Student Samples

Student samples

Tips for Literacy Narrative

Tips for Literacy Narrative

• Try to use the prewriting strategies. Set a time  (5-10 minutes) for yourself and try not to stop writing for that time.
• List the main characters and describe them. Try to use five senses not just sight.
• Plot your story. List the main events and concentrate on your climax.
• Write a paragraph on the importance of the event for you.
• Write your thesis statement.
• Write your story.
• Write your introduction and conclusion.
• Write your title.
• Do not forget to write in 1^st person.
• Try to remember what you thought and felt during the event.
• Do not forget to describe your setting.
• Do not forget to use past tense when you are writing about the event.
• Using temporal transitions such as just after that, then etc. will help you to write a flowing essay.
• Make sure that you use the right punctuation for dialogues.
• Think about the literary concepts you want to use. Using literacy concepts such as metaphors, flashbacks, and descriptions improves your story.

 

Tips for Literacy Map

• Make sure that your literacy map reflects your thesis statement.
• Make sure to use colors.
• You can use maps, illustrations, photographs, quotations, symbols, etc.
• You can use a storyboard outlining your story.
• You can compare yourself before and after the event.
• You can use the climax of your story.
• Most importantly, make sure that your literacy map is about you.

 

Tips for Finding Your Topic

• Can you think of an occasion in which writing/reading helped you accomplish something important?
• Can you think of an occasion in which writing/reading helped you better understand a difficult subject?
• Can you think of a book or other text, such as a speech, that has been significant for you?
• Can you think of any challenges you faced about writing/reading?
• Can you think of a reading/writing task that you still find difficult or challenging?
• Can you think of an event at school that was interesting, embarrassing, or humorous?
• Can you think of a person that has been influential in your literacy development?
• Can you think of some events, personal experiences, teachers, media, etc. that shaped your assumptions you have now about reading/writing?  

 

Design Plan

Design plan for profile assignment

Peer review guidelines

Revision and peer review checklist

Wrote an engaging introduction using one of the introduction strategies in little brown

Does the author provide some background information about the subject? Do you think the subject is introduced well?

Are all your questions answered in the profile? Is there anything else that you would like to see in this profile?

Created a dominant impression of the subject. Mark the dominant impression. Do you think this is an interesting dominant impression?

Used some or all of the typical profile elements (physical description, quotes from or about the subject, examples, anecdotes, factual information)

Created a multifaceted portrait by using different perspectives from different sources

Clearly attributed research from direct observation, interviews, and print and electronic sources. Does any one of these dominate the paper? If yes, how can the paper be more balanced?

Is the profile well organized?

Clearly addressed the assignment

Is there any part that is not relevant to the dominant impression?

Limited or eliminated the use of the first person (I)

Provided clear transitions for the reader

Concluded with a lingering image of your subject using the conclusion strategies in little brown.

What do you think about the visual design (for example, photographs) of the profile?

Comments on the design plan

Comments on the first draft

What are the strengths of the profile?

How can the profile be improved?

Possible interview questions

interview

Samples

samples

Suggestions from previous students

Would you like to see what previous students have to say about the profile assignment?

Tips for Profile Assignment

Tips for profile assignment

Useful Links for profile assignment

Here are some links that can be helpful for your research for profile assignment

http://www.purdue.edu/
http://www.purdueexponent.org/
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/
http://www.purdue.edu/DataDigest/
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Colors

What do colors represent?

Design Plan for PD

Design Plan

Fonts

Fonts

Suggestions from former students

tips from former students

Tips for Public Document Assignment

Tips

Useful Links for the PD assignment

Links

Purdue OWL visual rhetoric
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/Visual_Rhetoric.pdf

Purdue OWL color theory
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/715/01/

Purdue Owl Rhetorical situation
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/625/01/

Color in Motion by Maria Claudia Cortes
http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/#

Useful links from Little Brown
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_aaron_lbch_6/45/11773/3013913.cw/index.htm...

Useful Links from CDA
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_wysocki_cda_1/43/11016/2820281.cw/index.ht...

Purdue Student Organizations
https://vwave-03.itap.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/relay.exe/80D21D4D-8AF/launch/1...

