WP3

Summary: Michael Bunn’s “Motivation and Connection: Teaching Reading (and Writing) in the Composition Classroom” mainly talks about whether teaching reading in terms of that its connection to writing can motivate students to read and increase the likelihood that they find success in both activities (reading and writing). The article uses many academic evidences and research examples to prove that teaching connection between reading and writing indeed can encourage students to read more and help them find success in reading and writing.

Click here for younger audiences.

Click here for older audiences.

Self-Analysis: For younger audiences, I choose to write an interesting and attractive story. The story can be that: “There are two children, Eric and Bill in a village, and both of them want to be writers in the future. In order to achieve their goal, both of them choose to take writing classes in school. But, they have different teachers for writing classes in school. In the first writing class, Eric’s teacher tell him that reading and writing have closed relation. By reading articles, readers can know how writers think when they write the article and why writer write in this way. In the process of reading, readers actually are learning how to write. And Eric’s teacher concludes that reading can improve writing. To be a writer, it has to be a reader first. However, Bill’s teacher does not tell him the connection between reading and writing. His teacher just claimed that reading is a crucial part in this writing course. He will check reading notes in the beginning of each class. If someone does not finish reading, he or she will loses some participation points. Gradually, there are many creative and attractive words, phrase, and sentences in his essay. His essay becomes more and more comprehensive, has fewer and fewer mistakes. However, Bill still write what he wrote before. In other words, he has no improvement about his writing. … Time goes quickly, Eric and Bill have finished a whole year’s writing course. When it comes to how many books they read in whole year, Bill says that he just finish what teacher asked to read, but Eric claims he has read thirty books more than teacher required. When it comes to what grades they get in the writing course, Bill gets a solid B but Eric has an A+. The gap between Eric and Bill has appeared in this year. Finally, Eric achieves his wish and becomes a famous writer, but Bill does not become a writer because he write like before and does not improve anymore.”

For older people, I choose to write a news report to them. The news report can be like this: “Recently, whether teaching students connection between reading and writing will motivate students to read more articles and books and increase the probability to find success in reading and writing triggers many professional people’s arguments. According to Michael Bunn’s research, many educational experts’ observation and research have proved that teaching students the connection, reading is a method to learn how to write, between reading and writing can encourage students to read much more and increase the probability that students find success in both activities. Thus, parents also need explicitly tell their kids the connection between readings and writings in order to motivate their children read more books and write better articles.”

Self-analysis: Michael Bunn’s paper, “Motivation and Connection: Teaching Reading (and Writing) in the Composition Class,” is a scholarly academic article, which has many features, such as: having a large amount of supporting examples and evidence to support its argument to persuasive; so long that has over twenty pages; and the tones are serious and languages are academic and scholar. In this case, the audiences of this article are limit to some small group of people, such as educational experts, teachers and professors, due to its features. Except these people, no one is willing to read such a long and boring paper. If author of this article wants more people to know the importance of teaching the connection between reading and writing, he must change the genre. If author wants to attract younger students and older audience, such as parents, to read his article, he must write his paper by considering their habit of reading. However, author should change the focus and meaning of the original article. If author change the focus and meaning of essay, what is the connection between new article and original? They will be totally different articles in this way. Our goal of changing genre of essay is to attract different group of audiences and tell them the importance of teaching connection between reading and writing.

When the audiences become to younger people, it has to consider what younger children like and do not like. To be more specific, younger children like reading stories and comic books but not research papers. Thus, we can make a story to attract younger children’s attention. Also, younger children do not have as much professional knowledge as these experts have, thus it should not use too complex words and sentences in new genre. Not only younger children cannot understand such boring language and professional words in academic paper, but they either even do not care what the paper talks about. What they like to read is vivid stories which are easy to understand and interesting, comic books which are relaxed and humor. In addition, to attracting younger readers, the tones should be interesting; the language should be simple and easy to understand; pictures can be inserted if it is possible. Thus, I choose to write a story to younger students. After reading the above story, younger students can get some crucial conclusion, which should be similar as the academic article claims, by comparing Eric and Bill’s experience. However, I believe younger students, especially primary school students prefer to read such story, because the language of story is much easier to understand than that of academic paper, and the tones of story is more attractive than that of academic paper too.

