Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

ENGLISH 10M/11M—ACADEMIC LITERACIES I & II:
CRITICAL THINKING, READING AND WRITING FOR MULTILINGUALS
A Project
Presented to the faculty of the Department of English
California State University, Sacramento
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
by
Vu Tran
SUMMER
2012

© 2012
Vu Tran
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii

Approved by:
ENGLISH 10M/11M—ACADEMIC LITERACIES I & II:
CRITICAL THINKING, READING AND WRITING FOR MULTILINGUALS
A Project
by
Vu Tran
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Julian Heather
____________________________
Date
iii

Student: Vu Tran
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format
manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for
the project.
__________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________
Mi-Suk Seo Date
Department of English
iv

Abstract
of
ENGLISH 10M/11M—ACADEMIC LITERACIES I & II:
CRITICAL THINKING, READING AND WRITING FOR MULTILINGUALS
by
Vu Tran
This project is an integrated reading/writing program for freshmen multilingual students situated
at California State University, Sacramento. This course seeks to incorporate a service-learning
component that aims to eliminate the issue of the “empty assignment syndrome” by having
students write to real audiences beyond the classroom. This course consists of 29 detailed step-
by-step lessons and will be presented as a service-learning course based on the intensive approach
to reading and the process approach to writing. The reading intensive approach sees the reading
of academic texts in three “interrelated” phases—Before, During, and After—with each phase
containing an array of different effective reading skills and strategies to help students’ achieve
maximal reading comprehension of academic texts. Similarly, the writing process approach sees
writing as a series of composing stages—planning, drafting, revising, and editing—with each
stage containing an array of different effective writing skills and strategies to help students’
achieve mastery of academic writing. This course also seeks to use online corpora for developing
students’ overall writing skills during the composing process.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Julian Heather
_______________________
Date
v

DEDICATION
This is for my new family—my fiancée, Elizabeth Hernandez, and our baby boy,
Alexander Jeremy Tran. Without you, Elizabeth, none of this would have been possible!
Thank you for sacrificing a big part of your life to stay at home and become a full-time
mother to our baby so I can complete my M.A. project in a timely manner. I would also
like to thank my parents, Thu Le and Thanh Tran, for making the greatest sacrifice to
leave their home country so that I can have a better life in America. I am forever
indebted! Finally, I would like to thank my brothers and sisters, Vinh, Joe, Kristy, and
Jennifer for their continual support in all of my endeavors.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Julian Heather for his invaluable assistance and guidance he
has given me throughout the course of my M.A. project. I am forever grateful for your
commitment and dedication. I would also like to thank Dana Mattson, Jamie Ferrando,
and Kelvyn Moran for taking the time out of their busy schedule to proofread certain
sections of my project. Finally, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the power
and strength to complete such a task.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication .............................................................................................................................. vi
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ vii
List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... ix
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
Overview ..................................................................................................................... 1
Situational Analysis ................................................................................................... 2
Course Description ..................................................................................................... 9
Instructional Materials and Assessment ................................................................... 24
Organization of the Project ...................................................................................... 27
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................. 28
The Reading and Writing Connection ...................................................................... 30
Service-Learning ...................................................................................................... 33
Reading and Writing Workshops ............................................................................. 36
Intensive Reading ..................................................................................................... 37
Heuristic Approach to the Writing Process .............................................................. 46
Building a Community of Writers (Peer Response) ................................................. 49
Corpus-Based Writing Analysis ............................................................................... 51
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 52
Appendix A. Course Syllabus ............................................................................................ 55
Appendix B. Course Assignments....................................................................................... 68
Appendix C. Course Lesson Plans & Materials .................................................................. 99
Appendix D. Course Readings .......................................................................................... 248
References........................................................................................................................... 254
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Page

LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
1. English 10M………………………………… .……………………………….13
2. English 11M……………………………….… ... ……………………………. 20
3. Intensive Reading Framework… ………….…………………………………. 38
4. Activities for Surveying Text……………………….…………………………40
5. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domains………… . .………………………45
6. Benefits of Peer Review………………………........... .………………………49
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Overview
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Traditionally, reading and writing have always been seen as separate distinct processes.
In conventional basic college-level writing classes, for example, students are simply taught how
to write, and in conventional basic college-level reading classes, students are simply taught how
to read. This traditional approach to teaching academic literacy still exists in many colleges and
universities across the nation. Generally, at the university level incoming freshmen who are in
need of remediation (primarily “at-risk” and underrepresented students) are required to enroll in
separate basic reading and writing classes before enrolling in first-year written composition. This
conventional route of completing first-year composition generally takes several semesters.
In recent years, however, there has been a growing interest in the processes of reading
and writing as being interconnected and interrelated. Various universities across the nation such
as Arizona State, Boise State, and San Francisco State have taken the initiative in creating Stretch
programs (two semesters-long) in which instruction in reading and writing is fully integrated and
interconnected. These Stretch programs are primarily designed to develop students’ academic
literacies by giving them more time to read, think, and write in a variety of academic contexts
within the university setting. In the California State University (CSU) system, students who
successfully complete the Stretch program will not only meet the CSU remediation requirement
within the first semester, but also satisfy the first-year written composition requirement in the
second semester. The implementation of the Stretch program adopted by some universities within
the CSU system shows promising results to not only reduce the need for remediation, but also
significantly increase retention and graduation rates among “at risk” freshmen students.
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Sacramento State University has recently implemented a similar integrated
reading/writing Stretch program with parallel ESL Stretch courses for “at-risk” multilingual
students. Prior to this, all “at-risk” multilingual students were required to complete a total of two
preparatory writing courses (English 86: College Language and English 87: Basic Writing for
Multilingual) before enrolling in first-year composition (English 2: College Composition for
Multilingual Writers). Instead of having to complete a total of three writing courses to fulfill the
first-year written composition requirement, these students can now enroll in the year-long
integrated reading/writing Stretch course specifically designed for multilingual students (English
10W/11W—Academic Literacies I & II), which satisfies both the CSU remediation requirement
and first-year written composition requirement within the first year.
This project is designed for multilingual freshman students who are enrolled in the
integrated reading/writing Stretch program at California State University, Sacramento. The main
goal of the course is to develop literate readers and writers, especially in regards to their academic
literacies. Students in this Stretch course will strategically learn how to incorporate a number of
different academic reading and writing skills/strategies to a variety of different English contexts,
primarily in connection to their service-learning experience beyond the classroom.
Situational Analysis
Sacramento State University is the sixth-largest campus of the twenty-three state
universities in California and is located in the capitol city of Sacramento, California. Currently,
the university has a combined total enrollment of approximately 29, 000 students (California
State University, Sacramento [CSUS], 2011).
Institution. The Department of English serves the whole undergraduate student
population, including second language learners, with a variety of college composition writing
courses as part of the general education requirements. In addition, the English Department is also
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esponsible for monitoring “at-risk” students subject to EO665 and carefully continues to address
the “remedial” needs of the University’s students through the implementation of various
preparatory writing courses (English 15/86, English 1/87), small group tutorials (English 1X/2X),
and the newly formed first-year integrated reading/writing Stretch programs. About 50% of all
first-year freshmen at Sacramento State require some sort of remediation in the area of reading
and writing as identified by the university’s English Placement Test (EPT) (CSUS English Self-
Study, 2006; Learning Skills Self-Study, 2006). The majority of these “at-risk” students are
generally minorities and/or multilingual students (i.e., Asians, Latino, Pacific Islander, Native
Americans, and African Americans). To address the needs of these “at-risk” multilingual
students, the English Department offers parallel tracks not just in the preparatory and first-year
composition writing courses (English 15/86, English 1/87, and English 1A/2), but also in the
newly developed integrated reading/writing Stretch courses (English 10/10M and English
11/11M).
English 10M/11M (Academic Literacies I & II for Multilingual) is designed to promote
academic literacies in developing critical thinking, reading and writing for multilingual students.
As part of the course requirement, students are required to complete a minimum of 5,000 written
words. Specific course grades are assigned at the end of each semester upon completion of all the
requirements. The first semester is graded Credit/No Credit, while a final letter course grade is
assigned at the completion of the second semester. This year-long course fulfills the GE Area A2
requirement of first-year written composition.
The Students. The demographics of the actual students in the multilingual section of the
Stretch program are extremely diverse in terms of their ethnicities, background experiences, and
languages. At Sacramento State University, the ethnic profile of first-year multilingual students
in need of remediation ranges from Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Asians, American Indians, and
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other minority groups. Many of these students entering the multilingual Stretch program speak a
language other than English. As for their educational backgrounds/experiences, the majority of
these students entering the Stretch program—predominantly Generation 1.5 students—have just
graduated and studied English from various high schools in the U.S. (more specifically in
California), while only a few students have studied English abroad in their home countries.
Generally speaking, all of these students lack experience in reading and writing academic texts at
the university level (H.S. Liu, personal communication, September 6, 2011). To fully address the
students’ reading and writing needs in this course, we first need to carefully examine each
student’s characteristics, learning styles, motivation, educational background/goals, and overall
L2 language proficiency.
International Students. Although relatively few in the Stretch program, international
students have slightly different educational backgrounds/experiences, learning styles, motivation,
and L2 language development compared to all other ESL students. According to Ferris (2009a),
these students come from different countries to pursue their education in the United States on
student visas “with the intent to return to their home countries to live and work upon the
completion of their studies” (p. 12). Many of these students come from privileged and well-
educated L1 backgrounds, while others rely on the meager subsistence of their families and
relatives. Generally, they are highly proficient and literate in their L1s, and highly motivated to
succeed academically and/or culturally. Many of them come to the United States for several years
(or sometimes more) to pursue educational degrees or athletic scholarships, while others come
only for a fairly short amount of time to “broaden their cultural experience” (Ferris, 2009a, p. 12).
Using Guadalupe Valdes’ (1992/2006) framework of defining the L2 audience, these students are
considered elective bilinguals, in which they “choose to become bilingual for some type of
personal benefit—education, prestige, career advancement, or travel/cultural opportunities” (as
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cited in Ferris, 2009a, p. 9). In terms of their language learning styles, most international students
would fall in the category of “eye” learners, as “they have learned English principally through
their eyes, studying vocabulary, verb forms, and language rules” (Reid, 2006, p. 79). Hence, they
are more likely to have acquired better formal/metalinguistic knowledge of the English language
than other second language learners (Ferris, 2009a, p. 31). As Reid (2006) notes, however, many
of them may lack acquired intuitions about the L2 language “to produce more target-like
utterances because of their limited exposure and contact with other native English speakers” (as
cited in Ferris, 2009a, p. 33). International students who have inadequate exposure with the target
language are considered incipient bilinguals, for the mere fact that they are still learning and
acquiring the target language.
Generation 1.5 Students. Unlike international students, the rest of the students enrolled
in the Stretch program have been practically living in the United States for most of their lives
prior to entering the university system. This group of students also includes “U.S.-born children
of first-generation immigrant parents whose primary language was not English” (Ferris, 2009a, p.
17). Generally speaking, these students are labeled Generation 1.5 because of their “in-between
status,” as “their experiences, characteristics, and educational needs may lie somewhere between
those of first generation adult immigrants and the U.S-born second generation children of
immigrants” (Ferris, 2009a, p. 15). These students may identify themselves as either being fully
American, or culturally affiliated to both cultures (e.g., Vietnamese-American, Chinese-
American, Hmong-American, etc.). In high school, these students were likely to attend “schools
in less affluent areas with fewer resources and less qualified teachers” to support their academic
development and their English language acquisition in general (Preto-Bay, 2004, p. 94).
Consequentially, those who lived in impoverished environments and attended schools with less
resources may have been exposed to a nonstandard variety of the English language, thereby
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further hindering their acquisition of academic English (Ferris, 2009a; Preto-Bay, 2004; Singhal,
2004). According to Reid (2006), these students “have acquired English principally through their
ears: They listened, took in oral language (from teachers, TV, grocery clerks, friends, peers), and
subconsciously begin to form vocabulary, grammar, and syntax rules, learning English…” (p.
77).
Because of their unique status, these students are considered functional bilinguals rather
than incipient bilinguals, for the mere fact that they all can use the language fluently in a variety
of everyday English settings. To further address the L2 proficiency levels of Generation 1.5
students, Cummins (1979) made a distinction between Basic Interpersonal Communication
Skills (BICS), the language needed to function successfully in everyday setting, and Cognitive
Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), the language needed to succeed in academic or
professional settings. In support of Cummins’ CALP distinction, recent research indicate that it
can take L2 learners at least seven years to adequately develop CALP, even under optimal
learning conditions (Scarcella, 1996, p. 144).
In terms of their early L2 educational experience, many Generation 1.5 students were
likely to have attended bilingual or ESL programs in elementary school, and by middle school
were “reclassified as English proficient and placed in mainstream classes with monolingual
English speakers” (Ferris, 2009a, p. 20). As Ferris (2009a) notes, although many of them tend to
perform well in these mainstream classes, often times these mainstream classes “fall short of
providing them with the academic language skills they will need [to succeed] in college” (p. 20).
Their exposure to grammar instruction in K-12 “has often been ignored” or vastly limited (Ferris,
2009, p. 32). As a result, we can certainly assume that Generation 1.5 students entering the
Stretch program will have adequately acquired BICS in the target language and not nearly enough
CALP, as many of them continue to exhibit non-nativelike features in the English language,
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especially in regards to their writing abilities at the college level. On a positive note, however,
having lived in the United States for most of their lives, Generation 1.5 students have by far the
“greatest level of cultural awareness and assimilation” as well as more acquired L2 knowledge—
more intuitions about the English language--compared to the international students (Ferris, 2009a,
p. 33).
Student Needs. For a variety of educational and socio-cultural reasons, nearly all “at
risk” freshmen struggle with academic reading and writing at the university level (Ferris, 2009a;
Petro-Bay, 2004; Singhal, 2004). One major complaint from the students in the Stretch program
is that their English classes in high school did not fully prepare them for college level writing and
reading (H.S. Liu, personal communication, 2011). According to Ferris (2009a), many of these
students have limited experience with reading extensively, as well as limited instruction and
practice in the types of intensive reading skills need for academic success (p. 38). More
specifically, when it comes to academic reading tasks at the university level nearly all of them
struggle with: (1) the amount of unknown or unfamiliar vocabulary in academic texts (general
academic vocabulary and discipline-specific vocabulary), which negatively affects their overall
reading comprehension of academic texts; and (2) the amount of academic reading required
which is often far beyond their prior educational experiences (Ferris, 2009a, p.37). The
inadequate amount of academic vocabulary knowledge (both general and discipline-specific)
among L2 learners can lead to what Eskey (1986) calls the comprehension gap. As Eskey (1986)
notes, the comprehension gap has a direct impact on the confidence gap, which can undermine
L2 students’ reading behaviors, and ultimately lead to their dissatisfaction with reading academic
texts altogether (as cited in Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 61). As a result, many of the students
entering the Stretch program may lack the confidence necessary to read academic texts.
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In terms of the students’ writing characteristics, nearly all of them exhibit non-nativelike
features in their L2 writing regardless of whether or not they were born here in the United States.
The primary reason for this, as noted by Ferris (2009a), is the fact that nearly all of these students
“have had neither adequate prior writing instruction nor enough practice in writing in the L2,”
especially in regards to academic writing (p. 40). As a result, many of these students, especially
multilingual students at Sacramento State, display language gaps in their writings. According to
Ferris (2009b), these language problems are of two types: (1) lack of English language
knowledge that leads to grammatical and syntactical errors; and (2) inadequate knowledge of
English vocabulary and discourse structure that “limits their ability to write effectively and
clearly in a variety of situations” (Ferris, 2009b, p.25). In addition to this, Ferrando et al. (2011),
while tutoring at the University Writing Center (UWC), consistently found that many of the
Generation 1.5 students at Sacramento State tended to incorporate idiomatic expressions and
slang into their academic writing, further complicating their ability to write academically (p. 99)
Finally, all of the students in this course are entering college for the first time and have to
learn a new culture. Those who attended schools with fewer resources typically have more
difficulty transitioning to the university system and into the “new academic community with new
linguistic and socio-cultural practices and conventions” than the typical middle class American
(Petro-Bay, 2004, p. 98). The reason for this is the discrepancy between the home culture and
community in which they were raised and “those of the academic community they are seeking to
join,” which are entirely different, and often times, antithetical to one another (Preto-Bay, 2004,
p. 93). Because of this, nearly all of these students entering the Stretch program lack the basic
academic literacy across disciplines needed for academic success within the university system.
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Course Description
This course is designed to cover two consecutive semesters (15 weeks per semester),
starting in the fall and ending in spring. Students will meet twice a week for seventy-five minutes
each (all in the afternoons).
Guiding Principles. Currently, the existing Stretch program takes an integrated approach
to teaching reading and writing. The reading process and writing process are not taught as
separate independent entities, but rather explored together as a whole to promote students’
academic literacies. In other words, the teaching of the reading process does not necessarily
precede the writing process, or vice-versa. Instead, they are interconnected and interrelated. This
course is guided by six main academic literacy learning goals (see reading/writing goals &
objectives below), and essentially evaluated by the submission of the final portfolio at the end of
the second semester. While this is a year-long course, course grades are assigned at the end of
each semester. The first semester is graded credit/no credit. In order to receive credit at the end of
the first semester, students must meet the main following criteria—regular attendance, active
participation, and completion of both class work and take home writing assignments in a timely
manner. Finally, a letter grade is assigned at the completion of the second semester, where the
majority of the points come from the submission of the Final Portfolio.
The following are the first-year reading/writing goals and outcomes for
English10M/11M:
Goal # 1: To help students understanding the ways that readers read and writers write in and
beyond the university.
Outcomes
Students will read and write a variety of texts for multiple purposes, audiences, and
genres.
Students will demonstrate intellectual curiosity and risk-taking.
Students will use reading and writing for discovery, to make sense of themselves and
the world around them.
Students will understand extra-textual contexts that shape reading and writing.
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Students will value academic integrity and take responsibility as an engaged person
in their roles as student, learner, and global citizen.
Goal # 2: To help students understand processes of reading, writing, and research
Outcomes
Students will develop various and flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing
and proofreading.
Students will set purposes and goals for reading, writing, and research.
Students will give and receive constructive criticism.
Students will organize their essays to support their points of view in ways that are
appropriate to their topic, audience, and purpose.
Goal # 3: To help students develop a metacognitive understanding of processes of reading,
writing, and thinking.
Outcomes
Students will monitor and adjust their processes of reading and writing.
Students will generate their own questions about texts.
Students will engage in self-reflective activities assessing their reading and writing in
relation to their learning goals and values.
Students will internalize and apply a variety of effective reading, writing, and study
strategies.
Goal #4: To help students understand textual conventions
Outcomes
Students will develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and
paragraphing to tone and mechanics.
Students will evaluate and cite sources appropriately.
Students will develop syntactic maturity and sentence clarity.
Students will edit their work for appropriate grammar and mechanics.
Goal # 5: To help students understand and engage in reading and writing as communal processes
Outcomes
Students will share their reading and writing with one another.
Students will integrate their own ideas with those of others.
Students will work in collaborative groups to generate, critique, and revise their ideas
in reading and writing.
Students will use their reading and writing to engage discourse communities within
and beyond the university.
Goal # 6: To help students think critically about academic discourse communities as contact
zones where different cultures both connect and come into conflict.
Outcomes
Students will reflect on the ways that academic cultures and academic discourses
connect and conflict with their home cultures and personal discourses.
Students will explore the relationship between language and identity.
Students will consider the politics of language use and standardization.
Students will practice linguistic and cultural pluralism.
Students will critically reflect on their literacy histories.
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Course Content. In addition to the guiding principles mentioned above, this
reading/writing course will incorporate a service-learning approach for developing literate readers
and writers as an alternative way to build both academic and professional literacies within a
variety of socioliterate communities. Johns (2006) would characterize this course as a
socioliterate classroom, where “written and spoken discourses are situated within specific
contexts and produced and read by individuals whose values reflect those of the communities to
which they [seek to] belong” (p. 285). As a result, the reading and writing materials are
developed within students’ socio-educational and professional contexts and constraints. Students
will be required to produce meaningful writing topics (most of which will come from their
service-learning experience), as well as produce writing materials for real intended audiences
beyond the classroom. As Johns (1993) notes, having students write for a real audience, rather
than an artificial one will produce “authentic genre in real contexts” that will help students
“develop their understandings of the interaction between their purposes, the interests and values
of real audiences, and the genres that are appropriate for specific rhetorical contexts” (p. 85).
More importantly, the teaching of audience awareness is critical for L2 writers, especially “if we
are to educate our [L2] students for [the] breadth of communicative demands they will confront in
English language contexts” (John, 1993, p. 87). The teaching of real audience awareness is
grounded heavily in theories of second language acquisition, where language learners must be
immersed in authentic and meaningful social interaction to achieve full communicative and
pragmatic competence in a variety of English language contexts. Not only will these writing
assignments promote literate writers within the academic setting, but they will also develop
students’ overall communicative competence in a variety of English language contexts (John,
1993, p. 4).
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In the first semester, students will learn how to use an array of reading strategies and
skills as they tackle each reading assignment, especially during the intensive reading workshop.
According to Hedgcock & Ferris (2009), the “most important benefit of intensive reading lessons
is strategy instruction” (p.175). During the reading workshop, students will develop and
extensively practice key reading strategies on a variety of academic texts such as highlighting,
annotating, predicting, questioning, outlining/charting, summarizing, and analyzing. These
reading skills/strategies will help to increase each student’s overall reading comprehension of
academic and professional texts.
As for developing “strategic writers,” students will learn how to use an array of writing
strategies and skills appropriate to each socio-cultural context and constraint of a particular
writing situation. In the first semester, students will first learn how to develop a heuristic
approach of a variety of invention strategies (i.e., free-writing, looping, listing,
clustering/mapping, cubing, etc.) that will equip them with different ways to generate ideas. The
ideas generated will then help students plan and draft each of the writing tasks encountered in the
course. Students will then learn how to compose various drafts by continually revising them
throughout the semester, first focusing on content (organization, focus, development) and then on
editing issues (mechanics, grammar, formatting) before submitting the final version at the end of
the second semester. Since argumentation is commonplace in academic disciplines (Johns, 1993),
the three major writing assignments in this course are argumentative in nature. The “ability to
identify the underlying argument, and its claims, warrants, and evidence, in reading and the
ability to compose a high-quality argument, its claims, warrants, and evidence, in writing are
critical skills for academic success” (Newell et al., 2011, p. 274).
For the argumentative essay, students will learn how to identify and write strong thesis
statements, relevant topic sentences and supporting details/ examples, in-depth analyses, and
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strong concluding sentences. In addition to these academic writing skills, students will learn how
to effectively conduct research of academic reading materials (i.e., scholarly articles, books, etc.)
and critically evaluate these sources, as well as learning how to integrate these sources
appropriately into their academic writing. These basic writing and research skills will first be
taught and practiced in the first semester, where students will be required to write a public policy
research paper in connection with their service-learning experience. These skills will then be
transferred over into the second semester, where students will be required to complete a research
grant proposal in connection with their service-learning experience. As Johns (1993) notes, it is
the writing teacher’s responsibility “at every level to give students experiences writing authentic
argumentative texts to real audiences” (p. 85). Writing a public policy research paper and grant
proposal based upon their service-learning experience can “facilitate the understanding of some
of the general, community-specific, and task-specific aspects of audience awareness and
argumentation that confront writers” (p. 85).
Course Sequencing. The first semester consists of detailed step-by-step lessons, starting
with the course introduction on the first day and ending with the PowerPoint presentations in the
final weeks (see Table 1).
Table 1:
English 10M
Weeks Topic Assignments Due
Week 1
Day 1 Course Introduction/Syllabus
Day 2 Multiple Literacies
Week 2
Day 1
Day 2
Ethnographic Research: Writing
Field Notes
Conducting Interviews
Hand out Course Syllabus, Service Learning
Requirement & Timeline sheet.
Handout Academic & Career/Professional
Ethnographic Project
Post SacCT Journal Entry # 1
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Weeks Topics Assignments
Week 3
Day 1 Intensive Reading Process
Workshop
Pre-Reading Activities
Day 2 During-Reading
Activities
Week 4
Day 1 Textual Organization Bring in Boudreaux et. al.(2012)
Day 2
Week 5
Rhetorical Situation &
Strategies
Post SaCT Journal Entry #2
Day 1 Summarizing & Responding Handout Summary & Response Assignment
Day 2 Analyzing Academic Writing
Week 6
Day 1 The Writing Process Workshop
Invention Strategies
Day 2
Drafting: In-class writing
Week 7
Day 1 Peer Review Training
Day 2 Peer Review Session
Week 8
Day 1 Work on Academic Discourse
Project
Day 2 Corpus Research
Due: Summary-Response Draft A
Handout Argumentative Essay (Project # 1)
Write argumentative essay in-class
Post SacCT Journal Entry #3
Due: Summary-Response (Draft B)
Bring in Project # 1 Argumentative Draft A
Bring in fieldnotes & collection of artifacts
Week 9
Day 1 Editing Workshop I Post SacCT Journal Entry #4
Day 2
Unit 1: American Social
Public Policy Issues
Class Debate on Homelessness
Handout Project # 2 Public Policy Research
Paper
Due: Project 1 Argumentative Essay Draft A
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Weeks Topic Assignments
Week 10
Day 1 Research Process: Finding a
Research Topic/Question
Day 2 Library Research Tour
Week 11
Day 1 & 2 Teacher-Student Conference
Week 12
Day 1 Evaluating Sources
15
Due: Project # 1Argumentative Essay Draft B
Day 2 Integrating Sources Post SacCT Journal Entry #5
Week 13
Day 1 Peer-Review Session Bring in Project # 2 Public Policy Research
Paper Draft 1A
Day 2 Editing Workshop II
Week 14
Day 1 Oral Presentation & Visual
Rhetoric on PowerPoint
Day 2
Academic Discourse
Community
Week 15
Day 1 Academic Discourse
Community Presentation
(PowerPoint)
Due: Project # 2 Public Policy Research Paper
Draft A
1 st batch of groups present
2 nd batch of groups present
Day 2 (Continued) 3 rd batch of groups present
Week 16
End of first semester (English
10M)
Note: Adapted from daily course agenda listed in Appendix A.
Due: Summary-Response Draft C, Project #
1 Draft C, & Project # 2 Draft B
English 10M will begin with the notion of developing multiple literacies. In the first week,
students will be required to participate in various class discussions that encourage them to bring

