Technical writing and discussion. Week 1

1.

TECHNICAL WRITING
AND DISCUSSION
Prof. Alie Khalilova

2.

Contact information
If you have questions:
You can e-mail:
[email protected]
Office hours
Days/Time:
Room 408, B Building

3.

Course Evaluation
Midterm:
25%
Final:
25%
Attendance*:
10%
Participation:
10%
Assignment:
10%
Quiz:
20%
*has a direct impact on other scores

4.

Relative Grading
Grading criteria
A+
A0
B+
B0
C+
C0
D+
D0
Total
10 %
10 %
15 %
15 %
15 %
15 %
10 %
10 %
100 %

5.

Attendance
• Tardiness (up to 5 mins)

6.

Participation
Graded on each class
10: on time/active in all interactions/fully ready/has the book
9: on time/active in most interactions/fully ready/has the book
8:on time/fairly active in interactions/fully ready/has the book
7:up to 5 mins late/active in all interactions/fully ready/has the book
6: up to 5 mins late/active in most interactions/fully ready/has the book
5: up to 5 mins late/fairly active in interactions/fully ready/has the book

7.

Participation
Graded on each class
4: up to 5 mins late/not active in interactions/fully ready/has the book
3: up to 5 mins late/not active in interactions/fully ready/has the book
2: 5 mins late /active in all interactions/fully ready/has the book
1: 5 mins late /active in many interactions/fully ready/has the book
0: more than 5 mins late (but can come in/ no participation score)
hasn’t got the book (can’t come in)

8.

HOW TO GET F
More than 4
absences
No printed units
from the book
No written
assignment
Appear late to
the class

9.

Course content
02
01
Writing assignments
03
Sentence
structures
Peer editing
04
Connectors
05
Vocabulary

10.

Course overview
Week 1:
Essay Structure/
Essay Introduction
Weeks 2:
Peer editing
Types of essays
Weeks 3:
Paragraph organization
Week 4:
Quiz 1
Weeks 5,6,7: Comparative essay
Week8:
Midterm

11.

Course overview
Weeks 9,10,11: Argument essay
Week 12:
Resume writing
Week 13:
Quiz 2
Week 14:
Motivation letter
Week 15:
Motivation letter
Week 16:
Final

12.

SEQUENCE OF ESSAY SUBMISSION
Writing organization discussion
Grammar components
Writing Practice
Final submission

13.

14.

15.

01
ICE BREAKER

16.

Two truths and one lie
Everyone come up with two things that are true about
them and another thing that's false. Each person
presents what s/he came up with.
Everyone tries to guess the right answer, which leads to
stories about past life experiences and facilitates
engaging and enjoyable conversation.

17.

02
Introduction

18.

Tardiness (up to 10 mins)

19.

Catch – connect – answer!

20.

21.

22.

23.

Write a strong thesis statement!
Do
Know your essay’s type.
Make a statement.
Make a debatable claim.
Be specific
Don’t
Announce the thesis, e.g. “This paper will
discuss….”
Announce yourself, e.g. “I am going to prove
that….”
Ask a question.
Leave your reader asking “How?” or “Why?”

24.

Yankees
Confederates
Your history professor assigns a five page
paper in which you must analyze why the North
and South fought the Civil War. What would a
good thesis statement look like?

25.

Slavery
a condition of having to work
very hard without
proper remuneration or
appreciation.

26.

Secede
to decide not to
continue to be part
of a larger group or
organization

27.

28.

Bad The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the
same and some different.
This statement is too general and simply rephrases the prompt. It does not answer
how or why their reasons differed.
Better
While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for
moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.
This sentence offers a more specific and debatable answer. However, it is still too broad and
insupportable. You cannot defend a claim of morality in a five pages, and good research would
probably not lead you to this conclusion.
Best
While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression,
Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to
self-government.
This statement is specific, clear and thoughtful. Though some might disagree with your stance,
your readers will know what to expect in your paper. Now it’s up to you to defend your thesis
with good evidence and persuasive writing!

29.

Introduction sample
Hook
Bridge
Thesis
statement

30.

INTRO ANALYSIS

31.

03
PRACTICE TIME

32.

INTRO WRITING ACTIVITY
(In the groups of 3- 4)
Is team playing important for success?
Why?
Hook
Bridge
Thesis

33.

Thanks!
Do you have any questions?
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,
including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.
Please keep this slide for attribution.