Portfolio Entry #7: Writing & Academic Writing

''Excuse me, sir Dhaval...'' our Wizard whispered, her eyes glinting.

''Don't be so formal, young lady. Call me Dahis, Dhaval is what the 

students call me when they're in trouble.'' The Schoolmaster laughed

''I have read many of your works before, your research and 

discoveries have inspired me to become an adventurer as well.

Your studies on the origins of the Rakshasa has helped a lot 

of people, including me.'' She confessed, slightly bashful.

Writing: The 3 Steps

 In spite of there being different types of genre with their own styles and structures, all of them follow the same 3 steps for writing: pre-writing, while writing, and post writing.

 Pre-writing being the first step, where the writer starts to plan what they intend to write. Mindstorming is always the go-to when deciding how to approach a topic. Do not only think about what to write, think also about why you write. 

 What is the purpose of your writing? Is it an assignment? Do you want to share a fun experience with others? Are you writing for pleasure, for fun?

 

 

 

 While writing is, well, writing. Start small, simple. When you feel confident of your work, start adding details, but do not stray too far from the main idea.

 

 Post writing is the last step of writing, but is also the hardest. This is where you read your whole work, from beginning to ending, in search of typos, grammar mistakes... that is, if you are lucky. Most of the time, you will end up editing your writing, sometimes even start from scratch.

 What is more important than a couple of typos and grammar mistakes, is that the writing makes sense. A writing needs to be coherent to be understood, no matter the genre or audience.

What is Academic Writing?

 It is any formal work produced in an academic setting, for the academic community; for example, students write for professors as class assignments.

 Academic Writing informs and analyses the arguments of other people, while trying to persuade readers to accept the writer's viewpoint. 

Sources:

 

University of Leeds, Academic Writing. Last visited: 27/07/2020.

Retrieved from: https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

Ana Maria Amanda Otero, on Youtube. 3 Steps of Writing.

Metacognitive Analysis

 Graphic organizers are one of the best tools a student can pick up from the beginning. They allow students to connect different concepts together, sometimes discovering relationships they were not aware of, and to develop a hierarchy based on their importance. 

Concept maps, flow charts, Venn diagrams, and story boards are the most common graphic organizer. For example, mindstorming (a concept map) is an activity that teachers rely on when introducing a new topic. 

Graphic organizers are perfect for taking down notes, as they are easier to make and faster than writing down lengthy paragraphs; the concepts can be developed at a later time. They also break from the monotony of text, which sometimes can be overwhelming.

Graphic organizers should be used a lot more, and we should encourage students to use them as well.