English 191 - WRITING WORKSHOP II - Zimbler

                                         ENGLISH 191: Writing Workshop II

Instructor: Joanne Zimbler Email:jlzim33@gmail.com

Office Hours: M,W,F 9:00-10:00 am (and by appointment) LB 217

Required Text: Foundations First - Kirszner, Mandell 4th Edition

Recommended text: college level dictionary

Course  overview

English  191  is  designed  for  students  who  need  to  practice  writing  thoughtful and  well  organized  short  compositions  in  standard  English.  Conducted  as  a  writing  workshop,  the  class involves  reading  and  discussion  of  lively  articles,  stories,  and  possibly  longer  works.  The  course  will  help you  increase  your  familiarity  with  the  style  and  organizational  format  of  written  English  and  improves your  ability  to  compose,  edit,  and  revise  sentences,  paragraphs,  and  short  compositions.  Writing  is  one of  the  most  essential  skills  you  will  need  to  be  successful  in  your  professional  and  personal  life. The  assignments  and  readings  we  will  cover  this  semester  will  strengthen  your  abilities  and  confidence  as both  a  reader  and  a  writer.  I  am  here  to  help  you  succeed  in  this  course.  You  are  highly  encouraged  to meet  with  me  throughout  the  semester,  especially  if  you  are  having  difficulty  with  the  material.

Course  Exit  Standards

Upon  successful  completion  of  the  required  coursework,  the  student  will  be  able  to: 1.  Analyze  short  essays  (approximately  2-­6  paragraphs  in  length)  to  identify  thesis,  topic, developmental  and  concluding  sentences,  as  well  as  transitional  expressions  used  to increase  coherence; 2.  Evaluate  compositions  for  unity,  sufficiency  of  development,  evidence,  coherence, and  variety  of  sentence  structure;;

1.  Organize  and  write  an  essay  which: a)  addresses  the  topic  and  is  directed  by  a  thesis  statement b)  has  an  introduction,  body,  and  conclusion  and  demonstrates  a  basic  understanding of  essay  organization c)  shows  some  awareness  of  critical  thinking  and  linkage  of  evidence  with  assertion;; d)  develops  ideas,  moving  from  general  to  specific e)  is  easy  to  read  and  follow,  though  some  errors  in  grammar,  mechanics,  spelling, or  diction  may  exist f)  uses  a  variety  of  sentence  types

Student  Learning  Outcomes

Upon  successful  completion  of  the  course  the  student  will  be  able  to: 1.  analyze  a  short  essay  or  passage  such  as  the  final  exam  prompt  demonstrating knowledge  of  thesis,  topic,  developmental  and  concluding  sentences,  and  transitional expressions 2.  write  a  multi-­paragraph  length  essay  which  addresses  the  topic,  applies  knowledge  of essay  organization  conventions,  and  demonstrates  a  growing  awareness  of  critical thinking  through  its  development  of  ideas.  Essay  is  also  easy  to  read  and  follow 3.  assess  a  composition  for  unity,  development,  evidence,  and  coherence

Attendance  Policy

 If  you  wish  to  be  successful  in  English  191  (and  beyond!),  you  must  maintain  regular attendance.  It  is  very  important  that  you  do  not  miss  class,  or  you  will  quickly  become  lost. If  you  are  absent,  you  are  still  responsible  for  the  material  we  covered.  Please  befriend  a student  whom  you  can  contact  for  this  information.  Please  do  not  email  me  to  ask  what you  missed!  If  you  do,  I  will  refer  you  to  the  syllabus.

-­You are allowed no  more  than  three  absences. Three tardies/early departures will equal one absence.  If  you  are absent  more  than  three times,  I  may  exclude  you from  the  class.   -­‐If  you  decide  to  drop  this  class,  it  is  your  responsibility  to  perform  the  necessary  action via  the  Internet  or  Admissions.   -­‐This  course  will  be  based  upon  students'  needs;  therefore  our  schedule  is  tentative.

  

Late  Work

 If  you  are  absent,  you  need  to  hand  in  the  assignment  the  day  you  return.  Essays  will lose two points for  class  session  they  are  late.

  

Classroom  Policies

 I  do  not  accept  work  over  the  Internet,  but  I'm  more  than  happy  to  answer  questions about  the  material  or  meet  with  you  individually  to  discuss  your  progress.  Cell  phones and  electronic  devices  must  be  turned  off  at  all  times.  No  beeping,  buzzing  or  texting!  It  is extremely  distracting  and  disrespectful  to  your  fellow  students.  Please  recycle  and  throw away  your  own  litter.  Lastly,  be  respectful  of  your  fellow  students  and  teacher.

