Writing as an Active Learning Tool: An Analysis of Academic Conventions - Essay Sample

Writing, because it gives students opportunities to discover that reading is an active and generative process, teaches students a critical lesson about reading. It allows students not just to learn about something in a particular text, but to learn about how one learns."

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Consider the following passages based on this source in terms of the academic conventions for direct quotations, paraphrases and in-text referencing (Chicago style). Then please respond to these two questions for each passage:

Has the passage been presented correctly under Chicago 17 citation? Respond with acceptable or unacceptable and provide a reason(s).

Is the passage considered plagiarism if used like this in an academic essay? Provide a reason.

It is essential to include two to three sentences, explaining how you concluded both of these decisions. You will not pass the assessment if you do not provide a complete response. For example, if you write "Acceptable because it follows the Chicago style," you have not demonstrated that you understand why the passage is acceptable. A better answer would be, "This is acceptable Chicago style referencing. The writer has used quotation marks indicating that the passage is word-for-word from the original text, and the in-text reference includes the author, date and page number. The original source has been correctly acknowledged, and the passage would not be considered plagiarism if used like this in an academic essay.

PASSAGE 1

"Writing gives students opportunities to discover that reading is an active and general process." (Zamel 1992, 481)

Answer

This is an acceptable presentation of citing quotations in Chicago formatting style. The citation should include the page number. The page number is placed when there is a direct quote.

PASSAGE 2

According to Zamel, writing about reading "gives students opportunities to discover that reading is an active and generative process" which also "allows students not just to learn about something in a particular text, but to learn about how one learns" (1992, 481).

Answer

This is acceptable in Chicago 17 style. The term "according" needs to be avoided. After the author's name, it should be followed by the year of publication in parenthesis. But the page number is to be provided at the end of the quote and put in bracket.

PASSAGE 3

Writing and reading are interconnected, and Zamel argues that reading-related writing activities can allow students to learn critical lessons about reading, such as opportunities to realize that reading is an active and generative process and opportunities to learn not only about the ideas in a text but also about how one learns.

Answer

This is unacceptable based on the Chicago 17 style. The name of the author should not appear within the sentences. Moreover, the year of publication is supposed to be always included whenever the author is cited.

PASSAGE 4

Zamel (1992, 481) argues that reading-related writing activities can allow students to learn critical lessons about reading, such as opportunities to realise that reading is an active and generative process and opportunities to learn not only about the ideas in a text but also about how one learns.

Answer

This is acceptable, as well. The citation has included both the year of publication and dates are used to cite the paragraph. Additionally, the paragraph has been effectively paraphrased.

PASSAGE 5

Reading and writing are interconnected, and reading-related writing activities that focus on reading as an active and generative process can be very instructive as they enable students not just to learn about the ideas in the reading itself, but also about their own learning process.

Answer

This is an unacceptable type of paraphrase based on the Chicago 17 style. There are lots of repetitions of words. Moreover, the conjunction "and" is used appropriately, and the sentence is relatively too long. A knowledgeable individual may find it hard to understand the statement. The passage is considered as plagiarism when applied like it is since the author(s) is not quoted

PASSAGE 6

As Zamel (1992, 481) points out, reading and writing are interconnected and reading-related writing activities that focus on reading as "an active and generative process" can be very instructive as they enable students not just to learn about the ideas in the reading itself, but also about their own learning process.

Answer

The citation is done properly; however, the comma needs not to be after the term "out." Every quotation should be cited, as well. Again, the sentence is relatively too long.

PASSAGE 7

Reading and writing are interconnected, and reading-related writing activities that focus on reading as a process of actively making meaning can be very instructive as they enable students not just to increase their knowledge about the ideas in the reading itself, but also about their own learning processes (Zamel 1992, 481).

Answer

Here, the citation is appropriately placed. Nonetheless, there seem to be repetitions in the paragraph, and the sentence has no breathers.