Week One:

Semester overview

Policies

Requirements

ULS 2 Web page introductory material

Quiz: Collocations 2

Personal Learning Goals

English Phrasal Verbs in Use

Find Someone Who...

Week beginning April 4:

Class:Semester overview, policies (active participation, grading, late papers, etc.), requirements

Homework Assignments:
1) Read the introductory material on this web page. (If you started at the top of the page and read this far, you've completed the task.)
2) Complete the Second Collocations Quiz . (Units 15, 18, 19, 20, 27, 35, 41, 42, 46, 50, 53, 58, 59, 60).
3) Based on what you learned in ULS 1 about writing in English and about specific areas you need to work on, complete an Individual Learning Goals Statement, print a copy, and bring it to the second class meeting.
4) Buy a copy of English Phrasal Verbs in Use (available in the University Book Store)
5) Print the file "Find Someone Who" (two pages) and bring it to the first class meeting.

Week Two:

Web resources

Review of
writing as process

Feedback Techniques

What is academic writing?

Rhetorical strategies: description & exemplification

Find someone who...

Generic grammar prescriptions

WtD? first 30 ***

EpViU Units 1-7

Week beginning April 11

Hand in: Personal Learning Goals Statements and one copy of your completed "Find Someone Who..." form (at the end of class).

In-Class Activities: Q&A on ULS 2 web page; Web resources, ; requirements, course resources; feedback techniques. Review of grammar terminology and of writing as a recursive process. Focus for this semester: academic writing. What is academic writing? What is rhetoric? Rhetorical strategies in general, and description and exemplification in particular. Find someone who... (identify people you can help, and people who can help you). Generic grammar prescriptions.

Homework Assignments:
1) Buy English Phrasal Verbs in Use (available in the university bookstore).
2) Read the text on exemplification in and post any questions you have in the forum of . Respond to questions posed by other class members. Answer the questions on pp. 208 and 209 up to and including the Journal Entry. Be prepared to do the following in class next week: a) state the author's thesis; b) offer stipulative definitions (i.e. define terms as they are used in a specific context) for the words listed in the first question under "Vocabulary Projects"; c) identify words and expressions (question 2 of "Vocabulary Projects") that are more typical of literary writing than of journalistic writing.
3) Read Thurber's "Courtship through the Ages" (in
4) Prepare for the first *** What's the Difference quiz (in Week 4). The quiz will cover the first 30 three-star entries.
5) Begin preparing for the first EPViU quiz (in Week 7), which will be on Units 1-35. Plan on working through at least 7 units per week. Allow time for reviewing units you have already covered. Pay special attention to Units 1-5, as they provide essential basic information about phrasal verbs and their relatives.Be prepared to explain what phrasal verbs are and how phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, and verbs + prepositions differ.
6) If you did not complete and hand in a Personal Learning Goals Statement for this class, do so and bring it next week.

Week Three:

Exemplification cont.

Peer feedback

Phrasal verbs

WtD? first 30 *** entries

EPViU, Units 8-14

Review format requirements

Plan & write exemplification paper

Create grammar Rx exercises

Print exemplification checklist, bring next week

Week beginning April 18

In-Class Activities: Exemplification continued. Discussion and "does/says" analysis of "Death of a Homeless Man" in the stud.IP file on exemplification. Developing your ideas using exemplification. Testing your supporting evidence. Making usefully detailed plans. In-class writing, followed by peer feedback. Discussion: What kinds of feedback are the most helpful? Q&A on phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, and verbs plus prepositions.

Homework Assignments:
1) Prepare for next week's quiz on the first 30 three-star entries in What's the Difference?
2) Complete Units 8-14 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
3) Review format requirements for writing assignments (above and, in more detail, in ). To avoid delays in the marking cycle, make absolutely certain your paper conforms to all of these requirements!
4) Read the topics below, choose one to write on, formulate a thesis statement based on your chosen topic, then plan and write the first draft of a 600-800 word text using exemplification as the primary means of developing your ideas. Refer to the file on exemplification and to the exemplification rubric (also available in ) for further information on developing your ideas using exemplification. Both the plan and first version are due next week. Topics to choose from (your teacher may suggest or approve others):

• "Some books are to be tasted; others swallowed; and some few to be chewed and digested." (Francis Bacon, 1561-1626).*
• What does Langston Hughes' short story, "Thank you, Ma'm" (in ) reveal about African-American culture, social relationships, or socio-economic conditions?
• In the light of events in the world since Tony Blair gave his Chicago speech, the 'doctrine of international community' (in ) is more than ever /OR/ no longer an ethically acceptable doctrine.

*Note: This topic requires you to interpret Bacon's categories for your reader before giving examples of each type of book. In doing so, be careful to use the same criteria to define each of the three classes of books.