aspects of their home cultures into the classroom and share them with other students. Students
will have opportunities to participate in the various in-class discussions and online class
discussions about the importance of multiliteracies.
The second week focuses on how to conduct ethnographic research for the Academic
Discourse & Career/Professional Project. For this project, students will participate in two small-
scale ethnographic investigations in relation to (1) their chosen academic discourse community
and (2) their chosen career/professional discourse community. Students will work collaboratively
in groups and present their research and findings to the entire class in a two part format. In the
first semester, each group will be required to join an academic discourse community of particular
interest at Sac State. Each group will then be required to observe the classroom environment, its
subjects, as well as interviewing the teacher and students. The lessons on how to conduct
ethnographic research will provide students with the tools needed to write observation field notes
and conduct effective interviews. In the final weeks of the first semester, each group will present
their research and findings for about 15 minutes in the form of a PowerPoint presentation to the
whole class. As preparation for the presentations, students will be exposed to the issue of oral
presentation delivery and visual rhetoric (Week 14, day 1), where they will spend most of the
class time completing a tutorial activity on how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation for
their academic discourse project. In the second semester, students will build upon this project and
pick a related career/profession to research and present to the entire class using PowerPoint.
The third, fourth, and fifth weeks are devoted to an intensive reading workshop that is
thematic in nature. For the duration of the intensive reading workshop, students will be required
to read a variety of academic reading materials related to the topic of Law and Order, and apply
specific reading skills and strategies in comprehending these academic materials. In each of three
16

eading phases (Before, During, After), the instructor will model effective reading skills and
strategies, then scaffold these reading skills and strategies appropriately for each student, and
finally, have students practice these reading skills and strategies independently on their own. In
the first phase of the reading workshop (the before-reading phase), students will be required to
survey the text by using key reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, predicting, and
questioning, while also looking for unfamiliar language. In the next phase of this reading
workshop (during-reading phase), students will be required to read several academic texts a
number of times for maximal reading comprehension by using some effective reading strategies
such as highlighting, annotating, questioning/responding, and outlining/charting. In the last
phase of the workshop (after-reading), students will be required to: (1) write summaries and
responses; (2) think critically about what they just read; and (3) establish a reading-writing
connection for elaborated discourse through the various reflective online journal entries and
writing assignments. These reading skills and strategies will be recycled throughout the semester
and for the remainder of the year, as students will apply some of these reading skills and
strategies in future reading assignments encountered throughout the course. Finally, at the end of
the reading workshop, students will be required to participate in online class discussions via
SacCT with each other about their overall reading experiences. The purpose of the online class
discussion is meant to not only help them self-reflect on their reading experiences, but also to
build a classroom of community learners.
Weeks six and seven are devoted to the writing process workshop and the peer review
workshop in the context of developing the argumentative essay (Project 1), which is heavily
based upon the academic texts provided in the reading workshop on the topic of Law and Order.
In this two-week long series of workshops, students will be required to develop not only
a cognitive awareness of the process approach to writing, but also specific writing skills and
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strategies associated with each of the stages in the writing process—invention strategies,
planning & drafting strategies, and revision and editing strategies. The invention strategies will
cover the first day of the writing workshop, while the drafting, revising, and editing strategies will
cover the rest of the workshops. As with the reading workshop, the instructor will model effective
writing skills and strategies, then scaffold these writing skills and strategies appropriately for each
student, and finally, have students practice these writing skills and strategies independently on
their own in developing the argumentative essay for project 1. Similarly, during the peer review
workshop students will be required to first practice appropriate models of effective feedback on
previous students’ sample papers by participating in a variety of peer feedback activities, and then
apply these appropriate models of effective feedback on their classmates’ argumentative papers.
As for the argumentative assignment, students will be required to identify and write strong thesis
statements, clear topic sentences, relevant supporting details/examples, in-depth analysis, and
concluding sentences. Students will be continually revising the argumentative paper throughout
the course, and will have the option of submitting this assignment in the end-of-the year booklet
for future students to read. At the end of the writing workshop, students will be required to
participate in an online class discussion list via SacCT with each other about their overall writing
experiences in regards to the writing process and argumentative paper. Just like the reading
workshop, the purpose of this online class discussion is meant to not only help them self-reflect
on their writing experiences, but also to build a community of readers/writers.
The next couple of class sessions are devoted to a corpus and editing workshop. In the
corpus workshop, students will use computers to explore various online corpora as both a
research and a reference tool for developing discourse and metalinguistic awareness of specific
academic language. In the first semester, students will use it to develop conventions and
metalinguistic awareness about how to write an effective argumentative essay, as well as how to
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write a problem-solution paper for the public policy research assignment. In the second semester,
students will use online corpora to develop conventions and metalinguistic awareness about how
to write an effective research grant proposal. In addition to this, the concordances collected from
online corpora will be used for all the editing workshops encountered at various points in the year
(two editing workshops per semester). At the end of the corpus and editing workshops, students
will be required to participate in online class discussions via SacCT with each other to reflect on
their corpus and editing experiences.
Weeks nine to twelve are devoted to the topic of Public Policy Issues, where the students
will be required to complete a public policy research paper in connection with their service-
learning experience. In this unit, students will watch various video clips; read articles,
newspapers, magazines; as well as participate in class-debates about the issue of homelessness in
America. For the public policy research paper (problem-solution pattern), students will self-
select a public policy issue of interest taken from their service-learning experience and conduct
in-depth research to come up with an appropriate research topic. As part of the research process,
students will visit the library and receive a library tour by the university’s librarian. The librarian
will then explain the research process, as well as what tools are available at the CSUS library.
The librarian will also show students how to use EUREKA (the library catalog) to find reading
materials for their research assignments, and how to work with academic data-bases like EBSCO
host & Infotrac and other specific subject data-bases. In the last week of this unit, students will
learn how to critically evaluate and integrate these sources appropriately into their public policy
research paper. Like the other writing assignments encountered in this course, students will also
continue to use online corpora as a reference and research tool to develop appropriate conventions
of how to write an effective paper in the specific genre, as students will continually work on
revising and editing it throughout the entire course. Just like the argumentative essay, students
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will also have the option of submitting the final version in the end-of-the-year booklet for future
students to read. Teacher-Student conferences will be held in week 11 to assess students’
progresses, questions, or concerns, as well as provide assistance on the public policy research
paper. At the end of the first semester (Week 16), students must turn in their summary-response
(draft C), argumentative essay (draft C), and public policy research paper (draft B) to receive full
credit and enroll in English 11M in the spring semester.
Just like the unit on Public Policy in the first semester, the second semester will primarily
be divided into two different thematic units with each covering a span of at least 6 weeks (see
Table 2).
Table 2:
English 11M
Weeks Topic Assignments
Week 1
Day 1 Unit 2: Community & Civics
Day 2 Introduction: Grant Seeking Process Handout Project # 3 Grant
Proposal
Week 2
Day 1 Developing & Researching Proposal Idea Due: Project # 1 Draft D
Day 2 (Continued) Due: Project # 2 Draft C &
SacCT Journal Entry #6
Week 3
Day 1 Statement of Need/Problem Statement
Day 2 (Continued)
Week 4
Day 1 Methods/Description of Project
Day 2 (Continued) Post SacCT Journal Entry #7
Week 5
Day 1
Day 2
Evaluation
Budget
20

Weeks Topic Assignments
Week 6
Day 1 Proposal Summary/Abstract
Day 2 Putting it all together Post Journal Entry #8
Week 7
Day 1 & 2 Teacher-Student Conference Due: SL log-in sheet
Due: Project 1 Draft E & Project
2 Draft D
Week 8
Day 1 Peer Review Session Bring in Project # 3 Grant
Proposal Draft A
Day 2 Editing Workshop III
Week 9
Day 1 Newsletter writing Handout Project # 4 Newsletter
Assignment
Day 2 (Continued) Handout Portfolio assignment
Week 10
Day 1 Unit 3: Career/Profession Handout Project # 5 Resume &
Cover Letter Assignment
Due: Project # 3 Grant Proposal
Draft A
Day 2 (Continued) Post Journal Entry #9
Week 11
Day 1 Writing & Researching in Business &
Professional Settings
Day 2 (Continued)
Week 12
Day 1 Resume & Cover Letter Writing
Day 2
(Continued)
Due: Project # 4 Newsletter
Assignment Draft A
Post Journal Entry #10
Week 13
Day 1 Peer Review Bring in Project # 4 & # 5
Day 2
Editing Workshop IV
Due: Project # 3 Draft B
Due: Project# 4 Draft B &
Project # 5 Draft A
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Weeks Topics Assignments
Week 14
Day 1 & 2 Student/Teacher Conference Bring in questions regarding
Portfolio requirements
Week 15
Day 1 & 2 Career & Professional Presentation
(PowerPoint)
Week 16
Portfolio Assessment
Note: Adapted from daily agenda in Appendix A.
Due: Resume & Cover Letter
Draft B
3 polished works & additional
works (summary-response and
highlighting & annotating)
The first unit is devoted to the topic of Community and Civics, where students will once
again be required to continue to participate in their service-learning experience throughout the
semester, thereby completing the full 20 hours. As Adler-Kassner (1995) argues, service learning
in writing courses should “provide students opportunities for critical and cultural analysis” while
practicing academic discourse, especially as they include ‘exploring the role of writing in
different contexts’” (as cited in Pine, 2008, p. 2). Using Thomas Deans’ taxonomy, the two
writing assignments in this particular unit are both represented as writing-for and writing-about
the community. According to Deans, in the writing-for model, “students compose documents for
community organizations; the very act of composing these documents is the community service”
(as cited in Pine, 2008, p. 5). In the writing-about model, on the other hand, students “perform
some kind of community service—in the class, tutoring—and then write about this experience,
often in community-based research projects” (cited in Pine, 2008, p. 5).
In the second semester, students will be required to complete the full 20 hours at a local
community organization. Near the end of the service-learning experience, students will be
required to write a newsletter to inform the reader about their selected community organization.
While writing the newsletter, students will use two well-known online corpora-- Corpus of
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Contemporary American English (COCA) and Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Students Paper
(MICUSP) –along with other in-class reading materials to develop appropriate conventions of
how to write an effective newsletter. Along with the major writing assignments in the first
semester, students may have the option of publishing and submitting the newsletter to audiences
beyond the classroom in the last week of the semester—to their selected community organization.
Many educators note that publishing students’ work can have a positive effect on their overall
reading and writing skills (Dollieslager, 1993; Gordon, 2007; Sladky, 1994). By publishing
students’ work, as Sladky (1994) states, we “engage students in genuinely communicative
discourse acts that invite meaningful contributions and encourage readers to read with different,
arguably more authentic, purposes” (p. 7). This is especially critical for second language writers,
as writing-for-publication is heavily grounded in theories of second language acquisition that
“assumes initiation into a discourse community is linguistically a function of a speaker’s
immersion in social situations where he or she can make inferences based on observed patterns of
linguistic interaction” (Sladky,1994, p. 19).
In the early stages of service-learning, students will be required to identify a problem (or
issue) encountered at their chosen community organization. This problem or issue will eventually
turn into a grant proposal project (write-about model), in which the students will be required to
address and provide solution(s) to the community’s problems by formally writing an effective
grant proposal. In completing the grant proposal, students will be required to conduct research
based upon their service-learning experience and develop a proposal idea by the third week of the
second semester. The weeks after will focus on each of the sections needed to write a successful
research grant proposal (i.e., problem/statement of need, solution /methods, organizational
information/qualifications, evaluation, budget, conclusion, and abstract/summary). Like the
newsletter assignment, students may have the option of publishing and sending out their
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final versions of the grant proposal to their selected organization. The final draft will also be
submitted as part of the final portfolio requirement at the end of the second semester. Teacher-
Student conferences will be held the following week (Week 7).
The second unit (Weeks 8-13) is devoted to the topic of Career and Profession, an
expansion of the ethnographic project in the first semester on academic discourse communities. In
this unit, students will identify a potential major based upon their academic discourse
communities chosen in the previous semester that will eventually lead to a potential career or
profession. Students will use a variety of resources (i.e., course catalogue, online websites,
brochures, experts/professional in the field, etc.) within the university and beyond the university
to help them pick the ideal major and career/profession for them. Students will then present their
research and findings in the form of a PowerPoint presentation to the entire class. As part of the
PowerPoint presentation, students are required to include visual representations just like the first
PowerPoint presentation in the first semester. For the writing assignment, students will apply for
a job position in mind by writing an effective resume and cover letter. The resume and cover
letter will be revised multiple times for a letter grade, and with the student’s authorization, may
be sent out to a particular company or organization of interest by the end of the semester. To pass
the course, students must submit their final works in a portfolio to receive a final letter grade.
Instructional Materials and Assessment
Currently, there is not a specific textbook to use throughout the course that would fulfill
the needs of the students. As Ferris & Hedgcock (2005) note, “A textbook’s approach, content,
and tasks may not be entirely relevant or appropriate to a particular cohort of students and their
educational needs” (p. 126). Furthermore, textbook reading selections, activities, exercises, and
visual enhancements may lack authenticity. In order to overcome this gap, the content of the
course uses a genre approach to teaching reading and writing that incorporates a variety of
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authentic texts, ranging from professional and academic texts to journalistic and periodical
literature, and even samples of previous students’ writings gathered from online corpora. In
addition, selected chapters from various different books will also be incorporated into the
curriculum at various points in each semester. Steve Thomas’ JonBenet Ramsey: Inside the
Murder Investigation will be used during the reading and writing workshops in the first semester,
and eventually used as a springboard for writing the argumentative essay (project 1). The Student
Writing Handbook will be used frequently during the course of the year as a supplemental tool in
providing more information about the reading, writing, and research processes expected at the
university level. In the second semester, Carlson’s Winning Grants Step by Step will be used as a
guide to help students write an effective grant proposal (project 3). The purpose of the genre
approach is to develop students’ awareness of not only academic literacies that they may
encounter in the university system, but also literacies they may encounter in their professional,
community, and home lives.
In addition, I will incorporate the use of computer as a supplement to classroom
instruction. Students will frequently use online corpora as both a research and reference tool for
developing discourse and metalinguistic awareness of specific academic and nonacademic texts
throughout the course. The information will come from two primary online corpora: (1) the
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA); and (2) MICASE, developed by a team of
researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in coordination with their English
Language Institute. These two online corpora are free to the public. The first corpus, COCA, is an
online, searchable 400 + million word corpus of American English arranged by register, including
academic texts, news, fiction, magazine, and spoken discourses starting from 1990 through 2009.
The second corpus, MICASE is a collection of nearly 1.8 million words of transcribed academic
speech along with samples of students’ written academic texts across disciplines within various
25

universities across the country. The primary purpose of online corpora is essentially to help
improve students’ writing in three areas—namely, register awareness, vocabulary development,
and accurate grammatical features—as they continually seek to revise each writing assignment
throughout this course.
As for the use of sample texts, the Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers
(MICUSP), which is a part of the larger MICASE corpus, provides a collection of around 830
“A” grade papers (full-texts), ranging from argumentative essays to research papers to proposals
and reports in a myriad of disciplines across four major academic divisions/departments
(Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, Biological and Health Sciences, and Physical Sciences).
In terms of the argumentative essay and public policy research paper, a few sample texts will be
extracted from MICUSP and analyzed for both discourse and metalinguistic awareness. Since
online corpora do not cover all genres of texts, a few sample texts of successful grant proposals
will be taken directly out of Carlson’s Winning Grant Step by Step for the grant proposal project
and analyzed, while the final two writing assignments--the newsletter and resume/cover letter--
will rely on texts gathered from various reliable websites for samples of newsletter and
resume/cover letter writing. Students will be exposed and limited to a minimum of two samples
in each of the specified writing genre above (i.e., “good” writing and “bad” writing).
In addition to using the internet to rely on sample texts, students will also be required to
frequently use the Internet (especially Sacramento State online databases and other scholarly
online search engines) for research purposes on the specific assigned writing projects mentioned
above. Learning how to conduct effective research is an important skill in developing students’
academic literacies. Finally, students will be required to participate in various online
discussions via SacCT with each other about their reading, research, and writing experiences
throughout both semesters.
26

Organization of the Project
This project consists of two chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the situational analysis
(institution, course, and student needs), the course description (guiding principles, course content,
and course organization), and instructional materials and assessment. Chapter 2 contains a review
of the literature on teaching academic reading and writing at the university level for multilingual
students. In addition, this project includes four appendices. Appendix A contains the course
syllabus, which also includes the course requirements, policies, grading criteria, and daily agenda.
Appendix B contains detailed outlines of each of the seven major course assignments—(1)
academic discourse community presentation, (2) summary-response writing, (3) argumentative
essay, (4) public policy research paper, (5) grant proposal, (6) newsletter, and (7) resume/cover
letter. Appendix C contains twenty-nine lessons, which consist of step-by-step lesson plans along
with relevant materials, handouts, and PowerPoint slides specifically design for the first semester
of the course. Appendix D contains summaries of the reading materials students will read over the
course of the year.
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
The Stretch program is a two-semester sequence that “stretches” first year English
composition over two semesters, primarily for students who are “at risk” or underrepresented
(i.e., Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, Native Americans, etc.) at the university level. The research on
stretch programs at the university level shows significantly positive results on students’ retention
and pass rates, cumulative grade point average, reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and
writing portfolios (Glau, 2007; Goen & Gillotte-Tropp, 2003; Peele, 2010; Goen-Salter, 2008).
More than ten years after the existence of the first basic writing Stretch program at Arizona State
University (ASU), Glau’s (2007) most recent statistical data of students enrolled in the Stretch
program continues to indicate that the program helps a range of “at-risk” students succeed
academically, especially underrepresented students who comprise nearly 40% of Stretch program
students. According to Glau (2007), underrepresented Stretch students consistently pass first year
English composition at a higher rate (90% passing rate) than underrepresented students who take
the conventional route (85% passing rate) (p. 10). Similarly, Peele’s (2010) assessment of the
Boise State Stretch program (based on Glau’s ASU Stretch Program) shows that students who
complete the Stretch program perform significantly better in all areas studied—retention and pass
rates, portfolio assessment, and cumulative GPA—compared with the control group (students
who take the conventional route for satisfying the first year composition requirement) (p. 51).
According to Peele (2010), 80% of Stretch students continued on to enroll in first year
composition as opposed to the 59% of students who took the traditional route to enroll in first
year composition. In addition, students who completed the Stretch program achieved portfolio
assessment results “largely indistinguishable from students who enrolled in Mainstream English”
(p. 62).
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In response to the need to eliminate or limit remediation in the California State University
(CSU) system, San Francisco State University (SFSU) has also implemented the Stretch sequence
into its program. Unlike the Stretch programs before where instruction was primarily on learning
how to write (and not on learning how to read), San Francisco State University has taken the
initiative in creating the first Stretch Program in which instruction in reading and writing is fully
integrated. Rather than requiring the conventional two basic writing classes, two reading classes,
and another first-year composition class required of all “at-risk” students, the new integrated
reading/writing program (IRW) places these students into a single year-long course in which
instruction in reading and writing are explicitly interconnected. Students who successfully
complete the new year-long course not only meet the CSU remediation requirement, but also
satisfy SFSU’s first-year written composition requirement, completing in one year what would
traditionally take three semesters to accomplish. As Goen-Salter (2008) reveals, the results for the
first three years show that Stretch students had higher retention rates, completed the remediation
requirement at a higher rate, received higher ratings on their writing portfolios, and passed
second- year composition courses at a higher rate than the control group who took the traditional
route of enrolling in second-year composition (p. 88).
While all of the literature pertaining to the Stretch program focuses primarily on “at-risk”
and underrepresented students, none fully addresses the needs of multilingual students in separate
tracks. The research studies presented did not differentiate between students in the normal tracks
and the multilingual tracks, nor did they differentiate between native speakers and non-native
speakers in the data. Instead, the data in these research studies applies to all “at-risk” students
(native speakers and non-native speakers) and those in all tracks. However, one ESL instructor,
Viktorija Todorovska, did present her perspective on the Stretch program at the Annual Meeting
of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. In her paper titled “An ESL
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Instructor’s Perspective on the Stretch Program” (1996), she describes how Stretch 107, a first-
year composition course for international students at Arizona State University, is designed to
provide international students with various strategies for writing acceptable prose in English. The
Stretch program not only gives ESL students more time to work on their assignments by
providing ample opportunities to generate ideas and revise their writings, but also makes it
possible for these students to “improve their overall speaking, listening, reading, and grammar in
addition to their writing skills” (p. 7). She mentions how she is able to put forth a great deal of
time working with students on an individual basis, “pointing out the kinds of errors they make,
and finding ways to eliminate those errors one at a time” (p. 7). In addition, students develop a
sense of community since the Stretch classes are relatively small and the students spend two
semesters working with the same instructor (p. 8) As Todorovska (1996) notes, “they start to feel
more comfortable working with me and with their peers as the semester progresses and come to
see me as somebody who understands the kinds of problems that they are facing” (p. 8). Although
Todorovska does shed some light on the ESL experience in the existing Stretch program at ASU,
she only focuses on one specific group of ESL students—namely, the international students.
There needs to be more research done on ESL students as a whole in these existing Multilingual
Stretch programs, particularly in regards to Generation 1.5 students.
The Reading and Writing Connection
Overwhelming research on L1 and L2 writing instruction shows that one cannot
successfully teach writing without also simultaneously teaching reading (Belcher & Hirvela,
2001; Beach & Liebman-Kleine, 1986; Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009;
Kroll, 2001; Hyland, 2002; Zamel, 1992). In order for one to become a skilled writer, one also
needs to develop a host of literacy skills, “including the ability to comprehend written text
efficiently—fluently and accurately” (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005, p. 31). In effect, reading and
30

writing are essentially an integral part of the literacy process. Literacy then consists of both the
development of cognitive abilities and knowledge of various sociocultural structures and
ideologies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000; Eskey, 1993; Hyland, 2002). Current L2 research
predominantly aligns with the bidirectional model of the reading and writing relationship (an
interactive approach), where “practice in writing promotes the development of reading skills, just
as improved reading proficiency can enhance writing skills” (Zamel, 1992, p. 465). Unlike the
directional model, where reading skills must precede writing skills, the reading and writing
processes in the bidirectional model are not sequential in nature, but rather recursive, capable of
influencing each other at any point in the reading and writing processes (Grabe & Stroller, 2002;
Heller, 1999). In essence, the bidirectional model focuses on the multiple relations and
interrelated processes that seem to constitute the reading and writing relationship, thereby
supporting the literacy aspects of reading and writing as always being situated in sociocultural
contexts (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000; Fairclough, 2000; Hyland, 2002; Zamel & Spack, 1998).
Street’s (1995) ideological model of literacy offers educators better opportunities for
working with students of diverse backgrounds. In this model, literacy is viewed as a social
construction, “as sets of practices shaped and carried out by different groups of people” (as cited
in Au, 2006, p. 39). Consequently, essayist literacy, or the argumentative reading and writing
practices reflected by the university system, is viewed as only one type of literacy (although this
type of literacy is seen as the most dominant form of reading and writing within American
universities) (Au, 2006). In accordance with this socioliterate model of the reading and writing
connection, recent research suggests that L2 writing teachers should “adopt an approach to
writing instruction that nurtures learners’ participation in a rich diversity of academic and
nonacademic literacies,” in addition to developing their proficiency in producing appropriate
writing genres (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 47). Literacy must also include digital literacy
31

