Week 1 “Assignment”

UMUC Databases–Video Tutorial 1–Keyword Searches

In WRTG 291, you will be required to develop research and writing skills

to apply to the formal writing assignments. In this exercise, you will

research a topic of your choosing in the UMUC Databases. This exercise

will help you to begin to develop sources for both the reflective

annotated bibliography in Week 4 and the personal research narrative in

Week 6.

Please watch the following video tutorial:

If you need a review of APA citation, please read over: Writing For Success, Chapter 13, APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting.

If you need a refresher on summarizing, please visit: UMUC Guide to Writing and Research: Summarize Your Sources.

The objective of this activity is to help you become familiar with UMUC Databases, searching, keywords, and research.

Please complete the following steps after viewing video tutorial #1;

1. Conduct a keyword search around an idea, or topic, of your choosing.

2. Take notes on your keyword search. (You will use them later in class.)

3. After you’ve searched, please post your keyword and the author and title of the article you found.

4. In addition, please post a short summary of the article. Your summary can be 50-100 words.

Introducing the response Essay

Your first essay will be a Response Essay. You can find a complete set of directions in Week 2. It is due in Week 2.

The response essay asks you to examine

a source, or a group of sources, and discuss your reactions to it. The

essay will incorporate source material summary into its discussion but

will also integrate your reactions to the source material. I have

uploaded a short section at the top of the Week 1 Content page from the

following text: Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C. They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing with Readings. Please

read over the material posted. As you read over the material, take

notes on your response to it. You will use those notes in your response

to this discussion.

What is the article’s main point? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

What does your experience tell you about this situation?

Do the template strategies introduced work? Why? Why not?

What does the evidence say?

Task: Post a short description of, section of, and response to Graff and Birkenstein’s material.

Objective:

To encourage learners to understand rhetorical strategies in the

reading material and to practice writing responses to academic

material.

1. After reading over the Graff and

Birkenstein material and taking notes on your response, please post a

short description of Graff and Birkenstein’s argument about academic

writing.

2. In addition, please post a single

template list from the reading. (The templates begin in Chapter 1 on

page 22.) Please include a single sentence explaining how the template

is meant to be used according to Graff and Birkenstein.

3. Finally, post your response to the template section that you’ve chosen.

Please respond to two fellow students.