5) Choose one or two of your language accuracy problem areas to work on; follow the generic grammar prescription instructions to create at least two exercises to improve those areas (e.g. articles, adverb/adjective confusion, prepositions, verb tenses, punctuation).
6) Print out a copy of the Exemplification Checklist (in ) and bring it to class with you next week.

Week Four:

Peer feedback on exemplification

Exemplification, plan & v.1 due Friday

Causal argument & Cause & Effect as a rhetorical strategy

Quiz: What's the Difference? first 30 *** entries

Editing & revising texts

EPViU, Units 15-21

Generic grammar Rx exercises

"Quest for Competence"

Phrasals with "get"

Week beginning May 2

Hand in by noon on Friday: Detailed plan and first version of 600-800 word text using exemplification as the primary means of developing your ideas. Include your original first version (1.0), your improved first version (1.1), and the feedback you received from your fellow students.

In-Class Activities: Peer feedback on exemplification papers. (Make any changes necessary and put in my pigeonhole by noon on Friday.) Causal arguments: developing ideas using cause & effect as the primary rhetorical strategy. Mapping causal relationships.

Homework Assignments:
1) Quiz: What's the Difference? first 30 three-star entries (from "ache, hurt, pain" up to and including "burgle, mug, rob, steal"). Hint: Save paper! Before printing your results, click on the button that says "Show questions one by one."
2) Read about Causal Argument (in ) and "cause & effect" as a rhetorical strategy for developing your ideas. Plan and write the first version of your cause & effect text (ca. 500 words) around one of the topics listed on the web page or an alternative topic approved by your teacher. Think "Kissinger" and make your text the very best you can. Bring the plan and draft of your cause & effect text to class next week!
3) Complete Units 15-21 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
4) Read at least one of these documents: "Revising the Draft" and "Guidelines for Editing and Revising" (both are available in ). For specific suggestions on improving style, try this Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Writing Center page on Revising Prose. What ideas seem most helpful? Why do you think it is important to separate the revision and editing processes? Discuss these questions in the Forum of .
5) Do one of the generic grammar prescription exercises you created last week. Bring any questions you may have to class next week.
6) Read Lawrence Peter's essay, "A Quest for Competence" (in )and notice the author's use of examples to develop his ideas.
7) Students who were not in my class last semester (and thus did not read Steven Pinker's essay) may find it worthwhile to read "Writing as Psychology" (available in ). Pinker, a well-known Harvard psychologist, offers interesting, useful insights into the challenge of anticipating one's audience's information needs.
8) ULS 2a: Do the "Instant review of phrasals with 'get'" (in ).

Week Five:

Peer feedback on Cause & Effect texts

Revising & editing

Effective beginnings

Thesis statements

Style matters!

Cause & Effect plan & v. 1 due Friday

EPViU, Units 22-28

What's the Difference? second 30 *** entries

Week beginning May 9

Hand in by noon on Friday: Plan, first version of cause and effect paper (ca. 500 words), including your original first version (1.0), your improved first version (1.1), and the feedback you received from your fellow students.

In-Class Activities: Peer feedback on cause & effect drafts. Q&A on revising & editing. Q&A on Generic grammar prescription activity results.Effective beginnings. Thesis statements. Style matters!

Homework Assignments:
1) Complete Units 22-28 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
2) What's the Difference?: second 30 three-star entries.
3) Read "Beginning the Academic Essay" (in ).
4) Read "Developing a Thesis"(in ).
5) Read "The Write Stuff" (in ).
6) What valuable pointers did you pick up from the three texts listed above? Comment in the Forum of .
7) Download and print the file called "Practice: Revising and Editing" (in ) and see how many language errors and stylistic weaknesses you can identify and correct or improve. Bring your printout and suggestions for improving the sentences to class next week.

Week Six:

Comparison/contrast

Argumentation

Definitions

Error correction practice

EPViU, Units 29-35

What's the Difference? second 30 *** entries

Week beginning May 16

In-Class Activities:Comparison/contrast. Argumentation. Definitions. Error correction practice ("Practice: Revising & Editing").

Homework Assignments:
1) Complete Units 29-35 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use. (Quiz next week!)
2) What's the Difference?: second 30 three-star entries. (Quiz in Week 8!)
3) Read "Comparison/Contrast" OR pp. 3-20 of "Writing Arguments" (both are in ), depending on whether you plan to write a comparison/contrast essay or an argumentation essay for your third writing assignment.
4) Read about definitions. (Your third paper should include at least one stipulative definition.)

