Alexis Hernandez

Professor Kufs
English 114A
30 September 2015

Outlining Pop Culture and Its Writing

Using Active Reading Strategies

Always understand what you are assigned to read

Engage into active reading
o Get out more of an understanding in a reading than what was expected
Active reading helps you understand what the author of the story
Maybe reading a passage more than once can really help you understand the concept of the book.
Questions while actively reading,
o What is the argument? Thesis?
o What are some key terms?
o Any evidence that supports his or her claim?
o What assumptions lead the author to make a decision on where he stands in his
argument?
o Style, Tone?
o Whats the genre of the book?
Always annotate when reading
o This allows you to reflect quickly on what you learned.

Prewriting Strategies

Generate ideas
Dont worry about wrong ideas. Just write or think any.
Brainstorming of a topic you are going to write is going to better the structure of your essay.
Free writing lets you write anything you have on your mind
Always refer back to the history of your subject

Developing Strong Arguments About Pop Culture

Personal opinions may be a good topic due to the fact that you can elaborate way more.
Always have a clear thesis because if not then your paper may lead the reader off
Strong thesis
o Leads to less subjectivity and that is less of a problem

Conducting A Semiotic Analysis

Probe a wider range of questions

Start with basic questions and follow them up with more interesting questions.
Questions
o Denotative meaning?
o Connotative meaning?
o Associated?
o What difference do you see in those signs?

Reading Visual Images Actively

This helps with noticing the details and really telling the differences from different objects.
Appearance of image. What is it?
Image itself. What kind?
Does it display emotions?
Does it include text?
Does it bring out a response for you?

Reading Essays About Popular Culture

Work in groups with other students

Benefits you because you understand other viewpoints

You will also receive feed back from your peers