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The Writing and Speaking Center

A place where writers and speakers come together to talk about the craft of communication

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Make an Appointment

Contact Us

Writing and Speaking Center
baclick@smcm.edu

Located on the first floor of the Main Library

The Writing and Speaking Center / Handouts & Tips

Handouts & Tips

 

About Tutoring
  • Scheduling Instructions Handout
  • Ideas for Using a Tutorial Handout
  • Examples of What Tutors Can and Cannot Do
  • What to Expect in Your Tutorial
Quick Ways to Incorporate Revision
We often hear from faculty who want to incorporate opportunities for revision in their assignments but have difficulty carving out the time for it. Here is a list of relatively quick ways to incorporate revision into assignments:

  • Collect only students’ intros or thesis statements and have them revise before continuing the paper.
  • Consider collecting rough drafts earlier but only requiring the first page or two to be written.
  • Have students revise a representative paragraph or section of a longer draft.
  • Look at representative student samples as a class and have students discuss revision options. (Make sure to let students know you will be pulling from their drafts for this activity.)
  • Use representative student samples (with permission) from past classes and discuss revision options as a class.
  • Make revisions of full drafts optional.
Assignment Design
  • Assignment Revision Checklist
  • How to Revise Writing Assignments
Rhetorical Awareness
  • Rhetorical Triangle
  • Rhetorical Triangle Practice Activity
  • Rhetorical Triangle Practice Activity (Alternate Version)
  • Audience and Speaking to the Reader
  • How to Teach Rhetorical Awareness
Types of Writing
  • Why and How to Summarize
  • Descriptive Writing
  • Essentials of Argument
  • Persuasive Writing Techniques
  • Synthesis
Thesis Statements, Introductions, Paragraphs, and Conclusions
  • The Thesis Statement
  • Working Thesis Planning Guide
  • Sample Types of Introductions
  • Paragraph Unity, Coherence and Development
  • Conclusions
  • Guidelines for Introductions
  • Guidelines for Conclusions
  • Assertion, Support, Explication
  • Assertion, Support, Explication Peer Review
Sentence-Level Issues
  • 300 Ways to say “Said”
  • Comma Uses
  • Combining Independent Clauses
  • Subordination Methods
  • Semicolon and Colon
  • Active vs. Passive Voice
  • Practical Tips for Writing
  • Phrase and Clause Flowchart Classifier
Editing and Transitioning
  • Transition Words and Phrases
  • Editing Strategies
  • Reducing Wordiness Exercises
  • Higher-Order vs. Lower-Order Concerns
Designing and Conducting In-Class Writing Workshops
  • How to Design and Conduct In-Class Writing Workshops
Cohesion and Coherence
  • Maintaining Cohesion and Coherence
  • Cohesion and Coherence Practice
  • Cohesion and Coherence Group Work
  • Cohesion and Coherence Single Paragraph Peer Review
Topic Sentences
  • Topic Sentences Handout
  • Topic Sentence Practice Activity,
  • Topic Sentence Checklist
Descriptive Outlining
  • Descriptive Outlining Handout and Sample
  • Descriptive Outline Worksheet
Teaching Citation
  • Teaching Citation Toolkit
St. Mary's College of Maryland, the Public Honors College
St. Mary's College of Maryland
47645 College Drive
St. Mary's City, MD, 20686-3001

(240) 895-2000
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