Apr 27 - APA Research Paper Formatting

Today we will...

1. leanr how to do the APA formatting
2. take a look at a sample student research paper and see what you should do for your final assignment

APA Formatting

Okay, let's first watch a short video on APA formatting and see what it is all about.

Now let's see go through the APA formatting guide and see what we should do.

Student Sample Research Paper

Here is a student sample paper that you need to produce for your final assignment.

Reminder

1. Please come to class on Wednesday with your complete first draft.
2. Remember that you need to come to the Individual Conferences.
3. The final due date of the research paper will be May 8, next Friday, on Compass 2g.

Apr 24 - IRP Introduction & Conclusion Workshop

Today we will...

1. practice writing an effective introduction and conclusion for your IRP
2. have a peer perception with each other to give feedback on the introduction and conlusion

Workshop

Please review your introduction and conclusion and finish these two paragraphs.

Peer Perception

Now work with the person next to you and read each other's introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Give feedback to each other and revise your introduction and conclusion.

Apr 22 - IRP Introduction & Conclusion

Today we will...

1. learn the different components of IRP introduction and conclusion
2. learn how to write an effective introduction and conclusion for your research paper

IRP Introduction

How is IRP introduction different from the introduction for the diagnostic essay you wrote?

Let's take a look at a sample here. Please sort out the corrrect order of the introduction.

Check out the answer key here.

IRP Conclusion

What is the difference between the IRP conclusion and the conclusion for the diagnostic essay?

Here is a guideline we need to follow to write an effective IRP conclusion.

Now let's see how to rewrite the thesis in your conclusion and practice it.

Homework

Please write introduction and conclusion for your IRP and bring them to class on Friday. We will have a workshop and peer perception.

Apr 20 - Avoiding Plagiarism: In-text Citations

Today we will...

1. learn how to use reporting verbs appropriately to introduce quotes and paraphrases
2. learn the two major types of in-text citations: author prominent and content prominent

In-text Citations

We have learned how to do APA style reference page, and now we are going to learn in-text citations.

What is in-text citation? How do we do in-text citations correctly? Here is a guideline.

Reporting Verbs

In academic writing, there are certain words that need to be used to introduce quotes and paraphrases, and they are called reporting verbs.

Practice 1

Please open this worksheet, and follow the instructions and answer the questions.

Practice 2

Please open this worksheet, and use the appropriate reporting verbs to fill in the blanks.

Answer Keys

Here is the answer key to practice 1.
Here is the answer key to practice 2.

Apr 17 - Paraphrasing & Quoting

Today we will...

1. review how to paraphrase academic sources
2. compare paraphrasing and quoting, and differentiate when to use which
3. learn how to quote effectively

Review of Paraphrasing

Do you still remember the different steps to paraphrase effectively?

Here is what Owl Purdue tells us how to paraphrase.

Practice paraphrasing. Open this document, and follow the steps to paraphrase the paragraph on gorilla poaching.

Avoiding Plagiarism (Paraphrasing & Quoting)

Paraphrasing and quoting are the basics in academic writing to avoid plagiarism. Here is why we need to avoid plagiarism.

Comparing Paraphrasing & Quoting

What are the differences between paraphrasing and quoting?

When should we quoting and when should we paraphrase?

You can find the answers here.

2 Types of Citation

We have learned how to do the APA reference page, but how to cite sources in the paper?

There are basically 2 types of citations we can use in academic writing.

Reminder

Please remember to submit your Annotated Bibliography assignment on Compass 2g today by 11:59 pm.

Apr 15 - Source Synthesis 2

Today we will...

1. continue talking about how to synthesize academic sources
2. see some samples and practice synthsizing academic sources
3. learn some strategies to synthesizing sources

Review & Practice

Do you still remember how to synthesize academic sources?

Now let's practice writing a source synthesis.

First, read the sample student paper, which is one solution on a problem. It has the description, the critique and the recommendation. Read it carefully, then fill in this chart to analyze the sample.

Here is a form you can always use when you synthesize your sources.

Comparison

Compare these two source synthesis, and decide which one is better.

Read this following student writing sample. Pay attention to the highlighted parts and see what you can notice.

