ENG 090-Instructor

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                           ENG 090: Basic Composition

Instructor Syllabus

15 WEEK COURSE

WEEK 1:

1.       Introduction to class: Hand out syllabus; check placement (prerequisites/scores—Completion of ENG 060 or a 70 or better on CPTE); explain requirements, evaluation procedure, and attendance policy.

2.       Have the students do a diagnostic writing sample. You may suggest topics or have students choose one of their own. To get students started on their first example essay, you might have them start writing a scholarship essay, explaining how their past experiences, current activities, and future goals make them a good candidate for a scholarship. Correct and return the diagnostic writing to the students so that they may see strengths and weaknesses. Keep a copy to help you assess students’ progress through the semester.

3.       Since students are required to type their compositions, you may want the students to receive a workshop on word processing. They may use their diagnostic paragraphs to practice word processing. Make an appointment with the director of the Learning Center. The lab assistants at the Learning Center will provide the workshop.

4.       Begin Part One in Steps To Writing Well, "The Basics of the Short Essay" (Chapter 1 "Prewriting," pages 3-29. Because this is not a research class, material for the essays should come from the students' own knowledge and experiences. Have students practice using some of the prewriting methods described in this chapter. Have them apply several of the methods to two or three main points for their scholarship essay.

WEEK 2:

1.       Chapter 2 "The Thesis Statement," pages 31-45 in Steps to Writing Well. This is a thorough discussion of thesis statements. You might have the students write a few possible thesis statements for the scholarship essay.

2.      Chapter 3 "The Body Paragraphs," pages 47-78 in Steps to Writing Well:

This chapter covers paragraph development. The instructor may wish to assign all or parts of this material. There is also a discussion on outlining in this section. Students may choose the type of outline that best suits their purpose: levels of generality, informal outline, or conventional (topic or sentence).

3.       Chapter 4, "Beginnings and Endings," pages 79-88 in Steps to Writing Well. The instructor may discuss his/her own guidelines for the format of the papers. Students should be urged to type their essays if at all possible and reminded that they have access to computers in the Learning Center. Steps to Writing Well discusses twelve ways of writing an effective lead-in and seven ways of writing a good concluding paragraph. If you had students writing thesis statements and essay maps, you may want students to use them and practice using different methods of writing their introductory and concluding paragraphs. After evaluating and commenting on these paragraphs, have students choose their most effective introduction and conclusion and use these two paragraphs in their essay.

4.       Chapter 9, "Strategy One: Development by Example": Have students discuss topics and the model essays. Students might write a formal example paragraph first and then expand it into an essay to help them make the transition into the formal essay. This first example essay should be a scholarship essay to emphasize the practicality and real life application of writing and the importance of a specific audience and purpose. Typical of scholarship essays is writing about an experience that is important, about current activities and interests--leadership, community service, etc.-- and future goals. These points could constitute the body paragraphs of the essay.

5.       Hand out and go over the rubric for the example essay.

WEEK 3:

1.       Have students continue working on their example essay.

2.       The Bedford Handbook (Sections 19 and 20): Work on Unit 1

This unit covers structural errors considered "very serious" in some studies. This unit also focuses on punctuation as part of sentence revision. Although punctuation is treated as a separate unit, students should be held accountable from the start of the course for the most common punctuation rules

·         Identifying common types of fragments (clauses, phrases, split compounds) Bedford section 19

·         Revising and correctly punctuating fragments, using clauses and phrases

·         Identifying fused sentences (run-on) and comma splices, Bedford, section 20

·         Revising fused sentences and comma splices through coordination

·         Revising fused sentences and comma splices, using a semicolon or period to separate independent ideas

·         Revising fused sentences and comma splices using transitional phrases

·         Revising fused sentences and comma splices through subordination

(Also, refer to chapter 19 in Steps to Writing Well.)

3.       Test over Unit 1. You may allow students to retest once to improve grades.

*          You may want to consider open-book tests on all or some unit tests to familiarize students with their handbooks.

