English 1818/American Studies

Resources for All Students: Handouts, Writing Advice, and Links

Note: This page was inspired and adapted from the work of Seema Mukhi.

Also visit: English 1818 Multimedia Resources

Writing Process & Modes

• Crafting a Thesis (from Steve Moiles' Web Page)
• Aphorisms on Thesis Statements
• Discovering a Topic (from Steve Moiles' Web Page)
• Essay Writing: Getting Started
• Planning, Writing, and Revising (from Purdue University's OWL)
• How to Write a Refutation Seema Mukhi's webresource
• Developing Introductions (Marty Patton and I. Montgomery UM-Columbia)
• Structuring an Argument (Marty Patton, UM-Columbia)
• Cohesion (UM-Columbia) "Make clear the relation between the parts of a sentence, between sentences, or between paragraphs; that is, make the writing cohesive. "
• Evidence (Marty Patton, UM-Columbia) "Most college writing assignments are arguments requiring a claim, reasons, and evidence. The difference between opinion and informed opinion ist that opinion involves just making claims while informed opinion involves providing evidence."
• Essay Writing: Using Quotations and Paraphrases
• Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Suggestions and Excersizes

Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation

• Grammar and Punctuation Handouts (from Purdue University's OWL)
• Capitalizations
• Using Commas: Purdue Owl
• The Semicolon
• Semi-colon and Colon
• Comma Vs. Semicolons in College Sentences
• Semicolons help you connect closely related ideas when a style mark stronger than a comma is needed.
• Transitional Phrases1
• Transitional Phrases2
• Transitional Phrases3
• Tips on Article Usage (from Wash U's Writing Center)
• Concision (from Wash U's Writing Center)
• Perk up your Paragraphs (from Wash U's Writing Center)
• Reviewing Basic Grammar Online: A Guide to Writing Sentences and Paragraphs
• Online Writing Lab: Grammar
• Guide to Grammar and Writing
• Advanced Grammar
• Literacy Education Online
• Interactive Grammar Quizzes
  

Grammar and Usage Terms
Capitalizations Using Commas: Purdue Owl Comma Rules: LEO Comma Rules Using Commas: Purdue Owl The Semicolon Semi-colon and Colon Transitional Phrases1 Transitional Phrases2 Transitional Phrases3	Glossary of Literary Terms and Rhetorical Terms The American Heritage Book of English Usage Word Choice Literary Terms Literary Terms 2 Guide to Grammar and Writing Guide to Grammar and Style Verbs Sequence of Verbs Verb Tenses: Golden West College-including lessons

Writing Exercises (Small Group and Individual)

• Developing an Argument--essay buildingSeema Mukhi's webresource
• A Citation Exercise in MLA-StyleSeema Mukhi's webresource
• Show, Don't TellSeema Mukhi's webresource

Wonderful Sites with Tons of Information for Students and Teachers

• The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
• Steve Moiles' Home Page for College Writing, from SIUE
• International Writing Centers Association
• Literacy Education Online, from St. Cloud State Univ.
• The Writing Center at Washington University

Research

• Pius XII Memorial Library: SLU
• St. Louis Area Public Libraries: City, County, and St. Charles
• Internet Public Library
• Internet Public Library A+ Writing-A step by step help for writing a first-class research paper.
• MLA-Style Citation (from Purdue University's OWL)
• The MOBIUS Library System
• Google Scholar (Seema Mukhi absolutely loves Google Scholar)
• How to Avoid Plagiarism (from Steve Moiles' Web Page)
• Avoiding Plagiarism (from Wash U's Writing Center)
• Essay Writing: Using Quotations and Paraphrases
• Columbia University Guide to Online Style (Citation and Documentation

Searching the Internet

• Landmarks Citation Machine
• Library of Congress: Copyright

Copyright:

"There's a pretty simple rule when it comes to the net. If you didn't write it, and you want to reproduce it, ask the creator. Most people don't really need to know much more than this. If you do, check the other documents."
- by Brad Templeton, http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html

College Writing

Local Campus Resources (Webster, UMSL, Wash U, and SLU)
Webster University Writing Center Academic Resources University Libraries	UM--St. Louis Writing Lab Academic Resources
Saint Louis University St. Louis University 1818 Advanced College Credit Writing Center Reading Resource Center Academic Resources University Libraries
UM-Columbia Missouri-Online Writery Online Writery: Other Writing Resources on the Net Online Writing Labs (OWLS) and Tutorial Sites Campus Writing Program Campus Writing Resources Writing Intensive Assignments and Workshops

Primary Sources on the Web

Primary Sources on the Web Library Research: Finding Primary Sources Repositories of Primary Sources EyeWitness to History Eye Witness to History: Index First Person Accounts in History Critically Analyzing Information

Admissions Essay Online Resources

• Campus Bound Free revision help.
• Online College Prep
• College Connection: NBC's resources for college life and information
• The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
• Homeschool Teens and Colleges (Admissions essays and polioies)
• My Essay (Free? Former admissions readers help with revision)
• College Essay Help

Publication: Writing Contests

Cooperating School District Digital Storytelling Contests

• Show-Me a Movie 2005 Digital Storytelling Contest for Missouri Students
  (Look under latest news.)

Check out Digitales: the Art of Telling Digital Stories

St. Louis Literary Calendar: Washington University

Publishing for Students and Seasoned Writers

Student Magazines

Online Poetry Workshops and Forums

Publishing with Students St. Louis Literary Calendar: Washington University St. Louis Poetry Center Margie: American Journal of Poetry Margie Poetry Contests ZuZu Online Magazine : Mostly for younger kids aged 11-17. Publishes artwork and creative writing. Word Dance: A place for publishing childrens' poetry and prose. A fun, interactive kid's page. Teen Ink: Poetry Teen Poetry Glossary of Poetry Terms Poetry Exercises1 Poetry Exercises2 Poetry Exercises3 Improving Your Poetry Elite Skills Path Ways Path Ways Training Guidelings Curbstones Writer Net

The Albany Poetry Workshop This writing group began with face-to-face workshops in Albany, CA, but they have quite successfully recreated the workshop online: Blueline Poetry Forum Kalliope: online poetry workshop. A good source for exercises to keep writing poetry. Members can do the exercises in whichever order works for them & then post their work to the email list for critique. Poetry Today Fresh Angles trAce Online Writing Community trAce, based at Nottingham Trent University in the UK, offers many avenues for writers to connect online: The WeLL Poetry Conference The WeLL has long been known as a haven on the Net for intelligent conversation in threaded, hosted conferences. Write Net: WriteNet: an unbelievably valuable resource for writers and teachers interested in teaching imaginative writing! Writer's Block Writers List (MIT)

Final Advice: Since the text now must contain both graphics and sound, you'll need to include in your course website links to video, graphic art, sound, and multimedia expressions of knowledge.