Essay writing.The
biggest challenge! For
a dyslexic student, essay-writing presents the biggest challenge! Planning to
meet a deadline is enough to bring on a panic attack! Your difficulties
with organization will also make it extra hard to sort out the shape of
an essay. You will also find it hard to arrange all that you know - quite apart
from the spelling and grammar. However, with your computer ready, these methods
will help: Draw
a 'Mind Map'. 
Begin your
diagram with a circle in the middle of a sheet of paper. Inside the shape or on
the line, write the name of your topic. From your circle, draw three or four lines
out into the page. Be sure to spread them out. 
At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle. Write the main ideas that
you have about your topic in each circle, or the main points that you want to
make. If you are trying to argue a point, you want to write your main arguments.
If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the steps that should
be followed. 
From each of
your main ideas, draw three or four more lines out into the page. At the end of
each of these lines, draw another circle. In each circle, write the facts or information
that support that main idea. When you have finished, you have the basic structure
for your essay and are ready to continue.
Introduction. The
introductory paragraph tells the reader what the essay will be about.
You
must now look at your diagram and decide what is the main point you will be making.
Your initial statement will have two parts. The first part states the topic, e.g.
Concern about global warming. The second part states the point of the essay, for
example that global warming is caused mainly by pollution of the atmosphere by
vehicle exhaust fumes:
The
introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give them
an idea of the essay's main argument. Many
people find the introduction very hard to write, but you could begin with:
- an attention grabber,
like interesting or information (People are dying each week
from malnutrition brought about by drought in north African coutries. This is
caused by our automobiles.),
- a
pertinent fact that illustrates the point you wish to make (The
Polar ice cap is melting.),
- an
anecdote - a little story that illustrates your point (I have
noticed in recent years that winters seem to be getting shorter.),
- a
dialogue between two (perhaps imaginary) people (Peter was arguing
with his friend Jacob that polar bears are in real fanger because the polar ice
cap is melting. Jacob simply replied that the bears will have to find somewhere
else to live.), or
- summary
Information (The average temperature of our globe has risen
0.6 degrees in the last century, and is continuing to rise. This change has been
attributed partly to the use of aerosols which have destryed parts of the protective
ozone layer.).
Finish the introductory paragraph with a statement of your main argument. 'The
subject of global warming is causing us all concern as we hear about the Polar
ice cap melting and the shortage of rainfall in some countries. In parts of northern
Africa people people have been unable to grow their crops because of the lack
of rainfall. Children are dying and the ground is turning into desert. In this
essay I will argue that global warming is not a natural process, but is being
brought about by the high level of air pollution caused by human beings, especially
through vehicle exhaust fumes from automobiles.'
Paragraphs
Use the ideas
in the outer circles to write each paragraph. A paragraph is about five sentences
(more or less) separated by spaces before and after.
The first word may be indented (pushed further over) by about six spaces, and
there is a key on the keyboard with two arrows on which will do this automatically
to the text. 
Develop each
point as if you were explaining it to a person you are talking to. Discuss each
point as well, pointing out the opposite viewpoint as well as your own:
'In
recent years, more and more people have easy access to an automobile, and many
families have two or three. Our lifestyle often revolves around our personal transport,
and, when we buy a house, we do not think of being near shops or leisure facilities.
We know that we can just drive there, so we choose an attractive house in ana
attractive area, if we can afford it. Some people might argue that this is our
choice and it gives us greater personal freedom, but we are not sufficiently aware
of the impact our driving is having on the environment.' Signpost
words. 
Signpost words,
such as "However", '"Nevertheless", "Therefore",
and "Although" will help you pursue your argument. They tell
the reader about the direction in which you are arguing, or when there is a change
of direction. "Some
people take the view that we should wait an dsee what happens. All this anxiety
may be unnecessar. However, if we do wait much longer, it may be too late
to start to correct matters." "Although
we are still waiting for the results of many scientific experiments which are
measuring climate change, I feel that we should take action now to reduce air
pollution." "The
world's climate is slow to change. Nevertheless, once it has begun to change,
it is hard to reverse ." "The
effect of automobile pollution on our cities is visible today. We must try, therefore,
to find serious alternatives to gas-guzzzling automobiles if we are going to be
able to breathe in our cities." Conclusion.
The conclusion
sums up your points, providing a final perspective on your essay. All the conclusion
needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula.
Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly
describe your feelings about the topic. 'Although
some people are skeptical about the causes of global warmong, there can be no
doubt that our world is warming up. The rate of change is alarming, and this is
no time for a 'wait and see' approach. We need to commit resources to the scientific
investigation of the causes of the rising temperature if we are to be able to
take action to control it before its effects devastate our planet. The first and
obvious action is to change the way in which the greatest polluter is fuelled
- the automobile.' Checking
through. 
Before you
can consider your essay a finished product, you must read and check through your
paper. Does your argument follow? Does it make sense to a reader? Perhaps you
can ask another person to read it and give you their opinion. Check
the order of your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start
with the strongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest
in the middle.
Check the instructions for the assignment. Make sure that you have spell-checked
it and typed your name on the sheet!
- Are your margins
correct?
- Have
you titled it as directed?
- What
other information (name, date, etc.) must you include? Did you double-space your
lines?
- Spell-check
your work.
- Run
a grammar checker.
- Leave
it for a few hours and then read it again.
Short-term
memory.  As
a dyslexic person, you may suffer from a below average short-term memory, which
makes tasks involving planning quite difficult. Whilst you are able to write competently,
the combined acts of thinking and writing together become quite difficult - a
bit like trying to eat a boiled egg while running round the block!
Try
to separate thinking from writing correctly: use your word-processor. This will
allow you to type away happily - using two fingers is quite satisfactory - not
worrying about any spelling mistakes you make, and come back later (e.g. the next
day or in the evening) to sort out the spellings and punctuation. Use the built-in
spelling checker and the right-hand button on the mouse to find the correct spelling
when a word is underlined in red as being incorrectly spelt. In this way the two
operations will become separated. Software.
The right software
can make a huge difference. The following three writing and planning programs
have been used successfully by many dyslexic students. | 
Dragon
'Naturally Speaking'. 
•
• • IBM
ViaVoice is similar to Dragon Naturally Speaking: designed for people who
view speech recognition as a powerful productivity tool, and offers an improved
speech engine, and background noise adjustment which can provide exceptional accuracy
and fewer corrections. 
•