When the audiences become to older people, such as our parents, it has to consider what they will read and interest in daily life. They like to read daily news and magazines which is relaxing to read and also need not too much time to read. In addition, why would older people care about whether teaching connection between reading and writing can improve students read more and write better? The most direct and important reason should be that they want to know the right way to improve their kids’ reading and writing. So, the new genre can involve some instructions to parents, which tell parents what they can teach their kids about the connection between reading and writing. In addition, the article that for older people to read should be brief and persuasive, since older people do not have so much time to spend in reading like over twenty pages academic paper, and they either will not believe any unwarranted argument. If author want to attract most of older people, his article has to be brief and persuasive. When the new genre can satisfy above requirements, it will attract most of older people, especially most parents. Thus, I think news report is the best method to tell older people about this argument in that news report will not waste their time and also be persuasive to them. This above news report is so brief that most of parents have time to finish reading it, and it also persuasive because many experts will not make a baseless conjecture together. In addition, it also tells older people “So what”, which is helpful to their kids for finding success in reading and writing activities. Thus, I believe such a brief and persuasive news report can attract most of older people, especially parents.

Like stories for younger children and news report for older audiences, different genres of a similar topic is suitable to different group of readers. In order to attract different kinds of audiences, writers can make different genres with similar topic and focus on the basis of features of different kinds of audiences. 

Thlog 9

Thlog 9

       It’s ninth week, which means that we will finish this quarter in a week. In this week, we were talking about the writing project 3. First, we have written PB3A, which is to talk about the proposal of Wp3, what our ideas about WP3 are. In the process of writing PB3A, I have decided what I should write in WP3, and it is a well process to prepare for writing WP3. In addition, we have wrote a draft of WP3, we also had a peer editing of WP3. In the process of peer review, I found many interesting and creative genres, such as pamphlet for younger audiences, and a cover letter applying to become a UCSB Writing 2 teacher for older audiences. Through reading other classmates’ essay, I have more choices to write my own genres, and what I can improve next. And I also found that the genres of my classmates are all better and harder to do than mine. I really appreciate their creative ideas for their new genre. Let us finish the WP3 successfully.

       Except talking about the WP3, we also have talked about the final portfolio, which is the important assignment for this course. I found that the portfolio is also and large and hard assignment, which I should prepare for a long time. Through see other people, who have taken this course before, portfolio, I am shaken by their portfolio. These are the most perfect portfolio I have seen. If I can make the portfolio like theirs, I will be excited to do it.

       We have only one week’s class remaining. Through a quarter writing class, I have to claim that my writing has improved so much. I am glad to have such a nice writing course. 

PB3A

PB3A

       For WP3, my topic is whether teaching explicitly connection between reading and writing can improve students to read more. By reading Bunn’s “Motivation to Reading”, which is a scholarly academic paper, it proves that teaching reading in terms of its connection to writing can encourage students to read more and increase the probability that they find success in both activities. But it is too scholar to most people, because it has over twenty pages, and a large amount of evidences and examples. Except a part of people who interested in such research, few people is willing to read such a long and boring articles. Thus, if the audience of paper changes, it has to change the genres in order to attract the specific group of readers.

       If the audiences of this paper are younger children, it has to change genres. For children, most of them like to reading comic instead of thousands of boring words. They also cannot understand such scholar words or sentences in their age. The most efficient method to help them understand the truths is to combine words and pictures. These pictures are easier to them read and understand compare to words. They also are more willing to look pictures rather than read articles. Thus, my first idea, when the audiences change to younger children, is to transform the academic article to be an essay with illustrations and pictures. However, the only drawback of this idea is that pictures, which can conform to my thesis closely, are so hard to find.

       In addition, younger children like to read stories but not academic articles. Then I have another idea when the audience becomes to younger children. I can transform such scholarly academic paper to an interesting and attractive story. To be a story, the language should be easy understand, the tones should be relax and hooked. In general, it has to attract children’s attention. The main idea of the story can be like this: there are two young children in the village, and both of them want to be a writer in the future. When they go to school, they have different teachers. One of them is told that reading is relative to writing closely and reading can improve writing too. The other one is not told the connection between reading and writing, teacher only ask him to read as much as he can. When they graduate from school, the one who is taught the connection between reading and writing read thousands of books and write just like writer. But the other one only read several books, and write articles just like before. To extend the story and make it more interesting, I believe it can attract most of younger students.

