Culture and Context : A Basic Guide to Writing with Readings Book

Preface.

Table of Contents.

Rhetorical Table of Contents.

Introduction to the Student.

I. THE WRITING PROCESS.

1. Ready: The Writing Process Before You Really Write.

Reading 1, “Confrontations, Common Bonds,” by Michael J. Bugeja.

Topic.

Audience.

Purpose.

Strategies in Combination.

Exercises.

Secondary Planning Elements.

The Worksheet Framework.

Chapter Review.

2. Write: Selecting, Structuring, and Drafting.

Reading 2, “The Good E-Book,” by Jacob Weisberg.

Selecting.

Structuring: The Paragraph and the Essay.

Paragraph Structure.

Essay Structure.

Outlining: Organizing Your Prewriting in Essay Format.

Organizational Patterns.

Student Sample, “Children and Sports,” by Angie.

Writing With Computers: Outlining.

Tips: Making the Most of Rough Drafts.

Writing the Rough Draft.

Student Sample, “Children and Sports,” by Angie.

Writing With Computers: Creating the Rough Draft.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

3. Revise: Improving Your Draft.

Reading 3, “The Day I Sensed a New Kind of Intelligence,” by Garry Kasparov.

Getting Ready to Revise.

Revising for Content.

Exercises.

Revising for Structure.

Middle.

Endings.

The Structure Revision Checklist.

Exercises.

Student Sample, “Children and Sports,” by Angie.

The Peer Review Worksheet.

Writing With Computers: Revising.

Revising for Mechanics.

Exercises.

Student Sample, “Children and Sports,” by Angie.

Preparing the Final Copy.

Student Sample, “Children and Sports,” by Angie.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

II. WRITING STRATEGIES.

4. Narration.

Reading 4, “The Runner,” by Anne Lamott.

Ready.

Exercises.

Write.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “Star for a Day,” by Chris.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

5. Process.

Reading 5, “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend,” by Richard Talcott.

Ready.

Topic.

Exercises.

Write.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “How to Send and Receive E-Mail,” by Janice.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

6. Description.

Reading 6, “Preliminaries” by Leonard Koppett.

Ready.

Exercises.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “Buttons the Bear,” by Sheila.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

7. Definition and Classification.

Reading 7, “The Seven Learning Styles,” by Stacy Mantle.

Ready.

Exercises.

Write.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “Characteristics of Collectible Toys,” by Jorge.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

8. Comparison and Contrast.

Reading 8, “Are Writers Made or Born?,” by Jack Kerouac.

Comparison and Contrast Brainstorming Worksheet.

Exercises.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “My Mother and Me,” by Li.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

9. Cause and Effect.

Reading 9, “The Thin Grey Line,” by Marya Mannes.

Purpose.

Cause.

Effect.

Combination of Cause and Effect.

Exercises.

Evidence.

Exercises.

Student Sample, “Thanks, Dr. Bogswell,” by Carl.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

10. Persuasion.

Reading 10, “Wise Words from Eminem,” by Kathleen Parker.

Audience.

Appeals.

Student Sample, “No Tuition Increases, Please,” by Nini.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

III. TYPES OF WRITING: DIFFERENT TOPICS, AUDIENCES, AND PURPOSES.

11. Reading Responses.

Reading 11, “Who'll Stop the Drain?” by Vince Passaro; and.

Reading 12, “Goldson's Good Life on a Shoestring,” by Yonason Goldson.

Ready.

Write.

Revise.

Reading13, “Send Your Children to the Libraries,” by Arthur Ashe.

Student Sample, “Athletics vs. Academics,” by Gary.

Chapter Review.

12. Self-Reflection: Looking In.

Reading 14, “On Books and Beginnings,” by Maurice Sendak.

Ready.

Write.

Select.

Revise.

Student Sample, by Jill.

Chapter Review.

13. Social Conscience: Speaking Out.

Reading 15, “The Live (Not Jive) Poets' Society” by Kalamu ya Salaam.

Ready.

Discovering Your Worldview.

The Personal Perspectives Worksheet.

Exercises.

Becoming Informed.

Topic.

