ESL 21B, Fall, 2004 Syllabus: K. Sucher

 

WC = Writing Clearly                             EE= Essentials of English             NPR = National Public Radio (listen)     
PBS = Public Broadcasting System (view)      NYT = New York Times (read)                Booklet= 21B Handouts Booklet

R/L/V + online = Read, Listen, View and then complete online exercises

 

All homework is due at the next class meeting, unless otherwise stated.
Online Forums and Online Quizzes are due each Sunday before midnight.

DATE

ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1

8/30

Diagnostic Testing: Grammar / Essay
Student Introductions, Course Information, Homepage Orientation.
HW:
1. Buy all books and materials.
2. Complete Homepage Orientation.

3. Scan WC: (1) “Preface to the Student” pp. xiv-xxiii.  What kinds of errors do you make when writing in English?  Do you make more global errors or more local errors? (2)  “Expanding  Vocabulary”, p. 271-3.  What specific strategies will you use this semester to expand your vocabulary?

4. Online Forum #1: Post your response by midnight, Sunday, Sept 5th .
5. EE --Read and study a review of The Basics, pp. 1-29; Connecting Ideas, pp. 30-42. (Answer key is at the back of the book)  Quiz on this material at our next class meeting.

6. Bring $8 to our next class meeting to buy 21B Handouts Booklet.

week 2
9/6

Labor Day – SMC closed. No class.
HW:

1. Read your classmates’ posts to Online Forum #1. Which of your fellow classmates might you like to join with to form a study group?  Post a reply to at least 3 of your classmates.  Don’t forget to read replies to your own post.

week 3
9/13

21B Bingo: Finding your study buddies.
Book Choices

Quiz #1: EE p. 1-42.

Housekeeping Details:  Blue Bookmark | Grades PIN # | Online Forum | Hot Potatoes | Yellow Handbook
Reading: Utilizing the SMC Library
R/L/V + online: BODY IMAGE/OBESITY EPIDEMIC
Summary:

 

HW: 

1. Verb Tense: W.C. – Unit 1: Verb Tense, pp 3-9.
2. Re-read the list of  Book Choices , then post to Online Forum #2

3. Reading:  Read the L.A. Times article “Push for Phys Ed”. 
For full citation, see  Articles – Fall, 2004.
4. Hot Potatoes: Complete the “Push for Phys ed” vocabulary exercise.
Note: Once you log in to the Hot Potatoes exercise, you must complete it in order to get a grade.  If for some reason you cannot complete it on the first try, you should click the GIVE UP button and write a comment in the space provided telling me what happened.  Check under “results” to make sure that your grade has been recorded.

5. Read in your 21B Handbook about Summaries, pp. 16-21.

6. Online Forum #3: Summarize and respond to an article you find in either the New York Times or the LA Times on the topic of body image and the obesity epidemic. See Using the SMC Library.

7. Form your Study/Reading Group by Monday, Sept 20th.  Be prepared to tell me who will be in your group and what book you plan to read.


 

WEEK 4
9/20

1. Establish Study/Reading Groups.
2. Mini-conferences with teacher about corrected Online Forum #3.
3. Verb Tense: W.C. pp 6-8; handout exercise

4. “Preparing for In-Class Writing”; See preparation models:  “Body Image and Society: Preparing for In-Class Writing”. 

5. Visit SMC Library to troubleshoot any lingering technical difficulties.
HW:
1. Listening Practice: NPR:  Listen to part 4 of the Obesity Series from NPR.  (Of course, I recommend listening to all four parts for your own edification.)  Then, send me an email telling me that you were, indeed, able to find a way to listen.
2. Complete worksheet “Preparing for In-Class Writing”, typed.  Hand in at the beginning of class next Monday.  See preparation models:  “Body Image and Society: Preparing for In-Class Writing”. 

