Academic Survival Skills 1

Academic Survival Skills I 101 Study Skills Study Skills Active Learning Backward, Turn backward, You have previously studied the techniques for speed reading and previewing to be an active O Time, reader in Unit 1. Now it is time to have a look at two other strategies to be an active learner: In your flight making use of graphic organizers and active note taking. And tell me Just one thing Graphic Organizers I studied last night. Graphic organizers are communication devices that show the organization or structure of concepts Hobart Brown as well as relationships between concepts. Spatial arrangements depicting the information’s structure reduce the cognitive demands. While reading a difficult text or listening to a lecture, you may make use of these graphic organizers so that you do not have to process as much semantic information to understand the information. This is one of the reasons why graphic organizers are such powerful devices. There are three compelling reasons why you should use graphic organizers: First, you are considerably more likely to understand and remember the content subject when the information is visualized. That is, the information tends to be less “fuzzy” and more precise when it is organized into graphs. Second, because the semantic information processing demands are reduced, you can often address the content at more sophisticated or complex levels. Showing (as opposed to just listening or reading texts) how the information is structured can be a powerful way to facilitate your understanding. Third, you are more likely to become strategic learners. Reading and writing skills, communication skills, and analytical, critical, and creative thinking skills are all subject to improve when you learn to recognize these patterns of thinking, construct, and use graphic organizers. Adapted from: Workshop resources. (2004). Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.graphicorganizers.com Here are some graphic organizers that you can use: 1. Continuum Scale High 2. Cycle Low 4 1 3 2 3. Ranking 4. Series of Events Chain

2 102 Unit 2: Changing Communications Ranking 4. Series of Events Chain 3. Initiating Event Event 1 5. Problem/Solution Outline Event 2 Who Final Outcome What Event 3 Where Study Skills Problem When Why How 6. Compare/Contrast Matrix Name 2 Name 1 Solution Attempted Results Solutions Attribute 1 1. 1. 2. 2. Attribute 1 Attribute 1 End Results 8. Spider Map Detail 7. Venn Diagram Main Idea Topic Concept Theme Taken from: Graphic organizers. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.writedesignonline.com/organizers/ Margin Notes E

Main I Topic Academic Survival Skills I 103 Concept Theme Highlighting and Note Taking Active learners sometimes prefer not only using graphic organizers but also highlighting and note taking while reading texts. Both highlighting and note taking are useful strategies because they help prioritize information and help you distinguish between important and relatively less important information. In addition, these two techniques make it possible to remember information more easily when you study the text again after sometime. The following illustration shows the different steps for being an active reader. ACTIVE LEARNING STAIRCASE FOR READING Study Skills Margin Notes ACTIVE Effective Highlighting Reading Actively: Previewing, skimming, scanning Just Reading: Reading from beginning to the PASSIVE end without previewing or taking notes Highlighting: Highlighting means using a colored marker to underline or write over the important information in reading material. Highlighting helps you become a more engaged and active learner because you focus on locating the most important information. It leaves less time and energy for mind wandering. The key point here is not to underline each and every point, but to highlight the important and the main points central to understanding. Effective highlighting means: 1. Reading a complete paragraph or section before highlighting anything 2. Rarely highlighting more than a few words or a phrase at a time 3. Deciding what is most important

Study Skills 104 Unit 2: Changing Communications TASK 1 Look over the examples of Esin’s and Cem’s use of a highlighter. • Who will spend more time learning? • Who will spend less time? • Whose highlighting is more effective? Why? Esin’s Highlighting Example CHARACTERISTICS OF E-COMMERCE CUSTOMERS The Internet is still an innovative technology. While the number of people using the Internet grows each day, only a small percentage of businesses and final consumers use the Internet for shopping. Abundant research, much of which is available on the Internet, has been completed in the attempt to understand who is using the Internet. INTERNET CONSUMERS The typical US Internet user is young, Caucasian, employed, well educated, and a suburban dweller with above-average income. Almost as many females as males use the Internet. African- American and Hispanic usage rates are lower than average. However, they are increasing at a faster rate than that of Caucasian users. The lowest participation rates are found in the youngest (under 13) and oldest (over 65) age groups. People who purchase online are characterizes as innovators and risk-takers. They are interested in new products, services, and ideas. They want to be viewed by others as trend-setters and opinion-leaders. People who are less likely to purchase products online have greater needs for safety and security. They take longer to complete the decision-making process. They want to be viewed as making good economic decisions. The average online consumer makes a relatively small number of purchases, spends less than $100 online per year, and is most likely to purchase familiar, low-cost products. People with annual incomes exceeding $100,000 purchase more than five times as much online per year, and usually buy more expensive items.

Academic Survival Skills I 105 Cem’s Highlighting Example CHARACTERISTICS OF E-COMMERCE CUSTOMERS Study Skills The Internet is still an innovative technology. While the number of people using the Internet grows each day, only a small percentage of businesses and final consumers use the Internet for shopping. Abundant research, much of which is available on the Internet, has been completed in the attempt to understand who is using the Internet. INTERNET CONSUMERS The typical US Internet user is young, Caucasian, employed, well educated, and a suburban dweller with above-average income. Almost as many females as males use the Internet. African- American and Hispanic usage rates are lower than average. However, they are increasing at a faster rate than that of Caucasian users. The lowest participation rates are found in the youngest (under 13) and oldest (over 65) age groups. People who purchase online are characterizes as innovators and risk-takers. They are interested in new products, services, and ideas. They want to be viewed by others as trend-setters and opinion-leaders. People who are less likely to purchase products online have greater needs for safety and security. They take longer to complete the decision-making process. They want to be viewed as making good economic decisions. The average online consumer makes a relatively small number of purchases, spends less than $100 online per year, and is most likely to purchase familiar, low-cost products. People with annual incomes exceeding $100,000 purchase more than five times as much online per year, and usually buy more expensive items. Margin Notes: It takes time to save time. Margin notes are yet another step up the Active Learning Staircase. Margin notes are either summary notes, questions, or personal comments you create in the margin of your material. Anonymous Creating margin notes is an active form of note taking because you are forced to locate – or concentrate on finding – the important information. Once you located, you then condense it down to some key words, a heading, a question, or other summary. Margin notes are most effective if you: 1. read a complete paragraph or section before you write anything 2. decide what is most important 3. use your own words, key words, and abbreviations

106 Unit 2: Changing Communications TASK 2 Examine the following example. What kind of abbreviations has Maya used? Maya’s Summary-in-the-Margin Notes Study Skills Internet= CHARACTERISTICS OF E-COMMERCE CUSTOMERS Innovative Tech. Few buy online The Internet is still an innovative technology. While the number of people using the Internet grows each day, only a small percentage of businesses and final consumers Typical user: 6 qualities use the Internet for shopping. Abundant research, much of which is available on the Females= males Internet, has been completed in the attempt to understand who is using the Internet. African – Amer. & Hisp. < avg. INTERNET CONSUMERS Smallest group: under 13/over 65 The typical US Internet user is young, Caucasian, employed, well educated, and a Purchasers are innovators suburban dweller with above-average income. Almost as many females as males use the and Internet. African-American and Hispanic usage rates are lower than average. However, risk-takers they are increasing at a faster rate than that of Caucasian users. The lowest participation Non-purchasers need rates are found in the youngest (under 13) and oldest (over 65) age groups. safety and security Avg. consumer spends People who purchase online are characterizes as innovators and risk-takers. They are < $ 100 interested in new products, services, and ideas. They want to be viewed by others as ↑ 100 K income = buy trend-setters and opinion-leaders. People who are less likely to purchase products online 5xmore & expensive items have greater needs for safety and security. They take longer to complete the decision- making process. They want to be viewed as making good economic decisions. The average online consumer makes a relatively small number of purchases, spends less than $100 online per year, and is most likely to purchase familiar, low-cost products. People with annual incomes exceeding $100,000 purchase more than five times as much online per year, and usually buy more expensive items. Taken from: Beal, A. M. (2007). Success skills: Strategies for study and lifelong learning. Ohio: Thompson South Western. See Appendix 8 for the answers to the tasks above.

3U N I T Changing Habits In Unit 2, you studied how people use online technologies to communicate. In this unit, you will study how technology changes our habits.

