In this assignment you will write a paragraph that compares or contrasts your room in the country you come from and your room in Illinois. Be sure to have a clear topic sentence and use at least four compare/contrast signal words from the Compare and Contrast Signals document.
Name this file Homework9_FirstName LastName
Upload this file to the ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is due Thursday, September 30th at 11:59 PM.
This assignment is worth 10 homework points.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Day 16: Compare/Contrast Writing
We are going to start off with brainstorming. As a class, we will need to come up with five different nouns. I will list them on the board and select two of the five nouns.
You will then get into groups of two or three and write down ways in which these nouns are similar.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are similar. Talking about how things are similar is called making a comparison. You compared two nouns.
We will brainstorm another list of nouns. As a class, we will need to come up with five different nouns. I will list them on the board and select two of the five nouns.
You will then get back into groups and write down ways in which these nouns are different.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are different. Talking about how things are different is called contrasting. You contrasted two nouns.
Now that you have established the difference between compare and contrast, consider the following sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international population like New York does.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a comparison is being made.
Half of the class will work on numbers 1 and 2 of Exercise I. The other Half will work on numbers 3 and 4 of Exercise I.
Now consider this sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international student population whereas Northern Illinois University does not.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a contrast is being made.
Half of the room will work on numbers 2 and 3 of Exercise III. The other half of the room will work on numbers 4 and 5 of Exercise III.
You will then get into groups of two or three and write down ways in which these nouns are similar.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are similar. Talking about how things are similar is called making a comparison. You compared two nouns.
We will brainstorm another list of nouns. As a class, we will need to come up with five different nouns. I will list them on the board and select two of the five nouns.
You will then get back into groups and write down ways in which these nouns are different.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are different. Talking about how things are different is called contrasting. You contrasted two nouns.
Now that you have established the difference between compare and contrast, consider the following sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international population like New York does.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a comparison is being made.
Half of the class will work on numbers 1 and 2 of Exercise I. The other Half will work on numbers 3 and 4 of Exercise I.
Now consider this sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international student population whereas Northern Illinois University does not.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a contrast is being made.
Half of the room will work on numbers 2 and 3 of Exercise III. The other half of the room will work on numbers 4 and 5 of Exercise III.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day 15: Cause and Effect Writing
We will start by brainstorming a list of causes of childhood obesity. You may want to take a look at the following PICTURE to help generate ideas. Think hard and write fast!
You will share your ideas with the class and I will make a list of 10 or so on the board.
During the pre-writing stage, coming up with many ideas helps you later on because you have more to work with, but in order to use your ideas effectively in your writing you will have to sort through all of your ideas to find out which ones are too similar and can be lumped into one category. We will work as a class to find some ideas that were brainstormed and categorize them into the same group.
After you see how it's done, work with a partner or two to reorganize the rest of the ideas into several groups.
The categories you have come up with can very easily be used as the main causes you discuss in a cause/effect essay. Each of the causes could function as the idea around which a body paragraph would revolve.
Review this OUTLINE STRUCTURE again. You will work in pairs to create a thesis statement and outline for the causes of childhood obesity in the United States.
After you have developed your outline, work on this WORKSHEET with your partner. We will discuss the worksheet as a class, and your group will be assigned a cause or effect word. You must create a sentence related to childhood obesity in the United States using that cause or effect word
You will share your ideas with the class and I will make a list of 10 or so on the board.
During the pre-writing stage, coming up with many ideas helps you later on because you have more to work with, but in order to use your ideas effectively in your writing you will have to sort through all of your ideas to find out which ones are too similar and can be lumped into one category. We will work as a class to find some ideas that were brainstormed and categorize them into the same group.
After you see how it's done, work with a partner or two to reorganize the rest of the ideas into several groups.
The categories you have come up with can very easily be used as the main causes you discuss in a cause/effect essay. Each of the causes could function as the idea around which a body paragraph would revolve.
Review this OUTLINE STRUCTURE again. You will work in pairs to create a thesis statement and outline for the causes of childhood obesity in the United States.
After you have developed your outline, work on this WORKSHEET with your partner. We will discuss the worksheet as a class, and your group will be assigned a cause or effect word. You must create a sentence related to childhood obesity in the United States using that cause or effect word
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Reflection 1: Response to Your Feedback
I recently uploaded your 5-paragraph essay about whether or not the frequency of smoking should be regulated in movies. I want you to read the feedback that I inserted at the end of your essay, the comments in the margins, and the corrections I made within the text itself.