Synthesis Strategies

Here are some synthesis strategies that you can use in research paper.

Apr 13 - Source Synthesis 1

Today we will...

1. learn the importance of synthesizing sources and how to find the similarities between different sources
2. learn how to synthesize sources before you start writing your research paper

Question

What is synthesis?

What is source synthesis?

Sample

Let's take a look at a sample source synthesis. See what you can notice.

Source Synthesis

Now let's see how to do a good source synthesis.

Practice

Now let's practice.

First, read three short folktales.

Then, follow the instructions, and fill in this chart.

Academic Source Synthesis

How do we do academic source synthesis then? Here are some steps and techniques we can use.

Answer Key

Here is the answer key to the practice.

Apr 10 - APA Reference Page Citation

Today we will...

1. learn to describe the relationship between reference page citation and in-text citation
2. learn the APA citation rules
3. write and edit APA reference page citations for different kinds of sources (eg. books, articles, journals, websites, sources with multiple authors)

APA Reference Page

What is APA reference? How do we make our reference list in the APA format?

Let's first take a look at a sample APA reference list.

What do you notice? What is the format like?

APA Style

Let's take a look at what APA is like. Or it is like this.

Question

Now here is the question: why do we need to learn this?

APA Format

Here is the place where you can always go to find information about APA for different types of academic sources.

Practice

Now please practice writing an APA reference list for your five sources for the annotated bibliography.

Homework

The due date for the Annotated Bibliography is determined, and it is going to be April 17th (next Friday) by 11:59 pm on Compass 2g. I will create a submission session soon on Compass so that you can submit your assignment there.

Apr 8 - Summarizing Sources 2

Today we will...

1. learn how to summarize academic sources
2. use a checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of summary
3. learn how to avoid wordiness and how to combine sentences

Academic Source Summary

We have learned how to summarize articles and stories last time in class, and we will learn how to summarize academic sources today. Here is a presentation on how to summarize academic sources.

Practice

Now please take out the article that you will use for research paper writing. Open this file and answer all the questions.

Now use this file and follow the steps to summarize the article.

Again, use this checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of the summary.

More about Summary

When summarizing, we need to make it concise in order to make it effective.

Here is how to avoid wordiness.

Here is how to combine sentences.

Apr 6 - Summarizing Sources 1

Today we will...

1. learn to locate the most important information in a source necessary for a summary
2. learn to summarize non-academic sources in 5-7 sentences
3. use a checklist to evaluate the efficacy of a summary

Story Summary

First, let's watch a short video. When you watch the video, think about the questions here. Then you will need to summarize the story.

How to Summarize

Here is how to summarize.

Practice

Now you need to practice.

First, read this article.

Then, follow these steps to summarize the article.

Afterwards, you need to use this checklist to evaluate your summary.

Review

1. Please use this step-by-step guide to help you review the process of summarizing.
2. Here is the answer key to the summary practice.
3. Please remember to bring an academic article you will use for your research paper to class on Wednesday, and we will learn how to summarize academic sources.

Apr 3 - Annotated Bibliography

Today we will...

1. explain the function and importance of an annotated bibliography within the research process
2. list 4 common elements of an annotated bibliography: APA citation, summary, explanation of relevancy and reliability
3. practice writing an annotated bibliography for one of your sources

Warm-up

Please pull out one of the sources you are going to use for your research paper. Go to the reference list and count how many sources you have within that paper.

How can you keep track of so many sources when you are writing a paper?

How can you organize them?

Annotated Bibliography

Please take a look at the following 2 samples of annotated bibliography. Use this chart to analyze them.
Sample 1
Sample 2

What is annotated bibliography then? Why do we need it?

Here is the answer key.

Practice

Now you have known the importance of creating an annotated bibliography for your research paper, and you know the basic components of an annotated bibliography, it is your turn to practice writing an annotated bibliography.

Here is the research topic: Teenage Driving Accidents
Here is the research question: What Factors Reduce the Number of Accidents Caused Teen Drivers?

Here are 4 articles that you will be working on.
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4

Homework

1. Please remember to write a reflective essay and send it to my email by 11:59 pm on Sunday (April 5).
2. The Annotated Bibliography homework is now assigned, and it is worth 15% of your final grade. You need to create 5 annotated bibliographies, following the format that you have learned in class. The estimated due date is April 19, by 11:59 pm.

