The Kitchen Sink Approach to Writing
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By Gary McCarty
I’ve read enough papers, first as a graduate assistant and later as a university communications instructor since 1995, to know the mistakes people make and the traps they fall into. Today I’d like to focus on one of the most prevalent and treacherous of all pits into which students fall, the one I label the kitchen sink approach to writing.
Let’s look at a real example of an assignment I’ve given countless times and read thirty times for each of those countless times—an essay on “controversial television advertising.”
Generally, students have little knowledge of this subject except for what they’ve seen on TV, and usually they just remember the Paris Hilton Bentley ad for Carl’s Jr. Therefore, like so many lemmings scurrying off the nearest cliff, they rush to Google and Wikipedia (neither of which is their best recourse, but I’m talking real life here) to do research.
They end up with a slew of articles from which to fashion their essays. However, since they usually don’t bother to formulate a thesis and pick supporting topics, they then rush headlong into writing their essays. Five or so pages later, they’ve regurgitated everything they’ve read, even if it’s not really pertinent, to create a usually rambling hodgepodge of information, statistics, observations, anecdotes and so on.
Now, and here comes the surprise and the revelation at the same time, when they get to writing the conclusion, they have finally figured out their thesis. I often read in the very last paragraph or very last sentence a rather cogent statement such as, “Therefore, all television advertising should be reviewed by a ratings committee before being aired on TV, and anything deemed controversial should be rejected or restricted to late-hour airing,” or words to that effect. What a relief to have figured out what you’re writing about finally!
It’s really a shame that these students have to spend so much time writing just to figure out their thesis statement, which should be what they start with and reveal in their first paragraph. Wouldn’t it be better to brainstorm the research findings and then fashion a thesis? Of course it would!
However, students are so accustomed to the high school routine—cram as much information into as many pages as possible at the last minute—that they shortchange the writing process. It’s time to wash the kitchen sink approach to writing down the drain and start afresh, ugly metaphor and all.
Next: crafting thesis statements.
Gary McCarty
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/the-kitchen-sink-approach-to-writing-99567.html
Suz on January 12th 2010 in crafting
jwbarron@sbcglobal.net responded on 12 Jan 2010 at 11:43 pm #
(1) A trip to the ocean can be a relaxing escape from the everyday pressures of life. (2) A sailboat glistenin
1. What is the topic sentence in the paragraph?
A. Sentence 1 C. Sentence 4
B. Sentence 3 D. Sentence 5
2. Which sentence in the paragraph is unrelated to the topic and can be eliminated?
A. Sentence 1 C. Sentence 4
B. Sentence 3 D. Sentence 5
3. The topic of the paragraph is
A. musical selections for an ocean visit. C. health hazards at the ocean.
B. relaxing effects of a visit to the ocean. D. sailing on the ocean.
4. Mark never changes any of the words he writes. Whatever he writes first is what he presents to his
readers. Janet writes down sentences from books and presents them as if the words are her own.
Alan writes only when he is forced to write. He never finds an interest in the topic. Michelle interviews
her friends for information, writes down what she knows about her topic, and organizes the information.
She then writes a draft, which she revises several times.
Which person is using an effective writing process?
A. Mark C. Alan
B. Janet D. Michelle
5. Read the following paragraphs, and answer the question that follows.
The ocean near many of the beaches in Florida is calm. The serene water often looks like an unbroken
sheet of crystal-blue glass.Waders can often walk far from shore and be up to only their hips in
the clear water. Many travelers enjoy their visits to the Florida beaches.
The ocean near many California beaches is continuously churning. Huge masses of dark stone
jut high above the pounding waves. Surfers ride the seething water until they become exhausted,
and then they rest on the sand. Like the Florida beaches, many people like to visit the shores of
California.
How are these paragraphs organized?
A. Spatially C. By order of importance
B. Chronologically D. By comparison and contrast6. Select the word that has been misspelled because of a typo.
A. Thier C. Their
B. There D. They’re
7. The following paragraph contains transitional words, which have been italicized.
Worn piston rings are causing the car’s engine to use up its oil. Furthermore,a ruptured head gasket
is also leaking oil. Therefore,I recommend that you have the car repaired or get another car.