Texts

 Please  bring  the  required  text,  a  notebook,  and  pen  to  each  class.  We  will  practice grammar  together  as  a  group;  you  must  have  the  book  with  you  to  do  this.

Required  Materials

 Flash  drive  for  transporting  the  documents  we  work  on  in  class.

Grading

 English  191  is  a  four-­‐unit  course;  the  final  grades  are  PASS/NO  PASS.    A  missing assignment  or  a  plagiarized  one  will  receive  an  automatic  0.  Please  monitor  your  own progress,  but  feel  free  to  meet  with  me  at  any  point  if  you  have  questions  about  your grades  or  where  you  stand  in  this  course.    All  take-­‐home  essays  must  be  typed.

Your  grade  depends  on:

6  Grammar  quizzes ( 35 points each)                  220 points

3  essay  outlines (10 points each)                           30 points

7  essays (out of class and in class)                       294 points

Participation/ Attendance:                                          50 points

Final exam:                                                                   100 points

Pass  =  485  points  and  above

No  Pass=  484  points  or  below

*Students  with  a  verified  disability  who  may  need  any  reasonable  accommodation  for  this class  are  encouraged  to  notify  me  and  contact  the  Center  for  Students  with  Disabilities  at 818.240.1000,  extension  5905  .  All  information  will  remain  confidential.

Class  schedule

*The  schedule  is  subject  to  change  (I  will  notify  you  ahead  of  time  of  any  changes).

Week  1

Wed  2/20  Introductions/  Review  syllabus  /  Exchange  emails  with  a  classmate HW:  Bring  textbook  to  class  on Friday

Fr  2/22: Writing  &  grammar  diagnostic (no  grade  given)

Week  2

M  2/25   Review  diagnostics/ pg.27-49

W  2/27  Introduce  the  paragraph p. 51-72

Fr  3/1    Continue  the  paragraph p. 74-98

Week  3

M  3/4      Grammar:  the  simple  sentence p.217-222

W  3/6  Continue  the  paragraph  /  Finish  the  simple  sentence p. 223-229/  Begin out of class - narration writing  assignment  #1

Fr  3/8 In class writing

Week  4

M  3/11  Finish  the  paragraph/  Simple  sentence  quiz  #1/  peer review of writing assignment #1

W  3/13    Introduce  verbs p/ 365-379   

Fr  3/15 In class writing /  narration  assignment  #1 due

Week  5

M  3/18  Continue  verbs p. 380-396  /  Begin out of class description  writing  assignment  #2 

W  3/20  Nouns and pronouns p.397-430     work on  writing  assignment  #2

Fr  3/22  In class writing

Week  6

M  3/25    Begin fragments  p. 306-316

W  3/27 Continue  fragments p. 317-324/  Nouns and Verbs  quiz  #2

Fr  3/29 In class writing - In class writing assignment #1 due

Week  7

M   4/1 peer review of writing assignment #2

W  4/3 Finish  fragments p. 325-327/  Spelling p. 530-540

Fr  4/5 In class writing/  description assignment #2 due

Week  8

M  4/8  Begin classification essay -  out of class writing assignment #3

W 4/10 work on classification essay and fragments

Fr 4/12 Fragments quiz; in class writing

Week 9   

SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS

Week  10

M  4/22  Introduce  compound  sentence p.230-238

W  4/24 Continue  compound  sentence p. 239-247/  

Fr  4/26 In class writing

Week  11

M  4/29 Finish  compound  sentence/  Introduce adjectives and adverbs p. 431-435

W  5/1 peer review of classification essay due - writing assignment #3   Begin  writing  assignment  #4; adjectives and adverbs p. 436-445

Fr 5/3 classification essay due; in class writing

 

Week  12

M  5/6 /  Finish adjectives and adverbs p.436-445/

W  5/8  Begin argument essay- writing assignment #4

Fr 5/10 In class writing - In class writing compare/contrast essay due; compound sentneces and adjectives/adverbs quiz

Week  13

M  5/13 Introduce  run-­ons p. 289-295

W  5/15 Continue  run-­ons p.296-395

Fr 5/17 In class writing - exemplification essay

Week  14

M  5/20   Introduce  complex  sentence p. 248-253/  Prep  for  final  exam 

W  5/22  Run-­ons  quiz  #5/  Finish  complex  sentence p. 254-260/  Prep  for  final  exam

Fr 5/24  In class writing / in class writing - exempification essay due

Week  15

M  5/27 Memorial Day - no class

W  5/29   complex  sentence  quiz  #6/  Introduce fine tuning sentences p. 261-265 /  Prep  for  final  exam /  peer editing for argument essay - writing assignment #4   Continue fine tuning sentences p.266-277  

F  5/31  prep for final exam

 

Week  16

M  6/3 grammar final    arguement essay #4 due