Apr 1 - Reflective Writing

Today we will...

1. learn to recognize the importance reflective writing
2. differentiate reflective writing from other types of writing (argumentative, analytical) in the ESL program
3. learn how to write a good reflective essay (3 common elements: description, interpretation, looking to the future)

What is Reflective Writing?

Let's watch this video, and see what it is all about.

What is reflective writing then?

Now we know what reflective writing is, the questions are:
How is it different from other types of writing?
Why do we need to do it?
How do we do it?

What is the Difference?

How is reflective writing different from other types of writing that we are doing in this course? For example, the diagnostic essay and the research paper.

How to Do It?

Here are some possible sample questions that you can incorporate in your reflective writing.

And, here is a sample reflective essay that you can look at.

Mar 30 - Choosing Sources and Refining the Topic

Today we will...

1. review the procedures of selecting reliable and relevant sources for your research paper topic
2. analyze sources based on different criteria: relevancy, purpose, readability and synthesis; decide which sources are the most appropriate for your research paper topic

Where to Find Sources?

Use the concept map constantly to keep your topic in shape.
The very first place for you to look for sources is the EBSCO Databases.

Demo Topic

How to lower college student suicide with Suicide Risk Training for Campus Professionals.

college student teenager university youth

suicide suicide risk suicide prevention

training education workshops seminars prevention

campus professionals counselors advisors administrators

Here is a chart with 6 sources. Please look them through and choose the 2 best sources for the demo topic.

Mar 20 - Source Relevancy

Today we will...

1. learn to apply skimming and scanning strategies to identify key sections of sources that are more relevant to your papers
2. learn to rate the degree of relevancy of sources based on their applicability to a particular research topic and focus
3. concisely explain the relevancy of your sources to specific sections of your papers in a few sentences

Review of Source Reliability

Let's review the source reliability that we talked about in the last class.

Source Relevancy

So now you are having, hopefully, a lot of sources on your hands for your chosen topic.
The question is are you going to use all of them for your research paper writing?
If not, which sources are you going to use?
Why do you choose some sources over the others?
How do you judge whether the sources are good for your paper?

Skimming & Scanning

You cannot read all of your sources from the beginning to the end, and you don't have the time to do so. However, what should you do to determine if a source is good or not?

Yes! That's Skimming and Scanning! This can help you quickly get the main idea of the sources, and determine the relevancy of the sources to your research topic.

Practice 1

Here are 5 sources that you will be reading. While you skim and scan them, fill in this chart. Imagine that you are the person who is going to write a paper on this topic, choose the sources that are good to use.
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4
Article 5

Practice 2

Now, let's focus on the relevancy of each article. You are still using the 5 articles from the previous practice, but you will need to judge the relevancy of the 5 sources. Please fill in this chart.

Homework

I know this is repetitive, but keep working on your Pre-research Portfolio. Remember to submit it on the due date.
Key for Practice 1     Key for Practice 2

Have a great Spring Break!

Mar 18 - Source Reliability

Today we will...

1. learn to locate information about a source that helps determine its credibility and reliability (eg. publisher, date, author, kind of journal)
2. categorize sources along a spectrum of credibility (not credible, credible / not academic, scholarly / academic / peer-reviewed)
3. concisely explain source reliability in a few written sentences

Source Credibility

When you write your IRP, there are some websites that you may use as sources. At least, you will need an organization website that provides two solutions. The question is, how can you decide whether the website you use is credible or not?

Let's take a look at 3 websites. Talk to the person next to you and decide whether they are credible sources to use for research papers.
Website 1
Website 2
Website 3

It may be difficult to decide the credibility of a website source sometimes, so we need some guidelines that help us make the decision.

Check Source Reliability

Here are another three websites. Again, talk to your partners and follow the checklist to decide if those websites are reliable sources.
Website 1
Website 2
Website 3

In Addition

We have looked at the different ways to determine the credibility of website sources, how do you judge the credibility of articles and journals? Here are some tips you can use.

