Writing & Reading Support (for Undergraduates)

Program Staff

new accudemia arc graphic

 

webgateway-button

Writing & Reading Tutoring Schedule

Fall 2024

In-Person Sessions
(Oct. 7th - Dec. 6th)
Appointments
Monday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Online (Zoom) Sessions
(Oct. 7th - Dec. 6th)
Appointments
Monday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

WSP Appointment Activities 

Fall 2024 Writing/Reading support Activities

Click on this link to see a list of Writing Support activities.

*This list includes the activity title as they appear in "Accudemia," the ARC's scheduling system. 

 

  • NOTE: There is a maximum two (2) appointments per week with the ARC Writing and Reading Tutors.

Writing & Reading Support (WRS) serves UCR undergraduate students through 1 to 1 consultations and workshops. Our writing & reading tutors are undergraduate students from multiple majors across the UCR campus. We can provide you writing and reading assistance in any academic discipline during any stage of your writing process, pre-writing, to finalizing drafts. Writing tutors are a complement to in-class instruction and instructor office hours. How To Prepare for Your Appointment

To schedule an appointment for writing and/or reading support, please click on the blue Accudemia Login button at the left side of the screen to access our digital appointment system or call the ARC at (951) 827-3721. Only currently enrolled UCR undergraduate students may meet with ARC tutors. 

 


 

Registering for Workshops

Fall '24 workshops will be "in-person" = here at the ARC, or marked "Online" = held via Zoom. To sign up for a workshop, please complete the following steps: 

(These steps work similarly for 1 to 1 tutoring sessions.)

  1. Click on the blue Accudemia logo the left side of your screen.
  2. Log on to Accudemia. (First time logging in? Use your SID as both the User ID and the password.)
  3. Click on "Schedule Appointment" at the bottom of the page, or use the "Quick" dropdown menu at the top of the page and select "New Appointment." 
  4. For Service, choose "Writing Support - Remote" or "Writing Support - In-Person."
  5. For Activity, search for "WSP Workshop" and choose the activity/workshop subject (ex. Grammar, Writing, Reading, or Formatting) and the date you want to attend. (See WSP workshop schedule below.)
    • NOTE: If you have trouble, you can also search by date or tutor name. 
    • You will have to use the "Prev" and "Next" buttons or the calendar icon to select the date. 
  6. Click on the the green box with the available time you want. 
  7. Click "Confirm" in the green box when you are ready to finalize the appointment. 

For online/remote workshops (and 1 to 1 sessions), you will automatically receive a link to the workshop in your UCR email.

NOTE: Workshops are co-facilitated by professional staff and trained tutors. 

Click the titles below to see the list of workshop topics and dates. 

Writing and Reading Workshops (Beginning Week 2)

Workshops are open to all UCR undergraduates. Fall 2024 workshops will be hosted via  "in-person" or online/Zoom.  Please check each date for one of the two formats.  Register through Accudemia to receive the Zoom meeting link. 

  • Writing Workshops

    Writing 


    TL;DR: Essay Structure & Writing Process

    This 40 minute workshop/presentation will address the typical parts of an essay, what the parts do, and how to anticipate your audience's reading expectations. NOTE: We will be offering separate workshops focused on introductions, thesis statements, and conclusions. Feel free to bring essay prompts if you have additional questions.

    Date Offered:

    Tuesday, October 15, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    Explaining Examples/Using Sources

    During this 30-40 minute workshop/discussion, we will address what plagiarism is, why it is a serious matter, and how you can avoid it. The session will begin with some informal discussion with attendees about their experience and understanding of plagiarism. We will then discuss the significance of reading, understanding, and citing sources. We will also address how to incorporate the sources (quote, paraphrase, and or summary) and what interpreting a source can look like. NOTE:  It is appropriate for attendees to bring in specific examples and/or general questions about citing sources. 

    Dates Offered:  

    Friday, October 18, from 11:00 to 11:40(In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Tuesday, November 12, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    Outlining Your Essay

    This 30 - 40 minute workshop will address outlining strategies for approaching drafts of essays and papers. Attendees will practice developing main ideas, identifying evidence, analyzing the significance of the evidence, and connecting the analysis back to the thesis. Attendees are encouraged to come with questions or a writing assignment that they would like to develop an outline for.  (NOTE: Ask the tutors about reverse outlining.)

    Dates Offered:

    Wednesday, October 16, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Wednesday, October 23, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    TL;DR: Introductions & Thesis Statements

    This 30 to 40 minute workshop will focus on the purpose, or function, of introductions. We will look at such elements of an introduction as:  hooking the audience, establishing the range and relevance of the topic, establishing the purpose of the text, and writing a thesis statement. NOTE: Attendees should feel free to bring specific questions and/or drafts to the workshop.

    Date Offered:

    Thursday, October 24, from 2:00 to 2:40  (Online/Zoom)


    TL;DR Writing Body Paragraphs

    This 30 to 40 minute workshop will focus on the purpose, or function, body paragraphs. We will look at “topic sentences,” supporting evidence, and explaining the connection between the evidence, topic sentence, and thesis statement.  Attendees should feel free to bring specific questions  to the workshop.

    Date Offered:

    Wednesday, October 16, from 11:00 to 11:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Friday, October 25, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Tuesday, October 29, from 11:00 to 11:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    TL;DR: Writing Conclusions

    This 30-40 minute workshop will focus on how to write well-rounded conclusion paragraphs. We will take a look at the four steps "typically" required of a conclusion paragraph – summary, synthesis, “So what?” and zoom out – and describe how to tackle each step, as well as what each step entails. Those in attendance should feel free to bring any questions or drafts they may have.

