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University of Connecticut Avery Point

Avery Point Resources for Writing

The Avery Point Academic Center has created or identified many resources for writing, including (but not limited to) workshop materials (ranging from 30-60 minutes in length) for in-class workshops presented by Academic Center tutors on specific writing issues. Our tutors have also identified and annotated links to outside web resources and readings that might be of help to students, faculty, and tutors. 

Table of contents

In-class workshops and tutoring tools

We have several prepared workshops that may be customized for your assignments, and we’re always happy to develop new workshops tailored to the needs of your class.

Click here to schedule a workshop for your class or to request a new workshop to be developed for your class. The form will open in a new window. Compare the list of available workshops to the descriptions below. Click "Other" to request a new workshop.

At least two weeks before your workshop, the presenter will contact you for more details. Click here for more information.

  • Academic Integrity workshops
    • Academic Integrity (use of sources) (30-45 min.): Students learn about and practice summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting sources effectively and correctly. (Workshop script and handout coming soon, meanwhile the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) site has excellent material on quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing that tutors can use for workshops. Tutors: before printing any materials from OWL for workshops, please read their fair use and printing directions statements.)
    • Academic Integrity (scenario-based) (45-60 min.): Students explore issues of academic integrity through scenario-based discussions not confined to issues of plagiarism in writing. Choose seven to ten of these scenarios (or let us choose for you), and contact us to schedule your workshop. Let us know which scenarios you've chosen and we will customize a handout for your class.
  • Concise writing (30-45 min.): Students learn tips and techniques to write clearly and concisely. This workshop presupposes that an assignment is due on or near the running of the workshop and that students will peer review one another's assignments based on the exercises in this workshop. (Workshop script and handout.)
  • Organization (45-60 min.):  Students learn to organize papers logically, focusing on coherent paragraphing as well as effective transitions.  This workshop can be given early in the writing process between brainstorming and drafting, or it can be given after a first draft has been written so that students can reorganize their ideas more effectively after drafting. The exercise involves a reverse outline technique. (Workshop script and handout.)
  • Peer Review (30-45 min.):  Students learn to critically read each other’s papers and provide constructive feedback to peers.  This workshop is typically given on the day a draft is due. Choose one of three handouts, which also include script information:
  • Power verbs - handout for writers
  • Principles of Grammar (30-45 min.):  Students learn some of the basic principles underlying English grammar.  This workshop will not be a “fix-all” to student errors, but will provide students with a fuller understanding of the structures of English.  This workshop should be tailored to focus on specific grammatical issues with which your students struggle.
  • Problem-solving in writing handouts
    • General principles of problem-solving in writing (or, how to write an essay and still respect yourself in the morning) - handout
    • Writer's problem-solving worksheet - handout
  • Science writing (45 min.):  Students learn skills to help them write lab reports and other science course assignments.
  • Strategies for Close Reading (45-60 min.):  Students learn to analyze texts using a variety of close-reading techniques.  This workshop can be given before a very difficult reading is assigned, or on the day a difficult reading is being discussed. (Workshop script, handout 1, handout 2)
  • Thesis Development (30-45 min.):  Students learn to develop and troubleshoot their own theses as well as to identify and evaluate thesis statements in the work of others.  This workshop can be given early in the semester and focus on composing a good thesis, or it can be given mid-semester when students already have working theses for long papers and can focus on evaluating and trouble-shooting theses. (Workshop script and handout).

Links to other websites

Top three picks!

Capital Community College Foundation Guide to Grammar & Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm - It might not be flashy, but this well organized site has a comprehensive guide to writing and grammar. It has information on a wide variety of topics (over 400) along with handouts, quizzes, and useful web links.

Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts - This well organized and useful site contains a comprehensive set of "handouts" and an interactive tutorial on writing. Hanouts provide in-depth help concerning general academic writing, lessons in style, and writing in specific fields of study.

Dartmouth Writing Program Online Writing Materials (Science writing helpful)
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/about.shtml - Excellently organized, this extensive site offers writing material for students, professors and tutors.

Other useful sites:

A Writers' reference (6th edition) by Diana Hacker
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx (When prompted to login, click cancel to go to help material.)
Visit this site and choose "ESL help" for exercises geared especially for those writing English as a second language.

Columbia University School of Social Work Writing Center Handouts
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/write/handouts.html - Great printable "take-aways" - A series of handouts helpful for general writing center concerns, but with a focus in the field of social services.