3U N I T Changing Habits

In this unit, you will study the following skills: Reading: Listening: n Previewing n Listening for main ideas n Scanning n Listening for specific information n Using graphic organizers n Listening for implied ideas n Identifying main ideas n Guessing unknown vocabulary Speaking: n Identifying points of reference n Understanding figurative speech n Using discussion language n Making inferences n Distinguishing between a fact and an Language: opinion n Identifying word combinations n Reading between the lines Critical thinking: Writing: n Making connections between ideas n Essay writing n Reacting to an idea n Reflecting on an idea • Pre-writing stages: n Evaluating different viewpoints n Making predictions • Writing the thesis statement • Outlining • Writing the essay: • Characteristics of formal and informal writing • Writing the introduction paragraph n Identifying the introductory strategies • Writing the body of an essay n How to develop an idea n Unity n Coherence • Writing the conclusion paragraph • Writing the title • Revising and editing the essay • Writing the final draft n Writing a reaction paragraph n Using the target vocabulary learnt so far in writing

UNIT 3 Changing Habits READING GETTING STARTED A. Discussion 1. Below is a list of quotes on books and print technology. Discuss what they might imply. Do you agree / disagree with these ideas? Why? Let books be your dining table, A book is like a garden carried in the And you shall be full of delights pocket. Let them be your mattress And you shall sleep restful nights. Chinese Proverb Anonymous The book is dead so let’s grab a spade. The imagination isn’t under the Jeff Jarvis paperback. It finds life in the mind of the reader. Anonymous Print is where words go to die. Too When you sell a man a book, you don’t many of the ideas trapped on pages sell just twelve grams of paper and ink end up, at best, in unused archives or, and glue – you sell him a whole new at worst, in the recycler’s pulp, when life. Love and friendship and humor they should be online: searchable, and ships at sea by night –there’s all discoverable, and linkable part of the heaven and earth in a book, a real conversation. book. Jeff Jarvis Anonymous

Academic Survival Skills I 111 2. Add your own quote: B. Vocabulary The words in bold in the following sentences will appear in the text, “The Future of Reading in Online Revolution”. Using the context, match the words with the definitions in the box below. 1. ____________ Educators sensibly no longer measure literacy by the simple ability to read and write. Rather, they view literacy as a continuum of skills integral to functioning in society. 2. ____________ One book I read two years ago has been a turning point in my life as it has totally changed my view of life. 3. ____________ The Harry Potter craze revealed that children like reading fantasy books full of magical worlds. 4. ____________ Bookworms like to shuffle and be lost in the pages of books. a. to move about papers or things quickly, back and forth b. a point at which a significant change occurs c. an exaggerated and often transient enthusiasm d. the state of being educated and cultured

112 Unit 3: Changing Habits C. Glancing at the Text 1. Preview the text. What do you expect to read in the text? 2. Scan the text in 5 minutes and match the names with the quotes. Names Quotes _______ Kevin Kelly 1. “Nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a twitchy _______ Sven Birkerts little screen. Ever.” _______ Victor Nell _______ Dan Lansing 2. “Imagine that you are trying to learn more about the Middle _______ Adam Smith East, and you start reading a book, which claims that _______ Annie Proulx something happened in Lebanon in 1981, where the author _______ Jeff Bezos reveals his view on what happened. _______ Alan Kay 3. “What the writer writes, how he writes and gets edited, printed and sold, and then read—all the old assumptions are under siege.” 4. “The process is all about ‘getting rid of the idea that a book is a [closed] container.’” 5. “Books are all the dreams we would most like to have, and like dreams they have the power to change consciousness.” 6. “Technology is anything that was invented after you were born.” 7. “Now imagine that for all books. Reading becomes a community activity,” 8. “Worldwide there is a craze to digitize everything, and one of the last bastions of analog - books - are about to fall.”

Academic Survival Skills I 113 TEXT Read the text below and do the exercises that follow. The Future of Reading in Online Revolution 1 ”Technology,” computer pioneer Alan Kay The book versus reading devices once said, “is anything that was invented after 4 WillKindleanditslikesreallycausethedemise you were born” (Feldman, 2004, para. 1). So of the book that is considered the bedrock of when making mental lists of the most excellent our civilization? The death of the book—or technological creations in our lives, it’s not the death of print—has been discussed for surprising that we may overlook the book – over a decade now. In The Gutenberg Elegies, which is superbly designed, very functional Sven Birkerts (1994), considered the future and passionately beloved. Additionally, it and concluded, “What the writer writes, how can be turned on instantly and requires no he writes and gets edited, printed and sold, batteries. Many people think that it is such a perfect invention that it can’t be improved and then read—all the old assumptions are and react with anger at any implication to the under siege” (p. 33). Such arguments have contrary. always been rejected by book advocates who insisted that nothing could supplant those 2 “The book,” says Jeff Bezos, the CEO of seemingly perfect objects sitting on our night Amazon.com, “is an incredible device.” tables and furnishing our rooms. Computers Although Bezos loves books professionally may have taken over every other stage of the and personally, he also understands that the rise of technology will engulf all media. book-writing process—the tools of research, “Worldwide there is a craze to digitize drafting and production—but that final mile everything, and one of the last bastions of of the process, where the reader mind-melds analog* -books- are about to fall,” he says. with the author in a fine asynchronous tango, Music and video have been digital for a long would always be sacred, said the opponents time, and short-form reading such as reading the news or an article has also been digitized, of Kindle. In 1994, for instance, fiction writer beginning with the early Web. Annie Proulx was quoted as saying, “Nobody is going to sit down and read a novel on a 3 Now, the long- twitchy little screen. Ever” (Proulx, 1994, form reading para. 3). has also become 5 Proulx is not the only person who thinks so; there are many other people who take extreme digitized with pleasure in physical books. Some people e-books which associate the joy of reading with the smell of require an glue and ink. Some like to shuffle the pages Internet connection. Even though there of the book in their hands. Some regard it as are other reading devices like Blackberry, something to hold in their hands and curl up Amazon’s Kindle will probably be a turning with in bed. For many of us, books lead us point in digitizing the long form of reading to a magical zone. “Books are all the dreams because Kindle’s real breakthrough comes we would like to have, and like dreams they from a feature that was previously never have the power to change consciousness,” offered: wireless connectivity via mobile phones, allowing it to work anywhere. That’s wrote Victor Nell in his article called “Lost a revolution that will change the way readers in a Book.” Nell coined a phrase for that read, writers write and publishers publish trancelike state that heavy readers enter during a time when a challenged publishing when reading books for pleasure—”ludic industry is competing with television. Thus, reading”. His claim was that an electronic the literary critics are worried about a possible device would never create that hypnotic state death of print culture. (1998, p. 41).

114 Unit 3: Changing Habits 6 Bezos, however, emphasizes the power of the 11 Another advantage of connectivity is access to words rather than the physical effect of the virtual libraries. book. He believes that people associate the Google has already smell of the book with all those worlds they scanned a million have been transported to, saying “What we books from many love is the words and the ideas.” Therefore, in well-known his opinion, devices like Kindle can engage university libraries, consciousness in the same way a physical which are now book does and take you down the rabbit hole available in its like the one in the book Alice in Wonderland. database. It is as if a small room in a library was compressed to a single living document. “Now 7 While the changing habits seem to support imagine that for all books. Reading becomes a Bezos’ opinion, they prove Proulx wrong. community activity,” writes journalist Kevin Today, screens are everywhere and less twitchy, Kelly in his New York Times column. and people have been reading everything on “Bookmarks can be shared with other readers. them — documents, newspaper stories, Margin notes can be broadcast. In a very curious magazine articles, blogs, as well as novels. way, the universal library becomes one very, Some companies have already begun sending very, large single text: the world’s only book” out books straight into your e-mail inbox. (2006, para. 2). Devices like iPhone and BlackBerry are expected to be a major outlet for e-books in the 12 Google’s people have thought about how this near future. connectivity could also affect how people read. Adam Smith, product director for Book 8 Now comes the Kindle, Search, says the process is all about “getting rid which Amazon began of the idea that a book is a [closed] container.” building in 2004. It One of his colleagues, Dan Lansing, describes is basically a reading how it might work: “Imagine that you are machine made by a trying to learn more about the Middle East, bookseller but it is also and you start reading a book, which claims something more: a that something happened in Lebanon in 1981, perpetually connected Internet device. A few where the author reveals his view on what twitches of the fingers and the connection happened. But actually his view is not what between your mind and a book can be [really] happened. Imagine having a reading enhanced by a mass of data that you can find device that gives you newspaper clippings on the Internet. Here lies the uniqueness of the on the event, the views of other people Amazon Kindle. It’s the first “always-on” book. who disagree with him, other perspectives. The fact that all of that is at your fingertips Connectivity and you can connect it together completely changes the way you do investigation of a 9 So what will happen when books are subject. You’ll be able to get all the world’s persistently connected? First of all, it could information, all the books that have been transform the discovery process for readers. published, all the world’s libraries.” Connected books will either link to other books or allow readers to recommend books 13 Despite all the advantages mentioned, to each other and thus increase literacy rates. traditionalists are still skeptical of connected books. In May 2006, novelist John Updike 10 Connectivity also affects the publishing decided to stand for them; thus, becoming business model, giving hope to an industry a symbol of rejection. In a speech he gave that moves slowly with low revenues while to a group of booksellers, he defended the videogames industry is skyrocketing. “Books printed book and declared that the “edges” of don’t need to go out of print,” says Bezos. the traditional book should not be violated. “However, connectivity could shorten He said the hard boards that hold the pages publishing cycles and alter pricing”. Readers together were not just covers but protective have long complained that new books cost barriers against the overuse of technology, too much but connected books are available and like-minded people should “defend the for reasonable prices. fort” (para. 2).

