7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Manage Yourself	Habit 1 Be Proactive© The Habit of Choice	·       See alternatives, not roadblocks ·       Focus on what you can influence ·       I am free to choose and I am responsible for my choices
	Habit 2 Begin With the End in Mind© The Habit of Vision	·       Mental creation precedes physical creation ·       Define practical outcomes
	Habit 3 Put First Things First© The Habit of Integrity and Execution	·       Focus on the important, not just the urgent ·       Effectiveness requires the integrity to act on your priorities ·       Plan weekly, act daily
Lead Others	Habit 4 Think Win/Win© The Habit of Mutual Benefit	·       Effective long-term relationships require mutual respect and mutual benefit ·       Build trust with peers
	Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood© The Habit of Mutual Understanding	·       To communicate effectively, we must first understand each other ·       Practice empathic listening ·       Give honest, accurate feedback
	Habit 6 Synergize© The Habit of Creative Cooperation	·       The whole is greater than the sum of its parts ·       Synergize to arrive at new and better alternatives
Unleash Potential	Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw© The Habit of Renewal	·       To maintain and increase effectiveness, we must renew ourselves in body, heart, mind and soul

Critical Thinking Weekly Riddle: 8/29/2016 ~ 9/2/2016

A man is on a trip with a fox, goose, and a sack of beans. He comes upon a stream, which he has to cross, and finds a tiny boat which he can use. The problem though, is that he can only take himself and either the fox, goose, or the beans across at a time. It is not possible for him to leave the fox alone with the goose, or the goose alone with the beans. How can he get all safely over the stream?

Writing Workshop I - Handouts

You can download this as a printable .pdf document in its entirety here and the accompanying PPT here.

Topic Sentences

I.                 PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

A paragraph is a group of sentences that discuss one main idea. 

In formal academic English, paragraphs have three main parts. 

 

Topic Sentences

Source: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/29/

Every paragraph should include a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. A topic sentence also states the point the writer wishes to make about that subject. Generally, the topic sentence appears at the beginning of the paragraph. It is often the paragraph’s very first sentence. A paragraph’s topic sentence must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject. But it should be specific enough that the reader can understand the paragraph’s main subject and point.

On the GED, you may be asked to choose a better topic sentence for a paragraph. Sometimes, a topic sentence may be entirely missing from a paragraph, and you will be asked to choose one for it. When choosing a topic sentence, remember these guidelines:

• The topic sentence should identify the main idea and point of the paragraph. To choose an appropriate topic sentence, read the paragraph and think about its main idea and point.
• The supporting details in the paragraph (the sentences other than the topic sentence) will develop or explain the topic sentence. Read all the supporting details in the paragraph and think about the ideas they discuss.
• The topic sentence should not be too general or too specific. When considering the options, look for a topic sentence that is general enough to show the paragraph’s main idea instead of just one of its details. The answer should be specific enough that the reader understands the main idea of the paragraph.

Here is an infographic to help you visualize this process:

The Thesis Statement

Source:http://www.english.upenn.edu/graduate/resources/teachweb/scthesis.html

This is not an exhaustive list of bad thesis statements, but here're five kinds of problems I've seen most often. These are useful example to keep in mind when writing a thesis statement.

1. The non-thesis thesis.
   A thesis takes a position on an issue. It is different from a topic sentence in that a thesis statement is not neutral. It announces, in addition to the topic, the argument you want to make or the point you want to prove. This is your own opinion that you intend to back up. This is your reason and motivation for writing.
   
   
   Bad Thesis 1: In his article Stanley Fish shows that we don't really have the right to free speech.
   Bad Thesis 2: This paper will consider the advantages and disadvantages of certain restrictions on free speech.
   Better Thesis 1: Stanley Fish's argument that free speech exists more as a political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere of tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as effectively as any binding law.
   Better Thesis 2: Even though there may be considerable advantages to restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial racial issues is too great and too high a price to pay.
   
   
2. The overly broad thesis.
   A thesis should be as specific as possible, and it should be tailored to reflect the scope of the paper. It is not possible, for instance, to write about the history of English literature in a 5 page paper. In addition to choosing simply a smaller topic, strategies to narrow a thesis include specifying a method or perspective or delineating certain limits.
   
