Shitty First Draft

Anne Lamott explains to her readers that everyone experiences "shitty first drafts." She reassures them that the right words and sentences do not always come to mind right away. She states that, "The first draft is the child's draft...knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later." No writer is going to produce a perfect first draft, but you need to start somewhere. It's important to just get your ideas down on paper.
I've been working on my shitty first draft by putting my initial thoughts and words on paper. My plans for improving my draft include reviewing my professor's feedback and making the corrections to produce a more thorough and reliabe research paper.

Covering

We all have a part of ourselves that we want to cover. Covering is when a person admits the possession of a stigma, but keeps it from looming large. For me, the death of my grandparents was something I tried to cover. Both of my grandparents died within a four month time period, so the sadness I experienced really started to grow. For months, I tried to act like everything was okay on the outside by smiling, but on the inside, I felt like a huge part of my life was now missing. In a sense I tried to "cover" the feelings inside of me.

APA Exercise

1. Write a sentence containing a signal phrase.

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences reported that saccharin, which is a potential cancer-causing agent,causes tumors in rats but not in humans.

2. Write the reference entry for this source.

Adams, M. J. (2000, May 16). U.S. report adds to list of carcinogens. The New York Times, p. F4.

3. Choose another quotation and delete words in order to shorten the length of the quotation.

Two decades ago,... it was a prudent, protective step to consider the sweetener to be a likely human carcinogen." (Adams, 2000, p. F4)

Activity 33

An event that was important to me during my childhood was baking Christmas cookies with my grandma. Every year, we would gather all of the necessary ingriedients and let the baking festivities begin. Since I was just a young girl, she would let me do all of the mixing, and a little sampling as well. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe was what I loved making and eating the most. They were so warm, gooey, and full of sweet chocolate chips. I was always so eager to make lots of them to leave out for Santa Claus. When my sister was old enough, she joined in on the family tradition as well. I can still remember exactly where I sat, the apron I wore, and the smell of "heaven on earth" filling her small kitchen.
Looking back on this special memory of my grandma makes me miss her more and more every day. She passed away suddenly over a year ago, and having these fond memories to look back upon puts a smile on my face. I'm so glad I was able to spend time with her each Christmas in the kitchen, baking up a storm. Making cookies, cakes, and pies was her passion, and I hope to carry on her legacy with my children and grandchildren for many years to come.

Research Process

As a health and physical education major, childhood obesity is a growing problem of interest and therefore, worth researching. This idea came to mind right away when we were asked to pick something that was related to our major and close to our heart. It is an important area to me because children are our future. The steps we take today, will help create a healthier tomorrow. In my academic research, I was able to find reliable journal articles from sources such as Ebsco Host. Here, I was able to read studies conducted at various schools throughout the country, and the steps they are taking to help reduce the number of obese children. I was also able to find government based research articles from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. For the methodology portion of my research project, I will conduct in-depth interviews from health professionals who are currently teaching within the school system. Gathering more research about childhood obesity will help me gain more knowledge and a better understanding of this growing, nationwide epidemic.

Paraphrasing Exercise

When working on academic research, most students have a tendency to place too many direct quotations into their writing. If you were to examine your research paper as a whole,only 10% of your final paper should appear as direct quotations. As a writer, it is important to use only a few quotations in your final research paper. Keep this tip in mind the next time you are taking notes.

Tipping Point Blogging

As a future health and physical education teacher, I would love to promote healthy and active lifestyles for both male and female students within my community. Obesity is a growing epidemic that currently affects two out of every three children and I feel that it is my job to help reverse this problem. I could start after school sports programs for students who are not involved in organized athletics. This would give them an opportunity to receive at least 60 minutes of exercise a few days a week. Implementing a small program such as this into a school setting could make a big difference.
After reading The Tipping Point, I feel that Chapter 3, The Stickiness Factor, was the most influential chapter. This chapter was very interesting because it gave specific examples of how to make a message memorable. In order to start an epidemic, people need to remember what it is you are trying to make "stick". Looking back on what type of social change I wish to see in my community, the Stickiness Factor would be important in making the idea of healthy eating and physical activity memorable to children.
One idea I will take away from this book is found on the book's cover. This idea is how little things can make a big difference in the world. I can apply this to my future career because starting an exercise program for children after school, for example, could help reduce the obesity levels found in this country. It's a small idea, but this idea has the potential to have large results.