Academic Survival Skills I 115 14 That fort will stand, of course, for a long time. 15 That is why the reading devices matter. As Our love of original books will keep them Bezos says, “Inventing such devices is the alive for many years to come. But nothing most important thing we’ve ever done.” It is forever. If you think about the energy- is inevitable that in the near future physical wasting, resource-draining process of how bookstores will be lonelier places, as digital we make books now, you will remember reading leads us into an exciting new era as that we chop down trees, transport them to long as the batteries are charged. plants, mash them into pulp, move the pulp to another factory to press into sheets, ship * Analog: Systems before digital systems the sheets to a plant to put dirty marks on them, then cut the sheets and bind them and ship the thing around the world. Due to time and environmental concerns, it is indeed hard to believe that we’ll be doing all this in 50 years. REFERENCES Birkerts, S. (1994). The Gutenberg elegies: The fate of reading in an electronic age. New York: Faber and Faber Inc. Feldman, S. (2004). A conversation with Alan Kay. Retrieved February 12, 2005, from http://queue.acm.org/detail. cfm?id=1039523 Kelly, K. (2006, May 14). Scan this book! NY Times. Retrieved September 15, 2007, from http://www.nytimes. com/2006/05/14/magazine/14publishing.html?_r=1 Nell, V. (1988). Lost in a book: The psychology of reading for pleasure. New Heaven: Yale University Press. Proulx, E. A. ( 1994, May 26) Books on top. NY Times. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/ books/99/05/23/specials/proulx-top.html Updike, J. (2006,June 26). The end of authorship. Retrieved September 12, 2007, from http://musicandculture. blogspot.com/2006_06_01_archive.html WORKING THROUGH THE TEXT A. Text Comprehension 1. Why do people not regard books as technical devices? 2. a. What does Jeff Bezos mean by the following sentence? “Worldwide there is a craze to digitize everything, and one of the last bastions of analog – books are about to fall.” (par. 2) b. Give real life examples of this trend from the music and video industries.

116 Unit 3: Changing Habits 3. a. Compare / Contrast Annie Proulx’s, Victor Nell’s, and Jeff Bezos’ viewpoints about books. b. Show this relationship in a Venn diagram. 4. What does “‘always-on’ book” mean in paragraph 8? 5. List any of the 3 benefits of connected books. • • • 6. What is the main idea of paragraph 14? B. Vocabulary I. Find a word or an expression from the text for each definition below. 1. the end or death of something that was ____________________________ previously considered to be powerful, such as a business, industry or system (par. 4): 2. occurring continually (par. 8): ____________________________ 3. to increase drastically (par. 10): ____________________________ II. Using the contextual clues in the text, guess the meanings of the following words, and write down their definitions or synonyms. 1. engulf (par. 2): __________________________________________________________ 2. under siege (par. 4): __________________________________________________________ 3. supplant (par. 4): __________________________________________________________ 4. ludic reading (par. 5): __________________________________________________________ 5. curious (par. 11): __________________________________________________________

Academic Survival Skills I 117 III. The following are some verbs used in the reading text. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. 1. to compete ________________ somebody / something 2. to take pleasure ________________ something 3. to associate something ________________ something 4. to stand ________________ somebody / something 5. to be worried ________________ something / somebody 6. to be skeptical ________________ something Check your answers by looking at the text. C. Reference Words Determine what the following words / phrases from the text refer to. 1. those seemingly perfect objects (par. 4): _________________________ 2. industry (par. 10): _________________________ 3. them (par. 13): _________________________ D. Between the Lines Match the phrases in bold with their possible explanations. Refer back to the text if necessary. 1. __________ Will Kindle and its likes really 4. __________ Google’s people have thought cause the demise of the book that is about how this connectivity could also considered the bedrock of our civilization? affect how people read. Adam Smith, (par. 4) product director for Book Search, says the process is all about “getting rid of the idea 2. __________ Computers may have taken that a book is a [closed] container.” (par. over every other stage of the book- 12) writing process—the tools of research, drafting and production—but that final 5. __________ He said the hard boards that hold mile of the process, where the reader the pages together were not just covers but mind-melds with the author in a fine protective barriers against the overuse asynchronous tango, would always be of technology, and like-minded people sacred… (par. 4) should “defend the fort.” (par. 13) 3. __________ …devices like Kindle can engage 6. __________ It is inevitable that in the near consciousness in the same way a physical future physical bookstores will be lonelier book does and take you down the rabbit places, as digital reading leads us into an hole like the one in the book Alice in exciting new era as long as the batteries Wonderland. (par. 6) are charged. (par. 15)

118 Unit 3: Changing Habits a. Books one day will become one of d. In the last stage of the reading experience, the outdated objects as a new age is the reader’s imagination works with that approaching. But this change is not all of the writer in a harmonious yet different positive because it can come true only way. The partnership of the reader and the when one has the power supply to operate writer’s imagination would always remain one’s reading device. strong. b. People should fight back against the e. The fundamental principles and the rules advances in reading technologies and of the modern world protect the traditional way of reading. f. The devices, too, may take the reader to a c. The book itself is isolated from other whole different world. works; one cannot crosscheck it with other forms of media right at that moment. Focusing on Understanding Figurative Language: a Skill The exercise you have completed is an example of how a writer can use sophisticated language to say one thing but mean another. This is achieved by figurative language, in other words, figures of speech. Figures of speech are expressions that mean something other than what they actually state. They are not meant to be interpreted literally but they rather carry implied meanings. Thus, in order to fully comprehend a text, readers need to examine and understand figurative language. Figurative language gives stronger impact to ideas and opinions, often using comparisons to clarify or enrich abstract ideas, create emotional responses, or make ideas more interesting and colorful. As you have seen in paragraph 4, the writer likens the relationship between the reader and the writer to a tango where each party has its own role to play, and this makes the idea more engaging and colorful. The most common figures of speech are simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. Simile Simile is a figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as. e.g. Books are like timeless objects we admire in a museum; they are beautiful, but without the means of being updated and corrected. Metaphor Metaphor is a figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as. e.g. Books are windows that open to new horizons. Personification Personification is a figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a comparison which the author uses to show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain feeling or attitude towards it and to control the way a reader perceives it. e.g. The books danced on the shelves during the earthquake. Hyperbole Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point. e.g. She is a book worm; she reads thousands of books every year.

Academic Survival Skills I 119 Adapted from: Literary terms. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2008, from http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/ literary_elements.htm Wassman, R., & Rinsky, L.A. (1997). Effective reading in a changing world (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. To be able to use figurative language effectively in writing, one needs to be proficient in the language Important and have good writing skills. Otherwise, there may be the risk of producing ambiguous language. Reminder TASK 1 Read the following sentences to identify and explain the figures of speech for each one. 1. When the professor elaborated on the article by William James, philosopher and psychologist, he commented that the writer let his ideas flow like a rambling, sparkling stream. a. What is the figure of speech used in this passage? b. What two things are compared? 2. In praise of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, Elizabeth Brandon wrote that the novel “casts a spell on the readers to make them forget about all the preceding ones.” a. What is the figure of speech used in this passage? b. What two things are compared? 3. The famous actress lived a rough-and-tumble life that left her a legacy of despair. But when she went on stage to shoot a scene, the past was forgotten. She was a queen totally in command of her awestruck subjects, none of whom dared disrupt her concentration. a. What is the figure of speech used in this passage?

120 Unit 3: Changing Habits b. What two things are compared? 4. My grandfather’s sole habit was reading. He used to love to spend long hours in his private library filled with books of all sorts. History books, novels, reference books… anything you name, millions and millions of books preserved carefully. a. What is the figure of speech used in this passage? Justify your answer. Adapted from: Flemming, L. (2000). Reading for thinking (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. TASK 2 Below are some examples of figures of speech taken from this unit. Identify the type of figurative language for each. 1. “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________ 2. “The book is dead so let’s grab a spade.” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________ 3. “Print is where words go to die.” ______________________________________________ Type of figurative language: 4. “When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell just twelve grams of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life.” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________ 5. “Will Kindle and its likes really cause the demise of the book that is considered the bedrock of our civilization?” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________ 6. “Computers may have taken over every other stage of the book-writing process—the tools of research, drafting and production—but that final mile of the process, where the reader mind-melds with the author in a fine asynchronous tango, would always be sacred…” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________

Academic Survival Skills I 121 7. “[A] book is a [closed] container.” Type of figurative language: ______________________________________________ TASK 3 Using a figure of speech, complete the following sentences. • A book is just like a __________________________________________________________________________ • My worst habit is ________________________________ because ________________________________ • Reading a novel is ____________________________________________________________________________ LISTENING WHILE LISTENING: Radio Poll on Reading Devices and Books You are going to hear people answering the question as to whether they favor books or reading devices. Listen to their answers and decide whether they favor books, reading devices or whether they are unsure. Put a tick in the appropriate box and jot down the reasons in key words that help you to decide. Speaker 1 Which one does the Reasons (in key words) Judy speaker favor? Reasons (in key words) Reasons (in key words) Speaker 2 Books n Sean Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 3 Maria Which one does the speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Which one does the speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n

