Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyWritingLab does not come packaged with this content. If you would like to purchase both the physical text and MyWritingLab search for: 013397040X / 9780133970401  Writing Today, Brief Edition Plus MyWritingLab with Pearson eText - Access Card Package Package includes: 0133944131 / 9780133944136  MyWritingLab with Pearson eText - Access Card 013394414X / 9780133944143  MyWRitingLab with Pearson eText - Inside Star Sticker 0321984749 / 9780321984746  Writing Today, Brief Edition MyWritingLab is not a self-paced technology and should only be purchased when required by an instructor.   For courses in English Composition. Organized by genre – practical for college and career Accessible to students and flexible for instructors, Writing Today, Brief Edition, 3/e introduces students to the conventions of writing memoirs, profiles, literary analyses, arguments, research papers, and more. Each chapter features a step-by-step process for composing within a given genre, as well as exemplary student and professional readings to promote rhetorical knowledge and critical analysis. The 32 short chapters, the chunked writing style, and visual instruction work to ensure that students will transfer the skills and strategies practiced in your class to their other classes, their lives, and their careers. From its graphic “Quick Start Guides” to its “Write This” prompts, Writing Today, Brief Edition challenges students to extend the boundaries of their writing abilities as they practice composing for the real world.   Also available with MyWritingLab™ This title is also available with MyWritingLab – an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with this text to engage students and improve results. Within its structured environment, students practice what they learn, test their understanding, and pursue a personalized study plan that helps them better absorb course material and understand difficult concepts.

Table of Contents:
NOTE: Both Brief and Comprehensive Tables of Contents follow. BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS PART 1: GETTING STARTED 1. Writing and Genres 2. Topic, Angle, Purpose 3. Readers, Contexts, and Rhetorical Situations 4. Reading Critically   PART 2: USING GENRES TO EXPRESS IDEAS 5. Memoirs 6. Profiles 7. Reviews 8. Literary Analyses 9. Rhetorical Analyses 10. Commentaries 11. Arguments 12. Proposals 13. Analytical Reports 14. Research Papers   PART 3: DEVELOPING A WRITING PROCESS 15. Inventing Ideas and Prewriting 16. Organizing and Drafting 17. Choosing A Style 18. Designing 19. Revising and Editing   PART 4: STRATEGIES FOR SHAPING IDEAS 20. Developing Paragraphs and Sections 21. Using Basic Rhetorical Patterns 22. Using Argumentative Strategies 23. Collaborating and Peer Response   PART 5: DOING RESEARCH 24. Starting Research 25. Finding Sources and Collecting Evidence 26. Citing, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Sources 27. Using MLA Style 28. Using APA Style   PART 6: GETTING YOUR IDEAS OUT THERE 29. Writing with Social Networking 30. Creating a Portfolio 31. Succeeding on Written Exams and Assessment 32. Presenting Your Work   PART 7: HANDBOOK 1. Sentences 2. Verbs 3. Pronouns 4. Style 5. Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling Appendix: Readings Arranged by Theme Credits Index       PART 1: GETTING STARTED   1. Writing and Genres What Are Genres? Using Genres to Write Successfully Writing with Genres Genres Are Flexible Genres Are Adaptable to Various Situations Genres Evolve to Suit Various Fields Genres Shape Situations and Readers Genres Can Be Played With Genres in Movies Genres and the Writing Process Using a Writing Process Using Genres as a Guiding Concept Transfer: Using Genres in College and in Your Career Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   2. Topic, Angle, Purpose Topic:  What Am I Writing About? Angle: What Is New About the Topic? What Has Changed to Make This Topic Interesting Right Now? What Unique Experiences, Expertise, or Knowledge Do I Have About This Topic? Purpose: What Should I Accomplish? Thesis Statement (Main Claim) Informative Thesis Argumentative Thesis Question or Open-Ended Thesis Implied Thesis Choosing the Appropriate Genre Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   3. Readers, Contexts, and Rhetorical Situations Profiling Readers A Brief Reader Profile Who Are My Readers? What Are Their Expectations? Where Will They Be Reading? When Will They Be Reading? Why Will They Be Reading? How Will They Be Reading? An Extended Reader Profile What Are Their Needs? What Are Their Values? Personal Values Customs of Their Society Cultural Values What Is Their Attitude Toward You and the Issue? Analyzing the Context