Week One:

Semester overview

Policies

Resources

Format for written work

Walkabout

Homework:

Grammar Terminology
Pre-Test

Learning Style Inventory

Writing as Psychology

EGT: Sections 0 & 1

Writing Self-Assessment

Activity Report

Week beginning October 31

Class: Getting acquainted. Explanation of policies, rules, requirements, etiquette; overview of semester schedule and resources, e.g.,, this website, FZHB server, FB 10 CIP labs, FZHB Self-Access Center, etc. Walkabout (time permitting).

Homework: Unless otherwise indicated, all homework assignments are to be completed before the next class meeting.

—If you have not already done so, complete the Essential Grammar Terminology Pre-Test in . The key will also be available (in a few days -- remind me if I forget to upload it!) in the Documents folder in .
—Complete this Learning Style Inventory. Make a note of the letter combination(s) you are given at the end of the survey and e-mail this information to your teacher; read the description of your learning style. If you have balanced responses to one or more trait pairs (e.g. introvert/extrovert), read the descriptions for all your combinations. For example, if your result is "I + E STP", read the descriptions for ISTP and ESTP to see which one fits best.
—Read "Writing as Psychology" (in ). Tip: The more time you spend reading secondary literature in your chosen subject, the more important it will be to remind yourself of the common-sense advice given in this essay by a famous cognitive psychologist.
—Prepare Sections 0 & 1 (p. 1) of "Essential Grammar Terminology" (EGT) (in ).
—Complete European Portfolio Self-Assessment for writing (top link on the navigation bar). Use this information to start thinking about setting personal learning goals for this semester.
—Bring 18 Euros to class next week to pay for your copy of What's the Difference?

Week Two:

Q&A on EGrT Sections 0 & 1

Writing as Psychology

Writing as Communication,

Description

Homework:

Forum discussion of cartoon task

EGT: Section 2,
Tasks 1 & 2

WtD?: 1st 10 **** entries

Descriptive texts

Type & file your descriptive text

ULS Writing Pack

Class participation rubric

Activity Report

Week beginning November 7

Class:
Discussion: Q & A on Sections 0 & 1 of the "Essential Grammar Terminology Pack"; "Writing as Psychology." Activity: "Image to Text to Image" and what we can learn about writing descriptions (not to mention writing for an audience!). Presentation: Introduction to Writing as Process; Description.

Homework:
—If we do not do this in class, in the Forum of , discuss what you learned from the activity about writing descriptions for an audience?
—Complete Section 2 and Tasks 1 & 2 in the "Essential Grammar Terminology" Pack;
—Learn the first ten four-star entries in What's the Difference?
—Read these descriptive texts and consider what makes them "work."
—Type up your description of the cartoon ("Calvin & Hobbes," "Curiosity & the Cat" or "When English Teachers Snap") and keep it on file as a sample of your writing at the beginning of your first semester at university. (This can serve as the "starting point" of your 4th-semester reflective essay.)
—Read the first two sections of the ULS Writing Pack (in ), including Writing as a three-phase process and General tips for getting the most out of your writing practice
—Read through the Class Participation Rubric ("standards") (also in ). This document outlines our expectations of you concerning your class participation – and it applies to participation both in class and in
—Keep track of the time you spend each day doing work for this class this week, complete this Self-Study Activity Report, and e-mail it or print it out and give it to your teacher.

Week Three:

Q&A on GrT: Tasks 1&2

Description

"Mindfulness in writing"

Academic writing

Homework:

Peer feedback

Revise descriptive paragraph to hand in next week

EGT Section 3(a) - 3(b)i
Tasks 3 & 4
(Quiz next week)

"Academic Writing"

WtD?: 1st 10 **** entries

Week beginning November 14

Class:
Discussions: Q&A: GrT Pack, Tasks 1&2. Descriptive texts (assigned last week). Activity: "Mindfulness in writing" Presentation: Writing as Process, cont; peer feedback; academic writing (types, conventions).

Homework Assignments:
—If we do not do this in class, work with at least one other class member, trade descriptive texts, and give each other concrete, specific feedback on them. This feedback should be written on a separate piece of paper and signed by the person providing the feedback. Include this sheet with comments when you hand in your description next week.
—Consider what makes feedback useful, as distinct from feedback that simply feels good. Contribute your comments to the Forum in .
—Revise and type up your descriptive paragraph, paying particular attention to the following:

• use the correct format;
• consider who your audience is (be reader-friendly);
• organize your description logically (e.g. chronologically) include rich, evocative descriptive details to help your readers share your experience vicariously;

Make absolutely certain you follow the format requirements. Assignments which do not meet format requirements will be returned uncorrected. No credit will be given until the assignment is resubmitted with the proper format. For your convenience, I have prepared a downloadable ULS document template for you to personalize and use for your ULS assignments.
—Complete the handout "Academic Writing" in , paying special attention to Part IV: Academic Style. Be prepared to discuss in class next week.
—Review the first ten four-star entries in What's the Difference?
—Complete Sections 3(a) - 3(b)i and Tasks 3 & 4 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—Review GrT Sections 0 through 3(b)i for next week's quiz.
.

