How to Change a Picture Word Assignment Into a File That Is Readable Using Immersive Reading

What this handout is about

The first step in any successful higher writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a uncomplicated chore, it tin can be a tough one. This handout will assistance you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your teacher expects. See our brusque video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, section, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve y'all well:

Read the assignment carefully as before long as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will salve you time, stress, and problems later. An consignment tin can wait pretty straightforward at first, peculiarly if the teacher has provided lots of information. That does not hateful information technology will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to acquire a new skill to complete the assignment.
Ask the instructor about anything you do non understand. Practise not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to gear up you straight earlier you hand the paper in. That'south besides when you will find their feedback nearly useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a bones format. Assignments oftentimes begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the chore, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind y'all of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

"Throughout history, gerbils take played a key role in politics," or "In the last few weeks of class, we accept focused on the evening wear of the housefly …"

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attending; this part tells you lot what to do when yous write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare straight you to think about your topic in a certain mode. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled "Cardinal Terms" for more than information.)

"Clarify the upshot that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution", or "Suggest an estimation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin'southward."

Additional Cloth to Call up near

Here you lot will observe some questions to utilize as springboards every bit you lot begin to think almost the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to reply every question unless the instructor asks yous to practise so. Pay attention to the guild of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines y'all will demand to follow to brainstorm thinking virtually the topic.

"You lot may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Tin can at that place exist such a thing as 'the housefly garment industry' or is it just a domicile-based craft?"

Style Tips

These are the instructor's comments most writing expectations:

"Exist concise", "Write effectively", or "Contend furiously."

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

"Your paper must exist typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung's death."

The assignment's parts may non appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or actually short. Yet, being aware of this standard pattern can assist y'all understand what your instructor wants you lot to do.

Interpreting the consignment

Ask yourself a few bones questions as you read and jot down the answers on the consignment canvass:

Why did your instructor ask you to practice this particular task?
Who is your audience?
What kind of testify do you need to support your ideas?
What kind of writing way is acceptable?
What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the signal of view of the teacher. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving y'all this assignment and for giving it to yous at a particular betoken in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you lot. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an power to remember clearly to demonstrating an power to use the library. See the consignment non as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course fabric as directed. Paper assignments give yous more than a topic to discuss—they ask y'all to do something with the topic. Go along reminding yourself of that. Be conscientious to avert the other extreme as well: do non read more into the assignment than what is there.

Why did your teacher ask you to do this particular task?

Of grade, your instructor has given you lot an consignment and so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the grade fabric and give yous an appropriate class. But there is more to it than that. Your teacher has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think almost something in a particular way for a particular reason. If y'all read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, y'all may brainstorm to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you all the same aren't sure of the assignment'south goals, attempt asking the teacher. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback.

Given your instructor's efforts, information technology helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is information technology to gather research from a variety of outside sources and nowadays a coherent flick? Is information technology to take material I have been learning in class and apply information technology to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the consignment can help you lot effigy this out. Await for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you lot what to practice.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common fundamental words and definitions to help you think almost assignment terms:

Information words
Ask you lot to demonstrate what you know nearly the subject area, such every bit who, what, when, where, how, and why.

define—give the subject'southward pregnant (according to someone or something). Sometimes you take to give more than one view on the subject's meaning
describe—provide details about the subject past answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might besides requite details related to the five senses (what you run across, hear, feel, gustatory modality, and smell)
explicate—give reasons why or examples of how something happened
illustrate—give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
summarize—briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
trace—outline how something has inverse or developed from an before time to its current grade
inquiry—gather material from exterior sources nigh the subject field, often with the implication or requirement that you will clarify what y'all accept constitute

Relation words
Enquire you to demonstrate how things are connected.

compare—show how ii or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
contrast—testify how two or more things are dissimilar
apply—use details that you've been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
cause—show how 1 result or series of events made something else happen
relate—show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words
Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the discipline. Do not see these words every bit requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or inquiry and use them in your interpretation.

assess—summarize your opinion of the subject and measure information technology against something
prove, justify—give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
evaluate, respond—state your opinion of the subject area as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
back up—give reasons or prove for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do non but summarize one and so the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
clarify—make up one's mind how private parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what information technology might mean, or why it is important
fence—take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose
Every bit you read the assignment, think almost what the teacher does in form:

What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your teacher choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a bespeak of view?
In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that testify up once more in the consignment?
What kinds of assignments are typical in this subject area? Social science classes ofttimes expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on estimation and analysis.
How do the assignments, readings, and lectures piece of work together in the form? Instructors spend fourth dimension designing courses, sometimes fifty-fifty arguing with their peers well-nigh the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the form will assistance yous empathise what each assignment is meant to attain.

