Topic Sentences
Describe your own experience using topic sentences
There is no right answer
On a scale of 1 to MLA Ninja, how do you rate yourself in terms of MLA skills and why?
There is no right answer
What's a grammar issue that you struggle with?
There is no wrong answer
What was the most surprising part about the research process?
There is no wrong answer
What's the part of the writing process that you like the most and why?
There is always a right answer!
What is a topic sentence?
the paragraph's argument and how it relates to the thesis.
What goes in the parentheses of an in-text citation?
A page or paragraph number.
When should I use contractions or 2nd person in academic writing?
Never
What is a peer-reviewed source?
A source that is written by an expert and approved by multiple other experts in the field in order to be published. Can be a book or article in a journal.
Do you see the writing process as linear, progressing from planning to writing to revising, or do you see it as circular? Why?
Your preference
How does the topic sentence show its support the thesis?
Repeat key words or phrases from the thesis.
Why don't I include the author in an MLA in-text citation?
Because the author is introduced in the sentence.
Why is good grammar important in academic writing?
It ensures ideas are communicated well. Errors undermine clarity and credibility.
Name one strategy to refine or change your search results.
putting terms in quotes
filtering for peer-reviewed articles or full-text or books only, etc.
If you are having trouble reading or writing, what can you do to re-set?
Eat! Take a short break! Go for a walk! Talk through your ideas out loud! Ask yourself what you are trying to say!
Mark Randall suggests that flies are bad as well.
If all insects are irritating, flies are also bad.
If all insects are irritating, flies are also bad.
The man on the moon was probably fake (Randall). There is something "fishy going on with how the moon looks" (Randall, 56).
According to Randall, the man on the moon is probably not real. He says that there is something "fishy going on with how the moon looks" (56).
Mark James and other researchers argue that the Nigerians and West Africans in general are some of the most creative and ingenious businessmen in the profession.
Mark James argues that West Africans are creative in business.
Religious issues in Brazil
Brazil and Christianity
"Indigenous religions" Brazil
Catholicism and Brazil
Name some examples of how people pre-write or plan
talking out ideas with a friend
outline, research, read, free-write, coggle it, etc
Thesis: Cats are better than dogs
Main idea: grooming
Main idea: bathroom habits
Cats are better than dogs because they do not require expensive grooming sessions.
Cats are better than dogs because they can conveniently use a litter box.
Foucault, Michel (2007). "DOCILE BODIES." Discipline and Punish, 1.3, page 254. 14 pages.
Foucault, Michel. "Docile Bodies." Discipline and Punish, vol 1, no. 3, 2007, pp. 254-270.
Although issues of sexuality affect Brazilian politics, it is difficult to distinguish how bad it is.
The impact of sexuality on Brazilian politics is difficult to determine.
How do you avoid plagiarism?
Take good notes, put in-text citations everywhere in my paper that I used info from someone, revise the whole sentence instead of switching out words, cite cite cite!
How is revising different from editing?
Revising requires re-thinking at bigger levels. Editing is fixing small errors or problems at the sentence level.