Writing Year 1 - 1st semester 2010/2011
Instructor: Waldemar Szefliński (duty hours: Tue 11.25-11.55, 13.30-14.00, Fri 18.10-18.40)
Goals
You will learn the skills necessary to write well-organized compositions (stories, formal letters, paragraphs, reviews, articles) together with some pre-writing techniques. The main stress will be put on practicing organizing your thoughts and presenting them coherently in English in an appropriate form. To feel at ease with this, however, one needs to read a great deal in the target language as well as to constantly work on enhancing one's vocabulary. That's why you will find reading and vocabulary work also incorporated into the course.
Class Topics
Introduction; Synopsis - a text read in class
Synopsis practice - a short story
Timed Writing: a synopsis
A short story - introduction
A story with the beginning/ending given
Formal letter - theory test + practice
Students' short stories presentation (transparencies) - part one
Students' short stories presentation (transparencies) - part two
Timed Writing: a formal letter
10.Timed Writing: a short story
11.The First, Second and Third Steps in Writing:
ES 10-21, 40-48 [up to Point 3] (plus: do the exercises pp. 22-24 [inc. activity 3], pp. 26 [from No 3]-27, 30-33, 50 [from Point 1]-57); also have blank copies of pp. 36-37)
12.The Three Steps test; Evaluating Writing
ES 58-64 (plus: do the exercises pp. 69 [from Point 1]-80; have blank copies of pp. 81-84)
13.Other Factors in Writing
ES 87-108 (make notes; copy only pp. 97-101)
14.Steps and Factors in Writing - practice
15.Semester conclusion
Notes:
When writing, you will be supposed to stay within a sentence/word limit given each time. You will be given a short theory test on class 12. If you happen to forget to do homework twice (and you are caught!), your final mark will be lowered by a half point. In every non-Timed Writing lesson, there must be two English-English and two Polish-English dictionaries in the classroom. This is the responsibility of the whole group and the whole group may be penalized if fail.
There are two ways to have your Student Book signed: 1. if you cross the 60-per cent threshold in the four tests (3 timed sessions, 1 theory test), you need to have 60 % out of the total 100% (see: Assessment below) - marking scale A applies in this case, 2. you may fail one out of the four tests (score less than 60%) and not want to retake it; in this case you need to have at least 65% out of the total 100% (see: Assessment below) - marking scale B applies here.
You are allowed to have two unexcused absences per semester.
marking scale A: marking scale B:
93%-100% 5 93%-100% 4+
86%-92% 4+ 86%-92% 4
80%-85% 4 80%-85% 3+
71%-79% 3+ 65%-79% 3
60%-70% 3 0%-65% 2 (fail)
0%-59% 2 (fail)
Assessment
75% - Timed Writing 15% - Sentence skills achievement test 5% - class work
5% - attendance (absences: 2 [any] - 5%; 3 excused - 5% ; any other combination - 0%)
Selected bibliography
Langan, J. College Writing Skills, McGraw-Hill (CWS)
Langan, J. English Skills, McGraw-Hill (ES)