Preview of Annotated Bibliography

This is going to be your third major assignment for this course, and I will give you a little preview and let you know what you will be doing.

Here is a sample Annotated Bibliography.

Homework

Please continue working on your portfolio. Submit it on Compass 2g by the deadline.

Mar 16 - Rough Outline

Today we will...

1. learn the basic structure of the IRP
2. fill in Chart 2 in the portfolio

Structure of IRP

Do you still remember the basic structure of the IRP?
How many parts? How many paragraphs? What are they?

Outline Your IRP

Please open your Googledrive and continue working on your Pre-research Portfolio

Sample IRP Topics

For those of you who are still struggling, here is a list of IRP topics and organizations that you can choose from.

Mar 13 - Research Paper Thesis Statements

Today we will...

1. explain the differences and similarities between the thesis statement from the diagnostic essay and a research paper
2. identify the dual purpose of the thesis statement for an IRP
3. practice composing a thesis statement

Thesis Statement

Do you still remember how you composed your thesis statement for the diagnostic essay? What are some things that you need to bear in mind when you compose the thesis statement?

What do you think are the differences and similarities between thesis statement for the diagnostic essay and the IRP that you are going to write?

Let's take a look at a sample IRP thesis statement and see what are the different components.

What do you notice?

What are the purposes of the sample thesis statement?

Here is more information on thesis statement from Owl Purdue.

Practice

Now let's practice writing a thesis statement for your own IRP.

Homework

1. Please read the assigned sections and do the exercises in Writer's Help. They are titled as "Forming a Thesis" and "Drafting a Working Thesis". Due Monday before class.
2. Continue working on your portfolio. Remember the due date for the portfolio is next Friday (March 20th) by 11:59 pm. Details on submission will be discussed later in class.

Mar 11 - In-depth Pre-research: Critical Thinking

Today we will...

1. explain different aspects of critical thinking: summarizing, analyzing, critiquing and synthesizing
2. generate preliminary analysis points of an organization's solutions from the perspective of logic, insight, evidence and critique
3. document all the results in your pre-research portfolio

Critical Thinking

What is critical thinking?
What is difference between critique and criticize?
What does critical thinking have to do with academic paper writing?

How do we think critically?

Analyzing Sources

When you search and read sources for your research paper, what do you need to do?
You need to summarize, analyze, critique and synthesize them so that you can use them to compose your research paper.
How do we analyze sources then? What questions do we need to think about? Here is a list of things you need to consider.

Homework

Continue working on your portfolio. You should be able to finish Chart 1 and Chart 3 now. Even though the exact due date has not been decided yet, it will be sometime before Spring Break.

Mar 6 - Pre-research

Today we will...

1. explain the importance of gathering background information at the beginning stage of research paper writing
2. learn effective search techniques to find reliable and relevant information for your chosen topics
3. collect background information about the chosen topic by doing some research about the problems, existing solutions, new terms and possible organizations

Importance of Pre-research

As we all know, writing a research paper is a long process, and you can't expect to finish it within 2 days (like SpongeBob did). Basically, research paper writing requires a lot of planning and preparation, and we call it pre-research.

Remember the different steps for writing a research paper?

Search for Information

There are a lot of ways to search for information for your research paper topic. For example, you can use CQ Research, Google Scholar, or EBSCO Databases.

To access the EBSCO DatabaseS, you need to go to the Undergraduate Library Guide, then you click on the "Find Articles" bar. Click on the "Academic Search Complete" link, and then click on the "EBSCO Databases".

Collect Background Information

It will make your writing process really easy if you now collect sufficient background information for your research topic. Now let's see an example of a Pre-research Portfolio.

Practice

Now please open your shared Googledrive foler, and you will see a document titled "Pre-research Portfolio Template". It is the same as the example we just saw, and it will be your second major assignment for this course.

Please complete Steps 1 to 4 based on your chosen topic and the organization that you have found.

Reminder

We won't be having a regular class in this classroom next Monday (Mar 9). Instead, we will go to the Undergraduate Library (Room 291) to have our library day. Please have your topic and your organization ready, and bring questions you have in searching for sources.

Mar 4 - Choosing a Topic (Part 2)

Today we will...

