Gabrielle Allen

Professor Szybisty
English 101 Lab
13 October 2017
Tracking my Challenges in Writing

1. Organization (4) I tend to struggle with keeping my thoughts in order. I occasionally

lose my train of thought and forget my initial point of argument.

a. https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/Handouts/How%20to%20Structure%20and%2

0Organize%20Your%20Paper.pdf

i. Let your thesis direct you.

ii. Sketch and outline your argument.

iii. Keep your paper extremely structured by following the pattern of

paragraphs: claim and evidence.

b. https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/organization-and-

structure/creating-an-outline/

i. Outline everything

1. Include thesis statement to guide your paper.

2. Transition words will also guide the paper.

3. Bullet point your main ideas to keep those clear in your paper.

c. http://www.cn.edu/libraries/tiny_mce/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/library/

writing/16-simple-organization-strategies.pdf

i. Time Order: follow the chronological order, as in first, second, and third

to keep papers organized.

 ii. Spatial Order: describing a subject following the pattern, as in top to

bottom, left to right, or near to far to keep papers organized.

iii. General to Specific: begin your paper with the broad claims and then

move deeper into the grave details to keep your paper organized.

2. Conclusion (4) I hate having to wrap up a paper because I finally very difficult to

summarizes what I argued, while also stating the exigence.

a. https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions

i. Treat the last paragraph as the first one.

ii. Utilize simple language, as in one-syllable words.

iii. End the conclusion with a quote, statistic, or leave your readers with

something to think about.

b. https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/writing-a-good-conclusion-

paragraph/

i. It is crucial to summarize the paper.

ii. Restate the thesis using fresh language.

iii. Demonstrate the importance of your idea, in which you make the reader

care.

c. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html

i. Leave a final impression for the readers to remember, whether it is

positive or negative.

ii. Answer the So what? question in the conclusion.

iii. Do not summarize, only synthesize!

3. Development (3) I think this issue mainly comes from my choice in sources. At times,

I struggle to find strong sources that will easily develop my argument.

a. http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/paragraph

i. The paragraphs must contain connecting controlling ideas.

ii. Transitions will smoothen the development.

b. https://coursedev.umuc.edu/WRTG999A/chapter3/ch3-08.html

i. The compare and contrast strategy will help with development.

ii. The cause and effect strategy will deepen development.

iii. The analysis and definition strategy is most common.

c. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/paragraphs/

i. Decide on a controlling idea that captivates you and the readers.

ii. Explain the controlling idea in depth.

iii. Gives examples of the controlling idea that are relatable to the topic.

4. Reading Comprehension (1) I am stronger in this area, especially if the reading is a

hard copy because I enjoy highlighting and marking up the text.

a. https://blog.udemy.com/comprehension-skills/

i. Ask questions regarding the text.

ii. Make connections from one passage to another.

iii. Visualize events so that you are more likely to remember a passage.

b. https://www.educationcorner.com/reading-comprehension.html

i. Pre-read the chapter titles, bolded words, italicized language, and

subtitles.

ii. Highlight the reading, as I like to do!

 iii. Hold post-reading reviews to see what you recall.

c. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/justin-lim/reading-and-thinking-

strategies-for-building-reading-comprehension/

i. Activate background knowledge to apply to the reading.

ii. Draw inferences, in which you assume what will happen just by

connecting the dots.

iii. Determine the importance of each passage.

5. Thesis Statement (1) I do not usually struggle with creating a thesis statement because

I just list my main points of my argument and try to tie them together.

a. http://www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-

content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/PrewriteandThesisStatements.pdf.pdf

i. Analyze your topic thoroughly.

ii. Make and keep an assertion throughout your paper.

iii. Figure out what question you would like to answer.

b. http://info.marygrove.edu/MATblog/bid/89318/Strategies-for-Writing-a-Thesis-

Statement-Part-I

i. Answer a challenging and intellectual question.

ii. Avoid addressing personal feelings in your thesis.

iii. Use vivid and clear language to draw in your readers.

c. https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis

i. Pick your primary sources to support your argument.

ii. Anticipate counterarguments!

iii. Avoid blatantly listing points in your thesis statement.

d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sx42_C10zw

i. This is a good YouTube video that clearly and quickly gives tips on how a

thesis statement should be written.