Reflections Patterns for Reading and Writing

by McWhorter, Kathleen T.

• ISBN13: 9781319043469
• ISBN10: 1319043461
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-09-30
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Guiding you through comprehension, analysis, evaluation, and written response, Reflections helps you develop the reading and writing skills you to be successful in college through an integrated approach.

Author Biography

Kathleen T. McWhorter is professor emerita of humanities and former director of the Learning Skills Center at Niagara County Community College. She has also been on the faculty of the State University College at Buffalo. She is the author of a number of books on writing for freshmen-level students, including the popular guide Successful College Writing, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015), and the composition reader Reflections: Patterns for Reading and Writing (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013). She has also written a number of textbooks on reading and writing for developmental students, including In Concert: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); In Harmony: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, Sixth Edition (2015); Academic Reading, Eighth Edition (2014); and Efficient and Flexible Reading, Tenth Edition (2014).

Table of Contents

McWhorter: Reflections, 2e
*New to this edition

 

PART 1: SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN READING AND WRITING

 

Chapter 1. Succeeding in College

*Robinson Meyer, To Remember a Lecture Better, Take Notes by Hand

Strategies for College Success

      Manage Your Time

      Organize a Reading, Writing, and Study Area

      Develop Concentration Skills

      Manage Stress

Classroom Skills

      Polish Your Academic Image

      Demonstrate Academic Integrity

      Communicate with Your Instructors

      Use Electronic Tools Effectively

 

      Listen Carefully and Critically

      Ask and Answer Questions
 

      Work with Classmates

 

      Take Effective Notes in Class

      Manage Online Course Work

 

Chapter 2. Active Reading

 

Strategies for Active Reading

Before Reading: Previewing and Forming Prereading Questions

 

Morgan Lowrie, Comparing Online and Traditional Education

      Preview

      Form Prereading Questions

 

Reading for Meaning: The Thesis Statement and Key Elements of Paragraphs

      Identify the Key Elements of Paragraphs

      Identify the Central Thought or Thesis Statement

 

Highlighting and Annotating

      Highlight Key Points

      Use Annotations

After Reading: Reviewing the Material

      Conduct an Immediate Review

      Write a Summary

      Draw a Graphic Organizer

      Create an Outline to Help You Study

Specialized Reading Strategies

      Look Closely at Unfamiliar Words

      Learn How to Handle Difficult Reading Material

      Use the Special Features of Your Textbooks

      Recognize the Importance of Visual Aids

Chapter 3. Critical Reading and Thinking Strategies

What Is Critical Thinking?

Strategies for Analyzing What You Read

      Examine the Author’s Purpose, Style, and Intended Audience

      Examine Word Choice

      Distinguish Fact from Opinion

      Analyze the Author’s Tone

      Look for Purposeful Omissions

      Make Reasonable Inferences

Strategies for Evaluating What You Read

      Identify Bias

      Evaluate Information Sources

      Evaluate the Reliability of Information

      Examine the Relevance and Sufficiency of Evidence 

      Recognize Assumptions

Analyzing and Evaluating Visual Aids 

      Photographs and Other Images

      Graphics and Tables 

Responding to Texts and Visual Aids with Journals and Response Papers

      Keep a Journal

      Write in Response to a Reading

 

Chapter 4. Prewriting: How to Find and Focus Ideas

Choosing a Topic

Narrowing a Topic

      Using a Branching Diagram

      Asking Questions to Narrow a Broad Topic

Thinking about Your Purpose, Audience, and Point of View

      Determining Your Purpose 

      Considering Your Audience

      Choosing a Point of View

Discovering Ideas to Write About
        

      Freewriting

      Mapping

      Brainstorming

      Questioning

      Writing Assertions

 

      Visualizing or Sketching

      Researching Your Topic

Students Write 

 

Chapter 5. Developing and Supporting a Thesis

What Is a Thesis Statement?