(digital texts) such as those found on the Web, which we associate with “technologically
mediated textual, communicative, and informational practices” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007;
Ingraham, et al., 2007). More importantly, within the realm of academic literacy instruction, L2
reading and writing instructors should equip L2 learners with specific reading and writing
skills/strategies to master the discourse patterns of the academic community in general and of the
specific-disciplines they wish to join (Hyland, 2002; Johns, 1997; Lewis, 2001; Mavor &
Trayner, 2001). The teaching of L2 composition should be seen as an opportunity to build
“students’ academic, vocational, professional, social, and cultural literacies, which clearly are
multiple and informed by numerous types of expertise” (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2009, p. 33).
In aligning with the teaching of L2 composition for developing students’ academic and
professional literacies, all of the writing materials in this course will be developed and intended
for real audiences within the academy and beyond (by being situated in their particular socio-
cultural and educational contexts). Not only will all the writing assignments in this course be
submitted to the instructor for a final grade, but students will also have the option of submitting
their works to audiences situated beyond the classroom. Students will have the option of
submitting their own argumentative essay (project 1) and public policy research paper (project 2)
in the end-of-the year booklet for future students to see, as well as optionally submitting their
grant proposal research paper (project 3) and newsletter assignment (project 4) to real local
organizations in connection to their service-learning experience. In addition, students will also
have the option of submitting their own resume/cover letter writing (project 5) to various local
companies and organizations for career/professional job advancements. Because of the distinct
nature of the different writing genres presented in this course, students will be immersed in
authentic and meaningful social interaction/transactions with real audiences, thereby enhancing
their communicative competence within a variety of academic and professional settings.
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Service-Learning
The authentic and meaningful nature of the different writing genres is further increased
by the implementation of the service-learning experience. In a service-learning course, students’
community service experiences are essentially integrated with the academic learning objectives of
the course. In this integrated model, “service and learning are reciprocally related; the service
learning experiences inform and transform the academic learning, and the academic learning
informs and transforms the service learning experience” (Howard, 1998, p. 22). The literature
review on service-learning in higher education has shown exceedingly positive results. Students
participating in service-learning have consistently shown academic improvements in critical
thinking and writing skills, increased motivation, higher retention and passing rates, and greater
civic engagement and responsibility within the community (Hertzberg, 1994; Kincaid & Sotiriou,
2004; Kraemer, 2005; Rochford & Hock, 2010). Similarly, the literature on service-learning
pertaining to students in first-year composition or basic writing courses has essentially achieved
the same positive results. More specifically, research studies on these service-learning writing
courses have shown notable outcomes in developing students’ basic writing and research skills
(Adler-Kassner, et al., 1997; Brack & Hall, 1997; Hertzberg, 1994; Howard, 1998; Rochford &
Hock, 2010; Stavrianopoulos, 2008; Thomas, 2000; Weigert, 1998).
A primary motive among first-year writing instructors for incorporating service-learning
into their classrooms is the fear of “isolating” student writing—what Thomas (2000) labels as the
“empty assignment syndrome,” where writing activities are seen as purely academic exercises (p.
93). Universities such as Stanford and San Francisco State have incorporated service-learning
programs into their freshman English courses as a mean to solve the “empty assignment
syndrome” by providing “meaningful writing tasks with audience beyond the classroom” (Bacon,
1997, p. 39). Similarly, the service-learning writing program at Arizona State University (ASU)
33

has consistently found “in community service the source of promising topics for student writing”
(Thomas, 2000, p. 94). In Service-Learning English 102 at ASU, for example, students complete
two synthesis assignments (argumentative & problem-solution) in which they must incorporate
their service-learning experience with the reading assignments (Brack & Hall, 1997, p. 149).
Along with the two synthesis assignments, students must also conduct semester-long research on
topics relevant to their service-learning experience. As Brack & Hall (1997) note, the research
papers encourage “students to consider their [service-learning] experience as it relates to their
research and to demonstrate effective analysis and synthesis of both” (p. 149).
Although the literature on service-learning focuses primarily on the needs of basic writers
in either first-year composition or basic writing courses, none fully addresses the needs of
multilingual students situated within these courses, particularly Generation 1.5 students.
Generally, the literature makes no distinction between the writing and research improvements of
native and non-native speakers participating in community service at the college level. However,
there are some documented instances of writing benefits gained by the recipients of service-
learning, often times ESL college students. For example, Kincaid and Sotiriou (2004) discovered
that when first year composition students mentored intermediate ESL writers within the same
college, both groups reported (a) an improvement in their basic writing skills, (b) a greater
awareness to attend to details in their own writing, and (c) the need for developing an array of
effective editing strategies. Beside these few documented instances where college ESL students
have been paired with service-learning students, the literature for service-learning regarding
college-level ESL students, specifically Generation 1.5 students enrolled in either first-year
composition or a basic writing course, is essentially absent. Rather, service-learning as a
pedagogy for language teaching--both for English as a Second Language and Foreign Language
for native English speakers--has gained precedence in recent years. ESL instructors who have
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incorporated service-learning in the classrooms have noted linguistic gains not only in their
student’s acquisition of the language in all four areas--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--
but also a significant increase in their motivation to learn the target language through community
work (Heuser, 1999; Marlow, 2007; Minor, 2001; Mullaney, 1999; Steinke, 2009). In essence, the
purpose of today’s ESL service-learning courses/programs is to provide second language learners
ample opportunities outside of the classroom to practice authentic dialog with native speakers in
the community as a means to improve their overall language proficiency, and not necessarily to
develop academic literacies.
One particular study among the ESL literature, however, does reveal some promising
results for college-level ESL students participating in service-learning. Elwell and Bean (2001)
incorporated a service-learning component into an ESL reading course at a public two-year
college, detailing how the students participated in a collection drive to help the plight of migrant
farm workers. The outcome of the community service was extremely positive as “the amount of
supplies gathered by this one class was greater than that gathered by the rest of the college’s
entire student body” (Elwell & Bean, 2001, p. 57). Academically, the students noted that the
community experience connected them more closely to their reading of Steinbeck’s novel and the
related reflective assignments. As a result, not only did the students improve on their basic
reading and writing skills by the end of the semester, but they also learned how to effectively
conduct library research—particularly in using the “library’s on-line catalog and accessing,
navigating, and retrieving information” for their in-class writing assignments (p. 57-58). On a
personal level, these students began to view themselves as important members and valuable
human beings who could make substantial contributions to society, even with their “less than
fluent English skills” (p. 58). In the end, they saw Steinbeck’s reading and writing assignments
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not merely as isolated academic exercises, but as a “community service-project that possessed
real-world relevance on several levels: academic, personal, and societal” (p. 59).
As for this course, the service-learning experience will also be integrated into the
academic learning objectives as it seeks to remedy the “empty assignment syndrome” that is so
prevalent among first-year composition and other basic writing courses. Nearly all of the research
topics for the writing assignments in this course will come directly from the students’ service-
learning experience. In the first semester, students will use their service-learning experience to
develop a pertinent research topic for the public policy research paper (Project 2). As a
requirement for this assignment, they will be required to use the data gathered at their community
site as a primary source in completing the research paper. In the second semester, students will
once again use their service-learning experience to complete another research project—the grant
proposal. For the grant proposal assignment, students will be required to collaborate with the site
supervisor and come up with one potential project proposal (or idea). In completing this
assignment, students must include the theoretical underpinnings or abstractions learned in class
about how to write an effective research grant proposal appropriate to the specific discourse
communities (i.e. the selected organization & potential fundraising agencies). Finally, students
will end their service-learning experience by writing a newsletter about their selected
organization. In sum, the service-learning component is meant to provide these students with a
context that is meaningful and authentic, where the writing assignments are seen as genuine tasks,
and not merely artificial academic exercises.
Reading and Writing Workshops
Recent research on reading and writing workshops reveal how useful these workshops
can be for developing both L1 and L2 students’ reading and writing skills/strategies, especially at
the university level (Au, 2006; Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009; Ransdell,
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2001). More specifically within the L2 community, classroom activities that are group oriented
align greatly with current second language acquisition principles about the importance of
interaction for L2 development and proficiency. Beside developing L2 proficiency in general,
workshops on reading and writing can provide L2 learners with the following 3 types of learning
experiences: (1) learning by engaging in the full processes of reading and writing for an extended
period of time; (2) learning by developing and practicing certain reading and writing
skills/strategies; and (3) learning by using authentic texts for discourse awareness (An, 2006;
Elbow & Belanoff, 1995; Lawrence & Sommers, 1996; Miller & Higgins 2008 ; Ransdell, 2001).
As a result, the first semester of the course relies heavily on various reading and writing
workshops. The reading and writing workshops are divided into the following three components
for building students’ overall reading and writing skills/strategies: (1) intensive reading
workshop; (2) heuristic workshop approach to the writing process; and (3) peer review workshop.
Intensive Reading
In regards to developing effective reading strategies in order to aid in reading
comprehension of academic texts, researchers note that intensive reading is by far the
“predominant approach to L2 academic reading instruction, as well as language and literacy
courses that feature reading as a major component (Grabe & Stroller, 2001; Hedgcock & Ferris,
2009). The framework of the intensive reading model is conceptualized into three distinct
phases—namely, pre-reading, during-reading, and after-reading (Grabe & Stoller, 2001;
Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). Most L2 reading experts agree that one of the most important benefits
of intensive reading is teaching effective reading strategies (Aebersold & Field, 1997; Grabe &
Stroller, 2001; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009) In fact, one of the primary goals of intensive reading is
not overt attention to specific texts, but to build “strategy readers” by “developing and improving
reading skills that will help them throughout their academic, professional, and personal lives”
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(Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 69). The development of these reading strategies and skills are
adopted within the California State University Expository Reading and Writing Task Force ‘s
(2008) framework, which “outline[s] crucial academic reading skills and strategies for intensive
reading” needed for L2 learners to succeed in the academic setting (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p.
163). In this framework (see Table 3), each discrete skill is neatly categorized within each of the
three reading phases (e.g. pre-reading, during-reading, post-reading).
Table 3:
Intensive Reading Framework
Pre-Reading During-Reading After-Reading
1. Getting ready to read
2. Surveying the text
3. Introducing language
1. First reading
2. Re-reading the text
3. Looking at language
4. Considering the
structure of the text
Note: Adapted from Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 163
1. Summarizing and
responding
2. Thinking critically
3. Reading-Writing
connection
Like the intensive reading framework shown in Table 3, this course will also
conceptualize the reading process into three distinct phases (pre-reading, during-reading, and
after-reading) with each discrete skill organized accordingly within each of the three reading
components. By organizing the reading process this way, this course hopes to develop strategic
readers by providing a meaningful context for reading that can be transferable to a variety of
different contexts, rather than learning these strategies in isolated incidents and in
decontextualized situations.
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Pre-Reading
Scanning and Skimming. In the “surveying the text” component of the pre-reading
phase, several reading strategies are commonly employed. Most research studies suggest that
scanning and skimming are highly effective reading skills in facilitating reading comprehension
prior to reading the text (Grabe & Stoller, 2001; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009; Mikulecky & Jeffries,
1996). According to Mikulecky and Jeffries (1996), the purpose of scanning is to examine a text
before reading with a purpose in mind; whereas, the purpose of skimming is to get an overall
meaning of the text (p. 15). Scanning and skimming give the reader a “quick sense of the text’s
main ideas and macrostructure” by strategically looking at the title, information on the author,
subtitles or subheadings, and visual aids (e.g. pictures, graphs, tables), as well as the different
typography before the actual reading of the text at hand (Grabe & Stroller, 2002; Hedgcock &
Ferris, 2009; Mikulecky & Jeffries, 1996). Both L1 and L2 reading studies consistently indicate
that comprehension is enhanced by gaining an overview of a text prior to reading it (Aebersold &
Field, 1997; Eskey, 1986; Grabe & Stoller, 2001, 2002; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). Throughout
the years, teachers and educators have identified some common activities for surveying the text
(see Table 4), which highly incorporate both scanning and skimming techniques prior to reading
the text for increased overall reading comprehension (Aebersold & Field, 1997; Grabe and
Stroller, 2001; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009).
Since these skimming and scanning activities have been proven to build reading
comprehension, students in this course will also practice these activities on a variety of academic
texts, more extensively during the reading process workshop (Weeks 3 to 5). Before the actual
reading of the texts, students will perform nearly all of the pre-reading activities for surveying the
text (as shown in Table 4) as ways to increase overall reading comprehension of the various
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academic texts they will encountered in the first semester. Students will reflect on their scanning
and skimming experiences with other students online via SacCT.
Table 4:
Activities for Surveying Texts
1. Examine the title; identify and define key words; paraphrase title.
2. Read the introduction.
3. Read the conclusion.
4. Sample the first sentence of each body paragraph to get an overview.
5. Skim the entire text for overall meaning.
6. Scan the text for specific details that could assist overall comprehension.
7. Outline the macrostructure of the text (e.g. introduction, body, and conclusion).
Note: Adapted from Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 167
Making Prediction and Asking Questions. Making reasonable predictions and asking
questions before reading a text have been proven to increase student’s overall comprehension of
the text (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009; Grabe & Stroller, 2001). Students take information gathered
from surveying the text to make reasonable predictions or form questions about the text at hand.
According to Hedgcock & Ferris (2009), the more that students’ predictions are later confirmed,
the more confidence they can develop in terms of building their comprehension skills. On the
other hand, if students’ predictions and questions prove to be inaccurate, then “the mismatches
teach learners that careful reading, not just quick assumptions or guessing, is critical” to the
overall comprehension of the text (p.168). In addition, many L2 experts mention the need for
teachers to guide students on how to formulate reasonable predictions so that the students
themselves can turn those predictions into relevant questions. A number of studies and reviews
have shown that one of the best ways to teach students these effective reading strategies is
through explicit modeling (Aebersold & Field, 1997; Grabe & Stroller, 2001; Janzen, 1996). In
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Janzen’s (1996) strategic reading course, for example, she explicitly modeled these reading
strategies through a reading-and-thinking-aloud technique. In the reading-and-thinking aloud
activity, students were required to predict and ask certain questions before embarking on the
reading task, as well as predicting and asking questions about what would come next after reading
a small portion of the text. Similarly, students in this course will use a reading-and-thinking-aloud
technique to come up with predictions and questions during the reading workshop. Before
embarking on the specific reading task, students will share their predictions and questions aloud
to the students next to them. This pre-reading activity will be modeled and practiced during the
weeks of the reading process workshop, in the hope that students will use this strategy throughout
the semester as they continue to read a variety of other academic texts. Students will also reflect
on this particular experience with other students online via SacCT.
During-Reading
Highlighting & Annotating. Many L2 reading experts have noted the importance of
highlighting and annotating during the “during-reading” phase, especially in regards to the re-
reading of the text for a more careful examination (Aeberersold & Field, 1997; Grabe & Stroller,
2001; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). Hedgcock & Ferris (2009) point out that reading the text a
second time can “ensure student comprehension” and provide opportunities to “teach and practice
effective reading strategies” (p. 175). Highlighting and annotating are valuable intensive reading
skills, both for “comprehension monitoring while reading and for review after reading”
(Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 176). However, most incoming freshmen are unclear about what to
highlight and annotate when reading most academic texts. Effective highlighting should focus
primarily on key ideas and quotations in a passage; whereas, effective annotations give readers
the opportunity to “jot notes, comments, and questions in the margins of texts as they read them”
(Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 176). In addition, effective annotations should vary “according to
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one’s purpose(s) for reading, the genre, and individual text” (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 177).
Most research studies and reviews suggest that both teacher modeling and structured practice can
be helpful in providing students with effective highlighting and annotating skills. They
recommend that teachers can help students develop highlighting and annotating strategies by
giving them a reading purpose(s) and multiple opportunities to practice throughout the semester.
In line with this approach, the instructor will first model some appropriate ways to annotate and
highlight specific academic texts. Students will then have ample opportunities to practice these
effective highlighting and annotating skills throughout the course with many of the reading
materials presented in the class. Finally, students will be required to submit one example of their
best highlighting and annotating skills in the final portfolio submission.
Graphic Organizer (GO). As a comprehension tool, graphic organizers have been highly
recommended by many L2 reading experts in reading and writing courses (Hedgcock & Ferris,
2009; Grabe & Stroller, 2001; Jiang & Grabe, 2007). Using a graphic organizer for text structure
(how texts are structured rhetorically) will facilitate the understanding of meaning and ideas in a
particular text. In the “during-reading” phase, students can create graphic organizers as ways to
discern text structure and organization, as well as to pull “out key facts and relationships and to
record them in a visual format different from the information contained in potentially dense and
lengthy paragraphs” of many academic texts (Grabe & Stoller, 2001). In the study by Jiang
& Grabe (2007), the authors found that use of GOs “facilitate comprehension of macrostructures
and recall of main ideas” of different discourse texts (p. 34). They also found that different texts
require a different GO depending on the “discourse structure of the text” (p. 34). The most
common types of GOs are definitions, compare-contrast, cause-effect, process and sequence,
problem-solving, classification, argument, and for-against. More importantly, they discovered
that GOs constructed by students themselves were found to be more effective than those
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constructed by teachers. As Jiang & Grabe (2007) note “The active involvement of readers in
constructing a GO, even simply finishing a partially complete graph, provides them with an
opportunity for deeper processing of the materials than studying GO produced by others” (p. 42).
Most L2 reading experts, including Jiang & Grabe (2007), suggest the need for teachers to model
appropriate GOs for students so that they can eventually learn how to do it independently.
During the reading workshop, the instructor will first model appropriate GOs for students to
analyze and evaluate. Students will then receive the opportunity to practice constructing GOs
independently throughout the semester as they tackle new reading materials.
After-Reading
Summary and Response Writing. Summary and response-writings are excellent
“comprehension check tools” for the after-reading phrase. An important element of summary
writing is that it “requires the writer to express the main points of a text she [or he] has read
succinctly and in her [or his] own words” (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 185). As noted by many
L2 reading experts, the summary writing activity is a perfect springboard for the response writing
activity (Aebersold & Field, 1997; Grabe & Stroller, 2001; Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). In the
response writing activity, students have the opportunity to react to the text based on their personal
experiences and beliefs. But more importantly, as noted by Ferris & Hedgcock (2009), the
response activity “is a necessary precursor to critical evaluation of textual content, as our own
emotional responses and prior experiences impact our ability to analyze an author’s ideas and
arguments objectively” (p. 186). As a result, these writing activities can aid in the development of
students’ critical thinking skills. In addition, many L2 reading experts have noted that
summarizing is a complex skill to master and suggest teachers should train students by modeling
this process repeatedly throughout the entire course (Grabe & Stoller, 2001; Mikulecky, 1990). In
Robb’s (2001) reading course, for example, during the first three weeks he trained his
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students how to write effective summaries by providing several models of “good” summary
writings and “bad” summary writings, while also using a guided checklist to evaluate these
writings. He repeatedly evaluated each student’s summary writing with this guided checklist
throughout the course.
Similar to Robb’s reading course, students in this course will be trained how to write an
effective summary and response paper during the reading process workshop (in week 5) by
analyzing several models of “good” and “bad” summary-response writings, while also using a
rubric. Students will continue to use this rubric as a checklist throughout the semester, as they
continually seek to revise the summary-response paper for submission in the final portfolio. In
addition, students will transfer these writing skills into other writing assignments encountered
throughout the course, as they are required to present a brief summary of their chosen public
policy issue in their public policy research paper, as well as to write an abstract section in their
grant proposal project.
Thinking Critically. Although this may be a new experience for some L2 students who
have grown up in cultures that never criticize or disrespect authority, helping students to think
critically is a major part of succeeding in U.S. postsecondary education (Aebersold & Field,
1997; Hirvela, 2004). As a result, it is essential for both reading and writing teachers to help
develop L2 students’ critical thinking skills. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domains has
proven to be a useful framework for describing these critical thinking skills. According to
Bloom’s framework, there are six different types of cognitive abilities---namely, Knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Of these cognitive abilities,
the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation domains are essential for developing students’ critical
skills (see Table 5).
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Table 5:
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domains
Competence Demonstrated Skills
Analysis (making
connections among details)
Synthesis (combining
elements into a new coherent
whole)
Evaluation (judging the
adequacy of materials or
ideas for a given purpose)
Seeing patterns; organization of parts; and recognition of
components.
Note: Adapted from Singhal, M. (2004). p. 5-6.
Use old ideas to create new ones; generalize from given
facts; and relate knowledge from several areas; predict,
draw conclusions.
Compare and discriminate between ideas; assess value
of theories, presentations; make choices based on
reasoned argument; verify value of evidence; recognize
subjectivity; and apply logos, ethos, & pathos.
A variety of in-class activities can help students to think critically about a text in the post-
reading stage. For example, in-class debates are extremely helpful in developing students’ critical
thinking skills, especially when a text presents two sides of an issue. In addition, students can
respond in writing or in a whole class discussion to questions about the text at hand, or even
compose an argumentative essay in which they take a position on the issues presented in the text.
Generally speaking, thinking critically about the text not only “promotes deeper comprehension
and good reading strategies but should also give students ideas and models for their own writing”
(Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). Like the in-class activities mentioned above, this course will also
incorporate some of the same post-reading activities to develop students’ critical thinking skills as
well. For example, in all of the reading assignments encountered in the first semester, students
will first be required to critically analyze and evaluate the author’s point of view, his/her
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hetorical situation (purpose, persona, and audience), and his/her rhetorical strategies (logs,
pathos, ethos). Students will then synthesize these elements in which they must take position of
the ideas/issues presented into a coherent piece of academic prose acceptable at the university
level for the argumentative essay and public policy research paper. For the unit on Public Policy,
students will be required to participate in debates pertaining to certain social issues in order to
further develop their critical thinking skills needed to tackle the public policy research paper.
Heuristic Approach to the Writing Process
L2 students need to develop specific writing strategies and skills for composing fluently
and accurately, especially in postsecondary education in the United States (Ferris & Hedgcock,
2005; Hyland, 2002; Kroll, 2001). Broadly speaking, the composing process is essentially made
up of the following three broad phrases—namely, the invention phase, the planning and drafting
phase, and the revising and editing phase. As research shows, the composing process is highly
recursive and interactive, and not sequential in nature (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005; Flower &
Hayes, 1981; Zamel, 1983). In addition, depending on the writing situation, some writing
strategies and skills will be more appropriate, and more relevant than others within the particular
socio-cultural context and constraint of the writing situation. As a result, teachers should equip
students with an array of heuristics and writing strategies, as some strategies will be a better fit to
the particular composing writing task at hand than will others, especially in regards to academic
writing (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009; Flower & Hayes, 1981). In essence, a heuristic procedure to
writing uses an array of writing strategies and skills during the composing process appropriate to
the socio-cultural context and constraint of the particular writing situation.
Invention Strategies. Unstructured prewriting techniques such as freewriting,
brainstorming, and listing are all important invention strategies to the process of writing. These
unstructured prewriting techniques aim to stimulate creative thought and invention under
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uninhibited conditions (Elbow & Belanoff, 1995; Glenn et al., 2003) Structured prewriting tasks,
on the other hand, such as loop-writing, clustering, cubing, and reflective writing (i.e., journal
logs) tend to be more systematic in nature. These structured prewriting tasks help students
“explore topics, generate ideas, gather information, relate new knowledge to existing knowledge,
and develop strategies” as preparation for the planning and drafting processes (Ferris &
Hedgcock, 2005, p. 150). Regardless of their differences, these invention strategies can offer
students ideas for focusing on a broad topic and can provide a direction for their writing,
especially as scaffolding processes to the planning and drafting stages of the writing process.
However, L2 researchers caution teachers to respect their students’ divergent learning styles by
having students practice a variety of these prewriting tasks rather than strictly adhering to one or
the other (Hillocks, 1986; Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005). The main objective of the writing process
workshop in this course is to provide students with a variety of pre-writing activities so that they
can use them in their argumentative essay (project 1), public policy research paper (project 2),
grant proposal (project 3), and newsletter assignment (project 4). Students will practice a host of
unstructured and structured pre-writing activities such as free-writing, listing, loop-writing,
clustering/mapping, and cubing to help generate ideas before the writing the first draft of each of
the major assignments.
Planning & Drafting Strategies. Research on the composing processes have shown that
planning and drafting occurs simultaneously and recursively during the writing event, as
“planning does not necessarily precede drafting, nor does drafting begin only after a definitive
‘plan’ for a piece of writing has been formalized” (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005, p.155). In fact,
many skillful L1 and L2 writers plan as they move though the different stages of the drafting
processes (Bamberg, 2003; Clark, 2003; Flower & Hayes, 1981; Zamel, 1983). In effect,
successful planning processes can take a variety of different forms, as writers’ initial tentative
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plans are changed, altered, modified, or essentially revised throughout the drafting stage of the
composing process. As a result, teachers should provide students with a host of planning
techniques, as well as ample opportunities for practicing these techniques (Clark, 2003).
Outlines, whether written on paper or developed internally, can serve as an effective prewriting
and planning tool for many skilled writers. As Ferris & Hedgcock (2005) note, preparing an
outline gives the writer “a sense of the hierarchical and linear structure of the themes,
propositional content, and rhetorical links that bind the prose text on which the outline is based”
(p. 157). In other words, outlines can serve as advanced organizers for the writer as he/she begins
to create his/her draft.
As for the drafting phase, many composition specialists recommend guiding novice L1
and L2 writers though more than one drafting phase, especially within the classroom environment
(Flowerdew, 1993; Kroll, 2001; Zamel, 1982). The purpose is to provide students with ample
practice, as well as explicit examples of how skilled writers benefit from multidrafting. Many
writing experts have sought to categorize the drafting component into several manageable stages
(Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005; Kroll, 2001; Tarvers, 1993). Tarvers (1993), for example, reduced the
multi-drafting stage into five incremental stages of development: (1) zero draft; (2) shaping draft
(focus on organization, audience, and voice); (3) style draft (focus on paragraphing, syntax, and
diction); (4) editing draft (focus on grammatical, mechanical, and formatting features); and (5)
final draft (submit in final portfolio for teacher’s evaluation). As Ferris & Hedgcock (2005) note,
a multistage drafting sequence such as Tarvers (1993) should not be seen as a “prescription for
rigid sequencing,” but rather a multistage drafting sequence that can be “reduced or expanded
according to students’ proficiency levels, features of the writing task, and amount of class time
available” (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005, p. 161). During the writing process workshop of the
course, students will receive the opportunity to create a zero draft in-class of the first writing
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assignment (argumentative essay). Students will then receive the opportunity to revise and edit
the same paper multiple times in-class, first focusing on the content (organization, focus, and
development) and then on the mechanical features (grammar, sentence structure, etc.). Students
will also pay careful attention to revising/editing their thesis statements, topic sentences,
supporting details/examples, analysis, and concluding sentences.
Building a Community of Writers (Peer Response)
As Ede (1989) states, revision is “the heart of the writing process,” as we are able to
create a community of writers through this process (p. 95). Both teachers and peers work together
to provide feedback at various points in the writing process. As agreed by many writing teachers,
peer response activities in the classroom fit extremely well “with the increased emphasis on
cognitive processes and social constructionism in composition teaching” (as cited in Ferris &
Hedgcock, 2005, p. 225). As research on peer response has consistently shown, there are many
benefits for using peer response in the writing classroom (see Table 6), which highly aligns with
Second Language Acquisition (SLA) principles of interaction for language learning development.
Table 6:
Benefits of Peer Review
1. Students become active learners.
2. Students can revise their writing in response to their peers’ feedback.
3. Students receive feedback from a real audience.
4. Students receive a better understanding of the reader’s expectations.
5. Responding to peers’ texts build critical thinking skills.
6. Students gain confidence by witnessing peers’ weaknesses in writing.
7. Peer response activities build a community environment within the classroom.
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock. (2005). p. 225-26
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As for effective instructional implications on peer response, Mittan (1989) suggests
“integrating and weaving peer review” throughout the writing course, rather than treating it in
isolated situations (as cited in Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005, p.233). In regards to L2 students, most
research on peer response stress the importance of teacher input and modeling before peer
response sessions (Carson & Nelson, 1996; Liu & Hansen, 2002). As a result, it is extremely
important for teachers to model appropriate feedback patterns for their students through a variety
of peer review activities. Studies dealing with training in peer review have consistently found
that students’ performance and attitudes improve if they are carefully prepared for such peer
review activities (Berg, 1999; Rothschild & Klingenberg, 1990). The basic format and structure
of peer review should remain consistent throughout the entire writing course. As Ferris &
Hedgcock (2005) note, the reader should “offer a positive, encouraging response to the writer,
identify the purpose or main point or points of the sample being reviewed, direct questions to the
writer, and offer concrete suggestions for revising or expanding the text” (p. 235). As for the
editing stage, a variety of peer response activities can be useful for “helping students develop
self-editing skills and metalinguistic awareness” (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005, p. 240). The teacher,
for example, can ask students to mark any errors or look for specific error patterns. This process
can eventually lead students to identify their own errors, thereby helping them become more
autonomous and independent, specifically in regards to developing self-editing skills. Because of
its numerous benefits, this course has implemented a peer review workshop (during week 8),
where students are trained to provide appropriate feedback on other students’ papers. In addition,
regular peer review sessions throughout the year will be an integral part of the course, as students
will be required to provide feedback on other students’ major writing assignments.
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Corpus-Based Writing Analysis
Literature on corpus linguistics has contributed to a wealth of research addressing both
discourse and metalinguistic awareness (Biber, 1988; Conrad, 1996; Hyland, 2002; Reppen,
2010). The various genres of written authentic texts (i.e. academic prose, newspaper articles,
fiction, biographies, official documents, academic published work, etc.) stored in the corpus data
have allowed researchers to “describe regularities in the use of discoursal, sytntactic, lexical,
semantic, and collocational features of language” (Hyland, 2002, p.10). These analyses have
resulted in the inclusion of “specific linguistic features, lexis, and collocations in learner
dictionaries, textbooks, and other instructional materials,” as well as comprehensive grammar
volumes and learner workbooks (Hyland, 2002, p.10). According to Hyland (2002), online
corpora can be used as reference tools “to be consulted for examples when problems arise while
writing, or as research tools “to be systematically investigated as a means of gaining greater
awareness of language use” (p. 122).
By using online corpora as a research tool, students can focus on the range of academic,
business, legal, fiction, and newspaper genres. This kind of research has been useful in assisting
learners to compare features of their own writing with the types of writing by experts in the field
of study (Milton & Hyland, 1999). In addition, the online corpora can be used to generate KWICs
(key word in context indexes) and provide information about the context of use for particular
words or phrases (Hyland, 2002; Reppen, 2010). As Hyland (2002) notes, “L2 writers need to
know what is typical rather than what is possible,” and a concordance can provide invaluable
information about the use of a particular word or phrase within a specific discourse, thereby
assisting “novice writers in controlling more text-level features of their writing” (p. 123). In
Gilmore’s (2000) study of Japanese university writing classes, the author incorporated the use of
online corpora into a process writing approach to help develop students’ writing skills. After only
51