    Dates Offered:

    Wednesday, November 13, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    Writing Timed/In-Class Essays

    This 30 minute workshop will focus on reading and annotating writing in-class writing prompts. We will address language that (1) contextualizes/situates the assignment, (2) directive verbs, and (3) how to clarify expectations for the assignment based on the prompt and writing situation. We will also be looking at outlining essay drafts (thesis statements, topic/controlling idea sentences, and evidence) to organize ideas you want to communicate. You should feel free to come with questions as there will be time at the end of the workshop to discuss specific concerns.

    Dates Offered:

    Tuesday, November 26, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Tuesday, December 3, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Wednesday, December 4, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


     

  • Grammar Workshops

    Grammar Topics


    Sentence Structure 

    This 30 to 40 minute workshop will present four common sentence types: 1) the simple sentence, 2) the compound sentence, 3) the complex sentence, and 4) the compound-complex sentence. Additionally, we address sentence chunks, such as independent clauses and dependent clauses. The goal is to increase awareness of sentence control and clarity. NOTE: Please feel free to bring drafts with you if you have specific questions. 

    Dates Offered:

    Tuesday, October 22, from 11:00 to 11:40  (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Tuesday, November 5, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Wednesday, November, from 11:00 to 11:40 (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


    Using Commas

    This 30 minute workshop will review basic grammar like: parts of speech (ex. nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs), BUT we will primarily be focused on comma usage and identifying comma errors. 

    Date Offered:

    Wednesday, October 23, from 11:00 to 11:40  (In-Person at the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Friday, November 8, from 11:00 to 11:40  (Online/Zoom)


    Basic Grammar

    This 40 minute workshop will review basic grammar including: verb tenses, prepositions (ex. in, on, at) and punctuation (ex. commas, periods, and semicolons).  The goal of this workshop is to review some basic grammar terms and concepts that are essential to communicating ideas clearly.

    Date Offered:

    TBA (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall 156) 

  • Reading Workshops

    Reading Workshops


    Reading for Meaning/Close Reading

    This 30-40 minute workshop will focus on reading and responding to texts (ex. essays, articles, books, etc.). While reading a text, we might highlight ideas and words that stand out to us. When these highlighting marks and underlines begin to lose focus--yet look colorful--we need to be able to annotate the text with questions, phrases and words that help us make connections to the text, topic, author, and/or class situation we are reading it for.  This workshop will include strategies for annotating (assigned) readings and making relevant connections. 

    Dates Offered:

    Tuesday, October 22, from 2:00 to 2:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)   

    Wednesday, October 30, from 2:00 to 2:40 (Online/Zoom)   


    Reading Research Articles 

    This 40 minute workshop will address the common organization of "original research articles" and "review articles."  We will be looking at pre selected STEM and behavioral science articles. Feel free to bring your own article as we will be looking at the purpose of specific sections. We will also be looking at the difference between an "original research article" and a "review article."

    Dates Offered: 

    Monday, October 21, from 2:00 to 2:40 (Online/Zoom) 

     

    Monday, November 18, from 2:00 to 2:40 (Online/Zoom) 

    Sample Articles below:

    Two sample research articles (Samples will be analyzed during the workshop.)

    1. Computer Science Research Article: 
    2. Psychopathology Research Article

    Two sample literature review articles (Samples will be analyzed during the workshop.)

    1. Periodic Limb Movement During Sleep REVIEW ARTICLE 
    2. Computational Biology REVIEW ARTICLE

    Sample science article for general audience

    1. New Position Statement Declares that Sleep is Essential to Health

     

    Student Language and Conversation Circles (Spanish, Italian, English)

    This 30 to 45 minute session is the idea time to ask a tutor questions about language usage in an informal conversation. The focus will be on topics identified by the students, and occasionally the tutors. The goal of this session is to develop comfort talking about a variety of issues, and for language circles in Spanish, Italian, or other language, the focus will include pronunciation, vocabulary, and maybe grammar.  Feel free to ask questions, share opinions, or simply listen to the surrounding conversation. We will address conversation strategies as needed. (Walk-ins welcomed!)

    Dates Offered:

    TBA Fall 2024 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


  • Formatting Workshops

    Formatting


     MLA Citation Style

    In this 30-40 minute workshop, we will address MLA "in-text" citations and the "Works Cited" page. Some attention will be given to paper format. However, the goal will be to highlight the format MLA prescribes and the function of the format. 

    Dates Offered:

    Thursday, October 10, from 1:00 to 1:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, October 24, from 1:00 to 1:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, November 7, from 1:00 to 1:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, November 21, from 1:00 to 1:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)


     APA Citation Style

    In this 30-40 minute workshop, we will address APA "in-text" citations and the "References" page. Some attention will be given to paper format. However, the goal will be to highlight the format APA prescribes and the function of the format. 

    Dates Offered:  

    Thursday, October 17, from 1:00 to 1:40(In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, October 31, from 1:00 to 1:40(In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, November 14, from 1:00 to 1:40 (In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

    Thursday, December 5, from 1:00 to 1:40(In-Person @ the ARC, Skye Hall, Room 156)

     


Writing Resources

 

Program Information

These information cards will help you use the Writing and Reading Support services.