Write a one page response to all of this. Talk about how you thought you performed on this essay and how I thought you performed. Discuss areas that you can improve on for your next essay. What kinds of things will you do differently next time? What kinds of things will you keep doing because they worked well? These are some questions to think about in your response.
This assignment and all future assignments for this class should be formatted in the following way unless the directions indicate otherwise:
Font size: 12pt
Font style: Times New Roman
Line spacing: Double-Spaced (ctrl+a and then press ctrl+2)Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs by hitting the enter/return key twice.
Margins: 1-Inch margins on top and bottom; 1-Inch margins on left and right sides
Indentation: The first line of every paragraph should be indented (tab key). This is roughly equal to five spaces.
Text alignment: The text should be aligned to the left side of the page.
Special formatting: Do not make your entire document bold or italicized.
This file should be named Reflection1_FirstName LastName
This file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This paper is worth 10 reflective assignment points.
This paper is due Sunday, October 3rd at 11:59 PM
Write a one page response to all of this. Talk about how you thought you performed on this essay and how I thought you performed. Discuss areas that you can improve on for your next essay. What kinds of things will you do differently next time? What kinds of things will you keep doing because they worked well? These are some questions to think about in your response.
This assignment and all future assignments for this class should be formatted in the following way unless the directions indicate otherwise:
Font size: 12pt
Font style: Times New Roman
Line spacing: Double-Spaced (ctrl+a and then press ctrl+2)Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs by hitting the enter/return key twice.
Margins: 1-Inch margins on top and bottom; 1-Inch margins on left and right sides
Indentation: The first line of every paragraph should be indented (tab key). This is roughly equal to five spaces.
Text alignment: The text should be aligned to the left side of the page.
Special formatting: Do not make your entire document bold or italicized.
This file should be named Reflection1_FirstName LastName
This file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This paper is worth 10 reflective assignment points.
This paper is due Sunday, October 3rd at 11:59 PM
Friday, September 24, 2010
Homework 8: Cause and Effect Outline
Write an outline for the High School Dropout essay. This can be for an essay analyzing either causes or effects.
Your outline should follow the formatting THIS OUTLINE.
The outline should be created in Microsoft Word.
The file should be named CEOutline1_FirstName LastName.
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The assignment is due Sunday, September 26th at 11:59 PM.
The assignment is worth 5 homework points.
Your outline should follow the formatting THIS OUTLINE.
The outline should be created in Microsoft Word.
The file should be named CEOutline1_FirstName LastName.
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The assignment is due Sunday, September 26th at 11:59 PM.
The assignment is worth 5 homework points.
Day 14: Cause and Effect Part 2
Pull out a sheet of paper and a pencil. Think about cause and effect relationships and write the cause and effect sequences you see while you watch this MOVIE TRAILER.
After watching the movie clip, work in pairs to create a chain of 3-4 cause and effect sequences. If you have trouble creating these chains. You may check the CHART from the previous class period.
You may want to familiarize yourself with the following vocabulary:
Squirrel: The small furry animal in the video
Acorn: The nut the squirrel was carrying
Avalanche: A large body of snow that falls from a cliff/mountain
Groups will then present their chain of events to the class.
Next, I want you to imagine causes and effects on the topic of "High School Dropouts." Students on one side of the room should brainstorm causes and students on the other side of the room should brainstorm effects. You guys will then share your causes and effects with the rest of the class.
Afterward, consider the following diagrams:
Graphic Organizer 1
Graphic Organizer 2
Graphic Organizer 3
We will discuss the uses of each of these organizers and decide which organizer would be best for an essay about the causes/effects of High School Dropouts.
Next, you will read this ESSAY about the Women's Liberation Movement in the United States. You will then work in pairs to create an outline structure that fits the essay. I will then present a general CAUSE AND EFFECT OUTLINE TEMPLATE.
When you organize cause and effect writing there are several different ways in which you can organize the main points of your essay depending on your topic.
Sometimes you will want to organize them so the most significant point is presented first and the least significant point is presented last. This would be appropriate for a topic concerning the "Effects of Dropping out of High School."
Another possible way to organize your main points would be in a causal chain where one cause or effect leads to another and so on. You would use this if you were describing the sequence of events in the Ice Age movie clip that we watched at the beginning of class.
A third style of organization requires the information to be presented in the order that it occurred. This is often used for historical events like in the essay you read earlier.
We will briefly go over ways to structure your thesis statements in cause and effect essays. The general format is in the outline that I presented to you. Other options to consider can be found on THIS DOCUMENT. Work on making a good thesis statement for a cause/effect essay for the topic of high school dropouts. We will share some examples with the class.
