English 093 Composition for Non-Native Speakers Winter 2013

Tuesday, Thursday 12:30 – 2:40 R 209 Item #: 1050 Section: F

Instructor: Nancy Eichner

Office: R 230 Office Hours: By appointment (best Monday and Wednesday at 12:30)

Phone: (425) 564-2090 (message only) Email: neichner@bellevuecollege.edu

Writing Lab (computers and tutors): D 204

Reading Lab (independent reading practice on computers): D 204

FEB. 4: $1000 DEEP ECONOMY SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST ENTRY DUE DATE

Course Goals

To understand college-level reading materials.

To write effective essays.

To write using correct grammar and punctuation.

Required Books and Materials

NOTE: BUY ONLY BOOKS WITH THE EXACT ISBN NUMBERS BELOW !!!!!

· The Impossible Will Take A Little While, editor Paul Rogat Loeb, ISBN: 9780465041664

· Understanding and Using English Grammar: Chartbook, by Azar, ISBN: 9780132052108

· Understanding and Using English Grammar: Workbook, by Azar, ISBN: 9780132415439

· Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben, ISBN: 9780805087222

· A collegiate dictionary (must have the word “college” or “collegiate” in the title)

BRING DICTIONARIES TO CLASS EVERY DAY!!!

· A collegiate translation dictionary (your first language/English) BRING TO CLASS DAILY!

· A soft folder with three fasteners (not rings) for your Portfolio at the end of the quarter

Course Description

This course is designed as a workshop class to help you improve your writing skills. You will have the opportunity to write, revise, and edit all of your essays before they are graded. You will have the opportunity to receive feedback from your peers in writing workshops, as well as from me in conferences.

We will read and discuss published essays to use as models of effective writing.

Grading

· Three 500-650 word essays (approximately 3 pages each)

· Successful completion of all assigned work (grammar, writing, reading, vocabulary).

· Writing and editing homework AND corrected draft based on my corrections (due two days after I hand back my corrections)

· Regular class attendance and constructie participation in workshops and class discussions.

· Grammar tests if deemed necessary

Save all of your work, especially any paper I have corrected or on which I have given feedback.

Your skills must be at English 101 level at the end of the quarter in order to pass into English 101. That means, even if you complete all the assignments, if your skills will not allow you to be successful in English 101, I will be forced to give you a D (a C- gets you into English 101). So, please participate very actively in your learning. ASK if you need me to explain something, even if I have explained it before, or tell me if you need more practice with a specific point of grammar or writing.

BE ENGAGED AND ACTIVE IN YOUR OWN LEARNING.

Due Dates

You will be expected to hand in your assignments on time, that is, in class on the dates they are due.

When I give you a reading assignment, you must finish the reading and any accompanying work before class on the day it is due. When I give you a writing assignment, you must complete the writing before class on the day it is due (unless I tell you otherwise).

Keeping track of the due dates is your responsibility.

If you miss class, remember to phone a classmate to ask if any assignments were given or changes made while you were gone. It is best to get the phone number of two reliable classmates. Remember: It is your responsibility to find out what you miss when you are absent.

Attendance

If you miss more than 10 hours (over 20%), I will ask you to repeat the course another quarter. Please feel free to speak with me if you are having problems with attendance.

I will start class on time. If you are late, you will be counted absent. Please speak to me about any kind of special problems regarding lateness.

Ethics

Your papers must present your own ideas in your own words. If you copy someone’s

exact words, you must put them in quotation marks and reference the source. If you summarize or quote someone else’s ideas, fact, or words, you must say where the information came from. If you do not do this, you will be considered unethical—a plagiarizer (an idea thief).

Saying where ideas and words come from is called “citing your sources.” I will teach you the basic conventions for citing your sources now, and you will learn more about these conventions as you take higher-level courses.

I will not accept an essay you have copied from someone else or an essay in which you present someone else’s ideas or words as your own.

Format for All Written Work

1. Type: Please word process (use a computer to type) all papers

2. Label: Please put a label in the upper left-hand corner of all assignments (called the MLA label). Write the following information on the first page (5 lines):

Your First and Last Name

Class Name, Time

Instructor: Nancy Eichner

Kind of Assignment (for example, ESSAY 1, First Draft; or, Response to

Ackerman's "A Slender Thread" in Impossible, p. 22)

Date

· On the second page and all ensuing pages, put the following label in the upper right-

hand corner:

Last Name Page Number [Example: Tran 2]

3. Staple: Staple all your papers together BEFORE you get to class. I will not accept unstapled

work.

4. Title: Give each essay a title. Center the title. Capitalize the first letter of the first

word and all important words. Do not use any punctuation—no bold print; no quotation marks; no underline. Leave two spaces (just double space like the rest of the paper) between the title and the first line of the essay.