Purdue Data Digest for statistics related to Purdue University
http://www.purdue.edu/DataDigest/

HIV stops with me commercial Disclaimer: Do not open it if you feel uncomfortable with sexual content.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_EZ-VYJUUY&feature=related

Sexy Porsche commercial Disclaimer: Do not open it if you feel uncomfortable with sexual content.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=W9VsGjXkHeg

Global warming commercial
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s-_LBXWMCAM

Visual Design Elements

visual design

What is annotated bibliography?

Annotated Bibliographies
Definitions

A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called "references" or "works cited" depending on the style format you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).

An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation.

Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following:

Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is it this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines from your instructor.

Why should I write an annotated bibliography?

To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.

To help other researchers: Extensive and scholarly annotated bibliographies are sometimes published. They provide a comprehensive overview of everything important that has been and is being said about that topic. You may not ever get your annotated bibliography published, but as a researcher, you might want to look for one that has been published about your topic.

Format

The format of an annotated bibliography can vary, so if you're doing one for a class, it's important to ask for specific guidelines.

The bibliographic information: Generally, though, the bibliographic information of the source (the title, author, publisher, date, etc.) is written in either MLA or APA format.

The annotations: The annotations for each source are written in paragraph form. The lengths of the annotations can vary significantly from a couple of sentences to a couple of pages. The length will depend on the purpose. If you're just writing summaries of your sources, the annotations may not be very long. However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each source, you'll need more space.

You can focus your annotations for your own needs. A few sentences of general summary followed by several sentences of how you can fit the work into your larger paper or project can serve you well when you go to draft.

from Purdue Online Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

Research Question Checklist

 Research Question

• Can reasonable people disagree over it?
• Is it controversial?
• Is it narrow enough to research and argue in the space and time available?
• Can you find ample sources of information on it?
• Are you genuinely passionate about it?

 

Developing a research question
http://www.dacc.cc.il.us/library/OnlineModules/RschQuest.htm

Thesis Statement

Issue: What is the issue, and what is your stand on it?

Problem: What is the problem, and what solution are you proposing?

Public question: What situation do we face, and how should we respond?

Academic question: What is the phenomenon, and what is your analysis and interpretation of it?

 A good thesis statement

• deals with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment expresses one main idea
• takes on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
• asserts your conclusions about a subject
• justifies discussion
• takes some sort of stand
• is specific

 

 

Introduction

 

• What is your research question?
• Why is this question important?
• What is your thesis statement?
• Why did you pick this specific topic?
• What is your stance about the issue?
• Why did you pick these specific sources? 
• How do your sources fit together?

 

Summarizing Sources

Read for the most important ideas and information
Make sure that you understand clearly
Reread to identify the major sections (outline) and the design plan elements
Summarize each section of the source in a single sentence
Encapsulate the entire passage in a single sentence that captures its main points or conclusion
Combine your section summaries with your overall summary
Check for accuracy and focus on presenting the source’s content and avoid speculating on its line of reasoning
USE YOUR OWN WORDS
Revise

Tips for summarizing sources
http://www.class.uidaho.edu/adv_tech_wrt/resources/general/how_to_summar...

Colorado State University Writing Guides

Overview: Summarizing Source Material

Summarizing a single source or a collection of related sources can provide your reader with background or supporting information that helps them better understand your chosen topic. It is also a useful method to point out material that either supports or contradicts your argument while not distracting your reader with irrelevant details.

As with quoting and paraphrasing, you must document the sources you summarize. Unlike a paraphrase, which rewords a specific passage and often remains the same length as the original, a summary reduces the material into a more concise statement. To be effective you must choose your words carefully, being accurate, objective, focused and concise.

Once you fully understand the intended meaning conveyed by the source material, write your summary. Pay close attention to the precise meaning of the words you choose and be especially careful not to introduce new ideas.

Developing critical reading skills will help you examine source materials with an eye toward what to include in a summary.

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...

Being Accurate

Being accurate requires that you fully understand the ideas and information presented in your source material. Misunderstanding an author's tone of voice or misinterpreting the information he or she has extrapolated from numerical data, for instance, may cause you to inadvertently misrepresent their point of view, ideas, opinions or position.

Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...

