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.

Thlog 5

Thlog 5

Time goes quickly; week five has finished. In the week five, we mainly discussed reading for writing, author’s moves in article and the thesis of WP2.

First, we have found that there are so many moves in each article. Each move in article has different function to whole essay. The main goal of such moves may be attracting more readers, making article easy to understand and impressive to readers. Through other authors’ moves in articles, we can learn from them and use similar moves in our own essay and make our essay more perfect.

In addition, we have read an impressive essay which named “How to Read Like a Writer,” which is helpful for us to read. It also can notice us that which way is best to read. The most impressive content in this article is that “You are reading to learn about writing.” Sure, reading is the best way to improve writing. In short, this article is so helpful to me that remainder what I read for.

Also, we have begun to discuss the thesis of WP2. We need to find two academic and one non-academic source for same topic, and compare authors’ move in these articles, find similarity and difference from these articles. Initially, I am confused about the topic of WP2, and I have no idea about what should I write. But, the examples in class gave me a large amount of information and inspiration. After discussing in class, I suddenly had my own topic for WP2. I have to thank to these examples in class.

Finally, I hope I can successfully finish my WP2 in next week and have a satisfy grade.

Oh, Happy Chinese new year to everyone!!!