a 90-minute training session, the majority of the students in the study were able to significantly
improve the “naturalness of their writing.” In addition, the majority of the students believed that
an online corpus was beneficial in helping to make their essays sound more natural (both
grammatically and syntactically) (p. 368-9). Similarly, Varely’s (2009) study on “concordancers”
reveals that students demonstrated an increased awareness of grammatical usage, specifically in
regards to vocabulary acquisition and collocational use of frequent words. Clearly, online corpora
have proven to be an effective research tool as well as a reference tool for not only bringing about
discourse and metalinguistic awareness, but also in helping to improve students’ overall writing
skills during the writing process. Similarly, students in this course will be trained how to use
online corpora as a reference and research tool in order to develop discourse and metalinguistic
awareness of certain academic texts during week 8 (in the first semester) to improve the
naturalness of their writing. Throughout the course, students will continue to use online corpora
as part of the revision process on nearly all writing assignments.
Conclusion
Improving each student’s overall reading and writing skills/strategies, which are essential
for academic success at the university level and beyond, is a critical component of this integrated
reading/writing Stretch program. The various reading and writing workshops should not only
equip students with an array of academic reading and writing skills/strategies, but more
importantly, should make these students become better strategic readers and writers ready to
confront the variety of situations they will encounter in their future education, profession,
community, and home lives. In other words, the ultimate purpose of this course (as explained by
the six main learning goals and supported by the literature review) is to create self-sufficient, life-
long literate readers and writers among multilingual students. As the old Chinese proverb goes,
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
52

lifetime.” All of the reading and writing skills/strategies acquired by the students in the first part
of the course are meant to transfer over into the writing genres of the second part of the course
and beyond the classroom in connection with their service-learning experience.
53

APPENDICES
54

APPENDIX A
COURSE SYLLABLUS
55

Instructor: Vu Tran
Office: Calaveras XXX
Office Hours: 12:00-1:00
English 10M & 11M—Academic Literacies I & II
Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing for Multilinguals
Section 01, MW 1:30-2:45, Calaveras XXX
Office Phone: 278-XXXX
E-mail: mr.tran.rfdc@gmail.com
“If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.”--Stephen King
“No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a democratic and prosperous society, than
literacy.” –Los Angeles Times
Course Description
English 10M/11M (Academic Literacies I & II) is an intensive one-year, six-unit course designed
to help multilingual students use reading, writing, discussion, and research for discovery,
intellectual curiosity, and personal academic growth. Within this literary framework, students (1)
engage in reading and writing as communal and diverse processes; (2) read and write effectively
in and beyond the university; (3) develop metacognitive understanding of their reading, writing,
and thinking processes; and (4) understand that everyone develops and uses multiple discourses.
Moreover, students work collaboratively to share, critique, and revise their reading and writing
throughout the program. English 10M is credit/no credit, while a final letter course grade will be
assigned at the end of English 11M. This year-long course fulfills the GE Area A2 requirement of
first-year written composition.
First-Year Reading/Writing Program Goals
Students should be able to:
1) Understand processes of reading, writing, and research.
2) Develop a metacognitive understanding of processes of reading, writing, and thinking.
3) Understand textual conventions.
4) Understand and engage in reading and writing as communal processes.
5) Understand the ways that readers and writers write in and beyond the university.
6) Think critically about academic discourse communities as contact zones where different
cultures both connect and come into conflict.
Course Texts
Carlson, M., & O’Neal-McElrath, T. (2008). Winning Grants: Step by Step (3 rd Ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
CSUS Student Writing Handbook (available at Kinko’s/FedEx on J st)
Thomas, S. (2000). JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation. New York, NY: St.
Martin’s Press.
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Course Requirements
1. Attendance
Attendance is required for passing this course. You are expected to be prepared and
attend class on a regular basis. More than four absences per semester will result in a
failing grade for the course, while two tardies will be counted as an absence. If you are
unable to attend a class, please notify me in advance either by e-mail or phone.
2. Participation
You are expected to actively participate in all class discussions, group activities, peer
reviews, and workshops throughout the entire year. In addition, you will be required to
complete a service-learning component by volunteering at a pre-approved organization or
agency of your choice. Participation for the service-learning component is necessary to
complete most of the writing projects in this class. Non-participation of the service-
learning project will result in an automatic failing grade for writing projects 2, 3, & 4,
which make up about 70% of the materials needed in the final portfolio submission. As a
result, non-participation for the service-learning component will ultimately result in a
failing grade for the course.
3. Service-Learning Component & Requirements
Through your service-learning experience, you will have the opportunity to apply
concepts, ideas, and issues learned in class to “real-world” settings. In conjunction with
the goals of the course, the service-learning experience will enhance your academic and
professional literacies by directly affecting your classroom experience as well as the
community in which you live and work. As a result, you will come to understand and
value the different discourse communities that exist not only within the university, but
also in your community, profession, and personal life.
You will be required to complete several service-learning projects by participating in a
pre-approved organization or agency of your choice. You will observe, research, and
collect in-depth data from a variety of sources (i.e. interviews, field notes, and artifacts,
etc.) about your selected agency or organization during the entire service-learning
experience and use the data to complete a great deal of the writing assignments in this
course (see service-learning requirements & timeline sheet).
4. Assignments
Academic & Career/Professional Ethnographic Project & Presentation (20%)
Part I: Academic Discourse Community (Group PowerPoint Presentation)
Each group will be required to conduct a mini-ethnography study on campus of
an academic discourse community of their choice. Your group will be required to
carefully observe the classroom setting as well as interview the teacher about the
different types of reading and writing commonly used in that specific academic
discourse community. During weeks 14 &15 (in the 1 st semester), each group
will be required to share what they found to the class using PowerPoint (see
assignment handout on SacCT).
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Part II: Career/Professional Discourse Community (Individual PowerPoint Presentation)
Based upon the selected academic discourse community in the first project, you
will then pick an academic major that will lead to a potential career/profession.
Once you choose the major and career/profession, you will conduct a miniethnography
study about the specific discourse community in your chosen
career/professional field. During week15 (in the 2 nd semester), you will be
required to share your information to the classing using PowerPoint (see
assignment handout on SacCT).
Summary-Response Paper (included in final portfolio)
After reading Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation, you
must write a summary-response paper in which you choose a chapter in the book
to (1) summarize and (2) respond to any idea or issue expressed by the author in
his book. The final version of your summary-response paper will be submitted in
your portfolio as part of your final grade (see assignment handout on SacCT).
Project 1: Argumentative Essay (included in final portfolio)
You must write a 3 - 4 page argumentative essay in which you take a
position/stance regarding a specific issue or idea presented in Thomas’ JonBenet:
Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation. The final version of your essay will be
submitted in your portfolio as part of your final grade (see assignment handout
on SacCT). In addition, you will have the option of publishing the final version
of your essay in the end-of-the year booklet for future freshmen to read who are
planning to enroll in this course
Project 2: Social Public Policy Research Paper (included in final portfolio)
You must write a 5-7 page research paper about a social public policy issue of
your choice based upon the data gathered from your pre-approved agency or
organization as part of the service-learning experience. In this paper, you must
first present the social issue or problem in its entirety (historically and currently),
and then advocate for a change by providing concrete solutions (using research
evidence/support) to either reduce or eliminate the issue/problem. The final
version of your research essay will be submitted in your portfolio as part of your
final course grade (see assignment handout on SacCT). In addition, you will have
the option of publishing the final version of this assignment in the end-of-the
year booklet for future freshmen students to read who are planning to enroll in
this course.
Project 3: Grant Proposal (included in final portfolio)
You must write a 5-10 page grant proposal based upon the particular
organization you are going to volunteer for as part of the service-learning project
in the 2 nd semester. The final version of your grant proposal will be submitted in
your portfolio as part of your final course grade (see assignment handout on
SacCT). In addition, you will have the option of publishing the final version of
this assignment to your pre-approved agency or organization in hopes that they
58

find the right funding agency.
Project 4: Newsletter (included in final portfolio)
You must write a 2-3 page newsletter in which you inform the public about the
organization you are volunteering for as part of the service-learning project in the
second semester. The final version of your newsletter will be submitted in your
portfolio as part of your final grade (see assignment handout on SacCT). In
addition, you will have the option of publishing your newsletter and sending it
directly to your selected organization.
Project 5: Resume & Cover Letter (10%)
You must write a resume and cover letter based on an actual job listing from a
company or organization of your interest. The final version of your resume and
cover letter will not be included in the final portfolio, but graded separately as
part of the final grade (see assignment handout on SacCT). In addition, you will
have the option of sending out the final version of your resume and cover letter
to a company or organization of your interest.
Journal Entries (10%)
You must log onto SacCT and complete all 10 journal entries over the course of
the year. To receive full credit for each online journal posting, you must (1)
critically reflect on what you have learned about the topic assigned for each unit,
and (2) respond or comment to at least two other classmates’ journal entries on
the same topic. During the first week, you will be grouped up with four other
students in the classroom. This group will remain with you for the rest of the
year.
5. Formatting/Citation
All writing projects must be typed and must follow the formatting guidelines outlined
either in the 7 th edition of the MLA Publication Manual or in the 6th edition of the APA
Publication Manual. Each of the writing assignments will specifically adhere to one of
the two formatting guidelines. Nearly all of the writing assignments in the first semester
will require the use of MLA formatting; while a great deal of the writing assignments in
the second semester will require the use of APA formatting (see each assignment handout
on SacCT for more details).
6. Peer Review
In-class peer review will be required for some of the major writing assignments. Failure
to participate in these peer review sessions will result in a 1-point deduction towards your
final grade.
7. Student/Teacher Conference
You are required to attend several mandatory student/teacher conferences throughout the
year. Failure to attend will result in an absence. In the first semester, student/teacher
59

conferences will be held in week 11, while in the second semester student/teacher
conferences will be held first in week 7 and later in week 14.
8. Final Portfolio
You will be required to submit a portfolio at the end of the second semester for a final
letter grade. Throughout the year (for 2 semesters-long) you will draft, revise, and edit
essays and research papers for audiences and purposes not just within the classroom
setting, but beyond the classroom setting. The final drafts of your writing materials
included in the portfolio must be thoughtfully developed, well supported, and carefully
edited. The portfolio will be assessed as a whole to largely determine whether or not you
will ultimately pass the course. Your portfolio is 50% of your final grade. The final
submission of the portfolio will include these assignments:
Final Portfolio Assignments Evaluation
(I) Polished Works (choose the best three) (see portfolio handout)
Polished work # 1 (final version and all
drafts included)
Polished work # 2 (final version and all
drafts included)
Polished work # 3 (final version and all
drafts included)
Course Grading
(II) Additional work
Summary-Response
Highlighting & Annotating
(see portfolio handout)
Assignments Course Grade (100 points possible)
Service Learning Log-In Hours 10 points
SacCT Journals 10 points
PowerPoint Presentations (I & II) 20 points
Resume & Cover Letter 10 points
Final Portfolio 50 points
Total 100 points
Course Policies
A = 93-100 C- = 69-72
A - = 89-92 D = 63-68
B = 83-88 D- = 59-62
B- = 79-82 F = 0-58
C = 73-78
1. Deadlines/Late Papers
All papers are due by the assigned day and time listed on the daily schedule and
assignment handout sheets. Late papers will be penalized a 1 point deduction towards the
final course grade for each day they are late unless actual documentation of an emergency
is provided to me before the deadline.
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2. SacCT
All class materials (handouts & readings) will be available through SacCT. You are
responsible for downloading all assigned class materials from SacCT prior to each class
session. You will also use the online discussion tool on SacCT to complete all of the 10
assigned writing journals.
3. Plagiarism
When you quote, paraphrase, or use facts from another source, you must give that source
credit for his or her material in your paper. You will receive a failing grade on the
particular assignment if you are caught plagiarizing. As a CSUS student, you are
responsible for knowing the policies regarding the use of another person’s work or
materials and for documenting sources appropriately within the university setting. Please
read the CSUS policy on cheating and plagiarism.
.
4. Disability Accommodation
If you have a disability and need accommodations, you need to provide this information
to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955. For specific accommodations pertaining to
the classroom environment, please discuss it with me as soon as possible so that your
needs can be met.
5. Academic Resource
The CSUS University Writing Center is available for your assistance and is located in
CLV 128. Qualified writing tutors will help you with all stages of your writing process
(i.e., planning stage, drafting stage, and revision stage).
Daily Schedule
English 10M (Fall 2012):
Weeks Topic Assignments
Week 1
Day 1 Course Introduction/Syllabus
I. Service Learning (SL)
Experience
61
Handout Course Syllabus, Service Learning
Requirement & Timeline sheet, and Time-log.
Day 2 Multiple Literacies Read Linda S. Bausch’s (2003) “ Just Words:
Living and Learning the Literacies of Our
Student’s Lives”
Week 2
Day 1 Ethnographic Research
Field Notes
Handout Academic & Career/Professional
Ethnographic Project
Post SacCT Journal Entry # 1

Day 2 Conducting Interviews
Week 3
Day 1 Intensive Reading Process
Pre-Reading Activities
(Survey/Preview, Prediction
& Questioning)
Day 2 During-Reading Activities
(Annotating/Highlighting,
Exploring Vocabulary)
Week 4
Day 1 Textual Organization
Graphic Organizer,
Charting, Outlining
Day 2 Rhetorical Situation (Purpose,
Audience, and Context) &
Strategies (Ethos, Pathos, and
Logos)
Read Kajornboon’s (2005) “Using
Interviews as Research Instrument”
Read Student Writing Handbook (SWH)
Watch “Anatomy of an Investigation”
Read Smith’s “Part One: Little Miss
Christmas” (pp.1 -42)
Read C.F. Johnson’s (2000)
Read Smith’s “Part One: Little Miss
Christmas” (pp. 43-84)
Bring in Boudreaux et. al.(2012)
62
Read Smith’s “Part Two: A Gathering Storm
(pp. 85-115)
Read SWH, pp.28-33
Read Smith’s “Part Two: A Gathering
Storm” (pp. 116-156)
Post SaCT Journal Entry #2
Week 5
Day 1 Summarizing & Responding Handout Summary & Response Assignment
Day 2 Analyzing Academic Writing
Week 6
Day 1 The Writing Process Workshop
Unstructured Pre-Writing
Activities
Structured Pre-Writing
Activities
Read Smith’s “Part Three: Rocky Road to
Nowhere”
Due: Get teacher’s approval for selected
academic discourse community project
Read SWH (pp. 18-23, pp.34-38)
Read Smith’s “Part Four: Not So Grand
Jury”
Due: Summary-Response Draft A
Read Smith’s “Part Five: Laying Down the
Case”
Handout Argumentative Paper Assignment
(Project # 1)