Week Four:

Q&A on GrT: Tasks 3 & 4

What qualities make feedback useful?

Academic writing

Exploratory, expository, & persuasive writing

Audience, purpose,
& context in writing

Format check

Homework:

"Kissinger" your descriptive paragraph

Quiz: GrT Tasks 1-4

GrT: Section 3(b)ii, Tasks 5 & 6

ULS Writing Pack on sentences & paragraphs

On Paragraphs

WtD? second ten **** entries

Buy ECiU

Week beginning November 21

Class: Presentation & Q&A on GrT Tasks 3 & 4. Discussion: What makes feedback useful? Knowledge construction: Characteristics of academic writing. Exploratory, expository, and persuasive writing. Audience, purpose & context. Activity: Format check of descriptive paragraph papers. If you do not need to make any format changes, you may hand in the assignment at the end of class. If you need to make changes, do this at home and put the assignment (your paper and the sheet(s) with peer comments) in my pigeonhole by 4 p.m. Friday.

Homework:
—If necessary, correct format on your descriptive paragraph and put it in my pigeonhole by 4 p.m. Friday of this week.
—Complete the first "Essential Grammar Terminology" Quiz, print out the first page (the one that shows your student number, score and the number of items you got right on the first try) and hand it in to your teacher next week.

Instructions for completing the quiz:

• This test consists of three parts; be sure to complete all three and to enter your matriculation number in the box on all three sections.
• If your first answer on a test item is incorrect, try again! You will earn partial credit for second tries.
• When you have completed a part, your matriculation number, your score, the number of questions answered correctly the first time, and the sentence "You have completed the exercise" (or something similar) will be displayed at the top of the page. This is the information your teacher needs.
• If all the questions are visible and you have an option of displaying the questions one at a time, click on the button that says "Show questions one by one" before you print your results to save paper.
• Hand in the three results sheets to your teacher. A word to the wise: Save your completed quizzes on a USB stick or on your computer, just in case.
• Note: Some quizzes require you to check each item individually to calculate a final score.

—Complete Section 3(b)ii and Tasks 5 & 6 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—Read the sections on "Writing effective sentences" and "Characteristics of good English paragraphs" in the "Writer's Guide" (in ). Consider how this information relates to the texts we have read (and written) so far. Be prepared to discuss this in class next week.
—Read the document "On Paragraphs" (in ). Consider how this information relates to the texts we have read so far. Be prepared to discuss this in class next week.
—What's the Difference? Learn the second ten four-star entries.
—If you haven't already done so, buy a copy of English Collocations in Use (ECiU). It is available at the university bookstore.

Week Five:

Q&A: GrT Tasks 5 & 6

Audience, purpose,
& context in writing: controlling ideas & thesis statements

English paragraphs

Homework:

Goals Statement

EGT: Sections 3(b)iii & iv, Task 7

Effective Writing, Part 1, pp. 1 - 4

WtD? **** entries through Unit 10

"Zlata's Diary"

Week beginning November 28

Class: Q&A on Tasks 5 & 6 in the Essential Grammar Terminology Pack. Discussion: Audience, purpose & context: controlling ideas & thesis statements. What makes a good topic sentence? What makes a good thesis statement? What makes a good English paragraph? Examples: "Writing as Psychology," descriptive texts. Effective Writing, Part 1: Effective English Paragraphs, pp. 1-2 (time permitting).

Homework:
—Complete Personal Learning Goals Statement for this class and bring it to class next week;
—Complete Section 3(b)iii and Task 7 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—Read the explanations in Effective Writing, Part 1 on paragraphs and topic sentences and complete the exercises (in ) on pp. 1 - 4.
—Review all four-star entries in What's the Difference? through Unit 10 (Quiz next week!)
—Complete the gap-filling exercise "Zlata's Diary" in ). Think about how the "little" words contribute to the text's coherence and cohesiveness.