122 Unit 3: Changing Habits Which one does the Reasons (in key words) speaker favor? Reasons (in key words) Speaker 4 Reasons (in key words) Thomas Books n Reasons (in key words) Reading devices n Reasons (in key words) Unsure n Reasons (in key words) Reasons (in key words) Speaker 5 Which one does the Robert speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 6 Which one does the Nancy speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 7 Which one does the Sita speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 8 Which one does the Liz speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 9 Which one does the Amy speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n Speaker 10 Which one does the Jane speaker favor? Books n Reading devices n Unsure n

Academic Survival Skills I 123 Making Inferences: Focusing on a Skill The notes you have jotted down helped you make inferences about the speakers’ points of view. That way you made inferences about the speakers’ attitude towards reading devices. We all make inferences based on some clues such as people’s facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language. For instance, if your teacher scowls at you when you arrive late, you can infer that she is displeased with your tardiness; or you infer from dark, gray, puffy clouds overhead that it may not be the best day for a picnic. In each case, you make an “educated”, reasonable guess based on limited information, weighing known facts in light of your background knowledge and past experience. Making inferences is reasoning out what you see, hear, or read. In academic life, making an inference means forming your own conclusion by reasons on the basis of what has been suggested by a writer but not stated directly; thus, it is a critical skill for reading comprehension. When making inferences as a reader, you: • deduce word meaning from context. • find implied main ideas. • recognize organizational patterns. To be a critical reader, you need to make connections between what the writer says and what the writer wants you to understand. When you are trying to interpret a writer’s views on a topic, especially if the issue is political, economic, or social, your own cultural background and assumptions play a major role as you reason, make inferences, and draw conclusions. For example: “Most people get their political information from television and most say they believe information obtained from television more than that in newspapers.” Possible valid inferences: a) Television is shaping society’s political views more than newspapers. b) Most people place value on television news than on newspaper reporting. c) The outcome of the next elections will be influenced by television reporting. Invalid inferences: a) It would be cheaper for people to buy a daily newspaper than a TV set for getting news. b) TV audience is illiterate because they do not read newspapers at all. To Make Valid Inferences A deduction is an argument in To make valid inferences and draw sound conclusions, evaluate the main idea and supporting details which, certain things and then test the logic of your inferences by asking two key questions: being laid down, something other than • What support validates my inference? these necessarily • Is my inference a valid one? comes about through them. Adapted from: Wassman, R., & Rinsky, L.A. (1997). Effective reading in a changing world (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Aristotle 

124 Unit 3: Changing Habits Important Keep in mind that an inference is not a restatement. An inference is the conclusion one draws from Reminder the information given in the original sentence / phrase, whereas a restatement is the sentence / phrase that gives the original in a different way. That is, the same idea is repeated with different words in a restatement. TASK 1 Read the paragraphs below and write (I) next to the inferences and (R) next to the restatements. Note that some of the statements are neither inferences nor restatements. 1. The dusty book room whose windows never opened, through whose panes the summer sun sent a dim light where gold specks danced and shimmered, had opened magic windows for me through which once I had looked out on other worlds in which I had met unicorns, fairies and witches. The narrow shelves rose halfway up the walls, their tops piled with untidy layers that almost touched the ceiling. The piles on the floor had to be climbed over; columns of books flanked the window, falling at a touch. a. ____________ The room is dusty, filled with books from floor to ceiling. b. ____________ The sun never enters the room. c. ____________ The author spent time in this room as a child. d. ____________ The author did not like the room. e. ____________ The author stood by the windows in the room and saw worlds other than those in which he lived. 2. Surveys reveal that most adults consider themselves “well-informed about the affairs of the nation and the world.” Yet a regularly taken Roper poll that asks, “From where do you obtain most of your information about the world?” has found the percentage of people who reply, “Television” has been increasing steadily over the past decade. The latest questionnaire found out that well over 60 percent of the respondents choose television over other media as their major source of information. These two facts are difficult to reconcile since even a casual study of television news reveals that it is only a headline service and not a source of information enabling to shape a world view. a. ____________ Most adults obtain most of their information about the world affairs from the newspaper. b. ____________ The author of this passage does not believe that television provides enough information to make people well-informed. c. ____________ The number of people answering the questionnaire has increased. d. ____________ 60 % of the people questioned get all their news from television. e. ____________ Most adults are well informed about the affairs of the nation and the world. 3. This book contains a totally new outlook which combines the wisdom of the past with scientific knowledge to solve the problems of the present. a. ____________ Problems of the past and present are solved in this book. b. ____________ In this book, current knowledge and past wisdom are combined to solve current problems. c. ____________ Only by using knowledge of the past and present can we solve problems.

Academic Survival Skills I 125 d. ____________ None of today’s problems can be solved without scientific knowledge. e. ____________ This person favors this book because of its unique approach to solve the current problems. 4. The illustrations in books make it easier for us to believe in the people and events described. The more senses satisfied, the easier is belief. Visual observation tends to be the most convincing evidence. Children being less capable of translating abstractions into actualities need illustration more than adults. Most of us, when we read, tend to create only vague and ghost-like forms in response to the words. The illustrator, when he reads, must see. The great illustrator sees accurately. a. ____________ Illustrations help us to believe events described in words. b. ____________ When most people read, they do not picture events as accurately as can a great illustrator. c. ____________ Children are less able than adults to visualize events described in books. d. ____________ Illustrators have great responsibility to help the readers to visualize texts. e. ____________ The author believes all illustrators see accurately. Adapted from: Baudoin, E. M., Bober, E. S., Clarke, M. A., Dobson, B. K., & Silberstein, S. (1993). Reader’s choice (2nd ed.). Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. GOING ONE STEP FURTHER by speaking You are going to discuss the future of reading habits. a. You will form groups of 6. b. Each of you will choose a different role from the role cards given below. c. First, you will work individually on your own role. (You can brainstorm and take notes). d. Then, you will work together with your group members to perform your role in front of the class. A B You are a book writer who is in favor You are a manufacturer of electronic of books. Support your opinion by reading devices. You think that the explaining why you think so. future of reading is in electronic devices. Support your opinion by explaining why you think so. C D You are a book writer who is in favor You are a publisher who is against of electronic reading devices. Support electronic reading devices. You think your opinion by explaining why you that your business is under threat. State think so. your reasons why you think so.

126 Unit 3: Changing Habits F You are a traditional book lover and you E You are a young reader who is open to are against electronic reading devices. Support your opinion by explaining changes so you are in favor of electronic why you think so. reading devices. Support your opinion by explaining why you think so. Note: While one group performs, the rest of the class acts as audience. When you are the audience, you are expected to ask questions to the performing groups during or after the role play. While performing your role, you may use the following expressions. You have studied some of them in the previous units. The ones with an asterisk are new. Useful Expressions: Discussion Language To express an opinion To express total disagreement In my opinion,… I don’t agree. I think/believe/feel that… I disagree with… It seems to me that… I don’t see it that way. Not everyone will agree with me, but… On the contrary,… For me… Yes, but don’t you think…* (Un)Like X, I believe… I don’t see it quite like that. * While it may be true that…, I still think it is… To express partial agreement/disagreement I absolutely believe that… Yes, but… Without a doubt,… is Yes, but on the other hand… To argue against something That may be true but… That may be true but … I agree with you but … * Maybe but … Yes, but on the other hand…* Yes, but don’t forget … To interrupt But don’t you think … Excuse me for interrupting but… To express total agreement That’s true, but … That makes sense to me. Yes, but … That’s what I think about it, too. I would like to make a point here. That’s very true. * I’d like to ask a question. I agree with you there. * I have a question for… Yes, I know exactly what you mean. * I would like to comment on that. Asking for further explanations: Correcting yourself Can you explain why…* What I mean is … * Do you mean to say … * What I meant was … * I don’t understand why … * Let me put it in another way … * Why is it that … * What I’m saying is … * How come… * What I’m trying to say is … * Does this mean … * Taken from: Keller, E., & Warner, S. T. (1988). Conversation gambits: Real English conversation practices. Hove: Language Teaching Publications.

