Brandt

Before you read:
During high school my school encouraged reading by assigning summer reading. We had to read the assigned books and either write an essay or have an exam on what we read. The reading level would increase each year to challenge us and our reading abilities. Reading our text books also encouraged us to read. The reason given for being a good reader were that it would help with all our other subjects and do better in school.

Summary:
In "Sponsors of Literacy", Brandt argues the importance of literacy. She makes a point that people don't become literate on their own, but sponsors shape our reading ability. She gives examples of how the idea of sponsors have evolved through out the years.

Synthesis:
Brandt's article can relate to Porter's because they both deal with people doing things because of a group or community they belong to. Brandt's article also relates to Allen's because they both talk about how it takes practice to become a good writer and reader.

Meta Moment:
This article talks about literacy and how important it is in our lives. I have learned a lot since being in high school and have been furthering my education through all my experiences so far.

Thoughts:
I liked this reading and agreed with a lot of what Brandt was explaining in her article. I liked how she explains how people don't become literate on their own and usually have sponsors. I also believe that everyone has a sponsor.

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Response	Quote
This quote shows just how important it is to be literate. If you are literate you will have a greater advantage in the world.	“Literacy looms as one of the great engines of profit and competitive advantage in the 20th century”
Sponsors play an important role in our lives and we can learn a lot from them.	“Sponsors, as we ordinarily think of them, are powerful figures who bankroll events or smooth the way for initiates.”
I like this quote a lot. It shows how if you are not literate you will not make a good living. Literacy is important for getting a job and making a living.	"Literacy, like land, is a valued commodity in this economy, a key resource in gaining profit and edge."
I agree with this quote. Sponsors play a huge role in literacy.	“Sponsors enable and hinder literacy activity, often forcing the formation of new literacy requirements while decertifying older ones.”

Project 1 In Progress Report

For my first project I have completed my introduction and I am still fixing up my synthesis. I have done a lot of research already on my topic and have found some good sources that I can use for my paper. I still want to keep on looking for more sources though. I want to be able to have a well-formed argument and get my point across. I plan on getting more organized and figuring out if I still want to stay with this topic, or change to a different one. I liked the workshop a lot and I got some good feedback from my partner. It helped working with someone who had the same topic as me because I got to see what their view was on the topic and what they were researching about.

Bryson

 Before you read:
When I think of good English I consider it to have correct grammar and punctuation. Good English also uses appropriate language. Bad English is the opposite of good English. Bad English doesn't use correct grammar, language, or punctuation. Bad English doesn't sound right when you read it. I think this way because this is what I was taught at a young age.


Summary:
In Bill Bryson's "Good English and Bad," Bryson attempts to teach students the difference between good and bad English. This article talks about the English language and how to use grammar. Also, Bryson argues how the English language has changed a lot through out the years.

Synthesis:
Bryson's article is similar to Dawkin's. They both talk about how punctuation is important and the rules of English that writers should follow. Bryson's article is similar to Berger's because both of the articles talk about change. Bryson's article talks about change in the English language and Berger's talks about change in the way we view women.

Thoughts:
I felt like this reading was very long and boring to read. Some of the information was good though because I learned some new things that I didn't know before reading this article.


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Response	Quote
I agree with this statement because I often get confused with grammar. The terminology is based on Latin. I believe people should study Latin to make English a lot easier.	“English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin—a language with which it has precious little in common”
I can see the English language being commended for this. The authority for grammar and punctuation is not always present, which makes confuses people with grammar. There is often little basis for rules.	“English is often commended by outsiders for its lack of a stultifying authority.”
Not many people like change, but we learn to deal with it because it is always happening.	“When the process of change can be seen happening in our lifetimes, it is almost always greeted with cries of despair and alarm.”
This quote is referring to how no one has set rules that we know about from our childhood. There is no foundation for the rules we have.	“The answer, surprisingly often, is that no one does, that when you look at the background of these “rules” there is often little basis for them”

Dawkins

Dawkins

Before You Read:
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My sister’s tree house, which was made of wood scraps and cardboard, made a great place to play with her friends. 

In this sentence I used comas to join the two sentences together.

Made of wood scraps and cardboard, my sister’s tree house made a great place to play with her friends.

I used comas in this sentence to set off the introductory elements.

My sister’s tree house made a great place to play with her friends, even though it was made of wood scraps and cardboard.

In this sentence I used a comma to connect what the tree house was made of and how it was a great place.

Summary:

In John Dawkin's article, "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool", He attempts to explain how people get confused with the punctuation rules and end up making their own rules. Better instructions on grammar will encourage "good" behavior instead of not discouraging the bad. Dawkin argues that grammar should be based on principles, not rules.