Note: For the third writing assignment, choose either comparison/contrast or argumentation as your primary rhetorical strategy. You should, however, be familiar with both. The following additional readings may be done over the next two weeks:

5) Read my web page on comparison/contrast.
6) Read the following pages on logic in persuasive writing (also called argumentation):

• Logic in Argumentative Writing
• Using logic
• Logical fallacies
• Using logic in writing
• Does logic always work?

Week Seven:

Exemplification papers: Common errors and content-related "traps"

Quiz: Phrasals #1 (Units 1-35)

WtD? 2nd 30 *** entries

EPViU, Units 36-44

Topic to thesis to plan

Collocations in Thurber, cont.

Improving sentences, cont.

Writing about literature, history, and cultural studies

Week beginning May 23

In-Class Activities: Common problems with the exemplification papers: collocations "hit list," "dummy" subjects, placement of "for example," constructions to avoid, content-related "traps," etc.

Homework Assignments:
1) Quiz: English Phrasal Verbs in Use (Units 1-35).
2) Prepare for next week's quiz on the second thirty three-star entries in What's the Difference? (Week 9)
3) Complete Units 36-44 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
4) Refine the topic for your third paper, write a thesis statement and a well-developed plan to bring to class after Whitsun (Week 9)
5) Make a list of the collocations you find in paragraphs 2-5 of the Thurber essay ("Courtship Through the Ages")
6) Continue working through the exercise we started in class (improving sentences)
7) Depending on your primary interests and the topic you have chosen to write about, read about at least one of the following: writing about literature, history, or culture. Here are some resources to get you started:

Writing about literature:

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center's handout on writing about literature
• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab handout on writing about literature
• Possible model for a clearly structured essay
• Links to two sample essays on literary topics by students

Writing about history:

• Dartmouth Writing Program: Writing the History Paper
• Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students
• Boston University Department of History Writing Guide
• Writing about history

Writing in cultural studies:

• Claremont Graduate Faculty: Writing in Cultural Studies
• A collection of articles
• Cultural Studies and Critical Theory

Week Eight:

Individual consultations

Quiz: What's the Difference? second 30 *** entries

EPViU, Units 45-53

Eliminating your errors

Revise exemplification texts

Plan third essay

Week beginning May 30

Individual consultations by prior arrangement (see the schedule on my door or contact me to make other arrangements)

Bring to class next week: Detailed plan for your third paper; revised exemplification paper (including V. 1 and revision memo)

Homework Assignments:
1) Quiz: What's the Difference? second 30 *** entries.
2) Complete Units 45-53 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
3) Choose three of the most common errors you made in your exemplification paper, then make your own exercises (following the Generic Grammar Prescription instructions) to eliminate those errors from your English repertoire. Consult grammar books in the Self Access Center and online resources such as the Purdue OWL.
4) Revise your exemplification paper
5) Finish V. 1 of the plan for your third essay
6) Read "Writing Arguments Chapter 1" (in ). Reviews a number of important concepts we have already discussed.

Week Nine:

Due: Exemplification, v. 2

Presentation on phrasals, et al

Peer feedback on Comparison/Contrast & argumentation plans

"Best practice" tips

EPViU, Units 54-62

Test your conditionals!

Week beginning June 6

Hand in: Second version of exemplification paper (Monday) and improved plan for third essay (by noon on Friday)

In-Class Activities: Presentation: Phrasals, prepositional verbs, & verbs plus prepositions. Feedback on plans. Best Practice tips for comparison / contrast and argumentation.

Homework Assignments:
1) Revise cause & effect papers
2) Complete Units 54-62 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use (Quiz Week 11)
3) Refine your detailed plan for your third writing task (comparison/contrast or argumentation) and hand it in by noon on Friday.
4) Test your understanding and mastery of English conditionals (in ).

Note: Due to my absence this week, Tasks 1 and 3 have been postponed. See below for new deadlines for these tasks.

Week Ten:

In-class writing & discussion

EPViU, Units 63-70

Gerunds, Participles & Infinitives

Conditionals

Punctuation

Week beginning June 13 – no class Whit Monday!

In-Class Activities: In-class writing and discussion using only positive feedback.

Homework Assignments:
1) Complete Units 63-70 in English Phrasal Verbs in Use and prepare for the quiz next week.

Select from the following tasks based on your individual problem areas:

If gerund/participle/infinitive constructions give you trouble, do these:
2) Read about gerunds, participles, and infinitives, paying special attention to the tables on the page "Comparing Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives."
3) Complete this exercise on recognizing gerunds, participles and infinitives.
4) Complete this exercise on using gerunds and infinitives.

5) Here are two crossword puzzles to help you review for the second phrasal verbs quiz. One is on nouns formed from phrasal and prepositional verbs, and the other is on phrasals and their single-word equivalents.

If conditionals are a problem, refer to these pages:
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional.htm, http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/conditionalintro.html..