Medium Paper Documents Electronic Documents Public Presentations Podcasts or Videos Social and Political Influences Social Trends Economic Trends Political Trends Genres and the Rhetorical Situation Angles Purpose Readers Contexts Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   4. Reading Critically Looking Through and Looking At a Text Reading Critically: Seven Strategies    Strategy 1: Preview the Text     Strategy 2: Play the Believing and Doubting Game    Strategy 3: Annotate the Text    Strategy 4: Analyze the Proofs in the Text    Strategy 5: Contextualize the Text    Strategy 6: Analyze Your Own Assumptions and Beliefs    Strategy 7: Respond to the Text Using Critical Reading to Strengthen Your Writing    Responding to a Text: Evaluating What Others Have Written Responding with a Text’s Positions, Terms, and Ideas: Using What Others Have Written Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This     PART 2: USING GENRES TO EXPRESS IDEAS   5. Memoirs At-A-Glance: Memoirs One Student’s Work:  Helen Sanderson, “Diving In” Inventing Your Memoir’s Content Inquiring: Finding an Interesting Topic Inquiring: Finding Out What You Already Know Make a Map of the Scene Record Your Story as a Podcast or Video Storyboard the Event Do Some Role Playing Researching: Finding Out What Others Know Online Sources Print Sources Empirical Sources Organizing and Drafting Your Memoir Setting the Scene in Rich Detail The People The Scenes Dialogue Main Point or Thesis Describing the Complication The Event The Complication The Immediate Reaction Evaluating and Resolving the Complication The Evaluation The Resolution Concluding with a Point–An Implied Thesis Choosing an Appropriate Style Evoking an Appropriate Tone or Voice Using Dialogue Use Dialogue to Move the Story Forward Write the Way Your Characters Speak Trim the Extra Words Identify Who Is Talking Create Unique Voices for Characters Designing Your Memoir Choose the Medium Add Visuals, Especially Photos Find a Place to Publish Revising and Editing Your Memoir Make Your Title Enticing Craft the Perfect Lead Reevaluate the Details and Cut the Fat Microgenre: The Literacy Narrative Frederick Douglass, “Learning to Read and Write” Quick Start Guide Readings Jean Whatley, “My Ex Went to Prison for Sex Crimes” Thaddeus Gunn, “Slapstick” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   6. Profiles At-A-Glance: Profiles One Student’s Work:  Katie Koch, “Brother, Life Coach, Friend” Inventing Your Profile’s Content Inquiring:  Finding Out What You Already Know Answer the Five-W and How Questions Use Cubing Researching: Finding Out What Others Know Online Sources Print Sources Empirical Sources Interviewing Shadowing Organizing and Drafting Your Profile The Introduction Identify Your Topic and Purpose State Your Main Point or Thesis The Body Describe Your Subject Offer Background on the Subject Use Anecdotes to Tell Stories Reveal Important Information Through Dialogue or Quotes The Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Style Change the Pace Choose Words That Set a Specific Tone Get Into Character Designing Your Profile Use Headings Add Photographs Include Pull Quotes or Breakouts Revising and Editing Your Profile Trim the Details That Do Not Advance Your Point Rethink the Organization Proofread Microgenre:  The Bio Stephanie Wilson, NASA Astronaut Quick Start Guide Readings Tim Madigan, “The Serial Rapist is Not Who You Think” Eric Wills, “Hot for Creature” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   7. Reviews At-A-Glance: Reviews One Student’s Work: Christina Lieffring, “BBJ Lawnside Blues & BBQ” Inventing Your Review’s Content Inquiring: Discovering Common Expectations Researching: Gathering Background Information Answer the Five-W and How Questions Locate Other Reviews of Your Subject Interview or Survey Others Prepare to Do Field Observations Researching: Go Experience It Organizing and Drafting Your Review The Introduction Identify Your Topic and Offer Background Information State Your Purpose State Your Main Point or Thesis Description or Summary of the Subject Chronological Description or Summary Feature-by-Feature Description Discussion of Strengths and Shortcomings Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Style Use Plenty of Detail Set the Appropriate Tone Changing the Pace Designing Your Review Choose the Appropriate Medium Add Photographs, Audio, or Video Clips Revising and Editing Your Review Determine Whether Your Opinion Has Evolved Review Your Expectations Improve Your Tone Edit and Proofread Microgenre: The Rave Haley Frederick, “Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review” Quick Start Guide Readings Christy Lemire, “The Lego Movie” Andy Greenwald, “Sherlock: Resurrection” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   8. Literary Analyses At-A-Glance: Literary Analyses One Student’s Work:  STUDENT NAME AND TITLE OF PIECE--TK Inventing Your Literary Analysis’s Content Read, Reread, Explore Inquiring: What’s Interesting Here? Explore the Genre Explore the Complication or Conflict Explore the Plot Explore the Characters Explore the Setting Explore the Language and Tone Researching: What Background Do You Need? Research the Author Research the Historical Setting Research the Science Organizing and Drafting Your Literary Analysis The Introduction: Establish Your Interpretive Question Include Background Information That Leads To Your Interpretive Question State Your Interpretative Question Prominently and Clearly Place Your Thesis at or Near the End of the Introduction The Body: Summarize, Interpret, Support Summarize and Describe Key Aspects of the Work Build Your Case, Step by Step Cite and Quote the Text to Back Up and Illustrate Your Points Include Outside Support, Where Appropriate The Conclusion: Restate Your Thesis Choosing an Appropriate Style Use the “Literary Present” Tense Integrate Quoted Text When You Quote, Tell Readers What You Want Them to Notice Move Beyond Personal Response Cast Interpretations as Speculative Designing Your Literary Analysis Revising and Editing Your Literary Analysis Make Sure the Interpretative Question and Its Importance Are Clearly Stated Check Your Main Claim, or What Your Interpretation Reveals About the Work Check Whether Your Analysis Remains Focused on Your Interpretative Question and Main Claim Make Sure You Cite, Quote, and Explain Specific Parts of the Literary Text Verify That You Have Cited the Text Appropriately Microgenre:  The Reading Response A Student’s Reading Response to Paul Laurence Dunbar’s, “We Wear the Mask” Quick Start Guide Readings Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” Daniel P. Deneau, “An Enigma in Chopin’s ‘The Story of an Hour’” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   9. Rhetorical Analyses At-A-Glance:  Rhetorical Analyses One Student’s Work:  Claire XXX, “Rhetorical Analysis of Match.com” Inventing Your Rhetorical Analysis’s Content Inquiring: Highlight Uses of Proofs Logos: Highlighting Uses of Reason Ethos: Highlighting Uses of Credibility Pathos: Highlighting Uses of Emotion Researching: Finding Background Information Online Sources Print Sources Empirical Sources Organizing and Drafting Your Rhetorical Analysis The Introduction Identify the Subject of Your Analysis and Offer Background Information State the Purpose of Your Analysis State Your Main Point or Thesis Statement Stress the Importance of the Topic Explanation of Rhetorical Concepts Provide Historical Context and Summary Historical Context Summary Analysis of the Text The Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Style Use Lots of Detail to Describe the Text Minimize the Jargon and Difficult Words Improve the Flow of Your Sentences Pay Attention to Sentence Length Designing Your Rhetorical Analysis Download Images from the Internet Add a Screen Shot Include a Link to a Podcast Make a Web Site Revising and Editing Your Rhetorical Analysis Recheck Definitions of the Rhetorical Concepts Expand Your Analysis Copyedit for Clarity Read Your Work Out Loud Microgenre:  The Ad Critique Paloma Aleman, “The Axe Effect” Quick Start Guide Readings Edward Hoagland, “The Courage of Turtles” Adam Regn Arvidson, “Nature Writing in America: Criticism Through Imagery” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   10. Commentaries At-A-Glance: Commentaries One Student’s Work: David Meany,“Why My Generation Doesn’t Care About Performance    Enhancement” Inventing You Commentary’s Content    Inquiring: Finding Out What You Already Know    Researching: Finding Out What Others Know Organizing and Drafting Your Commentary    The Introduction    Explain the Current Event or Issue    Support Your Position    Clarify Your Position    The Conclusion  Choosing an Appropriate Style    Get into Character    Imitate a Well-Known Writer    Match Your Tone to Your Readers’ Expectations    Use Analogies, Similes, and Metaphors Designing Your Commentary Revising and Editing Your Commentary Microgenre: Letter to the Editor   Caroline Klinker, “ Letter to the Editor: Modern-Day Religious Climate on Campus is Detrimental” Quick Start Guide Readings    Greg Hampikian, “When May I Shoot a Student?”    