Day 2 Drafting: In-class writing
Week 7
Day 1 Peer Review Training
Day 2 Peer Review Session
Week 8
Day 1 Work on Academic Discourse
Project
Day 2 Corpus Research (Computer
Lab)
Week 9
Day 1 Editing Workshop I
Sentence Boundaries (i.e.
fragments, run-on, and comma
splice.)
Day 2 Unit 1: American Social Public
Policy Issues
Class Debate on Youth
Homelessness
Week 10
Day 1 Research Process: Finding a
Research Topic/Question
Day 2 Library Research Tour
Week 11
Day 1 &
2
Teacher-Student Conference
63
Write first draft of Argumentative paper in-class
Post SacCT Journal Entry #3
Read SWH, pp. 49-51
Due: Summary-Response (Draft B)
Bring in Project # 1 Argumentative Draft A
Bring in fieldnotes & collection of artifacts
Post SacCT Journal Entry #4
Handout Public Policy Research Paper (Project
# 2)
Watch “Voices From the Street: Homeless
Youth Speak Out on State Policy”
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmHHcv-
SLVE&feature=relmfu)
Read “Fundamental Issues to Prevent and End
Youth Homelessness (YH)”
Read Colby (2011)
Due: Project # 1 Argumentative Essay (Draft A)
Read SWH, pp. 79-93
Bring in research question and preliminary
bibliography
Bring in service learning log-in sheet
(completion of at least 10 of the 20 hours
requirement)
Due: Project # 1Argumentative Essay (Draft B)

Week 12
Day 1 Evaluating Sources
Read SWH, pp.94-105
Day 2 Integrating Sources Post SacCT Journal Entry #5
Week 13
Day 1 Peer-Review Session Bring Project # 2 Public Policy Research
Paper (Draft 1A)
Day 2 Editing Workshop II
Subject-Verb agreement
Week 14
Day 1 Oral Presentation Delivery &
Visual Rhetoric on PowerPoint
Day 2 Academic Discourse Community
64
Due: Project # 2 Public Policy Research Paper
(Draft A)
Read SWH(Visual Rhetoric), pp. 58-66
1 st batch of groups present
Week 15
Day 1 Academic Discourse Community
Presentation (PowerPoint)
2 nd batch of groups present
Day 2 (Continued) 3 rd batch of groups present
Week 16
End of first semester (English
10M)
Due: Summary-Response (Draft C)
Due: Project # 1 Argumentative Essay (Draft
C)
Due: Project # 2 Public Policy Research
Paper (Draft B)
English 11M (Spring 2013):
Weeks Topic Assignments
Week 1
Day 1 Unit 2: Community & Civics
Day 2 Introduction: An Overview of the Grant
Seeking Process
Week 2
Day 1 Developing and Researching Proposal
Idea
Read SWH’s “Writing &
Researching in the Social
Sciences,” pp. 118-137
Handout Project # 3 Grant
Proposal Assignment
Read Carlson & O’Neal-
McElrath’s “Winning Grants: Step
by Step,” pp. 1-11
Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 1 “Developing the
Proposal Idea,” pp.11-17
Due: Project # 1 Argumentative
Essay (Draft D)\

Day 2 (Continued) Due: Project # 2 Public Policy
Research Paper (Draft C)
Post SacCT Journal Entry #6
Week 3
Day 1 Statement of Need/Problem Statement Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 3 “Writing a
Compelling Need Statement,” pp.-
28-37
Day 2 (Continued)
Week 4
Day 1 Methods/Description of Project Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 5 “Developing the
Methods,” pp. 44-51
Day 2 (Continued) Post SacCT Journal Entry #7
Week 5
Day 1 Evaluation Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 6 “Preparing the
Evaluation Component,” pp. 51-62
Day 2 Budget Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 8 “Preparing the
Program Budget,” pp. 68-77
Week 6
Day 1 Proposal Summary/Abstract Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 10 “Writing the
Proposal Summary,” pp. 85-90
Day 2 Putting it all together Read Carlson’s & O’Neal-
McElrath’s Step 11 “Putting the
Package Together,” pp. 91-96
Post SacCT Journal Entry #8
Week 7
Day 1 & 2 Teacher-Student Conference Completion of the full 20 hours
requirement for SL
65
Due: Argumentative Essay Draft E
Due: Public Policy Research Draft
D
Week 8
Day 1 Peer Review Session Bring in Project # 3 Grant
Proposal Draft A

Day 2 Editing Workshop III
Verb Tenses
Phrasal Verbs
Week 9
Day 1 Newsletter writing Handout Project # 4 Newsletter
Assignment
Day 2 (Continued) Handout Portfolio assignment
Week 10
Day 1 Unit 3: Career/Profession Handout Project # 5 Resume &
Cover Letter Assignment
Due: Project # 3 Grant Proposal
(Draft A)
Day 2 (Continued) Read Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
(http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
Week 11
Day 1 Writing & Researching in Business &
Professional Settings
Post SacCT Journal Entry #9
Read SWH, pp. 152-157, pp.167-
168
Due: Project # 4 Newsletter
Assignment (Draft A)
Day 2 (Continued) Read Nancy Martin-Young’s
“Communication Skills in the
Workplace: Employers Talk Back”
Week 12
Day 1 Resume & Cover Letter Writing Read “Career Directions: Resume
& Cover Letter Writing Tips”
Day 2 (Continued) Read Schullery, N. M, Ickes, L., &
Schullery, S.E (2009)
Post SacCT Journal Entry #10
Week 13
Day 1 Peer Review Bring in Project # 4 Newsletter &
Project # 5 Resume & Cover letter.
Day 2 Editing Workshop IV
Articles
Prepositions
66
Due: Project # 3 Grant Proposal
(Draft B)
Due: Project# 4 Newsletter
Assignment (Draft B) &Project # 5
Resume & Cove Letter (Draft A)

Week 14
Day 1 & 2 Student/Teacher Conference Questions regarding Portfolio
requirements
Week 15
Day 1 & 2 Career & Professional Presentation
(PowerPoint)
Week 16
Due: Resume & Cover Letter (Draft
B)
Portfolio Assessment Portfolio Submission (3 polished
works & additional works included)
______________________________
Optional
* Final Drafts of Project 1 & 2 submit
in the end-of-year booklet.
67
*Final Drafts of Project 3 & Project 4
sent out to selected organization or
agency.
*Final Draft of Project 5 Resume &
Cover Letter sent out to
Company/Organization of interest.

