Understanding Assignments

Before you begin working on an essay, don’t forget to spend some time reading and analyzing the assignment sheet, making note of key words, and asking clarifying questions.

If you can break down the assignment sheet, put the task ahead of you in your own words, and specifically recognize what is being asked of you, you are setting yourself up for a smoother journey to avoid issues down the road. Often, students will skim an assignment sheet/prompt or only listen to their instructors’ overview, and, then, when it comes time to begin choosing a topic, researching, and writing they feel lost or confused because they did not follow or fully understand the instructions correctly. This confusion can lead to falling behind in an assignment, feelings of stress, and writer’s block. Another common issue is that students will misinterpret what is being asked of them because of a lack of understanding of the key words and action verbs utilized. For example, when a student will only summarize when the assignment asked them to analyze. These verbs also help you determine what the instructor wants you to learn and demonstrate through this assignment.

When looking at an assignment sheet it might feel daunting and a lot to take in, but if you can deconstruct and understand those overarching components, that can help you not feel too overwhelmed as the weeks go on. Having confidence in knowing and understanding the assignment, will also help you to avoid second-guessing yourself and going back and forth with your ideas.

Here are some steps and questions to consider when you take in your assignment sheet/prompt: 

• Determine the purpose and genre of the assignment.

• • What are you being asked to do?
  • What are the identifying features and conventions of the genre you are engaging with?
  • What end goal are you working towards?

• Identify any assignment questions being asked of you.

• • • Are there specific questions that your instructor wants you to answer in your essay? What are they?
    • Are there implied questions that your instructor wants you to think about? What are they?

• Make note of what type of research you will engage in and who your audience will be.

• • • How many sources do you need to incorporate?
    • Do they need to be primary or secondary sources? Scholarly or popular?
    • Where does your instructor want you to find your sources?
    • Who are you writing to and for?
    • What are the audience’s expectations?
    • What style of writing does your audience expect or need?

• Locate the evaluation and grading criteria;

• • • What is the required page length?
    • When is it due?
    • Are you required to submit a draft before the final copy?
    • Will there be a peer review?
    • Is there a rubric? If so, go over the rubric requirements.

• Finally, identify the disciplinary conventions with which you are expected to write.

• • Does the essay need to be in MLA, APA, CMS, or another style?
  • Does the instructor require any specific submission elements or formats?

You can also start with some more reflective questions:

• What do you think the instructor expects you to take away from this assignment?
• Why has your instructor given this assignment?
• How does it relate to what you are studying in class?
• What skills do you think you will be tapping into?

What are the Key Words to Pay Attention To?

It is essential to focus on the key words of the subject matter being discussed. With that in mind here are some common action verbs used in assignment instructions:

Summarize:  When you summarize, you present the main idea or the most important points from a subject or source or text or story. You leave out minor, extraneous details/examples. You write summaries efficiently, effectively, and ethically. With that last point, you must ensure you retain the accurate meaning of the subject/source/text and do not distort the author’s perspective. Summaries will define key terms as needed. To write an accurate summary, ask questions such as: Which of the ideas in the reading or source are most significant? Why? How do these ideas fit together? What do the key passages in the reading mean and why? And how can I communicate that information in an accurate way?

Report/Inform: Reports provide information and explanations to their audience. The goal of a report is to fill in the relevant and necessary gaps on a subject. Reporting involves making informative claims about why readers need to know this information and why it matters. Reports “can provide new information on a known subject, provide historical or other relevant context, clear up misconceptions, propose a plan, introduce the audience to something unknown, or develop a profile of a person, place, or object” (Hoermann-Elliott and Quesenbury). When reporting information to readers you need to ask questions such as: What would a person need to know to understand my topic or point? What definitions or key words and terms need to be defined? Do I need to explain the history of my chosen topic to give readers context? What about the present reality of my topic do I need to explain to readers? Do I need to help my readers visualize what I am discussing? What facts, figures, and statistics do I need to provide to readers?