Jim Valvano, “Don’t Ever Give Up” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   11. Arguments At-A-Glance: Arguments One Student’s Work: “Allowing Guns on Campus will Prevent Shootings, Rape” by Tyler Ohmann Inventing Your Argument’s Content    Inquiring: Identifying Your Topic    Inquiring: Identifying Points of Contention    Researching: Finding Out What Others Believe and Why  Organizing and Drafting Your Argument    The Introduction    Summary and Limitations of Opposing Positions    Your Understanding of the Issue    Reasons Why Your Understanding is Stronger    Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Style    Use Plain Style to Describe the Opposing Position    Use Similes, Metaphors, and Analogies When Describing Your Position    Use Top-Down Paragraphs    Define Unfamiliar Terms Designing Your Argument Revising and Editing Your Argument Microgenre: The Rebuttal   Marshall Connolly, “Global Warming Most Definitely Not a Hoax--A Scientist's Rebuttal”  Quick Start Guide Readings   Ted Miller, “Should College Football Be Banned?”   Kate Dailey, "Friends with Benefits: Do Facebook Friends Provide the Same Support As Those In Real    Life?" Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   12. Proposals At-A-Glance: Proposals One Student Group’s Work: “SCC Café Proposal” Inventing Your Proposal’s Content    Inquiring: Defining the Problem    Inquiring: Analyzing the Problem    Researching: Gathering Information and Sources    Inquiring: Planning to Solve the Problem    Researching: Finding Similar Projects Organizing and Drafting Your Proposal    The Introduction    Description of the Problem, Its Causes, and Its Effects    Description of Your Plan    Discussing the Costs and Benefits of Your Plan    The Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Style Designing Your Proposal Revising and Editing Your Proposal Microgenre: The Pitch    Hans Fex, “Mini Museum” Quick Start Guide Readings    Samuel Goldman, “How to Fix Grade Inflation at Harvard”    Jim Rough, “A Rebirth of ‘We the People’” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   13. Analytical Reports At-A-Glance: Reports One Student Group’s Work: Kaisa Lee and Jamie Koss, “College Students’ Attitudes on the Causes of    Infidelity” Inventing Your Analytical Report’s Content    Inquiring: Finding Out What You Already Know    Researching: Creating a Research Plan    Researching: Gathering Sources and Revisiting Your Hypothesis Organizing and Drafting Your Analytical Report    Executive Summary of Abstract    Introduction    Methods Section    Findings or Results Section    Discussion Section    Conclusion/Recommendations    References or Works Cited    Appendices Choosing an Appropriate Style Designing Your Report Revising and Editing Your Report Microgenre: The Explainer    World Freerunning Parkour Federation, “What is Parkour?” Quick Start Guide Readings    Andrew Gelman and George A. Romero, “How Many Zombies Do You Know? Using Indirect    Survey Methods to Measure Alien Attacks and Outbreaks of the Undead”    Pew Research Center, “The Rising Cost of Not Going to College” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This   14. Research Papers At-A-Glance: Research Papers One Student’s Work: “Cheating in College: Where it Happens, Why Students Do It and How to Stop It”    by Bryce Buchmann Inventing Your Research Paper’s Content    Inquiring: Defining Your Topic, Angle, Purpose    Researching: Finding Out What Others Know Organizing and Drafting Your Research Paper    The Introduction    The Body    The Conclusion    Works Cited or References Choosing an Appropriate Style Designing Your Research Paper Revising and Editing Your Research Paper Microgenre: The Annotated Bibliography   Sara Rodriguez, “Annotated Bibliography: The Fog of Revolution” Quick Start Guide Readings    Paul Rosenzweig et al, “Drone in U.S. Airspace: Principles for Governance” James Knoll, “Serial Murder: A Forensic Psychiatric Perspective” Talk About This Try This Out Explore This Write This     PART 3: DEVELOPING A WRITING PROCESS   15. Inventing Ideas and Prewriting Prewriting    Concept Mapping    Freewriting    Brainstorming or Listing    Storyboarding Using Heuristics    Asking the Journalist’s Questions    Using the Five Senses    Investigating Logos, Ethos, Pathos    Cubing Exploratory Writing    Journaling, Blogging, or Microblogging    Writing an Exploratory Draft    Exploring with Presentation Software Taking Time to Invent and Prewrite Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   16. Organizing and Drafting Sketching Out Your Paper’s Organization    Using the Genre to Create a Basic Outline    Filling Out Your Outline Drafting Your Introduction    Five Introductory Moves    Using a Grabber to Start Your Introduction    Using a Lead to Draw in the Readers Drafting the Body of Your Paper Overcoming Writer’s Block Drafting Your Conclusion Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   17. Choosing A Style Writing in Plain Style    Guideline 1: Clarify Who or What the Sentence is About    