Week Six:

Review of writing as process

Writing-related terminology

Controlling ideas, topic sentences, development, signposts

Homework:

Quiz: WtD? **** #1

EGT: Section 3(b)v, Task 8

Effective Writing Part 1: Paragraphs, pp. 5-7

Paragraph reconstruction (Growing an Avocado)

Three short-short stories

Collocations
in Use: 1-12, 32, 33

Week beginning December 5

Class: Q&A on GrT Tasks 5-7. Presentation/Discussion: Quick review of writing process; overview of writing-related terminology. English paragraphs: topic sentences, supporting sentences, signposts. Activities: "Zlata's Diary," Effective Writing solutions; pair and group work on controlling ideas, topic sentences, and signposts.

Homework:
—Complete the first What's the Difference? quiz, which covers the four-star entries in Units 1-10.
—Complete Section 3(b)v, Task 8 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—Effective Writing Part 1: Paragraphs, pp. 5-7 (in ).
—Complete this paragraph reconstruction exercise about growing avocado trees at home. Pay attention to the words and expressions that refer to the sequence of events, and use whatever horticultural knowledge you might have to reconstruct the text. When you are finished, e-mail me to ask for the solution, but do not send me your solution!
—If you would like to try a second, more challenging paragraph reconstruction exercise (this is optional, not required!) based on a literary text, try this one by N. Scott Momaday.
—Read the three "Short-short stories" in and be prepared to make arguable assertions (thesis statements) about them next week.
—English Collocations in Use: Units 1-12, 32, 33 (the quiz on this will be after the Christmas break, in Week 10).

Week Seven:

Q&A on Task 8

Paragraph reconstruction

Topic sentences

Revising and editing

Thesis statements

Verb tense & aspect

Homework:

Revise & edit descriptions

Verb tense/aspect exercise

EGT Sections 4(a) - (c), Task 9

WtD? **** Units 11-13

ECiU: 1-12, 32, 33

"The Man to Send Rain Clouds"

Week beginning December 12

Class: Hand in WtD? quizzes. Q&A on Task 8 in GrT. Discussion of paragraph reconstruction exercise. Topic sentences, cont. Revising and editing (and the Kissinger anecdote, for those who haven't heard it yet). Group work on "arguable assertions" (AKA Thesis statements). Making good verb tense and aspect choices: Present perfect, past, past perfect; simple and continuous.Here's the link to the page on thesis statements at Giessen Uni that we looked at briefly in class.

By the way, here's a working copy of "Zlata's Diary", with apologies for the technical glitch in the stud.IP copy!

Homework:
—Here is a link to a sentence concordancer for those whose feedback included a phrase like this: "compare usage of 'separate' & 'divide.'" Use it to refine your sense of the nuances of meaning and usage of words with similar, but not identical meanings.
—Read "Revising the draft" (in ) and use it as a guide when revising your descriptions.
—Revise your description. You may find it helpful to consult this list of the most common errors, which also gives suggestions for improving your texts. Print out a copy of the Revision Memo (in ), complete it, and hand it in with the revised version of your descriptive paragraph. Include the marked first version of your description and the feedback sheet, too.
—Complete the "Exercise on Present Perfect, Past, and Past Perfect" (in ).
—Complete Sections 4(a) - (c) and Task 9 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—All four-star entries in What's the Difference? through Unit 13.
—English Collocations in Use: Units 1-12, 32, 33 (the quiz on this will be after the Christmas break, in Week 10)
—Read "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" (in ). Make a note of any words or expressions you do not know.

FUN: Two versions of a classic vaudeville comedy routine based on miscommunication you may enjoy if you need a seven-minute break:
Abbott and Costello: "Who's on First?" (You'll have to copy and paste the URLs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_gSWTQKE-0

Week Eight:

Q&A on EGT through Task 9

Summaries

Thesis statements

Homework:

Summary of MTSR

Thesis statements on MTSR

Support for assertions

Quiz: EGT #2

EGT: Review Section 4, Tasks 10, 11

ECiU: 1-12, 32, 33

Week beginning December 19

Class: Q&A on EGT through Task 9. Writing Summaries. Thesis statements, continued.

Homework:
—Write a concise summary of the short story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."
—Review "Writing Thesis Statements" (in ) and apply the principles contained in it to the following exercise.
—Write two or three thesis statements on aspects of "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" (e.g. characterization, use of color, nature and theme, cultural and religious conflicts). For each of your statements, list the evidence in the story that you can use to support your assertions. Bring these to class in Week 10.
—Complete the second "Essential Grammar Terminology" Quiz and give your results to your teacher the first week in January.
—Review Section 4 in "Essential Grammar Terminology" and complete Tasks 10 & 11. We will go over these two tasks in class when we come back in January.
—English Collocations in Use: Units 1-12, 32, 33 (the quiz on this will be after the Christmas break, in Week 10)
—For ULS 1c: Revise your description. You may find it helpful to consult this list of the most common errors, which also gives suggestions for improving your texts. Print out a copy of the Revision Memo (in ), complete it, and hand it in with the revised version of your descriptive paragraph. Include the marked first version of your description and the feedback sheet, too.
—Complete the "Exercise on Present Perfect, Past, and Past Perfect" (in ).