Synthesis:

Dawkin's article is similar to Porter's because they both deal with intertextuaity and how to make what you write your own. Dawkin's article is also similar to Berkenkotter's because they both deal with how writers make mistakes when writing and that we can revise our papers and make changes to our grammatical errors.

QD:
5. I no know a lot more about punctuation that I didn't know before. The examples Dawkin's gives with raising and lowering helped me better understand this concept.

MM:
My teacher wants me to read this because you should know the correct way and rules of punctuation before you can follow our own principles. Reading this gave me a better understanding of how to punctuate.

Thoughts:
I liked this reading and feel that I learned a lot from it. The examples gave me a better understanding of how to use punctuation.

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Response	Quote
I believe many people have problems with understanding punctuation rules. There are so many rules, which end up confusing people.	“These results show we are dealing with tendencies which, while clear enough, are by no means rules.”
I agree with this and believe that it should raise questions about the rules. The rules can be confusing and unclear at times, which lead to people using whichever punctuation seems right to them and what needs to be emphasized.	“Fragments and comma splices, violations of the coordinate clause and elliptical coordinate clause...these and other failures to follow the rules are frequent enough to raise questions about the rules themselves.”
This quotes shows that you don’t always have to follow the rules, but you can follow principles instead.	“Conventional punctuation is grammar based…but what “good writers” do, writers like Orwell, is punctuate according to their intended meaning, their intended emphasis.”
This is very true and I agree that all writers want this. This can be hard to do sometimes because of all the rules you have to follow. The rules make it hard for you to say what you intended it to say.	“All writers, evidently, want a sentence to say what they intend it to say.”

Bernhardt

Before You Read:
While looking at an advertisement I am most drawn to the image and next to that I am attracted to the big, bold, colorful words that appear on the ad. The text is right by the image and it highlights whats being promoted. Some of the text is spread out to make me look at the whole the ad and to make me want to buy what they are selling.

Summary:
In Bernhardt's article, "Seeing the Text", he attempts to show the different formats text can appear in writing and visual features. He argues that visual features such as images or certain images can help the reader better understand the article. He also explains how organization is used for comprehension and significance to the text. Bernhardt's audience would be teachers because he is explaining how text formats can help students learn.

Synthesis:
Bernhardt's article is similar to McCloud's because they both incorporate visuals in their article and explain how important they are. Bernhardt focuses more on visuals in writing, such as graphs and tables. McCloud talks about images in comics and how we see images. Bernhardt's article is also similar to Berger's because Berger uses images in his article to give the readers a better understanding of what he is trying to explain, which is exactly what Bernhardt says in his article about how visuals help the reader comprehend.

Thoughts:
I liked Bernhardt's article and was able to read it and understand what he was saying easily. Also, I agree with what he had to say about visuals in texts and how they can help the reader better understand the article. I am a visual learner so I was able to relate to Bernhardt's article.

After You Read:
McCloud could have represented Bernhardt's argument in a comic. He could have made a comic about how to incorporate visuals in a paper.

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Response	Quotation
Having a visual in texts can greatly influence whoever is reading it.  Visuals can help sell a product or to sell ideas.	“Texts designed for public audiences typically adopt visually informative strategies.”
I believe that students should have been taught better how to use these methods of organizing papers. Visible features should be used more because they help with understanding text.	“If we were to encourage students to experiment with visible features of written texts, we would increase their ability to understand and use hierarchical and classificatory arrangements.”
I liked this quote because it explains how both the text and visual have impact on the reader, which I believe is true.	“Also important in the design of the fact sheet was the distribution of printed information on the page”
Having an audience is important for the purpose of the text. The audience shapes the structure of the writing.	“These multiple considerations of audience and purpose functionally constrain the text, influencing it’s shape and structure”

Porter

This quote intrigued me and made me think. All texts are interdependent and relate to other texts in some form.	“Not infrequently, and perhaps ever and always, texts refer to other texts and in fact rely on them for their meaning” (87).
I thought that it was interesting to find out that Jefferson’s writing in the Declaration of Independence wasn’t actually his. Jefferson borrowed most of his traces to make him seem like a creative writer.	“An examination of three sample texts will illustrate the various facets of intertexuality. The first, the Declaration of Independence, is popularly viewed as the work of Thomas Jefferson. Yet if we examine the text closely in its rhetorical milieu, we see that Jefferson was author only in the very loosest of senses” (89

Summary:

In his article, "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community, Porter attempts to show that ideas originality and plagiarism don’t actually show how texts work and how writers write. He also goes on by telling student writers the two key concepts of writing are intertexuality and the discourse community. Intertextuality is the idea that all texts contain “traces” of other texts. A discourse community is a group that communicates through a common interest and has a regulated discourse. Intertextuality should help students learn to write for the discourse communities they choose to join.

