Reading & Writing

• Writer's block


  The feeling of not being able to write
• Reasons why writer's block occur

  • Page Fright
  • Writing without the muse
  • Fear of the blank sheet
  • Inability to get things started
• How to deal with writer's block


  1. Positive Self-Talk

  2. Listing Your Achievements

  3. Brainstorming

  4. Dividing Large Tasks

  5. Concede its Existence

  6. Read for a Break

  7. Establish a Routine

  8. Show up for Work

  9. Cope with Badness

  10. Reinvent your Space

  11. Go Back to the Start

  12. Morning Pages
• Graphic organizers


  Making meaning through graphs
• Graphic organizers


  • Systematically organize ideas
  • Interesting way to provide an overview
  • Summarize information
  • Verbalize the framework
  • Hierarchy; most to least important (vice versa)
  • Timeline
  • Fire Triangle
• Types of graphic organizers

  • Venn Diagram - similarities & differences
  • T-Chart - difference between concepts
  • Data Retrieval Chart - modified version of a t-chart
  • Data Storage Chart - contains missing elements
  • Flow Chart - show sequence in events, steps in events
  • Ishikawa Diagram - cause and affect
  • Sungram - minor topics arising from major topic
  • Pyramid - heirarchy
  • Timeline - sequence
  • Fire Triangle - relationship among elements
  • Concept Map - arrange ideas from left to tight; organize your thoughts
• Concept paper


  The whatness of a topic
• Concept paper


  • Basic concepts
  • Used in academic (research proposal) and workplace setting (project proposal)
  • Indicates the purpose and process
• Project proposal


  • Main goal is to request for financial assistance
  • Statement of work to ensure success
  • Persuade the readers that you can accomplish the task
• Qualities of a good project proposal


  • Clear
  • Accurate
  • Understandable
  • Accessible
  • Addresses possible questions
  • Concise
  • Logically presented
• Parts of a project proposal


  • Project Title
  • Rationale
  • Objectives
  • Project Proponents
  • Project Description
  • Target beneficiaries/audience
  • Venue
  • Project Duration
  • Program Flow
  • Budget Proposal
• Argumentative essay


  • Also called persuasive essay
  • Used to convince readers to agree to an argument or claim about a specific topic
• Forms of persuasive writing

  • Editorial - states the opinion of the members of the newspaper's editorial board
  • Op-Ed (Opposite Editorials) - tries to convince the readers with the writer's views; writers considered outsiders by a newspaper company
  • Letters to the Editor - written by the readers; response
  • Propaganda - often biased/misleading
  • Advertisements - paid announcement that try to persuad consumers
  • Reviews - evaluate items
• Parts of an argumentative essay


  • Argument / Claim - states a claim and support it with evidence
  • Claims of Fact - based on verifiable data
  • Claims of Policies - propose or challenge existing rules
  • Claims of Values - based solely on opinions
  • Counterargument - argument that your apponent would make
  • Refutation - opposes the counterclaim (rebutttals)
• Business message


  Created in a workplace to communicate with people within or outside the organization
• Effective business message


  • Purposeful - why am I writing in the first place?
  • Economical - a man of enough words
  • Audience-oriented - be empathetic to see how the readers percieve the message
  • Process-oriented - must go through careful planning
• Process of writing a business message


  1. Pre-writing

  2. Writing

  3. Revising
• Pre-writing activities


  • Defining purpose
  • realistic
  • timely
  • appropriate
  • acceptable
  • Analyzing Audience
  • primary audience
  • understanding level
  • probable reaction
  • good relationships
  • Choosing Channel and Medium
• Revising concerns


  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Design
• Design elements


  • Background
  • Margins
  • Alignment
  • Style
  • Bullets
  • Numbers
  • Letters
  • Column headings
  • Paragraph headings