WA 3

Writing Assignment 3: Process Essay

         Your assignment is to written an instructional process essay on a topic of your choice – however, I must approve the topic before you begin writing. Therefore, you need to choose a topic that a) you understand well and b) you find interesting and have a lot to say about so that you can communicate the process clearly to your readers. You are free to choose the tone of voice of your essay – for example, if you’d like to be funny, go ahead and be funny. If you think a more serious tone of voice is appropriate, that’s fine too.

            Your essay should include at least 4 paragraphs, with an introductory paragraph,two body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Communicate your ideas with a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences. Use transition signals to connect your ideas clearly.

Examples of topics:

1.      How to lose weight without going crazy

2.      How to beat other people at poker

3.      How to find the perfect roommate

4.      How to get rid of your horrible roommate – without doing anything illegal

5.      How to housebreak your dog

6.      How to enjoy a romantic date night for less than $20

7.      How to successfully get a raise from your employer

8.      How to cook the perfect steak 

a

  Important dates:

  June 28: brainstorm, outline

  July 1st (midnight): send Bonnie rough draft by DOCS

  July 4th (midnight): send Bonnie final draft by DOCS

Grading Rubric

Process Essay (WA 3)

June 30, 2012

	MAXIMUM SCORE	ACTUAL SCORE
Format -          Centered title (1), first line of paragraph indented (1), double – spaced, (1) correct headline (1)	4
Content -          Essay fulfills assignment requirements. -          Essay is interesting -          Essay shows care and thought. -          Consistent use of nouns & pronouns	5 5 5 2 17
Organization -          Essay has an introduction, at least 2 body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Introductory paragraph: -          Begins with several general sentences. Ends with thesis statement. Body: -          Each paragraph discusses a new point and begins with a clear topic sentence. -          Each paragraph has supporting material: facts, examples, etc. -          Transitions are used to link paragraphs. Concluding paragraph: -          Summarizes main points or paraphrases the thesis statement, begins with conclusion signal	4 5 3 4 3 5
Grammar, Sentence Structure, -          Minus 0.5 points for each run – on, comma splice, fragment, spelling mistake, incorrectly capitalized word
Sentence Structure -          Essay includes a combination of simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences	5
Total points:	50 pts.

·         After you receive the final draft with comments, corrections, and a final score, you have the opportunity to correct the final draft and turn it in to me (typed hard copy) à 3 points

Tuesday, June 26

Blogging every day is harder than I thought! Here's what went down today:

We discussed complex vs. compound sentences. We talked about subordinators, independent clauses and dependent clauses. I reminded you all that the final draft for writing assignment 2 is due tonight, by midnight. We compared paragraphs to essays because WA3 is going to be an essay. Excited? We're doing a lot of work every day. Remember that one of the keys to improvement (and to passing the class) is faithfully attending the class! Hope to see all 20 of you tomorrow.

Question for the Week

Hi everyone!

I've been experiencing a bit of wanderlust this week (desire to travel), so this week's question is travel - related.

If you could leave tonight to travel anywhere for a week, where would you go? What would you pack? What would you do?

I know where I'd go. In the blink of an eye, I'd pack up my bags and head to the islands in Greece.  I'm not really much of a beach/ tanning person, but there's no denying the relaxing effects of beautiful, calm blue waters and a white sandy beach. I'd make sure to pack up my Kindle and a huge bottle of sunscreen, and park right under a beach umbrella. I'd read for a few hours a day, go diving and snorkeling, and explore different isles in Greece. A girl can dream, right? Ok, your turn.

Friday, June 22

Here's what happened in class today

- We discussed the topic of "coherence" (Ch. 5 in the book) - what is it, how can we make sure that our writing is coherent, and how can we fix mistakes related to coherence?
- Peer editing: For each rough draft, there were 2 reviewers that gave suggestions/ comments for revision based on a peer editing rubric.
- We began writing our 2nd drafts with the revisions in class.


Homework:
1. Turn in 2nd draft of WA2 on Saturday by midnight.
2. Read p. 79 - 85. Do p. 85 - 86, Practice 3 (1 - 3) 

Writing Assignment 2

Intermediate Composition and Grammar

Writing Assignment 2

Your Mission: Restaurant Review

            These days, anyone can be a critic. Websites like “Yelp” have made it possible for anyone with access to technology to immediately upload reviews of places they have visited. For this assignment, you will take on the role of a restaurant critic. You will write a review of a restaurant that you have visited recently.  Do not choose any of the restaurants on campus. You might want to write about a great experience you had – or one you didn’t enjoy.

            You will write a 1 – paragraph review. Choose 3 points to focus on; these may include such characteristics as the food, service, prices, or décor, to name a few. This is an individual assignment, and every single word must be originally yours.

            Your topic sentence should name the restaurant and give a general statement that states your opinion about the place. Your 3 supporting sentences will discuss each characteristic separately. Give 1 – 2 more details or examples to support each one. Then your concluding sentence will give a final recommendation – should people try this place, or should they stay far away? Give a summary of the points you made in the conclusion.