For additional information on summarizing, paraphrasing and notetaking, you might want to visit these sites:

Purdue U. OWL Handout comparing quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html
Using English for Academic Purposes (Click on "Notetaking" in the navigation bar on the left.
Literacy Education Online: Process for Writing a Summary

For additional practice in summarizing, paraphrasing and notetaking, you might want to visit this site:

http://www.uefap.co.uk/reading/exercise/menu_nt.htm

Week Nine:

Hand in revised descriptions

EGT: Tasks 10 & 11

Summaries

Thesis statements

Planning an essay

Tool: Generic Grammar Prescription Exercise

Tools: Online Concordancers, Collocation Samplers, & Visual Thesaurus

Homework:

Plan an essay

Review writing thesis statements

Quiz: EGT #3

EGT: Section 5(a)

WtD? through Unit 15

ECiU: 1-12, 32, 33

Week beginning January 9

Hand in: Revised descriptions. Be sure to include a completed Revision Memo, your first version, and the feedback sheet!

Class: EGT Tasks 10 & 11. Group work: Evaluating your summaries. Discussion of thesis statements about "The Man to Send Rain Clouds." Presentation: Planning an essay. Introductions, conclusions and body paragraphs.

Homework:

—Make any changes to your summaries (using the feedback you received in class and on your descriptions as a guide) and hand them in next week.
—Plan an essay based on your thesis statement. Write out the introduction and the conclusion in full, as well as topic sentences for each of the body paragraphs. List the supporting evidence you plan to use to develop each paragraph. Your plan should be typed, following the usual format requirements. Bring your plan to class next week and be prepared to discuss it. Refer to the file "Essay Planning Tips and Instructions" (in ) for guidance.
—Review the file "Writing Thesis Statements" (in ) if you are having trouble with thesis statements.
—Complete the third "Essential Grammar Terminology" Quiz and hand in your results next week.
—Complete Section 5(a) in "Essential Grammar Terminology"
—Review all four-star entries in What's the Difference through Unit 15
—English Collocations in Use: Units 1-12, 32, 33 (The quiz on this will be next week, in Week 10).

Fun:
—Top ten word lists from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Categories include categories like "words with bizarre meanings," "words inspired by filmmakers," "words with remarkable origins," "rare and amusing insults," "quotations about words," and, of course, "commonly confused words."

—In case you missed these before Christmas...Tools for eliminating problem areas and improving your "feel" for English. Generic Grammar Prescription Exercise, Online Concordancers (Concordance Sampler & Collocations Sampler, Sentence Concordancer), Collocation Samplers (see first link or simply google your collocations), and the Visual Thesaurus. Expressing Past Time in English.

Week Ten:

Hand in summary

Q&A on collocations

Essay plans

Homework:

Quiz: ECiU 1-12, 32,33

Revise description

EGT: Section 5(b), Task 12

WtD? **** through Unit 20

Week beginning January 16

Hand in: Summaries. Class: Q&A on collocations. Discussion of essay plans

Homework:

—Quiz: English Collocations in Use: Units 1-12, 32, 33.
—Rework your essay plan, based on the feedback you received in class. Hand it in next week.
—Complete Section 5(b) and Task 12 in "Essential Grammar Terminology."
—What's the Difference: four-star entries through Unit 20 (The second What's the Difference? Quiz will be in Week 12)

Week Eleven:

Hand in essay plan

Addressing your 'challenge areas'; building on your strengths

EGT: Section 5(c), Task 13

WtD? **** through Unit 20

Punctuation

Week beginning January 23

Hand in: Essay plan. Class: Class activities this week and the coming weeks will focus on stylistic problems and common errors, including some or all of the following: English verb tense, aspect, voice and modality, agreement, modifiers (adjective/adverb confusion, gerunds, infinitives and participles), pronoun reference, relative clauses, punctuation, and establishing relationships between ideas and structural components of a text (e.g. sentences, paragraphs).

Homework:

—Complete Essential Grammar Terminology, section 5(c), Task 13
—Review all four-star entries in What's the Difference? Units 11 - 20
—Complete the exercises on punctuation ("Internal Punctuation Practice" and "Punctuation Practice" in ). For more information on punctuation, consult the Purdue University OWL site (American English) or the University of Bristol Writing Centre (British English).
—Complete Self-Study Activity Report for this week.

