Reminder

Just a reminder.  There is no blog assignment due this week (November 1st).  Use the time to work on your rough draft and your outlines (both due in class on November 2nd - see the post below). 
Have a great week....

October 26: Concise Writing

Description and Explanation

Description >  His shoes slid across the floor as he strutted into the classroom. 



Explanation >  The teacher entered.  /  The teacher looked arrogant as he entered. 

10 phrases that are often unnecessary or redundant: 

All things considered

As a matter of fact

At the present time

Due to the fact that

For the purpose of / In order to

In his opinion

In the case of

In the process of

The point he is trying to make

What I mean to say is

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Some redundant sentences:  Please rewrite these sentences as concisely as possible

1. At this point in time we can't ascertain the reason as to why the screen door was left open.

2. My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends the daily intake of megadoses of Vitamin C

3. Basically, in light of the fact that Congressman Fuenches was totally exhausted by his last campaign, there was an expectation on the part of the voters that he would not reduplicate his effort to achieve office in government again

4. It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza.

5. There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.

6. Joe was an honest and hard working man. Basically, he never gave much consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive.

7. What is your basic understanding of predestination?

8. At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious effect on the social life of people as a whole?

9. I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is basically a Southerner.

10. Bothered by allergies, a condition that made them sneeze, some of the preschool children had sinus troubles that caused them to miss several days in nursery school this spring.

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Some concise introductions to news reports

'Gangnam Style' means business

By Kim Tong-hyung

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) is holding a conference today at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the prospects of Korea’s cultural and entertainment industries and their future place in the national economy.

The event, also backed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KCCA), aims to provide a platform for showbiz representatives, policymakers, financial industry people and scholars to share their ideas on finding the right models for supporting and financing Korea’s pop-cultural exports.

'Dokdo School' to be launched in March

By Yi Whan-woo

The Independence Hall of Korea said Wednesday it will begin an educational program called “Dokdo School” next year after Korea’s easternmost islets that are the subject of a territorial dispute with Japan.

The memorial center, located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, said the program will be launched on March 1, a national holiday to commemorate Korean resistance to Japanese colonial rule in 1919.

“The purpose of the school is to raise awareness of the sovereignty dispute between the two countries over Dokdo, and to educate people as to why the rocky islets belong to Korea,” said Kim Nung-jin, the president of the Independence Hall.

Information on Your "Reporting" Assignment

This is just to remind you that your functional outline, outline, and rough draft for the 'reporting' assignment is due next Friday (November 2nd). 

The functional outline and outline consist of the worksheets that you worked on in the computer lab last week.  For the functional outline you should also include a printed copy of one of the articles you read related to your topic. 

Make sure that your rough draft is about 2 to 3 pages typed.  Include your name at the top of the page and the name of the assignment: "reporting rough draft"

Just a Reminder

Hello everyone,

I just want to remind you that you there is NO BLOG ASSIGNMENT DUE THIS WEEK (October 25th).  I encourage you to use the time to work on your reports (outlining, interviews, and so on).  Your rough draft and your functional outlines are due on Friday November 2nd.
We'll have a little time at the end of class this Friday to discuss your reports, so please work on it this week and list any questions or concerns that you might have.

Have a great week

Homework Assignment #2

Your second homework assignment will be due on November 2nd.  It will be a short report that is modeled after the newspaper report (on Korean street names) that we discussed in class.  The report should:
1)  Present a recent event that is relevant to a particular community or group of people
2)  Give relevant information about this event (who / what / when / where / why)
3)  Explore a deeper issue related to this event
4)  Present various perspectives of this event and this issue (based on interviews with real stakeholders)

The entire report should be about 2 to 3 pages in length.  You may use the "streetwise" article as a guide.



The following papers will also help you with your functional outline and your writing plan: 

Functional Outline Guide for Reporting:

Skim the article once and answer the following basic questions listed on this worksheet. 

Read the article a second time: Examine each sentence in the article and explain what this sentence does.

