THE BLUE LIGHT show: Genesis Reading September 3, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : CORE, MP3s, Origins Unit, Text & Context , comments closed
CORE students . . .This podcast is a reading of your assignment from Genesis. We *totally* took advantage of the sound effects and music to create a space for the story to come to life in the oral tradition from which it came. Let the language wash over you as you relax or exercise. Consider ideas to explore in your first paper.
THE BLUE LIGHT show: Old Man Coyote discussion September 3, 2009
Posted by willmeister in : CORE, MP3s, Origins Unit , add a commentIn this episode of the BLUE LIGHT SHOW, those masters of mirth and malady, William and Kayla, decipher the intricate mysteries of “Old Man Coyote Makes the World” [Crow]. They compliment, they dis, they ponder and invite you to enter the conversation.To listen, click the gray slide arrow; to copy, right click “download” and select “Save Link As.”
THE BLUE LIGHT show: Corn Mother discussion September 3, 2009
Posted by willmeister in : CORE, MP3s, Origins Unit , add a commentIn this episode of the the BLUE LIGHT SHOW, William and Kayla tackle “Corn Mother.” On this smoke-free campus, what do they make of tobacco being a “gift”? William ponders how the Penobscot deities differ from the Greek gods and superheroes. Kayla knocks William for a Harry Potter reference.To play, click the gray slide; to copy, right click on “download” and select “Save Link As.”
Welcome to the Writing Center! August 27, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : Uncategorized , comments closedWe’re back! You’re writing, or will be soon. Think of us as your partners–friendly listeners and readers who will help you interpret assignments, untangle citation styles, clarify paragraphs, and assist you in proofreading.
Stop by (Christopher Center 1st floor), email (writing.center@valpo.edu), or IM for help.
Weekdays: 9-5
Evenings: Sun-Thurs 7-9
IM–until 10:30 PM Sun-Thurs
Check out our categories–You will find something to help you out, if you can’t come in.
Welcome Freshman Writers–That’s You! August 27, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : CORE, Text & Context , comments closedThe Writing Center has great support for CORE and Text and Context! We know the texts and and love to talk about them as you prepare your essays.
Several of our consultants have taken CORE, are anxious to hear about your first few days on campus, and are looking forward to getting to know freshmen.
Christ College freshmen . . .you’ll find upperclass CC students as consultants. In fact, we have “CC Thursdays and Fridays” with consultants on hand. Spread out your laptop, notes, and coffee. CC writing consultants will be near by for individual or group consultations. Test a thesis, read aloud, or improve “flow” with us.
When at your computer at night Sunday – Thursday, come online with questions or a rant from 9 PM-10:30 PM. IM a consultant from http://www.valpo.edu/writingcenter.
Quotes Should be Working for You August 26, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : CORE, Citation & bibliography, Education Unit, Love Unit, Quoting , comments closedA quote is a powerful enforcer in your writing. The direct quote should underscore and clarify a point you have written about; it should not be doing the explaining for you. So, always summarize a quote before or after you use it. (Otherwise, you readers may think you don’t understand the quote or how it applies.)
Secondly, impress the reader with the authority of the quote. In your sentences tell something about the source–maybe the source is a well-known person like former president Jimmy Carter, or has an impressive title like Surgeon General, or perhaps the name of the article is the most impressive like “Annual Energy Outlook 2007″ from the US government Energy Information Administration. No one cares about the actual author, in this case. The title is the convincing part.
You’re probably thinking, what about the citation and bibliography? Isn’t all that information there? Yes, but your text is convincing if you show that you were able to interpret the significance of the sources, not just stick a few ideas together with some quotes. Your role as writer is to digest and interpret for the reader, not just find. And, anything you put in the text, you can omit from the parenthetical citation–in MLA or APA.
For examples, see this short how-to from us: How to Use Quotes, Paraphrases, and Summaries Effectively
Show More, Tell Less . . .Revising Narrative August 25, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : CORE, Editing, Handouts, Love Unit, Style , comments closedHow many times have you heard this writing advice: Show us, don’t tell us. Readers prefer action over narrative so they can picture events as they may have happened. But how do you carry out this advice? You have already used adjectives and adverbs and told what happened . . .but this still may be telling, not showing.
