| Course
Description |
| ESOL0343 Beginning Writing
"A course devoted to expanding vocabulary, developing pronunciation
skills, and simple spelling. Instruction is individualized."
|
| Prerequisites |
| None
|
| Course Goals
(includes competencies, incorporation of SCANS, etc.) |
ESOL 0343, Beginning Writing,
seeks to prepare students for college level academic or workforce study
by accomplishing the following objectives:
• Introducing students to basic English rules
of capitalization, punctuation, and paragraph
format.
• Introducing students to various common sentence
patterns, from simple sentences to the
basics of coordination and subordination.
• Most importantly, building basic knowledge
of paragraph organization with emphasis on
developing topic sentences, support, concluding
sentences and the use of basic transitions.
|
| Instructor Information |
| Not available
|
| Textbook Information |
| Textbook:
• Write on Target, Joe Starr (McGraw-Hill)
Dictionary:
• Newbury House Dictionary (note: this one includes
a CD Rom) - optional
• Longman Dictionary of American English (Longman)
- optional
|
| Lab Requirements (if
any) |
| One of the five instructional hours per week is a computer
lab hour in which students work on editing essays utilizing a word processor,
or on other writing projects as directed by the teacher.
|
| Students with Disabilities |
| Students
who require reasonable accommodations for disabilities are encouraged
to report to Disability Counselor to make necessary arrangements.
Faculty are only authorized to provide accommodations requested by the
Disability Support Services Office. |
| Academic Honesty |
| Any form of copying, cheating, or plagiarism will result
in a 0 for the assignment. See the HCCS Student Handbook.
|
| Attendance and Withdrawal
Policies |
| Students are not allowed more than eight
absences over the semester. Any absence beyond that may cause them
to be dropped from class. See the HCCS Student Handbook. |
| Course Requirements
and Grading Policy |
Course Outcomes:
After taking ESOL 0343, Beginning Writing, the student should:
1. use capital letters at the beginning of sentences,
correct end and internal (as germane to the
level) punctuation;
2. correctly spell vocabulary germane to the level;
3. have mastery of correct verb forms for simple present
and present progressive tenses and
familiarity with simple past, past progressive,
and simple modals;
4. write with mastery of simple sentences and basic
compound sentences with AND, BUT,
and SO;
5. write with familiarity of basic complex sentences
with WHEN, WHILE, BEFORE, AFTER,
and BECAUSE;
6. generate ideas through prewriting;
7. organize and write a correctly formatted simple paragraph
of 8-10 sentences, which would
be 80-125 words, with a topic sentence, supporting
sentences, and a concluding sentence;
8. revise a paragraph whose errors have been indicated.
SUGGESTED GRADE PERCENTAGES*
| In-class compositions |
70%
|
| Journals |
5%
|
| Homework, Quizzes, Dictations |
5%
|
| Lab |
5%
|
| Final |
15%
|
|
Total:
|
100%
|
* Teachers may use percentages which vary from the above formula;
however, if the percentages deviate by more than 5% for any item, the
teacher should show them to the Department Chair or Lead instructor for
approval. Keep in mind that the overall core of the student's grade
must be based primarily on the five or six paragraphs written in class. |
| Testing |
• 6 in-class composition
paragraphs (five in summer) eventually totaling 80-125 words
• 2 journal entries each week
• revisions of first drafts of paragraphs to be
completed in the computer lab
• a final composition
|
| Make-up policy |
If students miss a test or a quiz, they must
arrange with the instructor for a make-up outside of class time and before
the end of one week from the day they missed.
|
| Projects, Assignments,
Portfolios, Service Learning, Internships, etc. |
| An instructor may choose to include
projects or assignments to reinforce the material covered in class.
|
| Course Content |
The chapters of the book cover writing techniques
and basic grammar appropriate for this level. The writing skills taught
are English rules of capitalization, punctuation, common sentence patterns,
paragraph format, and paragraph organization. The grammar includes
the simple present and simple past, the present progressive and the past
progressive verb tenses, basic sentence structure (simple, compound, and
complex), and simple modals.
See the following sample course schedule for further detail. |
| Course Calendar with
Reading Assignments |
Below is a sample of this course
calendar in a regular (16-week) semester:
ESOL0343 Beginning Writing
SAMPLE WEEKLY COURSE OUTLINE
| Week 1 |
First day testing and placement
Chapter 1:
|
Hello! |
| Week 2 |
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
|
Our World
My Favorite Restaurant |
| Week 3 |
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
In-class composition #1 |
My Favorite Restaurant
Are You Ready for the Test? |
| Week 4 |
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6: |
Independence Day
Shopping |
| Week 5 |
Chapter 6:
In-class composition #2 |
Shopping |
| Week 6 |
Chapter 7:
Chapter 8: |
A Busy Life
Earth Day |
| Week 7 |
Chapter 8:
In-class composition #3 |
Earth Day |
| Week 8 |
Chapter 9: |
A Travel Agent |
| Week 9 |
Chapter 10:
|
Computers |
| Week 10 |
Chapter 11: |
International Travel |
|
Week 11 |
Chapter 12:
In-class composition #4 |
The Lazy Donkey |
| Week 12 |
Chapter 13:
Chapter 14 |
The San Francisco
Earthquake
Life in the Future |
| Week 13 |
Chapter 15:
In-class composition #5
|
Texas |
|
Week 14 |
Chapter 16:
Chapter 17:
|
The Penguin
The Life Cycle of the Butterfly |
| Week 15 |
Chapter 18:
In-class composition #6
|
Alexander Graham Bell |
|
Week 16 |
Final Exams |
|
|
| Other Student Information
(clubs, tutoring, web resources, etc.) |
| Tutoring is availble for students at
instructional sites where Intensive English is offered. Additional
on line and computerized resources are also available in computer labs
and libraries. |