For example: Does it answer a key question (who, what, when, where, how, why)? Does it elaborate on details? Does it describe an event? Does it offer a certain perspective or point of view? Does it describe a stakeholder (person involved in the story)? Does it include historical perspectives?

Article #1

Title:                  

Author:                         Date of Publication:

What information does the writer give us about this event? 

Where did this event take place? 

When did this event take place?

Why is this important event?  Who is affected by it? 

What were the sources of this information?  How did the writer find out more about this event?

What perspectives did the writer describe?

What larger social or historical issues are included in the story?

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Making a writing plan

1)   What event do you want to report on?

2)   What is the larger issue to which you want to draw attention?

3)   Please describe this issue in detail and explain why you want to write about it:

- First, why is this important?  Why should someone else read about it? 

- Who does this issue affect?  How do you know?  What evidence can you see?

- What would you like to find out about this issue? 

- Describe at least two different perspectives on this issue. 

4)   How do you plan to learn more about ways this event has affected different stakeholders?

5)   Who will you interview?  What kinds of questions will you ask?

6)   What other information do you need to find out?

Blog Assignment: Due October 18th

Hello everyone,
Just a reminder.  I would like you to post a short summary of the "addresses" article we discussed in class.  You may use the questions I gave you as a guide (relating to the event, issue, perspectives, stakeholders, etc).  Please post these summaries in Korean (or Chinese, if that is your first language).  The reason I'm asking you to post in Korean is because some colleagues and I are interested in whether or not the difficulties that students have in writing classes are primarily a language issue or if there are some other issues we have to consider.  If you absolutely wish to post in English, you may do so.  Otherwise, please post in Korean.  Thanks! 
And just to clarify, you should post this by 12:00 noon on Thursday October 18th. 

Have a great week. 

October 12: Writing a News Report

News Report on Korean Addresses
















Multiple Perspectives

Bird's Eye View

What happened?

Guide for your Final Portfolios

Writing Portfolios

As I mentioned in class, your final writing portfolios with consist of 3 different sections, and each section will contain 5 assignments.  The 5 assignments for each section are as follows:

·       A functional outline of a published piece of writing

             Your functional outlines are based on the handouts I gave you in class.  You may analyze the individual sentences and paragraphs directly on the reading itself, and you may answer the questions on the back of that paper.

·       An outline for your original piece of writing

             Following the directions I gave you in class, your outline should cover the main ideas that you plan to express in your personal writing.  Please answer the following questions: 

- What do I want to write about? / What is my topic?

- Who is my audience?

- Why am I writing this? / What do I want my readers to take from my writing?

Next, please write down the basic structure of your original piece of writing following the system we discussed in class: 

I.    Topic of paragraph #1

        

         a.  Important point #1

        

         b.  Important point #2

        

         c.  Important point #3

II.  Topic of paragraph #2

        

         a.  Important point #1  (etc...)

·       A rough draft of your original piece of writing

             The same rough draft that you handed into me for homework should be included in the portfolio.  You do not need to make any modifications or changes to the draft.  Simply include it in the portfolio as it is. 

·       A list of revisions that you plan to make for the final draft

             Please make a list of all the revisions you plan to do for your final draft.  You do not need to write in full sentences or in full paragraphs.  This is simply a list.  It should include all the major changes you plan to make when you write your final draft.  These changes should be based on both the peer feedback you received from your classmate and on the feedback that I gave you on your rough draft.  It may also include any other meaningful changes you wish to make. 

·       Your final draft

             The final draft should be typed and should include a title. 

Blogs for October 11

Hello everyone,

Just a reminder.  I would like you to post some reflections about your descriptive writing assignments to your blogs this week.  Please use the handouts I gave you and explain what you were trying to accomplish with your writing and list some of the problems with your rough draft.  You can base this list of problems on both your own observations and through a comparison of your handout with your partner's hand out that we went over in class.  Please upload your responses by Thursday, October 11, at 12 noon.  That is the only time this week that I will have time to check all 40 blogs.
Thanks, and have a great week