Class: Composition I, EFL 091
Instructor: Karen Stanley Office: CH 351 Office Phone: 704-330-6604
Email:
Class Yahoogroup:
Textbook: From Writing to Composing, by Beverly Ingram and Carol King
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, a student should be able to:
1. Write an informal letter and an informal email using traditional letter format with a salutation and closing.
2. Correctly use commas, periods and capitalization when writing simple compositions of one or more paragraphs.
3. Write a basic paragraph with a topic sentence, several body sentences, and a concluding sentence.
4. Use simple transition words to organize written information in chronological order or in a description.
5. Use 'and' and 'but' to write compound subjects, verbs and sentences.
6. In a simple one-paragraph composition, use complex sentences with one independent and one dependent clause.
7. Write independent-practice journal entries.
8. Revise writing using the teacher's feedback.
9. Write at least one composition with a simple introduction, one or more supporting paragraphs, and a simple
conclusion.
Attendance
A student gets one fourth of a point for each class attended. Students who are more than 10 minutes late, leave class during the middle of class for 10 or more minutes, or leave more than 10 minutes early are welcome, but they do not receive any points for attendance. Because a lot of learning takes place in class, students who miss 30% or more of the total classes (this 30% includes classes when students miss more than 10 minutes of class) cannot receive a grade above a D.
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact other students to find out what happened in class while you were gone. For this reason, it is important to have the email and/or phone number of at least 2 students in the class. (Of course, I will always try to help you, but it may not always be possible to get hold of me.)
***You should always check our class email list, because most days class activities and assignments will be posted there.***
Homework
Homework turned in one day late (for *any* reason) will receive half the points of homework turned in on time. (It is possible to send me homework using email. Email assignments received before 5pm count as the same day. If there is an email problem and I don't receive your email assignment for any reason, it is still counted late, so it is best to give me the assignment in class.) Many times, we use the assignment from the day before to do a new assignment.
Please keep all old homework assignments. We may use old assignments again as a basis for a new assignment later on in the semester. Also, once in a while I may make a mistake in recording your assignments. If I do, you can show me your assignment with the points marked on it, and I will correct my grade book.
Grade
The grade is based on the percentage of the total points possible for the class.
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
Below 60% = F
To go to Composition II, you need a grade of A, B or C.
Course Outline
The course changes a little each semester, depending on the students in the class. The course outline below is to give you a general idea of what we will be doing throughout the semester. However, some parts of the outline may be changed by the teacher as the class continues. Be sure to pay attention to any changes the teacher announces during the semester.
Week 1
Introduction to class requirements
Unit 1 - Interview a classmate & introduce your classmate to other people, then write the letter on page 4 (give to teacher)
Discuss letter on page 5
(1) write a letter about yourself and give it to the teacher
Introduction to using computers for class work computers
(1) join the class Yahoogroup
(2) introduce yourself to the Yahoogroup
Week 2
(3) read other people's introductions and reply to two people using the Yahoogroup. In your reply, ask the other person a question about him/herself. It must be a question that no one else has asked that person.
(4) answer any questions that are sent to you
Unit 2 - Think about and discuss people close to you (pages 9-10)
Free writing, page 10 (2.2, #2). Turn in your free writing for the teacher to look at. (The number of points for this assignment depends on how much you write.)
Capitalization, punctuation, subjects and verbs (pages 11-14)
Rewrite paragraph 2.4A (page 13), adding capital letters and punctuation
Rewrite paragraph 2.4C (page 14), adding subjects and verbs where they are needed
Week 3
Rewrite your freewriting about an important person marking subjects and verbs and adding any missing subjects and verbs
(page 14)
Unit 3 - Dictations (pages 15-17)
Exercise E.1 - Rewrite the dictation paragraph, adding the supporting sentences in the correct place.
Exercise G.2 - Dictation to give to the teacher
QUIZ - Like the Subject/Verb exercises on pages 13-14; mark Subjects and Verbs in sentences and write a new subject or verb
if the sentence needs one.
Week 4
Composition format (pages 19-23)
Exercise C.4 - Write Not Only on TV using correct format; give to teacher
Exercise 3.3.2 - Independent Writing - Points will be based on how much you write. - Your exercise must be typed.
Unit 4 - Stories (pages 25-28)
Exercise A.2 & A.3 - work in pairs or small groups
Exercise B.2 - Write the sentences from 4.2A in chronological order, using correct composition format
Compound subjects, verbs and sentences (page 29)
Week 5
Exercise E.3 (page 30) - Use your sentences D.2 (page 29) and from E.1 and E.2 (page 30) to rewrite the story. Also use simple past tense this time. Type up the finished story and give it to your teacher
QUIZ - Rewrite a paragraph using correct formatting.
Revising and editing (pages 30-32)
Exercise B.1 (page 31) - Rewrite the story. Give the typed story to your teacher.
Exercise C (page 31-32) - Give the corrected sentences to your teacher.
Letters (pages 32-33)
Exercise c.2 (page 33) - Write a letter following the instructions in the book. Give your teacher your finished letter
Week 6
The Composing Process (pages 34-36)
Your teacher will show you a copy of a story she wrote, but the story will need improvements.
- Together in class, you will discuss what parts of the story need improvement (topic sentence? organization? more details? concluding sentence?) Then you will rewrite the story and try to improve the weak points.
- Then you will write your *own* story of an emergency situation.
Yahoogroup story -
Send a message to our Yahoogroup about an experience you want to forget, something funny you did as a child, or your favorite time of the year (and why) . You must write at least 50 words in your email to get a point.
Peer editing homework - You will get a copy of another student's improved copy of the teacher's composition with a peer
editing checklist. Use the checklist to evaluate the other student's composition.
