Drafting and Revising Your Work

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Drafting and Revising Your Work

• Introduction
• Moving from notes to draft
• Revising your draft
• Proofreading and correcting your draft
• Talk About It
• Your Turn
• Tech Tools in this presentation
• Dictionary.com
• Spellchecker and Grammar Checker

2
Introduction

• The next step in the research process is
  drafting. It is the step that brings the pieces
  of the research puzzle together.

narrow topic
note taking
researchquestion
outlining
main idea statement
sources
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Introduction
narrow topic
outlining
researchquestion
main idea statement
sources
note taking
If youve done a good job with each previous step
of the process, fitting the pieces together into
a draft should go rather quickly.
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Moving from notes to draft
Whatever the form of your final research
projectpaper, presentation, podcast, Web
siteyou must start by getting your ideas down on
paper.

• Creating a draft means using your notes and
  outline to form well-organized paragraphs in
  which you present your research to your audience.

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Moving from notes to draft
Begin with an introduction that will capture your
readers attention and communicate your main idea
statement.
Would you like to strengthen your heart and
lungs, prevent diabetes and cancer, improve your
emotional well-being, and potentially increase
your lifespan? Recent studies in the United
States confirm that including cardiovascular
exercise in a daily exercise routine can do all
of those things. Cardiovascular exercise is an
important investment that benefits overall health.
Would you like to strengthen your heart and
lungs, prevent diabetes and cancer, improve your
emotional well-being, and potentially increase
your lifespan? Recent studies in the United
States confirm that including cardiovascular
exercise in a daily exercise routine can do all
of those things. Cardiovascular exercise is an
important investment that benefits overall health.
attention-getting opening
main idea statement
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Research TipDrafting
Your draft is the first version of your research
paper. Your goal as you draft is just to get your
ideas from your notecards onto the paper.
Dont try to get everything right the first time.
You will have a chance to review your work and
make improvements later.
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Moving from notes to draft

• Next, youll write the body of your paper. Write
  the first heading from your outline in sentence
  form.

• Exercise and physical health
• A. Strengthens heart and lungs
• 1. Building the muscle increases energy level
• 2. Muscle health leads to longer lifespan

• Exercise and physical health
• A. Strengthens heart and lungs
• 1. Building the muscle increases energy level
• 2. Muscle health leads to longer lifespan

• Exercise and physical health
• A. Strengthens heart and lungs
• 1. Building the muscle increases energy level
• 2. Muscle health leads to longer lifespan

Cardiovascular exercise can improve physical
health in many ways.
Cardiovascular exercise can improve physical
health in many ways.
Cardiovascular exercise can improve physical
health in many ways. Most important, it
strengthens the heart and lungs.
Then write your first supporting point.
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Moving from notes to draft

• Next, elaborate on your supporting point by
  explaining, adding details, or giving an example.

Cardiovascular exercise can improve physical
health in many ways. Most important, it
strengthens the heart and lungs. The heart is a
muscle that beats continually to circulate blood
all over your body. Exercise builds the heart
muscle by allowing it to work more effectively
and to work longer.
Cardiovascular exercise can improve physical
health in many ways. Most important, it
strengthens the heart and lungs. The heart is a
muscle that beats continually to circulate blood
all over your body. Exercise builds the heart
muscle by allowing it to work more effectively
and to work longer.
Continue in this way with all the supporting
points for the first heading on your outline.
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Moving from notes to draft

• When you use an authors ideas or exact words,
  give credit to that author by including the
  authors name and the source in which you found
  the information.

Exercise builds the heart muscle by allowing it
to work more effectively and to work longer. This
can increase a persons energy level and
lifespan, according to Jacquelyn McClelland,
author of Give Your Heart a Healthy Beat.
Exercise builds the heart muscle by allowing it
to work more effectively and to work longer. This
can increase a persons energy level and
lifespan, according to Jacquelyn McClelland,
author of Give Your Heart a Healthy Beat.
Exercise builds the heart muscle by allowing it
to work more effectively and to work longer. This
can increase a persons energy level and
lifespan, according to Jacquelyn McClelland,
author of Give Your Heart a Healthy Beat.
Exercise builds the heart muscle by allowing it
to work more effectively and to work longer. This
can increase a persons energy level and
lifespan, according to Jacquelyn McClelland,
author of Give Your Heart a Healthy Beat.
authors ideas
authors name
source
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Moving from notes to draft

• Start a new paragraph for each heading (each
  Roman numeral) in your outline. This will help
  you stay organized.

According to a recent study by the International
Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association,
approximately 50 of Americans dont get enough
exercise. With the physical and emotional
benefits that cardiovascular exercise bring, more
Americans need to get off the couch and get
moving.
When you have covered each heading, write a
conclusion to wrap up your paper and give your
final thoughts.
You might summarize your main points or state the
importance of what you wrote.
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Tech Tool Dictionary.com

• Writers often use dictionaries to define words as
  they write or to help with spelling as they
  revise and edit.

You might find it easier to use an online
dictionary, such as Dictionary.com, than one in
book form.
To use Dictionary.com, just type the word you
want defined into the search box and hit Search.
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Tech Tool Dictionary.com

• Like a traditional dictionary, Dictionary.com
  gives each words part of speech and definition.