3. Read 21B Handbook, pp 7-15: Expository Writing.  Plan to utilize this advice when composing your essay next week.

4. Take a look at Essay Models (look at the two persuasive essays under the High School heading.)  Click on different parts of the essay to find out what makes this essay effective. (You may need to download the Shockwave Player in order to see this.)
4. EE, p. 73-124 – Verb Tense review, plus pages you’ve identified for yourself including passive voice or parallel structure.
5. W.C. Review pp. 6-8 and charts pp. 9-16

6. Correspond via email or phone with your Reading/Study Group partners.  Order books. For your reference, here are the Reading/Study  Groups as you have established them: Reading/Study Groups.
7. Bring Blue book and copies of any articles you plan to use to next week’s in-class essay.

week 5
9/27

1. Schedule individual conferences with teacher and Study Group meetings

2. Essay Model   Yellow handbook, pp 34-5.
3. Verb Tense: W.C. – Unit 1, pp. 16-21
4. Essay #1 – In-class Draft (Bring blue book, copies of all articles, and your books and your Preparation for In-class Writing.)
HW:

1. W.C. – Study passages and writing style tips, pp. 16-21. Check all exercises, chapter 1.
Group quiz next Monday: Verb Tense.
2. Read and listen to Three views on Global Warming  in preparation for the theme of our next unit: Environmental Issues.
3. Online Forum #4: Responding to Global Warming
4. Remember that next week’s “class” will have an unusual structure.  More info….
5. Optional Video Resources: (This is not an assignment; it is optional.) You can watch these exposes online to broaden your understanding of the issues of obesity and body image.  This should help you in rewriting your essay:  Diet Wars | Dying to Be Thin

 

week 6
10/4

Reading and listening online: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Schedule for today
1.Individual Conferencing 5:00-9:30 pm.
2.Reading/Study Groups meet
3.Verb Tense Group Quiz

HW:Rewrite of Essay #1 due next week: October 11th (typed, double-spaced)

week 7
10/11

Essay #1 – Revision due

1. Looking at each others’ essays: two models
2. Peer reading.
3. New Topic: Global Warming

NPR Series discussion | NPR series comprehension | global warming vocabulary |

Global warming knowledge quiz | Brainstorming Global Warming: causes, effects, solutions

HW:

1. Verb Forms: W.C. –Unit 2. Preview the unit by reading pp 28-32 and then taking the Pretest.     

2. Global Warming Reading List: This time you will prepare a little bit differently for your essay.  Last time you did your own research to find articles related to obesity.  This time, you will read/study the articles the I have chosen and explore the EPA Website. (you can check your global warming quiz answers there too!)

3. Prepare for writing Essay #2 in class next week

week 8
10/18

Essay #1 – Revision returned
Essay #2   -- In-class Draft (Bring blue book, copies of all articles, and your books.)
HW:

1. Verb Forms: W.C. –Unit 2 – Study unit and complete exercises.  Check exercises here.  (Pay special attention to Passive Voice and Verbals.): See EE Gerunds and Infinitives.
2. Study and complete exercises:
EE – Transition Words, pp 278-282 & 394-7; EE -  Passive Voice, p. 120-124.
3. Spend time reading your novel during these nice rainy days….

Congratulations: you are now halfway through the course!

 

week 9
10/25

1. Individual Conferencing 5:00-9:30 Come 15 minutes before your appointment to pick up your essay and read my comments. Essay #2 – Draft returned.
2. Reading Groups meet.  Your group should finish reading within the next two weeks, by Nov. 8th.