Thursday, June 21 – Begin 1^st draft in class, and finish for homework. Include a heading and a title

Friday, June 22 – Peer editing. Begin 2^nd draft in class and finish for homework. Send to Bonnie by Saturday, June 23, to be edited.

Tuesday, June 26 – Final draft due on Google Docs by 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 20th

Here are some things that went down in class today:

We continued studying the paragraph, and took a closer took at effective conclusions today. We reviewed verb tenses, and we'll be continuing a little of this tomorrow. It's possible that different writing assignments will require an emphasis on different verb forms. Final drafts for WA1 are due by 9 p.m. today - looks like most of you have turned them in. We'll begin the 1st drafts for WA2 tomorrow. I'll see you all, bright and early, at 8 tomorrow!

A Reminder

All right everyone, this is what we discussed in class today:
1. Blog posts (yours and comments on 2 others) must be completed by midnight every Saturday.
(For those of you whose paragraphs weren't uploaded to google docs for some reason, remember to do it by 5 p.m. today. Remember to type in my email address correctly.)
2. All rough drafts and final drafts must be turned in ON TIME and on the correct DATE. Those that aren't, won't be corrected.
3. For those who want more of a tutorial on Blogger, I will meet with you this Friday, from 12 - 1 in the ALP, College Park, 2nd floor. Please let me know ahead of time during the week if you will come that day.
4. Homework due on Tuesday: Study and do the practices on p. 39 - 42. Yes, I know I said 40 - 42. I added another page. Also, read p. 30 and 69. On p. 69, do practice 5.
5. You never know when there might be a pop quiz around the corner!

Please help me to do my job by doing yours. Turning in assignments on time, coming to class each day and on time, actively listening and asking questions are part of what will make our class time effective and enjoyable.
See you tomorrow, everyone.

Thankful

Hi Everyone!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. My weekend was full with a trip to Malibu, wine tasting, and a visit to the Getty Villa. There's something about weekends that is just so refreshing - like a dip in the cool pool after a long, hot day in the sun. I got the idea for this week's question from the learning blog at the NY times. 

Question: What are you grateful for today, and why?

I can honestly say that I'm grateful for my career. There was a point in my life where I'd decided not to pursue the career I had prepared for for quite some time, and I was devastated. I kind of jumped into the teaching career.  I love that my jobs allow interaction with so many different individuals, and that it allows me to learn and develop continuously. I guess that's also the humbling part of it. I learn from my students - their hard work and their contributions to the class always amaze me. I learn from other teachers, whose innovations and encouragement provide inspiration for me. I'm very thankful for these blessings. 

CG Class Schedule

Summer 2012 Course Schedule

*This schedule may be adjusted according to students’ needs and progress.

Week	Dates	Activities	Assignments
One	6.8	Introductions	Writing Diagnostic
Two	6.11 – 6.15	Ch. 1, begin WA1 (writing assignment 1)	Begin WA1 (writing assignment 1)
Three	6.18 – 6.22	M, T) Run-ons & comma splices, compound sentences, topic sentences, supporting sentences, conclusions, how to revise and work with revisions
		W) Verb tense review, comma rules, begin ch. 5 (coherence)	WA1 final draft due in class
		Th) Ch. 5 (consistent use of nouns, pronouns), paragraph unity, compound sentences	WA 2 1st draft in class
		F) Transition signals, Peer editing	WA 2 2nd draft in class, send to Bonnie by Saturday at midnight
Four	6.25 – 6.29	M) Complex sentences, 3 parts of an essay (Ch. 9)
		T) Monday’s activities continued	WA2 final draft due in class
		W) Transitions, pre – writing	WA3 1st draft in class
		Th) Appositives, Adj. Clauses
		F) Appositives, Adj. Clauses, Varying sentence openings	WA3 2nd draft in class, send to Bonnie by Saturday at midnight
Five	7.2 – 7.6 (holiday 7.4)	M) Begin Ch. 7/ Punctuation
		T) Ch. 7 continued/ Punctuation	WA3 final draft due in class
		Th) Ch. 7, Misplaced or dangling modifiers	WA4 1st draft in class
		F) Ch. 7, Misplaced or dangling modifiers	WA4 2nd draft in class, send to Bonnie by Saturday at midnight
Six	7.9 – 7.13	M) Sentence Variety, Noun Clauses
		T) Sentence Variety, Prepositions
		W) Summarizing	WA4 final draft due class
		Th) Summarizing
		F) In – class timed writing	WA5 (summary) in class
Seven	7.16 – 7.20	M) Debate
		T) Ch. 10	WA6 1st draft in class
		W) Ch. 10
		Th) Ch. 10
		F) Ch. 10	WA6 2nd draft in class, send to Bonnie by Saturday at midnight
Eight	7.23 – 7.27	M) To be announced (TBA)
		T) TBA	WA6 3rd draft in class due
		W) REVIEW
		Th) REVIEW
		F) Writing + Grammar Final Exam
Nine	7.30 – 8.3	PARTY!!!

Assignments:

WA1: Narrative Writing (Something that makes me happy)

WA2: Logical Division of Ideas Paragraph

WA3: Process Essay

WA4: Comparison/ Contrast Essay

WA5: Summary Writing

WA6: Opinion Essay