College Countdown
College Countdown
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Write until your hand falls off
And what is a "right-now" practical application of good writing skills? Both the SAT and ACT college admissions tests now have writing components included in their main tests. That's right -- it's writing time! And in the future workplace, everyone needs to be able to write effectively to communicate. Whether it is a hard copy formal accounting presentation or an e-mail detailing the engineering instructions on how to discern corrosion types inside tank cars, whether you are an accountant, a doctor or an engineer, writing (after oral language) is the basis for all communication. And with e-mail becoming a main mode of communication in the world, concise and clear writing is more vital than ever!
(Click on headings)
For
every writing task, you should use TAP. TAP is asking and answering the
following questions about your writing:
What is the TASK?
Who is the AUDIENCE?
What is the PURPOSE of the assignment?
So
what happens when you really have a hard time reading? Writing is part
reading. How are you going to get through this part too? As always, ask for
help from your teachers, resource teacher and guidance counselor. Instead
of writing cursive (hand-writing), try printing instead. Sometimes it is
easier to write in printing if you are struggling, because it looks a lot like
the letters and words you are reading from a printed page. For
those students whose hands are limited by injury or disease, writing is still
part of your life – the way you deliver it will just be different. Ask for
help in obtaining the physical things it will take for you to be a writer –
tape recorder, a computer or specialized technology that makes use of your
physical capabilities. Get
that egg timer out again and set it for a couple of minutes and write. Then
set it for a longer time and write. Keep working at it until you can write for
an extended time period and are able to stay on task. Start
with writing a story or instructions to something as you would say it --
exactly how you would tell the story to someone else. Then take and change your
written story or instructions to a format similar to how you would write for
school. Make it something fun and silly – like how to cook an elephant! Ask
someone to read your piece. Ask for their comments and then revise. Then keep
making up stories and notice the difference between the two styles.
Always
have someone else read your writing assignments with them also using the TAP
questions and also looking for writing errors. Consider those suggestions when
you revise. Why have someone else read your stuff? Because even the best writers
never see their own errors all the time – it always takes another set of eyes.
Start
a daily journal. It doesn’t have to be about anything in particular. What is
important is that you are trying to put your feelings and observations down on
paper every day. You are practicing writing and reading. If you have a
disability that affects your hands, use a tape recorder. Another
way to practice writing, which can be part of your journaling or something more
formal, is to observe what’s happening in your neighborhood. Write down family
stories and history. Interview your grandmother and then write it all down! Get
a pen pal! Write often. e-mail and the Internet have opened the world to even
daily messages instead of weeks between letters due to regular mail. This is
fun, but it is also writing practice. Colleges
have remedial (not for credit) courses available for those who have missed some
of the steps and skills. You need to be honest with yourself about your
deficiencies and ask for help. High
School and college writing labs or centers supply not only remedial work and
skills, but also enrichment skills for the more advanced writer. No matter how
good you are, everyone needs feedback on his or her writing. Sooner or later
everyone suffers from writer’s block. This is where writing centers come in to
play for all students.
The Writing
Process
·
Pre-write – just get those ideas down and perhaps an outline ·
Write that first draft – don’t worry about the grammar thing here –
just get the thoughts down in an organized manner – perfection has no place in
a first draft. ·
Revise your work – and it may take more than one draft. ·
Edit – your work is just about done – go through and make it as
logical and grammatically correct as you can. ·
Complete your work – Finish it all up and produce your work in the most
perfect form you can to present to your teacher.
What Colleges
Want in Your Writing
·
Need a thesis statement:
a.k.a. What position are you defending? ·
Needs to be well organized. ·
Answer the question in its entirety in a concise manner. ·
Needs to be well written. ·
Use good grammar. ·
Check your spelling. ·
The piece needs to flow. ·
Need a valid conclusion.
There
are all sorts of books out there to help you through “the grammar thing.”
There are also computer drill programs and prep classes to help you through.
National Assessment in Writing [National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP)]
National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)
 See Chapter 1 for more information and instructions. Click here for more information
© 2005 [Wildwood Country Press]. All rights reserved.
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