Being Objective

Being objective is as important as being accurate. It's a matter of fairness. Interjecting personal opinions into the ideas or information in your summary confuses the reader buy obscuring the information in the original source material. Expressing your attitude toward it, whether negative or positive, is inappropriate and self-serving.

You may express your own opinions, of course, but that should be done in the surrounding comments framing your summary. Bear in mind, being respectful is simply a matter of good form when arguing a difference of opinion.

Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...

Being Focused

Being focused means not wandering off-topic. Stick to what's important. A good summary highlights only those facts, ideas, opinions, etc., that are useful in helping your reader understand the topic being presented. Avoid a detailed account of the minutia contained in your source material.

Including minute details hinders the reader's ability to understand why the summarized information is relevant to your document in the first place and can lead them to conclude that you may not fully understand your topic.

Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...

Being Concise

Being concise means being as brief as possible. Details, examples and descriptions contained in the original source material should be removed, as well as information repeated or rephrased in slightly varying ways.

The whole idea of a summary is to be direct and to get to the point. Being focused, objective and accurate will go along way toward achieving this goal.

Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...

Evaluating Sources

A tutorial from the University of Waikato

http://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/learning/wise/evaluating/index4.shtml

From Queens University Library website
http://library.queensu.ca/inforef/strategyche.htm

Purpose
Why was the resource written? Was the author's purpose to inform, persuade, or to refute a particular idea or point of view?
Audience
Is the resource intended for the general public, scholars, professionals,etc.
Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Consider author's educational background, past writings and experience. Is the author associated with an organization or institution? Who is the publisher? Are they well known? Does any group control the publishing company?
Accuracy
Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda? Facts can be usually verified. Opinions evolve from the interpretation of facts. Are the author's conclusions or facts supported with references?
Timeliness
When was the information published? Is the date of publication appropriate for your topic?
Coverage
Is it relevant to your topic? Is the topic covered in depth, partially or is it an broad overview? Does the resource add new information, update other sources or substantiate other resources that you have consulted?
Objectivity
Does the author present multiple viewpoints or is it biased? How do critical reviews rate the work?

from http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/annotated_bib.html

Questions to Consider

You need to consider carefully the texts that you select for your annotated bibliography. Keep the following questions in mind to help clarify your choices.

What topic/ problem am I investigating?
What question(s) am I exploring? Identify the aim of your literature research.
What kind of material am I looking at and why? Am I looking for journal articles, reports, policies or primary historical data?
Am I being judicious in my selection of texts? Does each text relate to my research topic and assignment requirements?
What are the essential or key texts on my topic? Am I finding them? Are the sources valuable or often referred to in other texts?

For more Core Tutorial evaluating sources
http://gemini.lib.purdue.edu/core/

Reflecting on sources

Was this source helpful to you? How? If not, why?
How does it help you shape your argument?
How can you use this source in your research project?
Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Academic Word List

Signal Phrases

Author is neutral

Comments, describes, explains, illustrates, notes, observes, points out, records,  relates reports, sees, thinks, writes

Author infers or suggests 

Analyzes, asks, assesses, concludes, considers, finds, predicts, proposes, reveals, shows, speculates, suggests, supposes

Author argues

Claims, contends, defends, holds, insists, maintains

Author agrees

Admits, agrees, concedes, grants

Author is uneasy or disparaging belittles, bemoans, complains, condemns, deplores, deprecates, derides, laments, warns

For more visit 

http://language.massey.ac.nz/staff/awl/headwords.shtml

Critical Reading

• For books: Read the preface, introduction and after word. There you can find the audience for the book and the purpose of the author. Go over the contents and see whether there is a section that is relevant for your research.
• For the articles, the abstract is the most important part. You can decide whether you need this source or not by just reading the abstract. Moreover, most of the time the authors outline the article and state the main argument here.
• Check for the list of references at the end. This list can lead you to other helpful sources
• Pay attention to the intended audience and the purpose of the source because this information can help you to figure out how reliable the source is.
• While you are reading, try to find the answers to the questions listed for evaluating sources
• Read the headings and subheadings, since these will give you an idea about the structure of the article or chapter

the attachment below is from http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/reading/2b.html

Peer review

peer review questions for the annotated bibliography

Sample annotated bibliography

from http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/annotated_bib.html

(1) Trevor, C.O., Lansford, B. and Black, J.W., 2004, ‘Employee turnover and job performance: monitoring the influences of salary growth and promotion’, Journal of Armchair Psychology, vol 113, no.1, pp. 56-64.