Academic Survival Skills I 127 GOING ONE STEP FURTHER by writing Read the excerpt below and write a well-organized reaction paragraph of 150 - 200 words in response to the ideas in it. Discuss whether you agree and/or disagree with the writer by giving your reasons. In your paragraph, use at least 5 of the following words you have studied so far: literacy skyrocketing turning point perpetually craze to supplant under siege to dismiss curious to have impact on something demise archaic to have interest in something to perceive to take pleasure in something to have the power to do something to associate something with something The problems with books are many: They are frozen in time without the means of being updated and corrected. They have no link to related knowledge, debates, and sources. They create, at best, a one-way relationship with a reader. They try to teach readers but don’t teach authors. They tend to be too long because they have to be long enough to be books. They limit how knowledge can be found because they have to sit on a shelf under one address; there’s only way to get to it. They are expensive to produce. They depend on scarce shelf space. They depend on best-seller economics. They aren’t searchable. They aren’t linkable. They have no metadata, no connectedness. They carry no conversation. They are thrown out when there’s no space for them anymore. Print is where words go to die. Adapted from: Jarvis, J. (2006). Retrieved March 15, 2008, from http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/05/19/the-book-is-dead-long-live-the-book Before writing the paragraph, make an outline below: Your Outline:

128 Unit 3: Changing Habits Your reaction paragraph: The writer … Word count: ___________________

Academic Survival Skills I 129 READING GETTING STARTED A. Discussion 1. Examine the following cartoons. What common message do you infer from the cartoons below? IT’S THE ONLY WAY I CAN SET SOME OF MY PATENTS TO LISTEN TO ME! “I CAN’T READ BUT I HAVE EXCELLENT TV VIEWING SKILLS.” Cartoons taken from: Baccal, A. (n.d.). [Cartoon]. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.cartoonstock.com Fran, O. (n.d.). [Cartoon].Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.francartoons.com 2. What is the role of television in today’s world? 3. Have the viewers’ TV habits changed in time? If yes, how? 4. What kind of programs do you prefer to watch on TV? Why?

130 Unit 3: Changing Habits B. Vocabulary The words in bold in the following sentences will appear in the text, “Viewers Reveal Changing TV Habits”. Using the context, match the words with the definitions in the box below. 1. __________ MTV Türkiye has the legal franchise to use the name of the global music network. 2. __________ When he received a lot of negative criticism, his dream of being an actor was shattered. 3. __________ Shooting a TV series based on a historical event is not a lucrative business because the costumes and the equipment cost very much. 4. __________ When color TV was first introduced, it was received as a true innovation. a. the introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something b. formal permission given by a company to somebody who wants to sell its products or services in a particular area c. producing a large amount of money d. to destroy something completely, especially somebody’s hopes, feelings and beliefs C. Glancing at the text Scan the text in 1 minute and underline the names of the TV shows mentioned in the text.

Academic Survival Skills I 131 TEXT Read the text below and do the exercises that follow. Viewers Reveal Changing TV Habits 1 The journey of long distance broadcast for their favorite show has been shattered. started when a narrow In its place, has emerged a new form. On beam of light swept the 80th anniversary of the first long- over Herbert Hoover’s distance TV broadcast, old rules defining face through the tiny where and what to watch are collapsing. holes of a spinning disk On TV the audience no longer watches in Washington D.C. The New Yorkers quiz shows but TV series, an epidemic that watched this image of the tiny but has affected millions worldwide. But that’s unmistakable figure of the future U.S. not all. Now where to watch TV is also president with a mixture of excitement and going through a renovation. Thanks to the wonder. The next day, on April 7, 1927, immense popularity of online technology, Indianapolis Star published news reporting this first public demonstration of a long the masters of the game have changed. distance TV broadcast enthusiastically as, Just as in earlier periods of richness, TV “Television, a scientific dream ever since the production, distribution and consumption telephone was perfected, has at last been all are being redefined and refreshed by realized” (as cited in Murphy, 2009, para. 2). outsiders, from Apple’s co-founder and CEO 2 Commercialized in the 1940s, TV went Steve Jobs to the new amateur producers of through a major innovation in the 1950s YouTube, which reveals that TV watching when the consumers first bought TV sets habits are being reshaped and redefined for their living rooms, as color emerged and by people of online technology. This as producers reproduced earlier radio and combination of online technology and TV stage models to create enduring classics like series has completely altered the convention Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy. of sitting down in front of the TV set; now 3 More tech-driven reinvention followed people watch their favorite shows from their in the 1980s. The rise of cable TV and the computer screens. spread of the VCR* ended the local networks’ monopoly on the living-room set. The 5 One of the major reasons for this rapid shift is that popular shows like Lost, Desperate resulting competition for consumers helped Housewives and 24 are increasingly easy create classic broadcast programming such as The Cosby Show and Dallas, as well as the to find for free on peer-to-peer networks, birth of long lasting TV channels like HBO, where people share their personal files, CNN and MTV, which eventually turned out mp3s, or videos, often within minutes of to be global franchises. airing in the US. This access was welcomed 4 Today, once again, TV is evolving into by many people outside the US, who are something new and hardly recognizable to simply not prepared to wait until they come generations raised on its earlier incarnations. to their own TV screens. “Most episodes The structured world of analog [television] come online about half an hour after it first over-the-air programming that brought airs in the US,” says Dr David Price, head of families together in the living room waiting piracy intelligence at web monitoring firm

132 Unit 3: Changing Habits Envisional. “Someone with a fast connection one of the biggest problems is persuading on the other coast of the ocean can watch it people they are doing anything wrong. “There before it airs on the west of the US.” has to be an education campaign,” says Eddy 6 Another reason for this increasing trend is the Leviten, spokesman for the Federation Against luxury the online world has to offer. People fed Copyright Theft. “We have to make people up with the long advertisements interrupting aware that it is illegal. It is their favorite show prefer downloading it violating copyright. This is from the Internet. “You’d be surprised how intellectual property that short some programs are without adverts - somebody somewhere has CSI and Lost are about 40 minutes”, says Phil to pay for.” TV companies Crick, from BBC Entertainment. “Watching are increasingly making TV in this way can save you time”. shows legally available online, with ABC selling episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives via 7 “It is now as easy to download a TV show Apple’s iTunes. through a website as it is to set your DVD 10 Dr Price says legitimate download services recorder,” Dr Price says. “These days, missing will help, and the producers are doing their a TV show presents little problem to anyone best by enabling their viewers to watch the with even a basic knowledge of the Internet. popular shows online. But the question here Two clicks and your favorite program is is whether the audience will cooperate. downloading. In effect, the Internet is now a global video recorder.” 11 Yes, it is the end of TV as we once knew it. Yet 8 However, the new habit of downloading series as Jeff Jarvis, a former critic for TV Guide and is not beneficial and lucrative for all. The creator of Entertainment Weekly magazine, pirating of popular TV shows is a growing who now writes the influential new media blog problem for the TV industry as viewers Buzz Machine notes, “Judging our television increasingly demand their own viewing based on what is here today is foolhardy. In timetables. An on-demand culture plus the five years, it will be populated by many more growing speed and uptake of broadband** functions, be much more open, and far more are making TV the most pirated asset on the interactive. We’ll see a vast and wonderful Internet, Dr Price says. He estimates that explosion of talent.” must-see shows like Lost are getting over a million illegal downloads per episode. * VCR: Video Cassette Recorder 9 So what should be done to combat TV piracy? ** A TV antenna described as “broadband” will Well, the solution is not so simple because receive more channels. REFERENCES Murphy, D. (2007, April 7). Long-distance TV broadcasts hit 80 year anniversary. Retrieved May 4, 2007, from http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/07/long-distance-tv-broadcasts-hit-80-year-anniversary/

Academic Survival Skills I 133 WORKING THROUGH THE TEXT A. Text Comprehension 1. Read the excerpt below taken from the text and decide which of the following statements is true. “The journey of long distance broadcast started when a narrow beam of light swept over Herbert Hoover’s face through the tiny holes of spinning disk in Washington D.C. The New Yorkers watched this image of the tiny but unmistakable figure of the future U.S. president with a mixture of excitement and wonder.” (par. 1) a. The journey of broadcasting was a long one. b. In the years to come, Herbert Hoover became the president of the United States. c. The first long distance broadcast was made in New York. d. Herbert Hoover was a tiny man. 2. How did people respond to TV in the 1920s? 3. What is the common characteristic of early TV shows like Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy other than being enduring classics? 4. What resulted from the ending of the local networks’ monopoly? 5. What does the writer mean by the following sentence: “Today, once again, TV is evolving into something new and hardly recognizable to generations raised on its earlier incarnations.” (par. 4) 6. Why does the writer name Steve Jobs and “the new amateur producers of YouTube” as “outsiders” (par. 4)? 7. How did TV use to contribute to family interactions in the past?

