Hey folks here are notes on the exam tomorrow, or later this week for other people.
9am - be on time, doors will lock and if you're not there you're SOL.
Read and print off both "The Most Offensive Commercial" and "What a Certain Visionary..."
Use the copies provided through the forum, other copies won't be accepted.
You can make notes on the face side only, no full sentences.
These notes will be handed in with the exam, if you break the rules outlines in class you will receive a 0.
Derek will also be peaking over our shoulders to see what notes we have.
If you're phone rings in class you get a 0. So turn your phones off before you enter the exam.
Do not talk to your neighbors.
Bring all of your materials, double check you have pen, pencil, pencil sharpener, and a paper dictionary/thesaurus.
Bottled water = cool, Snax = uncool, so don't bring them
Read each article at least twice.
When reading look for:
---> structure, author's purpose, context, the authors strategies & effects they achieved, audience
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What we're expected to write.
We will be provided with open ended questions that can most likely apply to either essay.
Write approx 750 words. writing more is OK, writing less is more of a problem.
3-5 Paragraph style
Intro (1 para), Body (1-3 para), Conclusion(1 para)
Derek's Suggestions
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Write 1 copy, transcription is a dead skills and we don't need to practice it. Use the full time to write and edit the paper
Do your exam in 3 stages: Pre-Writing, Writing, Revision
Pre-writing (students often don't do enough of this) 45min-1hour
Goal is to have a plan
---> topic sentence / thesis statement (topic & controlling idea)
---> body paragraphs /w their supporting details
Identify topics & brainstorm (mapping is best / semantic web)
---> Organize & look for connections, then prune/get rid of the extra ideas
Brainstorm again & again (2-5 times)
---> first brainstorm is often the worst
Take 30 seconds to close your eyes between steps. Breath deep and let your mind relax.
Brainstorming will lead to clarity of purpose & support for your points
Writing (actually the fastest step) 15-30min
Prepare for your mistakes
---> use pencils if you must, pens are preferred.
When you write, write 1 paragraph per page
---> allows you to write in any order you want
---> allows you to reorganize the order if you want
---> allows you to rewrite middle paragraphs without fussing about fitting it in between completed work
DOUBLE SPACE!!!
Revision (Edit & Proofread) 20-40min
Edit for content & structure
---> This should be done before you begin writing, there isn't enough time during an exam to do this
Proofread
This is the bulk of your revision during essay style exams.
Focus on spelling & grammar.
Do not dwell on errors
---> cross out errors with one clean line & move on
---> place the correction above the error
---> this is why you double space
To insert words
---> add a carrot "^" and add word(s) above.
To insert sentences
---> add a carrot "^" and an end note tag "(1)" above
---> on a blank page add the new section & attach to the end of the essay, use this page for further end notes
---> try to limit end notes, they are okay to use but 5+ is probably too many and will indicate potential flaws in your planning
Common problems
Sentence fragments
To avoid make sure your sentences have:
---> an identifiable subject
---> an identifiable verb
---> a complete idea
To catch/revise for these:
---> read sentence out of order & at random
---> if you need to refer to the previous or following sentence in order for it to make sense. It is probably a sentence fragment. (those last sentences are examples of a sentence fragments)
Spelling Errors
--->should probably do this last.
to catch/revise for these:
---> read the whole essay backwards
---> this will take 10-15 minutes, plan accordingly
APA style means you have to cite the article
You can couch outside sources if you want to use their information
---> "according to recent articles"
Goodluck everyone
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