      Developing a Working Thesis Statement

      Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

      Placing the Thesis Statement
   

      Using an Implied Thesis

Supporting Your Thesis Statement with Evidence

      Choosing Types of Evidence

      Collecting Evidence to Support Your Thesis

      Choosing the Best Evidence

      Choosing Evidence for Academic Writing

      Using Sources to Support Your Thesis

Students Write

 

Chapter 6. Writing Effective Paragraphs

 

The Structure of a Paragraph

Writing a Topic Sentence

      A Topic Sentence Should Focus the Paragraph

      A Topic Sentence May Preview the Organization of the Paragraph

 

      A Topic Sentence Should Support Your Thesis

      A Topic Sentence Should Be Strategically Placed

 

Including Supporting Details

      Effective Paragraphs Have Unity
 

      Effective Paragraphs Are Well Developed

      Effective Paragraphs Provide Specific Supporting Details Arranged in a Logical Manner

Using Transitions and Repetition

Students Write

Analyzing the Writer’s Technique

 

Chapter 7. Drafting an Essay

 

The Structure of an Essay

Organizing Your Supporting Details

      Selecting a Method of Organization

      Preparing an Outline or a Graphic Organizer

Writing a Draft

Using Transitions and Repetition to Connect Your Ideas

      Using Transitional Expressions to Connect Ideas

 

      Using Repeated Words to Connect Ideas

Writing Your Introduction, Conclusion, and Title

      Writing a Strong Introduction

      Writing an Effective Conclusion

      Writing a Good Title

Students Write

 

       Analyzing the Writer’s Technique

 

Chapter 8 Revising Content and Organization

 

Useful Techniques for Revision

Key Questions for Revision

 

      Analyzing Your Purpose and Audience

      Evaluating Your Thesis Statement, Topic Sentences, and Evidence

 

      Evaluating Your Organization

      Evaluating Your Introduction, Conclusion, and Title

 

      Evaluating Your Paragraph Development

Working with Classmates to Revise Your Essay

      How to Find a Good Reviewer

 

      Suggestions for the Writer

      Suggestions for the Reviewer

 

Using Your Instructor’s Comments

      Revising an Essay Using Your Instructor’s Comments

 

      Using Your Instructor’s Comments to Improve Future Essays

Editing and Proofreading

 

      Editing Your Essay

   

   Proofreading Your Essay

Students Write 

      Christine Lee (student), A Trend Taken Too Far 

    

  Analyzing the Writer’s Technique

 

PART 2: READINGS FOR WRITERS

 

Chapter 9. Patterns: An Introduction

An Overview of Patterns

 

Combining Patterns

 

Writing an Essay That Combines Patterns

Guidelines for Using Chapters 10-18 

 

Chapter 10. Narration: Recounting Events

 

What Is Narration? 

      A Model Narration Essay 

 

      Alton Fitzgerald White, Right Place, Wrong Face

 

The Structure and Content of Narration Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Narration Essays 

      Understanding a Narration Essay

      Analyzing a Narration Essay 

 

      Evaluating a Narration Essay 

Writing Your Own Narration Essay 

      A Student Model Narration Essay 

      Mina Raine, Taking Back Control

 

      Responding to Raine’s Essay 

 

      Finding Ideas for Your Narration Essay 

      Choosing an Event or Incident for Your Narration Essay 

 

      Gathering Details about the Experience or Incident 

      Developing and Supporting a Thesis 

 

      Drafting Your Narration Essay 

 

      Revising Your Narration Essay 

      Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

      Sherry Amatenstein, Talking a Stranger through the Night 

      *Roger Porter, A New Interpretation of Tears 

 

      *Anna Erelle, Excerpt from In the Skin of a Jihadist: A Young Journalist Enters the ISIS Recruitment Network 

COMBINED PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

 

      Ben Beekman and George Beekman, History of the Future 

 

Working with Narration as a Reader and Writer  

 

Chapter 11. Description: Portraying People, Places, and Things 

 

What Is Description? 

