Instructor:                     Michael Krigline                                  

Office:                          302 Olin Hall                                       

Office Phone:                330-972-7544

Email:                           see my home page: www.krigline.com

Office Hours:                I will be happy to meet with you in my office to answer any questions you have about my class.  Please make an appointment.   

 

TEXTBOOK:    Great Paragraphs, 3^rd edition

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:  In this course, you will focus on writing good, clear, and interesting paragraphs and compositions in English.  During this course, you will learn: 

 

1)         how to express your ideas.

2)                  how to organize your ideas.

3)                  how to use correct grammar.

4)         how to find and edit (or correct) your mistakes.

 

CLASS RULES:

 

1. Speak ONLY ENGLISH in class, before class, & after class!
2. Turn off your cell phones in class!
3. Put your homework on my desk before class. Hand in your homework ON TIME.
4. Do not be shy or afraid to speak English.  It’s OK to make mistakes. That’s how we all learn. 

5. Please ask me questions if you don’t understand something.

 

EVALUATION:

 

            You will receive two ‘official’ grades in this class:  one at midterm (after 7 weeks of class) and one at the end of the semester.  At midterm, I will give you information about what you are doing well and what you need to work on and improve in the second half of the semester.

            To receive a passing grade in this course, you must show that you have learned and can use the writing skills that we practice during the semester. 

 

Your grades will be based on:

30 %    Writing assignments (rough and final drafts of paragraphs and compositions)

30 %    Tests and Quizzes

15 %    Journal Writing and Editing

15 %    Homework

10 %    Participation and Attendance (This includes careful preparation for class activities, effort, active participation in class and group/pair work, and speaking ONLY ENGLISH before class starts, during class, and after class is over. According to ELI policy, it won’t hurt your grade if you are “absent for a good reason, and you call or email Sherri before your class.”)

 

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:

You will usually begin your first drafts in class, but you will complete your final drafts at home.  Your grade will be based only on your final draft, so you must be sure to turn in the final draft. 

 

TESTS AND QUIZZES:

You will have regular tests and quizzes.  I will tell you about the tests in advance.  I may tell you about the quizzes, or they may be “surprises.” 

 

JOURNAL WRITING:

You will write in your Journal 2 or 3 times each week on topics I give you.  At the beginning, your journal entries can be ½ page long.  After a few weeks, each journal entry should be 1 page or longer, skipping lines. Your journal is a place for you to communicate your ideas and practice your writing and editing skills.  I will not correct all of your grammar mistakes.  I will write comments about your ideas and correct or point out errors you can correct yourself.  I will be looking to see if you use what we learn in class.  I will correct vocabulary errors or give you a better word for one you used.  I will give you a spiral notebook for your Journal.

 

HOMEWORK:

            You will not have homework every day, but you will have homework often.  When I assign homework, you should complete it and give it to me the next day.  I will accept late homework for HALF credit.

            After I grade your homework, please carefully check your mistakes.  If you don’t understand your mistakes, ask me about them.

 

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE:

            Your participation grade will be based on the effort you put into the class, your attendance, and punctuality (being on time for class).  If you speak a language other than English, your participation score will go down.

            It is important that you come to class every day so that your English will improve.

            If you are sick and cannot come to class, please call the ELI office BEFORE YOUR CLASSES START and ask Sherri to tell all of your teachers.   (330-972-7544)

            If you need to miss class for a GOOD reason, please contact me or Sherri BEFORE class.  If you contact me before class to let me know you will be absent for a good reason, your absence will not hurt your grade.  I will also accept your homework late without lowering your score.  If you choose not to contact me, your absence will hurt your grade.

            If you are absent for any reason, it is YOUR responsibility to collect the work that you’ve missed.

            If you have questions or need extra help with your writing, I am very happy to help you.  Please make an appointment to see me in my office.   If you have questions about your university plans, please talk with your ELI Adviser.

 

Welcome to Intermediate Writing! 

Let’s have a great semester!

