the peer review this week improved my WP2 in a major way. Before the review I thought that my paper was just about finished, but afterwards I realized that there were some major revisions that needed to be made. Such as including more detail on my sources, having a more present argument in all of my paragraphs, and based on my feedback it was unclear where and what my thesis was. After receiving that feedback I was able to go back and restructure my argument without very much work. Just adding a sentence here and there to make my argument clearer to the reader and deleting a few redundant sentences to prevent the reader from getting sidetracked. I believe that all of this greatly improved my writing and I think that this version of peer reviewing was much more effective than the last time around. I was able to ask questions about aspects that I was unsure of, but also got feedback on aspects that I thought were fine but really weren’t. By having such a diverse amount of feedback I was able to improve my project much more than I was able to after the last peer review.

Thlog 6

This week we took a look at what it is that makes a move. I think doing that really helped me identify my own moves and exactly what my intentions are behind them. Now that I am consciously thinking about the moves that I am making in my writing and how they add to the work as a whole I think that I am more effectively using these moves. Such as instead of using “says” to quote a writer using another adjective like writes, proves, or states. This is a move to be more articulate and by consciously thinking about that move instead of just writing away in the future I will be able to come up with a more descriptive word than just “says.”

Another useful tip that Zach gave us this week was how to effectively use hedged language. Hedged language allows you to make generalizations that may not completely support your argument, but cover you if what you are saying is only speculation. Like writing “Conner is happy when he plays video games” as opposed to “Conner seems to be happy when he plays video games.” This is going to be especially useful in WP 2 because we will be analyzing an article that could be from a social science which tend to theorize about what people think, and when stating what people think it is important to use hedges because you could always be wrong.

PB 2B

Every author makes “moves” to get their point across. Moves are devices that either keep the reader engaged or present information in a clear, concise manner. By “reading like a writer” it is easy to notice the moves a writer makes as you read and you can even name them. Some moves are more common among writers, and others are unique to certain writers.

• “Introducing Standardized Views:” Bringing a standardized view into your writing to bring extra credibility to your argument. By introducing an idea the reader that they are already familiar with, and hopefully accept, you force them to entertain your argument. Mike Bunn consistently uses standardized views to do this in Reading Like a Writer to increase the strength of his argument. For example, when he writes “instead of reading for content or to better understand the ideas in writing…” he is stating a pretty standard view on how most students read assigned text. By stating this commonly held way of reading Bunn is contrasting it to his way of reading and attempting to tell the reader why his way is better.
• “Making What They Say Something You Say:” When you take something someone else has said and make it part of your argument to create validity. When you make someone else’s words into your own you are using their argument to strengthen your own. Such as when Bunn puts in examples of his students writing and uses that as support for his main argument. For Instance, in one of the student’s quotations she writes “how did the writer get me to feel…” Bunn goes on to talk tell ways to look for what devices and moves a writer uses to make a reader feel.
• “Capturing Authorial Action:” A move that writers use to emphasize or point out a move that an author has made. Bunn utilizes this move by using a quotations; in one instance, “see the choices the writer has made… how the writer has coped with the consequences of those choices…” Bunn captures the actions the author uses and you cannot only easily relay them to your reader, but you can also learn to develop those actions into your own arguments.
• “Introducing Quotations:” Gives credibility to your argument. Using a quotation is like saying “Here is someone who is published and has the same argument/opinion as me.” By using quotations you show your reader that not only are you knowledgeable and have researched your topic but that there is validity to what you are saying because someone who has been published has voiced the same argument/opinion as you. Bunn uses this move often by quoting student responses/essays that support his ideas.
• “Explaining Quotations:” This normally directly follows a quotation. By explaining a quotation you are giving your reader a more understandable interpretation of that quote. Sometimes quotations include a lot of heavy information so by explaining what that all means you can make it more understandable to your reader and in doing so also tie the quote into your argument. Bunn does this after every student quotation he uses; he presents a quote and then uses points the quote brings up as his argument or to build upon it.
• “Bullets:” The use of bullets to display important information. Bunn uses bullet points to separate his more important ideas from the main text. As an illustration, in one of the bullets Bunn writes “do you know the author’s purpose for this piece of writing?” in another he writes, “Do you know who the intended audience is for this piece of writing?” These are some of the main points throughout Bunn’s article and he emphasizes them by separating them from the main text.
• “Headers:” Bunn gives each of his sections headers that are in bold such as “What are some questions to ask before you start reading?” or “Why learn to read like a writer?” By using a header Bunn is showing his reader what to look for in his own writing. This gives the reader a sense of direction and prevents them from being distracted by the less important aspects of each section.
• “Relatable Sources:” In Bunn’s article he uses quotations from other students to create familiarity and understanding to his article. By using student quotations Bunn is presenting the information in a way that is relatable to his audience. When using this move it is important to take into account context, because it would be inappropriate to use a student quote in a research essay because a student is not credible to a professor.
• “Reader Shoutout:” In the article Bunn consistently calls the reader “you” and by doing so makes you, the reader, familiar with him. This move makes the writing seem almost like a conversation and sets an easygoing tone. This move is effective especially in Bunn’s article because he is trying to reach out to an easygoing college student who is probably taking a mandatory writing class, and he wants to maintain their interest.
• “Personal Anecdote:” This is another technique to relate to the reader. Bunn begins the article with a short story about how he learned what it meant to “read like a writer.” He begins by writing that he was a “recent college graduate” and goes on to tell his experience. This is an obvious effort to relate to the reader, since the intended audience is college students. By using this move of relating to the audience you can bring a sense of closeness or even friendliness with your reader and hopefully earn their attention.

Thlog 5

This week was all about moves. What is a move exactly? It’s a technique or trick that someone repeats, whether it’s MJ making a move to the hoop or Janet Boyd addressing the reader as “you.” Some of my moves are: I usually find a way to state the main idea of my first two or three paragraphs into my thesis; I try to work in quotes in a way that it flows with the sentence; I like to use semicolons when bringing up an example; and I tend to insert important vocabulary words and phrases when I can, but not so much that it becomes repetitive. These are some of the “moves” I make when I am writing. I make a conscious decision to make these “moves” because I think that it strengthens my writing. Moves are what makes my writing unique to myself and separates me from other writers, and I make my argument by using specific moves whether it is a research essay or a writing project. Obviously I use different moves in each of those pieces of writing because I am writing for a different purpose. Context determines what moves I use; for example, I can address you, the reader, with the phrase “you,” but in a research essay I would never use the word “you,” instead I would write “one” or “someone.” In a sense writing in different contexts requires different moves to create the tone of your writing.