       A Model Description Essay 

       Jeremy MacClancy, Eating Chilli Peppers

The Structure and Content of Description Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Description Essays 

 

       Understanding a Description Essay 

 

       Analyzing a Description Essay 

       Evaluating a Description Essay 

Writing Your Own Description Essay 

 

       A Student Model Description Essay 

       *Madelieine Massey, Small Town New Orleans 

 

       Responding to Massey’s Essay 

 

       Finding Ideas for Your Description Essay 

       Choosing a Subject for Your Description Essay 

 

       Collecting Details That Describe Your Subject 

       Finding Comparisons and Choosing a Vantage Point 

       Creating a Dominant Impression 

       Drafting Your Description Essay 

 

       Revising Your Description Essay 

       Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

       Richard Selzer, The Discus Thrower 

 

       *Jordan Kisner, Rain Is Sizzling Bacon, Cars Are Lions Roaring: The Art of Sound in Movies 

    

        Veronica Chambers, The Secret Latina 

COMBINED PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: FILM STUDIES

 

        Louis Giannetti, Costumes 

 

Working with Description as a Reader and Writer  

 

Chapter 12.  Illustration: Explaining with Examples

 

What Is Illustration? 

         A Model Illustration Essay 

         Bill Bryson, Snoopers at Work

 

The Structure and Content of Illustration Essays

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Illustration Essays 

         Understanding an Illustration Essay 

         Analyzing an Illustration Essay 

         Evaluating an Illustration Essay 

Writing Your Own Illustration Essay 

         A Student Model Illustration Essay 

 

         *Kaitlyn Frey, Waste, Away!

 

         Responding to Frey’s Essay 

         Finding Ideas for Your Illustration Essay 

 

         Choosing a Subject for Your Illustration Essay 

         Gathering Examples for Your Illustration Essay 

         Developing and Supporting Your Thesis 

         Drafting Your Illustration Essay 

 

         Revising Your Illustration Essay 

         Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

         *Michael Hanlon, What Happened to Innovation? 

 

         Cristina Rouvalis, Hey Mom, Dad, May I Have My Room Back? 

         Brent Staples, Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space 

 

COMBINED PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: ART APPRECIATION

 

         Patrick Frank, Issue-Oriented and Street Art 

 

Working with Illustration as a Reader and Writer  

 

Chapter 13.  Process Analysis: Explaining How Something Works or Is Done 

 

What Is Process Analysis? 

         A Model Process Analysis Essay 

 

         *Eric Rosenberg, How to Make Money with YouTube

The Structure and Content of Process Analysis Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Process Analysis Essays 

         Understanding a Process Analysis Essay 

 

         Analyzing a Process Analysis Essay 

         Evaluating a Process Analysis Essay 

 

Writing Your Own Process Analysis Essay 

 

         A Student Model Process Analysis Essay 

 

Aurora Gilbert, The Pleasures and Particulars of Philanthropy: How to Publicize Your Fund-Raising Event 

         Responding to Gilbert’s Essay 

         Finding Ideas for Your Process Analysis Essay 

         Choosing a Process for Your Essay 

 

         Developing and Supporting Your Thesis 

         Listing the Steps and Gathering Details 

 

         Drafting Your Process Analysis Essay 

         Revising Your Process Analysis Essay 

         Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

        *Austin Netzley, 8 Steps to Pay Off $81, of Debt in Less Than 3 Years 

        *Scott Matteson, How Does Google Search Really Work? 

 

 COMBINED PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: PSYCHOLOGY

 

        *Carole Wade, Carol Tarvis, and Maryanne Garry, The Nature of Stress

 

Working with Process Analysis as a Reader and Writer  

 

Chapter 14.  Comparison and Contrast: Showing Similarities and Differences 

 

What Is Comparison and Contrast? 

        A Model Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

 

        Dave Barry, We’ve Got the Dirt on Guy Brains 

The Structure and Content of Comparison-and-Contrast Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Comparison-and-Contrast Essays 

 

       Understanding a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

       Analyzing a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

 

       Evaluating a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

Writing Your Own Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

 

       A Student Model Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

       Heather Gianakos, Border Bites

 

       Responding to Gianakos’s Essay 

       Finding Ideas for Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

 

       Choosing a Basis of Comparison and a Purpose 

       Discovering Similarities and Differences and Generating Details 

 

       Developing and Supporting Your Thesis 

       Selecting Points of Comparison 

 

       Drafting Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

       Revising Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay 

 

       Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

       *Sara Rashkin, What Kind of H2O Should You Drink? We Asked L.A.’s Only Water Sommelier 

       Deborah Tannen, Sex, Lies, and Conversation 

 

       Amy Chua, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior 

 

COMBINEDPATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: PSYCHOLOGY

 

       Carole Wade and Carol Tavris, Dealing with Cultural Differences 

Working with Comparison and Contrast as a Reader and Writer  

 

Chapter 15.  Classification and Division: Explaining Categories and Parts 

 

What Are Classification and Division? 

