Page 286 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

minutes she wrote down all her ideas on student parking. She then looked at the parking policies
on the college’s web site and took notes. She came into class with questions for her classmates. Did
they feel the same about parking downtown?

Step 2—Identify the Topic, Purpose, and Audience
Because this is a topic of genuine concern to many students, Abby concluded, her purpose is clear:
outline the problem and her suggestions for solutions. Then she plans to send the essay to the
president of the college. Although Abby’s primary audience will be her classmates, she knows that
this essay must be very formal if she wants to send it to the college president. She doesn’t want to
lose her passion for the topic, though, so she knows she may have to do some revising.

Step 3—Exploratory Writing
Abby uses this stage of the Writing Methodology to further explore all the issues surrounding parking.
She knows that the city does not have to offer reduced parking rates to students. Abby also knows
that there are several buses that students can take to the downtown campus, and that many students
already live downtown. She’ll need to show that there is still a need for parking reform, even though
she feels the system itself is unfair. Abby thinks she will ask students how much money they spend
downtown on restaurants and shopping. Maybe she can show the city and the college why giving
students a break on parking could help the downtown economy.

Step 4—Compose a Thesis Statement
Abby’s thesis at this point is: It is unfair for students at the same college to have to pay two unequal
parking rates at different campuses.

Step 5—Devise a Plan
Abby has a week to do research and have a draft ready for peer review. She has interviewed classmates
in three classes and has an appointment scheduled with the dean in charge of student services. She
is also reviewing the college’s parking policies, as well as policies at other colleges in the area. Abby
is also looking at the latest report from the downtown business association.

Step 6—Create a Draft
Using what she has learned about integrating sources from Chapter 10, Abby writes
a draft of her essay.

The draft is in the most common college essay format: Title, Introduction, Thesis,
Development, and Conclusion.

Abby likes her title but she is not yet satisfied with her introduction.

The thesis states her position on the topic. She adds one more sentence that
essentially outlines her main points.

Abby refers back to this to make sure she is staying on track. The body of the essay
develops each of her main points, and the conclusion summarizes her main points
and asks for an appropriate response to the problem. In the past, Abby has tended
to procrastinate. Knowing that someone else will be giving her feedback on her
draft makes it less daunting to write. She knows that everyone will want feedback

280 Foundations of Learning