Synthesis:

Porter's article, "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" is very similar to Kleine’s article, “What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One.” Both these articles deal with writing and how everything has been written about. Kleine talks about hunting and gathering information before you start writing to find your audience and Porter does the same thing by finding a discourse community.

Thoughts:

I thought that this article was difficult to understand and was not able to fully understand the main concepts. The main points Porter made about intertexuality and the discourse community were interesting to read about and could be useful to students.

dialectical notebook: Lamott, King, Diaz

Junot Diaz: Becoming a Writer

Response	Quotation
I agree with this quote. I believe that to be a good writer you have keep working and never give up.	"In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway" (320).
I feel like everyone goes through this at least one time when you have been writing. It has definitely happened to me and I felt like nothing I was writing made any sense. It is important to keep on trying though because that’s what a good writer does.	“Nothing past page 75 made any kind of sense. Nothing.”(319).

Stephen King: What Writing Is
 

Response	Quotation
Having a favorite place to read where you feel comfortable is a good place to go to get the most work done. I have learned this through experience and I completely agree with what King is saying.	“So I read where I can, but I have a favorite place and probably you do, too-a place where the light is good and the vibe is usually strong”(306).
I like this quote because I think King makes a good point about taking writing seriously. If you don’t take it seriously there is nothing he can do for you.	“But it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and do something else”(307).

 Anne Lamott: Shitty First Drafts

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because it makes me feel better to know that no one gets it right the first time. Writing takes time and no one is perfect.	"I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident.  Not one of them writes elegant first drafts.  All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much" (301).
I can also relate to this quote because when I first write an essay it sometimes doesn’t make sense and I end up rewriting it a lot. I now know that it is okay to just write down whatever comes to your mind first because you have to start with something.	“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something-anything-down on paper.” (pg. 303)

Elbow

--> Before You Read:

1. I construct an identity using Facebook by the pictures I post, being able to share my interests, and post things about myself. I believe that my online identity on Facebook is the same as my identity at home. Everything that I'm involved in and do at home is what Is what I post on Facebook, so this makes my online and home identity the same.

Summary:

In his article, "Voice in Writing Again, Embracing Contraries", Elbow argues the contraries of voices and how people have different opinions on voice. Elbow goes on by explaining to student readers and writers how voice used to be an important dimension of texts and how it differs today. Elbow emphasizes all the places voice is used and how helpful it can be to make words easier to understand.

Synthesis:

Elbow's article is similar to Klein's because they both deal with expressing your own ideas. Elbow's article talks about how to use strong voice to make your writing better and connect with the audience. Klein's article also talks about how to make your paper stronger and your writing better by giving research tips and and using your voice in your research.

QD:

1. I would define voice as being able to express your own thoughts into your own words. The other definitions I encountered in the past of voice had to do with speech and other definitions match up to the what I think voice is. Elbow's definition of voice is what is true and fitting to the writer or speaker.

4. Within Elbow's strategy of arguing, he playing his "doubting and believing game". Elbow argues both sides in an equal manner giving the readers the choice to pick which side they want. He does this so that the reader can have their own voice and pick the side they believe in.

AE:

2. When you listen to a passage rather than reading it makes the words easier to understand. Ear training has effected my reading in the past by  understanding passages more clearly and it allowed me to comprehend what I read more easily. In my opinion I believe this is a tool everyone should because it really helps when figuring out the meaning and ideas of a reading.

Connection:

1.  I believe that Allen tries to encourage her audience that writing isn't hard and that anyone can be a good writer. This is very similar to what Kleine tries to do. They both encourage writers to express their own voice and opinions.

MM:

When I am writing I try to focus on a voice. It is sometimes hard to stay with this because I start to forget about it and focus on the details and other parts of my writing.  I believe it is possible to do and needed to be a successful writer.

Thoughts:

I thought that Elbow's article was very interesting and helpful. I learned about the different perspectives on voice and how important it is to express your voice. The article was somewhat long and I started to lose interest near the end, but overall I liked it. 

Berkenkotter, Murray, Allen

Berkenkotter Summary:
In her article "Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer", Berkenkotter attempts to get her point across to students writing papers that each writer's processes are unique.  She goes on talking about why the setting in which the writer composes is important. Also, Berkenkotter argues that we must pay attention to the context in which revision occurs to learn how writers revise. She goes about proving her point by setting up a study on Murray. The study consisted of recording Murray and his thoughts that he spoke out loud when he was writing. It was concluded that writer's protocols help with revisions that form planning.