After watching the movie clip, work in pairs to create a chain of 3-4 cause and effect sequences. If you have trouble creating these chains. You may check the CHART from the previous class period.
You may want to familiarize yourself with the following vocabulary:
Squirrel: The small furry animal in the video
Acorn: The nut the squirrel was carrying
Avalanche: A large body of snow that falls from a cliff/mountain
Groups will then present their chain of events to the class.
Next, I want you to imagine causes and effects on the topic of "High School Dropouts." Students on one side of the room should brainstorm causes and students on the other side of the room should brainstorm effects. You guys will then share your causes and effects with the rest of the class.
Afterward, consider the following diagrams:
Graphic Organizer 1
Graphic Organizer 2
Graphic Organizer 3
We will discuss the uses of each of these organizers and decide which organizer would be best for an essay about the causes/effects of High School Dropouts.
Next, you will read this ESSAY about the Women's Liberation Movement in the United States. You will then work in pairs to create an outline structure that fits the essay. I will then present a general CAUSE AND EFFECT OUTLINE TEMPLATE.
When you organize cause and effect writing there are several different ways in which you can organize the main points of your essay depending on your topic.
Sometimes you will want to organize them so the most significant point is presented first and the least significant point is presented last. This would be appropriate for a topic concerning the "Effects of Dropping out of High School."
Another possible way to organize your main points would be in a causal chain where one cause or effect leads to another and so on. You would use this if you were describing the sequence of events in the Ice Age movie clip that we watched at the beginning of class.
A third style of organization requires the information to be presented in the order that it occurred. This is often used for historical events like in the essay you read earlier.
We will briefly go over ways to structure your thesis statements in cause and effect essays. The general format is in the outline that I presented to you. Other options to consider can be found on THIS DOCUMENT. Work on making a good thesis statement for a cause/effect essay for the topic of high school dropouts. We will share some examples with the class.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Homework 7: Cause and Effect Words
Complete this WORKSHEET. Follow the directions on the worksheet.
Name the file CEWords1_FirstName LastName.
Upload the completed worksheet to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The assignment is due Thursday, September 23rd at 11:59 PM.
Name the file CEWords1_FirstName LastName.
Upload the completed worksheet to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The assignment is due Thursday, September 23rd at 11:59 PM.
Day 13: Introduction to Cause/Effect Writing
We will begin with a Slide Show to get you thinking.
Consider the following sentence. "Ryan was late for his first class today." Think of some possible causes for this occurrence. Then think of some possible effects of this occurrence. Now, each of you will come up with a sentence about something that could happen in everyday life. Get into groups of three and have one group member write a possible cause of this action. Have the other group member write a possible effect of this action. Then return the sentences to the original writer and keep them for a later activity.
In your same groups, brainstorm a list of cause structure words and a list of effect structure words. Here are some examples.
Cause structure word: because
Effect structure word: therefore
I will then write the words each group came up with on the board.
Now consider the following sentences.
"It was raining. Ryan stayed home."
We will use the structure words from our list to link these two sentences together. This is a detailed cause and effect WORD LIST. We will go over how each cause and effect word can be used.
We will then revisit the sentence, "Ryan was late for his first class today." Choose one cause or one effect and give me some ways in which different structure words can be used to change the sentence. Then share the sentence you wrote earlier along with either the cause or effect that your group member wrote. I will write the two sentences on the board then each of you should write down ways in which these sentences can be combined using cause or effect structure words. You will then share your sentences with the class.
Consider the following sentence. "Ryan was late for his first class today." Think of some possible causes for this occurrence. Then think of some possible effects of this occurrence. Now, each of you will come up with a sentence about something that could happen in everyday life. Get into groups of three and have one group member write a possible cause of this action. Have the other group member write a possible effect of this action. Then return the sentences to the original writer and keep them for a later activity.
In your same groups, brainstorm a list of cause structure words and a list of effect structure words. Here are some examples.
Cause structure word: because
Effect structure word: therefore
I will then write the words each group came up with on the board.
Now consider the following sentences.
"It was raining. Ryan stayed home."
We will use the structure words from our list to link these two sentences together. This is a detailed cause and effect WORD LIST. We will go over how each cause and effect word can be used.
We will then revisit the sentence, "Ryan was late for his first class today." Choose one cause or one effect and give me some ways in which different structure words can be used to change the sentence. Then share the sentence you wrote earlier along with either the cause or effect that your group member wrote. I will write the two sentences on the board then each of you should write down ways in which these sentences can be combined using cause or effect structure words. You will then share your sentences with the class.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Day 12: Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Class will begin by discussing THIS PICTURE. What can you do to make sure you don't plagiarize?