Argue: In composition, “having a clear stance on an issue, detailing specific evidence that supports that stance, establishing common ground with others who have opposing views on that issue, and defending/explaining the advantages of that stance over the oppositions’ arguments” (Hoermann-Elliott and Quesenbury). It is not ignoring all other points of view, but instead considers and/or addresses other points of view It is not just your opinion, it is a position based on evidence. With that last point, remember we all start with an opinion and thoughts and perhaps even precursory experience and knowledge about the things we want to and will write about. But, when you begin researching and engaging with your opinion and thoughts and topics on a deeper, more analytical level, when you look to experts to provide you with evidence and information surrounding your topic, when you enter the conversation, that is when you move from opinion to informed perspective/position.  The way you will usually state your position is in your thesis statement. And the way you prove your thesis statement is with evidence.

Analyze: To analyze something is to ask what that something means. It is to ask how something does what it does and why it is what it is. The basic process of analysis: 1) Divide the subject into its defining parts, its main elements or ingredients, 2) Consider how these parts are related, both to each other and to the subject as a whole. Analytical writing is more concerned with arriving at an understanding of a subject than it is with either debate-style writing or changing readers’ views. In analysis and argument you respond to the questions: 1) ‘What have you got to go on?’ (evidence) 2) ‘How did you get there?’ (the principles and reasons that caused you to conclude what you did about the evidence), and 3) Why does it matter? An analysis is interested in how humans make meaning; it values sharing with readers the thought process that led to those conclusions. Rather than telling other people how and what to think, analytical writers encourage readers to think collaboratively with them.

Reflect: When you reflect, you look back on and consider a past experience or assignment and think critically about that journey and the work and contributions you did, and your feelings about the whole thing. Often times you will be asked questions such as:  What was your process like? How did you approach your writing for this project or what stages of drafting did you move through and why? What decisions in your piece are you most proud of? What decisions challenged you and why? “Written reflections, therefore, present an opportunity for writing about writing” (Hoermann-Elliott and Quesenbury).

Discuss: When you are told to discuss, this means your instructor wants to see you think critically about the topic and to provide your own observations and inquiries. Discussing means saying what you think, not what you think you’re supposed to say.

Compare/contrast: explain the similarities and differences between two or more ideas, objects, and phenomena, and discuss the significance of these relationships.

This list does not cover all terms you may come across in an assignment prompt. When you come across additional action verbs, make sure you look up their definition (tip: You can search Google for define: and then the word you need to be defined). You may even start a “cheat sheet” of these verbs and definitions written in your own words.

Here are some more basic pieces of advice one can use to approach these assignments constructively.

• Get answers to your questions. After thoroughly reading the assignment sheet, you might not have questions right away. That’s okay! But maybe when you go to sit back down and begin the early stages of your process you might have something come up that you don’t quite get or something you need clarification on or something that you need to feel reassured about. When that happens don’t be afraid to ask your instructor questions. It’s what they are there for! Instructors tend to enjoy and benefit from student inquiry, as questions help them rethink their assignments and improve the clarity of their expectations. You likely are not the only student with a question, so be the one who is assertive and responsible enough to get answers. With that, they might even address your question to the rest of the class. You don’t want to play a guessing game when it comes to tackling assignment criteria, so try to discuss any and all questions with the person who assigned the work, either in person or via email. You can visit your instructor during office hours or stay after class. Try not to wait until the last minute. In the worst case scenario, when you have done all of these things and a professor still fails to provide you with the clarity you are looking for, discuss your questions with fellow classmates or go to your writing center.
• Writing Centers. Many colleges and universities have a writing center. Tutors are helpful consultants for reviewing writing assignments both before and after you begin. Most students think they have to have something written to go to their Writing Center, but that is not the case! Tutors can help you at any stage of the writing process, including all pre-writing and brainstorming stages. If you need some extra support in understanding your assignment, you can just take your assignment sheet to a tutor and have them go through it with you. They can help you gain an understanding of what you need to do for that particular assignment, help you draft an outline, help you draft a timeline, help you come up with topics to discuss, on and on. Tutors can also review your final draft before its submission to your professor as well. Many writing centers allow you to make appointments online for convenience and may also have “walk-in” availability. It is a good idea to check out the available options a week or so in advance of when you will actually need the appointment, or even longer if it will be during mid-term or finals week.
• Create a timeline. You probably will have set due dates not just to turn in your final submission but also to turn in parts of your draft. It is always helpful to write those key due dates down, but it can also be a good thing to set up personal goals for yourself. Even if you are not the type of person who enjoys or benefits from outlining, try to create an idea of what you want to do with your essay and when you want to do it. Set due dates for yourself, whether they be to have a topic picked, your outline crafted, or a whole rough draft completed. Again you can work with your instructor or a Writing Center tutor to help you in crafting an effective assignment timeline for you. This is a helpful option for new, inexperienced writers who have not yet learned the art of analyzing assignments, and who are not familiar with the amount of time that is required for the college writing process. As always be kind to yourself. If you miss a personal deadline, don’t beat yourself up about it, and try to catch up when you can.