`      When the audience changes to older people, academic paper and stories neither can attract them. They do not have so long time to finish reading such a long academic paper, and the story is too babyish to them. For older audience, it should be a short essay which also is reasonable and persuasive, since older people will not believe a baseless conjecture. I believe changing the academic paper to be a news report is the best way to older people. The main idea of the news report can be like this: According to expert’s research and proof, teaching connection between reading and writing can encourage students to read more and increase the probability for student to success.

       These are my current idea for WP3. I hope I can have more and better ideas before I write WP3. And I also hope I can finish it successfully. 

Thlog 8

Thlog 8

            It is week 8 of Winter 2016, and we have two week left in this quarter. In the eighth week, we mainly talked about WP3. In the first class of week 8, we learned what is transformation, what is difference between transformation and translation. Since our main goal of WP3 is to transform one genre to another one. In addition, we looked into children’s book in order to know what kind of genre is suitable to children. Also, we discussed the uncounted different genres to older and younger audience. To different audience, articles will have different kinds of genre in order to attract specific group of readers. In genre, in the first class of week 8, we talked about different genres to older and younger people, which are prepared to write WP3.

            In the second class in this week, we also discussed some important materials that are prepared for WP3. Also, we are assigned which article should read in order to be the background of WP3. There are not allowed that more than three people write one topic. After assigning the reading for WP3, we have to revisit the reading, and read more specific in article. I chose Michael Bunn’s “Motivation in reading”, which talks about whether teaching connection between reading and writing would encourage students to read more than before. The essay uses scholar method and academic evidence to justify teaching the connection between reading and writing clearly to students indeed can improve students to read more. But, the genre of this article is too academic, which cannot attract younger people to read. In order to attract younger people to read, it has to change the genre of this article. That is what WP3 asked us to do. And I hope I can finish my WP3 successfully.

Thlog 7

Thlog 7

We had only one class in this week due to the long weekend. I went to San Diego, which is a beautiful and comfortable city, in the long weekend. And I visited the San Diego see park, where is the most amazing place I have been, and I saw many animals, which I have not seen before.

         Let us talk about our class. In Wednesday’s class, we submitted the WP2 draft, and we mainly modified our WP2 draft. Firstly, we are asked to point out what is improved most in the WP2 comparing to WP1, and what should have do better. I believe I did better in the outline part. I write what I want to write in the outline in the beginning, then I will not forget what I was thinking in the process of writing. In addition, I think I should have to write more specific and give more evidence in WP2. That is my own feedback from writing WP2.

         Then, we have peer editing part. We are divided to three person group. Each person should read and give advises to others’ essays. One of my groupmate suggested that I should connect paragraphs more connected since my paragraphs are not so connective that like two separate things. Maybe I can write some transitive sentences between paragraphs. And the other group mate pointed out that I have several grammatical mistakes in essay. It indeed is my writing problem. I should have to revise those grammatical mistakes before handing the draft in. Both of my group mates gave precise advice to me. I can revise my draft according to their draft. I believe I can do better in the final draft. 

Thlog 6

Thlog 6

Yeah, week 6 is over. This quarter has pasted more than a half.

In this week, we mainly discuss about some materials to prepare for WP2. Also, these knowledge do not only prepare for WP2, but also can help me write articles in the future. For instance, I have learned that there are so many words can replace “say”, such as “assert”, “claim”, “maintain” and “suggest”. I always use “say” in my essay when I want to express similar meaning of “say”, which makes my essay sees mediocre. After I learn these words, I can use such a word in various kinds, which will make my essay more versatile. In addition, “parallelism” is also important whenever we read or write. When we read articles, “parallelism” can remind us which is important in the whole essay. When we write articles, we can use “parallelism” to make article more perfect and notice readers what is important in the article. Thus, I can learning the usage of “parallelism” is useful and helpful to us.