Resources:
Wikipedia list of genres of academic writing

Using English for Academic Purposes

Cambridge Phrasal Verbs Dictionary

Week Twelve:

Addressing your 'challenge areas'; building on your strengths

Homework

Quiz: WtD? **** Units 11-20

Revise essay plans

Optional practice:

Gerund, infinitive, or participle?

Adjective or adverb?

Emphasis

Verbs

Week beginning January 30

Class: Class activities this week and the coming weeks will focus on stylistic problems and common errors, including some or all of the following: English verb tense, aspect, voice and modality, agreement, modifiers (adjective/adverb confusion, gerunds, infinitives and participles), pronoun reference, relative clauses, punctuation, and establishing relationships between ideas and structural components of a text (e.g. sentences, paragraphs).

Homework:
—Quiz on four-star entries in Units 11-20 of What's the Difference?
—Revise your essay plans (hand in next week).

Optional practice:
—For those who want more practice on collocations with gerunds and infinitives, this link has a three-part tutorial and abundant web-based practice material.
—If you are interested in more information on gerunds and infinitives, this is what the Purdue OWL has to say.
—Practice verb + gerund or participle combinations with this crossword puzzle
—If you need to work on adjectives and adverbs, here is what the Purdue OWL has to say on the subject.
—Here is a short gap-filling exerciseto give you a little practice deciding whether to use an adjective or an adverb.
—If you are interested in learning more about emphasis, here is what the Purdue OWL has to say
—If you are interested in more practice with verbs (tense, mode, voice, etc.), try this gap-filling exercise.

Week Thirteen:

EGT "odds 'n' ends"

Addressing your 'challenge areas'; building on your strengths

Homework:

Quiz: EGT #4

Practice materials:

Gerund, infinitive,
or participle?

Adjective or adverb?

Emphasis

Verbs

Week beginning February 6

Class:Class activities this week and next will focus on stylistic problems and common errors, including some or all of the following: English verb tense, aspect, voice and modality, agreement, modifiers (adjective/adverb confusion, gerunds, infinitives and participles), pronoun reference, relative clauses, punctuation, and establishing relationships between ideas and structural components of a text (e.g. sentences, paragraphs).

Homework:
—Complete the fourth Essential Grammar Terminology Quiz and report your results to your teacher.
—Print out and complete the 1st semester evaluation form (in class or in).
—See Week 11 for links to additional practice material.

Resources:

• Introduction and General Usage in Defining (Relative) Clauses
• Relative Pronouns in Non-Defining (Relative) Clauses
• Defining vs. Non-Defining (Relative Clauses)
• Active Verb Tenses
  

Week Fourteen:

Second-Semester Classes

Course Evaluation

Homework:

EGT Sections 5(d) & 5(e)

Second versions of summaries & plans

ECiU Units 15, 18,-20, 27, 35, 41

Practice, practice, practice!

Note: 2nd ECiU quiz: will take place in the 1st or 2nd week of SoSe!

Week beginning February 13

Class: What to expect in second-semester English language classes (University Language Skills 2, i.e., the second half of the "Basismodul Sprachpraxis").

Homework Assignments:
—Complete Sections 5(d) & 5(e) in "Essential Grammar Terminology"
—Complete second versions essay plans. Put in my pigeonhole by February 14th.
—English Collocations in Use: Complete Units 15, 18, 19, 20, 27, 35, 41, 42, 46, 50, 53, 58, 59, 60 over the semester break. The second collocations quiz will take place either the first or second week of ULS 2 classes!
—If, for some reason, you have not received all versions of your writing assignments by the last class meeting (e.g. the Statement of Purpose), check the envelope on my door regularly (or have a buddy do so if you are not in Bremen over the break) until you have received them. If you have questions about my comments or corrections, or if I indicate on your paper that we need to talk, please make an appointment via e-mail to see me during the break. Revisions (i.e. 2nd or, if required, 3rd versions) will be accepted a maximum of two weeks after first versions have been returned unless you make a special arrangement with me.
—Think "Carnegie Hall" and "practice, practice, practice." Here are a few links with explanations and practice material:

• Englishpage.com has a great deal of web-based practice material.
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (the Mother of all online writing labs – maybe even the Grandmother!) Explanations are usually quite clear and fairly detailed and the site has substantial material for learners of English as a second or foreign language.
• Here's a bit of edutainment: Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling and How to Use a Semicolon (thanks to Julian Brandt for sharing this!)

Resources for formatting citations:

• MLA formatting and style guide
• APA formatting and style guide