The purpose of this course is to teach students how to organize and write for their academic career and eventual profession. Here are some details of the work they are expected to do this semester in ESL 114 to realize this goal:
- 2 or 3 Reflective Essays (300 words)
- Diagnostic Essay Revisions (1-3 pages)
- 4 Paragraphs (Patterns of Organization, 4 Sources, selected by the instructor)
- 2nd Essay (one of the Patterns of Organization, 2-3 pages, 2 Sources from the paragraphs assignments)
- Argumentative Essay (3-4 pages, 3 Sources, selected by the student)
- 5-7 minute Oral Presentation of the Argumentative Essay
Topics
for the Argumentative Essay may relate directly to students' current
course work in their major field or a topic of interest, but with a few
constraints:
- All assignments must be written for a general audience.
- All topics must be pre-approved by the instructor.
- Students may NOT use a paper that they are writing for another class. Chances are that even if the topic is the same, the process will not be. THIS IS PLAGIARISM.
2 or 3 Reflective Essays
These
mini-essays are not graded on grammar or paragraph structure, but
instead on the quality of reflection. The purpose is to force students
to use metacognition in thinking about their writing, such as
their writing process, or how they have improved in an area of their
writing skills. The topics and length can be adapted by the instructor.
Diagnostic Essay Revision
This
assignment is important in that it gives the instructor a direction to
start and shape the course. Through this essay, the instructor becomes
familiar with the writing styles of each student, and thus can better
help them improve their academic writing skills throughout the
semester. The essay will be assessed in terms of organization, logical
flow of ideas, clarity of explanations, unity and coherence, grammar,
vocabulary and style. Another reason for assigning this essay is that
it gives the students a starting point for evaluating and improving
their own writing performance. The initial, timed draft (50 minutes)
will receive only brief, global comments, and not be graded.
During
the first 3 weeks of class, this class will cover a five-paragraph
essay structure along with outlining, paragraph structure, paragraph
development and introductions and conclusions. The students will revise
their original essay throughout this time, peer review it, and submit
the final draft for extensive comments and a grade.
4 Paragraphs (Patterns of Organization)
Students
will be introduced to a new pattern of organization each week for 4
weeks: Cause/Effect, Compare/Contrast, Definition and Process. Each week
students will be introduced also to a reading comprehension skill and a
method of avoiding plagiarism. The instructor will provide one new
source each week on the same topic (topic of their choice). One
paragraph will be due the following Monday incorporating all of the
content, skills and the source learned during the week. Because of the
quick movement through these lessons, the commenting and grading must be
immediate during this time.
2nd Essay
Argumentative Essay
Students
will be introduced the structure of a five-paragraph persuasive essay
(3-4 pages) and choose their topic (approved by the instructor). Once
they have a topic, they will search for 3 sources online or from the
library to help support their arguments. These essays should incorporate
all of the persuasive skills covered in class, "somewhat" academic
sources (no wikipedia, eHow, or about.com). Instructors should encourage
students to make use of the library and its databases.
Oral Presentation
Using
PowerPoint, Prezi, or another visual aid, students will present their
Argumentative Essay to the class. One class lesson will introduce how to
give an effective presentation, and this assignment will be good
practice in acquiring and polishing their presentation skills.
Each
of these assignments (plus the homework and attendance) will comprise a
large portion of the final grade, but more importantly, doing them will prepare students to succeed in their major field and earn their degree.