Murray Summary:
In his article "Response of a Laboratory Rat-or, Being Protocoled", Murray talks about his experience of being a lab rat. He argues to his audience of student writers that affective conditions are important in writing. Also, doing this experiment made him aware of his audience and his work habits. He was able to realize all this through his countless hours of protocols and time dedicated to planning.

Synthesis:
These articles relate to Kleine because they both talk about the writing process and explain it. It shows different methods of writing that different writers use.
 

Before You Read:
I sometimes get overwhelmed before writing a big paper and sometimes don't know where to start. To calm my nerves and relax I make myself coffee and listen to some music before I start. I then and go into a quite space where I can focus and gather my thoughts. Once I am relaxed I start my planning for my writing and start brain storming for my paper. 

Questions for Discussion:
1. My impression of Murray's writing process is that it is very interesting. Murray reads what he writes and thinks out loud to edit his work. He takes a lot of time do edit and read out loud so that his paper sounds perfect. Murray also takes a lot of time to plan his writing. He plans out who his audience will be and suppresses his conscious awareness of audience to make his paper appeal to them. I find myself reading my paper to myself when revising it. I do not read out loud like Murray probably because I am self conscious of doing that. I will probably start reading out loud like Murray because it can be very effective and you can catch more errors in your paper by doing this. Also, like Murray I spend a lot of time planning my writing. I might not spend as much time as he did, but I find it to be very important to plan before you write.

3. This study changed Berkenkotter's understanding of writing processes by learning how important the planning, revising, and editing activities are to writers. Shenk also learned how writing plans can lead to other sub-plans. Berkenkotter learned a lot from Murray's writing and got a lot of information out of this experiment.

Applying and Exploring Ideas:
1. I usually spend my time writing by re-reading my paper constantly to make sure it sounds correct and it all flows well together. I would like to say that I am experienced writer. I have written a lot of papers, but I'm still need work. I am not the best writer and it sometimes takes me longer to write a paper than other people.  I spend a lot of time on prewriting and making a plan before I write, which is what Murray does and is very helpful.

Meta Moment:
One thing that I leaned from the Berkenkotter and Murray readings is that thinking out loud and reading out loud is very helpful and can be beneficial when writing. Reading your paper out loud helps you find your mistakes in your paper more easily and thinking out loud helps with planning, drafting, editing, and reviewing.

Thoughts:
The two articles I read were very interesting and gave great pointers to improve my writing. I learned how to revise and plan for my writing, which will help me in the future.

Allen Summary:
In her article "The Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer", Allen talks to students who are not inspired about reading and argues her point that anyone can be an inspired writer. She goes on by saying it is important to get inspired so that the people reading your writing will want to listen. 

Allen Synthesis:
Allen's article is a lot like like Berkenkotter's because they both have to do with strategies to make you a better writer. Allen's article talks about how to become an inspired writer and Berkenkotter's article is about learning how to revise and plan to write.

Before You Read:
I'm sure every professional writer at times struggles with writing like everyone. They go through the same process just like us, but they take a calmer, more relaxed approached. They usually know what to write about and have strong topics and arguments.
QD:
2. Allen proposes that the inspired writer is able to write because they practice and work hard at it. Allen says that the inspired writer is able to write easily. She goes on by saying an inspired writer is actually real life writers and that anyone can be an inspired writer.

3. I have colluded before because I have agreed upon an issue. I  I don't think that it is plagiarism. I am agreeing with an idea an issue had. As long as you are not copying it is not plagiarism.

AE:
2. Writing should have connection because your writing needs to have some sort of meaning and purpose. You should connect your audience so that they will want to listen.

Thoughts: 
I really liked this article Allen wrote. I was able to relate to the student in her example because sometimes I struggle with writing, but after reading this article I learned that anyone can be a good writer and an inspired writer.

McCloud Video

         In McCloud’s talk, I learned a lot about comics that I did not know before. He explained how to understand comics and that they have a visual medium that embrace all senses. Also, I didn’t know before that there are invisible parts to comics. These invisible segments are the parts that we have to imagine between panels, which can alter the whole comic. McCloud talks about how comics have been seen throughout history and the Egyptians are a great example of this. We can also see patterns in comics and are able to follow the flow of them. McCloud proposed that a monitor is seen as a window and can show how storylines can flow and have different patterns. I enjoyed this video and liked what McCloud had to say.