1. Thinking as a Writer

    Explore through writing

    Understand the process of writing

    Understand the rhetorical situation

    Analyze your assignment

    Think about your genre and medium

    Think about your topic

    Think about your audience

    Think about your credibility

2.  Reading to Explore

    Become a critical reader

    Look with a critical eye

    Read actively

    Recognize fallacies

    Respond as a reader

    Move from reading to invention

3. Planning

    Move from a general topic to a writing plan

    Narrow your topic

    Write a thesis

    Make a plan

4. Drafting

    Draft with strategies in mind

    Write a zero draft

    Draft from a working outline

    Start fast with an engaging title and opening paragraph

    Develop paragraphs

    Conclude with strength

    Link within and across paragraphs

5. Revising

    Revising and editing

    Evaluate your draft

    Respond to others

    Pay attention to details last

    Revise using your instructor’s comments

Writing to Reflect

6.       Reflections

    Writing reflections

    What makes a good reflection

    How to read reflections

        Sue Kunitomi Embrey, Some Lines for a Younger Brother . . .

        David Sedaris, Let it Snow

        Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, My Hips, My Caceras

        Rebecca Solnit, Open Door

        Amy Tan, Mother Tongue

    How to write a reflection

        Student example

        Janine Carter, The Miracle Quilt

    Projects

Writing to Inform

7.      Observations

    Writing observations

    What makes a good observation

    How to read observations

        Mary Roach, Monster in a Ryokan

        Sandra Tsing Loh, Coming Home to Van Nuys

        Kellie Schmitt, The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore

        Ansel Adams, Photographs of Japanese-Americans at Manzanar

        National Park Service, Yellowstone’s Geothermal Resources

    How to write an observation

        Student example

        Sarah Cuellar, Playing in Traffic: How Parallel Play Helps Preschool Children "Merge" into Group Play

    Projects

8.      Informative Essays

    Reporting information

    What makes good informative writing

    How to read informative writing

        Chip Walter, Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss

        Kheehong Song and Allison Cui, Understanding China’s Middle Class

        Robin Dunbar, Gossip Is Good for You

        World Wildlife Fund, Measuring Human Demand

        Christopher McCandless, The Heart Disease Test Madeover

    How to write to inform

        Student example

        Lakshmi Kotra, The Life Cycle of Stars

    Projects

Writing to Analyze

9.      Rhetorical, Visual, and Literary Analyses

    Writing to analyze

    Analyzing text and context

    Writing a rhetorical analysis

    Writing a visual analysis

    Writing a literary analysis

    How to read analyses

        Tim Collins, Straight from the Heart

        David T. Z. Mindich, The Collapse of Big Media: The Young and the Restless

        Example for analysis: Volkswagen Beetle

        Example for analysis: Kate Chopin, The Storm

        Example for analysis: Dagoberto Gilb, Love in LA

        Student example

        Quandre Brown, Fender-bender Romance in Dagoberto Gilb's "Love in LA"

    How to write an analysis

        Student example

        Kelsey Turner, Biting the Hands That Feed America

    Projects

Writing Arguments

10.  Causal Arguments

    Writing a causal argument

    What makes a good causal argument

    How to read causal arguments

        Laura Fraser, The French Paradox

        Emily Raine, Why Should I Be Nice To You? Coffee Shops and the Politics of Good Service

        Kay S. Hymowitz, The New Girl Order

        Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change

        Clay Shirkey, Gin, Television, and Social Surplus

        Eduardo Porter, The Price of Crossing Borders

    How to write a causal argument

        Student example

        Armandi Tansel, Modern Warfare: Video Games’ Link to Real-World Violence

    Projects

11.  Evaluation Arguments

    Writing an evaluation argument

    What makes a good evaluation argument

    How to read evaluation arguments

        P. J. O'Rourke, The End of the Affair

        Editorial. The Worst Policy on Campus

        Bill McKibben, The Only Way to Have a Cow

        Jane McGonigal, The Four Secrets to Making Our Own Happiness

        Stephanie Rosenbloom, The Nitpicking Nation 

    How to write an evaluation

        Student example

        Jenna Picchi, Organic Foods Should Come Clean

    Projects

12.  Position Arguments

    Writing a position argument

    What makes a good position argument

    How to read position arguments

        Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!

        Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

        Mark Winne, When Handouts Keep Coming, the Food Line Never Ends

        Michael Pollan, Eat Food, Food Defined

        David Carr, Why Twitter Will Endure

        James Paul Gee, Games, Not Schools, Are Teaching Kids to Think

        Buff Daddy

        Food Cops Bust Cookie Monster 

    How to write a position argument

        Student example

        Patrice Conley, Flagrant Foul: The NCAA’s Definition of Student Athletes as Amateurs

    Projects

13.  Proposal Arguments

    Writing a proposal argument

    What makes a good proposal argument

    How to read proposal arguments

        Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

        Richard Nixon, Building the Interstate Highway System

        San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Connecting the City

        Glenn Loury, A Nation of Jailers

        Peter W. Huber, Bound to Burn

        Chris Packham and Mark Wright, Should Pandas Be Left to Face Extinction? 

    How to write a proposal argument

        Student example

        Kim Lee, Let’s Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All

    Projects

14. Thinking Visually

    Communicate with visuals and words

    Know when to use images and graphics

    Take pictures that aren’t boring

    Compose images

    Create tables, charts, and graphs

15. Designing Documents

    Start with your readers

    Use headings and subheadings effectively

    Design pages

    Understand typography

    Create tables, charts, and graphs

16. Delivering Presentations

    Plan a presentation

    Design effective visuals

    Deliver a successful presentation

17. Writing for Online Courses

    Keep track of online coursework

    Participate in online discussions

    Manage online writing

18. Working as a Team

    Organize a team

    Brainstorm as a team

    Work as a team

Guide to Research

19. Planning Research

    Analyze the research task

    Ask a question

    Determine what you need

    Draft a working thesis

20. Finding Sources

    Identify the kinds of sources that you need

    Search using keywords

    Find sources in databases

    Find sources on the Web

    Find multimedia sources

    Find print sources    

    Create a working bibliography

21. Evaluating Sources

    Determine the relevance and quality of sources

    Determine the kind of source

    Determine if a source is trustworthy

    Create an annotated bibliography

22. Exploring in the Field

    Conduct interviews

    Administer surveys

    Make observations

23. Writing the Research Project

    Write a draft

    Avoid plagiarism

    Quote sources without plagiarizing

    Summarize and paraphrase sources without plagiarizing

    Incorporate quotations

    Incorporate visuals

    Review your research project

24. MLA Documentation

    Elements of MLA documentation

    Entries in the works-cited list

    In-text citations in MLA style

    Books in MLA-style works cited

    Web sources in MLA-style works cited

    Other sources in MLA-style works cited

    Visual sources in MLA-style works cited

    Sample MLA paper    

        Sarah Picchi, It’s Time to Shut Down the Identity Theft Racket

25. APA Documentation

    APA citations

    In-text citations in APA style

    Books in APA-Style references list

    Periodicals in APA-Style references list

    Web sources in APA-Style references list

    Other sources in APA-Style references list

    Sample APA paper

        Blair Zacharias, Parking Design Recommendations for Publically Funded Commercial Redevelopment Projects

PART FIVE: The Writer as Editor

26.  Writing Effective Sentences

    Pay attention to verbs

    Stay active

    Focus on people and actors

    Write concise sentences

    Write ethical sentences

    Match structure with ideas

    Summary for editing sentences

27. Avoiding Errors

    Fix fragments

    Fix run-on sentences

    Fix comma spices

    Make verbs agree with subjects

    Make pronouns agree

    Fix shifts

    Use modifiers correctly

    Place modifiers carefully

    Summary for editing for errors

28. Understanding Punctuation and Conventions

    Identify where commas are needed

    Place commas correctly with modifiers

    Place commas correctly with clauses and phrases

    Use semicolons and colons correctly

    Use hyphens, dashes, and parentheses correctly

    Use quotation marks correctly

    Use other punctuation correctly

    Understand print conventions

    Summary for punctuation and conventions

29. Writing in a Second Language

    Understand the demands of writing in a second language

    Understand nouns in English

    Understand articles in English

    Understand verbs and modifiers in English

    Understand English sentence structure

    Summary for second-language writers

A. Writing Essay Exams

B. Creating Portfolios

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