According to Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein in their text They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, writers who are “masters of their trade” often make basic moves that they’ve learned from experience reading and writing. Inexperienced writers don’t have a collection of basic moves, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to get started writing.
Graff and Birkenstein suggest that “these basic moves are so common that they can be represented in templates that you can use right away to structure and even generate your own writing.”
In the attached handout originally developed by Gordon Thomas at the University of Idaho, you will find some templates for students to use while writing. These are helpful for both generating ideas and drafting. Additional templates are available in Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say text.
Graff and Birkenstein suggest that “these basic moves are so common that they can be represented in templates that you can use right away to structure and even generate your own writing.”
In the attached handout originally developed by Gordon Thomas at the University of Idaho, you will find some templates for students to use while writing. These are helpful for both generating ideas and drafting. Additional templates are available in Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say text.
thesis_statements.docx |
thesis_statements.pdf |