- Highlight, take notes, and search
- Download the free ReadAnywhere app for offline & mobile access
- Note: Connect access NOT included. If Connect is required for your course, click the "Learning Platform" tab.
With The McGraw-Hill Guide, students will take a goals-oriented approach to their writing assignments using proven techniques related to student success. They’ll set goals for their writing, use effective composing strategies to achieve those goals, and assess their progress towards achieving them. Students will learn the underlying principles on which the effectiveness of any writing is assessed—by assessing it themselves—and develop the strategies they’ll need to support their writing long after they have completed college. Connect Composition supports instruction across multiple semesters and courses with interactive exercises, online learning videos, enriched ebook materials,annotation and writing tools, and much more! • LearnSmartAchieve – a continuously adaptive learning system that pinpoints students’ individual strengths and weaknesses and provides personalized support to help them master key topics and material. LearnSmart Achieve provides foundational support on key course areas such as the writing process, critical reading, the research process, reasoning and argument, grammar and commonsentence problems,punctuation and mechanics, style and word choice, and multilingual writer support. • Power of Process – a critical reading and writing tool that guides students through instructor-chosen strategies and helps them engage directly with a text through highlighting, annotation, and short answer questions. • Analytics - Progress dashboards that quickly show how you are performing on your assignments and tips for improvement.
Part One: Getting Started
- Writing Goals and Objectives for College and for Life
- Writing in the four areas of your life
- Writing as a College Student
- Writing as a Professional
- Writing as a Citizen
- Writing as a Family Member or Friend
- Writing in the Four Areas of this Course
- Learning Goals in this Course
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Rhetorical Analysis
- Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
- Writing Process
- Knowledge of Convention
- Composition in Electronic Environments
- Becoming a Self-Reflective Writer
- *Strategies for Success
- Reading Critically for College and for Life
- Why Read Critically? Integrating Sources into Your Own Writing
- Using Prereading Strategies
- Reading Actively
- Annotating Effectively
- Reading Visuals
- Reading Web Sites
- Using Postreading Strategies
- Starting Your Writer’s/Research Journal
- Writing Effective Summaries
- Synthesizing Information in Readings
- Using Your Reading in Your Writing
- Constructing a Rhetorical Analysis
- Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts [New Chapter]
- Setting Your Goals
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts
- Writing Assignment Options
- Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
- Qualities of Effective Writing to Understand and Synthesize Texts
- Reading to Learn about Understanding and Synthesizing Texts
- *Danny Goldberg, Kill the Internet—and Other Anti-SOPA Myths (Editorial)
- *Jimmy Wales and Kat Walsh, We Are the Media, and So Are You (Editorial)
- *Margaret Munson, Critical Response to “We Are the Media, and So Are You” (Student Essay)
- Writing Processes
- Invention: Getting Started
- Organizing Your Ideas and Details
- Constructing a Complete Draft
- Revising
- Knowledge of Conventions
- Editing
- Genres, Documentation, and Format
- A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Margaret Munson’s Synthesis
- *Margaret Munson, Protecting Creativity in a Wired World: Two Perspectives (Student Essay)
- Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
- Writing to Discover and to Learn
- Using Invention Strategies to Discover Ideas
- Listing
- Freewriting
- Questioning
- Answering the Questions Who? What? When? Why? and How?