Next work in a group to come up with ways in which summaries and paraphrases differ. Think about how can you use each of them in your writing? After gathering your thoughts, we will discuss them as a class. Visit the OWL WEBSITE to see how summaries and paraphrases differ.
Work through the following ACTIVITY in order to test your knowledge on what a successful summary is. You can view the answers HERE.
I will introduce a SUMMARY RUBRIC that you can apply to your own summary writing.
Visit the following website http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/ and try to summarize the 6 steps of successful paraphrasing. Then work on summarizing THIS PARAGRAPH.
Next work in a group to come up with ways in which summaries and paraphrases differ. Think about how can you use each of them in your writing? After gathering your thoughts, we will discuss them as a class. Visit the OWL WEBSITE to see how summaries and paraphrases differ.
Work through the following ACTIVITY in order to test your knowledge on what a successful summary is. You can view the answers HERE.
I will introduce a SUMMARY RUBRIC that you can apply to your own summary writing.
Visit the following website http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/ and try to summarize the 6 steps of successful paraphrasing. Then work on summarizing THIS PARAGRAPH.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Day 11: Peer Review
First we will review homework 6 since many of you seemed to struggle with this assignment. Additionally, we will discuss difficulties you may be having with this class. I hope you, as a class, will provide me with suggestions that I can incorporate into my teaching to help you learn better and make the class more interesting.
The rest of the day will revolve around peer review. Peer review will begin by watching a short demonstration on successful and unsuccessful peer reviews.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCio7AbO3vo&NR=1
After the demonstration, open up your 5-paragraph essay about smoking in movies. I will have all of you switch computers. You will spend some time reading your peers' papers and giving comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism on their work by following the suggestions in the video. At the end of the class return to your computer. Save the file as DiagnosticPeerReview_FirstName LastName Then upload the file to your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder.
You will have the weekend to work on your final version of the diagnostic. The final version will be due Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 PM.
The rest of the day will revolve around peer review. Peer review will begin by watching a short demonstration on successful and unsuccessful peer reviews.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCio7AbO3vo&NR=1
After the demonstration, open up your 5-paragraph essay about smoking in movies. I will have all of you switch computers. You will spend some time reading your peers' papers and giving comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism on their work by following the suggestions in the video. At the end of the class return to your computer. Save the file as DiagnosticPeerReview_FirstName LastName Then upload the file to your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder.
You will have the weekend to work on your final version of the diagnostic. The final version will be due Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 PM.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Paper 1: Diagnostic Revision Essay
This essay assignment will be a revision of the essay you wrote the second day of class. It should discuss the regulation of the frequency of tobacco use in movies. It should include five paragraphs: 1 introduction, 2,3,4 body paragraphs, and 5 conclusion. Each paragraph should be constructed following the techniques we discussed in class.
Things you will be graded on:
Format: 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, indent the beginning of each paragraph
Length: 1 FULL page minimum; 2 FULL pages maximum.
Introduction: hook, background information, clear thesis statement, introduction to body paragraphs
Body Paragraphs x 3: relevant topic sentence, support your topic sentence with arguments, support your arguments with evidence, concluding sentence
Conclusion: do not summarize your essay, instead briefly revisit the main idea of each body paragraph, mention the significance of the discussion, expand upon the discussion by suggesting actions that can be taken on the issue
Don't plagiarism. Use quotes and write where ideas come from. Example: According to writing instructor Ryan Boyd, "100% of ESL students who plagiarize will be caught."
Be sure to follow the 4 principles of successful paragraph writing!
Double check your grammar and organization!
First Draft:
The file should be named Diagnostic2_FirstName LastName
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The essay is due Thursday, September 16th at 11:59 PM.
Final Draft:
The file should be named Diagnostic3_FirstName LastName
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The essay is due Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 PM.
Things you will be graded on:
Format: 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, indent the beginning of each paragraph
Length: 1 FULL page minimum; 2 FULL pages maximum.
Introduction: hook, background information, clear thesis statement, introduction to body paragraphs
Body Paragraphs x 3: relevant topic sentence, support your topic sentence with arguments, support your arguments with evidence, concluding sentence
Conclusion: do not summarize your essay, instead briefly revisit the main idea of each body paragraph, mention the significance of the discussion, expand upon the discussion by suggesting actions that can be taken on the issue
Don't plagiarism. Use quotes and write where ideas come from. Example: According to writing instructor Ryan Boyd, "100% of ESL students who plagiarize will be caught."