       A Model Classification Essay 

 

       Joshua Fruhlinger, Online Dating — Five Things to Avoid

The Structure and Content of Classification and Division Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Classification and Division Essays 

      Understanding a Classification or Division Essay 

 

      Analyzing a Classification or Division Essay 

      Evaluating a Classification or Division Essay 

 

Writing Your Own Classification or Division Essay 

      A Student Model Classification Essay 

 

      Maris Vasquez, A Profile of Facebook Users

      Responding to Vasquez’s Essay 

 

      Finding Ideas for Your Classification or Division Essay 

      Planning Your Classification or Division Essay 

 

      Choosing a Principle of Classification or Division 

      Choosing Categories or Parts 

 

      Identifying the Key Features of Each Category or Part 

      Developing and Supporting Your Thesis  

 

      Drafting Your Classification or Division Essay 

      Revising Your Classification or Division Essay 

 

      Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

      Mindy Kaling, Types of Women in Romantic Comedies Who Are Not Real 

      David Bodanis, A Brush with Reality: Surprises in the Tube 

 

COMBINING THE PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: HEALTH

      *April Lynch, Barry Elmore, and Jerome Kotecki, Addiction 

 

Working with Classification and Division as a Reader and Writer  

Chapter 16.  Definition: Explaining What You Mean 

 

What Is Definition? 

       A Model Definition Essay 

 

*Roland Kelts, The Satori Generation

The Structure and Content of Definition Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Definition Essays 

       Understanding a Definition Essay 

 

       Analyzing a Definition Essay 

       Evaluating a Definition Essay 

 

Writing Your Own Definition Essay 

 

       A Student Model Definition Essay  

       

       *Sarah Frey, Woman of Many Talents

       Responding to Frey’s Essay 

 

       Finding Ideas for Your Definition Essay 

       Planning Your Definition Essay 

 

       Developing and Supporting Your Thesis 

       Drafting Your Definition Essay 

 

       Revising Your Definition Essay 

       Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

       Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving 

       Bethe Dufresne, Gullible Travels 

 

       Stefany Anne Golberg, Can You See Me Now? Deaf America 

 

COMBINED PATTERNS |  TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: PUBLIC RELATIONS 

      *Dennis Wilcox, Glen Cameron, and Bryan Reber, The Cult of Celebrity 

Working with Definition as a Reader and Writer  

Chapter 17.  Cause and Effect: Using Reasons and Results to Explain 

 

What Are Causes and Effects? 

       A Model Cause-and-Effect Essay 

 

       Amy Tan, E. coli on the Rocks 

 

The Structure and Content of Cause-and-Effect Essays 

 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Cause-and-Effect Essays 

       Understanding a Cause-and-Effect Essay 

 

       Analyzing a Cause-and-Effect Essay 

       Evaluating a Cause-and-Effect Essay 

 

Writing Your Own Cause-and-Effect Essay 

       A Student Model Cause-and-Effect Essay 

 

       Nathan Nguyen, Gambling on Our Future

       Responding to Nguyen’s Essay 

 

       Finding Ideas for Your Cause-and-Effect Essay 

       Selecting an Event to Write About 

 

       Discovering Causes and Effects 

       Identifying Primary Causes and Effects 

 

       Developing Your Thesis 

       Drafting Your Cause-and-Effect Essay 

 

       Revising Your Cause-and-Effect Essay 

       Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

       *Katie Wheeling, Why Do Violent Videos Go Viral? 