- Brainstorming
- Clustering
- Keeping Notebooks and Journals
- Double-entry Notebook
- Field Notebook
- Rewriting Your Class Notes
- Minute Paper
- Muddiest Point
- Preconception Check
- Paraphrasing
- Organizing and Synthesizing Information
- Invented Interview/Unsent Letter
- Using Charts and Visuals to Discover and to Learn
- Clustering and Concept Mapping
- Process Flowchart
- Studying for Exams
- Test Questions
- Mnemonic Play
Part Two: Using What You Have Learned to Share Information
- Writing to Share Experiences
- Setting Your Goals
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Writing to Share Experiences
- Scenarios for Writing: Assignment Options
- Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
- Qualities of Effective Writing about Experiences
- Reading to Learn about Writing That Shares Experiences
- Tanya Barrientos, Se Habla Español (Memoir)
- *Sherman Alexie, Superman and Me (Literacy Narrative) [print book only]
- *Brad Whetstine, Augustinian Influences (Literacy Narrative) [ebook only]
- Suki Kim, Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits (Memoir) [ebook only]
- Writing Processes
- Invention: Getting Started
- Organizing Your Ideas and Details
- Constructing a Complete Draft
- Revising
- Knowledge of Conventions
- Editing
- Genres, Documentation, and Format
- A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Jessica Hemauer’s Final Draft
- Jessica Hemauer, Farm Girl (Student Essay)
- Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
- Writing to Explore
- Setting Your Goals for Exploratory Writing
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Writing to Explore in Your College Classes
- Writing to Explore for Life
- Scenarios for Writing: Assignment Options
- Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
- Learning the Qualities of Effective Exploratory Writing
- Reading, Inquiry, and Research: Learning from Texts That Explore
- *Andrew Sullivan, Excerpt from “Why I Blog” (Reflective Essay)
- *Owen Edwards, The Tuskegee Airmen Plane’s Last Flight (Profile of an Event)
- *Kiva Web site (Profile)
- *Jesse Kornbluth Excerpt from “World’s Best Blogger?” (Profile) [ebook only]
- Writing Processes
- Invention: Getting Started
- Exploring Your Ideas with Research
- Organizing Your Ideas and Details
- Constructing a Complete Draft
- Revising
- Knowledge of Conventions
- Editing
- Genres, Documentation, and Format
- A Writer Achieves His Goal: Rick Mohler’s Final Draft
- Rick Mohler, A Sporting Career? (Student Essay)
- Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
- Writing to Inform [Note: Chapters 7-12 follow the same basic structure as Chapter 6.]
- Carol Ezzell, Clocking Cultures (Informative Article)
- *Dan Fletcher, A Brief History of Wikipedia (Informative Article)
- *Tom Broadbent, Annotated Bibliography
- Craig Broadbent Watch for the Blue Barrels (Student Essay)
- Writing to Analyze
- James M. Lang, Putting in the Hours (Opinion Piece)
- *Susan Cain, The Power of Introverts (Analysis)
- *Ashley TenBrink, A Rider Frozen in Motion (Visual Analysis)
- Sarah Washington, Campus Parking: Love it or Leave It (Student Essay)
Part Three: Using What You’ve Learned to Write Arguments
- Writing to Convince
- *Marian Wright Edelman, Still Hungry in America (Opinion Piece)
- Maureen Dowd, Our Own Warrior Princess (Editorial)
- Allsup Organ Donation Poster (Advertisement)
- Anne Applebaum, When Women Go to War (Editorial) [ebook only]
- Santi DeRosa, The Objectification of Women: Whose Fault Is It? (Student Essay)
- Writing to Evaluate
- *Jonathan Liu, “The 5 Best Toys of All Time” (Opinion Piece)
- *Roger Ebert, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Review)
- *Andrew O’Hehir, “’Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2’: An Action-Packed Curtain Call” (Review)
- Annlee Lawrence, Who Has the Better Burger? (Student Essay)
- Writing to Explain Causes and Effects
- Juan Williams, The Ruling That Changed America (Cause-and-Effect Essay)
- Neal Gabler, How Urban Myths Reveal Society’s Fears (Cause-and-Effect Essay)
- Robert Reich The Real Reason Why Highway Deaths Are Down (Blog) [ebook only]
- *Aprilyus, Anti-Smoking Poster (Cause-and-Effect Poster)