Harvard Writing Center Resources (Freshman English helpful)
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html - Offers a collection of writing resources from the Academic Center at Harvard. The list of handouts was created by staff at their Writing Center. Our tutors especially liked helpful information on transitions, outlining, and how to read an assignment.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ - A writing lab site from Purdue University containing over 200 free resources. Easily navigated by using the search option or by following their suggested resources.

Rice University - Writing Research Papers (Science writing helpful)
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html#title - Authored by Rice professor David R. Caprette, this site offers detailed instruction on writing a research paper in a scientific field. The site was specifically created for a class in which students would be making the transition from writing simple lab reports to writing professional scientific papers.

University of Arizona Scientific Writing Booklet (Science writing helpful)
http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/marc/Sci-Writing.pdf - Provides comprehensive guidelines for writing an effective scientific paper. The link leads to a great printable booklet that was a favorite of our tutors.

University of Toronto Advice on Academic Writing (Freshman English helpful!)
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice - Contains a number of handouts designed to provide guidance in all steps of academic writing academic writing, from planning and researching to style and editing. Our tutors especially liked the "Using sources" and "Style and editing" sections, as well as advice on comparative essay writing.

Writing Center at Hamilton College
http://my.hamilton.edu/writing/home - This site has well organized and presented materials on all types of writing, including 18 different types of writing ranging from writing for the arts, humanities, sciences, journalism, and personal statements. The handouts in particular are useful for students working on their own and for tutors working with various types of writing problems and challenges.

Writing Lab Newsletter
http://www.writinglabnewsletter.org/new/
Read this publication online, including archives of previous issues. For an interesting article on peer review in-class workshops at Avery Point in volume 35, no. 9/10, co-authored by the Avery Point Writing Coordinator, Dr. Pamela Bedore, click here.

Annotated bibliographies of useful readings (for tutors)

(Fall 2007)

Blair, Timothy R. Nichols, William Dee and Ruply, William H. “The Effective Teacher of Reading: Considering the What and How of Instruction.” The Reading Teacher
60, 5 (2007): 432-438. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Boquet, Elizabeth H. “’Our Little Secret’: A History of Writing Centers, Pre- to Post- Open Admissions.” College Composition and Communication 50.3 (1999): 463-482. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Cory Mastrandrea

Chia, Li-Gek and Christina Chin. “Problem-Based Learning: Using Students’ Questions to Drive Knowledge Construction” Science Education 88 (2004):707-727. . (PDF format)
Reviewed by Cory Mastrandrea

Dalby, Tim. “Theory and Practice of Teaching in a University Mathematics Learning Centre.” International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology 32 (2001): 691-696. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Jillian Cruz

Flemming, David. "Rhetoric as a Course of Study" College English 61.2 (1998): 169-191.(PDF format)
Reviewed by Kyle Ng

Griffith-Ross, Diana A. Walczyk, Jeffrey J. “How Important is Reading Skill Fluency for Comprehension?” The Reading Teacher 60, 6 (2007): 560-569 (PDF format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Harris, Jeanette. “Reaffirming, Reflecting, Reforming: Writing Center Scholarship Comes of Age.” College English 63.5 (2001): 662-8. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Deborah Macintosh

Harris, Muriel, and Tony Silva. “Tutoring ESL Students: Issues and Options.” College Composition and Communication 44.4 (1993): 525-537.
Reviewed by Deborah Macintosh (PDF format)
Reviewed by Andrew Phelps (PDF format)

Litt, Deborah G. “10 Rules for Reading.” The Reading Teacher 60, 6 (2007): 570-574. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Manyak, Patrick. “Character Trait Vocabulary: A Schoolwide Approach.” The Reading Teacher 60, 6 (2007): 574-577. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Mokhtari, Kouider and Reichard, Carla A. “Assessing Students’ Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies.” Journal of Education Psychology 94. 2
(2002): 249-259 (PFD format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Person, Natalie K. and Xiangen Hu. “Improving Comprehension through Discourse Processing” New Directions for Teaching and Learning 89 (2002): 33-44. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Olena Gorelchuk

Singer, Susan R. “Learning and Teaching Centers: Hubs of Educational Reform”. New Directions for Higher Education 119 (2002): 59-64. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Sean Pillars

Tom, Tanya Leigh, and Terry A. Cronan. “The Effects of Ethnic Similarity on Tutor-Tutee Interactions.” Journal of Community Psychology 26.2 (1998): 119-129. (PDF format)
Reviewed by Andrew Phelps

 

Page last updated May 3, 2013