APPENDIX B
COURSE ASSIGMENTS
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Phase 1: Getting Started (Weeks 1-2)
Service Learning Requirements & Timeline
Weeks 1 -2: Students complete Online Service Learning Survey (Pre-Service) and Risk
Management Forms
Step 1: You must complete mandatory online service learning orientation. Orientations will
last about 20 minutes. For more details visit http://www.csus.edu/cec/sl_admin.stm
Step 2: Complete and submit the required service learning forms. During the online
orientation, you will be required to print out the Emergency Contact and Information form
and service-learning Time Log. Students over the age of 18 will electronically submit the
required Student Guidelines and Limitations, Informed Consent, Agreement, Release, Waiver
of Liability, and Assumption of Risk forms.
Note: Students who are under 18 will need to print out and submit the Minor Release form
completed by a legal parent or guardian to the Community Engagement Center prior to
starting service-learning. For questions regarding these forms or the online orientation, please
contact me or the Community Engagement Center at (916)278-4610 or email
cecenter@csus.edu.
Phase 2: Pick a Community Partner (Weeks 2-3)
The Community Engagement Center partners with organizations that provide service to
underserved and underrepresented populations through the Sacramento Region.
Weeks 2-3: In order for you to be placed with a community partner, the Community Partner
Profile (CPP) and Service-Learning Agreement (SLA) must be complete and submitted to the
Community Engagement Center by the end of the 3 rd week.
Step 1: Pick a Community Partner (see List of Community Partner below)
Step 2: Complete and submit the Service Learning Agreement (SLA) and Community
Partner Profile (CPP) to the Community Engagement Center. Download forms at
www.csus.edu/cec/sl_forms.stm. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact
the Community Engagement at (916) 278-4610 or email cecenter@csus.edu.
Phase 3: Beginning Service Learning (Weeks 4-14)
Weeks 4-5: Students must attend one onsite orientation
Note: Some service learning placement sites may require background checks,
fingerprinting and/or proof of a recent TB test. The agency will let you know at the onsite
placement orientation whether fingerprinting and TB testing are required before
beginning service. For more information about these requirements please visit
www.cusus.edu/cec/tb.stm
Weeks 5-14: Students participate in regular ongoing service.
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Step 1: You must complete at least 10 hours at the placement site by the end of 12 week
in the first semester during teacher-student conference. You are responsible for tracking
the actual hours served at the placement site in your time log-in sheet.
Step 2: You must complete at least 20 hours by the 7 th week during teacher-student
conference in the second semester.
Note: Once service-learning hours have been completed, you must obtain
verification/approval signatures from your placement site supervisor.
Phase 4: Service Learning Connected w/ Writing Assignments
Project 2 Public Policy Research Paper (Starting Week 9 and Beyond)
You must write a 5-7 page research paper about a social public policy issue of your
choice based upon the data gathered from your pre-approved agency or organization as
part of the service-learning experience. In this paper, you must first present the social
issue or problem in its entirety (historically and currently), and then advocate for a
change by providing concrete solutions (using research evidence/support) to either reduce
or eliminate the issue/problem. You will have the option of choosing to publish this
assignment in the end-of-the-year booklet.
Project 3 Grant Proposal Paper (Starting Week 2 and Beyond)
You must write a 6-10 page grant proposal based upon the data/information collected
from your particular organization as part of the service-learning experience in the 2 nd
semester. You will have the option of publishing your grant proposal and sending it
directly to your pre-approved agency or organization in hopes that they find the right
funding agency.
Project 4 Newsletter Assignment (Starting Week 9 and Beyond)
You must write a 2-3 page newsletter in which you inform the public about the
organization you are volunteering for as part of the service-learning project in the 2 nd
semester. You will have the option of publishing your newsletter and sending it directly
to your selected organization.
Note: You will plenty of time to revise and edit all of these writing assignments throughout
the course.
Phase 5: Finishing Up
Weeks 14-15 (2 nd semester): Students end service-learning and turn in time-logs with site
supervisor and faculty signatures and submit to Engagement Community Center, Library 4208.
Students will submit a copy of the time-log to the instructor for grading purposes.
Weeks 14-15: Students complete Online Service Learning Survey (Post-service) after time-
logs are submitted
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City of Sacramento
Department of Parks and Recreation
Ethel MacLeod Hart Senior Center
Neighborhood Services Divisions
Youth Development Network
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
Service Learning Community Partners
Alliance Francaise de Sacramento
Asian Resources Inc.
A Touch of Understanding
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento (Lemon Hill)
Elder Options Inc.
Eskaton Properties Incorporated
Family Youth Connection
Folsom Cordova Community Partnership
Freedom Bound Center/Sol Collective
Greater Sacramento Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce
Hank Fisher Properties: Chateau at Rivers Edge
Hank Fisher Properties: Leisure Manor
Health Education Council
Lilliput Children's Services
My Sisters House
NCADD National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Our Kids Community Breakfast Club
Placer Nature Center
People Reaching Out
Project R.I.D.E.
Sacramento Children's Home
Sacramento Children's Home: Sacramento Crisis Nurseries - North/South
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services: Saca Community Center
Sacramento Mutual Housing Association (SMHA)
Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Sisters of Nia Incorporated
Soil Born Farms
Stanford Home for Children
St. Johns Shelter Program for Women and Children
Strategies for Change
Valley Hi Family Resource Center
Washington Neighborhood Center
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WEAVE Inc.
Wellspring Women's Center
Faith-Based Organizations
Salvation Army
Loaves & Fishes: Maryhouse
Loaves & Fishes: Mustard Seed School
Hospitals
Sutter Medical Center Child Life Program
Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD)
Anna Kirchgater Elementary School
After School Education & Safety Program (ASES):
Charles Mack Elementary School - ASES
David Reese Elementary School – ASES
Florin Elementary - ASES
Herman Leimbach Elementary – ASES
Prairie Elementary – ASES
Union House Elementary School - ASES
Cal-SAFE Adult Education with Elk Gove Unified
CW Dillard Elementary School
Edward Harris Jr. Middle School
EGACE Even Start Family Literacy Program EGUSD
Healthy Start:
David Reese
Prairie Elementary
Valley High School
Jessie Baker Elementary School
Natomas Unified School District (NUSD)
Discovery High School
Westlake Charter School
Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD)
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
A.M. Winn Elementary
Breakthrough Sacramento at SCUSD
David Lubin Elementary
Ethel I. Baker Elementary
Hiram Johnson High School
Jedediah Smith Elementary
John Morse Therapeutic Center
Matsuyama Children's Center
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Sequoia Elementary School
Sutter Middle School
Tahoe Elementary
Will C. Wood Middle School
Woodbine Elementary
San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD)
Bridges After School Program:
Del Paso Manor Elementary
Dyer Kelly Elementary
Howe Avenue Elementary
Starr King Elementary
Thomas Edison Elementary
Will Rogers Elementary
Whitney Avenue Elementary
Greer Elementary School
Twin Rivers Unified School District (TRUSD)
Grant Union High School
Hagginwood Elementary School
Harmon Johnson Elementary School
Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy
Sacramento State On-Campus Partners
Alumni Center
Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Children's Center
Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Excellence
College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)
English Language Institute (ELI)
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Honors Program
Multi-Cultural Center
Project P.L.A.Y.
Student Activities
UNIQUE Programs
University Enterprises Inc.
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Assignment
Academic Discourse Community & PowerPoint Presentation (Part I)
For this project, each group (2 students per group) will be required to observe an academic
discourse community of interest on campus. You and your partner will be required to conduct a
close observation of the classroom setting, as well as interview the teacher and some of the
students in the classroom. During weeks 14 & 15 in the first semester, each group will present
what they found about their chosen academic discourse community to the class using PowerPoint.
You will have additional class time to work on this assignment as preparation for your
PowerPoint presentation (see daily schedule).
Task
Step 1: Choose an academic discourse community at Sac State
Discourse communities are social entities with share practices as a result of the communities’
shared specialized vocabulary, cultural or content knowledge, traditions, values, and goals. This
membership could be something that is official such as belonging to a professional sport team or
unofficial such as belonging to a group of people who like a certain hobby (i.e. fishing, hiking,
etc.). Similarly, members within certain academic discourse communities share distinctive
academic practices pertaining to the use of language, knowledge, traditions, values, and goals.
For this assignment, you and your partner must choose an academic discourse community at Sac
State and get the teacher’s approval by the 5 th week of the first semester. You can observe any
class (on any subject) as long as it is one you are not currently enrolled in. You and your partner
will get the opportunity to work on this project in class during weeks 8 (day 1) & 14 (day 1) as
preparation for the PowerPoint presentation at the end of the first semester.
Step 2: Mini-Ethnographic Research
Once the class has been approved by the teacher, you will be required to conduct a miniethnography
study in which you will attend at least three class sessions and perform the following
duties:
I. Observe & Write Fieldnotes
Record specific observations you see in the classroom environment. Ethnographers
must learn how to take useful and reliable notes regarding the details of life in their
research context. These fieldnotes will constitute a major part of the data on which
you will draw your results or conclusion for the PowerPoint presentation.
A) Observe the natural setting (i.e. classroom environment).
How is the classroom organized? Is there anything posted on the walls of the
classroom? Does the classroom have a whiteboard/chalkboard, or a projector?
What other kinds of equipments are available in the classroom?
B) Observe the participants in the natural setting
What type of language and/or thinking is commonly used or expressed by the
teacher and students?
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How does the teacher interact with his or her students? And how do the students
interact with the teacher?
How do the students interact with one another?
II. Conduct Interview
In addition to observing the culture of the classroom, you must also interviews these
members—the teacher and the students. Interviewing your research subject allows
you to obtain an in-depth perspective of the members in the classroom.
A) Interview the instructor about the relationship between the assignments in the
class and the nature of literacy in the field. Here are some examples of questions
to ask the instructor:
1. What is the role of research, reading, and writing in your discourse community?
2. What kinds of reading and writing assignments do you usually assign in this field?
3. What type of writing style is most valued in this field?
4. What type of language and/or thinking is most valued in this field?
5. What skills or qualifications are needed in your discourse community?
B) Interview at least two students in the class about their reading and writing
experience in this field. Here are some examples of questions to ask the students:
1. What kinds of reading skills/strategies do you use most often when reading a text for this
class and/or in this field?
2. What kinds of writing skills/strategies do you use most often when writing an assignment
for this class and/or in the field?
3. What kinds of reading and writing assignments do you commonly encounter in this field?
4. What type of language and/or thinking is most valued in this field?
5. What skills or qualifications are needed to become successful in this field?
III. Collecting & Analyzing Artifacts
You are required to collect at least 3 artifacts: (1) a reading material—any book,
article, or journal in the field, (2) a writing/research assignment sheet, and (3)
relevant samples of students’ writings that pertain to that particular writing/research
assignment sheet.
A) Analyzing artifacts
When analyzing artifacts, consider the following rhetorical situations:
Audience Awareness: Who is the targeted audience?
Purpose: What do you think is the purpose of the reading and/or writing
material?
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Language, Style, & Tone: What specific discourse-community words are used?
What is the tone and style? How are the sentences and paragraph organized?
Step 3: Prepare a PowerPoint presentation
During weeks 14 & 15, each group will have 15 minutes to share information about their
chosen academic discourse community with the rest of the students in the class (with
another 2-3 minutes for questions and discussions). Each group will be required to signup
for the day in which they would like to present.
Your PowerPoint presentation must include:
o A brief summary of what you have learned through your observation, fieldnotes,
interviews, and collection of artifacts.
o Examples of the types of reading and writing commonly used in the field
o A separate handout for your classmates that summarizes the presentation
o A minimum of 2 visual aids in PowerPoint presentation itself
Guidelines & Presentation Dates
PowerPoint presentation (5-8 slides)
A minimum of 2 visual aids in the PowerPoint presentation itself
Separate presentation handout
Fieldnotes, interview questions, and collection of reading and writing artifacts included
for submission
All group members must contribute equally to the presentation.
Weeks 14 & 15 In-class Presentation (includes submission of PowerPoint Slides,
handouts, fieldnotes, interview questions, and artifacts)
Grading
This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade.
An “A” grade (9-10 points) for this research project & presentation will meet the following
criteria.
o PowerPoint Presentation slides, handout, fieldnotes and interview questions submitted by
deadline
o Handout follows specifications and is clearly written and well edited.
o PowerPoint presentation adheres to requirements specified by the assignment (i.e.,
number of visuals, number of slides, essential contents, etc.).
o Oral presentation is well prepared and effectively delivered: clear, good use of time
management, well organized, good volume and energy, and good eye contact.
o Teamwork: All members contribute equally
A “B” paper (or below) will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Career/ Professional Discourse Community & PowerPoint Presentation (Part II)
Assignment
In this assignment, you will build upon the first field research assignment and pick an academic
major within the same academic discourse community (chosen in the first semester) that will lead
to a potential career/profession. During week 15 in the second semester, you will present the
information about your chosen professional discourse community to the class using PowerPoint.
Tasks
Step 1: Chose an academic major and potential career/profession
You will select an academic major within the same academic discourse community you had
chosen for the first PowerPoint presentation. You may use the course catalogue (as well as other
resources on campus) to assist you in finding an academic major of interest. Once you have
decided on an academic major, you will pick a potential career/profession that is related to your
selected academic major.
Step 2: Mini-Ethnographic Research
Once the academic major and career/profession have been chosen, you will be required to
conduct another mini-ethnography study in which you will perform the following duties:
A) Research more about the academic major and career/profession by using a host of
resources available on campus and off campus (i.e. course catalogue, internet websites,
information gathered from actual company or organization, etc.)
B) Interview experts/professionals in the field (in-person or through e-mail). Here are some
questions to ask when conducting the interview:
1. What is your job title?
2. What are your job duties? Expectations?
3. What kinds of benefits do you receive? Salary?
4. What degree/certification or experience has helped you to get to where you are at now?
5. What type of education is required to attain a position within this field?
6. What qualities or experience do you need to be successful in this field?
7. What kinds of materials do you read in this field?
8. What types of writing is required in this field?
9. What type of thinking and/ or language is valued most in this field?
C) Collect & analyze artifacts (i.e. reading and writing samples)
When you analyze the artifacts, you will need to consider the following rhetorical situations
below:
Audience Awareness: Who is the targeted audience?
Purpose: What do you think is the purpose of the reading and/or writing material?\
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Language, Style, & Tone: What specific discourse-community words are used? What is
the tone and style? How are the sentences and paragraph organized?
Step 3: Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation
During week 15 in the second semester, you will have 5-7 minutes to share some
information about your chosen academic major and potential career/profession with the
rest of the students in the class (with another 1-2 minutes for questions and discussions).
Each group will be required to sign-up for the day in which they would like to present
(Week 15, day 1 & 2)
Your presentation must include:
o A brief summary of what you have learned through your research, observation, and
interviews about your potential academic major and career/profession (i.e., required
degree/education, job duties, expectations, salary, benefits, etc.)
o What types of degree, certification or experience are required in the field
o Examples of the types of reading and writing commonly used
o A separate handout for your classmates that summarizes the presentation
o A minimum of two visual aids in the PowerPoint presentation itself
Due Date
PowerPoint presentation (5-8 slides)
A minimum of 2 visual aids in the PowerPoint presentation itself
Separate presentation handout
Research notes, interview questions, and artifacts included for submission
Week 15 In-class Presentation (includes submission of PowerPoint Slides,
handouts, research notes, interview questions, and artifacts)
Grading Criteria
This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade.
An “A” grade (9-10 points) for this research project & presentation will meet the following
criteria.
o PowerPoint Presentation slides, handout, observation notes, and interview questions
submitted by deadline.
o Handout follows specifications and is clearly written and well edited.
o PowerPoint presentation adheres to requirements specified in this assignment (i.e.
number of slides, number of visual aids, essential contents, etc.).
o Oral presentation is well prepared and effectively delivered: clear, good use of time
management, well organized, good volume and energy, and good eye contact.
A “B” paper (or below) will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Summary-Response Assignment
For this assignment, you will develop your critical thinking skills by (1) summarizing and (2)
responding to one of the chapters in Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation
as preparation for the Argumentative Essay (Project 1).
Task
Step 1: Choose one chapter that interests you from Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey
Murder Investigation . The chapters are listed below.
1) “Part One: Little Miss Christmas”
2) “Part Two: A Gathering Storm”
3) “Part Three: Rocky Road to Nowhere”
4) “Part Four: Not so Grand Jury”
5) “Part Five: Laying Down the Case”
Step 2: Write a summary-response paper in which you perform the following tasks in the exact
order below:
I. Summarize the chapter in a concise manner (target length = ½-1 page)
Guiding tips for writing an effective summary:
A summary is a condensed or reduced version of a text. It is written in paragraph form and
contains all of the most essential information. A well-written summary should:
A) Identify the author’s name and the title of the text
B) State the overall main idea of the selection
C) Identify only the most important examples and supporting details.
D) State the author’s main conclusion
II. Discuss your reactions to one or two issues or ideas presented in the selected
chapter (target length = 1to 1 ½ page)
Guiding tips for writing an effective response:
A response is your critical reaction to the text. You may have positive or negative reactions to a
text, but you must support those reactions with reasons and examples. A well-developed
response, for example, describes why you liked (or disliked) the text or why you agree (or
disagree) with the author’s points presented in the text. A thoughtful response should:
A) State your reaction to one or more of the author’s ideas.
B) Express your opinion on the writer’s point of view and explain why you agree or disagree
with that point of view.
C) Include your interpretation of the text (i.e. what it means to you)
D) Make connections to your personal experience.
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Submission Guidelines & Deadlines
o All papers should be typed and double-spaced.
o All papers must use Times New Roman 12-point font with 1 inch margins.
o Use either MLA or APA style for this paper.
o Your final grade will be lowered by 1/2 point each day the assignment is late.
Summary-Response Drafts Due Dates
Draft A Week 5, Day 2
Draft B Week 7, Day 1
Draft C (Final Version) Week 16
Grading Criteria
This assignment will be submitted in your final portfolio.
An “A” paper will meet the following criteria:
o Fully addresses all requirements of the writing assignment (i.e., length requirements, 12
point font, 1 inch margin)
o Each section is clearly written and well-organized
o Each section contains essential information—and nothing extra.
o Follow either MLA or APA specifications.
o Spell-checked and carefully proofread and edited
A “B” or below paper will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Project 1 Argumentative Essay
In this assignment, you will write a 3-5 page essay in which you argue for a position/stance on a
specific issue presented in Steve Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation.
Once you take a position/stance, you will need to support it. To support your position/stance, you
must use and integrate relevant evidence and examples from (1) Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the
Ramsey Murder Investigation; (2) related articles assigned in class for this unit; and (3) any
relevant personal examples or observations. No outside sources will be necessary other than the
ones assigned for this unit!
Audience
You will have the option of publishing the final version of this assignment in the end-of-the year
booklet for future freshmen students who are planning to enroll in this course. If you willingly
chose to do so, your research paper will be published for a specific group of members within the
university discourse community (i.e. CSUS’ students).
Topic & Essay Prompt
Steve Thomas, a former Boulder detective, takes us on a step-by-step investigator’s journey and
reveals facts and information about the six-year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey known only
to detectives and cops closest to the case. In JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation
(2000), Thomas describes the mistakes made during the crucial early hours, and then details
where the subsequent investigation led and where it went wrong. In the end, Thomas believes that
there existed reasonable evidence to arrest Patsy Ramsey in connection with the death of her
daughter, but because of a careless investigation from the beginning, the Ramseys successfully
hid behind a group of attorneys, where Mrs. Ramsey was never arrested and charged of the
murder.
Essay Question Prompt:
Do you agree with Thomas’ position that there exists reasonable evidence to arrest Pat Ramsey of
the murder connected to her daughter’s death?
In a well-organized, well-developed essay, explain Thomas’ position on the JonBenet Ramsey
case and explain whether or not you agree with him. In your essay you must discuss at least two
of his specific arguments as well as other arguments (from assigned readings for this unit) to
support your position.
Tasks
Step 1: Read-to-Write
Read Steve Thomas’ JonBenet Ramsey: Inside the Murder Investigation
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Annotate Articles:
Read “Part One: Little Miss Christmas”
Read “Part Two: A Gathering Storm”
Read “Part Three: Rocky Road to Nowhere”
Read “Part Four: Not so Grand Jury”
Read “Part Five: Laying Down the Case”
Read and annotate C.F. Johnson’s (2000) “Death from Child Abuse and Neglect”
Read and annotate Boudreaux et al.’s (2012) “Child Abduction: An Overview of
Current and Historical Perspectives.”
Step 2: Write-to-Read (Writing an Argumentative Essay)
After you have read the book and annotated the articles above, read the question prompt again
and write an essay in which you agree (or disagree) with Thomas’ arguments and analyses.
Explain Thomas’s position in your own words and discuss the extent to which you agree or
disagree with his arguments and analyses. In addition to Thomas’s arguments, also support your
position by providing reasons, evidence, and examples from (1) the articles assigned for this unit
and (2) any of your own personal experiences and/or observations.
When writing your argumentative essay, you must include the following major components:
I. Introduction
Attention grabber or hook
Introduce topic and provide background
Clear thesis
II. Body of Essay (3-5 paragraphs)
Body Paragraph # 1 Body Paragraph # 2, # 3, etc.
(A). Topic sentence (Major point) “ ”
(B). Evidence/support “ ”
(C). Analysis/commentary “ ”
(D). Concluding sentence “ ”
Note: Evidence and support must come from (1) Thomas’ JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder
Investigation ; (2) related articles assigned for this unit; and (3) relevant personal examples and/or
observations. Other outside sources will not be necessary, and should not be included in this
essay!
III. Conclusion
Restate your argument
Call for action
Concluding sentence
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Guidelines & Deadlines
o Length 3- 5 pages
o All papers must be typed and double-spaced.
o All papers must use Time New Roman12-point font with 1 inch margins.
o Use MLA style for this paper.
o Your course grade will be lowered by 1-point each day the assignment is late.
First semester Assignment Drafts
Week 9, Day 2 Argumentative Essay Draft A
Week 11
(Student/Teacher
Conference)
Argumentative Essay Draft B
Week 16 Argumentative Essay Draft C
Second semester Assignment Drafts
Week 2, Day 1 Argumentative Essay Draft D
Week 7
(Student/Teacher
Conference)
Argumentative Essay Draft E
Week 16 Final Draft for Portfolio Submission
Grading Criteria
This assignment will be included in your portfolio.
Content, Organization, Language Use & Mechanics
Excellent paper
o Carefully follows all instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. use of required
sources/texts, essay formatting, number of pages etc.)
o Each section is clearly organized and carefully written.
o Effective thesis statement and clear topic sentences
o Evidence has been carefully selected and integrated, supporting the thesis statement
throughout the paper.
o Effective use of analysis
o The paper is carefully spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA is used correctly
throughout the paper.
Strong paper
o Consistently follows instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. use of required
sources/texts, essay formatting, number of pages etc.)
o Contains a few minor flaws in organization and style.
o Clear thesis statement and topic sentences
o Selection and integration of evidence contain only a few minor weaknesses.
o Analysis is consistently effective, with perhaps a few minor weaknesses.
o A few minor flaws in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. MLA is consistently used
correctly, with perhaps a few minor flaws.
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Adequate paper
o Adequately follows instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. use of required
sources/texts, essay formatting, number of pages etc.)
o Contains more than a few minor flaws in organization and style, but is satisfactory.
o Thesis statement and topic sentences is clear, with perhaps a few weaknesses.
o Selection and integration of evidence contains more than a few minor weaknesses.
o Analysis contains more than a few minor weaknesses, but is adequate.
o The paper is adequately spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA is adequately used
correctly throughout the paper
An “inadequate” paper will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Project 2 Public Policy Research Paper
As part of your service learning experience, you will use the information gathered from your
selected organization to research a social public policy issue within the community, write a 4-6
page paper in which you first address the social issue from a historical perspective, and then
provide concrete solutions as possible ways to reduce or eliminate the social problem. Your
solutions and evidence must come from (1) the ethnographic research/data gathered from your
pre-approved agency or organization and (2) research evidence gathered from a variety of
academic texts-- articles, journals, and books, etc.
Topic
Your chosen topic for this research paper must deal with current social issues that affect the
community in which your pre-approved agency or organization serves. It must deal with an issue
in one of the areas of health care, human services, criminal justice, inequality, education, and
labor. For example, if you plan to complete your service learning experience for an organization
such as St. Johns Shelter Program for Women and Children, which dedicates a lot of their
resources to supporting and assisting homeless women and children in the Sacramento region,
then you might want to pick a topic regarding homelessness, especially for homeless women and
children living in Sacramento, and from there develop a potential research question based on that
chosen topic.
Audience
Your social public policy research paper will be submitted in your portfolio for a final grade. In
addition, you will have the option of publishing the final version of this assignment in the end-ofthe
year booklet for future freshmen students to read who are planning to enroll in this course. If
you willingly choose to do so, your research paper will be published for a specific group of
members within the university discourse community (i.e. CSUS’ students).
Task
Step 1: Identifying a research topic
Your research topic must be approved by me before you start writing the first draft of
your social public policy research paper. Upon approval of your topic, you must complete
the first assignment in which you will turn in your proposed research topic along with a
works cited page (4-6 sources) as part of your preliminary bibliography investigation.
Bring this part of the assignment with you during our student/teacher conference in week
11.
Step 2: Writing your Public Policy Research Paper
I. Social Policy History & Development (Length 2-3 pages)
You must describe and discuss the historical aspect of your chosen social issue, specifically in
regards to its political, social, and cultural climate.
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Guiding questions to help you write this section:
What is the policy history of your problem/issue?
What agents, institutions, and organizations have played a big role in the past and present
in regards to your problem/issue?
Has Congress passed laws? Did the Supreme Court rule on this issue? What has
been the impact of the government on the process?
What has been the impact of organizations/foundations (especially your selected
organization) and institutions on the process thus far?
Where do we stand currently on this issue?
II. Policy Solutions & Alternative Solutions (Length 2-3pages)
This section requires you to critically analyze not only the current policy that is in place, but also
propose some alternative policy solutions (using both the ethnographic research/data gathered
from your selected agency or organization as well as relevant research evidence from a variety of
academic texts—articles, journals, books, etc.) as possible ways to either reduce or eliminate the
issue or problem.
Guiding questions to help you write this section:
Is there an already existing policy in place? If so, what is it?
What is your agency or organization doing to solve or reduce this issue?
Are there any alternative solutions beside the current policy in place? What are they?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative solution?
Who are the agents in support of each solution? Who are against it?
What approaches/methods are being used to enact the solution (e.g. lobbying Congress or
state legislature, bringing lawsuits, creating grass-root networks, promoting media
campaigns, making campaign contributions, etc.)?
How might it be implemented and who will be in charge?
Is this solution politically feasible? Does this solution have a chance of being enacted
given the political, social, and economic climate?
Guidelines & Deadlines
o Length 4-6 pages.
o All paper must be typed and double-spaced.
o All paper must be Time New Roman 12-point font with 1 inch margins.
o Use MLA style for this paper.
o A minimum of 4 sources.
o Late paper will be penalized 1 point deduction towards the final grade every day that it is
late.
First semester Assignment Drafts
Week 11 (Teacher-
Student Conference)
Research topic, preliminary bibliography, and log-in sheet
Week 14, Day 1 Social public policy research paper Draft A
Week 16 Social public policy research paper Draft B
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2 nd semester Assignment Drafts
Week 2, Day 2 Social public policy research paper Draft C
Week 7
Social public policy research paper Draft D
(Student/Teacher
Conference)
Week 16 Final Draft for Portfolio Submission
Grading Criteria
This assignment will be included in your portfolio.
Content, Organization, Language Use & Mechanics
Excellent paper
o Carefully follows all instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. number of required
sources, number of pages, major sections included, etc.)
o Each section is clearly organized and carefully written.
o Evidence has been carefully selected and integrated
o The paper is carefully spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA
is used correctly throughout the paper.
Strong paper
o Consistently follows instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. number of required
sources, number of pages, major sections included, etc.)
o Contains a few minor flaws in organization and style.
o Selection and integration of evidence contain a few minor flaws.
o The paper is consistently spell-checked, proofread, and edited, with perhaps a few minor
flaws. MLA is consistently used correctly throughout the paper.
Adequate paper
o Adequately follow instructions for this writing assignment (i.e., number of required
sources, number of pages, major sections included, etc.)
o Contains more than a few minor flaws in organization and style, but is satisfactory.
o Adequate selection and integration of evidence, with perhaps more than a few minor
flaws.
o The paper is adequately spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA is adequately used
throughout the paper.
An “inadequate” paper will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Project 3 Grant Proposal
In this assignment, you will write a 5-10 page Grant Proposal in which you persuade your
intended audience (i.e. selected organization and grant funding agency) of your proposal idea as
part of your service learning experience. You will collaborate closely with some of the staff
members within your selected organization to come up with a proposal idea or project plan. The
purpose of writing a grant funding proposal is to convince your targeted audience that your
selected organization has a solid plan that meets an important need (or problem) within your
particular community. In addition, your proposal idea will seek to make a positive impact on the
population it will serve. Upon completion of this assignment, you will have the option of sending
a copy of this assignment to your selected organization in hopes that they will find the right
funder to support your proposal idea.
Audience
Your intended audience for this assignment will vary depending on the different types of funders
available during your grant writing process. Funders typically will consist of wealthy individuals,
corporations, foundations, or governmental agencies. Refer to “Resource A-F” of Carlson’s
“Winning Grants: Step by Step,” pp. 105-122 for more information on funding agencies,
foundations, corporations, etc.
Task
Step 1: Developing and Researching Proposal Idea
(A) To develop a sound proposal idea you need to continue conducting ethnographic research
(i.e., close observation, field notes, interviews, etc.) about your selected organization and
its surrounding community during the volunteering phase of your service learning
experience.
(B) Collaborate closely with staff members in your selected organization to see what proposal
projects and grants are worth pursuing before you decide on a proposal idea. Most likely
they will already have a proposal idea or project plan already established for you to write
about.
(C) Once you and your selected organization have decided on a proposal idea or project,
conduct a thorough research investigation by gathering relevant research materials (i.e.,
scholarly articles, research studies, interview experts in the field, etc.) to see if your
proposal idea is something that is entirely new or has already been previously
implemented/established in the program or somewhere else.
Guiding questions for developing your proposal idea:
What is your community’s problem or need?
What can your organization do to address this problem or need?
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What would an improved community’s program look like?
How will you know if your organization’s program or service will succeed based on your
proposal idea?
How much funding resources will it take to make your proposal idea successful?
Step 2: Writing a Grant Proposal
After you have developed a basic foundation of what your proposal idea will look like, follow the
grant proposal’s structure and format below when writing your grant proposal.
Your grant proposal should include the following major components:
Section I. Need Statement (1-2 pages)
A need statement sets the framework for the entire proposal, as it describes sets of conditions, or
a social need affecting certain people or things in a specific place at a specific time.
Here are some helpful questions to consider when writing your need statement:
Is your need statement focused on your organization’s population (and not on your
organization)?
Does your need statement directly connect to your organization’s mission statement?
Is your need statement supported by solid quantitative and qualitative data on the nature,
size, and scope of the need (or problem) to be addressed?
Is your need statement persuasive enough to convince any funding agency?
Section II. Goals & Objectives (Length ½ to 1 page)
This section shows what your organization is trying to accomplish through its program by
establishing “measurable” objectives that will indicate your organizations’ progress toward its
goals.
Here are some helpful questions to consider when writing your program’s goals & objectives:
Are your program’s goals stated as end results?
Are your organization’s objectives stated as specific outcomes that directly relate back to
each of your program’s goals?
Can your organization’s objectives be quantified, assessed, and evaluated?
Section III. Method Section (Length 1-2 pages)
The method component of the proposal outlines the specific activities or methods of your
proposal idea in a systematic fashion.
Here are some helpful questions to consider when writing your method section:
Do the methods discussed in the proposal derive logically from the program’s need
statement and the goals and objectives?
What specific activities or methods are needed in order to meet the program’s goals and
objectives?
Why did you select these specific methods or activities
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Have you explained the timing and order of these specific activities?
Who will perform these specific activities?
Are the proposed activities feasible given the organization’s available resources?
Section IV. Evaluation (1-2 pages)
This section determines the effectiveness of your proposed program. You should describe how
the program will evaluate its overall success and how it will go about documenting and recording
these activities or methods.
Here are some helpful questions to consider when writing your evaluation section:
Does the evaluation section focus on assessing the program’s methods, activities, and
results?
Who will be evaluated and what will be measured?
What information will be collected in the evaluation process?
Who will be responsible for making the assessments?
How will the information and results be used to improve the program’s future status?
Section V. Budget (Length 1-2 pages)
This section describes the program’s overall financial plan, which directly translates the methods
section of the proposal into dollars (i.e., words into numbers). The program budget is your best
“guesstimate”—a projection—of the income and expenses you anticipate for your proposal idea.
Helpful questions to consider when writing your budget section:
Is the budget consistent with your proposal’s program plan?
Does the budget include all revenues and expenses (i.e. administrative cost, staffing,
supplies and resources, etc.)?
Is the budget realistic? In other words, can your organization accomplish the intended
objectives with your proposed budget?
Section VI. Summary/Abstract (Length 1/2-1 page)
This section summarizes what your proposal is basically all about in a reduced version. The
summary is a clear, one- to two-page abstract of the proposal, and is positioned at the very
beginning of the grant proposal. You will write your summary/abstract only after all sections (I-
V) have been completed.
Helpful questions to consider when writing your summary/abstract section:
Does it clearly identify the applicants(s) involved?
Does it describe or address the specific need of the organization, as well as the specific
objectives to be achieved?
Does it mention the program’s total cost and the amount of funding you are requesting?
Is it brief (no more than one page)?
Note: Questions adapted from Carlson’s Winning Grants: Step by Step
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Guidelines & Due Dates
o Length between 5 to pages 10
o All papers must be typed and double-spaced.
o All papers must be in Time New Roman 12-point font with 1 inch margins.
o Use APA style for this paper.
o Your grade will be lowered by 1 point towards the final grade each day the assignment is
late.
Due Dates Assignment Drafts
Week 10, Day 1 Grant Proposal Draft A
Week 13, Day 2 Grant Proposal Draft B
Week 16 Grant Proposal Draft C (Final Version)
Grading Criteria
This assignment will be included in your portfolio.
Content, Organization, Language Use & Mechanics
Excellent paper
o Fully takes into account principles learned in this community service unit.
o Each section of the grant proposal is clearly organized and carefully written.
o The paper is carefully spell-checked, proofread, and edited. APA is used correctly
throughout the paper.
Strong paper
o Consistently takes into account principles learned in this community service unit.
o A few flaws in organization and style.
o A few minor flaws in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. APA is consistently used
correctly, with perhaps a few minor flaws.
Adequate paper
o Takes into account some principles learned in this community service unit.
o Contains more than a few flaws in organization and style, but is adequate.
o The paper is adequately spell-checked, proofread, and edited. APA is adequately used
correctly throughout the paper.
An “inadequate” paper will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Project 4 Newsletter
For this assignment, you will write a 2-3 page newsletter about your selected organization and the
population it serves as part of your service learning project. There are two primary purposes for
writing this assignment. The first purpose of writing this newsletter is to practice summary
writing. The second purpose of writing this newsletter is to give you the opportunity to (1) work
with computers and (2) develop essential skills in using Microsoft Word.
Audience
Your newsletter will be submitted in your portfolio and read by me at the end of the second
semester for a final grade. In addition, you will have the option of publishing your newsletter for
your selected organization to read, as well as its targeted population within the community. As a
result, if you willingly choose to do so, your newsletter will be published for a discourse
community that is more general in nature (i.e. your selected organization and the community it
serves).
Task
Step 1: Conducting a Mini-Ethnographic Study of Program’s Site
During the 20 hours of volunteer service (as part of your service learning experience),
you must continue to conduct careful observation of your program’s site.
Play careful attention and record notes in your notebook about the daily
activities and events that are happening there, as well as future events and
activities.
Interview staff members and a few of the clients they serve about their attitudes
or perceptions regarding the program.
Read the program’s mission statement and other related information to find out
more about the program’s history, philosophy, and goals.
Step 2: Writing the Newsletter
Upon completion of the 20 hours of volunteer work, you will design the newsletter
assignment with the following essential components:
Section 1
Section 2
Summary of program’s history, philosophy, and goals
Inform readers about the nature of the program—its history,
philosophy, and goals.
Daily activities/events
Inform readers about the program’s daily activities/events using
specific details and examples.
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Section 3
Guidelines & Deadlines
Future events/activities
Inform readers about upcoming events/activities as a mean to
promote more participation and interaction among the community.
o Length 2–3 pages
o Use MLA style for this assignment
o Use a two-column format
o Minimum of one visual aid (i.e. picture, table, figure, etc.)
o Must have title, headings, and subheadings
o Must use some bullets or numbering
o Your final grade will be lowered by 1 point each day the assignment is late.
Due Dates Assignment Drafts
Week 11, Day 1 Newsletter Draft A
Week 13, Day 2 Newsletter Draft B
Week 16 Final Draft
Grading Criteria
This assignment will be included in your portfolio.
Content, Organization, & Language Use
Excellent paper
o Carefully follows all instructions and requirements for this writing assignment (i.e.
number of required sections, number of pages, number of visual aids, two-side columns,
etc.)
o Each section is clearly organized and carefully written.
o The paper is carefully spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA is used correctly
throughout the paper.
Strong paper
o Consistently follows instructions and requirements for this writing assignment (i.e.
number of required sections, number of pages, number of visual aids, two-side columns,
etc.)
o Contains a few flaws in organization and style.
o The paper is consistently spell-checked, proofread, and edited, with perhaps a few minor
flaws. MLA is also consistently used correctly.
Adequate paper
o Adequately follows instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. number of required
sections, number of pages, number of visual aids, two-side columns etc.)
o Contains more than a few minor flaws in organization and style, but is satisfactory.
o The paper is adequately spell-checked, proofread, and edited. MLA is adequately used
correctly throughout the paper.
An “inadequate” paper will fail to meet these criteria in one or more areas.
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Assignment
Project 5 Resume & Cover Letter
For this assignment, you will create a resume and cover letter based on an actual job position
from a company or organization of your interest. Not only will you choose where you want to
apply, but you will also conduct research about your targeted company or organization as
preparation for writing this assignment. Upon researching and evaluating the job position of your
interest, you will then analyze your own assets and qualifications by writing an effective resume
and cover letter in response to the selected job position.
Audience
Your resume & cover letter will be submitted to me at the end of the 2 nd semester for a final grade
(and not part of the portfolio evaluation). In addition, you will have the option of sending out the
final version of your resume and cover letter to any employer or organization of your interest. If
you choose to do so, your resume and cover letter will be viewed by a specific discourse
community within the business and professional world.
Tasks
Step 1: Researching the company or organization of your interest
o Look through the classified job section in the local newspaper (i.e. Sac Bee) and job
listings posted on various career websites (i.e. career-builder.com, monster.com,
craiglists.com, etc.), or through the websites of actual companies and organizations
themselves to find a real job position that you would like to apply for.
o Once you find the job position you would like to apply for, you must conduct in-depth
research about the job position (i.e., job’s qualifications/requirements, essential duties,
skills needed, salary, benefits, etc.), as well as the company or organization’s core values,
beliefs, and expectations (i.e. mission statement, goals, philosophy, and history, etc.) as
preparation for writing your resume and cover letter.
o Next, you will analyze your own qualifications, assets, and work experience and write an
effective resume and cover letter in response to the actual job listing.
Step 2: Resume Writing
I. RESUME (Length 1-2 page)
A resume is an effective marketing tool that outlines your education, skills, and experience to
your potential employer. Everything in the resume needs to be exact—from how the information
is presented and organized to how clearly it’s written. The purpose of writing a resume is to help
you get selected for the interview process, and eventually, hired for the job position you are
applying for.
Make sure you include the following major components in this specific order when writing your
resume:
(A) Your name
(B) Address
(C) Contact information (i.e., e-mail, cell phones, etc.)
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(D) Career Objective
(E) Education
(F) Work experience
Optional:
(G) Qualifications/skills
(H) License and/or certifications
(I) Achievements
(J) Volunteer work
Step 3: Cover Letter Writing
II. COVER LETTER (Length 1 page)
The cover letter is another important marketing tool to go along with your resume. Nearly all
companies/organization today require you to send your resume along with a cover letter attached.
Each cover letter must be individualized to fit the job
position you are applying for. The language use in the cover letter should be polite, clear, and to
the point.
Make sure the following components are organized in the following manner when writing your
cover letter:
(A) Your address, telephone number, e-mail address, and the date (in this specific order).
(B) Name, title, and address of the person to whom the cover letter and resume should be
sent.
(C) Skip a line, write “Dear Ms./Mr./Mrs., etc, and then skip another line.
(D) The body of your cover letter must consist of at least two paragraphs.
You should tell your reader who you are, what position you are applying for, and
why you think your assets and qualifications make you the perfect candidate for
the job position. Mention only a few of your achievements/accomplishments and
skills, since all this essential information is detailed in your resume.
(E) The concluding paragraph should be brief, in which you request an interview and provide
your contact information. Close by thanking your reader for his or her time and
consideration.
Guidelines & Deadlines
o Times New Roman 12 point font and 1 inch margins.
o Must use bold, italic type, upper-case lettering, and bullet list for emphasis on resume
writing.
o Must use full-block style and blank line between each paragraph for cover letter (all
paragraphs and lines being flush left (no indentation)
Due Dates Assignment Drafts
Week 13, Day 2 Resume & Cover Letter Draft A
Week 15, Day 1 Resume & Cover Letter Draft B
Week 16 Final Draft sent out to company/organization
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Grading Criteria
This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade and will not be included in your final portfolio.
Content & Organization
A (9-10 points)
o Carefully follows all instructions and requirements for this writing assignment (i.e. use of
bullet lists, boldface, italic, and uppercase letters for resume, use of full-block style for
cover letter, number of pages, etc.)
o Each section is clearly organized and carefully written.
B (8 points)
o Consistently follows instructions and requirements for this writing assignment (i.e. use of
bullet lists, boldface, italic, and uppercase letters for resume, use of full-block style for
cover letter, number of pages, etc.)
o Contains a few flaws in organization and style.
C (7 points)
o Adequately follow instructions for this writing assignment (i.e. use of bullet lists,
boldface, italic, and uppercase letters for resume, use of full-block style for cover letter,
number of pages, etc.)
o Contains more than a few flaws in organization and style, but is satisfactory.
Mechanics
-0 point The paper is carefully spell-checked, proofread, and edited.
-1 point A few minor flaws in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
-2 points More than a few flaws in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
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Assignment
Portfolio Requirements & Evaluation
A major part of this course is the submission of a portfolio of your writing at the end of the 2 nd
semester. A writing portfolio is basically a collection of a writer’s work from a given period of
time. Throughout the course you will draft, revise, and edit essays and research papers so that you
can include them in your portfolio. At the end of the second semester, I will collect your portfolio
and grade your collection of writings holistically for a final course grade (see portfolio evaluation
below).
Guidelines/Requirements
You portfolio must be organized using a 3-ring binder with individual tab labeled for each of the
sections below:
Contents of portfolio
□ Cover Sheet Include your name, instructor’s name, class/section, & date.
□ Table of Contents Include page numbers for each of the following sections provided
Below.
□ Background Info. Consist of an introduction letter about yourself as a reader/writer and
your reading/writing goals & objectives at Sac State. The introduction
letter will not be evaluated for a final course grade, but is nonetheless
a necessary component of the portfolio submission (without this
writing piece your portfolio will not be accepted and graded).
□ Polished Works Pick THREE of your best works to include in this section (final
versions and all drafts and feedback must be included as well). I want
to see your overall improvement from the first draft to the final draft.
In addition, you must write a short report in which you tell me what
significant changes you have made in each of the writing assignments.
Attach this report in front of each of the polished work assignment.
□ Additional Works Include Summary-Response paper (final version) and ONE of your best
example of your highlighting and annotating skills on any of the class
readings.
Note: An incomplete portfolio with any missing section will not be accepted and graded.
Due Dates/Deadlines
Due Dates Portfolio Assessment
Week 16 (2 nd
semester)
Portfolio submission (All sections and works included; any portfolio
with missing section(s) and/or work(s) will not be accepted and graded.)
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Portfolio Evaluation
Your portfolio is worth 50% of your final grade. I will use the following scoring criteria below to
assess your collection of works holistically for a final course grade.
HIGH PASS
Portfolio provides evidence of exceptional ability in the areas below (see pass).
PASS
Portfolio provides evidence of adequate ability to:
FAILING
o Apply a variety of effective reading and writing strategies through highlighting,
annotation, and summary-response writing.
o Write a variety of texts for multiple purposes, audiences and genres.
o Organize essays to support the writer’s points of view in ways that are
appropriate to his/her topic, audience, and purpose.
o Evaluate and cite sources appropriately.
o Develop various and flexible strategies for generating and revising texts in
response to constructive criticism/feedback.
o Develop syntactic maturity and sentence clarity by editing and proof reading for
appropriate grammar and mechanics.
Portfolio fails to provide evidence of adequate ability in the areas mentioned above.
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APPENDIX C
COURSE LESSON PLANS & MATERIALS
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Materials:
Course Introduction (Lesson 1)
Course Syllabus
Service-Learning Requirement & Timeline
Homework assignment (handout 1): “Bringing Your World into the Classroom”
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
5 min Attendance T takes attendance Whole Class
25min Teacher & Students’
Introduction:
40min Course Introduction:
5min Wrap-Up:
Task 1: Teacher introduces
himself to the entire class
Task 2: T does an Ice Breaker
Activity: “Twenty Questions”
In this game, T selects
a personal hobby that
is not known by the
Ss.
Task 1: T goes over course
syllabus (i.e. course
description, goals,
requirements, and policies)
Task 2: T goes over Service
Learning (SL) requirements
sheet
T hands out homework
assignment (Handout 1)
“Bringing Your World into the
Classroom” and reads it to the
Ss.
Task 1: Ss pay
attention and listen
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Task 2: During the
game, Ss try to guess
the hobby by asking a
total of 20 questions
which can only be
answered by either a
“yes” or “no” until the
hobby is revealed.
Task 3: After the
game, Ss briefly
introduce themselves
(grade level, major,
and hobbies)
Task 1: Ss can ask any
questions about the
course requirements.
Task 2: Ss read Service
Learning (SL)
requirement handout
Ss follow along and
ask any questions
about homework
assignment.