 

Extra notes from Mr. Krigline, January 24, 2011

www.krigline.com; Olin 302; office: 330-972-7544; mobile: 330-617-6750 (no texting)

t Journals -- Your weekly journal (i.e., three entries) will get up to 6 points, as shown below. Of course, you will get 0 (zero) if you do not give me your journal each Monday. If you will be absent on Monday, ask someone to give me your journal, or to take it to Olin 302 before 2 p.m. Monday. I won’t mark late journals, but I will erase your lowest journal and quiz scores (so if you miss one quiz or one journal deadline, it won’t hurt your grade).

Quality Score. Q3 (3 points): Your entries are interesting and show extra effort, thought, and care on your part. I see several underlined vocabulary terms, and I think you are trying to use what we are studying in class.  Q2: The entries show average effort, thought, and care on your part. I see three underlined vocabulary terms.  Q1: The entries show below average effort and care. You should try harder to use what we are studying in class.

Content Score. C3 (3 points): You filled almost three pages (you can write more, but I will comment only on your first page for each entry).  C2: You filled less than three pages, but at least half a page for each entry.  C1: At least one of your entries was less than half a page.

t Homework -- University students should expect 1-2 hours of homework for every hour in class. ASK if you do not understand an assignment. Be sure to carefully follow my instructions. Avoid contractions when you write (e.g., don’t write “we’re” instead of “we are”). Use a pen and write neatly—if I can’t read it, I may mark it wrong. ALWAYS double-space sentences and paragraphs.  If you don’t do your homework, I may ask you to work in the back of the room until it is done. (If you forget your textbook, I may ask you to go to the dorm to get it.) Note: Unless you specifically object, when you give me your assignment you also give me permission to use it (probably edited) to help other English-learners (via book, handout, webpage, etc.); some students don’t like me using their real names, so I may attach a fictitious name if I use your writing. Late homework (unless you missed class) automatically gets a 50% penalty, and you will also get it back “late.”

t Cheating -- Studying with a friend and checking each other’s homework AFTER you do it is wise, but do NOT copy someone else’s work (this is cheating). Also, do not copy from printed works or the Internet without telling me where it came from (this is plagiarism; see page 247-248 in your textbook). If I see the same wrong answer on two “neighboring” tests, BOTH students get a zero for that whole test/quiz (so cheating hurts you and the person you cheat from). Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will earn a zero on that assignment/quiz AND may have additional penalties. If I think you have cheated in any way, I may also report it to the English Language Institute’s Director. At American universities, plagiarism/cheating can get you kicked out of the school, so start taking this idea seriously NOW.

t Dictionaries -- You may bring a dictionary to class (electronic or paper, or even in a phone), but please use it only when you are writing in class (not while we are looking at the lessons together). Otherwise, if I see students using electronic devices during class, I may take them away.

t Life -- Students often experience pressure from grades and many other areas. Your teachers (like me!) were students once, and we can help you keep things in perspective when you feel sad. Come talk to us!

t Dine with Mr. Krigline -- On Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2 and March 9, I will take an evening computer class at 6 p.m. So, I would love to have dinner with up to four students each evening (between 4:20 and 5:40). We can eat on campus, or I can drive us to a local restaurant. You pay for your dinner, and I’ll pay for my dinner. If you are interested, please sign up in class.

I try to make class interesting and helpful, but language-learning is hard work! Together we can reach our goals and develop the ability to USE ENGLISH WELL!

 

First Writing Assignment      (day 8)                                                                         Mr. Krigline

 

Name: _______________________________________________   Class time: _____________

 

Give this paper to me on Friday at the start of class (before your vocabulary quiz).