In fact, it will give several different
definitions of the word from different online
dictionaries.
For an extra fee, Dictionary.com will even allow
you to hear words pronunciation.
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Tech Tool Dictionary.com

• Dictionary.com also includes a thesaurus to help
  you find just the right word to communicate your
  meaning.

Always use a thesaurus carefully, though. Make
sure the word you choose means exactly what you
intend.
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Revising your draft

• Completing your draft is just the beginning.

The next step is to revise and edit your work.
Revision is more than fixing small mistakes.
It means taking a serious look at your ideas and
how you present them.
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Research TipRevision
If you have enough time, its a good idea to put
your draft away for a day or two before you start
to revise.
When you come back to your paper, it will be
easier to see where your draft needs improvement.
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Revising your draft

• Begin your revision by carefully reading your
  work and answering these questions

1. Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence
   that connects to the main idea statement?

1. Topic sentences connect to main idea statement?

1. Paragraphs have enough support?

1. Do the paragraphs have enough supportfacts,
   details, examples, and explanations?

1. Have you given proper credit to each author whose
   words or ideas you used?

1. Proper credit to each author used?

1. All direct quotations within quotation marks?
   Direct quotations not overused?

1. Are all direct quotations within quotation marks?
   Are there too many direct quotations?

1. Does the order of the paragraphs make sense? Do
   transitions connect ideas within and between
   paragraphs?

1. Order of paragraphs makes sense? Transitions
   used to connect ideas?

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Revising your draft

• If you find that you need to

add support to your main idea statement
give more elaboration within a paragraph
or make any information clearer
go back to check your notes or return to your
original sources.
One reason it is important to take good notes and
keep track of your sources is so you can return
to them easily if needed.
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Proofreading and correcting your draft

• When you are satisfied that your ideas, support,
  and organization are what you want, you are ready
  to proofread and correct your draft. Check the
  grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your paper.

Have you used complete sentences throughout the
paper?
Are all words spelled correctly?
Do your subjects and verbs agree?
Are commas, quotation marks, and other
punctuation correct?
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Tech Tool Spellchecker and Grammar Checker

• During the revision phase, a spellchecker and a
  grammar checker might help you find some of your
  mistakes.
• Used carefully, these can be valuable tools.

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Tech Tool Spellchecker and Grammar Checker

• Most word processing programs have a spellchecker
  that will check spelling automatically as you
  work.

You can also check spelling and grammar after you
finish your document.
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Tech Tool Spellchecker and Grammar Checker

• Here are some cautions to keep in mind

• A spellchecker doesnt know how to spell many
  proper nouns.

Jeremiah State Park

• If your misspelling creates a different word that
  is spelled correctly, the spellchecker wont
  catch the mistake.

Take you time.

• If you dont know how a word is spelled, you
  might not choose the correct spelling from the
  list of options that the spellchecker provides.

picture pitcher pincher picturer
You might benefit from using an online dictionary
in combination with a spellchecker when you edit
your spelling.
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Tech Tool Spellchecker and Grammar Checker

• Because the English language is so complex, a
  grammar checker will help you catch only some of
  your grammar mistakes.

Possible problems are usually underlined in green.
Read those sentences carefully. Sometimes a
grammar checker will find an error in a correct
sentence or fail to find an error where there is
one.
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Talk About It

• Discuss the answers to these questions with your
  classmates.

1. How do earlier steps of the research process
   prepare the writer for drafting?
2. What happens during drafting if the earlier steps
   arent done well?
3. Student writers often dont like to revise. Why
   do you think that is?
4. How might drafting and revision change if the
   final product is something other than a
   papersuch as a Web site or a speech?

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Your Turn

• Use the outline below and the notecards on the
  next slide to create a paragraph for a paper on
  the benefits of cardiovascular exercise.

B. Controls weight 1. Body burns more calories
during exercise 2. Weight loss occurs when you
burn more calories than you take in 3.
Weight management important obesity can
increase risk of serious disease
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Your Turn
1 When the body burns more calories than it
takes in, the result is weight loss. page 24
4 More than 60 of Americans are overweight.
--Dulce Zamora, WebMD
2 Weight control is important because obesity is
a risk factor for many serious diseases. page 76
7 Body continues to burn calories at a higher
rate for a short time after exercise stops. page
98
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Your Turn

• Paragraph starter
• Another physical health benefit cardiovascular
  exercise provides is weight control. A person who
  burns more calories than he or she takes in from
  eating will lose weight. The body also burns . . .

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Your Turn Possible Responses
Another physical health benefit cardiovascular
exercise provides is weight control. A person who
burns more calories than he or she takes in from
eating will lose weight. The body also burns more
calories during exercise than it does during
periods of rest. This increased calorie burn
continues for a short time even after a person
has stopped exercising. Another reason weight
control is important is that obesity can be a
risk factor for many serious diseases. According
to Dulce Zamora of WebMD, more than 60 of
Americans are overweight. Clearly, a large
percentage of Americans would benefit from
exercise to control their weight and lower their
risk for serious illnesses.
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The End