Be sure to follow the 4 principles of successful paragraph writing!
Double check your grammar and organization!
First Draft:
The file should be named Diagnostic2_FirstName LastName
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The essay is due Thursday, September 16th at 11:59 PM.
Final Draft:
The file should be named Diagnostic3_FirstName LastName
The file should be uploaded to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
The essay is due Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 PM.
Day 10: Avoiding Plagiarism
Class will begin with a warm-up activity. You will be presented with the following SIX PICTURES. I will divide you into small groups. Each group needs to figure out which picture is not like the rest by discovering the correct reason one is different from the others.
Next we will work on unscrambling the following PARAGRAPHS.
We will acknowledge plagiarism with the following definition:
"Using an author's specific words, phrases, or ideas without giving credit to the author." -Dr. Hugh Bishop
After having defined plagiarism, you will break up into pairs and try to figure out which of the following PARAGRAPHS is plagiarized.
We will come up with some strategies to help you avoid plagiarism in your writing. After we have come up with a good technique, you will consider the following PARAGRAPHS. Are any of these paragraphs plagiarized? Why or why not?
Further information about plagiarism and the different types of plagiarism can be found on this website: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase.html
I didn't go too in depth about paraphrasing in this class because it will be covered in a later class, so do not be too concerned if you do not yet feel confident in paraphrasing text.
You can also find information about plagiarism in your textbook on page 410.
Next we will work on unscrambling the following PARAGRAPHS.
We will acknowledge plagiarism with the following definition:
"Using an author's specific words, phrases, or ideas without giving credit to the author." -Dr. Hugh Bishop
After having defined plagiarism, you will break up into pairs and try to figure out which of the following PARAGRAPHS is plagiarized.
We will come up with some strategies to help you avoid plagiarism in your writing. After we have come up with a good technique, you will consider the following PARAGRAPHS. Are any of these paragraphs plagiarized? Why or why not?
Further information about plagiarism and the different types of plagiarism can be found on this website: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase.html
I didn't go too in depth about paraphrasing in this class because it will be covered in a later class, so do not be too concerned if you do not yet feel confident in paraphrasing text.
You can also find information about plagiarism in your textbook on page 410.
Announcement
Many of you still have not turned in all of your assignments. The last day you will be able to receive partial credit for the assignments is Sunday, September 19th at 11:59 PM. The homework is designed to help you write your paper, so it will not be useful if you complete it after this time. That is why you can not receive points for the assignments after that time. Keep in mind there are some assignments that you can not receive points for, such as commenting on the work of others. Make sure all homework has the correct file name and is uploaded to the appropriate folder. You can check this information in the homework section on the course website. Lastly, YOU are responsible for letting me know which assignments you will be turning in late. If you do not let me know what late work you have completed, you will not receive a grade for it. You can do this by emailing me and telling me you have turned in homework 1 and homework 2 late for example.
Also, please make sure you have your the diagnostic essay revised and completed by Thursday, September 16th at 11:59 PM. I will post more thorough directions in the homework section.
Also, please make sure you have your the diagnostic essay revised and completed by Thursday, September 16th at 11:59 PM. I will post more thorough directions in the homework section.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Homework 6: Paragraph Structure Revision
Revise the following paragraph so it adheres to the 4 principles of successful paragraph writing that we discussed on day 9 of class.
"First of all, a friend mustn't tell lie. He must always tell me the truth and he must be honest because if there is honesty between two friends, their relationship will last until death. In addition to honesty, helping or being near a friend on a bad day is very important. Another point to consider is that he must criticize me if I make a mistake."
Name the file Homework6_FirstName LastName
Upload the file to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is due Tuesday, September 14th at 11:59 PM.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
"First of all, a friend mustn't tell lie. He must always tell me the truth and he must be honest because if there is honesty between two friends, their relationship will last until death. In addition to honesty, helping or being near a friend on a bad day is very important. Another point to consider is that he must criticize me if I make a mistake."
Name the file Homework6_FirstName LastName
Upload the file to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is due Tuesday, September 14th at 11:59 PM.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
Day 9: Paragraph Structure
The class will begin with a discussion question. Think about three important features that should be present in a body paragraph and which one should come first. What are they?
We will discuss the first principle, Unity. Take a look at thePARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. Understand that unity refers to having all the sentences in a paragraph relate to the topic sentence of that paragraph. You will work on exercise 4-1 in your textbook on pages 42 and 43. After that, we will come up with some strategies you can use to make your paragraph unified if you find that it is not.
