Minor Assignment 83/25/2018 The piece of science writing that I chose to analyze was the article for the Yellow Island Nature Preserve on the Washington State Nature Preserve website. I chose this article because it is a good example of the type of writing that I will have to emulate for my final project. While the article is rather short, (my guess would be about 300 words), it is packed with information. Each and every sentence in the article appears to have a purpose and it lacks any filler whatsoever. I'm addition to this, it employs some of the techniques that Montgomery outlines in chapter 19 “Science writing and science talks: communicating with and for the public.”
The first of these techniques used was ensuring that the first sentence or opening paragraph grabs the readers attention right off the bat. The first sentence of the article was “Summer is the perfect time to go visit the gem of the San Juan Islands – The Yellow Island Preserve!” This sentence does a few things to grab the readers attention right away. First is the use of descriptions. Calling the Yellow Island Preserve “the gem of the San Juan Islands” immediately peaks the readers interest in this location by making it stand out against any other possible preserves they are looking at. Second is the use of punctuation. Ending the sentence with an exclamation point not only makes the preserve seem exciting, but it also shows that whoever write this article must also really like the preserve, giving it some validity as a good spot. The second technique that I thought they use really well, was the use of simple language. The author, for the most part, avoided using the scientific terms for the pants and animals they discussed. This helps to engage with the reader, because they have an easier time understanding exactly what the author is talking about. While the audience may still not know exactly what animals the author is talking about, using the name “harlequin duck” allows for the reader to immediately know it’s a duck versus having to wade through the Latin of a scientific name. Use of simple language is a particularly important technique to use when writing for a gerenal audience, and is absolutely one that I am hoping to employ when writing for my final project. While an interesting or flashy into is also good for grabbing attention, if you lsoe the reader immediately after that with bogged down jargon, then what was the point of the intro. Especially for my final project in which I will be wiritng for a very broad audience, use of simple words will be on the top of my list. http://www.washingtonnature.org/yellowisland
3 Comments
Zachary Wagner
3/26/2018 08:35:15 am
Jacob,
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Nick
3/26/2018 08:51:11 am
You propose a very interesting approach to your final project as you intend to incorporate simple language as you will be writing for a broad audience. With this, I feel that you will be able to form a strong connection with your audience as well as keep them interested in what you're presenting as they will understand everything you're discussing. You have a very strong analysis of Montgomery's chapter and I look forward to reading your work that you present to the Nature Conservancy. Great post
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Collin Barker
3/26/2018 10:59:24 am
Jacob, You did an excellent job analyzing this article in the context of Montgomery's ideas. I think that by leveraging the strategies that you propose to you will be able to very effectively deliver compelling writing for your final project. I'm very interested in your project topic and look forward to seeing it develop. Nice job on this assignment!
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April 2018
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The purpose of these blogs were to serve as a mode to turn in minor assignments for my Professional Writing Class. Many are responses to reading we did, and a couple are first drafts of various major assignments. |