1. continue with our topic selection (for those of you who have not had a topic yet)
2. learn how to choose a reliable and credible organization that provides 2 effective solutions for your topic

Topic Selection

Hopefully, you all have at least a topic in mind for your research paper.
So, what comes after that? Can you start writing your paper now if you have a topic?

Concept Map

Before doing anything else, you need to have a Concept Map for your topic. It looks like this.

Now, take some time and create a Concept Map for your own topic.

Choosing an Organization

As you all know, you are going to write an Analytical Problem-Solution Research Paper for this course. That means you will need a reliable and credible ORGANIZATION for your research topic.

How do we choose an organization?

Where should we go to find such an organization?

Practice

Now let's search for some organizations and see if they can be ued for your research paper.

Answer Key & Homework

1. Here is the answer key for the practice activity.
2. Please send me your research paper topic by 11:59 pm today to my email.
3. Please complete the survey for the Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial here.

Mar 2 - Choosing a Topic (Part 1)

Today we will...

1. identify the different citeria for an appropriate and effective research paper topic
2. brainstorm together as a whole class and choose your own research paper topic

What is a Good Topic?

Before burying yourselves in the long and tedious process of research paper writing, what is the very first thing you have to do?

Yes! Choose the TOPIC!!!

Remember what I said in class about choosing the right direction in your life? It works exactly the same when you choose your topic. If you choose a good topic for your research paper, then you are heading up north all the way. However, if you choose a bad one, you will be going all the way down toward the south.

So, what makes a good topic then? Let's first take a look at Eric's beautiful research paper and see if you can identify some of the key aspects of a good topic.

Any ideas? What makes a good topic?

Good Topic Criteria

Here are some critical criteria you need to think about when you choose a topic for your research paper. First, you need to know the characteristics of a good topic. Second, you need to avoid these kinds of topics.

Friends, Your Turn!

Okay, now we have understood the characteristics of a good research paper topic and how to avoid some bad topics, it is your turn to think of some good topics you want to use for your research paper. Please open this document and follow the instructions to come up with 2 topics.

When you are done, please get into groups of 3 and vote for the best topic in your group. When you discuss about your topics in your groups, please follow the instructions.

Feb 27 - Certification Test

Today we will...

Have the Plagiarism Prevention Certification Test today! Feeling excited, right?

So you will have 50 minutes to finish the test. Please take your time and go through all the questions really carefully. Trust me, you don't want to fail this one and take the Remedial Test. There are 20 multiple-choice questions, and each question is worth 10 points. The full grade is 200 points, but you have to score at least 150 to pass the test, which means you have to get at least 15 right.

Any questions before we start?

Ready? Let's go to Compass 2g now!

Feb 25 - Overview of Research Paper

Today we will...

1. describe the general processes of writing a research paper
2. explain the characteristics of two common types of research paper (argumentative & analytical) and how they differ.

What is a Research Paper?

What is a research paper? How is it different from the diagnostic essay you wrote?
Let's take a brief look at a teacher's lecture and get some ideas.

Do you think this is the right way to write a research paper? Why or why not?

Ordering Activity

Now, let's do a little ordering activity. Open this document up in googledrive and work with a person next to you to order these steps in the right sequence.

Here is an overview of a research paper.

Research Paper PPT

Now let's take a look at the two major types of research paper.

Prompt Analysis Practice

Here is a prompt analysis. Please work in groups and write different argumentative and analytical prompts for the topic "College Tuition".

Homework

Please go back home and start thinking about what topic you want to write for your research paper.

Reminder

Keep working on the Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial on Compass 2g. We are having the in-class certification test on Friday.

Feb 23 - Paraphrasing

Today we will...

1. understand and apply the basic rules of paraphrasing in order to avoid plagiarism
2. apply specific strategies to create successful paraphrase

Paraphrase

What is paraphrase? Why do we paraphrase?
What are the effective ways to paraphrase?
Let's take a look at how to paraphrase.

Get Your Hands on It

Please open this practice in your googledrive. Read the highlighted paragraph and paraphrase it in your own words. Remember to follow the steps. When you are done with all the different steps and paraphrase, take a look at the answer key.