If punctuation is still a problem, do these exercises and make up some of your own using the generic grammar prescription:
6) Complete the exercises on punctuation (in ). For information on punctuation, consult the Purdue University OWL site (American English) or the University of Bristol Writing Centre (British English).

Week Eleven:

Due: Detailed plan

Stipulative definitions

Stylistic Issues

Tricky Constructions

Quiz: Phrasals #2 (Units 36-70)

Write out final essay

Improving Sentence Clarity

Topic sentences, signposts & transitional devices

Paired conjunctions

Week beginning June 20

Bring to class: Detailed plan for comparison/contrast or argumentation paper.

In-Class Activities: Peer feedback on plans. Stipulative definitions for fun and profit. Discussion topics may also include any or all of the following): clarity in writing: dangling modifiers, misplaced modifiers, paired conjunctions, unnecessary passive voice, sentence combining, emphasis.

Links: http://aliscot.com/bigdog/dmmm_exercise.htm
http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/on-line/mismod-a.html

Homework Assignments:
1) Quiz 2 on English Phrasal Verbs in Use (Units 36-70).
2) After you have received comments on your essay plan, make any needed improvements, then put it in my pigeonhole on Friday. Begin writing out your comparison/contrast or argumentation essay (max. 1200 words). Budget your time so you will have time to "think Kissinger" and make your essay the very best you can. When you receive your plan back next Monday, you will have an opportunity to incorporate my recommendations in your draft. Remember, assuming you do well enough on it, your first written-out version will be the last version of this assignment you will have to hand in. An argumentation rubric is available in .

Select from the following tasks based on your individual problem areas:

3) Read about "Improving Sentence Clarity."
4) Read about transitions and transitional devices (Two Word documents on (1) topic sentences and signposting and (2) transitions are also available in . I've also uploaded an animated PowerPoint presentation – especially for for visual learners – called "Using Transitions")
5) Complete the short exercise on "Paired Conjunctions" (in )

Week Twelve:

Peer feedback on full-length essay

"Kissinger" your draft!

Due next Monday: Comparison/Contrast or Argumentation essay

Parallel structure

Clarity in writing, cont.

Wordiness

Week beginning June 27

In-Class Activities: Peer feedback on essay. Clarity in writing: wordiness, nominalism. Other topics may also include any or all of the following): dangling modifiers, misplaced modifiers, paired conjunctions, unnecessary passive voice, sentence combining, emphasis.

Homework Assignments:
1) Make any necessary revisions to your essay before handing it in next Monday. Now, more than ever, think "Kissinger"!

Select from the following tasks based on your individual problem areas:

2) Read about parallel structure and complete this self-access exercise.
3) Complete the exercise on "Wordiness" in
4) Complete and hand in any outstanding late writing assignments by the end of next week. If you know that you will not be able to meet this deadline, you must make arrangements with me in writing (so neither of us will forget what we have committed ourselves to) in advance of the deadline.

Week Thirteen:

Due: Comparison/contrast, or Argumentation

Due: Cause & Effect, v. 2

Verb tenses and tense sequencing, indirect discourse, etc.

Week beginning June 4

Due Monday: Written-out comparison/contrast or argumentation essay, including your plan (original and improved versions) and feedback sheet(s) on the plan.

Due within two weeks of receiving your marked up first version (whenever that was): Second (revised) version of your cause & effect paper (including V.1 & revision memo).

In-Class Activities: Verb tenses and tense sequencing, indirect discourse. Other topics to be announced.

Homework: —

Week Fourteen:

Deadline for handing in late papers

Course Evaluation

Information on "Vertiefungsmodul Sprachpraxis" (CBIS)

Preparation for IDEELS simulation

Week beginning July 11

Hand in: Any late papers still outstanding. Exception: For papers returned after Week 12 that need to be revised, this deadline is extended to one week after the paper has been returned. Other exceptions only by prior written arrangement.

In-Class Activities: Summing up; course evaluation; Discussion, Q & A: "Vertiefungsmodul Sprachpraxis" and module requirements (simulation, written work, reading comprehension, oral presentation).

Homework Assignments:
1) Finish three-star entries in What's the Difference? over the "semester break"
2) To begin preparing for your CBIS class and the IDEELS simulation you will be participating in next semester, read the following documents :

• How IDEELS simulations work
• Rules and procedures
• Shared learning objectives
• Specific learning objectives

Read about the Project Regions and countries (Country Information), all of which are linked from the Resources for Participants page.

(You will have very little time at the beginning of the semester to familiarize yourself with this information before you have to start writing documents and making decisions based on this material.)

If you are curious about some of the vocabulary resources you will be using during the simulation, here is a link to the IDEELS glossary page.