   
   Bad Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment.
   Bad Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech.
   Better Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment if those restrictions are intended merely to protect individuals from unspecified or otherwise unquantifiable or unverifiable "emotional distress."
   Better Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech in cases of overtly racist or sexist language because our failure to address such abuses would effectively suggest that our society condones such ignorant and hateful views.
   
   
3. The incontestable thesis.
   A thesis must be arguable. And in order for it to be arguable, it must present a view that someone might reasonably contest. Sometimes a thesis ultimately says, "we should be good," or "bad things are bad." Such thesis statements are tautological or so universally accepted that there is no need to prove the point.
   
   
   Bad Thesis 1: Although we have the right to say what we want, we should avoid hurting other people's feelings.
   Bad Thesis 2: There are always alternatives to using racist speech.
   Better Thesis 1: If we can accept that emotional injuries can be just as painful as physical ones we should limit speech that may hurt people's feelings in ways similar to the way we limit speech that may lead directly to bodily harm.
   Better Thesis 2: The "fighting words" exception to free speech is not legitimate because it wrongly considers speech as an action.
   
   

Sequential Transitions

Source: https://msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html

These transitions are used to signal a chronological or logical sequence.

Numerical:

in the (first, second, etc.) place,	initially,	to start with,	first of all	thirdly, (&c.)
to begin with,	at first,	for a start,	secondly,

Continuation:

subsequently,	previously,	eventually,	next,
before (this),	afterwards,	after (this),	then

Conclusion:

to conclude (with)	as a final point,	eventually,	at last,
	in the end,	finally,	lastly,

Digression:

to change the topic

incidentally,

by the way,

Resumption:

to get back to the point,	to resume	anyhow,	anyway,	at any rate,
to return to the subject,

Summation:

as was previously stated,	so,	consequently,	in summary,	all in all,
	thus,	as I have said,	to sum up,	overall,
as has been mentioned,	then,	to summarize,	to be brief,	briefly,
given these points,	in all,	on the whole,	therefore,
as has been noted,	hence,	in conclusion,	in a word,
to put it briefly,	in sum,	altogether,	in short,

Causal Transitions:

Source: https://msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html

These transitions signal cause/effect and reason/result, etc. . .

Cause/Reason:

for the (simple) reason that,	being that,	for,	in view of (the fact),	inasmuch as,
because (of the fact),	seeing that,	as,	owing to (the fact),
due to (the fact that),	in that	since,	forasmuch as,

Condition:

on (the) condition (that),	granted (that),	if,	provided that,	in case,
in the event that,	as/so long as,	unless	given that,
granting (that),	providing that,	even if,	only if,

Effect/Result:

as a result (of this),	consequently,	hence,	for this reason,	thus,
because (of this),	in consequence,	so that,	accordingly
as a consequence,	so much (so) that,	so,	therefore,

Purpose:

for the purpose of,	in the hope that,	for fear that,	so that,
with this intention,	to the end that,	in order to,	lest
with this in mind,	in order that,	so as to,	so,

Consequence:

under those circumstances,	then,	in that case,	if not,
that being the case,	if so,	otherwise

Adversative Transitions:

Source: https://msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html

These transitions are used to signal conflict, contradiction concession, dismissal, &c.

Conflict:

but,	by way of contrast,	while,	on the other hand,
however,	(and) yet,	whereas,	though (final position),
in contrast,	when in fact,	conversely,	still

Emphasis:

even more,

above all,

indeed,

more importantly,

besides

Concession:

but even so,	nevertheless,	even though,	on the other hand,	admittedly,
however,	nonetheless,	despite (this),	notwithstanding (this),	albeit
(and) still,	although,	in spite of (this),	regardless (of this),
(and) yet,	though,	granted (this),	be that as it may,

Dismissal:

either way,	whichever happens,	in either event,	in any case,	at any rate,
in either case,	whatever happens,	all the same,	in any event,

Replacement:

(or) at least,

(or) rather,

instead