Reminder

Please remember to submit your Diagnostic Paper tonight before 11:59 on Compass 2g!
Rubric here.

Feb 20 - Peer Perception & Avoiding Plagiarism

Today we will...

1. do peer perception and give feedback to each other's paper.
2. make a brief introduction to the plagiarism prevention tutorial on Compass 2g

Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial

Please go to Compass 2g and see if you have access to the tutorial.
Remember, you need to study by yourself and do all the exercises on the tutorial.
We are going to have a Avoiding Plagiarism Certification Test next Friday, Feb 27. It is better for your pass it one time; otherwise, you will need to take a remedial test. If you fail both the certification test and the remedial test, you will automatically fail the course.

Peer Perception

Please use the Peer Perception Handout as a guidance when you read and give feedback to others' papers.
You can also refer to the Grading Rubric.

Remember

Don't forget the deadline for final draft of Diagnostic Paper and the Analysis paper. Have a great weekend.

Feb 18 - Peer Perception Training

Today we will...

1. explain the differences between peer editing and peer perception
2. learn to use the appropriate language to conduct peer perception
3. learn how to give effective feedback to other people's writings

Difference

1. What are the differences between peer editing and peer perception?
2. How do we do peer perception?

Peer Perception

Let's take a look at how to do peer perception for our peers.

Giving Effective Feedback

How do we give effective feedback? How should we talk to our peers when we give feedback?

Strategies

Here are some strategies for effective feedback.

Samples

I am giving you a student sample. Please follow this and my comments to revise your diagnostic paper.
1. Student Writing Sample
2. Writing Analysis

ATTENTION

Please go to Compass 2g and check the assignment submission section. Follow the instructions and submit your final draft and the analysis by the due date (Feb 23rd 11:59pm).

Feb 16 - Comma & Advanced Punctuations

Today we will...

1. demonstrate the most common use of the advanced punctuation (comma, dash, colon, semicolon)
2. understand the differences between these punctuation marks
3. apply these punctuation marks to make your writing more effective

Comma Jokes

First, let's take a look at some comma jokes.

 

 

Well, here is a scary one: Let's eat, Granddad

Comma Quiz

Now let's take a comma quiz and see if you guys will mess things up. Here is the answer key.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Here is a practice on the coordinating conjunctions.

Other Punctuation Marks

We are now familiar with the use of comma. What about other punctuation marks?

Homework

1. Please do the assigned Writer's Help exercises
2. Reflective Essay
3. Revise your Diagnostic Essay. The final draft for grade is due by 11:59 pm this Sunday (Feb 22) on Compass 2g.

Feb 13 - Academic Style

Today we will...

1. explain the critical differences in tone between informal English and English for academic purposes

2. learn how to increase our level of writing formality

Consent Form

Sorry to have you all do this again. The form you signed last time was for Fall Semester 2014, and THIS is the correct one. Please take about 2 minutes to fill out the form. Thanks!

Academic Tone

Think about these questions:

1. What do you think are the differences between the language we use in conversation and the language we use in academic writing?

2. How will your paper look if you use daily conversational language when you write it?

How can we avoid informal English in our writing? Here are some points we should bear in mind all the time when we write our papers.

Here is a summary of the basic rules that you need to know. You can always come back to use it as a reference.

Let's Practice

With all the rules that we have seen, now let's play a Jeopardy Game to practice these rules.

Homework

1. Please finish all the assigned exercises on Writer's Help by next Monday before class, or I will deduct points for any incomplete exercise.

2. You should now be able to revise your whole paper. Please do so by next Monday before class and wait for my comments. Remember to employ everything you have learned so far.

Feb 11 - Introduction & Conclusion

Today we will...

1. describe and identify the basic components of an introduction and a conclusion
2. create a logic flow of information from broad to specific in an introduction and from specific to broad in a conclusion

Introduction

What should we include in the introduction?
What should an introduction look like?

Let's explore what a real introduction looks like in an argumentative paper.

Let's do a little analysis exercise now. Open these 2 sample introduction paragraphs and work with your partner. Decide the function of each numbered sentence.

When you are done, you can access the answer keys here.

Conclusion

What should we include in the conclusion?
Do you think the conclusion has the same structure as the introduction?