(2.) In this article Trevor et al. review the influences of pay and job opportunities in respect to job performance, turnover rates and employee motivation. (3) The authors use data gained through organisational surveys of blue-chip companies in Vancouver, Canada to try to identify the main causes of employee turnover and whether it is linked to salary growth. (4) Their research focuses on assessing a range of pay structures such as pay for performance and organisational reward schemes. (5) The article is useful to my research topic, as Trevor et al. suggest that there are numerous reasons for employee turnover and variances in employee motivation and performance. (6) The main limitation of the article is that the survey sample was restricted to mid-level management, (7) thus the authors indicate that further, more extensive, research needs to be undertaken to develop a more in-depth understanding of employee turnover and job performance. (8 ) This article will not form the basis of my research; however it will be useful supplementary information for my research on pay structures.

(1) Citation
(2) Introduction
(3) Aims & Research methods
(4) Scope
(5) Usefulness (to your research/ to a particular topic)
(6) Limitations
(7) Conclusions
(8 ) Reflection (explain how this work illuminates your topic or how it will fit in with your research)

Useful Links

Plagiarism
http://education.indiana.edu/~frick/plagiarism/item1.html
http://plagiarism.arts.cornell.edu/tutorial/principles.cfm

Purdue Academic Integrity
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/integrity.htm
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
The Purdue Online Writing Lab -evaluating sources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/553/
Purdue University Libraries CORE tutorial
http://gemini.lib.purdue.edu/core/
Google scholar
http://scholar.google.com/
Purdue Libraries
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/

Sources you can find information about Purdue

Purdue News Service
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/
Purdue Exponent
http://www.purdueexponent.org/
Purdue Data Digest
http://www.purdue.edu/DataDigest/
Journal and Courier
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

APA Formating and Style Guide
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
MLA Formating and Style Guide
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

Academic Word List

Signal Phrases

Author is neutral

Comments, describes, explains, illustrates, notes, observes, points out, records, relates reports, sees, thinks, writes

Author infers or suggests

Analyzes, asks, assesses, concludes, considers, finds, predicts, proposes, reveals, shows, speculates, suggests, supposes

Author argues

Claims, contends, defends, holds, insists, maintains

Author agrees

Admits, agrees, concedes, grants

Author is uneasy or disparaging belittles, bemoans, complains, condemns, deplores, deprecates, derides, laments, warns

For more visit

http://language.massey.ac.nz/staff/awl/headwords.shtml

Peer review guidelines

Literacy Narrative Peer Review

 

You will be graded on the comments and suggestions you make. So please make sure that you make at least two specific suggestions for the author so that s/he can improve his/her narrative and do not forget to make positive comments. Do not forget to write your name on the paper you review. I expect to see some changes from the first draft to the final draft.

 

Reviewer:

Writer:

 

1. Does the author clearly answer the prompt, literacy narrative?
2. Does the author explore a theme that has significance to the author? Is the significance of the event clear?
3. Do the title and introduction make you want to read on? If not, how else might the author begin?
4. Does the narrative flow from beginning to end? Are there effective transitions? Does the narrative get sidetracked at any point? Where?
5. Is anything confusing? What? Mark the part(s) that are confusing, needs to be improved?
6. Are the main characters and events depicted in detail?
7. Does the author create a setting that helps the reader to get in the story?
8. Find the climax of the story? Is it well developed and strong?
9. Mark the descriptions, dialogues, flashbacks and foreshadowing in the narrative. Are they used effectively?
10. Mark the places where metaphors and similes are used? Are they used effectively?
11. Does the author reflect on the importance of the event? In the essay by Clarissa T. Sligh, the author explains how the narrative she tells changed her and how she became a photographer in response to this and similar experiences at the end of the essay. Please mark the reflection part in the narrative you are reviewing? Is it effective and strong?
12. Does the narrative end in a satisfying way? What are the readers left thinking?
13. Are there any grammatical (for example, pronoun agreement), mechanical (for example, comma) problems? If yes, mark the problem areas and make suggestions if you can.
14. Does the literacy map reflect the main idea or thesis statement of the narrative? Is the visual design effective? If not how can it be improved?

