CRWT

• Writing


  A physical and mental act - writing is a physical act of committing words or ideas to some medium, and a mental act of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to the reader
• Writing


  Has a dual purpose - to express and to impress - writers write for themselves, and their own desires to express an idea or feeling, and for the readers who need to have ideas expressed in certain ways
• Writing


  Is a process and also a product - the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) is the series of actions taken by writers to produce a finished work
• Critical writing


  Depends on critical thinking - your writing will involve reflection on written texts: that is, critical reading
• Critical writing


  Involves providing appropriate and sufficient arguments and examples, choosing terms that are precise, appropriate, persuasive, making clear the transitions from one thought to another to ensure the overall logic of the presentation, and editing for content, structure, and language
• Respond (in critical writing)


  Open-minded and objective - requires a careful study of ideas presented, analytical and evaluative, productive and progressive
• React (in critical writing)


  Emotional and subjective - quick and shallow, works on an emotional rather than an intellectual level, locked on the pre-existing opinion of the reader
• Descriptive writing


  • Reports information about something, but does not perform any kind of reasoning or pass judgement on or analyze the information it contains
• Critical writing


  • Involves developing a reasoned argument and participating in academic debate - using something you have read, done or seen to persuade the reader of your position
• Factors of critical writing

  • Pay attention to your thinking (elements of reasoning)
  • Pay attention to the quality of your thinking (standards of critical thinking)
  • Pay attention to yourself as you write (critical thinking character traits)
  • Pay attention to the fundamental concepts that are central to all writing: context, audience, communication
• Planning (in writing a paper)

  Involves topic, thesis statement, main points, and structure/outline
• Researching (in writing a paper)

  An essential part that helps understand the chosen topic and enrich the trustworthiness of the paper
• Writing/Drafting (in writing a paper)


  Involves an introductory section, body, concluding section, and giving credit to sources used
• Revising (in writing a paper)

  Done to make changes, add and subtract ideas, and sharpen the paper - it is not only done at the end but throughout the writing process
• Elements of reasoning


  1. Analyse your topic, focusing it and opening it up

  2. Generate a strong workable thesis statement

  3. Create the structure and outline of your paper

  4. See clearly what you will need to research

  5. Construct the introductory section and concluding section of your paper, step-by-step
• Elements of reasoning


  • Purpose, goal, objective
  • Question at issue, problem
  • Point of view
  • Concepts
  • Implications and consequences
• Dieting


  Paying close attention to what you eat
• Dieting (writer's breakdown)


  How much?, How often?, What can you eat?
• Dieting


  • Getting healthier
  • Looking good
  • Having positive self-image
  • Being comfortable with yourself
• Afterwards, people may gradually stop paying attention to maintaining a healthy diet
• Information about how your body adapts to weight loss
• Info about the physical cause of why people quickly regain the weight they've lost
• A good way to make a start toward critical writing is to develop your ability to write more clearly
• SEE-I Method


  1. State

  2. Elaborate

  3. Exemplify

  4. Illustrate
• State


  To say something briefly, clearly, and as precisely as possible
• Elaborate


  To expand on something, explain it in your own words, at greater length, so the reader gets more of the fullness of what is meant
• Exemplify


  To give a good example - not just any example, but a well-chosen one that will clarify for yourself, or for a reader, what you mean
• Illustrate


  To give an illustration that helps clarify the meaning
• Persuasion can be accomplished by giving reasons (i.e., by argument, by logic), by appealing to the emotions, or by bullying, lying to, or threatening
• Logos


  Appeal to logic and reason
• Pathos


  Appeal to emotion
• Ethos


  Appeal to values and credibility
• Logos


  • Relying on logic, careful structure, and objective evidence to appeal to the audience
  • Using logical modes of thinking like comparison, cause/effect, exemplification, elaboration, coherent thought, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning
• Pathos


  • Trying to tap into the audience's emotions to get them to agree with the author's claim
  • Using expressive descriptions, vivid imagery, personal stories, emotion-laden vocabulary, information that evokes emotional responses
• Ethos


  • Careful presentation of self to impress upon the audience that the speaker is a person of authority, good sense, and moral integrity
  • Establishing authority and credibility, using appropriate language, demonstrating familiarity with the audience, showing fair-mindedness, showing attention to detail