Taking Notes

Taking notes is a great way to be able to easily access course content that you’ve learned, further enrich your understanding of that content, and help you better remember the content that you’ve read. But how should you take notes?

There is no single way to take notes. However, you can find the best way for you to take notes! You can figure this out by exploring the myriad of ways of taking notes. Let’s explore them together!

Annotating

First we have annotation; this involves writing on the text that we are reading, whether that’s a narrative, a PowerPoint, an article, or an image. This can take a number of forms.

With modern technology like digital tablets, you can use a variety of software to make annotations on your course content. Usually, this involves having a pdf version of your text, where you can highlight, underline, or write in the margins of your text. You can create a color code for yourself with the highlight colors as well. Perhaps important people are highlighted in pink, while definitions of important concepts are highlighted in blue. Just make sure to pick a light color so that the text you’re highlighting is still readable. Underlining can be another way to emphasize important parts of the text that you’re annotating.

And if you’re someone who doesn’t like to have too much on top of the text, you can always make notes in the margins of your text to point out important information and your own thoughts and understanding of what you’re reading.

If pdfs and finding software to annotate doesn’t work for you (or if you don’t have a digital tablet), Microsoft Word and Google Docs also provide annotation software or you can make notes by creating comments throughout the document. Other accessible note-taking software includes Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, and Pages for Apple Products.

Also, if reading and annotating digitally isn’t your thing (especially if your course content is a physical book), you can always print out your texts to annotate. You’ll need a bit more materials such as different colored highlighters for highlighting, but this can be more hands-on with benefits that come from that. Jennifer Schweighofer, author at Universal Publishing, states that “the combination of kinesthetic and visual stimulation that occurs when students write by hand, helps [you] to better remember and understand the material” (Flavin). You can also use a regular pen for underlining and writing in the margins. Consider using a pencil as well, in case you want to make changes to your annotations as you go!

Some people place sticky notes within pages of their textbooks with small notes written on them as they read (though the book would get really bulky over time). Some even use small, colored sticky notes as a way of highlighting concepts with annotations in mind!

Here are some annotating tips from the Excelsior Online Reading Lab:

• Creating an Annotation System: Annotating while you read is the most fundamental technique of active reading. Learn how to annotate a text by watching this video.
• Annotating an Essay or Book: Learn what to look for when annotating an essay or book.
• Annotating a Textbook: Learn how to identify and annotate the key parts of a textbook.
• Annotating a Journal Article: Learn about the different types of academic journal articles and how to annotate them.
• Annotating a Work of Fiction: Learn about how to read and annotate a work of fiction, such as a short story or novel.
• How to Read Visual Aids: Learn how to read visual aids.

Mind Mapping/Concept Maps/Flow Notes 

Next, we have mind maps and flow notes; this works to organize your thoughts graphically when taking notes.

Mind Mapping

This kind of note-taking can be done digitally and in print, just like annotation. You can write in a notebook (preferably without lines) or in note-creation software on tablets. This can also be done on a computer, though it may take a bit longer due to the lack of finesse of a mouse and keyboard.

Mind mapping works great to make connections and subpoints for key concepts. Especially if you’re more of a visual learner, this can help to draw literal connections between ideas and understand how the content you’re learning branches out into smaller ideas. These kinds of notes typically use a template similar to the picture below.