- *Hanna Lake, Brothers, Brethren, and Kin: The Role of Family in the Lives of Harriet Jacobs and Black Hawk (Student Essay)
- Writing to Solve Problems
- *Anya Kamenetz, The Case for Girls (Proposal Essay)
- *Virginia Heffernan, Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade (Opinion Piece)
- Amy Baskin and Heather Fawcett, Request for a Work Schedule Change (Memo)
- Michael Bérubé, How to End Grade Inflation (Op-Ed Article) [ebook only]
- *Susan DeMedeiros, Staying ahead of Skimming Scams (Student Essay)
Part Four: Strategies for Effective Communication
- Using Strategies That Guide Readers
- Announcing a Thesis or Controlling Idea
- Writing Paragraphs
- Placement of Topic Sentences
- Moving to a New Paragraph
- Opening Paragraphs
- Concluding Paragraphs
- Using Cohesive Devices
- Using Connective Words or Phrases
- Using Word Repetition
- Using Pronoun Reference
- Using Transitional Sentences and Paragraphs
- Using Headings
- Writing Narratives
- Narrating Single Events or a Series of Events
- Narrating Processes
- Writing Descriptions
- Naming in Description
- A Sensory Approach to Description
- A Spatial Approach to Description
- Writing Definitions
- Kinds of Definitions
- Writing Classifications
- Writing about Comparisons and Contrasts
- Approaches to Comparison and Contrast
- Using Outlines and Maps to Organize Your Writing
- Using Strategies for Argument
- Argument and Persuasion
- Rhetorical Appeals
- Logical Appeals
- Ethical Appeals
- Emotional Appeals
- The Rhetorical Triangle: Considering the Appeals Together
- Three Approaches to Argument
- Classical Strategies for Arguing
- Parts of a Classical Argument
- Example: The Classical Scheme in Action
- David Wolman, Time to Cash Out: Why Paper Money Hurts the Economy
- Toulmin Approach to Argument
- Example: The Toulmin Model in Action
- *Jordan Weissman, The Myth of Energy Independence: Why We Can’t Drill Our Way to Oil Autonomy
- Rogerian Strategies for Arguing
- Example: Rogerian Strategies in Action
- Rick Reilly, Nothing but Nets
- Some Common Flaws in Arguments
- Using Strategies for Collaboration
- Working with Peers on Your Single-Authored Projects
- Strategies for Working with Peers on Your Projects
- Using Digital Tools for Peer Review
- Working with Peers on Multiple-Authored Projects
- Strategies for Working with Peers Effectively
- Using Digital Tools to Facilitate Multiple-Authored Projects
- Making Effective Oral Presentations
- Developing Your Presentation
- Establishing a Clear Structure
- Considering Your Audience
- Eliminating the Fear of Speaking in Public
- Other Tips for Making Effective Oral Presentations
- *Online Presentations
Part Five: Technologies for Effective Communication
- Choosing a Medium, Genre, and Technology for Your Communication
- Communication Technologies
- Publishing Your Work
- Selecting a Genre and Medium
- Deciding on a Genre for Your Work
- Deciding Whether to Use Print, Electronic, or Oral Media
- Considering Design
- Technologies for Computer-Mediated Communication
- Threaded Discussions
- Synchronous Chat
- Blogs
- Wikis
- Word-Processing Software
- Peer-Review Applications
- Graphics Software
- Desktop Publishing Software
- Presentation Software
- Technologies for Constructing Web Pages
- Communicating with Design and Visuals
- Principles of Document Design
- Proximity
- Contrast
- Alignment
- Repetition (or Consistency)
- Designing New Media
- Common Kinds of Visual Texts
- Tables
- Bar and Line Graphs
- Charts
- Photographs
- Drawings
- Diagrams
- Maps
- Cartoons
- Using Visuals Rhetorically
- Considering Your Audience
- Considering Your Purpose
- Using Visuals Responsibly
- Permissions
- Distortions
Part Six: Using Research for Informed Communication
- Finding and Evaluating Information
- Conducting Effective Library and Web-Based Research: An Example
- Library Research
- Research on the Web
- Selecting Sources
- Books
- Academic Journals
- Newspapers
- Popular Magazines
- Trade or Commercial Magazines
- Public Affairs Magazines
- Specialty Magazines
- The Internet
- Evaluating Your Sources: Asking the Reporter’s Questions
- Who Is the Author?
- What Is the Text About? What Is the Quality of the Information?
- When Was the Text Published or the Web Site Last Updated?
- Why Was This Information Published?