Guideline 2: Make the “Doer” the Subject of the Sentence    Guideline 3: Put the Subject Early in the Sentence    Guideline 4: State the Action in the Verb    Guideline 5: Eliminate Nominalizations    Guideline 6: Boil Down the Prepositional Phrases    Guideline 7: Eliminate Redundancies    Guideline 8: Use Sentences That Are Breathing Length Establishing Your Voice    Get Into Character    Imitate Others Writing Descriptively with Figures and Tropes    Use Similes and Analogies    Use Metaphors    Use Personification    Use Onomatopoeia    Use Alliteration and Assonance Improving Your Writing Style Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This     18. Designing Before You Begin Designing Five Basic Principles of Design Design Principle 1: Balance    Balancing a Page Design Principle 2: Alignment Design Principle 3: Grouping Design Principle 4: Consistency    Choosing Typefaces    Using Headings Consistently Design Principle 5: Contrast Using Photography and Images    Downloading Photographs and Images from the Internet    Labeling a Photograph or Image Using Graphs and Charts    Creating a Graph or Chart    Choosing the Appropriate Graph or Chart Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   19. Revising and Editing Level 1: Global Revision    Challenge Your Draft’s Topic, Angle, and Purpose    Think About Your Readers (Again) and the Context Level 2: Substantive Editing    Determine Whether You Have Enough Information (or Too Much)    Reorganize Your Work to Better Use the Genre    Look for Ways to Improve the Design    Ask Someone Else to Read Your Work Level 3: Copyediting    Review Your Title and Headings    Edit Paragraphs to Make Them Concise and Consistent    Revise Sentences to Make Them Clearer    Revise Sentences to Make Them More Descriptive Level 4: Proofreading    Read Your Writing Aloud    Read Your Draft Backwards    Read a Hard Copy of Your Work    Know Your Grammatical Weaknesses    Use Your Spell Checker and Grammar Checker Peer Review: Asking for Advice Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This     PART 4: STRATEGIES FOR SHAPING IDEAS   20. Developing Paragraphs and Sections Creating a Basic Paragraph    Transition or Transitional Sentence (Optional)    Topic Sentence (Needed)    Support Sentences (Needed)    Point Sentence (Optional) Getting Paragraphs to Flow (Cohesion)    Subject Alignment in Paragraphs    Given-New in Paragraphs Organizing a Section    Opening, Body, Closing    Organizational Patterns for Sections    Using Headings in Sections Using Sections and Paragraphs Together Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   21. Using Basic Rhetorical Patterns Narrative Description    Describing with the Senses    Describing with Similes, Metaphors, and Onomatopoeia    Describing with a Mixture of the Senses and Tropes Definition Classification    Step One: List Everything That Fits into the Whole Class    Step Two: Decide on a Principle of Classification    Step Three: Sort into Major and Minor Groups Cause and Effect Comparison and Contrast Combining Rhetorical Patterns Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   22. Using Argumentative Strategies What is Arguable?    Arguable Claims    Four Sources of Arguable Claims Using Reason, Authority, and Emotion    Reason (Logos)    Authority (Ethos)    Emotion (Pathos) Avoiding Logical Fallacies Rebuttals and Refutations    Summarize Your Opponents’ Position Objectively    Recognize When the Opposing Position May Be Valid    Concede Some of the Opposing Points    Refute or Absorb Your Opponents’ Major Points    Qualify Your Claims Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   23. Collaborating and Peer Response Working Successfully in Groups Working Successfully in Teams    Planning the Project    Forming: Planning a Project    Storming: Managing Conflict    Norming: Getting Down to Work    Performing: Working as a Team Using Peer Response to Improve Your Writing    Types of Peer Response and Document Cycling    Responding Helpfully During Peer Response Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This     PART 5: DOING RESEARCH   24. Starting Research Starting Your Research Process    Step One: Define Your Research Question    Step Two: Develop a Working Thesis    Step Three: Devise a Research Plan Doing Start-Up Research Assessing a Source’s Reliability    Is the Source Credible?    Is the Source Up to Date?    How Biased Are the Author and the Publisher?    How Biased Are You?    