3. Verb Form (including Passive Voice) / Transition Words Group Quiz
HW:

1. EE: Count Nouns, pp. 149-155

2. Revise and type (double-space) Essay #2.  Due next Monday, Nov 1.

3. Read “Preparing for the Common Essay Exam” 21B Yellow Handbook, pp 45-54.

Read and annotate the article, “Smile, You’re on Candid Cellphone Camera”  Look up any words you don’t know.  Try to understand the main ideas and examples. We’ll do a “mock” Common Essay in class next week.

week 10
11/1

Essay #2 – Revision Due

1. Essay Critique: Yellow (by Yuliya) (Yellow Handbook, p. 13)hj

2. Peer Review of Essay #2

3. Group Work:  Quiz #2 | Count Nouns exercise

4. Clauses: W.C. –Unit 6 Relative Clauses pp 123-4; also, EE, pp. 187-92.  Exercise: EE p. 192.

5. Common Essay preparation: Writing a quick summary.

HW:

1. Read, annotate and print out this article from The New York Times, “For Foreign Language Learners, The Web Unties Tongues”  Be prepared to write a 15-minute  in-class summary next week. (For a review in summary writing, see the yellow handbook, pp 16-21.)

2. Clauses: W.C. –Unit 6 Relative Clauses: Read pp107-111, complete pp 123-4.

3. EE, pp 186-192. (Relative Clauses)

4. Read your novel and talk with your group members this week. Presentations in 3 weeks!

week 11
11/8

Essay #2 – Revision Returned

Correct the Clause Errors. | Clauses: W.C. – Unit 6: Adverbial Clauses: pp. 111-116

In-class 15-minute summary of The New York Times article, “For Foreign Language Learners, The Web Unties Tongues”
Common Essay Article & Memo distributed

HW:

1. Prepare for Common Essay.
2. Clauses: W.C.—Unit 6 Adverbial Clauses: Read pp. 111-116.  Complete exercises, Part B (Exercises on
Adverbial Clauses) p 124-5.
3. EE, pp. 42-45.
4. Finish reading your novel. 

week 12
11/15

Oral Presentation Guidelines – Be prepared for next week.

COMMON ESSAY (Essay #3)
HW:

1. Check answers to W.C. Unit Six: Adverbial Clause exercises.
2. Prepare Group Presentation for next Monday.

week 13
11/22

Group Oral Presentations

HW:

1. WC Unit Six: Noun Clauses.  Read and study pp 116-122.
2. Clauses: W.C.—Unit 6 Adverbial Clauses: Read pp. 111-116.  Complete exercises, Part B (Exercises on
Adverbial Clauses) p 124-5.
3. EE, pp. 42-45.

4. Online Forum #5 Due Sunday, Nov 28th.

week 14
11/29

W.C. – Unit 6: Noun Clauses

Common Essay Errors | Common Essay Errors answers
Final Writing/Reading Topic introduced

Return of Common Essay

If you received a weak but passing grade on the Common Essay, consider ESL 25

HW:
1. Read and annotate the New York Times article“Indiana Student Essays Being Graded by Computers.”

2. Download,  read, and annotate article “Computers Weigh In”.  ”

3.  Prepare for in-class discussion next week.

4. W.C. – Unit 6: Complete Exercises in Part C and Part D. Check answers to all clause exercises. Clause Quiz next week will be based exclusively on exercises from Unit 6.

week 15
12/6

1. Clauses Quiz
2. Writing Final Topic discussed. 

3. Worksheet 1 | Worksheet 2

4. Artificial Grader article.

HW:
1. Read and annotate “Artificial Grader”

2. Online Forum #6.

3. Bring all 3 articles on computerized grading to class next week.

4. Bring blue book to class next week for your final in-class essay.

5. We will take the Practice Grammar Final Exam next week which will cover Verb Tense, Verb Form, and Clauses.

week 16
12/13

 

Practice Grammar Final Exam will cover Writing Clearly topics from units 1,2,and 6.

Final Exam: Essay #4 in-class

 

week 17
Finals:

12/20

Final Exam: Grammar (Writing Clearly topics from units 1,2, and 6)

 

I’ll leave your graded final essays in a box outside my office door.  Please pick them up by January 6th, 2005.
I will post your final grades in the usual location on or before Dec. 29th

NO HOMEWORK!  Have a happy and safe New Year…

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
  Always check the online version for the most up-to-date assignments