Overview
ESL 500 Semester Assignments Guidelines
1) 2 – 3 page revised version of the diagnostic essay
2) 1 – 2 page summary of an article
3) 4 – 6 page source-based argumentative essay (~5 sources)
4) 10-minute oral presentation of your argumentative essay
5) Academic Reflection (3 times)
Diagnostic Revision
This exercise fulfills several purposes. The first is to give me a place
to start the course. I will assess your familiarity with essay organization,
logical flow of ideas, clarity of explanations, grammar, vocabulary and style
in order to get to know your writing and learn how best to help you this
semester. The second, but perhaps the primary purpose is to give YOU a starting
point for evaluating and improving your own writing performance. Your initial,
timed draft will not be given extensive comments.
During the first few weeks of class, we will study a five-paragraph
essay structure along with other elements of organizing your writing. Your
revision will be the graded draft.
Summary
The summary of an article will introduce you to integration and
synthesis of source material. The article will be assigned to the whole class
by the instructor.
Source-based argumentative essay
You should use at least 5 sources in your essay. This means that you
have to do extensive research on your topic. We will spend some class time to
decide on your topics for the argumentative essays, but please begin to think
now about what you would like to write about. You may change your topic but
before doing this, please discuss your new topic with the instructor. I suggest
that you choose a topic that relates directly to your current course work in
your major field, but with a few constraints:
§ You will be
writing for a general, educated audience, not for professional peers.
§ You may NOT
revise a paper you have already written. It is vital that you go through the
entire writing process in this class in order to practice what you are learning.
§ You may NOT
use a paper that you are writing for another class (see Student Code,
§I-402(a))
Oral Presentation
Using PowerPoint, you will present your last assignment (longer
source-based essay) to the class. We will have some class lessons on how to
effectively present your research, and this assignment will be good practice in
acquiring and polishing your presentation skills for future conference
appearances.
Each of these assignments (plus your weekly journals, homework, and
attendance) will comprise a large portion of your final grade, but more
importantly, doing them will prepare you to succeed in your major field and
earn your degree.
Academic Reflections (Journal)
You will write three reflective assignments (one page maximum for each),
which will be assigned on a monthly basis. It is a means of communication
between you and me, student and teacher, and it will also help you to reflect
on your progress and needs.