134 Unit 3: Changing Habits 8. Name two of the reasons why people choose to watch their favorite shows on their computers. 9. What are the possible solutions to combat piracy? 10. What is Jeff Jarvis’ prediction on the future form of TV? Do you agree? Why / Why not? B. Vocabulary I. Find a word or an expression from the text for each definition below. 1. to appear; to come into being through evolution (par. 2): ______________________________ 2. continuing in the same state; lasting (par. 2): ______________________________ 3. tradition (par. 4): ______________________________ II. Using the contextual clues in the text, guess the meanings of the following words, and write down their definitions or synonyms. 1. collapsing (par. 4): _________________________________________________________________________ 2. combat (par. 9): _________________________________________________________________________ 3. foolhardy (par. 11): _________________________________________________________________________ C. Reference Words Determine what the following words / phrases from the text refer to. 1. this rapid shift (par. 5): _________________________________________________________________________ 2. their (par. 8): _________________________________________________________________________ 3. it (par. 9): _________________________________________________________________________ D. Between the Lines Answer the questions below. Refer back to the text if necessary. 1. a. Why does the writer compare TV series to an epidemic? (par.4) b. While comparing TV series to an epidemic, which of the figures of speech does the writer use? i. Simile ii. Metaphor iii. Personification iv. Hyperbole

Academic Survival Skills I 135 c. Your Country under Spotlight • Are there any TV series / programs that are like an epidemic in your country? • What kind of programs are they? • What could be the reason behind this craze? 2. What does the writer mean by the following sentence? “In effect, the Internet is now a global video recorder.” (par.7) 3. Is the writer of this text supportive of new viewing habits? Justify your answer. Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion: Focusing on a Skill In order to decide whether the writer favors new viewing habits or not, one needs to distinguish between facts and opinions, which is an important reading skill. To be able to use this skill, it is necessary to know the difference between facts and opinions. Facts Statements of fact provide information about people, places, events, and ideas that can be verified, or checked, for accuracy. Facts do not reveal the author’s personal perspective, or point of view. Facts can be checked in encyclopedias or other reference books in libraries anywhere in the world and they will always be the same. Facts do not vary with place or person. Statements of fact • can be checked for accuracy or correctness. • can be proved true or false. • are not affected by the writer’s background or training. • rely heavily on names, dates, and statistics. • are not usually the subject of argument. Opinions Statements of opinion reflect the writer’s perspective on the subject discussed. Statements of opinion usually express personal beliefs, feelings, attitudes, values, interpretations, or judgments that someone has about a subject or topic. Shaped by an author’s personal experience, training, and background, opinions on the same subject can vary from person to person, group to group, and place to place. Unlike facts, opinions cannot be verified with outside sources as they are subjective to be checked in reference books.

136 Unit 3: Changing Habits Statements of opinion • can be evaluated but cannot be verified for accuracy or correctness. • cannot be proven true or false. • are shaped by the writer’s background or training. • often communicate value judgments, indicating that the author thinks something is right or wrong, good or bad. While evaluating opinions, one needs to consider whether it is supported or not. Writers often back up their opinions with evidence to persuade readers. The Language of Opinions • statements of opinion often include verbs or adverbs such as appears, seems, possibly, probably, likely, and presumably. • Statements of opinion often make comparisons using words such as more, most, better, best, and greatest. • Statements of opinion include words that make value judgments: beautiful, significant, interesting, and crucial. • Opinions are often introduced with phrases like one interpretation of, another possibility is, it seems that, and it is clear that. Adapted from: Flemming, L. (2000). Reading for thinking (3rd ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Wassman, R., & Rinsky, L. A. (1997). Effective reading in a changing world (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. TASK 1 Read the following sentences and for each decide whether it is a fact (F) or opinion (O). 1. _________ The fact is that television desensitizes people to real life horrors by showing too much violence. 2. _________ According to a recent report by World Health Organization, 1 out of 8 people is prone to heart diseases due to wrong eating habits. 3. _________ Window shopping is a useless pastime activity that only women enjoy. 4. _________ The Joint Commission on the Mental Health of Children has announced that an average child watches 4 hours of TV a day. 5. _________ Some of the documents on the web are unreliable. TASK 2 Refer back to the text “Viewers Reveal Changing TV Habits” on page 131 and find examples of facts and opinions.

Academic Survival Skills I 137 MAKING CONNECTIONS Refer back to the articles “The Future of Reading” on page 113 and “Viewers Reveal Changing TV Habits” on page 131 and write 3-5 sentences discussing how technology changes our idea of entertainment and habits. GOING ONE STEP FURTHER by speaking In this unit, you have studied changes in reading and viewing habits. Now, in groups you will prepare a poster presentation on another changing habit and present it to your class. To do this: • Form groups of four. • Choose a social habit that has changed or is likely to change in time. • Brainstorm on its reasons and results. • Do research. • Collect visual and written materials to present this change. • Design your poster. • Add your creativity. • Get prepared to present your poster (each one of you needs to share the work load equally and present a part of the poster).

138 Unit 3: Changing Habits THE ESSAY THE ESSAY PROCESS Imagine that you have been given an assignment to write an essay on any topic. How would you start to write? What are the steps you would follow? There are many ways to write. However, most writers, especially those producing academic texts, would choose to follow a process. Rather than producing the text from scratch in a very short time, they may prefer to devote some time for getting prepared as well as polishing their product after writing the first draft. Therefore, there are some pre and post stages of writing a text. Choosing a topic and narrowing it down. Generating ideas Organizing ideas into a plan / outline Writing Writing the first draft Getting feedback from a peer or the instructor Revising and editing the draft Writing the final draft Even though these steps seem to follow each other in a fixed order, they do not always have to be done only once. The process is flexible. If you feel the need to go back to any of the steps, you may freely do so. For example, you may finish writing the first draft but then discover that you had better find further supporting ideas for one of your paragraphs. In this case, you may go back to the outlining step.

Academic Survival Skills I 139 PRE-WRITING STAGES STAGE 1: CHOOSING A TOPIC AND NARROWING IT DOWN Topic selection is the very first step in the essay writing process. Starting with a good topic increases the chances of writing a good essay. Be careful to choose a topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow. • If it is too broad, you will not be able to complete the paper in due time and to cover the topic in depth. • If it is too narrow, you will not be able to find enough supports and your text will be shallow. An example narrowing down: “eating habits” “changes in eating habits” “the trend of eating healthy food” Writing “organic food” “organic food industry” “two problems of organic food industry in Turkey” TASK 1 Narrow down the following general topics so that you will have a specific one. 1. Change 2. Technology 3. Family life 4. Generations 5. Science

140 Unit 3: Changing Habits STAGE 2: GENERATING IDEAS The process approach emphasizes the generation of ideas before beginning to draft the written texts. Experts suggest various strategies for generating ideas, including brainstorming, free writing, clustering / mapping, and using journalists’ questions. • Brainstorming involves making a list of everything that comes to your mind when you think about a subject. Here it is important to suspend critical judgment and let the ideas flow. Then you can use critical judgment to select the best idea and/or try to make connections among items by grouping them into categories. Brainstorming can be used to get ideas at various points in the writing process, for example, to develop points for an outline or to select better phrases when revising the text. What is written • Another way to generate ideas on a topic is free writing. When you write freely, you without effort is in general read write nonstop for a certain amount of time (usually around ten minutes) about anything without pleasure. that comex s Btorainysotourmrinmg iinnvodlv.esTmhaekrineg iaslinstoof neveeerydthitnog tmhatackoemecsotomyopulremteindsewnhteennyocues or to stop for Samuel Johnson  grammar, sptflhoeiwnlkl.ianTbhgoeuntoayrosuupbucjeancntc.uHtsueeraectriiittoicisanlim.jupWdogrtmhaneetnnttotoysuossepuleerncdtttcihrmieticbeaelsijtsuiddugempae,annrtdea/noadrdlterywt tthhoeamidtaekyaesou have written underlinctooengneatencidtieoiadnsseaatamvatorhniogautistepymooisnubtsywingrotohuueplwidnrgitlitinhkgeemprtoioncteospsc,uafotrersgeuoxreaiem.s.pBler,ationsdtoervmelionpg can be used and outline or to select better phrases when revising the text. points for an • Clusterinxg, Aanlosthoer cwaalyletodgemneriantedidemasaopnpaintogp,ic iiss fraee mwrietiangn. sWhoefn yroaupwidritleyfregeelyn, eyoruating ideas and mdisacnoyvwerriintegrwgtrhsreraaitmtfleiacmnontamiodorn,esnststophstpoehilslfyiionoprpgusarrooacmremciprntueadonis.ncsnTtauhgmhaetroeiteouhlnpnie.stfmWnouofhl.teinmAineneesydo(vuiuttsoiruspamtuilrmlaayokeleavliryisocdouuemnepxd,spplrteaeeltnaeosdmkrsewieinnnhttueacgtntehcsyi)eodosauebrooharmuastvtoeaaasnpwtnyortpdohititffneoangtrshseoccoiantinnegcttihoenms, more freely.aTndhuinsdteerlcinhe naniqidueaethiast ayolusoworueldfelirkreetodptuorsuaes. tree making. Writing x Clustering, also called mind mapping, is a means of rapidly generating ideas and • The fourth wcdoisancynoevtceotriionnggse, rnemleaatrnioayntswehriiiptdesresaamfisnodinsgthuitshseipmnro.gceAtsshs ehitejloppfruuolvrinidneasvliisasuta’ssllkyeqtcuehxepslootrriionmgnasipd.eTaosfoatvnhdeiew a topic from different perassspoecicattinivgethse,mmmaonreyfrweelryi.tTehrisstfeicnhndiqiutehiseallpsofurefletrroedatsokastthreee qmuakeinsgt.ions used by journalists when repxortTihnegfouarnth ewvayetnotg:enerate ideas is using the Journalist’s Questions. To view a topic from different perspectives, many writers find it helpful to ask the questions used by What happejonuernda?li sts when reporting an event: Where did it happen? Who was inWvohaltvheadpp?e ned? WWherehdyidditidhapitpehn?appen? Who was involved? Why did it happen? When did itWhhaepn pdiednit?h appen? HoHwodwid itdhiadppietnh? appen? The following ilTlhuesftorllaowtiiongnillsuhstroawtiosn sahoswasma psalmepwle wayayooff ggeenenraetirnagtiidneags:ideas: Graph taken from: McDonald, S., & Salomone, W. (2004). The writer’s response: A reading-based approach to college writing (3rd ed.). Boston MA: Thomson / Wadsworth.