 

       *Hara Estroff Marano, Why We Procrastinate 

       *Fred Pearce, TV as Birth Control: Defusing the Population Bomb

 

COMBINING THE PATTERNS | TEXTBOOK EXCERPT: NUTRITION

       *Joan Salge Blake, Kathy D. Munoz, and Stella Volpe, What Factors Contribute to Hunger around the World?  

 

Working with Cause and Effect as a Reader and Writer  

Chapter 18.  Argumentation: Supporting a Claim

What Is an Argument?  

 

        A Model Argument Essay  

        

        Lisa M. Hamilton, Eating Meat for the Environment

The Structure and Content of Argument Essays 

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating Argument Essays 

 

        Understanding an Argument Essay 

        Analyzing an Argument Essay 

 

        Evaluating an Argument Essay 

Writing Your Own Argument Essay 

 

        A Student Model Argument Essay  

        James Sturm, Pull the Plug on Explicit Lyrics

 

        Responding to Sturm’s Essay 

        Finding Ideas for Your Argument Essay 

 

        Selecting an Issue to Write About 

        Considering Your Audience 

 

        Developing a Claim in Your Thesis 

        Considering Opposing Viewpoints 

 

        Drafting Your Argument Essay 

        Revising Your Argument Essay 

 

        Editing and Proofreading Your Essay 

Readings for Practice, Ideas for Writing 

 

       *Soujourner Truth, Ain’t I a Woman?

 

       Sebastian Junger, Why Would Anyone Miss War? 

 

       *Brittney Cooper, The Racial Parenting Divide: What Adrian Peterson Reveals about Black vs. White Child-Rearing 

        ARGUMENT PAIR: DEBATING  A HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE

 

       *Robert Reich, Why We Should Raise the Minimum Wage 

       *Reihan Salam, The Fight Against 15  

 

        ARGUMENT PAIR: DEBATING MULTITASKING

        Peter Bregman, How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking 

 

        David Silverman, In Defense of Multitasking 

Working with Argument as a Reader and Writer  

 

PART 3: STUDENT RESEARCH GUIDE 

 

Chapter 19.  Finding and Using Sources

Primary and Secondary Sources 

How to Locate Sources 

 

        Locating Useful Library Sources 

        Doing Research on the World Wide Web 

 

Evaluating Sources for Relevance and Reliability 

 

        Questions for Evaluating Sources for Relevance 

        Questions for Evaluating Sources for Reliability 

 

Working with Text: Reading Sources 

Extracting Information from Sources 

 

        Gathering Necessary Citation Information 

        Systems of Note-Taking 

        Writing Summary Notes 
 

        Writing Paraphrases 

 

        Recording Quotations 

        Avoiding Plagiarism 

 

        What Counts as Plagiarism 

        How to Avoid Plagiarism 

 

*Chapter 20.  Documenting Your Sources

Documenting Sources in MLA Style  

 

        MLA-Style In-Text Citations 

        MLA-Style List of Works Cited 

 

        Some MLA-Style Models  

        Sample Pages from an MLA-Style Paper  

 

*Documenting Sources in APA Style 

        *APA-Style In-Text Citations 

 

        *APA-Style List of References 

        *Some APA-Style Models  

 

        *Sample Pages from an APA-Style Paper  

*PART 4: HANDBOOK: WRITING PROBLEMS AND HOW TO CORRECT THEM

 

*Review of Basic Grammar 

        *1 Parts of Speech 

 

        *2 Sentence Structure 

*Writing Correct Sentences 

 

        *3  Sentence Fragments 

        *4  Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices 

        *5  Subject-Verb Agreement 

 

        *6  Verb Forms 

 

        *7  Pronoun Problems 

 

        *8  Shifts and Mixed Constructions 

        *9  Adjectives and Adverbs 

 

        *10 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers 

*Using Punctuation and Mechanics Correctly

 

       *11  End Punctuation 

       *12  Commas 

       *13  Semicolons 

       *14  Colons 

 

       *15  Quotation Marks, Ellipses, and Brackets 

       *16  Apostrophes 

 

       *17  Dashes 

       *18  Capitalization and Italics/Underlining 

 

*Answers to Even-Numbered Exercises in Handbook 

Index