With a few additions, you can easily revamp a passage to show.
(1) Add dialog: Let people talk to show their feelings and motives.
(2) Add movement: Let people move around to show what’s happening and what they’re thinking. You can imply many complex ideas with through people’s actions.
(3) Add examples that show: Give readers more than one example. In fact, this might be where you can add the dialog and action.
(4) Replace “is/are” verbs with verbs that show action: grabbed, argued, flung, considered, extolled, worried, announced, etc.
Compare these two paragraphs in this pdf–These examples will show you the idea, rather than our just telling you the steps! how-to-show-more-tell-less.pdf
CORE tip: Apply these techniques to revisions of your creation narrative paper. Maybe showing more will bring it to life.
The Very Quick Guide to Organizing your Paper August 24, 2009
Posted by jhicks in : CORE, Content, Essay Planning, International Students , add a commentMany students organize papers in a deductive organization. This means the first paragraph has a clear statement of the thesis, including its major premise and significance. The rest of the paper presents paragraphs of evidence. A good thesis sentence has a key phrase that can be used throughout the essay.
Ideally, many paragraphs begin with a sentence that sums up the major point of the paragraph. The topic sentence will use key phrases from the thesis sentence.
The conclusion will further discuss the significance of the thesis. The conclusion might make a prediction related to the thesis, suggest ideas for further analysis at another time, or add one more thought-provoking point related to the thesis.
The Dash July 21, 2009
Posted by egutierrez in : Punctuation , add a commentThe dash (–) is a great punctuation mark to use whenever you want to interrupt a sentence to add a set of words or phrase for emphasis. In the following sentence, the dash is used to set off a piece of text the author wants to stress:
That country — whose president promised a new era of peace — will go to war with its neighbor.
Notice the emphasis placed on whose president promised a new era of peace. Notice also the way your eyes seem to glide over the sentence faster than had the author chosen to use commas instead. Take a look at the same sentence which uses commas instead of dashes:
That country, whose president promised a new era of peace, will go to war with its neighbor.
The difference is subtle, but you should be able to notice a change not only in the pace the sentence is read, but in the way the phrase is emphasized. In the second sentence, the reader tends to make a pause upon arriving at the first comma (which is what the comma is supposed to make the reader do), then read the phrase, then pause again when he or she reaches the last comma, then read the remainder of the sentence. With the first sentence that uses dashes, though, there are no pauses before and after the phrase. In fact, with the dash the reader tends to jump right to the phrase and finish the entire sentence in one look (or one breath, if being read aloud). This effect allows the reader to process the sentence faster and grasp the importance of the emphasized phrase in a way that often surprises the reader.
The Colon July 20, 2009
Posted by egutierrez in : Punctuation , add a comment(1) The colon (:) is used in a complete sentence to mark the beginning of a list, restatement, or explanation. With a list a colon can only be used when the preceding sentence is a complete sentence. For example,
Three months out of the year are the hottest: June, July, and August.
A colon is required with a list when phrases like as follows or the following are used, but not when such as or including are used. For example,
The hottest months include the following: June, July, and August.
(2) A colon can mark a restatement (of what was previously said in that sentence) only if what precedes the colon is a complete sentence. For example,
The homeless and elderly prepared for the hottest months of the year: June, July, and August.
(3) A colon can be used to introduce a quote. Whenever a complete sentence is used to introduce a quote, use a colon. For example,
Mr. Smith summarized the weather perfectly: “It is sweltering!”
If the words used to introduce a quote do not make up a complete sentence, use a comma instead.
(4) Finally, you can use a colon to connect two complete sentences when the first sentence summarizes or explains the second sentence. For example,
August 3 was the hottest day in recent memory: hospitals were flooded with people suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.
**Adopted from Simon & Schuster’s Handbook for Writers, Third Edition, by Lynn Quitman Troyka