Fig. 1. Template of Mind Mapping from Excelsior Online Writing Lab

Here are some free web tools for mapping and diagramming:

• MindMeister
• Bubbl.us
• Coggle
• Lucid Chart

Concept Maps 

Concept maps are also visual representations of information but they can take on different forms depending on what you want you need. They can take the form of charts, graphic organizers, tables, flowcharts, Venn Diagrams, timelines, or T-charts. Concept maps are especially useful for students who learn better visually, although they can benefit any type of learner. They are a powerful study strategy because they help you see the big picture: by starting with higher-level concepts, concept maps help you chunk information based on meaningful connections. In other words, knowing the big picture makes details more significant and easier to remember.

Here are some examples from the UNC Learning Center

Example 1: This example illustrates the similarities and differences between two ideas, such as Series and Parallel Circuits. The similarities are represented by the middle circle:

Example 2: This example illustrates the relationship between ideas that are part of a process, such as a Food Chain.

Example 3: This example illustrates the relationship between a main idea, such as climate change, and supporting details.

Flow Notes

Next, we have flow notes this works to follow your train of thought as you process the concepts and content that you’re learning and reviewing.

This way of note-taking is pretty flexible since it can be done on a digital tablet, computer, or physical notebook. If you don’t work well under a rigid structure, this way of note-taking may work better for you.

This kind of note-taking lets you engage in your learning, actively jotting down ideas, drawing arrows, diagrams, or visuals, and connecting them across the page however you feel most comfortable. While this can make it harder to review later, it lets you practice following your own thought process while actively listening and engaging with the content you’re reading and learning.

It may take a bit to get used to following your lines of thought in review, but it’s good practice to think about the ways you think when it comes to learning and understanding. This note-taking method can really be personalized to you in this way, while also helping you make inter-related connections between concepts and ideas.

Charting

Now charts are more particularly suited for organizing concepts that have similar elements to them like genres. This kind of note-taking can be done digitally and in print, just like mind maps.

Charting relies on columns (and sometimes rows) to group notes by topic. Charting or mapping may be preferable to an outline if a lecture or text tends to skip around between topics.

You can write in any kind of notebook or in note-creation software on tablets. This can also be done on a computer and may be easier if you have a hard time drawing straight lines. Many Word document software allows you to create tables to help with making charts like the example below

This kind of note-taking works well for comparing items and summarizing items together in an organized way. When given a number of items under a larger concept, such as different methods, theories, or tools, this kind of note-taking can be helpful in grouping them together to better understand their similarities and differences.

Bullet Journaling

Furthermore, we have the bullet journaling method in note-taking; this is similar to the flow notes but with a bit more structure and focus on visual appeal.

This kind of note-taking works especially well physically in a blank notebook but can also work in note-taking software with a digital tablet. This works well for visual learners who like to organize their thoughts beautifully. Rather than require, it gives you agency for you to choose a range of tools and visuals to craft your notes from fancy or colored gel pens to colored pencils to sticky notes.

The structure you use in this method is completely up to you as long as each part is distinct and colorful to make reviewing your notes pleasing and easy. An example of these kinds of notes is shown in the picture below.

This kind of note-taking focuses more on planning and organizing those plans and notes. While the visuals are no doubt appealing, it can take time for all the visual detailing. But with practice with the kinds of visuals and ways of organizing you like to use, it should get easier and faster. And with this kind of note-taking, you can be proud to share your notes with others due to their aesthetic appeal and clear organization.

Outline Method

Also, we have the outline method in note-taking; this works to easily organize the content that you’re reading and learning.

This kind of note-taking works well physically in a notebook or in a Word document like Google Docs and Microsoft Word. If you’re comfortable formatting with bullet points, outlining within a Word document can be an easy and familiar time. And if you write in an organized manner, writing this out physically can work well for you.

You can use a Roman numeral or bulleted list format to write out these notes. These kinds of notes usually use a template similar to the image below.