Academic Survival Skills I 141 Writing STAGE 3: ORGANIZING IDEAS INTO A PLAN / OUTLINE A. Writing the Thesis Statement Try to formulate a thesis statement before writing your outline. A thesis statement is a single sentence telling your readers the central idea of the essay and conveying your attitude and purpose. Writing this type of specific sentence can help you focus your ideas and organize your essay. In academic writing, students are often expected to include a thesis statement early in their essay, usually at the end of the introduction. Here you will find some tips for writing effective thesis statements: • The thesis statement should be expressed in a complete sentence. • The idea in the thesis statement should not be too narrow or too broad. • The thesis statement should express an opinion, attitude, or idea; it should not simply announce the topic. • The thesis statement should not be factual; it should not express a fact. It should be a statement that someone could disagree with. Therefore, it is a statement that needs to be explained or supported. • A thesis statement should express only one idea toward one topic; if it contains two or more ideas, the essay runs the risk of lacking unity and coherence. TASK 2 Discuss whether the following thesis statements are appropriate or not. If they are not, explain why and improve them. 1. There are several reasons why people tend to eat organic food more than fast food these days. 2. As growing obesity is causing many health problems, leading to social prejudice, and burdening healthcare, the government and the public might prevent and treat the widespread epidemic by funding and supporting programs. 3. The three new fitness habits of people these days are yoga, pilates and spinning. 4. Consumerism is a new habit of teenagers. 5. The habit of playing traditional games seems to be replaced by video games because of appealing graphics and sound effects, but eventually such games impair a child’s reasoning abilities. 6. Because it was an illegal program, Napster was shut down. 7. Though many people dismiss hip-hop culture as offensive, hip-hop music offers urban youth an important opportunity for artistic expression, and allows them to articulate the poetry of the street. 8. How do peer-sharing programs damage music industry?

142 Unit 3: Changing Habits 9. The lifestyle of a teenager in the Medieval Ages was very different from the lifestyle of most modern teenagers. 10. A young person in Western Turkey has very different expectations about marriage, family and personal freedom from the one in the East. 11. There are many similarities and differences between two genders in terms of their shopping habits. TASK 3 Refer back to TASK 1 and write a proper thesis statement for the topics that you have already narrowed down. Important Similar to a topic sentence revealing the pattern of organization of a paragraph, a thesis statement Reminder also indicates the pattern of organization of your essay. That is, it gives clues about the method of development of your paper and thus is a good predictor of the type of your essay. Now examine the following thesis statements written for different types of essays: • Cause - effect essay: The growing popularity of the cartoon, The Simpsons, lies in the interesting family portrayed by the Simpsons and the witty language used by the characters. • Classification essay: The Simpsons treats the issues of ethnicity, family dynamics, and social issues effectively. • Compare - contrast essay: The Simpsons and South Park treat the issue of ethnicity from different viewpoints. TASK 4 Refer back to TASK 2 and decide what kind of an essay each thesis statement is written for. B. Outlining Writing your thesis statement is a part of planning but not all of it. After deciding on your thesis, it is time to write an outline. A good outline helps you to organize your ideas effectively and not to lose track while you are writing. Important Keep in mind that an outline should be prepared BEFORE writing the first draft, because it Reminder is a skeleton that helps one in the writing process. It is like a detailed plan one makes before writing the essay. To better understand how to write a good outline, analyze the sample outline below and read the explanations on its characteristics.

Academic Survival Skills I 143 A Sample Outline of an Informative Essay: Thesis Statement: There are two main types of beneficial programs on TV for children. Body: A. Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries. 1. (major 1) documentaries on National Geographic a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of conservation of the planet 2. (major 2) documentaries on History Channel a. (minor 1) teaches history in an appealing way b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum B. Topic Sentence: In addition to documentaries, children’s programs have a positive Writing influence on children’s development. 1. (major 1) prepare preschool kids to school a. (minor 1) teach alphabet, colors, animals b. (minor 2) raise social awareness praising friendship and sharing 2. (major 2) encourage creativity a. (minor 1) encourage painting b. (minor 2) promote musical intelligence This is an effective outline because it is based on the following four principles: • Parallelism • Coordination • Subordination • Division Parallelism: Whenever possible, in writing an outline, coordinate heads should be expressed in a parallel form. That is, I and II, A and B, 1 and 2, and a and b in your outline must be parallel to each other in terms of their parts of speech. All the nouns should be made parallel with nouns, verb forms with verb forms, adjectives with adjectives, and so on. For example, in the sample outline, you will notice that all the major ideas are nouns, and all the minor ideas are verbs.

144 Unit 3: Changing Habits A. One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries. 1. National Geographic verbs a. teaches appreciation of life nouns b. promotes the importance of conservation of the planet 2. History Channel a. teaches history in an appealing way b. introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum Coordination: In outlining, coordinate heads should be of equal significance and equal value. That is, an A is always equal to a B, a 1 to a 2, an a to a b, and the like. To illustrate, if you look at the sample outline, you will notice that each major support is on a different kind of program. Thus, in this outline, As and Bs are of equal importance and value. A. (Topic S.) One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries. 1. (major 1) National Geographic a. teaches appreciation of life Both are documentaries b. promotes the importance of conservation of the planet Writing 2. (major 2) History Channel a. teaches history in an appealing way Both are benefits b. introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum Subordination: In order to indicate levels of significance, an outline uses major and minor headings. Thus, in ordering ideas, you should organize it from general to specific or from abstract to concrete- the more general or abstract the term, the higher the level or rank in the outline. For instance, the ideas in the sample outline above are organized according to their level of generality. The topic sentence of the first body is on “Beneficial programs”; the majors are on different types of beneficial programs (e.g. documentaries and children’s programs); and the minors give further explanations about these types of programs. A. (Topic S.) One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries. 1. (major 1) National Geographic a. teaches appreciation of life Examples to documentaries b. promotes the importance of conservation of the planet 2. (major 2) History Channel Types of beneficial prog. a. teaches history in an appealing way b. introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum B. (Topic S.) Children’s programs have a positive influence on children’s development.

Academic Survival Skills I 145 Division: To divide, you always need at least two parts; therefore, there can never be an A without a B, a 1 without a 2, an a without a b, and the like. In good outlines, writers always pay attention to this rule. In the sample outline, the writer obeyed this rule by always finding a second major support (B) for the first major support (A) or a second minor support (2) for the first minor support(1). A. (Topic S.) One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries. 1. National Geographic 1 and 2 a and b a. teaches appreciation of life b. promotes the importance of conservation of the planet 2. History Channel A and B a. teaches history in an appealing way b. introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum B. (Topic S.) Children’s programs have a positive influence on children’s development. These characteristics of outlining not only ensure consistency in one’s outline, but also contribute to Important essay’s organization, content and style. Reminder TASK 5 Now read the essay “Television: Bonding Ties or Breaking Ties?”. First, write a thesis statement that can fit in this essay. Then, make an outline of the essay. Television: Bonding Ties or Breaking Ties? When television was first introduced, writers and social scientists thought that this new invention would better life. Psychologist Joel Gold, for example, predicted that “television [was] going to bring families closer together” (1949, p. 34). Pictures which advertised television in the 1950s invariably showed a happy family gathered together in the living room, sharing the TV viewing experience. Who could have guessed that a quarter of a century later mother would be in the kitchen watching a daytime drama, dad would be in the living room watching a ball game, and the children would be watching cartons in the bedroom? Nobody could have foreseen the sad picture, which prevail almost all homes all over the world today. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________(thesis statement)