The Learning Center has software available created for the Bedford Handbook. The instructor should encourage students to take advantage of this resource should they require additional practice in any of the objectives. Also, the Learning Center has English tutors available at certain times and instructors who have volunteered their time to help students.

*          The instructor should not feel limited to the exercises offered in The Bedford Handbook. Instructors may use publisher's software and workbooks, create transparencies, or provide worksheets; however, material should, for the most part, be meaningful (editing, revision, sentence combining, cooperative-type exercises), not mechanical (solely grammatical classification).

WEEK 4:

1.      ESSAY #1 DUE: Development by Examples

Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions.

2.      The Bedford Handbook (Sections 21-23): Work on Unit 2.

Instructor should decide on the depth or level he/she feels is necessary to teach the material. Since each unit test tries to focus mainly on the most common types of errors, the instructor may need to create his/her own tests or supplement existing tests.

·         Correcting errors in subject-verb agreement, Bedford, section 21

·         Identifying and revising errors in pronoun-antecedent agreement (Shift in Number), Bedford, section 22

·         Identifying and revising faulty pronoun references (Vague, ambiguous, broad, implied), Bedford, section 23

(Also, refer to chapter 19 in Steps to Writing Well.)

3.       Test over Unit 2. You may allow students to retest once to improve grades.

WEEK 5-7:

1.       Chapter 5, "Drafting and Revising," pages 89-114 in Steps to Writing Well.

Cover as many of the principles in this chapter as you feel necessary. You may come back to this unit at a later time during the course. Many of the concepts covered in this chapter can be reinforced through peer review.

2.       Chapter 9, "Process Analysis," pages 193-211 in Steps to Writing Well. Additional examples are on pages 537-543. Students will write their process analysis essay in class on Week 7 as their midterm exam.

3.       Hand out rubrics for the process essay.

WEEK 7:

1.      Mid-Term Writing Assignment-ESSAY #2: The students will write an in-class process essay as a midterm exam. The students may bring to class an outline, including thesis and topic sentences, a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or a grammar handbook. Instructors should explain that evaluations of essays will become more exacting as students get more practice writing. However, some allowances can be made for the time and pressure constraints of in-class writing.

In 50 minute classes, sufficient writing time may be a problem, so you may request that students bring in their introductory and concluding paragraphs already prepared. However, in classes of longer duration, advance preparation may not be necessary.

2.      The Bedford Handbook (Sections 12 and 13): Unit 3.

·         Recognizing and revising misplaced modifiers, Bedford section 12

·         Recognizing and revising dangling modifiers   Bedford , section 12

·         Identifying and revising shifts in person, tense, number, voice, and mood   Bedford, section 13

WEEK 8-9:

1.      Continue Unit 3 material, The Bedford Handbook.

·         Test over Unit 3.

2.       Chapter 6, "Effective Sentences," pages 121-148 in Steps to Writing Well. This chapter discusses developing a clear and concise style.

3.       Chapter 9, "Strategy Three: Development by Comparison and Contrast," pages 211-232 and Chapter 23 in Steps to Writing Well. ESSAY #3 due week 9.

4.       Hand out and go over rubric for comparison/contrast essay

WEEK 9-10:

1.      ESSAY #3 DUE: COMPARISON & CONTRAST

Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft.

2.      Chapter 9, "Strategy Five: Development by Division and Classification," pages 245-258 and Chapter 26. ESSAY #4 due Week 11.

3.      Hand out and go over rubric for division and classification.

WEEK 11-12:

1.      ESSAY #4 DUE: DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION

Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft.

2.      Chapters 9, "Causal Analysis," pages 259-272 in Steps to Writing Well. The instructor may choose any of the essays in this section and Chapter 27 for reading and discussion.

3.      Hand out and go over rubric for causal analysis essay

4.      Writing Assignment: The students will write an essay developed through cause or effect of approximately 500-800 words. This assignment is due Week 14.



5.      The Bedford Handbook (Section 32-36): Work on Unit 4. This unit reviews and broadens previous punctuation rules as well as introduces new rules.

·         Applying additional rules in the use of the comma, Bedford, sections 32-33

·         Practicing additional uses of the semicolon, Bedford, section 34

·         Using the colon correctly, Bedford, section 35

·         Using the apostrophe correctly, Bedford, section 36

6.      Test over Unit 4.

7.      The Bedford Handbook: Work on Unit 5

Unit 5 focuses on style, clarity, and economy through sentence variety. Instructor should encourage students to evaluate their own writing style and to vary their sentences in their own writings to reflect an effective and mature writing style. Punctuation is also a focus in this unit. Integrate the new punctuation rules with previous rules to reinforce all concepts.

·         Writing a variety of sentences: Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-complex, Bedford, section 62.

·         Balancing parallel ideas, Bedford, section 9.

·         Providing sentence variety, Bedford, section 15

8.      Test over Unit 5

WEEK 13-14:

1.      ESSAY #5 DUE: CASUAL ANALYSIS

Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft.

2.      The Bedford Handbook: Work on Enrichment Units.

Enrichment Units are optional. You may have already incorporated some of these skills into previous grammar units. Consider semester time and student need when deciding to create additional units.

·         Using the correct pronoun case, Bedford, section 24

·         Choosing the correct adjective and adverb forms, Bedford, section 26

·         Choosing standard English verbs, Bedford, section 27

·         Editing for wordiness, Bedford, section 16

·         Editing for sexist, offensive, or inappropriate language, Bedford, section 17

·         Finding the exact words, Bedford, section 18

·         Recognizing and untangling mixed constructions, Bedford, section 11

3.      Test over Unit 6 (Enrichment)

4.      Review of essay structure, coherence, and grammar as needed.

WEEK 15:

You should have received the departmental final topics by now. If not, please contact the department chair.

GRAMMAR FINAL:

Students will take a comprehensive grammar test OR final unit test.

WRITING FINAL (Essay #6):

Departmental Final: Be sure to keep a copy of the final to turn in to the English Department for assessment purposes.

	ENG 090: Basic Composition Instructor Syllabus 15 WEEK COURSE
WEEK 1:	1. Introduction to class: Hand out syllabus; check placement (prerequisites/scores—Completion of ENG 060 or a 70 or better on CPTE); explain requirements, evaluation procedure, and attendance policy. 2. Have the students do a diagnostic writing sample. You may suggest topics or have students choose one of their own. To get students started on their first example essay, you might have them start writing a scholarship essay, explaining how their past experiences, current activities, and future goals make them a good candidate for a scholarship. Correct and return the diagnostic writing to the students so that they may see strengths and weaknesses. Keep a copy to help you assess students’ progress through the semester. 3. Since students are required to type their compositions, you may want the students to receive a workshop on word processing. They may use their diagnostic paragraphs to practice word processing. Make an appointment with the director of the Learning Center. The lab assistants at the Learning Center will provide the workshop. 4. Begin Part One in *Steps To Writing Well*, "The Basics of the Short Essay" (Chapter 1 "Prewriting," pages 3-29. Because this is not a research class, material for the essays should come from the students' own knowledge and experiences. Have students practice using some of the prewriting methods described in this chapter. Have them apply several of the methods to two or three main points for their scholarship essay.
WEEK 2:	1. *Chapter 2 "The Thesis Statement," pages 31-45 in Steps to Writing Well.* This is a thorough discussion of thesis statements. You might have the students write a few possible thesis statements for the scholarship essay. *2. Chapter 3 "The Body Paragraphs," pages 47-78 in Steps to Writing Well:* This chapter covers paragraph development. The instructor may wish to assign all or parts of this material. There is also a discussion on outlining in this section. Students may choose the type of outline that best suits their purpose: levels of generality, informal outline, or conventional (topic or sentence). 3. Chapter 4, "Beginnings and Endings," pages 79-88 in Steps to Writing Well. The instructor may discuss his/her own guidelines for the format of the papers. Students should be urged to type their essays if at all possible and reminded that they have access to computers in the Learning Center. Steps to Writing Well discusses twelve ways of writing an effective lead-in and seven ways of writing a good concluding paragraph. If you had students writing thesis statements and essay maps, you may want students to use them and practice using different methods of writing their introductory and concluding paragraphs. After evaluating and commenting on these paragraphs, have students choose their most effective introduction and conclusion and use these two paragraphs in their essay. 4. Chapter 9, "Strategy One: Development by Example": Have students discuss topics and the model essays. Students might write a formal example paragraph first and then expand it into an essay to help them make the transition into the formal essay. This first example essay should be a scholarship essay to emphasize the practicality and real life application of writing and the importance of a specific audience and purpose. Typical of scholarship essays is writing about an experience that is important, about current activities and interests--leadership, community service, etc.-- and future goals. These points could constitute the body paragraphs of the essay. 5. Hand out and go over the rubric for the example essay.
WEEK 3:	1. Have students continue working on their example essay. 2. The Bedford Handbook (Sections 19 and 20): Work on Unit 1 This unit covers structural errors considered "very serious" in some studies. This unit also focuses on punctuation as part of sentence revision. Although punctuation is treated as a separate unit, students should be held accountable from the start of the course for the most common punctuation rules · Identifying common types of fragments (clauses, phrases, split compounds) Bedford section 19 · Revising and correctly punctuating fragments, using clauses and phrases · Identifying fused sentences (run-on) and comma splices, Bedford, section 20 · Revising fused sentences and comma splices through coordination · Revising fused sentences and comma splices, using a semicolon or period to separate independent ideas · Revising fused sentences and comma splices using transitional phrases · Revising fused sentences and comma splices through subordination (Also, refer to chapter 19 in Steps to Writing Well.) 3. Test over Unit 1. You may allow students to retest once to improve grades. * You may want to consider open-book tests on all or some unit tests to familiarize students with their handbooks. The Learning Center has software available created for the Bedford Handbook. The instructor should encourage students to take advantage of this resource should they require additional practice in any of the objectives. Also, the Learning Center has English tutors available at certain times and instructors who have volunteered their time to help students. * The instructor should not feel limited to the exercises offered in The Bedford Handbook. Instructors may use publisher's software and workbooks, create transparencies, or provide worksheets; however, material should, for the most part, be meaningful (editing, revision, sentence combining, cooperative-type exercises), not mechanical (solely grammatical classification).
WEEK 4:	1. ESSAY #1 DUE: Development by Examples Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. 2. The Bedford Handbook (Sections 21-23): Work on Unit 2. Instructor should decide on the depth or level he/she feels is necessary to teach the material. Since each unit test tries to focus mainly on the most common types of errors, the instructor may need to create his/her own tests or supplement existing tests. · Correcting errors in subject-verb agreement, Bedford, section 21 · Identifying and revising errors in pronoun-antecedent agreement (Shift in Number), Bedford, section 22 · Identifying and revising faulty pronoun references (Vague, ambiguous, broad, implied), Bedford, section 23 (Also, refer to chapter 19 in Steps to Writing Well.) 3. Test over Unit 2. You may allow students to retest once to improve grades.
WEEK 5-7:	1. Chapter 5, "Drafting and Revising," pages 89-114 in Steps to Writing Well. Cover as many of the principles in this chapter as you feel necessary. You may come back to this unit at a later time during the course. Many of the concepts covered in this chapter can be reinforced through peer review. 2. Chapter 9, "Process Analysis," pages 193-211 in Steps to Writing Well. Additional examples are on pages 537-543. Students will write their process analysis essay in class on Week 7 as their midterm exam. 3. Hand out rubrics for the process essay.
WEEK 7:	1. Mid-Term Writing Assignment-ESSAY #2: The students will write an in-class process essay as a midterm exam. The students may bring to class an outline, including thesis and topic sentences, a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or a grammar handbook. Instructors should explain that evaluations of essays will become more exacting as students get more practice writing. However, some allowances can be made for the time and pressure constraints of in-class writing. In 50 minute classes, sufficient writing time may be a problem, so you may request that students bring in their introductory and concluding paragraphs already prepared. However, in classes of longer duration, advance preparation may not be necessary. 2. The Bedford Handbook (Sections 12 and 13): Unit 3. · Recognizing and revising misplaced modifiers, Bedford section 12 · Recognizing and revising dangling modifiers Bedford , section 12 · Identifying and revising shifts in person, tense, number, voice, and mood Bedford, section 13
WEEK 8-9:	*1. Continue Unit 3 material, The Bedford Handbook.* · Test over Unit 3. 2. Chapter 6, "Effective Sentences," pages 121-148 in Steps to Writing Well. This chapter discusses developing a clear and concise style. 3. Chapter 9, "Strategy Three: Development by Comparison and Contrast," pages 211-232 and Chapter 23 in Steps to Writing Well. ESSAY #3 due week 9. 4. Hand out and go over rubric for comparison/contrast essay
WEEK 9-10:	1. ESSAY #3 DUE: COMPARISON & CONTRAST Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft. 2. Chapter 9, "Strategy Five: Development by Division and Classification," pages 245-258 and Chapter 26. ESSAY #4 due Week 11. 3. Hand out and go over rubric for division and classification.
WEEK 11-12:	1. ESSAY #4 DUE: DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft. 2. Chapters 9, "Causal Analysis," pages 259-272 in Steps to Writing Well. The instructor may choose any of the essays in this section and Chapter 27 for reading and discussion. 3. Hand out and go over rubric for causal analysis essay 4. Writing Assignment: The students will write an essay developed through cause or effect of approximately 500-800 words. This assignment is due Week 14. 5. The Bedford Handbook (Section 32-36): Work on Unit 4. This unit reviews and broadens previous punctuation rules as well as introduces new rules. · Applying additional rules in the use of the comma, Bedford, sections 32-33 · Practicing additional uses of the semicolon, Bedford, section 34 · Using the colon correctly, Bedford, section 35 · Using the apostrophe correctly, Bedford, section 36 6. Test over Unit 4. *7. The Bedford Handbook: Work on Unit 5* Unit 5 focuses on style, clarity, and economy through sentence variety. Instructor should encourage students to evaluate their own writing style and to vary their sentences in their own writings to reflect an effective and mature writing style. Punctuation is also a focus in this unit. Integrate the new punctuation rules with previous rules to reinforce all concepts. · Writing a variety of sentences: Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-complex, Bedford, section 62. · Balancing parallel ideas, Bedford, section 9. · Providing sentence variety, Bedford, section 15 8. Test over Unit 5
WEEK 13-14:	1. ESSAY #5 DUE: CASUAL ANALYSIS Have Students share their compositions through either peer review or any other cooperative activity that will lead the students to edit their compositions. You may allow an extra day(s) for students to submit a new draft. 2. The Bedford Handbook: Work on Enrichment Units. *Enrichment Units are optional*. You may have already incorporated some of these skills into previous grammar units. Consider semester time and student need when deciding to create additional units. · Using the correct pronoun case, Bedford, section 24 · Choosing the correct adjective and adverb forms, Bedford, section 26 · Choosing standard English verbs, Bedford, section 27 · Editing for wordiness, Bedford, section 16 · Editing for sexist, offensive, or inappropriate language, Bedford, section 17 · Finding the exact words, Bedford, section 18 · Recognizing and untangling mixed constructions, Bedford, section 11 3. Test over Unit 6 (Enrichment) 4. Review of essay structure, coherence, and grammar as needed.
WEEK 15:	You should have received the departmental final topics by now. If not, please contact the department chair. GRAMMAR FINAL: Students will take a comprehensive grammar test OR final unit test. WRITING FINAL (Essay #6): Departmental Final: Be sure to keep a copy of the final to turn in to the English Department for assessment purposes.