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Maria Delacruz
Professor Doutherd
English 5M
26, November 2017
The Importance of P.I.E

According to author Lucille P. McCarthy students make writing within their different
courses more difficult than it needs to be. McCarthy states how learning to integrate the skills
they already possess and implementing them within the writing required for each class will make
the transition between classes and different writing assignments easier. This explains how
students can use their different writing skills within different writing assignments. Although each
class has different writing styles, all styles share similarities such as using P.I.E elements in each
writing assignment. P.I.E elements are a basic way in which one can structure their essays. P.I.E
stands for point, information, and explanation. Using these elements makes it easier to see how
the evidence provided is backing up the claim that is being made. P.I.E elements are used most
frequently throughout the body paragraphs of the essay, but may also be used in the introduction
paragraph. P.I.E elements are the most important skills to master in this class for incoming
Multilingual writers.
Multilingual writers are individuals that fluently speak another language besides English
at home or have learned English as a second language. According to Professor Ferris, because
ML writers learned English at a later age and have had fewer chances to express themselves
academically in English, many aspects at a college level may be more challenging for them.
English is considered a writer-responsible language and Ferris supports this in her paper as she
says, it is the writers job to think about the knowledge and expectations of his/her audience and
to communicate in ways that make sense and are clear to the audience. Knowing ones strengths
and areas where they struggle is important to know as it makes it easier for ML writers to be able
to express their ideas clearly to the audience.
As a Multilingual writer, being aware of the challenges they face individually within
their writing and learning to implement P.I.E elements will make it easier for them to become
familiar with the expectations held within writing at an American college-level. Using these
elements will allow the paper to flow smoothly and will assist with the reader's comprehension
of the argument that is being made. At times, Multilingual writers are not sure how to organize
an essay, as they may be used to organizing it in a different way, so P.I.E helps to give them an
idea on an appropriate way to structure their ideas into a clear paper.
P.I.E elements are helpful tools which can be used as a structure for many writing
assignments. Writer Lucille McCarthy believes students have difficulty writing for their different
classes because they believed the writing had to be done differently; however, all shared
similarities. McCarthy assures students they are not the only ones who feel lost within their
writing as she says, writing in college is viewed as a process of assessing and adapting to the
requirements in unfamiliar academic settings. One way in which students can make the transition
of writing for their different classes easier is to use the P.I.E elements. The elements are a great
tool to have to help ease some stress as the formatting is easy to follow because it holds the
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information that almost every writing assignment requires. Using the elements also helps you to
keep all the ideas you have organized.
P.I.E elements also help students grow as writers. One assignment that generates of lot of
growth as not only a reader but a writer as well is the reading responses. Students are required to
complete these responses throughout the first half of the semester. The reading responses consist
of completing a usually lengthy reading and then writing a response in a specific format that
implement the P.I.E elements. Throughout the first few reading responses it is noticeable that
students think they have to write a lot about the reading to get the point the author is trying to
make. The students are also not used to having to read longer readings and then having to write
about it in a short paper. Overtime it shows throughout the students writing that they got better at
interpreting the point the author is trying to make. The responses got better and better overtime
as the students got used to using the P.I.E elements in their responses. The elements help them to
pull out the ideas shown throughout the reading.
In this class, one way in which P.I.E elements are present and serve as one of the biggest
tools are all through the reading responses. Reading responses consist of reading a passage and
then writing about a one page response that illustrates the understanding of the main ideas found
within the passage. This assignment is a prime example of how the elements can be beneficial
when writing in any style. The way the reading responses are formatted are exactly how the P.I.E
elements are meant to be used. This format is meant to make writing the reading responses easier
for students. By organizing the reading responses in this way, it ensures the claims made are
being supported with the evidence that is found within each reading. It also helps the reader
understand the argument of the author as the format allows the paper to flow smoothly. Although
it does follow a specific order, it does not constrain the writer from sharing their ideas freely and
voicing their own opinion on the reading. At first the reading responses may seem like a difficult
task, but the more that get done the easier it gets to know how to clearly state ideas.
P.I.E elements are the structural base that can be used within each major writing
assignment assigned during the duration of this course. The most obvious paper that has actively
incorporated the P.I.E elements is the research paper. In order for the research paper to be
successful, students have to be willing to put in the time needed to find sources with good
information that will help to support their thesis which is one of the main ideas behind using this
method to write. Without even knowing it, P.I.E elements were also used to write the rhetorical
analysis. The rhetorical analysis is designed in a way in which the elements can also be
implemented in order to make the claim clear and strong. Because a few essays were written
before the elements were introduced to the class, the papers may be lacking organization and
missing some components. It is however evident that as students get more familiar with how to
integrate each aspect of P.I.E their writing skills will also improve. Becoming familiarized with
this method will not only be helpful to know in this class, but in every class where an essay is
required.
Though this class has many skills that could and should be learned and used throughout
the course of the semester, P.I.E elements are the essential skills which benefit Multilingual
writers. By becoming aware of the skills one already posses and making them stronger,
implementing all the components an essay must have will become gradually easier for students
who are unfamiliar with how essays are written within the American college-level writing.
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Students tend to not be confident in their writing abilities which leads them to believe that they
are not capable of writing papers in many different styles. Once they become confident their
writing abilities are more versatile than they think, they will have no problem with using their
skills to their advantage.

Works cited

Ferris, Dana. Multilingual Students and College Writing. Student Writing Handbook, 1st ed.,

Sacramento State University, 2009, pp. 2327.

McCarthy, Lucille P. A Stranger in Strange Lands: A College Student Writing across the

Curriculum. Research in the Teaching of English 21.3 (1987): 233-65. Print.