When Bad Essays Happen to Good People

1. When Bad Essays Happen to Good People How to make sure this doesn’t happen to you! Marta Brown The slide show will automatically move from slide to slide

2. It’s easy! Just follow these 5 “Power Steps” • Plan • Organize • Write • Evaluate • Revise To go forward or backward, left click the arrow below, right To end the show, click the up button at the bottom left. (It will appear when you move your mouse toward the “house” icon)

3. PLAN • Read the directions carefully • Make sure that you understand what the essay is asking you to do • Brainstorm for ideas Try to think in groups of 3! Find three things that you are going to talk about, then order your ideas from weakest to strongest

4. SAMPLE OF BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUE – STEP 1 • Suppose that your writing task was to write a paper about your pet, and you chose your dog—choose three things to talk about: 1. Companionship 2. Protection 3. Motivation to exercise Be sure to look at your handout for more details!

5. BRAINSTORMING FOR IDEAS • OK, now your cookin! Now think of as many ideas as you can for each topic COMPANIONSHIP PROTECTION MOTIVATION TO EXERCISE He likes to snuggle like a door bell He eats too much Goes everywhere very viscous Doesn’t like to exercise Watch TV Big Needs it & so do I Go to the park barks I feel better Eat together night = safer I’m healthier

6. BRAINSTORMING FOR IDEASAlso known as “The Outline” • Now choose 3 of the best ideas COMPANIONSHIPPROTECTION MOTIVATION TO EXERCISE He likes to snuggle x like a door bell x He eats too much x Goes everywhere x very viscous x no exercise x Watch TV Big Needs it & so do I Go to the park barks I feel better Eat together night = safer I’m healthier Now you have 3 supporting details for each topic! You should not have mixed any “apples and oranges.” Meaning there are not ideas that do not relate directly to each topic.

7. WRITEThe introduction “What am I going to tell you about?” • This section requires you to introduce, but not detail, what you are going to write about: All dogs are special to their owners, some are smart, some are pretty, and some are special for other reasons. I, however, believe that my dog is the greatest. I believe this for a number of reasons; for example, he provides me with companionship, protection, and the motivation to exercise. Notice there are not any details

8. Write The body #1 • Now, each separate point needs it’s own paragraph. Look below for an example: My dog provides me with lots of companionship. When I’m at home he always likes to be near me, even if he’s only sleeping at my feet while I watch TV. He enjoys eating what I eat and it makes me feel better that I am not wasting food. When I go to the grocery store, he is happy to go along, sleeps in the car, and waits for me. Conversely, he can sometimes be annoying because he wants to be as close to me as he can; I have almost tripped just trying to get around him!

9. Write body #2 • The next point is protection. Follow the same format as you did for the previous paragraph. My dog provides me with a great deal of protection. He is quite large and has a very loud bark; as a result, many potential robbers might be scarred away if they knew that I had a big loud dog. At night I feel much safer knowing that he is there and wants to protect me.

10. Write Body #3 • Now just do the same thing for motivation to exercise! Most importantly, my dog motivates me to exercise when I might otherwise find an excuse not to. When I come home from a busy day at work, the last thing I want to do is go out and walk my dog, but I know that it is important for both of us. I have noticed that since I have had my dog, I am in better shape and have a much healthier attitude toward exercise. He really makes exercise fun!

11. WRITEThe conclusion • Now it’s time for us to end our paper with a conclusion. You will notice that it looks almost like the introduction! In conclusion, I am glad that my dog is part of my life. He gives me great companionship, protection, and the motivation to exercise. As you can see, he’s the best dog on the planet! No details, but it restates, in a little different way, what was said in the introduction!

12. Evaluate • Now it is time to take a critical look at your paper and ask: Did I proof the paper for spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors? Is it in the correct MLA format? Did I mix any “apples and oranges”?

13. REVISE • OK you’re almost finished, but don’t rush this part! This is what separates an A paper from the rest! • At this step, revise and review one more time, just to make sure you have said everything you needed to say. • Have someone else read your paper, sometimes you don’t see the errors.

14. Help Me! A great resource at the college is the Writing Lab! They will help you revise and review your papers—you can even email them with your paper and they will send it back with suggestions! Just click on this link and go to “student services” follow the link to the writing lab! CCD To end the show, click the bottom left icon.

15. Now it’s your turn! Use the “POWER” steps to write your own essay! Here’s your topic: “In today’s world it has become more important to get a college education. Why do you think it is important? Hint: think of 3 reasons. Don’t forget to get an outline form and hand your outline in with your paper (it should be about 250 words.) Have fun!