Introduction (continuation) Time Management of the Writing Process

You learned that as a college or university student, you are very busy trying to juggle all of your course work in order to get all of your assignments done on time. Writing a paper may take more time than you think it will. Due to all of the activities involved in the process of writing, you do not want to wait until the last minute to start a paper. Pulling an "all-nighter" or trying to write the paper the morning it is due may well lead to bad results. Not only is such an approach stressful, it is usually unsuccessful. The quality and appearance of the final product reveal the haste in which the paper was done, giving the professor a bad impression. Professors expect papers to be complete, well organized, and clearly presented.

It is a good idea to start the prewriting activities soon after getting an assignment; if you plan time in your daily and/or weekly schedule to complete the assignment, you will feel less stressed and more satisfied with the product. Doing a little bit every day instead of procrastinating will make you a more productive and successful student.

Determining time management of the writing process

Now concentrate on the writing activities. Compare the amount of time you think each activity would take for both out-of-class and in-class writing assignments.

• By yourself, complete Chart 1 by calculating the percentage of time you would need in each activity.

• Then compare your answers to your partners'.

• Figure out the group’s average in each area on Chart 2.

• Report to the class and answer the Discussion Questions that follow.

Chart 1 Your Own Percentages				Chart 2 Your Group’s Averages
	Out-of-Class	In-Class			Out-of-Class	In-Class
Brainstorming				Brainstorming
Organizing				Organizing
Writing				Writing
Revising				Revising
Proofreading / Editing				Proofreading / Editing
	100%	100%			100%	100%

Ex. 3. Now discuss these questions with the class.

1. How do the percentages differ in class vs. out of class? Why?

1. Which activity do you think is the most important in each case? Why?

2. Which activities take the least amount of time? Why?

3. Will you be making any changes to your approach to completing assignments? If so, explain.

Ex. 4. Brainstorming for a writing assignment.

To practice analyzing an assignment and determining the audience, do the following.

• Study the following model assignment carefully.

• Discuss the questions that follow.

• Complete the assignment by choosing one of the brainstorming methods.

Model Assignment

The International Student Organization (ISO) at your university or college publishes a newsletter read by students, professors, and administrators. The ISO would like short articles (1 to 2 typed pages, double-spaced) written by nonnative speakers on the benefits they gain by studying in the U.S. or Canada.

Brainstorm for a few minutes alone. Make lists, clusters, and/or charts to find ideas for the article you want to write. After working alone for a few minutes, share your notes with partners. Each of you should discuss your notes and revise them (add or discard ideas) as new ideas occur to you.

Discussion Questions

1. Which part is the lead-in? What is the situation? Who is the audience?

1. Which part is the assignment task? How many things do you have to do? List the imperative verbs.

2. What is the topic? List the important words in the topic.

3. What level of formality (and point of view) should be used in the article?

4. How long should the article be?

5. How should the article be presented (format)?

6. Do you have to write the article yet? Why or why not?

Ex. 4. Methods of Brainstorming.

Choose one of the following brainstorming methods to generate (create) ideas for the in-class assignment.

Method 1: Listing ideas is one way to brainstorm. First, list the ideas as they occur to you. Example:

self-respect	get exercise	don't argue
care about self	eat well	be assertive
polite behavior	follow the rules	accept criticism
respect for others	attend class	like yourself
take care of appearance	arrive on time	obey the laws
avoid bad habits	do homework	self-regard

After that, organize the lists. Put related ideas together.

Example:

Self-respect	Care about self	Respect for others
1. self-regard	1. take care of appearance	1. polite behavior
2. like yourself	2. get exercise	2. follow the rules
3. confidence	3. eat well	3. obey the laws
4. self-worth	4. avoid bad habits

Method 2: Clustering. If you are a visual learner, you might want to "cluster."

Method 3: Charting

Charts are useful if you know your main points and you want an informal way to move from general to specific.

Example Self-Respect

General	→	Less General	→	Specific	→	More Specific
Care for my well-being		Care about appearance		Cleanliness dress appropriately		Laundry, bathing Work: formal School: informal
		Care about my health		Eat well Sleep well No bad habits		Balanced diet 6-8 hours/night No drinking, smoking, drugs
Show others respect		Sociability		Polite behavior		Conducting daily business, making friends
		Cooperation		Follow rules/laws/ customs		Driving, time commitments, work style

Be careful as you are planning the chart. Do not begin with ideas which are too general; otherwise, it will be difficult for you to find specific support. Notice that the last column (the one on the right) has specific information, such as "get eight hours of sleep a night" and "balanced diet." Finally, all of the points in the chart, even the specific ones, should be explained in the paper.

Listening

Script 10

Ex. 5. Listen to the tape. In which order are the ground rules in brainstorming enumerated?

a. original ways of thinking b. maximum ideas c. new perspectives d. reserving criticism

1. 2. 3. 4.

Script 11

Ex. 6. Kate North gives her advice on brainstorming session conduction. Listen to the tape and complete these extracts.