Triboro News

Paraphrasing can be a struggle when you are new to writing. What does paraphrasing even mean?

The dictionary definition is "express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity."

In everyday use, this means that a reader might re-word something they have read to make a point or provide evidence. (I paraphrased, did you notice?)

Here is an example of paraphrasing in action: 

For more information check out our video here!

It’s all about the music. For me it’s “Doing the Unstuck” by The Cure. Really any poppy 80’s vaguely punk rock/Reggae will do it. Some may say Techno, not my style, but I get it. When the snow starts melting and the grass begins to peek out of the soil what is the first thing we do? Clean.

“During the cold of winter humans produce more melatonin which, while not a bad thing, can lead us to feel less motivated and generally lazier. During this time you might find you’re much more interested in pulling up a cozy blanket and binge-watching Netflix than being very industrious. But when the days get longer and warmer our bodies react accordingly and the energy we’ve been missing all winter returns leading large numbers of us to start doing things like washing the curtains and digging out the steam cleaner from the attic.”

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/a-quick-history-of-spring-cleaning-230072

For students, Spring break is a time to decompress, catch up with friends and refocus. After a long winter session it is nice to open all the doors and windows and take inventory of textbooks, organize class assignments and prepare for the next term. Nowadays that is mostly on the computer and gets forgotten about, but is still a crucial part of continuing education.

What are you proud of? Save it! Make yourself a folder right now, like a savings account and add to it every term.

What do you not need 3 years from now? Toss it out and make room for the next.

Tips on what to keep and how to organize it:

1. Make a folder just for your software programs.

You may want to come back to them and improve upon them later. Let go of all the collection of  inspiration for the project. The process is over. 

2. Collect any written presentations, essays or short stories and save them for a rainy day.

One, you often can reuse material for future assignments, but more so, you can extract knowledge and experience from  them later on when you are writing cover letters, letters of intent for grad school and a million other things. 

3. Save digital presentations and handmade presentation boards and take professional pictures of any physical work.

With the Cloud you have all the virtual space you will even need, a garage is often harder to  come by.

4. Keep an ongoing folder for inspiration and future projects and ideas. 

You never know when they will come in handy and you want them to be easy to find in a moment's notice.

5. Create a filing system to use for next term and use going forward. 

This takes time up front, but will save you time in the long run. Make a folder for each Term → each Class → and each Week or Project. At the end of the term reevaluate those files and keep what you see yourself needing in the future for a future class or your portfolio, then start the process again, and again.

Note that sketches and process work are always useful and instructors, employers and fans love to see it!

For a little extra reading here is a great article about the history and importance of Spring cleaning, here is an excerpt. 

“In Jewish custom, spring cleaning is linked to Passover, which marks the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt. 

In Christian custom, the Catholics clean the church altar the day before Good Friday.

In Iran, the holiday Nowruz coincides with the first day of spring. Traditionally involves cleaning (or "shaking the house"), buying new clothes, and spending time with family and friends. “

https://www.countryliving.com/home-maintenance/a38381

Katharine N. 

Spelling can be challenging, especially when two or three words sound similar but are spelled differently. For example, a common misspelled word is there vs. their vs. they’re. Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings are called homophones. A large number of these words exist in the English language, so it’s no surprise that writers mix them up from time to time. However, one misspelling can change the meaning of an entire sentence so it’s important to use homophones accurately.   

Check out this quick reference guide about how to use commonly misspelled homophones. (An example of each word is highlighted in yellow beneath it.):

Hello, RMCAD community! My name is Rhiana (she/her), and I am the new writing tutor at the SCL. I have a BA in English Writing and I am working toward earning my Master of Library and Information Science. I am excited to get to know students, faculty, and staff at RMCAD. If you need help with a writing assignment, please feel free to schedule an appointment with me. 

So, here are a few helpful tips to consider when choosing a research topic...

Choosing a research topic is an important first step in the writing process. If your writing assignment spans across the entire term, you’ll want to select a topic that interests you because eight weeks is a long time to study a single idea. You’ll feel more motivated and remain more engaged if you genuinely care about the topic. However, you’ll also want to consider if the topic is a good choice in terms of the amount of information you’ll be able to find. You may have a topic in mind that you’re excited to write about, but you might not be able to find enough information or the right kind of information to meet the assignment requirements. It’s frustrating to spend a lot of time working on an assignment and later realize you’ll have to start over. Often, being thorough at the beginning of an assignment makes your life easier during the rest of the term.

So, here is a strategy you can use to choose a research topic that is interesting and has enough information:

1. Make sure you understand the assignment requirements. Start by asking the following questions:

   • How many sources do you need? 

   • What types of sources are acceptable (scholarly, popular, government, etc.)? 

   • What information do you need to find out about the topic? 

   • Does the topic need to cover anything specific (a certain time, a certain place, etc)?

2. Make a list of topic ideas that you find interesting or matter to you. Try to answer the following questions:

   • Based on the assignment requirements, what kinds of topics might fit well? Try to come up with a variety of ideas.

   • Is there a topic you already know quite a bit about but want to explore in greater detail?

   • Is there a topic you know a little bit about but want to learn more?

3. Spend some time researching each of your topic ideas.

   • Make notes about what you already know about each topic and/or what you’re curious about.

   • Using your notes, brainstorm a couple keywords for each topic idea and brainstorm a couple keywords that reflect the assignment requirements. For example, if your assignment requires you to write about the relationship between culture and art for a historical group of people of your choice and you choose “Vikings,” you might brainstorm the following keywords: “culture” “art” “vikings”

   • Using your keywords, search multiple resources for information about your topic ideas. Don’t limit your search to Google because you might find information within the RMCAD Library’s academic databases that isn’t available on Google. 

   • For each topic idea, make notes about how much information you find, what kinds of information you find, and how you think the information relates to the assignment requirements.

4. Choose the research topic idea that will allow you to be most successful. Think back to the assignment requirements and answer the following questions:

   • Which one of your topic ideas has the largest amount of information?

   • Which one of your topic ideas has the most relevant information?

   • Which one of your topic ideas best meets the assignment requirements overall?

5. If none of your topic ideas seem like a good choice for the assignment, consider taking the following steps:

   • If you feel dissatisfied after researching all of your topics, try brainstorming more topic ideas and repeat steps 1-4. 

   • Try to remain flexible and think about topics that are different from your first set of topic ideas. Try coming up with a broader topic or a narrower topic.

   • Always contact your instructor if you need clarification or if you have doubts about your topic ideas.

   • Reach out to the SLC if you feel stuck or need help with any of these steps.