The first transitional word, furthermore,expresses a relationship of continuation. What relationship
does the second transitional word, therefore,express?
A. Continuation C. Contrast
B. Conclusion D. Comparison
8. You’re writing a paragraph on how to make your favorite sandwich. You have a list of the steps
beside you, and you write down the steps in sentences, without stopping to check your work. Finally,
you’ve written all the steps into sentences, and you put your pen down.
Which step of the writing process have you just completed?
A. Clustering your ideas C. Writing the first draft
B. Outlining the paragraph D. Presenting the final version
9. Which of the following is a common misconceptionabout good writers?
A. Good writers find that writing is a task that requires much effort.
B. Good writers approach writing in many different ways. Some use methods that are different from
those used by others.
C. Rewriting is an important part of the process that good writers use.
D. Whenever good writers are working, they follow the steps of the writing process in order.
10. After writing the first draft of a paragraph that explains why you like your favorite type of music, you
notice that a few of your ideas are repeated several times. You also realize that one idea should be
moved nearer to the beginning of the paragraph. Which step of the writing process should you now
use to correct these problems?
A. Prewriting C. Revising
B. Planning D. Presenting
11. Which sentence contains a cliché?
A. When she got the letter from her friend, she was as happy as a lark.
B. The old man decided to make peace with his family.
C. Too many businesses fail because excited entrepreneurs invest unwisely.
D. You could solve your problem by facing it now.12. Your supervisor has asked you to write a report on the work you’ve done during the past year. You’ve
written the first draft of the report. However, you’ve just realized that you left out a whole section of
information—a special project that took up your afternoons during a month early in the year. Which
of the following should you do to fix this problem?
A. Leave out the information on the special project.
B. Go back and outline the activities that you did for the project, and then work this information into
the next draft of your written report.
C. Continue the steps of the writing process in order, regardless of any information that you wish you
had added.
D. Present the first draft of the report to your supervisor, but remind your supervisor about the special
project by talking about it when you present the report.
13. During which activity should you look for typographical errors?
A. Prewriting C. Proofreading
B. Planning D. Presenting
14. During which step of the writing process should you identify the purpose, medium, and audience for
whom you’re writing?
A. Prewriting C. Revising
B. Proofreading D. Presenting
15. Your friend has asked you to write down instructions for installing a kitchen sink. How should you
order the details in a paragraph? Remember, you want your friend to be able to easily follow the
steps of the process.
A. Spatially C. Importance
B. Chronologically D. Comparison and contrast
Question 16 requires you to write a paragraph on the back of the answer sheet provided. Do your
prewriting, planning, drafting, and revising on separate paper. Be certain that you use all of the
rules of grammar, spelling, usage, punctuation, and writing that you’ve learned so far. Take the
time you need to revise and edit before copying your final paragraph on the answer sheet. Proofread
carefully and make any corrections neatly.
16. Choose one of the following topic sentences.Write an eight-sentence paragraph that fully develops
the topic.
A. Getting along with other people is important in my work.
B. The number of automobile accidents in my town can be reduced.
C. Some people insist that a word processor is superior to paper and pencil.
D. The more we expect our government to do for us, the higher our taxes will be.
E. In our area there are many interesting places (or points of historical interest) to visit.
F. People are moving from the cities to the suburbs in increasing numbers.
bloggerdude2005 responded on 13 Jan 2010 at 4:45 am #
Do your own homework. Seriously, if you actually have the time to post all of this then surely you can take the time to study and do well in school. I am afraid our schools will be churning out lame-brained bozos who always have to ask other people for answers.
Dude, seriously.
References :
ladypiolo responded on 13 Jan 2010 at 4:47 am #
1-2 (incomplete info)
3. b.
4. d. Michelle
5. a. spatially
6. __
7. a. continuation
8. a. clustering
9. d.
10. c.
11. a.
12. b.
13. c. proofreading
14. a. prewriting
15. b. Chronologically
16. ___
*you should categorize this into Homework
References :
Ted responded on 13 Jan 2010 at 4:49 am #
huh?
References :