Writing 146 Unit 3: Changing Habits To begin with, TV has certainly influenced the activities of family members, especially limiting family outings. As families today schedule their lives around the television only, when there is a special occasion, which requires every family member to attend, there is always someone in the family who does not want to go. They generally utter the same complaint, “I’ll miss my program”. Afraid of missing even one episode of their favorite program, they sacrifice the valuable time they would otherwise spend together with their family. According to Gisso, 80% of the people investigated in Paris reported to have at least 2 TV shows per week that they feel heartedly attached to (2000). This is clear evidence of TV being an obstacle to possible family outings. Another reason why TV is favored over family outings is that it provides a variety of entertainment programs, which in return make family members house-bound. When people have the opportunity to spend time with TV series, talk shows or entertaining shows, they do not feel the need to go out. For example, technology made it possible today to watch a live concert comfortably at home or watch a very recent movie supported with surround systems. Because all this entertainment is free of charge, TV also greatly contributes to the family budget. Why would people go out and spend huge amounts of money for activities they can access at home? Perhaps more important than the lack of family outings is the destruction of family time together at home. TV leaves little time for the traditions that used to be formed during long evenings together. The time devoted to traditional games, songs, and hobbies – all traditional activities – in the years before TV is now dominated by “the tube”. On New Year’s Eve, for example, most families used to enjoy themselves playing bingo; however, they now spend their time in front of the screen watching colorful TV shows. In addition to the loss of traditions, TV has decreased quality time spent together. When all the family members are at home, they do not bother to communicate with each other, because they are mostly busy watching their favorite shows even when they are eating meals. Thus, they miss the opportunity to use time talking, arguing, or discussing. It is unfortunate that people now know more about the TV characters than they know about their husbands, wives or children. Another example to the decrease in quality time is that modern day mothers use television as a babysitter. They leave their small children spend countless hours in front of the TV, passively ingesting whatever flashes before their eyes, instead of playing with them, which would be more valuable. All in all, TV has robbed the valuable time families spend outside and at home. Families unfortunately live a dismal and mechanized life, which is predetermined by TV guides. As social scientist Mary Helen Thuente (1990) asserts, “the quality of life is diminished as family ties grow weaker, as children’s lives grow more and more separate from their parents, as the opportunities for living and sharing within a family are eliminated” (p. 49). Indeed, if the family does not accumulate shared experiences, it is not likely to survive. Consequently, if parents and children alike do not change their priorities, television will continue to exert its influence on family life as babysitter, pacifier, teacher, role-model, and supplier of morals, thus supplant the place of the family in the society. Outline of “Television: Bonding Ties or Breaking Ties?”

Academic Survival Skills I 147 Writing THINK: Notice the information in parentheses in the essay. What is the function of this information? Why do writers give such parenthetical information? WRITING THE ESSAY CHARACTERISTICS OF FORMAL WRITING When it comes to writing in English, there are two main styles of writing - formal and informal. It is the style of writing, or the way you use words to say what you want to say that causes the difference between formal and informal English. Different situations call for different ways of putting words together. The way you write in academic and scientific settings differs greatly from the way you write to a friend or a family member. Note that both styles are correct, it is just a matter of tone and purpose. Since your focus is writing an academic essay, you should conform to the conventions of formal language while writing. Keep in mind that formal English is used mainly in academic writing and business communications, whereas informal English is casual and is appropriate when communicating with your friends and family. The following table is a list of some of the main differences between informal and formal writing:

148 Unit 3: Changing Habits Formal Writing Informal Writing DISTANT LANGUAGE PERSONAL LANGUAGE • Personal pronouns are usually avoided. • Personal pronouns are common. • Passive voice is often preferred. • Personal feelings and views are expressed. • Active voice is often preferred. ACCURATE OFTEN IMPRECISE • Precise evidence is presented. • A personal viewpoint is expressed. • Facts are distinguished from opinions and • Statements are not necessarily accurate. • Facts and opinions are not distinct. feelings. • Sources are used rarely or carelessly. • Sources are carefully used and • Sentences are shorter, and not so carefully acknowledged. constructed. • Sentences are clear and constructed • Dramatic punctuation marks (?, !, …) are carefully. common. • Punctuation marks are accurately used. FORMAL STRUCTURE & VOCABULARY INFORMAL STRUCTURE & VOCABULARY • Full forms are used. • Short forms and contractions (I’ve, he’s, can’t…) are often used. • More formal, abstract words with Latin or • Shorter, less formal language is preferred Greek origins are often preferred. (e.g. phrasal verbs, compound words, idioms, slang and colloquial language). TENTATIVE ASSERTIVE • There are few definite statements. • Quick conclusions are avoided. • There are often definite statements and generalizations. • Conclusions may be drawn from insufficient evidence. Important Note that some formal texts might also consist of personal language. For example, in a letter of Reminder intent, the writer uses personal language although it is formal writing. How to Achieve Tentativeness: In formal writing, writers pay utmost attention to the language they use. They avoid making generalizations, because they are required to be cautious in the presentation of their claims. While writing your essay, you also need to be cautious, and you can achieve this by focusing on the following points: • Probability: You should weaken the strength of your claim if you do not want to present a very strong claim. Below is a list of some structures you may want to use for different levels of probability: • It is certain that … • There is a strong possibility that … • It is almost certain that … • There is a good possibility that … • It is very probable / highly likely that … • There is a definite possibility that … • It is probable / likely that … • There is a slight possibility that … • It is possible that … • There is a remote possibility that … • It is unlikely that … • It is very unlikely / highly improbable that …

Academic Survival Skills I 149 Writing • Distance: You might also want to remove yourself from a strong – and possibly unjustified claim – by distancing yourself from the statement. Compare the following sentences to see how writers distance themselves: • Teenagers have different TV habits today than 10 years ago. • Teenagers seem to have different TV habits today. • Teenagers appear to have different TV habits today. • It seems / appears that teenagers have different TV habits today. • Generalization: Depending on the message you want to give, you may want to qualify the subject: • Teenagers have become very much interested in spending time in shopping malls. • Many teenagers have become very much interested in spending time in shopping malls. • A majority of the teenagers have become very much interested in spending time in shopping malls. • Teenagers in many countries have become very much interested in spending time in shopping malls. • Weaker verbs: Finally, claims can be reduced in strength by choosing a weaker verb. As shown in the following sentences, the verb used in a sentence may determine the strength of your claim: • Paparazzi programs lead to moral collapse of societies. (stronger) • Paparazzi programs contribute to moral collapse of societies. (weaker) THE INTRODUCTION ‘Where shall I begin, please your An effective introduction provides your readers with a general idea of your topic and captures Majesty?’ he asked. their interest. Your introduction should start with a general statement about the topic, clarify ‘Begin at the or limit the topic in one or more sentences, and then state the thesis of the essay in the final beginning’ the King sentence. said, gravely, ‘and go on till you come Below are the strategies that you might use to catch readers’ interest at the beginning of an essay to the end: then stop.’ and the things that you should avoid in an introduction. Lewis Carroll  INTRODUCTORY STRATEGIES • Ask a provocative question that relates to your main idea • Ask a rhetorical question • Use a quotation • Define (in your own words) an important term in the essay • State a common belief and then declare a contrary view • Provide an unusual fact or statistic • Give an example • Give a description • Tell an anecdote • Make an interesting analogy • Report the opinion of an authority

Writing 150 Unit 3: Changing Habits WHAT TO AVOID IN AN INTRODUCTION • Do not blatantly announce your intent - for example, “In this essay, X will be discussed” (Try to think of a more engaging way to convey your thesis and purpose.) • Do not use a dictionary definition. (This device has become dull with overuse.) TASK 6 Read the introduction paragraphs below and decide which introductory strategy is used in each. In some paragraphs, more than one strategy is used. 1. Introductory strategy used: _________________________________________________ :-< , 2G2BT, @-}--- , LOLO, :( Have you ever encountered symbols or abbreviations like these which look like a foreign language? With the popularity and rise in usage of real time text-based communications, such as instant messaging, e-mail, Internet and online gaming chat rooms, discussion boards and cell phone text messaging, came the emergence of a new language tailored to the immediacy and compactness of these new communication media. Instead of conveying a message with full sentences, people today, especially teenagers, choose to send encrypted text messages. Despite its ease, text messaging has several negative impacts on social relations. 2. Introductory strategy used: __________________________________________________ Ed is sitting behind a long, antique, dark wood table facing the wall with six computers on it and constantly moving from one screen to another. When Ed wants to read, he turns to two of the six computer screens that surround his desk. One is devoted exclusively to e-mail; the other, to the rest of his reading material. Almost all his reading - text messages, e-mails, journal articles, even books - is done on-screen. And Ed is not the only who is taking the advantage of information technologies. Many people prefer to access information through information technologies rather than using the print media. Despite the criticism they receive, information technologies have found room in daily life, because they have several positive impacts on reading habits. 3. Introductory strategy used: __________________________________________________ As I walked into the room, the warmth radiated from all four walls, entrapping me in a web of love. The light streaming through the window seemed to reach out and touch the bookshelves lining the left wall, stacked with old favorites that brought so much joy. It was as if I had tasted a piece of heaven – the happiness I had when I visited those unknown lands with every page I turned over. I felt a sudden grief when I suddenly realized that unfortunately, now books are objects treated like antiquities in the museums. The technological devices are now taking the place of books and changing people’s reading habits negatively.