So, let see what a conclusion should really be like.

Homework

1. Continue working on and revising your paper.
2. Do the assigned exercises on Writer's Help

Feb 9 - PIE

Today we will...

1. get to know the great PIE structure
2. identify the different components of the PIE structure
3. learn how to use PIE structure in our writing

Before Class, I need you to sign a consent form.

So what is PIE that we are talking about?

This PIE? 

Or this one?

Or neither one of them?

The PIE that we are talking about here actually stands for Point (P) + Illustration (I) + Explanation (E). We use PIE to write all the time, because it makes our writing easy and clear to understand,

Now, let's take a close look at what PIE is like.

Identifying PIE Components

Now, let take a look at this paragraph. Work with your partner and try to identify all the different components of PIE.

When you are done, take a look at this sample research paper written by me. See if you can find the PIE structure in the body paragraphs.

Try PIE on your paper

Now open googledrive and pull out your diagnostic paper. Try to revise your body paragraphs using the PIE structure.

Homework

1. Do the assigned exercises on Writer's Help (5 sections)

2. Continue revising your body paragraphs (pay attention to coherence and PIE structure)

Feb 6 - Coherence 2

Today we will...

1. continue to access more cohesive devices that we can use in our writing
2. practice writing a cohesive paragraph

Warm-up: Hospital Task

Now let's play a little game. Remember to incorporate the cohesive devices (transitional words and phrases) that we learned last time.

You can have access to the game from here.

More Cohesive Devices

In addition to the transitional words and phrases that we have learned last time, we have some more cohesive devices we can use in writing. Here they are.

Practice

Now let's practice writing some coherent sentences.
Please get into groups of 3, and compose 2 short paragraphs based on the information here.

Homework

1. Do the Transition exercises in Writer's Help
2. Please continue working on your Diagnostic Paper. Try to revise everything that I have pointed out for you.

Grading Rubric

The grading rubric for the Diagnostic Paper Revision can be found here.

Feb 4 - Coherence 1

Today we will...

1. learn the importance of keeping coherence in our writing
2. leanr how to be coherent in composing an essay

Warm-up 1: Story Rounds

Let's make up two groups. One with 8 people and one with 7 people. Each group will receive a handout. The first person should read the starter (the original sentence of the story) and write something to make the story continue. Then the first person needs to fold the starter and only show the sentence he/she writes to the next person. The second person will do the same thing, writing and passing the story to the next person, until all the people write down their own sentences.

Warm-up 2: Coherence

1. What do you think is the reason that the story became so different in the end?
2. Take a look at these paragraphs and discuss in groups of 3: what is wrong with those paragraphs?

Introduction to Coherence

Now let's see what coherence is and how it works.

Transitions and Function

Since we need coherence in our writing, we need some transitional words or phrases to help us achieve that goal. Here is a list of transitional words and phrases. Please sort them into the right category.

Answer Keys

1. Warm-up Coherence
2. Transition & Function

Feb 2 - Strengthening Arguments

Today we will...

1. look at different strategies that we can use in our papers to strengthen our arguments
2. use these strategies in your diagnostic papers to make more effective arguments

Warm-up Questions

1. Think about your experiences when you tried to convince someone (your parents, your friends, etc.) to do something.
2. What strategies did you use to try to persuade the other person(s)?
2. Did your strategies work or not? Why or why not?

Strengthening Arguments in Writing

How can we strengthen arguments in our writings? What kinds of strategies can we use?
There are usually 5 strategies that we can use in academic writing to make our arguments stronger.

Practice

Work in groups of 3. Write a paragraph using one of the strategies.

Homework

1. You still have one more chance to do the exercises on Writer's Help. If you haven't done so, please do the exercises on Thesis 1 & Thesis 2
2. Now you have the original article and the essay prompt in your shared Googledrive folder. Please revise your thesis statement in red, and correct any grammatical errors that you can identify.

Jan 30 - Thesis Statement

Today we will...

1. learn to identify the essential components of an effective thesis statement
2. learn to write an effective thesis statement for your paper

Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement?
Why do we need it in our writings?

First, let's take a look at the following 2 samples.

Now, let's see what Purdue Owl says about thesis statement.