Who is your audience?

At present, what near your reader? Almost undergraduates recollect of their audition every bit the instructor. True, your instructor is a adept person to keep in heed as you write. But for the purposes of a practiced paper, remember of your audience as someone similar your roommate: smart plenty to understand a clear, logical argument, just not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the teacher knows everything there is to know about your newspaper topic, he or she withal has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a newspaper at your audience happens in 2 ways: y'all make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

Tone means the "voice" of your paper. Should you exist chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you lot will detect some happy medium—you exercise non desire to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, just y'all do non want to, um, similar, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students call up the way to sound academic is to employ big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if y'all employ the wrong large words.
The level of information you apply depends on who you call back your audience is. If you imagine your audition as your instructor and she already knows everything yous take to say, you may find yourself leaving out cardinal information that tin can crusade your statement to be unconvincing and illogical. Simply you lot practise not have to explain every single give-and-take or issue. If y'all are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction Tv set testify last dark, yous do not say, "Get-go a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple conflicting with xv arms and at least iii eyes turned around. And so the human smiled slightly. In the background, yous could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly night and had at to the lowest degree two windows that I saw." You also do not say, "This guy found some aliens. The stop." Discover some balance of useful details that support your main bespeak.

You'll detect a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience.

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably existence asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when y'all are researching and writing; as you get involved in your bailiwick matter, you may go enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the data you have found. You need to practise more than than only echo what y'all have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should exist able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this judgement a "thesis" or a "merits."

So, if your instructor tells yous to write about some attribute of oral hygiene, you lot practise not want to just list: "First, you brush your teeth with a soft castor and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon." Instead, you could say, "Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the near plaque. Therefore information technology should be recommended past the American Dental Association." Or, "From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can exist quite mannerly. However, their joys are brusque-lived."

Disarming the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn't take to say "argument" anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Wait at the consignment and call back about what kind of statement you could make about information technology instead of just seeing information technology as a checklist of information y'all accept to nowadays. For help with understanding the office of argument in academic writing, see our handout on statement.

What kind of show do you need?

In that location are many kinds of bear witness, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment tin depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor'south preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Practise yous demand to behave your own experiment? Can yous rely on personal experience? See our handout on testify for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure yous are clear well-nigh this role of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You lot are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Enquire your instructor what counts equally acceptable evidence. Yous tin also ask a librarian for assistance. No matter what kind of bear witness you use, be sure to cite information technology correctly—see the UNC Libraries commendation tutorial.

What kind of writing fashion is adequate?

You cannot ever tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in form but still look y'all to sound formal in writing. Or the teacher may exist adequately formal in grade and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to utilise "I" and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid faux associations of a particular field with a fashion ("fine art historians like wacky creativity," or "political scientists are wearisome and just requite facts") and wait instead to the types of readings y'all have been given in grade. No ane expects yous to write similar Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, inquire your instructor well-nigh the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if yous practice non write so that your reader tin understand your principal idea, you have wasted your fourth dimension. And so brand clarity your main goal. For specific assistance with style, come across our handout on style.

Technical details nearly the assignment

The technical information you are given in an consignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Notice out if elements such as page length and commendation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial) are negotiable. Some professors do not have stiff preferences as long equally you are consistent and fully reply the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment's parameters. In plainly English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is ii pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend information technology with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an consignment is 10 pages long, you can be more than complex in your main points and examples—and if you tin can just produce 5 pages for that assignment, you lot need to run into someone for help—as presently every bit possible.

Tricks that don't piece of work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

spend more than time on the cover page than the essay—graphics, cool binders, and beautiful titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
use huge fonts, broad margins, or actress spacing to pad the page length—these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Nigh instructors use the same word processor y'all do. They know what's possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of lx papers to grade and yours is the only one that depression-flying airplane pilots could read.
utilize a paper from some other class that covered "sort of like" material. Again, the instructor has a detail chore for y'all to fulfill in the consignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not encompass this material, and turning in the aforementioned newspaper for more than once course may institute an Laurels Code violation. Ask the instructor—it tin can't hurt.
get all wacky and "creative" earlier y'all answer the question. Showing that you lot are able to think across the boundaries of a simple assignment tin exist good, only yous must do what the consignment calls for first. Once more, bank check with your teacher. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but information technology will non go you a expert grade if you have not fulfilled the chore.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you lot get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be meliorate at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

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Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/understanding-assignments/