This method of note-taking works well when you have certain key points or main topics that the text focuses on. From there you can use this way of organizing to indent to add on smaller elements and sub-topics of these key points or main topics.

Keep in mind that this way of note-taking can make reviewing your notes a bit overwhelming with a large amount of text. So consider writing down the most relevant parts of each concept so that reviewing isn’t as intimidating. Taking notes this way digitally can help by more easily deleting less important parts as you go.

Here are some outlining tips from the Excelsior Online Reading Lab:

• Creating an Outline
• How to Make an Outline
• Outline Template

Cornell Method

Lastly, you have the Cornell method, a much more traditional but popular way of taking notes. The Cornell method creates another kind of organization to support the understanding of concepts and to help you review your notes later.

This is typically and probably the most practically done in a physical notebook. It can probably be replicated in certain note-taking software on digital tablets though.

This method organizes a section for writing down your main notes and key thoughts as you go, along with a smaller section noting which parts of your main notes describe what key concepts and what questions they help to answer. Then there is a small section at the bottom of each page for you to condense and summarize what each page discusses. These kinds of notes use a template similar to the below image:

Main Topic: 

While this kind of note-taking does take some setup for each page and more effort to cover different aspects of the note-taking process, it can be helpful to review ideas and ensure understanding as you go and when you need to review your notes later.

Check out the links below for more information about this system.

• Cornell University explanation of the Cornell Notes system
• YouTube video on the Cornell Notes system
• Cornell University handout on the Cornell Notes system
• The Learning Toolbox explanation of the Cornell Notes system

Additional Tips:

• You can always mix these different ways of note-taking. Try doing a number of them together or taking the parts that work for you to make your own method!
• Write in your voice, not your instructor’s or the textbooks. The point of these notes is that they are easy for you to read and understand.
• Get up and move once in a while! This will help you better process the information you’re learning and the break will be good for your brain. The Learning Center at the University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill states that “Research shows that standing and moving around while you are studying and taking movement breaks in between study sessions has numerous benefits to our bodies, brains, memories, and academic performance.”
• Make sure to review your notes within 24 hours of writing them and then once a week. This can ensure that what you’re writing and learning stays in your brain, which is helpful when you have to recall it for an exam or essay!
• If you’re taking notes in a Word document, consider bolding or italicizing to emphasize certain keywords. Something you can do whether you’re taking notes physically or digitally is to make these key words larger in text size too!
• Keep it short and use abbreviations! Why write a really long word like experience when you can shorten it to ‘EXP’ or ‘XP’? Make sure that you’ll recognize these abbreviations and their meanings though! It takes a bit of repetition and practice, but this works well for words that come up often in your course.
• Time stamp your notes! This can help you keep track of content, especially when your professor asks you to look at specific weeks for a particular assignment or rest. You’ll thank your past self later so that you can clearly know which notes are from those weeks.
• Ask yourself: What’s the best strategy for you: handwritten, digital, or both?

Additional Notetaking Examples and Resources

• Effective Note-Taking in Class
• Taking Notes in Class Video
• Label Your Notes: Summary, Paraphrase, or Quotation
• Documenting Notes

Writing longer essays

Did you write a five-paragraph essay in high school—an essay with a clear thesis statement in the introduction that previewed exactly what you’d argue in paragraph 1, paragraph 2, and paragraph 3 before re-summarizing your argument in your fifth and final conclusion paragraph? If so, have you ever noticed a five-paragraph in a publication that regularly produces such rigidly structured essays for reader consumption? Do you ever see five-paragraph essays arguing via three-pronged thesis statements in newspapers, magazines, or posters?

You probably answered no, and we hope you are realizing that—out in the wilds of real-world writing contexts—five-paragraph essays aren’t the go-to standard. In fact, a five-paragraph essay published as an opinion-editorial in a local newspaper might seem odd or less than engaging to readers. Likewise, college writing instructors who come across the artificial structure of five-paragraph essays often sigh and realize that their students have some “unlearning” to do in order to be successful in college courses that require a great deal of writing. We’ll touch on this topic more in the organization chapter. For now, consider yourself freed from the strictures of the five-paragraph essay.