Unit One: The Researched Essay: Lecture Two: Part Two

Unit One: The Researched Essay Lecture Two: Part Two

How to Analyze an Assignment 

To analyze a writing assignment, you have to look for: 1)

The Topic: what your writing will be about.

2)

The Purpose: the goal of your writing: information, entertainment, explanation, or persuasion.

3)

The Audience: the reader of your essay (your teacher).

4)

The Rhetorical Mode: the type of your essay: comparison, cause and effect, opinion, classification, or reaction.

5)

The Style or Format Length: the font, the style, and the length of your essay.

6)

Due Date: the deadline to hand in your essay to the teacher. Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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How to Analyze an Assignment



Exercise 1 Page 10 Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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Signal Words of Rhetorical Mode 

to know the rhetorical mode of an essay, figure out the signal words:

Exercise 2 and 3 Page 11 Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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Selecting and Narrowing a Topic 

To select a topic for research, you have to : 1)

limit your subject.

2)

make a list of what you already know.

3)

get an overview of the subject from an encyclopedia.

4)

review different media sources (books, journals, and websites).

5)

narrow down your subject to one specific topic.

Exercise 4 Page 12 Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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Primary vs. Secondary Sources 

There are two types of sources:

Primary

Secondary

• Original materials that give • Materials that have been first-hand accounts of history analyzed or explained by a and historical records: third person:     

Legal documents, Artifacts, Letters Interviews speeches

    

textbooks, journals, Magazine articles Interviews speeches

Exercise 5 Page 13 Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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Guidelines for Researching a Topic  Follow

the following steps to begin your research:

scan

websites and articles research questions based on your findings use only reliable sources such as historical records, journals, university publications, and respected websites. avoid unreliable sources such as popular magazines, anonymous internet articles, blogs, tabloid publications, or advertising. Take notes by reading through articles. Highlight important points that relate to your thesis. the notes should include information about the source such as title, author, publication, date, page number, and URL. develop

Exercise 6 Page 14

Exercise 5 Page 13

Lecture One: The Researched Essay

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