Week 7
Give a first draft and a typed second draft of your emergency situation story to your teacher.
- Use your teacher's feedback (suggestions), correct paper format (page 19-20), and the editing checklist (page 36) to improve your paper.
Unit 5 - ways of writing (pages 38-39)
Independent writing (page 39) - give your writing to your teacher.
Reading and editing (page 40)
Editing practice (page 40) - turn the corrected sentences in to your teacher
Writing an outline (pages 41-42)
Introduction to formal style (pages 42-44)
Exercise C - turn in your "three ways" paragraph outline to the teacher
Week 8
Exercise E.5 - After completing D and E .1-E.4 (p 44-45), turn your outline, first draft and second draft into the
teacher
Exercise G - After completing F.1 and F.2, share your revised final draft with the class
Unit 6 - Student newspaper website review. Go to different websitse (the teacher will give you some website addresses) and
answer the questions on the website review sheet. Give your review to your teacher.
Independent Practice (p 53) - turn in your practice to your teacher
Read the story examples on pages 48-49. Look for topic sentences and concluding sentences.
Send an email about a topic your teacher gives you to our Yahoogroup.
Week 9
Discuss with your classmates how to improve different stories on pages 48-49.
Unit 7 - You will do different process dictations (pages 56-58) on different days. Each time, the teacher will give your
dictation to another student to correct, and you will correct someone else's dictation.
After completing Exercises A, B, and C, rewrite the dication paragraph with supporting details (page 58) and give it to
the teacher
Exercise 7.3A - using the editing symbols, correct the sentences (pages 60-61) and turn the corrected sentences to your teacher.
Read Draft 1 (page 59) and with your classmates answer the 6 questions.
Week 10
Independent Writing (page 63)
Exercise 7.5.2 (page 63) Follow the instructions in the exercise and give your writing to the teacher
QUIZ - In the Testing Center, you will get a copy of the first draft paragraph on page 59. You will need to correct all the errors and rewrite the paragraph using good grammar, good signal words, and good composition format.
Revising process paragraphs (pages 59-61)
Exercise 7.2.B.3(page 60) - After completing other exercises in 7.2.B, rewrite the paragraph, regrouping the seven
steps into three & adding a title. Give your rewritten paragraph to the teacher
Exercise 7.3.A (pages 60-61) - Turn in the corrected sentences to the teacher
Exercise 7.3.B (page 61) - Turn in the rewritten paragraph to the teacher
QUIZ - in the Testing Center, you will be given a paper with one of 5 possible topics on it. (The teacher will give you a list of the 5 topics ahead of time.) You will not know which of the 5 topics you will write about until you go to the Testing Center. You may use a dictionary for this quiz.
Week 11
Paragraph Composition - Exercise C.2 (page 62) - First, create an outline for your own "How to" paragraph. Be sure to use
STEPS and describe a process. Turn in your outline to the teacher. After the teacher okays your outline, write a complete paragraph. For each step, write at least one additional sentence with supporting information.
Unit 8 - Data, statistics & math terms (pages 64-68)
Do Exercises on pages 64-68 - 8.1, 8.2
You will have two dictations, one using the formulas and terms on page 66, and one to complete the table on page 67.
Week 12
Complete the exercises in 8. 2
QUIZ - You will be given a list of 8 sentences with editing symbols. All these sentences will be from the Editing Practice
sentences on pages 31-32, 40, and 60-61.
After you get back your "How To" paragraphs, improve them and then upload your "How To" paragraph to a class blog (you
will learn about blogs in class).
Organizing data into a paragraph (pages 68-69)
Complete the exercises in 8.3 A, B, C
Exercise 8.3.D, p 69 - After completing the other exercises in 8.3, write a paragraph using the sentences in 8.3A, but
grouped more logically using the ideas from 8.3.B and 8.3.C - Add the title "Meet Writing 310"
Revising and Editing (pages 70-71)
Exercise 8.4.A.2 - After reorganizing the sentences in the paragraph, rewrite it and give it to your teacher
Exercise 8.4.B - Correct and rewrite the sentences and give them to the teacher
Week 13
Composition
Compile data (pages 71-72), first in small groups and then as a class.
The teacher and the whole class will discuss different ways to organize the data.
Yahoogroups
Write about a topic your teacher gives you, and send your ideas to the Yahoogroup.
Independent practice writing - Write on a modified list of topics (p 73).
Week 14
Complete any data organizing for your paragraph about your class.
Exercise 8.5.C - Write a paragraph about your class. Give the paragraph to your teacher.
Unit 9 - Exercises related to routine (pages 74-75)
Complex sentences (pages 75-77)
Exercise 9.2.A - oral practice asking and answering questions that use before & after
Exercises in 9.2.B - After completing B.1-3, write the sentences in B.4 and give them to your teacher
Exercise 9.2.C - Write a paragraph according to the instructions, and give it to your teacher
Full-length composition
Study and discuss the handout showing a full-length composition with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Week 15
Editing sentence structure (pages 77-78)
After completing exercise 9.3.A.2, rewrite the paragraph in 9.3.B and give it to your teacher
Composition (continued from Week 10, pages 79-80)
After you write the first draft of your full-length routine composition, meet with a partner or in a small group to get
feedback from your classmates.
Revise your composition by adding information (Exercise 9.4.C, page 80).
Use edition feedback (page 81, D.1-3) to think of ways to improve your composition.
Week 16 - Final Exam week
Your five-paragraph full-length composition will be due on the day of our final exam. We will not have an actual exam. You will turn in your composition and we will talk together about what parts of the class were most useful for you, and what things I could do to make it even better next time.