Bringing Your World into the Classroom (Handout 1)
“Our children need to know that their lives count. That their cultures count. That their literacies
count. We must place value on who they are and where they are from, and we must navigate the
course, together, to where they are going” --- Linda S. Bausch
Literacy Histories
Task 1: Read Linda S. Bausch’s (2003) “Just Words: Living and Learning the Literacies of Our
Students’ Lives.”
Task 2: After reading Bausch’s article, complete the following activities below to research more
about your literacy practices at home and/or within the community:
Going on an Archaeological Dig:
Task 3: Reflection
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Collect information/data about various literacy practices that you encounter
in your home and/ or within your community.
Home: Choose areas in your home from which to collect data—on
your refrigerator, kitchen counter, living room, bedrooms, etc. Also
examine household items as well as personal items (i.e. decorations,
purse, wallets, album pictures, etc.).
Community: Choose areas in your community from which to collect
data—local grocery stores, friend’s houses, restaurants, etc. Examine
flyers, advertisements, menus, and other items within your
community.
Once you have gathered some information about your literacy practices at home and/or within the
community, take out a separate piece of paper and answer the following questions below:
What type of literacy activities do you participate in on a regular basis at
home and/or within your community? (Explain in 2-3 sentences)
What type of language and/or thinking is most valued within these specific
literacy activities (i.e. formal versus informal, written versus spoken, what
knowledge is most valued, etc.)? (Explain in 2-3 sentences)
Are any types of reading and writing involved? If so, what kinds?
How are these literacy activities similar or different to academic literacies
encountered in school? (Explain in 3-5 sentences)
____________________________________________________________________________
Task 4: Bring in one artifact and share it with the whole class for next class session.

SWBATS:
Multiliteracies (Lesson 2)
Identify and reflect on their literacy histories, especially in relation to their home cultures
and academic discourses.
Begin to develop appreciation for multiliteracy and cultural pluralism within the
university setting and beyond.
Materials:
Bausch’s (2003) “Just Words: Living and Learning the Literacies of Our Students’ Lives”
Homework Assignment: “Bringing Your World into the Classroom”
Student’s artifacts
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2 min Attendance T takes attendance Whole Class
15-20min Review
50min Activity #1: Artifact
Sharing
3min Wrap-Up:
SacCT Posting # 1 (see
question prompt below)
Task 1: T tells Ss to get
into groups of 2 and
discuss what they found
interesting about Bausch’s
article.
Task 2: As a whole class
T tells Ss to share their
ideas/inputs about what
they found interesting.
Task 3: After the class
discussion, T tells Ss to
stay in groups and share
what they wrote down for
their reflection on the
homework assignment.
T picks on Ss
alphabetically to share
their artifact to the class
until everyone has
participated.
T tells Ss to go home and
log on to SacCT and
complete Posting # 1 by
next class session.
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Task 1 & 2: Ss bring in
Bausch’s article and
discuss with a partner
(for 5 min) and then
share their ideas/inputs
with the whole class
Task 3: Ss share their
reflections w/ a partner.
Ss will have 2-3 min
each to present their
artifacts to the whole
class.
Whole Class

SacCT Journal Entry 1
Look at the Service-Learning Community Partners list on your Service Requirement & Timeline
sheet. From the list, pick 3-5 potential organizations that are of interest to you and research more
about each organization. You can either visit the organization online or visit the Engagement
Community Center (Library, 2406) to find out more information about these organizations.
Question:
A. What did you learn about each organization? How are they different? Similar?
B. Which of these organizations interest you the most? And Why?
Note: Be sure to comment on at least two other class members’ responses.
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SWBATS:
Ethnography Research (Lesson 3)
Identify and practice using some effective ethnographic research methods (i.e. observing
and taking field notes, analyzing data, etc.) for writing and research purposes.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and analyze research data.
Materials:
Project # 1: Academic & Career/Professional Ethnographic Investigation
Ethnographic Research Slides (1-6)
Handout 1: Writing Field Notes
Handout 2: Analyzing Field Notes
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
5-7min Attendance/
Announcements
Task 1: T takes attendance
Task 2: T hands out Task 1: Ss read
“Academic &
assignment sheet and
Career/Professional” Project
Assignment
ask questions if needed
10-13min Presentation:
Introduction to
Ethnography Research
50min Practice Activity # 1:
Writing Field Notes
(Handout 1)
5min Wrap-Up: Homework
Task 3: T answers any
question about assignment
T presents Ethnography
Research Slides (1-6)
T gives Ss handout 1 and
takes Ss outside of class to
observe the Union Center on
campus.
Task 1: T passes out
“Analyzing Field Notes”
sheet (see Handout 2). T
tells Ss to complete
assignment for homework
and bring it back to next
class session for a whole
class discussion.
Task 2: T also tells Ss to
Read A.B. Kajornboon’s
(2005) “Using Interviews as
Research Instruments”
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Ss use the slides
handout to take notes
Ss take notes using the
chart in handout 1 and
write down what they
observe at the site.
Task 1: Ss analyze data
and complete questions
on Handout 2 for
homework.

Introduction to Ethnographic
Research
Overview
*What is Ethnography? (Slides 3 & 4)
Data Collection Methods
How to Write Field Notes (Slides 5 & 6)
Conducting Interviews (discussed in detail
next class session)
What is Ethnography?
• Involves participating in people’s daily lives
• Observing what happens
• Listening to what is said
• Taking field notes & collecting data
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How to write Field Notes
• Write what you observe as soon as possible
after leaving the fieldsite.
• Should plan to leave a block of time for
writing (may be very time-consuming)
• Organize your field notes into categories or
sections.
What to include?
1. Date, time, and place of observation
2. Specific facts, numbers, details
3. Sensory impressions: sights, sounds, textures,
smells, taste
4. Personal responses
5. Specific words/phrases of conversations
6. Questions about people or behaviors for future
investigation
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Writing Field Notes (Handout 1)
You will observe a specific place on the campus. As you observed, be sure to write down as much
information (or data) on the setting and its subjects (people). Use the four columns below to help
you organize your observation as you complete your field notes.
Date, Time, & Place
of Observation
Description
(Specific facts &
details of what
happens at the site)
Personal
Reponses/Reactions
(Observer’s
Comments)
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Future Questions
(about people or
behaviors at the site
for future
investigation)

Analyzing Field Notes (Handout 2)
Use your field notes chart to answer the following questions below:
1. What kinds of activities and events are distinct to this site?
2. What kind of people (and age groups) did you observe the most at this site?
3. How did they behave? What type of language did they use?
4. How did they dress? Was it similar or different to each other?
5. What themes or patterns can you begin to identify based on your data collection (i.e. what
you observed at the specified site)?
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SWBATS:
Conducting Interviews (Lesson 4)
Identify, understand, and use the interviewing process as a research method.
Conduct and practice using some effective interviewing techniques for data
collection purposes.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to analyze interviews for their overall
effectiveness.
Materials:
PowerPoint Presentation Sign-Up Sheet
Handout 1 (Helpful Guide): Conducting Interviews
Video Clip (5:25min): 20/20 Interview of JonBenet Ramsey’s Parents
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nltc6UeKigw)
Handout 2: Analyzing T.V. Interview
Handout 3: Evaluating Interview Questions
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
5- Attendance/ Task 1: T takes attendance
7min Announcements
Task 1: Ss briefly
Task 2: T selects groups for the introduce themselves to
“Academic Ethnographic
Investigation” Project
their group members.
Task 2: Each group then
Task 3: T passes out sign-up sheet for discusses and picks a
the PowerPoint presentation in weeks day to sign up for the
14 & 15.
PowerPoint presentation
in weeks 14 & 15.
5min Review As a whole class T reviews
Ss share what they wrote
homework assignment (Analyzing
Field Notes) w/ Ss.
down.
20min Presentation: How
to Conduct an
Interview
Note: Handout
adapted from
Davies &
Beaumont, 2007
Task 1: T hands outs “Conducting an
Interview” helpful sheet (Handout 1)
and asks Ss a question:
“What do you think are the steps
needed to conduct an effective
interview?”
Task 2: T summarizes the handout
and shows that there are 5 critical
steps to conducting an effective
interview.
Task 1: Ss share their
ideas/inputs.
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Task 2: Ss follow along
on the handout

20min Activity # 1:
Analyzing a T.V.
Interview
20min Activity # 2:
Evaluating
Interview Question
2min Wrap-Up:
Homework
Task 1: T passes out “Analyzing a
T.V. Interview” (Handout 2) and
plays a video clip (20/20 Interview of
JonBenet Ramsey’s Parents.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
necessary
Task 3: As a whole class T asks Ss to
share what they wrote down.
Task 1: T passes out “Evaluating
Interview Question” (Handout 3) as
preparation for Academic Discourse
Project.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
necessary.
T tells Ss to read SWH (pp. 67-75)
and Smith’s “Part One: Little Miss
Christmas” for next class session.
Task 1: Ss watch video
and analyze it by
completing the
questions on Handout
2.
110
Task 2: Ss share what
they wrote down to the
whole class.
Task 1: Ss get into
groups and create a
question they might ask
for their academic
discourse project using
Handout 3.
Task 2: Ss then
evaluate their own
question using the
checklist attached in
Handout 3.
Whole Class

1. Designing Questions
Conducting Interviews (Handout 1)
Closed questions
Are easy to answer and lead to “yes” or “no” response, or lead to some other brief reply.
Begin with whom, where, when, which, does or did.
Can be a disaster for qualitative data collection because they limit the data being
collected. Use open-ended follow-ups to avoid this problem!
Open-ended questions
Cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” response.
Encourage the interviewee to provide more information, leading to rich and useful data.
Begin with such words as what, how or tell me.
Problems to avoid when designing questions
1. Ambiguous questions: Questions where there is more than one meaning will lead to confusion
and/or misleading data. Example: “Describe the best way to get to the airport?” (Does “best
way” mean quickest or cheapest?)
2. Double-barreled questions: These ask for more than one response. Example: “Do you think
that this company is operating efficiently or does it just need more employee commitment?”
3. Leading questions: These lead the answer in the way they are asked: “Many senior employees
think that X. I suppose this is your view as well. Is it?”
4. Negative questions: Questions that use the word “not” and can be hard to answer. Example:
“Why is it not easy to do a master’s degree?” Compare: “What are the factors that cause
difficulties for master’s students?” Always phrase questions in the positive form!
6. Denial questions: These will almost certainly lead to denial, understatement, or some form of
socially acceptable answers. Some questions have “socially acceptable” answers that may
misrepresent subjects’ beliefs and actions. For example, respondents may understate or falsify
their age, level of prejudice, etc.
7. Artificial opinion questions: These questions create an opinion on a topic on which the
interviewee really may have no opinion. Example: “Do you think everyone is happy working in
this company?”
II. Starting and Finishing the Interview
Always ensure your interviewee is clear about your purpose and objectives. Here are some
appropriate guidelines for opening and closing an interview:
To open an interview:
*introduce yourself
*state the purpose of the interview
*explain that brief notes will be taken (or a tape recording will be made) and shared with the
interviewee after they have been organized
111

To close an interview:
*Signal a closing statement after the last question
*In closing, you must thank the interviewee for his/her time
IV. Conducting the Interview
When conducting the interview, your aim is three-fold:
1. Keeping the interviewee at ease and comfortable to maximize their responses.
2. Ensuring that the interview proceeds smoothly in a structured way.
3. Maintaining an efficient way of recording the information collected.
Things to keep the interviewee at ease using both verbal and non-verbal communication
Body language & posture.
Eye contact.
Facial expressions.
Tone of voice
V. Managing Data Collected During the Interview
Managing the data you collect during an interview is critical. You need to decide on how
information is to be recorded.
• Note taking
• Taping an interview
• Video recording
You must ask the person you are going to interview whether or not he/she feels comfortable with
how the information will be recorded and with the type of instrument you will be using.
Note: Adapted from Davies, W. M., & Beaumont, T. J. (2007). Conducting An Interview. [PDF
document]. Retrieved from http://tlu.fbe.unimelb.edu.au/
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Analyzing a T.V. Interview (Handout 2)
Use the Handout “Conducting Interviews” to assist you in answering the following questions
below about the interview between Barbara Walters (interviewer) and the Ramsey’s parents
(interviewee) on CNN.
1. What kinds of questions did the interviewer asked? (For example: closed or open-ended?)
How did you know? (Consider: How the interviewee responded to the questions asked?
Was it a simple yes or no, or was it an elaborated response?)
2. How did the interviewer open and close the interview? Did she follow some of the
guidelines proposed by Kremer as specified in the “Conducting Interview” Handout?
Briefly explain.
3. Did the interviewer keep the interviewee(s) at ease? (Consider: verbal & non-verbal
communication—body language, facial expressions, eye contact, postures, tone and
voice.)
113

Evaluating Interview Questions (Handout 3)
Get into your assigned group for the Academic Discourse Project and come up with three
interview questions you might want to ask your selected discourse community. Then, pick one
and evaluate it using the evaluation checklist shown in Box 1. After you have evaluated your
question, give your question to your partner and let him/her evaluate your question using the
evaluation checklist in Box 2. Finally, revise your question based on your peer’s feedback.
Possible Questions
1.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Box 1: Evaluate Your Own Question
1. What type of question did you create? Closed or opened-end? Why?
2. Do you think your question suffers from any of the problems identified in Handout 1?
(e.g., ambiguous questions, double-barreled questions, leading questions, negative
questions, denial questions, artificial opinion questions). If so, which one(s)? (Explain in
1-2 sentences.)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Overall Evaluation: Effective Ineffective
Check (√)________ Check-minus (√)__________
114

Box 2: Classmate Evaluation
1. What type of question did he/she create? Closed or opened-end? How do you know?
2. Do you think his/her question suffers from any of the problems identified in Handout 1?
(e.g., ambiguous questions, double-barreled questions, leading questions, negative
questions, denial questions, artificial opinion questions). If so, which one(s)? (Explain in
1-2 sentences.)
Overall Evaluation: Effective Ineffective
Check (√)________ Check-minus (√)__________
Refine Your Question
Now refine (revise) your question based on your partner’s suggestion(s). Make sure your new
question doesn’t suffer from the problems identified in Handout 1.
Revised Question:_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
115

SWBATS:
Intensive Reading Process Workshop (Lesson 5)
Before Reading Strategies
Identify and practice using various effective pre-reading strategies (i.e. scanning,
skimming, prediction, questioning, etc.) on a variety of academic texts.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to set purposes and goals before embarking on a reading
task.
Materials:
Video Clip (9:31 min): JonBenet: Anatomy of an Investigation Part 1
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cw13zZXeY)
Handout 1: Reading Passage
Reading Process and Strategies Slides (1-4)
Handout 2: Applying Your Pre-Reading Strategies
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
15min Debriefing: Intro to
JonBenet Ramseys’ Case
(unsolved mystery)
Task 1: T plays video:
“JonBenet: Anatomy of an
Investigation” (9:31 min)
Task 2: As a whole class T
tells Ss that they will be
writing an argumentative
paper about the JonBenet
Ramseys Case, and that all of
the reading materials will be
about topics related to this
case.
8 min Warm-up Activity: T hands out a reading passage
without the title for Ss to read
(see Handout 1)
10min Presentation: Reading
Process (Before reading)
T goes over slides:
1. What is Reading? (1-2)
2. BEFORE reading strategies
(2-4)
Task 1: Ss watch
video
Ss read passage and
guess at what they
think the passage is
about.
Ss take notes using
slide handout
116

40min Activity # 1: Applying
BEFORE reading skills
2min Wrap-up:
Read C.F. Johnson’s
(2000) article
Read Smith’s “Part One:
Little Miss Christmas”
Task 1: T passes out C.F.
Johnson’s (2000) article and
instructs Ss to use some
effective pre-reading
strategies to complete this
activity.
Task 2: T walks around,
monitors Ss progress, and
provides assistance if needed
Task 3: As a whole class T
tells Ss to share their
predictions and questions.
T reminds Ss to complete
reading assignments
117
Task 1: Ss examine
journal article and use
pre-reading strategies
to complete this
activity.
Task 2: Ss then make
predictions and ask
questions based on
their initial
examination of the
article (see Handout
3)
Task 3: Ss discuss
their predictions and
questions with
another class member
(for 2-3 min) and then
with the whole class.
Whole class

Reading Passage (Handout 1)
Read the passage below and then answer the following questions to figure out what the passage is
about. You may re-read the passage again to help you with this process.
________________?_______________________
The procedure is quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of
course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to
go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step. Otherwise, you are
pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few
things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but
complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole
process will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life.
It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but
then one can never tell. After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials in
different groups again. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will
then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.
Note: Taken form Bransford, J. D., & McCarrell, N. S. (1975). A sketch of a cognitive approach
to comprehension. In Cognition and the Symbolic Processes. New York: Holt, Rinehart &
Winston.
Questions:
1. What do you think the passage is about? (Explain in 1-2 sentences)
2. How did you figure this out? (Consider: Did you have to re-read the passage? Did your
background knowledge provide you with the information? What clues in the reading
passage lead you to figure this out?)
118

What is Reading?
Add picture
The Reading Process
Context Text
*Classroom * Academic
*Workplace *Non-Academic
*Other settings
Reading
Process
Reader
*Purpose, Motivation, Background
Knowledge, Reading Strategies
119
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Reading Strategies for Academic Text
• BEFORE Reading Strategies
Activities you do before you read a text to
facilitate comprehension.
• DURING Reading Strategies
Activities you do while you’re reading to further
facilitate comprehension.
• AFTER Reading Strategies
Activities you do to assess your comprehension.
Previewing Activities
• Examine the title.
• Skim the introduction.
• Skim the conclusion.
• Sample the first sentence of each body
paragraph.
• Skim the entire text for overall meaning.
• Scan the text for specific details (i.e. tables,
figures, pictures, etc.).
120
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Applying Your Pre-reading Strategies (Handout 2)
You will examine an academic text related to the topic of children’s homicide (in relation to the
Ramsey case). Use the “Text Surveying Checklist” in the box to practice your pre-reading skills.
Text Surveying Checklist
1. Examine the title and author.
2. Read the table of contents.
3. Find out the patterns of the text by skimming the subtitles or subheadings, photographs,
drawings, illustrations, graphs, charts, and tables.
4. Skim the introduction.
5. Skim the conclusion.
6. Scan the first sentence of each body paragraph to get an overview of its information.
7. Skim the whole text for overall meaning.
Task 1: Using Your Pre-Reading Skills
Use the “Text Surveying Checklist” above to examine C.F. Johnson’s (2000) article and answer
the following questions in the spaces provide below:
1. Is there a title and author? If so, what is the title and who is it written by?
2. Are there any tables, figures, pictures, or charts? If so, what information do they present?
3. What is the text’s pattern and structure? Are there subtitles or subheadings?
A. Making a prediction
1. What do you think this article will be about after examining the title, author, and textual
structure? (Explain in1-2 sentences)
Task 2: Skimming and Scanning Skills
121
1. Skim the introduction and summarize it in one sentence.
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122
2. Skim the conclusion and summarize it in one sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Scan the first sentence of each body paragraph and summarize what you found below in
one sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Skim the whole text and summarize what you found in one sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
B. Asking questions
After completing the previewing activities, what do you want to know more about when you begin
to read this article?
Ask your questions here:
1.___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________________________
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3.____________________________________________________________________________
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SWBATS:
Intensive Reading Process Workshop (Lesson 6)
During-Reading Strategies
Identify and practice using effective during-reading strategies to facilitate reading
comprehension, specifically in regards to developing their highlighting and annotating
skills.
Continue to demonstrate the ability to establish a purpose before embarking on any
reading activity.
Materials:
PowerPoint Slides for During Reading Strategies (slides 1-3)
Handout 1: Highlighting and Annotating (Key Sheet)
Handout 2: The House
Handout 3: Annotating What You Read
Time Lesson Activity Teacher Action Participation (Student’s
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole Class
10min Review: Before
reading
Strategies
(homework)
10min Presentation:
DURING reading
strategies
20min Modeling Activity:
T asks 3 questions:
Was your initial
prediction accurate?
Did the article answer
your questions or
concerns?
What activities can you
do to facilitate reading
comprehension before
you read?
T presents slides:
DURING reading
strategies (slides 1-3)
Task 1: T models effective
highlighting & annotation skills
on a sample passage using the
“Highlighting and Annotating”
key sheet as a
guide (Handout 1).
Note: During this modeling
activity, T annotates the sample
passage by jotting down the
123
Ss share their
predictions, questions,
and ideas/input with the
whole class.
Ss take notes using slide
handout
Task 1: Ss pay attention
and take notes.
Task 2: During
modeling activity, Ss
share their
answers/inputs and help
T complete modeling
activity.