Parallel Structure

Usually, when we compose thesis statement, we need to conform to the "Parallel Structure".

But what does Parallel Structure mean?

Get Your Hands on It

Now, let's practice writing thesis statements with what we have just learned.

Please open this Thesis Writing Practice and work with your partner to compose thesis statements.

Answer Keys

1. Answer Key to the 2 writing samples.
2. Answer Key to the Parallel Structure.
3. Answer Key to the Thesis Writing Practice.

HOMEWORK

1. Please do the exercises on Thesis Statement 1 and Thesis Statement 2 in the Writer's Help ebook as a review of the content we covered today in class.
2. Please revise the thesis statement of your Diagnostic Essay in the shared Googledrive folder.

Jan 28 - Audience & Purpose

Today we will...

1. learn to correctly target the audience when we write academic papers
2. learn to understand the purpose of academic writing

Warm-up Discussion

Work in pairs. Imagine that you are writing a paper to convince people to eat at McDonald's instead of other restaurants.

First, think about who your audience is and how you would structure the paper.
Second, for each different audience, what arguments can you come up with?

Here is the demonstration of how you would do it.

Audience & Purpose

So, what exactly is "Audience" & "Purpose" that we are talking about in respect of writing papers?

Now, work in pairs and try to figure out what can be the potential audience and purpose of those papers.

When you are done, check your answers.

QUESTION: What do you think are the audience and purpose of academic papers?

Practice

Now work in pairs on this. Read the two passages and try to answer the questions and fill the forms. When you are done, we will go through all the answers together.

Jan 26 - Communication Model & Writing Across Borders

Today we will...

1. talk about the Communication Model and take a brief look at different writing styles

2. reflect on how we should write

Warm-up Questions

1. Have you ever experienced any miscommunication or misunderstanding when you communicate with others (especially with someone from a different country, a different ethnic group or a different cultural background)?

2. What do you think are the causes of miscommunication? How would you try to resolve that?

Introducing the Communication Model

When you talk to other people, you wish they would understand you 100%. However, the reality is that we don't get ourselves understood 100%; in fact, we can't even understand the other person 100%.

Writing Across Borders

This picture shows the difference in writing between different cultures

Therefore, in order to avoid miscommunication (what we focus on is in writing in this class), we need to conform to one specific writing style in order to get the message across.

Personality Test

In order to help me get to know you better, here is a personality test you need to do. It is fun and you will learn more about yourselves as well.

First, you need to open this color images file and choose the color that best describes you.
Second, you need to open this color text file and choose the description that best fits you.
Last, open this color survey file and fill it out following the instructions.

Notifications

1. Please send your gmail accounts to my email so that I can create individual folders for all of you in Googledrive.

2. Please go and purchase the "Writer's Help" ebook. The following are some instructions on how to get the book.

1) The place to get the book is here.
2) Writer's Help Student Orientation Video
3) Student Guide to the book
4) Student FAQs
5) How to switch instructors

Please remember to add me Xin Liu as your instructor, and my email address is xinliu6@illinois.edu

Jan 23 - Diagnostic Exam

We are having the Diagnostic Exam today!!! Yeah!!!

I know that you guys are so excited about this exam. Remember, this is just a diagnostic exam with no grade assigned, and the purpose is for me to target the weaknesses you have in writing and help you with them. Here are some rules to remember when you take the exam and write the essay:

1. You have 50 minutes to write the essay. When you finish, please go to Compass 2g to submit it.

2. No plagiarism is allowed in the exam. You will have to give credit to the original author if you need to use information from the article. However, no formal citation is required. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will look exactly like this poor little kitty in the picture.

3. You are not allowed to use the internet or any type of dictionary.

4. After the exam, you will have to turn in all the articles and scratch papers you have used during the test.

Any questions? If no, please go ahead and get started.

Good luck to all of you! And enjoy it!

Jan 21 - Welcome!!!

Welcome to ESL115 for the Spring Semester 2015!!!

Today we will...

1. Have an introduction to each other

2. Have an introduction to the course

3. Have a brief introduction to the Diagnostic Exam, which is on Jan 23rd (this Friday)

Hope to have a great time with all of you this semester!