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!