5. Margins: Leave margins of about 1 ½ inches on the sides and at the top and bottom. Most computer word processors do this automatically when they print, even if the margins don’t show on the screen.

6. Font and Size: Use a clear font (Arial, for example) and size 12 print.

7. Spell Checker: Use the spell-checker to help check your spelling. However, don’t rely on the spell-checker to find all your mistakes. Proofread OUT LOUD all your writing.

8. Grammar Checker: Do not use the grammar checker on a computer. It is often wrong.

9. Paragraphs: Indent (use the TAB key) all of your paragraphs.

10. Last-Minute Corrections: If you need to make minor changes after you have printed your work, make them neatly by hand. Use dark ink, not pencil.

ABOUT THE

ESSAYS

At the end of the quarter, you will submit two essays in your Portfolio. I will give you a grade on your first essay during the quarter after you have discussed it with me in conference and gone through all the steps of the Writing Process.

You should be working all quarter on improving your essays. You will have the opportunity to receive feedback and help from your writing workshop group during class. Also during class, I will work with you in individual conferences.

Please use the tutors at the Writing Lab for additional assistance:

Room D204 (Academic Success Center). It is a good idea to make an appointment; 25-minute sessions (approximately) are the norm.

The Writing Process

PREWRITING is the first step in the writing process. You gather as many ideas as possible using whatever method of brainstorming works best for you. Also, when writing a research paper (for example, in English 201), research is also part of the prewriting phase.

ORGANIZING is the next step in the writing process. Put your ideas in logical order and make connections between all ideas clear. Your writing should flow easily and make sense to your readers because you present your ideas logically. You may use any organizational method that works well for you. Many people make an outline to organize their essays

The FIRST DRAFT of an essay is to be written as well as you can, but without worrying about grammar corrections. You will read your first draft out loud two times to your writing workshop group. Your classmates will give you feedback on the content (NOT the grammar) of your writing. What was interesting, touching, pleasing, important? What was NOT clear? Where would you need some more examples or information? What was confusing? What was effective, and why? What was not effective, and why?

The REVISED DRAFT of an essay is an improved version of its contents. Consider the feedback your workshop group and I have given you; use your own imagination and rethinking of your ideas to help you improve the writing. This is also the stage of the writing process in which you work on correct word usage and enrichment of your written expression.

The EDITED DRAFT is written when you are satisfied with the content of the essay and want to correct the mechanical language problems, such as sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. Try to find your mistakes yourself on your final revised draft. Then, bring it to your workshop group and ask for editing feedback. Work together to find and correct mistakes. Ask me for help in class when necessary. The edited draft should, then, be the draft you present for grading in your Portfolio. It is the final draft of an essay.

Note: Bring 3 copies of a draft on WRITING WORKSHOP days. The members of your writing group need to be able to read along as you read your essay out loud.

If members of your group are not working seriously enough to satisfy your needs, change groups! It is your responsibility to get as much as possible from the feedback opportunities offered you in this class. If you need help in joining a new group, come see me.

Essay Format

LABEL:

Each draft of your essay MUST have a label in the upper left hand corner of the first page:

First and Last Name

English 093, TIME

Instructor: N. Eichner

Essay #____: FIRST DRAFT

(or—Revised Draft

or—Edited Draft)

Date

***Ensuing pages get a label in the upper right corner: Last Name Page # (Example: Tran 2)

TYPE, MARGINS, FONT, SIZE:

· Type

· Double space.

· Margins: about 1 ½ inches all around. (Usually the default margins on a computer are about this size.)

· Size 12 print.

· Clear print style, such as Arial or New Times Roman.

TITLE:

An essay or a story always has a title.

· Center it above the first line.

· Double space between the title and the first line of your essay (in other words, the spacing is the same as the rest of the paper).

· Capitalization: Only the first letter of the first word and all the first letters of all important words of a title are capitalized.

DO NOT

· write the title in all capital letters.

· underline the title.

· use bold print.

· use quotation marks to set off the title.

ABOUT THE GRAMMAR EXERCISES

A. Using the grammar books:

Step 1—Open the Workbook to the assigned chapter. Next to each exercise (called “Practice”), in parentheses, you will see the number of the charts you must consult before you do the exercise.

Step 2—Open the Chartbook to the appropriate chart and carefully read the examples and explanations. KEEP THE CHARTBOOK OPEN !

Step 3—Do the practice in the Workbook. Keep consulting the Chartbook while you are attempting the practice.

Step 4—Check your answers at the back of the Workbook. Put an X next to whatever you get wrong. ASK ME ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS IN CLASS. We will concentrate on what you do NOT understand in class, not what is already clear to you.

B. Homework writing, editing, and correcting:

Occasionally, I will give you a homework writing and editing exercise. At home, do the writing. Then, using your grammar book and dictionary, EDIT the language errors—grammar, punctuation, word usage, spelling.