 

Specific Suggestions

Revising and Editing

Checklist for revision

Purpose
What is the essay’s purpose? Does it conform to the assignment? Is it consistent throughout the paper? (See pp. 6–8.)

Thesis
What is the thesis of the essay? Where does it become clear? How well do thesis and paper match: Does the paper stray from the thesis? Does it fulfill the commitment of the thesis? (See pp. 14–16.)

Structure
What are the main points of the paper? (List them.) How well does each support the thesis? How effective is their arrangement for the paper’s purpose? (See pp. 17–21.)

Development
How well do details, examples, and other evidence support each main point? Where, if at all, might readers find support skimpy or have trouble understanding the content? (See pp. 6–7, 45–49.)

Tone
What is the tone of the paper? How do particular words and sentence structures create the tone? How appropriate is it for the purpose, topic, and intended readers? Where is it most and least successful?

Unity
What does each sentence and paragraph contribute to the thesis?
Where, if at all, do digressions occur? Should these be cut, or can they be rewritten to support the thesis? (See pp. 20–21, 39–40.)

Coherence
How clearly and smoothly does the paper flow? Where does it seem rough or awkward? Can any transitions be improved? (See pp. 20–21, 40–44.)

Title, introduction, conclusion
How accurately and interestingly does the title reflect the essay’s content? (See below.) How well does the introduction engage and focus readers’ attention? (See pp. 50–51.) How effective is the conclusion in providing a sense of completion? (See pp. 51–53.)

Checklist for editing

Clarity
How well do words and sentences convey their intended meanings?
Which if any words and sentences are confusing? Check especially for these:
Exact language (3 pp. 167–75)
Parallelism (3 pp. 152–55)
Clear modifiers (4 pp. 271–77)
Clear reference of pronouns (4 pp. 256–59)
Complete sentences (4 pp. 278–82)
Sentences separated correctly (4 pp. 283–87)

Effectiveness
How well do words and sentences engage and focus readers? Where does the writing seem wordy, choppy, or dull? Check especially for these:
Emphasis of main ideas (3 pp. 141–50)
Smooth and informative transitions (pp. 43–45)
Variety in sentence length and structure (3 pp. 156–59)
Appropriate language (3 pp. 160–66)
Concise sentences (3 pp. 177–82)

Correctness
How little or how much do surface errors interfere with clarity and effectiveness? Check especially for these:
Spelling (6 pp. 345–51)
Verb forms, especially -s and -ed endings and correct forms of irregular verbs (4 pp. 210–24)
Verb tenses, especially consistency (4 pp. 225–31)
Agreement between subjects and verbs, especially when words come between them or the subject is each, everyone, or a similar word (4 pp. 237–42)
Pronoun forms (4 pp. 244–50)
Agreement between pronouns and antecedents, especially when the antecedent contains or or it is everyone, person, or a similar word (4 pp. 251–54)
Sentence fragments (4 pp. 278–82)
Commas, especially with comma splices (4 pp. 283–87) and with and or but, with introductory elements, with nonessential elements, and with series (5 pp. 298–308)
Apostrophes in possessives but not plural nouns (Dave’s/witches) and in contractions but not possessive personal pronouns (it’s/its) (5 p. 327)

Thesis Statement

The thesis statement

 

• narrows your subject to a single, central idea that you want readers to gain from your essay
• claims something specific and significant  about your subject, a claim that requires support
• conveys your purpose, your reason for writing
• concisely previews the arrangement of ideas 

 

 

Transitional Expressions

To add or show sequence
again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too
To compare
also, in the same way, likewise, similarly
To contrast
although, and yet, but, but at the same time, despite, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, regardless, still, though, yet
To give examples or intensify
after all, an illustration of, even, for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, it is true, of course, specifically, that is, to illustrate, truly
To indicate place
above, adjacent to, below, elsewhere, farther on, here, near, nearby, on the other side, opposite to, there, to the east, to the left
To indicate time
after a while, afterward, as long as, as soon as, at last, at length, at that time, before, earlier, formerly, immediately, in the meantime, in the past, lately, later, meanwhile, now, presently, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, until now, when
To repeat, summarize, or conclude
all in all, altogether, as has been said, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize