ENG 121-Instructor

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INSTRUCTOR SYLLABUS

ENG 121: English Composition I
15 WEEKS

Week 1

1.      Prerequisite: Check that each student has the prerequisite for taking the class (95 on the assessment test or completion with a “C” or better of ENG 090).

2.      Syllabus: Go over the syllabus carefully, explaining course goals, classroom procedures, course requirements, etc. Be sure to emphasize the attendance policy and the definition and consequences of plagiarism. If you have additional handouts on your grading system, guidelines for success, etc., hand these out as well. Remind students that they are responsible for their own learning and thus must take an active role in the class.

3.      Texts: Provide an overview of the purpose, content, and format of The Bedford Handbook and Readings for Writers. Indicate the specific chapters to be covered in both texts. Note the “How to Use This Book and Its Web Site” section in Bedford (xxv-xxxiv).

4.   Folder: Remind students to purchase a pocket folder if they don't already have one from a previous writing class. This is for their PCC Writing Portfolio to keep a collection of their writing as they progress through their English classes.

5.      Student information: You might have students fill out an index card with their major, course load, workload, and other responsibilities to get an overview of the students’ commitments.

6.      Icebreaker: To encourage a comfortable and familiar classroom environment, you might have students pair up and have them discover something in common with a classmate. Have students introduce each other.

7.      Diagnostic writing: During the second meeting of the class, have students write for a half hour or so on a topic such as an accomplishment that they are particularly proud of or the major roles that they play in their lives. Use this writing to assess the skill levels and needs of each student. Return the writing with comments and suggestions for areas of weakness and sections of Bedford in which they might work. Be sure to keep a copy to monitor each student’s progress.

8.      Review: Go over the basic structure of the essay (introduction, body paragraphs with topic sentences and conclusion). You might also point out the most basic and problematic errors that students should be proofreading for (fragments, run-ons, pronoun reference, etc.)

9.      Assignments:   Discuss with students their attitudes about and individual approaches to writing as well as some of the myths and misperceptions that they may have about writing. Emphasize purpose and audience as well as the skills of reading carefully (annotating, summarizing, taking notes, etc.)

Note: As long as you teach all of the required essays for the course, you can change the order that you teach the essays. Some instructors have found that teaching the two argument essays in the middle of the course as the 2nd and 3rd essays works well so that students are not so overloaded with research at the end of the course.

Week 2

1.      Essay #1, Explanation Essay. A schedule of due dates for this paper will help students keep up with assignments. Students may want to focus on a concept from a class that they are taking to help them understand the concept better and rehearse explaining it to someone unfamiliar with it OR students might write about a specific role that they play and how it defines them and enhances their lives.

2.      Assign Part I, The Writing Process, in The Bedford Handbook. Make sure that students understand the essay structure with the lead in, thesis statements, body paragraphs, and conclusion. .

3.      Topics: Have students submit their topic choices in writing for you to approve.

4.      Focus: Require students to use at least three different types of development (narrative, process, comparison/contrast, classification, definition, etc.) to review methods of organization that were taught in ENG 090.

5.      Reading: Assign one or several of the explanation essays in Readings for Writers. Also, assign “Writing about texts,” Part IX of Bedford.

6.      Grammar and punctuation: You might begin each class with a 5- or 10-minute review and practice of a particular grammar/punctuation point. Remind students that often their papers’ grades are lowered by mechanical errors.

Week 3

1.      Rubrics: Hand out the grading rubrics so that students know the standards by which their essays will be judged.

2.      Conferences: Although we tend to wait until midterm or later before seeing students individually, having individual or small group conferences for the first essay helps to establish a good rapport early and to make a personal connection that could help retain the students in the class.

3.      In-class writing: Review introductions and conclusions, giving students examples of how to begin and end. Allow students time in class to write a section of their essay. You might have them write out the topic sentences of their body paragraphs so that you can check that they understand the concept of criteria. The more that you monitor the writing process, the better the final essays should be.

Week 4

1.      Peer review: Schedule a class period for peer review of the explanation essay. You might want to assign points for participation in this activity to be sure that students come prepared with complete drafts of their essays. A rehearsal for this activity is helpful. Give the class a sample evaluation essay and show them how to make specific and useful comments to the writer. Pair students up and give them forms to fill out answering questions about the paper so that students have written feedback to take with them. You might ask students to bring several copies of their papers so that you can skim through and comment as well.

2.      Final essay: The final essay could be due at the end of week 4 or the beginning of week 5. You might even give students a choice of two due dates. Be sure to have them include their rough drafts and peer reviews to allow you an overview of their writing process. To emphasize the importance of proofreading, allow time in class for students to take one final look at their papers.

3.      Evaluation Essay: Introduce this next essay if you have time.

Week 5

1.         Return Explanation Essay: Aim to return essays within a week of their due date. Students appreciate timely feedback which they can use as they write their next paper. Return essays at the end of class to avoid students being distracted by their grade and eager to ask you questions about it rather than focus on the class content. You might even hand back papers without grades, just comments, and have students assign themselves a grade after reading your comments and corrections. Often students give themselves the same or lower grades than you gave them. Moreover, they actually have to take the time to read your comments. Some instructors give extra points if students correct errors on the Essay #1:

a.       Evaluation Essay: Hand out a schedule of assignments for this unit: readings, homework, due dates for topic proposal, peer review draft, and final paper.

b.      Topics: Be sure that students choose a specific topic (a book, a movie, a piece of equipment, an organization) not a general idea such as parenting. Have students submit in writing their topics and their criteria for judgment to ensure that they are on the right track for the assignment.

c.       Focus: Have students practice determining criteria specific to their topics and audiences by giving them topics and audiences and having them brainstorm criteria.

d.      Reading: Assign a reading from Readings for Writers to analyze. You can either discuss the reading focusing on structure and technique and/or assign questions for students to answer in writing.

Week 6

1.      Research: If students are using research for this paper, you can schedule a library orientation with Mike Thomason. The PCC library web pages have extensive databases; be sure that students take some of their sources via the PCC library rather than just using information that they already have at home. You might have students take notes on note cards so that they are practicing the skills of summarizing and paraphrasing and thus avoiding plagiarism in their papers. Remind students to make copies of all sources that they plan to use as these copies must be turned in with the final paper. Discuss how to determine the reliability and credibility of sources. When students find a useful source for their papers, have them write out on a source card the correct citation for the Works Cited page. This way they will know how to cite their sources in the text of their papers; otherwise, they tend to write the papers and try to put the source credit in later

2.      Plagiarism: Spend time showing students ways to avoid plagiarism. Show them samples of writing and of sources and have them judge whether or not the sources have been used correctly. You might even have a brief statement that each student signs attesting to the lack of plagiarism in his/her paper.

3.      In-class writing: Have students generate their thesis, a one-two sentence definition of their topic. Allow them time in class to write sections of the paper, particularly an outline or topic sentences that you can check quickly to provide them with guidance.

4.      Rubrics: Hand out and discuss the departmental rubrics for the evaluation essay. Since students are writing an evaluation, you might have them determine the criteria for the evaluation essay before you give them the department rubrics. It is also helpful to have them practice using the rubrics by giving them a sample evaluation essay and grading it.

Week 7

1.      Peer review: Be sure that if research is required, those students’ peer review drafts include in-text citations as well as a Works Cited page.

2.      Final Essay: The final essay might be due at the end of Week 7 or beginning of Week 8. Be sure that in addition to the rough draft, copies of all sources cited are included with the final essay.

Week 8

1.      Motivation: At this point in the semester, students are often feeling overwhelmed by all of their responsibilities and “blah” about the class. This is a good time to give them a pep talk, summarizing what they’ve accomplished so far and reviewing what is ahead. One way to energize students is to have them do a class assessment, providing you with feedback on what is working for them and what they need more help on. You can share the results and make students feel more a part of their learning process.

2.      Argument essay #1:

3.      Topics: For this first argument essay, you may want to control the types of topics chosen so that students don’t pick such broad and complex topics that they are unable to write adequately about them in a short essay. Some instructors actually choose a topic that the whole class writes about; others limit topics to local Pueblo or Colorado issues. Because this essay’s structure is more complex than students have been writing so far, you will need to guide this paper more closely.

4.      Reading: Assign chapters 47 and 48 and Part X in Bedford. Also, review Chapter 17 and 18 on appropriate and exact language.

5.      In-class exercise: Pair students up and give them a controversial topic. Have them write a brief one-act play with characters who take opposing sides of the issue. This exercise helps students find topics and understand the dynamics of arguing.

Week 9

1.      Topics: Have students turn in their topics by writing their theses in a “should/should” not format, giving reasons for both sides.

2.      Research: Give students a chance to find sources for their topics by taking them to the library or a lab with access to PCC library databases. If students have already written a research paper for the explanation essay, you might want to require at least four sources for this paper.

3.      Discussion: Choose some of the essays in Readings for Writers for students to summarize and discuss in terms of logic, organization, sense of audience, and structure.

4.      In-class writing: Have students write a paragraph arguing their opposition to ensure a sense of both sides.

5.      Rubrics: Hand out and go over the departmental rubrics for the argument essay.

Week 10

1.      Peer Review/Conferences: Schedule a class period for peer review or for individual or group conferences.

2.      Final Essay: Students should hand in copies of all sources and all drafts of their papers in addition to the final essay.

Week 11-14

1.      Argument essay #2: Follow a similar process for the second argument. Encourage students to use more sources than they did for the first one and require that the essay be longer than the first.

2.      Final Essay: Have these essays due during week 14 to give you time to grade them and return them to students before finals week. Also, ask each student to make two copies of his/her second argument essay so that the department can have a copy for its assessment activities.

Week 15

1.      Final exam topics: Students should prepare to write a final in-class essay. You may have your students write a reflective essay on a specific idea, experience, or observation. Possible topics are the following:

a.       What is effective writing?

b.      Describe the writing process.

c.       Describe the structure of an essay (or specifically the argument essay).

OR

Have students evaluate themselves as writers, using the four essays that they wrote for the class as examples of their strengths and their weaknesses. Be sure to remind students to bring their four graded essays to the final exam so that they have specific examples to refer to.

2.      Students should write the final essay in class. Topics will be given on this day. Using a topic outline and possibly a completed introduction. Depending on the length of your class, students might need two class periods to complete the essay. If you do use two classes, be sure to collect the essays after the first class to ensure that students don’t work on their essays outside of class.

Note on weighting grades: Each essay should count approximately 20% of the final grade.

Week 1	1. Prerequisite: Check that each student has the prerequisite for taking the class (95 on the assessment test or completion with a “C” or better of ENG 090). 2. Syllabus: Go over the syllabus carefully, explaining course goals, classroom procedures, course requirements, etc. Be sure to emphasize the attendance policy and the definition and consequences of plagiarism. If you have additional handouts on your grading system, guidelines for success, etc., hand these out as well. Remind students that they are responsible for their own learning and thus must take an active role in the class. 3. Texts: Provide an overview of the purpose, content, and format of The Bedford Handbook and Readings for Writers. Indicate the specific chapters to be covered in both texts. Note the “How to Use This Book and Its Web Site” section in Bedford (xxv-xxxiv). 4. Folder: Remind students to purchase a pocket folder if they don't already have one from a previous writing class. This is for their PCC Writing Portfolio to keep a collection of their writing as they progress through their English classes. 5. Student information: You might have students fill out an index card with their major, course load, workload, and other responsibilities to get an overview of the students’ commitments. 6. Icebreaker: To encourage a comfortable and familiar classroom environment, you might have students pair up and have them discover something in common with a classmate. Have students introduce each other. 7. Diagnostic writing: During the second meeting of the class, have students write for a half hour or so on a topic such as an accomplishment that they are particularly proud of or the major roles that they play in their lives. Use this writing to assess the skill levels and needs of each student. Return the writing with comments and suggestions for areas of weakness and sections of Bedford in which they might work. Be sure to keep a copy to monitor each student’s progress. 8. Review: Go over the basic structure of the essay (introduction, body paragraphs with topic sentences and conclusion). You might also point out the most basic and problematic errors that students should be proofreading for (fragments, run-ons, pronoun reference, etc.) 9. Assignments: Discuss with students their attitudes about and individual approaches to writing as well as some of the myths and misperceptions that they may have about writing. Emphasize purpose and audience as well as the skills of reading carefully (annotating, summarizing, taking notes, etc.) Note: As long as you teach all of the required essays for the course, you can change the order that you teach the essays. Some instructors have found that teaching the two argument essays in the middle of the course as the 2nd and 3rd essays works well so that students are not so overloaded with research at the end of the course.
Week 2	1. Essay #1, Explanation Essay. A schedule of due dates for this paper will help students keep up with assignments. Students may want to focus on a concept from a class that they are taking to help them understand the concept better and rehearse explaining it to someone unfamiliar with it OR students might write about a specific role that they play and how it defines them and enhances their lives. 2. Assign Part I, The Writing Process, in The Bedford Handbook. Make sure that students understand the essay structure with the lead in, thesis statements, body paragraphs, and conclusion. . 3. Topics: Have students submit their topic choices in writing for you to approve. 4. Focus: Require students to use at least three different types of development (narrative, process, comparison/contrast, classification, definition, etc.) to review methods of organization that were taught in ENG 090. 5. Reading: Assign one or several of the explanation essays in Readings for Writers. Also, assign “Writing about texts,” Part IX of Bedford. 6. Grammar and punctuation: You might begin each class with a 5- or 10-minute review and practice of a particular grammar/punctuation point. Remind students that often their papers’ grades are lowered by mechanical errors.
Week 3	1. Rubrics: Hand out the grading rubrics so that students know the standards by which their essays will be judged. 2. Conferences: Although we tend to wait until midterm or later before seeing students individually, having individual or small group conferences for the first essay helps to establish a good rapport early and to make a personal connection that could help retain the students in the class. 3. In-class writing: Review introductions and conclusions, giving students examples of how to begin and end. Allow students time in class to write a section of their essay. You might have them write out the topic sentences of their body paragraphs so that you can check that they understand the concept of criteria. The more that you monitor the writing process, the better the final essays should be.
Week 4	1. Peer review: Schedule a class period for peer review of the explanation essay. You might want to assign points for participation in this activity to be sure that students come prepared with complete drafts of their essays. A rehearsal for this activity is helpful. Give the class a sample evaluation essay and show them how to make specific and useful comments to the writer. Pair students up and give them forms to fill out answering questions about the paper so that students have written feedback to take with them. You might ask students to bring several copies of their papers so that you can skim through and comment as well. 2. Final essay: The final essay could be due at the end of week 4 or the beginning of week 5. You might even give students a choice of two due dates. Be sure to have them include their rough drafts and peer reviews to allow you an overview of their writing process. To emphasize the importance of proofreading, allow time in class for students to take one final look at their papers. 3. Evaluation Essay: Introduce this next essay if you have time.
Week 5	1. Return Explanation Essay: Aim to return essays within a week of their due date. Students appreciate timely feedback which they can use as they write their next paper. Return essays at the end of class to avoid students being distracted by their grade and eager to ask you questions about it rather than focus on the class content. You might even hand back papers without grades, just comments, and have students assign themselves a grade after reading your comments and corrections. Often students give themselves the same or lower grades than you gave them. Moreover, they actually have to take the time to read your comments. Some instructors give extra points if students correct errors on the Essay #1: a. Evaluation Essay: Hand out a schedule of assignments for this unit: readings, homework, due dates for topic proposal, peer review draft, and final paper. b. Topics: Be sure that students choose a specific topic (a book, a movie, a piece of equipment, an organization) not a general idea such as parenting. Have students submit in writing their topics and their criteria for judgment to ensure that they are on the right track for the assignment. c. Focus: Have students practice determining criteria specific to their topics and audiences by giving them topics and audiences and having them brainstorm criteria. d. Reading: Assign a reading from Readings for Writers to analyze. You can either discuss the reading focusing on structure and technique and/or assign questions for students to answer in writing.
Week 6	1. Research: If students are using research for this paper, you can schedule a library orientation with Mike Thomason. The PCC library web pages have extensive databases; be sure that students take some of their sources via the PCC library rather than just using information that they already have at home. You might have students take notes on note cards so that they are practicing the skills of summarizing and paraphrasing and thus avoiding plagiarism in their papers. Remind students to make copies of all sources that they plan to use as these copies must be turned in with the final paper. Discuss how to determine the reliability and credibility of sources. When students find a useful source for their papers, have them write out on a source card the correct citation for the Works Cited page. This way they will know how to cite their sources in the text of their papers; otherwise, they tend to write the papers and try to put the source credit in later 2. Plagiarism: Spend time showing students ways to avoid plagiarism. Show them samples of writing and of sources and have them judge whether or not the sources have been used correctly. You might even have a brief statement that each student signs attesting to the lack of plagiarism in his/her paper. 3. In-class writing: Have students generate their thesis, a one-two sentence definition of their topic. Allow them time in class to write sections of the paper, particularly an outline or topic sentences that you can check quickly to provide them with guidance. 4. Rubrics: Hand out and discuss the departmental rubrics for the evaluation essay. Since students are writing an evaluation, you might have them determine the criteria for the evaluation essay before you give them the department rubrics. It is also helpful to have them practice using the rubrics by giving them a sample evaluation essay and grading it.
Week 7	1. Peer review: Be sure that if research is required, those students’ peer review drafts include in-text citations as well as a Works Cited page. 2. Final Essay: The final essay might be due at the end of Week 7 or beginning of Week 8. Be sure that in addition to the rough draft, copies of all sources cited are included with the final essay.
Week 8	1. Motivation: At this point in the semester, students are often feeling overwhelmed by all of their responsibilities and “blah” about the class. This is a good time to give them a pep talk, summarizing what they’ve accomplished so far and reviewing what is ahead. One way to energize students is to have them do a class assessment, providing you with feedback on what is working for them and what they need more help on. You can share the results and make students feel more a part of their learning process. 2. Argument essay #1: 3. Topics: For this first argument essay, you may want to control the types of topics chosen so that students don’t pick such broad and complex topics that they are unable to write adequately about them in a short essay. Some instructors actually choose a topic that the whole class writes about; others limit topics to local Pueblo or Colorado issues. Because this essay’s structure is more complex than students have been writing so far, you will need to guide this paper more closely. 4. Reading: Assign chapters 47 and 48 and Part X in Bedford. Also, review Chapter 17 and 18 on appropriate and exact language. 5. In-class exercise: Pair students up and give them a controversial topic. Have them write a brief one-act play with characters who take opposing sides of the issue. This exercise helps students find topics and understand the dynamics of arguing.
Week 9	1. Topics: Have students turn in their topics by writing their theses in a “should/should” not format, giving reasons for both sides. 2. Research: Give students a chance to find sources for their topics by taking them to the library or a lab with access to PCC library databases. If students have already written a research paper for the explanation essay, you might want to require at least four sources for this paper. 3. Discussion: Choose some of the essays in Readings for Writers for students to summarize and discuss in terms of logic, organization, sense of audience, and structure. 4. In-class writing: Have students write a paragraph arguing their opposition to ensure a sense of both sides. 5. Rubrics: Hand out and go over the departmental rubrics for the argument essay.
Week 10	1. Peer Review/Conferences: Schedule a class period for peer review or for individual or group conferences. 2. Final Essay: Students should hand in copies of all sources and all drafts of their papers in addition to the final essay.
Week 11-14	1. Argument essay #2: Follow a similar process for the second argument. Encourage students to use more sources than they did for the first one and require that the essay be longer than the first. 2. Final Essay: Have these essays due during week 14 to give you time to grade them and return them to students before finals week. Also, ask each student to make two copies of his/her second argument essay so that the department can have a copy for its assessment activities.
Week 15	1. Final exam topics: Students should prepare to write a final in-class essay. You may have your students write a reflective essay on a specific idea, experience, or observation. Possible topics are the following: a. What is effective writing? b. Describe the writing process. c. Describe the structure of an essay (or specifically the argument essay). OR Have students evaluate themselves as writers, using the four essays that they wrote for the class as examples of their strengths and their weaknesses. Be sure to remind students to bring their four graded essays to the final exam so that they have specific examples to refer to. 2. Students should write the final essay in class. Topics will be given on this day. Using a topic outline and possibly a completed introduction. Depending on the length of your class, students might need two class periods to complete the essay. If you do use two classes, be sure to collect the essays after the first class to ensure that students don’t work on their essays outside of class.