1. Choose a subject that you want to write a paragraph about

        (circle one):                              a place     (like Turkey or South Carolina)

                                                        a person   (like Thorpe or Bolivar)

                                                        a thing      (like computers or Braille)

 

2. Be more specific. Which place, person or thing do you want to write about?

 

        _____________________________________________________________________

 

3. Decide your 2 or 3 main points. Be sure they are related! See the “S Carolina” outline below for ideas.

                                                        1. _______________________________________

      example for “South Carolina”     

        1. products       2. history               2. _______________________________________

        3. distinct from other states

                                                        3. _______________________________________

 

 

4. Write an outline; i.e., tell me a little more about your main points (see the example for S Carolina)

 

        1. ________________________________________________________________________

 

        2. ________________________________________________________________________

 

        3. ________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Outline for the South Carolina paragraph (p 15):

        1. products: things like textiles and chemicals; crops like cotton and tobacco

        2. history:  important in wars: (1) Revolutionary War battles, (2) Civil War began in Charleston

        3. (this could be your conclusion) products and history make SC distinct from other states

 

5. Write a topic sentence (including your main points) that you can develop into a paragraph later.

        _________________________________________________________________________

 

        _________________________________________________________________________

 

        _________________________________________________________________________

 

When you miss class or a quiz…                             Notice from Mr. Krigline (January 31, 2011)

 

            If you didn’t get class work, homework or a quiz back, then I didn’t get one from you. According to ELI policy, “If you are absent for any reason, it is YOUR responsibility to collect the work that you’ve missed.” This means that you should (1) ask me or ask a classmate what you missed, (2) get the handouts your classmates got while you were gone, (3) find out what homework was assigned, and do it before class, and (4) do any work I collected during class, and give it to me the next day (50% penalty if you didn’t notify Sherri before my class).

 

Missed work can affect your grade

            It is ELI policy that it won’t hurt your attendance grade if you are absent for a “good reason” and you tell Sherri before class; but if you don’t give me homework or class work your classmates gave me while you were absent, this can hurt your grade. Likewise, if you miss a vocabulary quiz or in-class writing exercise, it can hurt your grade. (Everyone can miss one quiz without any effect; but remember that I do not give make-up oral quizzes). Similarly, be sure to bring your journal every Monday (or give it to a classmate, or to Sherri, before 2 p.m. on Monday if you can’t come to class).

            Several students have missed more than three days of class in the first two weeks. You have also missed work in other classes, so it will be harder and harder for you to catch up, but no one is too far behind yet. However, you will have to take responsibility for catching up; your teachers won’t “slow down” for you, because that would waste every other student’s time.

 

Akron University’s ELI is an “intensive” program

            This is an “intensive” English program, which tries to make you ready for English-language college classes in a very short time. “Intensive” means “a lot of effort in a short time,” so we expect you to work hard to keep up with your class. If you need extra help, Akron University offers free help from the Writing Lab (weekly appointments[1] in the library), and you can get help from me any day at 4:10 in CRH 323. Private tutors are also available in the Akron area (ask Sherri or me about this). Top students can move to regular university classes after “level 3” or “level 4” in the ELI (if you do great on the ASSET test); but those who don’t work hard may have to repeat a level, which delays your hope of attending university classes. How fast you get into the university depends on how hard you work in and out of class.

 

Adults know that “learning” is a student’s responsibility

            You are mature adults, so I won’t treat you like irresponsible children. I try to treat you like Akron University teachers will treat you. I will give you the grade you deserve, based on your work, participation, attitude and other factors.

            “How well students learn a language ultimately depends more on their own efforts than on those of the teacher. Three basic realities of language learning are that a language is a tool for communication; that learning a language involves mastery of both knowledge and skill; and that the struggle to learn a language is a battle of the heart[2] as well as of the mind.” – Don Snow, author of More Than a Native Speaker, publ. by TESOL, Inc., 1996, p 11.

 

 

The Parts of a Paragraph (looking at unit 1’s paragraphs)                          Mr. Krigline

 

Name: _______________________________________________   Class time: _____________

 

1. Which paragraph will you look at on this handout? (You need to complete four handouts: one for each person and thing.) (now circle either “person” or “thing”)

                                                        a place     (South Carolina p 15)

                                                        a person   (either Thorpe p 16 or Bolivar p 14)

                                                        a thing      (either computers p13 or Braille p2)

 

2. Be more specific. Which place, person or thing is this paragraph about?

 

        _____________________________________________________________________

 

3. What are this paragraph’s 2 or 3 main points (in as few words as possible)? See the “S Carolina” outline below for ideas.