Next, we will discuss the second principle,coherence. Understand that coherence refers to having the ideas or arguments of your paragraph presented in a logical order. We will look at the second section of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT and then turn to pages 50-53 of the textbook to look at the three strategies to make paragraphs coherent.
We will then move on to discussing the third principle, clear topic sentences. Having a clear topic sentence is important because it tells the reader what your paragraph is about. This is explained in section 3 of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. All the information in that paragraph revolves around the topic sentence. The effective use of topic sentences is very important in academic and business writing where a lot of information is presented in written form. Additional information can be found in your text book on pages 40 and 41. Get into small groups and talk about the discussion questions in this section. We will then discuss the questions as a class.
The fourth principle of paragraph structure deals with development of ideas. This principle is discussed in the fourth section of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. Development of ideas requires that every idea that you bring up to support your topic sentence must be discussed and explained adequately as well as supported with evidence and examples. We will then go over the discussion questions 1 and 2 on development of ideas. Discussion question 3 will be assigned as homework.
We will discuss the first principle, Unity. Take a look at thePARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. Understand that unity refers to having all the sentences in a paragraph relate to the topic sentence of that paragraph. You will work on exercise 4-1 in your textbook on pages 42 and 43. After that, we will come up with some strategies you can use to make your paragraph unified if you find that it is not.
Next, we will discuss the second principle,coherence. Understand that coherence refers to having the ideas or arguments of your paragraph presented in a logical order. We will look at the second section of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT and then turn to pages 50-53 of the textbook to look at the three strategies to make paragraphs coherent.
We will then move on to discussing the third principle, clear topic sentences. Having a clear topic sentence is important because it tells the reader what your paragraph is about. This is explained in section 3 of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. All the information in that paragraph revolves around the topic sentence. The effective use of topic sentences is very important in academic and business writing where a lot of information is presented in written form. Additional information can be found in your text book on pages 40 and 41. Get into small groups and talk about the discussion questions in this section. We will then discuss the questions as a class.
The fourth principle of paragraph structure deals with development of ideas. This principle is discussed in the fourth section of the PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE HANDOUT. Development of ideas requires that every idea that you bring up to support your topic sentence must be discussed and explained adequately as well as supported with evidence and examples. We will then go over the discussion questions 1 and 2 on development of ideas. Discussion question 3 will be assigned as homework.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Announcement
We will be using the Rules for Writers textbook on Monday. I know I said that we would be using it this week, but I didn't take into account that we did not have class on Monday because of Labor Day.
If you do not have the textbook or are unsure about what book to purchase, please see the Rules for Writers by Hacker link posted under the Helpful Links heading on the right side of our class homepage.
Instead of bringing it today, you will be required to bring it to on Monday, September 13th.
You should bring your textbook to class everyday because it is a useful resource in your writing endeavors.
If you do not have the textbook or are unsure about what book to purchase, please see the Rules for Writers by Hacker link posted under the Helpful Links heading on the right side of our class homepage.
Instead of bringing it today, you will be required to bring it to on Monday, September 13th.
You should bring your textbook to class everyday because it is a useful resource in your writing endeavors.
Homework 5: Outline
Create an outline for your diagnostic essay (the essay you wrote on the second day of class about smoking in movies) that follows the guidelines we discussed in class on Day 8.
Many of you will have finished in class. Please be sure to take your classmate's comments into consideration before submitting your work to DropBox.
The file should be named DiagnosticOutline1_FirstName LastName
Upload the file to your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is due Sunday, September 12th at 11:59 PM.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
Many of you will have finished in class. Please be sure to take your classmate's comments into consideration before submitting your work to DropBox.
The file should be named DiagnosticOutline1_FirstName LastName
Upload the file to your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is due Sunday, September 12th at 11:59 PM.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
Day 8: Outlining
Class will begin with a discussion. We will discuss the following questions:
What is an outline?
Do you usually write one when you write essays? Why/Why not?
How helpful is it to write outlines?
Did you write an outline for the EPT or for the diagnostic test? Why/Why not?
There will be a POWERPOINT that we will refer to. Slides 2 and 3 will be covered first.
You will then break up into groups of four and refer to the outline on page 65 of THIS HANDOUT. Look back at the PowerPoint and answer the questions presented on slide four. Be prepared to share your responses with the class.
You will then read the essay Changing English: The African Influences on page 57 of THIS HANDOUT. You will then work in pairs to fill in the outline on page 66 of THIS HANDOUT.