DOUBLE SPACE this exercise!!!!

Print out the paper and give it to me in class. I will take this home and correct at least one paragraph’s worth of whatever language errors you have missed.

ASK ME about whatever is not clear about the corrections. This is a very important learning opportunity I offer, one which students usually find very helpful. Therefore, be sure to ask me questions about corrections for which you do not understand the reason.

At home, using my corrections, retype ONLY the section I have edited for you. Print out ONLY this section. Give it to me in class.

This CORRECTED DRAFT is due two days after I edit your paper.

The 4^th line of the MLA label should say this:

Homework writing and editing—(assignment designation), Corrected Draft

ABOUT THE

PORTFOLIO

You will give me a portfolio of your writing to be graded at the end of the quarter. A portfolio is a collection of your best work presented in a formal way.

Here are the requirements for your portfolio presentation:

1. Use a soft folder with three fasteners.

Please, do not put your writing in plastic.

Please, do not use a binder with metal rings, or a folder with a compression strip (they fall apart too easily).

2. On the cover, print:

Writing Portfolio

Student: First and Last Name

English 093, Time

Instructor: Nancy Eichner

Date

3. Make the portfolio easy for me to read through.

· Put a divider with a labeled tab in front of each essay.

· Make the first page a Table of Contents, giving the titles of your essays in the order you present them.

4. Order of the essays:

Essay 3—put in the edited draft only

Essay 1, Essay 2—put in the graded drafts

Last homework writing and editing assignment—corrected draft

DUE DATES

ESSAY DRAFTS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, EXAMS

NOTE: Writing Lab (D204)—free tutors! Use them OFTEN.

Essay 1

First Draft Thur., Jan. 17 Give Nancy a copy.

Tue., Jan. 22 Workshops and Conferences (Bring 3 copies.)

Grammar in groups when workshop is finished.

Revised Draft Thur., Jan. 24 Give Nancy a copy.

Tue., Jan. 29 Error Analysis & Editing Workshop

Edited Draft Thur., Jan. 31 DUE for grading (at the beginning of class)

Essay 2

First Draft Thur., Feb. 7 Give Nancy a copy.

Tue., Feb. 12 Workshops and Conferences (Bring 3 copies.)

Grammar in groups when workshop is finished.

Revised Draft Thur., Feb. 14 Give Nancy a copy.

Tue., Feb. 19 Error Analysis & Editing Workshop

Edited Draft Thur., Feb. 21 DUE for grading (at the beginning of class).

Essay 3

First Draft Thur., Feb. 28 Workshops (Bring 3 copies.)

Revised Draft Thur., Mar. 7 Editing Workshop

Edited Draft Tue., Mar. 12 DUE for grading in your Portfolio.

Portfolio Tue., Mar. 12 DUE at the beginning of class. Contains the

graded drafts of Essay 1 and Essay 2 and the ungraded edited draft of Essay 3.

Grammar Test (maybe) Tue., Mar. 12

Portfolio Thur., Mar. 14 Returned with grades

And Last day of class

Grammar Test

ENGLISH 092

READINGS

AND

ACCOMPANYING ASSIGNMENTS

We will read the following essays from the book The Impossible Will Take a Little While, by Paul Rogat Loeb, in the order below. Please type the assignments that go with each reading. The schedule might change, especially if the class needs more time to evaluate a particular reading, so please pay attention in class to assignment changes. All summaries are one paragraph.

ESSAY READINGS

Week 2

John Lewis: “Walking With the Wind”

1. Summary of the personal narrative portion

2. Interpretation of the metaphor’s meaning

Week 3

Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

1. List of illustrations of the pain of being a victim of racism

2. Thesis

3. Arguments to support the thesis

Week 5

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Excerpt from “Beyond Vietnam” (handout)

1. Explanation of the “revolution of values”

2. Response

Week 6

Nelson Mandela: “The Dark Years”

1. Rhetorical Triangle

2. One word that explains what all the stories illustrate

Week 7

Howard Zinn: “The Optimism of Uncertainty”

1. Rhetorical Triangle

2. Your impression of Zinn (Base your ideas ONLY on your reaction to reading his essay.)

Week 9

Marian Wright Edelman: “Standing Up for Children”

1. Rhetorical Triangle

2. List of statistics to support the author’s argument

AND

Henri Nouwen: “Fragile and Hidden”

1. Your evaluation of whether or not the essay is effective

2. Main idea and SUPPORT for it

ONGOING ASSIGNMENT

Bill McKibben: Deep Economy: All assignments are due on Thursday of numbered week.

Each chapter is an argument essay. For each chapter, write the thesis of the argument (one sentence in your own words) and the main supporting arguments (each is one sentence in your own words).

In a separate section, write your reaction to specific details you find significant. Does McKibben convince you?

Week 2: Introduction