Hello there(:

Aha!(new learning): Our class finally learned the 6th trait of writing this year: sentence fluency. Although some parts still have me searching around in the dark (I usually do a quick 'Google' just to check), I've understood things like parallel structure for the most part. One of the major assignments we had on sentence fluency was the first quarter exam. We had to copy the parallel structure of an already given piece of writing, but had to change the idea and details of the piece.

I also learned that you can actually have fun while writing a college essay. (ackk! I've been brainwashed! haha just jokes) Not fun as in "Yay I think I'll do this in my spare time"-fun, but that the assignment we had was kinda enjoyable to write. I think I won't be so miserable in junior year knowing this(:

Don't forget about... (goals from beginning of the year): My goal from the beginning of the school year was to write less on my peer blog commentary. Eh, so far I've been doing okay with that... although I could be a bit more condensed and specific. It's getting easier for me- I'm taking less time to read through and process, then critique it. (yay me clapclapclap)

Looking for my work? Either get a finger work out by scrolling up and down this page, OR you could use the handy-dandy directory I made juuust for you (next post down).

Lost Your Way?

Hello there....again. Looking for a faster way to get to my 6 traits? Well look no further, your prayers have been heard!

(Just click on the link of your choice below)

Introduction

Ideas

Organization

Voice

Word Choice

Sentence Fluency

Conclusion

Ideas

The main idea of the paper is the whole point, focus, or thesis, or the paper. It answers the question "Why am I reading this?" and "Why should I care?" Any piece of writing has relevant evidence to support the main idea, whether it be a strong opinion, statistics, or imagery details . A writing would be nothing without ideas.

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Example 1:

Example 2:

There's no place like home? click here

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Organization

Organization is how the ideas are phrased and grouped. The piece of work has a logical flow, like chronological, spatial, or climatic order. This is so that random thoughts don't just 'pop-up' throughout the essay, and that the paper stays on topic. The organization allows the writing to have the most impact on the audience. The organizational part of essays include the introduction, body, and concluding paragraphs.

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Example 1:

Example 2:

There's no place like home? click here

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Voice

What makes voice? Possibly the the perspective of the author. Maybe its the quality and personality of the author that can be identified as emotions, whether it be passionate, to angry, to humorous. Looking at the whole picture, voice can be how the ideas are stated throughout the writing piece. Whatever it is, voice is the important part of the paper that makes you want to keep reading until the end.

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Example 1:

One thing I want to add about this piece is that I originally tried writing it two other ways. I kept getting stuck half way through because it just didn't sound right. In this way, of describing my neighbors, fit better to display my voice.

Example 2:

There's no place like home? click here

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Word Choice

Words, words, words! These little things are the main form of communication between people. There are so many words, the hard part is which ones to choose to get a point across to someone else. In an essay its important to use words that are appropriate for the audience. Too many 'big words' will leave an audience wondering what you meant, instead of them thinking about what your trying to say. Papers that are too 'wordy' will also take away from the ideas of the work.

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Example 1:

This is a graphic I made for the 'Coming of Age' project. It uses words to create symbolic pictures. The broccoli stands for things that are good for you, but you might not necessarily like it. The cake represents things that aren't always good for you, but you are more inclined to like. The words I used highlight some actions that can give a better representation of what message is.

Example 2: English Final Exam First Quarter

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Sentence Fluency

Sentence fluency is how the words in each sentence interact with each other. If a sentence sounds awkward, it does not have good flow- which may confuse the reader. This does not mean creating longer sentences, instead using long sentences when they would be best and short sentences when they fit better.

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Example 1:

Example 2:

There's no place like home? click here

Lost your way? click here