Can You Verify the Evidence in the Source? Managing Your Research Process    Creating a Research Schedule    Starting Your Bibliography File Following and Modifying Your Research Plan    When Things Don’t Go As Expected Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   25. Finding Sources and Collecting Evidence Evaluating Sources with Triangulation Using Primary and Secondary Sources Finding Electronic and Online Sources    Using Internet Search Engines    Using the Internet Cautiously    Using Documentaries and Television/Radio Broadcasts    Using Wikis, Blogs, and Podcasts Finding Print Sources    Locating Books At Your Library    Finding Articles At Your Library Using Empirical Sources    Interviewing People    Using an Informal Survey Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   26. Citing, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Sources Citing Quoting    Brief Quotations    Long Quotations Paraphrasing and Summarizing    Paraphrasing    Summarizing Framing Quotes, Paraphrases, and Summaries Avoiding Plagiarism    Academic Dishonesty    Patchwriting    Ideas and Words Taken Without Attribution    The Real Problem with Plagiarism Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   27. Using MLA Style Parenthetical Citations    When the Author’s Name Appears in the Sentence    Citing More Than One Source in the Same Sentence    Citing a Source Multiple Times    Other Parenthetical References Preparing the List of Works Cited    Including More Than One Source from an Author    Formatting a List of Works Cited Citing Sources in the List of Works Cited    Citing Books and Other Nonperiodical Publications    Citing Journals, Magazines, and Other Periodicals    Citing Web Publications    Citing Other Kinds of Sources A Student’s MLA-Style Research Paper    Brian Naidus, “A Whole New World: A Background on the Life of the Freshwater Shark”   28. Using APA Style Parenthetical Citations    When the Author’s Name Appears in the Sentence    Citing More Than One Source in the Same Sentence    Citing a Source Multiple Times    Other Parenthetical References Preparing the List of References    Formatting a List of References in APA Style Citing Sources in the List of References    Citing Books and Other Nonperiodical Publications    Citing Journals, Magazines, and Other Periodicals    Citing Web Publications    Citing Other Kinds of Sources A Student’s APA-Style Research Paper    Austin Duus, “Assortive Mating and Income Inequality”     PART 6: GETTING YOUR IDEAS OUT THERE   29. Writing with Social Networking Is This Writing? Creating a Social Networking Site    Choose the Best Site for You    Be Selective About Your “Friends”    Add Regularly to Your Profile Starting Your Own Blog    Choose a Host Site for Your Blog    Writing and Updating Your Blog Writing Articles for Wikis    Write the Article    Add Your Article to the Wiki Putting Videos and Podcasts on the Internet    Create Your Own Video or Record Your Podcast    Edit Your Work    Upload Your Video or Podcast Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   30. Creating a Portfolio Two Basic Kinds of Portfolios Getting Started on Your Portfolio Step One: Collecting Your Work    Archiving for a Specific Course    Archiving for Your College Career    Archiving for Your Professional Career Step Two: Selecting the Best Artifacts Step Three: Reflecting on Your Work      Your Reflection as an Argument Step Four: Presenting Your Materials    Creating an E-Portfolio Keeping Your Portfolio Up to Date Creating a Starter Résumé Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   31. Succeeding on Written Exams and Assessment Step One: Prepare for the Exam    Work in Study Groups    Ask Your Professor About the Exam    Pay Attention to Themes and Key Concepts    Study the Assessment Rubric or Scoring Guidelines    Create Your Own Questions and Rehearse Possible Answers Step Two: Start Your Written Exam    Review the Exam Quickly to Gain an Overall Picture    Budget Your Time Step Three: Answer the Questions    Organize Your Answer Step Four: Complete the Written Exam One Student’s Written Exam Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   32. Presenting Your Work Step One: Plan Your Presentation    Ask a Few Key Questions to Get Started    Choose the Appropriate Presentation Technology    Allot Your Time Step Two: Organize Your Ideas    Introduction: Tell Them What You’re Going to Tell Them    The Body of Your Talk: Tell Them    Conclusion: Tell Them What You Told Them    Question and Answer Step Three: Design Your Visual Aids    Format Your Slides Step Four: Prepare Your Delivery    Body Language    Voice and Tone Step Five: Practice and Rehearse    Practice, Practice, Practice    Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse Quick Start Guide Talk About This Try This Out Write This   PART 7: HANDBOOK   1. Sentences 2. Verbs 3.  Pronouns 4.  Style 5. Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling Appendix: Readings Arranged by Theme Credits Index