Chapter 4: Reading Essays
http://www.geneva.edu/docs/IO/8694/student_reading.jpg
As we discovered in Chapter 3 on Paragraph Organization, a common mistake in reading is to read one sentence after another without attempting to understand the organization of the writing. The problem with the sentence-after-sentence strategy is that your short term memory can only hold 5-7 chunks of information at a time before your brain starts letting go of information to make way for new sentences you’re reading. In other words, you quickly forget what you have read. There’s an expression for this problem: “In one ear and out the other!”
There’s a better way to read, a way in which you can understand, remember, and apply what you’ve read. It’s a method in which you pay attention to the organization of the writing. All professional writers use a similar writing organization, and you can take advantage of this organization to help you understand anything you read from a paragraph to an essay to a journal article to a textbook.
Here is the basic organization of the essay:
1. Introductory Paragraph:a. Gets the readers’ interest
b. Sets the context for the paragraph/essay (provides background)
c. Thesis Statement = topic + main idea (What the writer hopes to prove about the topic)
2. Support Paragraph One: Topic Sentence (the first category of support for the writer’s thesis)
a. General support (connects the Topic Sentence to the supporting details
b. Specific support (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)
3. Support Paragraph Two: Topic Sentence (the second category of support for the writer’s thesis)
a. General support (connects the Topic Sentence to the supporting details)
b. Specific support (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)
4. Support Paragraph Three: Topic Sentence (the third category of support for the writer’s Thesis)
a. General support (connects the Topic Sentence to the supporting details
b. Specific support (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)
5. Conclusion:
a. Restates the Main Idea (what the writer proved in the essay in different words)
b. Takes the reader a step further
The following Essay on “Becoming a Nurse” is a good example of the organization outlined above. We’ll use this essay as a model throughout the chapter. Read the essay once through carefully to get a general idea of what the essay is about.
As you read, notice your thoughts, especially the three kinds of thoughts covered in Chapter1_Foundations:
1. Random Thoughts that just pop into your mind. “I wish I had some coffee like the girl has at the table across the aisle. It sure looks good!” “I wonder if it’s going to rain because I need to walk to the bus after class.” “I’ve got to remember to call my mother this afternoon to see if I can borrow the car,” and on and on.
2. Judgments about people, events in your life, or the essay. “This essay [or just one idea in the essay] is good or bad, interesting or boring, worthwhile, or worthless,” and so on.
3. Negative self-thoughts. “I’m not understanding any of this stuff because I’ve never been any good at reading and never will be! It’s better to give up now and cut my losses.”
Choose one instance as you read the passage when you had one of above types of thoughts and record it here:Practice letting go of the thought and bringing your attention back to the reading.
Use the following scale to rate how difficult it was for you to let go of the thought and return your attention to the reading._____ Easy _____ Somewhat Easy
_____ Somewhat Hard _____ Hard
Ara Sahar
October 2010
ENG 090
A Career for a Lifetime – Becoming a Nurse
For several years, through my time spent in high school and now in college, I have been optimistic about the future. As I get older, I realize why each day matters, and how I need to get the most from my life. According to John M. Richardson, “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who make it happen.” I’m a person who wants to make it happen. In my future, I would like to become a nurse. In order to be successful and achieve this dream, I have to develop positive study habits and get all the necessary degrees required. I will also need to enhance my education through volunteerism, leadership, and dedication to make it through nursing school and become a Registered Nurse.
Most nursing school students are at the top of their class. They are very hard-working and know what it is like to plan ahead and budget their time for studying. As a freshman undergraduate starting out at Front Range Community College, I know that it is necessary for me to have good study habits. Before even trying to think about the process of studying, I know that I have to develop a schedule and then stick to it. I need to take into account every class, laboratory, lecture, or social event. For example, every night after dinner, I block out two hours to study. On Mondays and Wednesdays I study biology and English, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I study math and chemistry. I also block out time between classes and on weekends. For me, studying comes first.
I also need to take good notes in class. In biology, because of all the information given in each lecture, I must be especially careful. My notes must be organized, inclusive, and an accurate reflection of the professor’s lecture. Here, for example, is an excerpt from my notes on types of cells:
“There are two general classes of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic. The evolution of prokaryotic cells preceded that of eukaryotic cells by 2 billion years.
· Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacterium that causes strep throat, is an example of a prokaryote.
· Yeast, the organism that makes bread rise and beer ferment, is an example of an unicellular eukaryote.
· Humans, of course, are an example of a multicellular eukaryote.
