Past Writing Lab Workshops
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Prewriting
Planning for Success: English Composition and Academic Culture [PowerPoint]
Are you an academic? Succeeding in an English composition setting requires living in an academic lifestyle, which implies knowing how to engage and make the most of your higher education experience, including
- Understanding the differences between high school and college level composition courses.
- Developing student/instructor and student/student relationships.
- Increasing participation in class.
- Exhibiting leadership and initiative, demonstrating confidence, conflict resolution and negotiation, flexibility, equality, respect, and punctuality.
Identifying Your Audience [PowerPoint]
- Five questions that help you consider your audience, and
- How to use your syllabus to figure out what your instructor wants.
Crafting an Effective Research Question [PowerPoint]
- Get started with research by forming a researchable question
Outlines for Organizing Your Paper
Presented Oct. 11, 2017
Presentation Slides [PDF] and Slide Notes (Word)
Organizing Your Essay: Thesis Statements, Topic Sentences, and Transitions [PowerPoint]
- The necessary parts of a thesis statement,
- How to write topic sentences, and
- Three methods of transitioning between paragraphs.
Thesis Statements [PowerPoint]
- The elements of effective thesis statements and ways to write them
Writing Process
Working Collaboratively on Writing Projects [PowerPoint]
In many workplaces work is produced by a team or goes through multiple hands for feedback and revision. Opportunities to practice writing, editing, and presenting with others is a prudent step in preparing for the world after graduation. Learn how to get the most from group work:
- Learning from each other.
- Learning from points of view besides your own.
- Effective discussion and debate.
- Considering audience, an important aspect of learning to write effectively.
- Negotiating the issues inherent in any collaborative venture.
Types of Writing
Argumentative Essays [PowerPoint]
- How to write an argument that is a conversation with your audience,
- Templates that have been used in successful academic writing, and
- The necessary parts of an argumentative essay.
Descriptive Essays [PowerPoint]
- Questions to ask yourself before writing a descriptive essay,
- Words to use in a descriptive essay, and
- Words and phrases to avoid in a descriptive essay.
Descriptive Writing [PowerPoint]
- Identify ineffective description
- Resources for alternative vocabulary
- Tools for revising description
Résumés [Prezi] by Sheila de Leon
- Five key steps to writing a great resume along with
a top-10 list of tips that will help your resume stand out from the rest.
Proofreading
Avoiding Biased Language in Writing
Appropriate academic writing involves more than just minding your punctuation and alphabetizing resource lists! Learn the critical ideas behind unbiased academic written expression.
Punctuation for Research Writing [PDF] (PDF of PowerPoint slides)
Common punctuation marks and their typical uses in MLA and APA essays
Last Updated January 4, 2023