- Where Was the Item Published?
- How Accurate Is the Information in This Source
- Field Research
- Working with Human Participants
- Informed Consent
- Observations
- Interviews
- Surveys
- Synthesizing and Documenting Sources
- An Overview of Documentation
- Plagiarism
- Inadequate or Incorrect Citations
- Patchwriting
- Anti-plagiarism Software
- Quotations
- Paraphrases
- Summaries
- Syntheses
- MLA Documentation Style
- MLA Style: In-Text Citation
- MLA Style: Constructing a List of Works Cited
- MLA Style: Sample Student Paper
- APA Documentation Style
- APA Style: In-Text Citation
- APA Style: Constructing a References List
- APA Style: Sample Student Paper
- Appendix A Constructing a Writing Portfolio
- Appendix B Writing Effective Essay Examinations
- Appendix C Standard Document Forms
- eBook Chapters (Also available in Create)
- Writing about Visual Texts [New Chapter]
- Setting Your Goals
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Writing about Visual Texts
- Writing Assignment Options
- Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
- Qualities of Effective Writing to Analyze Visuals
- Reading to Learn about Analyzing Visual Texts
- *Will Storey, Revisiting the Daisy Ad Revolution (Visual Analysis)
- *Sebastian Smee, From Chaos, a Suspended Beauty (Visual Analysis)
- Writing Processes
- Invention: Getting Started
- Organizing Your Ideas and Details
- Constructing a Complete Draft
- Revising
- Knowledge of Conventions
- Editing
- Genres, Documentation, and Format
- A Writer Achieves His Goal: Jayson Bailey’s Visual Analysis
- *Jayson Bailey, Riding a Harley Is an American Freedom (Student Essay)
- Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
- Writing about Creative Works
- Setting Your Goals
- Rhetorical Knowledge
- Writing about Creative Works
- Writing to Learn about Literary Works
- *Jamaica Kincaid, Girl
- Amy Tan, Alien Relative
- Writing Processes
- Selecting a Creative Work to Write About
- Recording Your Initial Responses
- Finding a Feature to Analyze
- Integrating Visuals When Writing about Creative Works
- Organizing Your Ideas
- Constructing a Full Draft
- Revising
- Knowledge of Conventions
- Editing
- Genres, Documentation, and Format
- A Writer Achieves Her Goal: Katrina Montgomery’s Final Draft
- *Katrina Montgomery, Indirect Characterization in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” (Student Essay)
- Self-Assessment: Reflecting on Your Goals
Appendix A Constructing a Writing Portfolio
Appendix B Writing Effective Essay Examinations
Appendix C Standard Document Forms
By prompting students to engage with key concepts, while continually adapting to their individual needs, Connect activates learning and empowers students to take control resulting in better grades and increased retention rates. Proven online content integrates seamlessly with our adaptive technology, and helps build student confidence outside of the classroom.
SmartBook® 2.0
Available within Connect, SmartBook 2.0 is an adaptive learning solution that provides personalized learning to individual student needs, continually adapting to pinpoint knowledge gaps and focus learning on concepts requiring additional study. SmartBook 2.0 fosters more productive learning, taking the guesswork out of what to study, and helps students better prepare for class. With the ReadAnywhere mobile app, students can now read and complete SmartBook 2.0 assignments both online and off-line. For instructors, SmartBook 2.0 provides more granular control over assignments with content selection now available at the concept level. SmartBook 2.0 also includes advanced reporting features that enable instructors to track student progress with actionable insights that guide teaching strategies and advanced instruction, for a more dynamic class experience.
Your text has great instructor tools, like presentation slides, instructor manuals, test banks and more. Follow the steps below to access your instructor resources or watch the step-by-step video.
- To get started, visit connect.mheducation.com to sign in. (If you do not have an account, request one from your McGraw Hill rep. To find your rep, visit Find Your Rep)
- Then, under "Find a Title," search by title, author, or subject
- Select your desired title, and create a course. (You do not have to create assignments, just a course instance)
- Go to your Connect course homepage
- In the top navigation, select library to access the title's instructor resources
