{"id":764,"date":"2025-04-18T21:49:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T21:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/?post_type=chapter&p=764"},"modified":"2025-07-16T15:34:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:34:41","slug":"college-writing-learn-it-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/college-writing-learn-it-2\/","title":{"raw":"College Writing: Learn It 2","rendered":"College Writing: Learn It 2"},"content":{"raw":"

Understanding the Assignment and Getting Started<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1001\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]\"Woman Figure 2<\/strong>. Many writing assignments will have a specific prompt that sends you first to your textbook, and then to outside resources to gather information.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOften, the handout or other written text explaining the assignment\u2014what professors call the writing prompt<\/strong>\u2014will explain the purpose of the assignment, the required parameters (length, number, and type of sources, referencing style, etc.), and the criteria for evaluation.\r\n\r\nAlso, don't forget to check the rubric, if there is one, to understand how your writing will be assessed. After analyzing the prompt and the rubric, you should have a better sense of what kind of writing you are expected to produce.\r\n\r\nSometimes, especially when you are new to a field, you will encounter a baffling situation in which you comprehend every single sentence in the prompt but still have absolutely no idea how to approach the assignment. No one is doing anything wrong in a situation like that. It just means that further discussion of the assignment is required. Below are some tips:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Focus on the verbs.<\/strong> Look for verbs like compare, explain, justify, reflect, or the all-purpose analyze. You\u2019re not just producing a paper as an artifact; you\u2019re conveying, in written communication, some intellectual work you have done. So the question is, what kind of thinking are you supposed to do to deepen your learning?<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Put the assignment in context.<\/strong> Many professors think in terms of assignment sequences. Think about where your assignment falls in the span of the course (early, midterm, or toward the end), and how it relates to readings and other assignments. For example, if you see that a paper comes at the end of a three-week unit on the role of the Internet in organizational behavior, then your professor likely wants you to synthesize that material in your own way.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Try a free-write.<\/strong> A free-write is when you just write, without stopping, for a set period of time. The \u201cfree\u201d part is what you write\u2014it can be whatever comes to mind. The idea is that if you just make yourself write, you can\u2019t help but produce some kind of useful nugget. Thus, even if the first eight sentences of your free-write are all variations on \u201cI don\u2019t understand this\u201d or \u201cI\u2019d really rather be doing something else,\u201d eventually you\u2019ll write something like \u201cI guess the main point of this is . . . ,\u201d and you\u2019re off and running.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Ask for clarification<\/strong>. Even the most carefully crafted assignments may need some verbal clarification, especially if you\u2019re new to a course or field. Try to convey to your instructor that you want to learn and that you\u2019re ready to work, and not just looking for advice on how to get an A.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
    Empire State College offers an\u00a0Assignment Calculator<\/a> to help you plan ahead for your writing assignment. Just plug in the date you plan to get started and the date it is due, and the calculator will help break it down into manageable chunks.<\/section>
    [ohm2_question]40569[\/ohm2_question]\r\n\r\n<\/section><\/section>","rendered":"

    Understanding the Assignment and Getting Started<\/h2>\n
    \"Woman
    Figure 2<\/strong>. Many writing assignments will have a specific prompt that sends you first to your textbook, and then to outside resources to gather information.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Often, the handout or other written text explaining the assignment\u2014what professors call the writing prompt<\/strong>\u2014will explain the purpose of the assignment, the required parameters (length, number, and type of sources, referencing style, etc.), and the criteria for evaluation.<\/p>\n

    Also, don’t forget to check the rubric, if there is one, to understand how your writing will be assessed. After analyzing the prompt and the rubric, you should have a better sense of what kind of writing you are expected to produce.<\/p>\n

    Sometimes, especially when you are new to a field, you will encounter a baffling situation in which you comprehend every single sentence in the prompt but still have absolutely no idea how to approach the assignment. No one is doing anything wrong in a situation like that. It just means that further discussion of the assignment is required. Below are some tips:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Focus on the verbs.<\/strong> Look for verbs like compare, explain, justify, reflect, or the all-purpose analyze. You\u2019re not just producing a paper as an artifact; you\u2019re conveying, in written communication, some intellectual work you have done. So the question is, what kind of thinking are you supposed to do to deepen your learning?<\/li>\n
    2. Put the assignment in context.<\/strong> Many professors think in terms of assignment sequences. Think about where your assignment falls in the span of the course (early, midterm, or toward the end), and how it relates to readings and other assignments. For example, if you see that a paper comes at the end of a three-week unit on the role of the Internet in organizational behavior, then your professor likely wants you to synthesize that material in your own way.<\/li>\n
    3. Try a free-write.<\/strong> A free-write is when you just write, without stopping, for a set period of time. The \u201cfree\u201d part is what you write\u2014it can be whatever comes to mind. The idea is that if you just make yourself write, you can\u2019t help but produce some kind of useful nugget. Thus, even if the first eight sentences of your free-write are all variations on \u201cI don\u2019t understand this\u201d or \u201cI\u2019d really rather be doing something else,\u201d eventually you\u2019ll write something like \u201cI guess the main point of this is . . . ,\u201d and you\u2019re off and running.<\/li>\n
    4. Ask for clarification<\/strong>. Even the most carefully crafted assignments may need some verbal clarification, especially if you\u2019re new to a course or field. Try to convey to your instructor that you want to learn and that you\u2019re ready to work, and not just looking for advice on how to get an A.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      Empire State College offers an\u00a0Assignment Calculator<\/a> to help you plan ahead for your writing assignment. Just plug in the date you plan to get started and the date it is due, and the calculator will help break it down into manageable chunks.<\/section>\n
      \n