The major similarities between the two types of cells (prokaryote and eukaryote) are:
1. They both have DNA as their genetic material.
2. They are both membrane bound.
3. They both have ribosomes.
4. They have similar basic metabolism.
5. They are both amazingly diverse in forms.
The major differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes are:
1. Eukaryotes have a nucleus and prokaryotes do not.
2. The DNA of prokaryotes floats freely around the cell. The DNA of eukaryotes is held within its nucleus.
3. The organelles of eukaryotes allow them to exhibit much higher levels of intracellular division of labor than is possible in prokaryotic cells.” http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/staff/dave/roanoke/bio101ch05.htm
Just as important as taking good notes is reviewing my notes after class while the information is still fresh. In biology, I review my notes the evening of the lecture and again before the exam. I also make flashcards to drill myself in the vocabulary of each lecture. In the lecture on different types of cells, for example, my flashcards include definitions of prokaryote cells, eukaryote cells, Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, strep throat, DNA, and ribosomes. I also make sure that I ask questions in class on all parts of the assignments I do not understand. In biology, for example, I did not understand the role of “ribosomes” in the cell, so I made sure to ask the professor at the very next class.
Getting through nursing school is not an easy or small task and takes careful planning. Being in college and trying to declare a nursing major is just the beginning. I know that a four-year bachelor’s degree is necessary for me to be a Registered Nurse or RN. Starting out with a two-year degree program at Front Range Community College, I can take many of my prerequisites, save money, and get more individual attention than at a large university. I will first receive an associate of nursing degree in order to transfer to the University of Colorado at Boulder. At the University of Colorado, I hope to declare nursing as my major and complete the requisite nursing course work for the RN degree. To make sure I am on track, I visit with an advisor each semester. At the last visit, my advisor, Nancy West, found out that I was missing a chemistry class, not required for a two year degree, but essential for a four year nursing degree. Because of Ms. West’s advice, I was able to complete the chemistry class this fall.
The nursing field requires not only long hours of study, good grades, and a college degree, but also must be bolstered by volunteerism, leadership, and passion for the work. As a Longmont United Hospital Volunteer since 2009, I have been spending some of my spare time by giving back to the community. In the future, my goal is to volunteer in third-world countries, such as my family’s homeland, Afghanistan. The maternal mortality rate is one of the world’s highest. In Afghanistan, a woman dies of pregnancy-related causes every 27 minutes of every day. Of the thousands of infants left motherless, 75 percent are likely to die either during or soon after delivery because of the lack of health care. As a volunteer, I am willing to devote my time to help and care for the wellness of others. I plan to work in a field hospital in rural Afghanistan for Doctors Without Borders. The organization describes its mission on its Website: “Doctors and nurses volunteer to provide urgent medical care in countries to victims of war and disaster regardless of race, religion, or politics” (Doctors Without Borders). I have already applied to volunteer next summer and hope to take a year between community college and the university to volunteer.
The words of Greg Anderson do in fact ring true, because “when we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live.” I have to admit that in my life I have been through many ups and downs. When I was much younger, I would continuously question myself about my goals and how they might be reached. Now, I know what those goals are and how they should be pursued. I will have to be successful when it comes to my studies. I will need to get all the necessary degrees required, but most of all I will need to be committed to my career with leadership, dedication, and passion. I am proud of what I have achieved so far and look forward to what lies ahead. Getting through nursing school and becoming a nurse is my goal, and I am determined to get there.
Let’s look at the organization of the essay on becoming a nurse to see how organization leads to understanding and comprehension.
Introductory Paragraph(s)
Most essays begin with an Introduction, which can have the following parts:
The Introduction:1. Gets the readers’ interest
2. Sets the context for the paragraph/essay (provides background)
3. Thesis Statement = Topic + Main Idea (What the writer hopes to prove about the Topic)
Let’s start with the Introductory Paragraph in our example essay on becoming a nurse. We’ve highlighted the organization of the Introductory Paragraph using the following code:
· The Introduction that sets the context in the essay is in Italics.
· In the Thesis Statement the Topic is underlined and the Main Idea is in Bold.
A Career for a Lifetime – Becoming a NurseIntroduction to provide background and provide context for the essay: For several years, through my time spent in high school and now in college, I have been optimistic about the future. As I get older, I realize why each day matters, and how I need to get the most from my life. According to John M. Richardson, “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who make it happen. I’m a person who wants to make it happen. In my future, Thesis Statement Topic plus Main Idea for the essay: I would like to become a nurse. In order to be successful and achieve this dream, I have to develop positive study habits and get all the necessary degrees required. I will also need to enhance my education through volunteerism, leadership, and dedication to make it through nursing school and become a Registered Nurse.
The student writer, Ara Sahar, gets her readers’ interest and sets the background for the essay by writing about how she came to her decision to pursue a career: “As I get older, I realize why each day matters, and how I need to get the most from my life.” She then quotes John M. Richardson, to help the reader better understand her goals and character: “’When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who make it happen.’ I’m a person who wants to make it happen.” Like many writers that you read, she ends the Introduction with the Thesis Statement. Her Topic (the Subject) of her essay is: becoming a nurse, and her Main Idea is: what it will take “to achieve this dream.” Notice that she also summarizes her three Support Points in her Thesis Statement: “I have to develop positive study habits and get all the necessary degrees required. I will also need to enhance my education through volunteerism, leadership, and the dedication to make it through nursing school and become a Registered Nurse.”