What’s more, we also talked about “moves” in this week. “Moves” is the special method used by author in his or her article to show some special function. We take Sandy’s essay as an example, and we find several Sandy’s “moves” in her essay and discuss why she used such “moves” in that place of her essay. Through discussion, we can find each “move” of author has special function to whole essay, and we can compare “moves” of two essays to know what is the differences of essays’’ focus between these essays.

After discussing these materials in class, we have to prepare to write the draft of WP2, and I hope I can finish my writing project two efficiently and successfully. Let us go together. 

PB2B

PB2B

“You are reading to learn about writing.” Mike Bunn claims in the article “How to read like a writer.” To understand an article better and to be a better writer, it is necessary to trace writers’ moves in their essay.

Most of writers’ moves in articles are purposeful. For example, let us see a sentence from Kerry Dirk’s “Navigating Genres”, “In other words, Bitzer is saying that when something new happens that requires a response, someone must create that first response.” It is an explaining quotation, which is said in “They say, I say,” since before this sentence there is a long quotation from Bitzer. And this short sentence is for summarizing and explaining what Bitzer talks about. This explaining quotation makes readers easier to understand the quotation.

There is another typical move, capturing authorial action. Here is an example from “steps toward rhetorical analysis,” “Aristotle articulated three “artistic appeals” that a rhetor could draw on to make a case – logos, pathos, and ethos.” Author using Aristotle’s three “artistic appeals” is for attracting readers’ attention, and make the article more interesting.

Let us see another interesting move that writers always use in article, agreeing and disagreeing simultaneously. This move can be used in different way, which has different function to whole article. In “So What? Who cares?” there is an example for this move. “Although answering the “ who cares?” question is crucial, in many cases it is not enough, especially if you are writing for general readers who don’t necessarily have a strong investment in the particular clash of views you are setting up.” Through reading whole article, it is not hard to find that this sentence is to derivate a new statement, “So What.” And this sentence relates two parts very well.

Also, if author wants to emphasis someone’s statement, he or she will use another move, signally who is saying what. Here is an example from Mike Bunn’s “How to Read Like a Writer,” Charles Moran, a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, urges to read like writers because…”

“Making concessions while still standing your ground” is another important moves that mention in “They say, I say.” There is an example in “So What? Who Cares?” “Though this statement is clear and easy to follow, it lacks any indication that anyone needs to hear it.” It shows that this move emphasis the importance of “indication that anyone needs to hear it,” and it successfully transit the focus of essay from “clear” to “Indication that anyone needs to hear it.”

In Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer,” there are more moves for various reasons. First, he uses a very interesting introduction, which writes his experience seems like a novel. He could choose to use another way to write this beginning paragraph, but it would be not as good as this introduction. I would like to call this introduction “attractive experience,” since such interesting introduction of an article can attract more readers to read.

Second, he use one short sentence to be an separate paragraph, which is “You are reading to learn about writing.” I would like to call it super short paragraph. Here, this super short paragraph is to emphasis this sentence and tell readers the main goal of reading, which is to learn about writing. Also, this short paragraph can transit and relate adjacent paragraphs (the paragraph before and after this super short paragraph) better.

Third, he contacted students’, who just graduated from college, ideas and experiences bout writing rather than his. I would call it “survey to former students.” The reason he did this survey is to create credibility because he thinks that the experience to writing of students is more true, persuasive and former students are better qualified to help us comparing to his opinions.

Forth, Mike makes a list when he mentions the contextual factors people should consider before start reading. Also, there are several such lists in whole article. I would call it “emphasis list.” He gives two main factors that people should consider, which are “Do you know the author’s purpose for this piece of Writing?” and “Do you know who the intended audience is for this piece of writing?” The purpose to make these two factors be a simple list is to emphasis the importance of these factors.

Finally, he divides whole article into several separate parts using dash line. I would like to call it “National Border.” The “Border” divides article to several parts, and each part he mainly talks about one thing. This separation is easier for readers to read and understand article. In addition, the separation line makes whole article looks ordered.

In summary, each author has his or her own moves to use in his or her article. Although, each move has different function in different background, all moves are to make article more perfect.