You will then work individually. You will convert your diagnostic essay (the essay you wrote about smoking on the second day of class) into an outline form. Once you have completed the outline, open up both the outline of the diagnostic and the diagnostic itself on your computer screen and switch seats with one of your classmates. You will then be required to make comments on your peer's work.
We will conclude with a discussion about what you have learned during today's class.
What is an outline?
Do you usually write one when you write essays? Why/Why not?
How helpful is it to write outlines?
Did you write an outline for the EPT or for the diagnostic test? Why/Why not?
There will be a POWERPOINT that we will refer to. Slides 2 and 3 will be covered first.
You will then break up into groups of four and refer to the outline on page 65 of THIS HANDOUT. Look back at the PowerPoint and answer the questions presented on slide four. Be prepared to share your responses with the class.
You will then read the essay Changing English: The African Influences on page 57 of THIS HANDOUT. You will then work in pairs to fill in the outline on page 66 of THIS HANDOUT.
You will then work individually. You will convert your diagnostic essay (the essay you wrote about smoking on the second day of class) into an outline form. Once you have completed the outline, open up both the outline of the diagnostic and the diagnostic itself on your computer screen and switch seats with one of your classmates. You will then be required to make comments on your peer's work.
We will conclude with a discussion about what you have learned during today's class.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Day 7: Introduction to 5-Paragraph Essays
We will begin by discussing what features an academic essay should have.
e will then break up into groups of 3-4. You will have roughly 10 minutes to go over your diagnostics that you can access from your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder on your Dropbox account. As a group, try to arrange what you wrote on your diagnostics into an introduction, body, and conclusion. You will also need to underline the thesis statement and write the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
As a group, you will present your work to the class.
There will be a short lecture on the details of a 5-paragraph essay. You can follow along with the following 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY NOTES.
Later we will work on an in-class exercise.
e will then break up into groups of 3-4. You will have roughly 10 minutes to go over your diagnostics that you can access from your ESL 114_FirstName LastName folder on your Dropbox account. As a group, try to arrange what you wrote on your diagnostics into an introduction, body, and conclusion. You will also need to underline the thesis statement and write the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
As a group, you will present your work to the class.
There will be a short lecture on the details of a 5-paragraph essay. You can follow along with the following 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY NOTES.
Later we will work on an in-class exercise.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Announcement
Many of you have not been following directions correctly when submitting your homework and doing assignments. Remember to read directions thoroughly before beginning an assignment. I put very clear directions in the homework section of this website for every assignment. If you have questions, you can always email me or stop by my office hours. You can find my office hours in the first day handout that I gave to you and posted on this site.
I have also added a new feature to our class. You are now able to check your grades online at www.engrade.com
Your user name is firstnamelastname There are no spaces and everything is in lowercase letters.
Your password is the last four numbers of your UIN followed by the letters rb
Here is an example of student Bao LiJie
User Name: lijiebao
Password: 5555rb
Many of you may not have the grade you want in this class. Please make sure you complete all of the homework that I assign, and follow the directions to ensure that you receive all the points.
Also, remember to bring your Diana Hacker book to class this week.
I have also added a new feature to our class. You are now able to check your grades online at www.engrade.com
Your user name is firstnamelastname There are no spaces and everything is in lowercase letters.
Your password is the last four numbers of your UIN followed by the letters rb
Here is an example of student Bao LiJie
User Name: lijiebao
Password: 5555rb
Many of you may not have the grade you want in this class. Please make sure you complete all of the homework that I assign, and follow the directions to ensure that you receive all the points.
Also, remember to bring your Diana Hacker book to class this week.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Announcement
I have updated Homework 4. Be sure to check what topic you will be generating ideas for.
Also, be sure to check your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder. I uploaded your OldNew3_FirstName LastName file with comments. If you got a comment that says you need to rewrite the assignment, please read the directions under Homework 3 carefully. If you have further questions, feel free to email me. The deadline to submit the rewrite of OldNew3_FirstName LastName is Saturday, September 4th at 11:59 PM. Upload it with the same file name to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder. Again, you only have to rewrite it if you got a comment telling you to rewrite it.
If you did not receive an OldNew3_FirstName LastName in your ESL114 FirstName LastName folder, it is because you did not submit one to the "new information old information" folder when I first assigned the homework.
Have a good Labor Day weekend. No Class on Monday.
Also, be sure to check your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder. I uploaded your OldNew3_FirstName LastName file with comments. If you got a comment that says you need to rewrite the assignment, please read the directions under Homework 3 carefully. If you have further questions, feel free to email me. The deadline to submit the rewrite of OldNew3_FirstName LastName is Saturday, September 4th at 11:59 PM. Upload it with the same file name to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder. Again, you only have to rewrite it if you got a comment telling you to rewrite it.