Audience.

Purpose.

Exercises.

Write.

Select.

Structure.

Revise.

Exercise.

Student Sample, “Letters to the President and to the Editor,” by Joi Hammond.

Chapter Review.

End of Chapter Writing Assignments.

14. Academic Writing: Using Research.

Reading 16, “The Best 4-Year College for Me,” by Erica Gates.

Ready.

Topic, Audience, and Purpose.

Research.

Critical Thinking.

Tips: Make Yourself Think Critically.

Writing With Computers: Research on the Internet.

Exercises.

Note Taking.

Write.

Select.

Structure.

The Research Outline Worksheet.

Summarizing and Paraphrasing Source Material.

Student Sample, “Cellular Phones,” by Stephanie.

Exercises.

Revise.

Student Sample, “Cellular Phones: Are They a Help or a Hazard?” by Stephanie.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

15. Essay Tests.

Reading 17, “I'd Like to Use Essay Tests, But. ,” by Marilla Svinicki.

Ready.

Study.

Prepare.

Write and Revise.

Student Sample, A Comparison Essay, by Rob.

Tips: Make Tests Real Learning Experiences.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

16. Business Writing.

Reading 18, “Memo from Davidson College President,” by Robert F. Vagt.

Memos.

Job Applications.

Résumés.

The Résumé Worksheet.

Tips for Writing Résumés.

Exercises.

Student Sample, “Résumé,” by Mike Public.

Business Letters.

Cover Letters.

Student Sample, “Cover Letter,” by Mike Public.

Thank-You Letters.

Student Sample, “Thank-You Letter,” by Mike Public.

Exercises.

Writing With Computers: Business Writing.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

IV. READING AND WRITING ABOUT POPULAR CULTURE.

17. Sports.

Reading 19, “Learning What 'Team' Really Means,” by Mariah Burton Nelson.

Reading 20, “The Noble Experiment” by Jackie Robinson.

18. Music.

Reading 21, “Is Rock Music Rotting Our Kids' Minds?” by Allan Bloom.

Reading 22, “How Scott Weiland Got Sober,” by Greg Kot.

19. Television.

Reading 23, “Television Changed My Family Forever,” by Linda Ellerbee.

Reading 24, “Crack and the Box,” by Pete Hamill.

20. Technology.

Reading 25, “Underhanded Achievement,” by Curtis Rist.

Reading 26, “The Dyslexic CEO,” by James Mathewson.

21. Movies.

Reading 27, “One Poke over the Line,” by John Leo.

Reading 28, “Moving Pictures Evoke Concern,” by Henry Myers.

22. Cartoons.

Reading 29, “A Very Special 'Sesame Street,'” by Ruben Bolling.

Reading 30, “Still Standing Tall” by Walter Simonson.

23. Advertising.

Reading 31, “Ad to the Bone,” by Jeff MacGregor.

Reading 32, “When Money Is Everything, Except Hers,” by Dirk Johnson.

V. GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS REVIEW.

24. Grammar “Tools.”

Nouns.

Common Nouns.

Proper Nouns.

Pronouns.

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement.

Verbs.

Modifiers.

Prepositions.

Exercises.

Conjunctions.

Interjections.

Exercises.

Chapter Review.

Final Exercises.

25. Making the “Tools” Work: Sentences.

Simple Sentences.

Subjects.

Verbs That Agree with Subjects.

Active and Passive Voice.

Compound Sentences.

Complex Sentences.

Exercises.

Problems and How To Fix Them.

Fragments.

Exercises.

Run-Ons.

Comma Splices.

Exercises.

Chapter Review.

26. Punctuation and Capitalization.

Sentence Endings.

Commas.

Semicolons.

Colons.

Quotation Marks.

Apostrophes.

Parentheses and Dashes.

Capitalization.

Chapter Review.

Final Writing Assignments.

27. Word Choice.

Improving Word Choice.

Using a Dictionary.

Dictionaries and Word Choice.

Exercises.

Using a Thesaurus.

Selecting Words with the Right Connotations.

Improving Your Vocabulary.

Chapter Review.

Glossary.

Bibliography.

Index.