                                                        1. _______________________________________

      example for “South Carolina”     

        1. products       2. history               2. _______________________________________

        3. distinct from other states

                                                        3. _______________________________________

 

4. Write an outline for this paragraph; i.e., tell me a little more about the paragraph’s main points. An outline does NOT have sentences! (see the example for S Carolina)

 

        1. ________________________________________________________________________

 

            ________________________________________________________________________

 

        2. ________________________________________________________________________

 

            _______________________________________________________________________

 

        3. ________________________________________________________________________

 

            _______________________________________________________________________

 

Outline for the South Carolina paragraph (p 15):

        1. products: things like textiles and chemicals; crops like cotton and tobacco

        2. history:  important in wars: (1) Revolutionary War battles, (2) Civil War began in Charleston

        3. (this could be your conclusion) products and history make SC distinct from other states

5. Write the topic sentence (underline the paragraph’s main points).

        _________________________________________________________________________

        _________________________________________________________________________

 

Week4-Day1(2/6/11 #15). U Akron. Lower Intermediate Writing (paragraphs)

 

--p 220, Step 3, a better outline (based on her brainstorming chart)

            1. a simple definition of gumbo (common Cajun food)

            2. the origin of gumbo (Cajun, Louisiana)

            3. ingredients (seafood, meat, onions)

            4. how to eat/serve gumbo (rice, bowl)

Of course, the writer is not limited by her brainstorming chart. When she makes her outline, she can group ideas in different ways if she thinks it will make the paragraph better.

--Main lesson (p 218-220): DO NOT just “start writing.” Good writing is a process that starts in your mind.

            1. Think—choose the topic thoughtfully

            2. Brainstorm—think about the topic broadly

            3. Outline—think about the parts of your essay…

            (We will look at more steps later.)

 

Homework

--Capitalization exercise (you got this handout on Friday; it is due tomorrow)

--Your typed “First Paragraph” is due tomorrow.  (Tuesday)

(If you don’t do the following things, you will lose points, regardless of whether you were here/absent/asleep in class/or any other reason!)

1. Type your information on the TOP in exactly this format (Use the same punctuation, the same order, the same spaces between words, and put it in one line.)

      RIGHT:      Hadad Hashmi, Feb 8, 2011; peer: Fahad Khalid; 2:15 class; Mr. Krigline

      WRONG: Hadad Hashmi   peer-Fahad Khalid; 2/8/11.  Mr. Krigline’s class

      (for this example, your name is Hadad and your peer reader is Fahad, your paper is DUE Feb 8, and you are in my 2:15 class)

2. Be sure it is indented and double-spaced; you don’t need to write a title.

3. Be sure that there are NO words in your paper like “I/me/my/we/our”

4. Keep your new paragraph on top; under it, attach the “First Writing Assignment” sheet

5. Attach your first draft (with my writing on it, from class Friday)

6. Be sure it starts with your topic sentence (TS), then has 3 to 6 support sentences, then has a conclusion. The TS and Conclusion MUST mention your topic and ALL support points.

7. Attach any revisions of your “First Writing Assignment” sheet or of your first hand-written draft.

8. Attach your peer’s “p 267-268” (“Peer Editing Sheet 1” from your book). Be sure both the “writer” and “peer editor” names are on it! This can be anyone who speaks English, in or outside this class.

Vocabulary, Week 4 (terms and definitions)

            (Chapter 3a)

attack             hurt       

conclusion      last part

event              important happening

humble           not bragging

            (Chapter 5)

 

benefit            be helped

delay              wait until later

emphasize       show to be important

logical             making sense

rival                enemy

satisfy             be enough for

tempt              invite someone to do something bad

vacant            not in use