If you did not receive an OldNew3_FirstName LastName in your ESL114 FirstName LastName folder, it is because you did not submit one to the "new information old information" folder when I first assigned the homework.
Have a good Labor Day weekend. No Class on Monday.
Homework 4: Invention Technique
Choose one of the WRITTEN invention techniques that we discussed in class today.
Use that invention technique to generate ideas the following topic:
"The movie industry should regulate the frequency of tobacco use in movies."
Name the file Homework4_FirstName LastName
Upload your work to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
This assignment is due Sunday, September 5th at 11:59 PM.
Use that invention technique to generate ideas the following topic:
"The movie industry should regulate the frequency of tobacco use in movies."
Name the file Homework4_FirstName LastName
Upload your work to your ESL114_FirstName LastName folder.
This assignment is worth 5 homework points.
This assignment is due Sunday, September 5th at 11:59 PM.
Day 6: Prewriting - Invention Techniques
We will be exploring invention techniques during this class period.
These are techniques that will help you create and organize your ideas before you put them down on paper. This will allow you to more clearly focus your writing. There are many different kinds of invention techniques, so try to find one or two that work best for you. We will be exploring several different types today.
Listing: Think of your hometown and write as many ideas, words, and phrases connected to it as you can. Put them in a list form.
Free-writing: Think about your high school. Now write as much as you can about it. Keep writing without stopping. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation errors. The focus of this activity is for you to keep writing. If you run out of ideas, write, "I don't know what else to say."
Clustering: Imagine you have to write an essay about the advantages of living in a big city. Write your topic in the middle of a piece of notebook paper. You should then write words or phrases connected with this topic around it. If you have trouble envisioning this exercise, take a look at this EXAMPLE.
Talking: Sometimes talking with someone about a topic can help you organize your thoughts better. Discuss the advantages of living in a big city with the person sitting next to you.
Questions: Choose a topic of your choice. It can be something you are interested in or something related to your field of study. Write that topic at the top of your paper. Now list the following questions and answer them in relation to your topic: What? Where? When? Why? How? So what?
Discuss with the person sitting next to you how each invention technique made you feel. Which was your favorite? Which generated the most ideas?
These are techniques that will help you create and organize your ideas before you put them down on paper. This will allow you to more clearly focus your writing. There are many different kinds of invention techniques, so try to find one or two that work best for you. We will be exploring several different types today.
Listing: Think of your hometown and write as many ideas, words, and phrases connected to it as you can. Put them in a list form.
Free-writing: Think about your high school. Now write as much as you can about it. Keep writing without stopping. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation errors. The focus of this activity is for you to keep writing. If you run out of ideas, write, "I don't know what else to say."
Clustering: Imagine you have to write an essay about the advantages of living in a big city. Write your topic in the middle of a piece of notebook paper. You should then write words or phrases connected with this topic around it. If you have trouble envisioning this exercise, take a look at this EXAMPLE.
Talking: Sometimes talking with someone about a topic can help you organize your thoughts better. Discuss the advantages of living in a big city with the person sitting next to you.
Questions: Choose a topic of your choice. It can be something you are interested in or something related to your field of study. Write that topic at the top of your paper. Now list the following questions and answer them in relation to your topic: What? Where? When? Why? How? So what?
Discuss with the person sitting next to you how each invention technique made you feel. Which was your favorite? Which generated the most ideas?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Homework 3: New Paragraph
Since some of you did not finish in class, it is now a homework assignment.
You are to create an old information new information paragraph following the same DIRECTIONS as last time except this paragraph should NOT use any of the words listed in the directions in A through D. You are to think of your own words instead.
This is worth 5 homework points.
The files should be named OldNew3_FirstName LastName.doc and uploaded to the "new information old information" folder. This is due at 11:59 PM Wednesday, September 1st. Please make sure that you have the correct file name. If you have an incorrect file name, it will not be graded and you will not receive points for your work, so be sure to double check that looks like the example above.
You are to create an old information new information paragraph following the same DIRECTIONS as last time except this paragraph should NOT use any of the words listed in the directions in A through D. You are to think of your own words instead.
This is worth 5 homework points.
The files should be named OldNew3_FirstName LastName.doc and uploaded to the "new information old information" folder. This is due at 11:59 PM Wednesday, September 1st. Please make sure that you have the correct file name. If you have an incorrect file name, it will not be graded and you will not receive points for your work, so be sure to double check that looks like the example above.
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