15-20min Activity # 2:
Annotation
3min Wrap-Up:
Homework
Read Smith’s Part
Two: A Gathering
Storm(pp.85-115)
author’s main points in the right
margins and T’s responses/reactions
in the left margins. T also takes
answers/inputs from Ss, thereby
making it more interactive.
Task 1: T passes out “Annotating
What You Read” sheet (Handout 3)
and has Ss annotate an excerpt
passage on the topic of Dangers of
Cell Phone Use.
Task 2: T walks around and
provides assistance if needed.
Task 3: As a whole class T
discusses main points of the
excerpt.
T reminds Ss about homework
assignments
124
Task 1: Ss complete
handout by annotating
each paragraph using the
“Highlighting and
Annotating” sheet as
guide.
Task 2: Ss share their
reactions about the
excerpts.
Whole Class

DURING Reading Strategies
DURING Reading Activities
1. First Reading
• to develop sense of its main points.
• use skimming and scanning strategies. Do not
read every single word!
2. Re-reading the text.
• Careful re-reading of text using effective
during-reading strategies.
Develop Effective Reading Strategies
Highlighting
• Highlight key ideas and quotations that
capture the author’s main points.
Annotating
• Write notes, comments, and questions in the
margins of texts.
Outlining and Charting
• Develop graphic organizer (discussed in next
class session).
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Highlighting & Annotating: Marking What You Read (Handout 1)
126
I. MARK TO UNDERSTAND IDEAS
1. After you have previewed the article, read it through quickly and completely
before marking, looking for the main idea. Then, mark the writer’s main idea to
make it stand out clearly to you.
Options:
If the main idea is directly stated, underline it and write “thesis” next to it
in the margin.
If it is not directly stated, write it out in your own words at the top or
bottom of the article.
2. Determine the PURPOSE of the reading. Understanding the author’s purpose
will help you to decide on the best marking system for that particular article.
Questions to think about:
Does the reading express the author’s opinion on an issue and reasons for
that opinion?
Highlight each point or reason that supports the author’s opinion.
Next, restate each point briefly in your own words in the margin.
Does the reading explain (or compare) two or more sides of an issue?
Use different color highlighters, marking each side of the argument
in a different color.
Does the reading explain a problem and possible causes and/or solutions?
Highlight each cause of the problem discussed. Number the causes
in the margins.
Highlight any solutions to the problem that the author might
suggest.
3. Highlight important examples, quotations, or statistics that the author uses as
support.
4. Develop your own symbols and abbreviations to use in the text and the margins.
Here are some examples:
“Def”—important definition.
Bracket [ ] together two or more paragraphs that are about the same
idea.
Use “Ex” in the margin to note important examples.
“?” for ideas or words you do not understand.
1, 2, 3: Use numbers in the margins when a series of points are listed or
discussed.
Circle key words and phrases.
*Asterisk, arrow, lighting
Determine what each symbol will mean to you and try to use the symbol
consistently.
5. Mark to record your own reaction to the ideas:

“!” for something you feel strongly about or something that surprises
you.
Short margin comments: “good point,” Hmmm...,” Never thought of
that!,” “interesting,” “No!,” “Where’s the proof?,” “So What?,”
“Agree,” “Disagree,” etc.
When something you read reminds you of something in your own
experience, write a phrase in the margin like: “Just like Uncle Bob!”
Note: You will be assigned to write a Summary-Response to a reading after you have highlighted
and annotated it. If your annotation has been done well, it already reflects the main ideas of the
reading and your own feelings about what you have read; therefore, your summary and response
should be based on your annotation of the reading. Using your own annotations to write your
summary and response will give you practice in putting the ideas of other writers into your own
words, demonstrating that you understand the issues you have read about. It also helps you to
avoid plagiarism!
Note: Adapted from Learning Skills Center (LS). (2006). Course Materials: LS 86. Sacramento,
CA: Sacramento State University.
127

Establishing a Purpose Before Reading
The House (Handout 2)
For this reading assignment, you must think of yourself as a robber or buyer and highlight all the
things you would steal or buy at Mark’s house. This excerpt comes from a book called I read It,
But I Don’t Get It.
The two boys ran until they came to the driveway. “See, I told you today was good for
skipping school,” said Mark. “Mom is never home on Thursday,” he added. Tall hedges hid the
house from the road so the pair strolled across the finely landscaped yard. “I never knew your
place was so big,” said Pete. “Yeah, but it’s nicer now than it used to be since Dad had the new
stone siding put on and added the fireplace.”
There were front and back doors and a side door which led to the garage which was
empty except for three parked 10 speed bikes. They went in the side door, Mark explaining that it
was always open in case his younger sisters got home earlier than their mother.
Pete wanted to see the house so Mark started with the living room. It, like the rest of the
downstairs, was newly painted. Marked turned on the stereo, the noise of which worried Pete.
“Don’t worry, the nearest house is a quarter mile away,” Mark shouted. Pete felt more
comfortable observing that no houses could be seen in any direction beyond the huge yard.
The dining room, with all the china, silver and cut glass, was no place to play so the boys
moved into the kitchen where they made sandwiches. Mark said they wouldn’t go to the basement
because it had been damp and musty every since the new plumbing had been installed.
“This is where my Dad keeps his famous paintings and his coin collection,” Mark said as
they peered into the den. Mark bragged that he could get spending money whenever he needed it
since he’d discovered that his Dad kept a lot in the desk drawer.
There were three upstairs bedrooms. Mark showed Pete his mother’s closet which was
filled with furs and the locked box which held her jewels. His sisters’ room was uninteresting
except for the color TV which Mark carried to his room. Mark bragged that the bathroom in the
hall was his since one had been added to this sisters’ room for their use. The big highlight in his
room, though, was a leak in the ceiling where the old roof had finally rotted.
Note: Taken from Pichert, J. W., & Anderson, R. (2000). Taking Different Perspective on a
Story. In Tovani, C. (Ed.), I Read it, But I Don’t Get it: Comprehension strategies for adolescent
readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers
128

Annotating What You Read (Handout 3)
Read the excerpt below and annotate each paragraph. On the left column write your reaction(s) in
the space provided and on the right column write the author’s main point(s) in the space provided.
Use the “Highlighting and Annotation” key sheet to guide you as you complete this activity.
Reader’s
Responses
Danger of Cell Phones on The Road
WASHINGTON—Nicole Dilks had two kids in the back
seat, a cell phone in her hand and a lot on her mind the
night last August when she slammed her minivan into a
telephone pole in Minneapolis. Amid growing concern
about people who talk on the phone while they drive, more
than half the states in the nation have considered
regulating cell phone use in cars. But so far only New
York has enacted a partial prohibition. It does not allow
drivers to use hand-held phones.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
estimates that inattention causes 20 percent of accidents,
about 1.6 million of the 6.3 million wrecks last year.
While the number of accidents attributable to cell phones
is unknown, an NHTSA survey found that 54 percent of
drivers reported having a cell phone in their car and threefourths
of them have talked on the phone while driving.
“The cell phone…has become a significant highway safety
concern.” NHTSA Executive Director, Robert Shelton
said.
However, some people point out that wireless phone use is
by no means the biggest menace on the roads. A
University of North Carolina study released by the
American Automobile Association showed that changing
a radio station or a CD in the car was eight times more
likely to cause a crash than using a cell phone, which was
identified as the cause of only 1.5 percent of traffic
accidents between 1995 and 1999. In addition, alcoholrelated
crashes accounted for 17, 448 deaths last year,
while accidents involving speeding took 12, 850 lives
according to federal statistics.
129
Writer’s Points
Note: Adapted from Learning Skills Center (LS). (2006). Course Materials: LS 86. Sacramento,
CA: Sacramento State University.

SWBATS:
Academic Textual Organization (Lesson 7)
Identify five common academic discourse patterns of organization—list, sequence,
comparisons/contrast, cause /effect, and problem/solution.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to outline/chart the discourse patterns of organization in
academic texts.
Materials:
PowerPoint Slides (1-5): Discourse patters of organization
Handout 1:Academic Discourse Structure
Bourdreaux et al.’s “Child Abduction: An Overview of Current and Historical
Perspectives (2012)
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENTS ACTION)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole Class
20min Presentation: Discourse
patterns of organization
40min Activity # 1: Academic
Discourse Structure:
Jigsaw Activity
3min Wrap-Up:
T presents PowerPoint Slides:
Discourse patterns of
organization (slides 1-
5)
Task 1: T tells Ss to take out
Boudreaux (2012), while also
passing out “Academic
Discourse Structure: Jigsaw
Activity” assignment sheet
(Handout 2).
Task 2: T walks around,
monitors Ss progress, and
provides assistance if needed.
Task 1: T tells Ss to complete
reading Boudreaux et al.
(2012) and create an outline
for the entire article (see
Handout 2, task 4)
Ss take notes
130
Task 1: After receiving the
handout, Ss get into groups
of four and are assigned a
specific section to read
from.
Task 2: Ss then create their
own graphic organizer of
the specific section using
the “Academic Discourse
Structure: Jigsaw Activity”
assignment sheet.
Task 3: Each S then
summarizes his/her section
to the rest of the group
members using the graphic
organizer as a guide.
Whole class

Task 2: Read Smith’s Part
Two: A Gathering Storm
(pp.116-165)
Task 3: Post SacCT 2 (see
question prompt below)
SacCT Journal Entry 2
Reading experts agree that the utilization of reading strategies on academic texts can improve
reading comprehension.
A. Of all the reading strategies you have used thus far in class, which one has helped
improved your reading comprehension the most? What piece of text did you apply this
reading strategy on? (Describe in 3-5 sentences)
Note: Be sure to comment on at least two other class members’ responses.
131

Discourse Pattern of Organization
(Outlining/Charting)
Outlining/Charting
1. Description
Describes a topic by listing characteristics,
features, and examples.
Outlining/Charting
2. Sequence
Lists items or events in numerical or
chronological order.
1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________
4. ________________________________
5. ________________________________
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Outlining/Charting
3. Comparison/Contrast: Explains how two or more
things are alike and/or how they are different.
Outlining/Charting
4. Cause & Effect: Lists one or more causes and
the resulting effect or effects.
Outlining/Charting
5. Problem & Solution: Introduce problems(s) and
lists one or more solutions for the problem.
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Jigsaw Activity
Academic Discourse Structure (Handout 2)
Task # 1: In groups of four, each member will be assigned a particular section in Boudreaux et
al.’s (2012) article.
Member # 1 reads the section on “Operational Definitions” (pp.64-65).
Member # 2 reads the sections on “Victim Characteristics” (pp.65-66) and “Offenders
Characteristics” (pp.66-67).
Member # 3 reads the section on “Motivation” (pp.67-69).
Member # 4 reads the “Conclusion” section (pp.69-70).
Task # 2: After reading your assigned section, try to figure out your section’s discourse pattern
by creating a graphic/visual representation in the box below. Remember, the five distinctive
pattern of organization we discussed earlier in class when creating your graphic organizer.
Task # 3: Once you have created your chart/outline, you must then summarize your section to the
rest of the group using your chart/outline as a guide. The rest of your group members will also do
the same, thereby completing the jigsaw activity.
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Homework: Create a Chart/Outline for the Whole Article
Finish reading Boudreaux et al.’s (2012) article for homework and use the box below to create a
chart/outline that summarizes the whole article (not its individual sections).
135

SWBATS:
Rhetorical Situation & Appeals (Lesson 8)
Identify and understand the rhetorical situation of a writer’s text (i.e. the writer’s purpose,
persona, and audience).
Begin to demonstrate the ability to analyze the writer’s text in relation to his/her purpose,
intended audience, persona, and context.
Identify and understand some effective rhetorical strategies done by writers—namely,
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to analyze the writer’s use of persuasion (or point of
view), specifically in regards to how the writer uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Materials:
PowerPoint Slides (1-8): Rhetorical Situation & Appeals
Handout 1: Analyze Newspaper Advertisement
Handout 2: Analyzing John Ramsey’s Letter
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENTS ACTION)
2min Attendance Take attendance Whole Class
5-7 Review T reviews homework Ss share their
10min Presentation:
Rhetorical Situation
(i.e. purpose,
audience, persona)
Rhetorical Appeals
(Ethos, Pathos,
Logos)
25min Activity # 1: Analyze
Newspaper Ad
30min Activity # 2: Analyze John
Ramsey’s Letter to the
Boulder Police Department
assignment
T shows presentation
slides 1-8
Task 1: T passes out
“Analyzing Newspaper
Advertisement” (Handout
1) to Ss.
Task 2: T walks around
and provides assistance if
needed.
Task 3: T discusses the
advertisement as a whole
class
T passes out “Analyzing
John Ramsey’s Letter”
(Handout 2)
charts/outlines
Ss take notes
136
Task 1: Ss analyze the
newspaper advertisement
and complete the questions
on Handout 1.
Task 2: Ss share their
ideas/inputs
Ss read and analyze the
letter and complete the
questions on Handout 2.

3min Wrap-Up: Homework
Select your Academic
Discourse
Community
Read Smith’s Part
Three: Rocky Road
to Nowhere
T reminds each group to pick
an academic discourse
community by next class
session.
Note: Those that have not
picked one will get a 1/3 point
deduction toward PowerPoint
presentation grade.
Whole class
137

Rhetorical Situation & Strategies
Rhetorical Situation
Purpose
A writer’s purpose could include:
• The writer’s goals
• Type of text (Academic versus Non-Academic)
• Audience awareness
Persona
• A writer’s persona is the way she presents
herself in her writing.
• --Tone is the writer’s attitude.
• --Voice is an expression of the writer’s
personality.
• --Style is the writer’s distinctive way of
expressing message, tone, and voice.
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Context
• Writer’s context—past experience as a writer
• Audience—their expertise, their ethnic
background, their personal beliefs, etc.
• Type of text—timed essay versus out-of-class
essay.
Rhetorical Appeals
• Ethos refers to the credibility of the writer or
speaker.
• Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions.
• Logos refers to the logic of the message and
the effectiveness of its supporting evidence.
Ethos (Credibility)
Questions about the Writer:
• Does this author have the appropriate
background to speak with authority on this
subject?
• Is this author knowledgeable?
• Does this author seem trustworthy or
deceptive
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139

Pathos (Emotional)
Questions about Emotions:
• Does this piece affect you emotionally?
• Do you think the author is trying to
manipulate your emotions?
• Do your emotions conflict with the logical
interpretation of the arguments?
Logos (Logical)
Questions about Logic (Logos):
• Do you agree with the author’s claim that…?
• Is there any claim that appears to be weak or
unsupported?
• Can you think of counter-arguments that the
author doesn’t consider?
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140

Analyzing Newspaper Advertisement (Handout 1)
Part I: Examine the Newspaper Advertisement
Instruction: Carefully read and examine the newspaper advertisement below.
141

Part II: Analyzing Rhetorical Situation & Appeals
After examining the advertisement taken from www.dogwoodalliance.org, answer the following
questions in relation to its rhetorical situation and appeals below. Write your answers on a
separate piece of paper.
Rhetorical Situation
1. What do you think the purpose of the advertisement is?
2. What types of people do you think the ad targets and why? Is it successful?
3. How would you describe the tone and style of the ad? Are they appropriate to the
advertiser’s intended audience and goals?
Pathos (Emotions)
4. What responses does the organization that created the ad hope to provoke from its
readers? How does the ad appeal to our emotions?
Logos (Reason)
5. Is there an assertion or argument made by the advertisement? What is/are the claim(s)
and what features of the ad led you to this conclusion?
6. Does the ad provide any evidence that the claim(s) is/are true? (Consider: What data
does the ad present? Or does it simply ask viewers to make assumptions?)
Ethos (Credibility)
7. How credible is the organization? Are they well-known? How do you know?
8. Do you think they have the authority to make these types of claims? Why?
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Analyzing John Ramsey’s Letter (Handout 2)
Part I: Read John Ramsey’s letter (a copy of the original letter)
Sept. 29 - The following letter from John Ramsey was sent to media outlets late Monday. As you
know, our family has not often spoken publicly in the past because so much of what surrounds
our tragedy is used to entertain for profit. For my family, the loss of JonBenet was a crushing loss
that left us crying out, "Why did this happen to such a precious child? Why did this happen to a
good family?"
JonBenet's murder has inflicted the worst pain imaginable on my family, and it is simply cruel to
exploit her death for profit, as much of the media has, so we have been unwilling to provide
fodder for their talk shows. We do feel compelled to speak out at this time as a result of Detective
Lou Smit's resignation after 16 months of working to find the killer of our daughter and sister
JonBenet. While we are grateful for Detective Smit's work to find JonBenet's killer, we are
discouraged to lose his official participation in this case. Detective Smit is the only experienced
homicide detective who has ever been assigned long-term to find the killer of JonBenet.
Our biggest concern as a family has always been that the Boulder Police Department has little
experience or training in homicide cases. They had decided they had solved this case on the very
first day by reaching the incredible conclusion that because the parents were in the house, they
must have done it. Furthermore, the fact that we obtained lawyers to protect ourselves against
their abuse of our rights was conclusive to them of our guilt. The law in the hands of the unskilled
and the unknowing is a terrifying thing.
Detective Smit was an exception, but his help was not welcomed by the police. We have always
expressed our eagerness to participate fully in a competent investigation of this horrible crime,
but I have been unwilling to submit my family to what seems to be little more than a lynch mob
hiding behind the authority of police badges. It is not true that you can buy justice in this country,
but sadly, it does take money to protect your rights against abuse of the law by those charged with
its application. My experience has made me wonder how many innocent victims of police
misconduct there are who were not able or did not know how to protect their basic rights as
citizens. Our fight with the Boulder police started when they refused to release JonBenet's body
to us for the burial until we complied with their demands. It has continued ever since.
To Governor Romer, I would say we were encouraged that you committed additional resources to
this case but were disappointed that you stopped short by only assigning more attorneys and not
the needed qualified investigators. We ask you for only one thing as parents of a precious child
who was murdered in your state, and that is for you to additionally commit significant, qualified
investigative resources on a long-term basis if necessary to solve this case. Don't do this for us
because no amount of revenge can bring an easing of our pain. Don't do this only for JonBenet
because her future has been lost. But do it for the child this killer will prey upon tomorrow. No
child should suffer as I'm afraid JonBenet suffered and no family should suffer as mine has. It
will happen again if this killer is not caught. And please don't just listen and react to those who
scream the loudest. Commit qualified investigative resources in addition to the prosecutors you
have committed to find this killer. We have and will continue to participate fully in a competent
investigation. We stated in writing to the Boulder district attorney many months ago that we had
143

no confidence in the leadership of this investigation under the Boulder police but that every
member of our family would be willing to meet with the district attorney's investigators,
anywhere, anytime, for as long as they want with no questions left unanswered and no
information left unprovided. We have done this, and that commitment still stands. There can be
no one who wants to find the killer of JonBenet as much as my family does.
To the fanatic fringe who surround this case, making demands, creating sensationalism and
calling for officials' heads, I say to you whether you are driven by tabloid money or simply
ignorance, you are being cruel and are compromising progress in this case. A child's life has been
taken, and the important thing now is that we prevent this from happening again.
To the Boulder police, I would say we have known that the moment you responded to our cry for
help that you began to voice the single theory that Patsy or I or my 9-year-old son Burke must
have committed this horrible crime. The killer could never have guessed that he or she would be
so lucky as to have the resulting investigation conducted by such closed-minded police. We don't
fault you for initially including us under your "umbrella of suspicion," but we will forever hold
you accountable for following a theory rather than the evidence. You have wasted almost two
years trying to prove your original theory. Meanwhile, my family knows a vicious child killer still
walks your streets.
To the killer, I would say that we can and will find you. There is a $100,000 reward for your
arrest that still stands. You have the opportunity to do one good thing in your life by turning
yourself in to the authorities and confessing. We have been told that the authorities have your
DNA. They will know it is you. If you surrender and are proven to be the killer, the $100,000 will
be paid to anyone you choose. Surely you have a mother or spouse or child or friend to whom this
money would be significant. Help them and help yourself. You know you will kill again, so do
this one good thing in your life. Turn yourself in and ask for God's forgiveness. Your fellow man
will be grateful and our family will be grateful.
Finally, to Detective Smit, we would like to say thank you for your dedication and commitment to
finding the killer of our daughter, and we are thankful for your honesty and candor and what we
know is your commitment to the truth.
Note: Ramsey, J. (1998). Text of John Ramsey Letter. Retrieved from
http://extras.denverpost.com/news/jon0929b.htm
Part 2: Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation & Appeals
Once you finish reading the letter, answer the following questions below on a separate piece of
paper:
Rhetorical Situation:
1. What do you think is Mr. Ramsey’s purpose in writing this letter?
2. Who is the target audience?
144

3. How would you describe the tone and style of the letter?
Pathos (Emotions):
1. Does this piece affect you emotionally? What parts? Why?
2. Do you think the writer is trying to manipulate your emotions? In what ways?
Ethos (Writer):
3. What does the author’s style and language tell you about him or her?
4. Does he seem to be trustworthy or deceptive? Explain.
Logos (Logos):
5. Do you agree with the writer’s claim that the killer is an intruder? Why or why not?
6. Is there any claim that appears to be weak or unsupported? Which one(s) and why?
7. Do you think the author has left something out on purpose? Why?
145

SWBATS:
Summarizing and Responding (Lesson 9)
Identify and understand the difference between summary writing and response writing.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to evaluate the distinction between “good summary
writing and “bad” summary writing.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to evaluate the difference between “good” response
writing and “bad” response writing.
Materials:
Handout 1: Writing a Summary & Response (Guide Sheet)
Handout 2: Sample Text Passage Summaries
Handout 3: Sample Responses
Time Lesson Teacher Action PARTICIPATION
(STUDENTS ACTION)
2min Attendance/
Announcements
Task 1: T take attendance Whole Class
Task 2: T verifies each group’s Task 2: The groups must
academic discourse community tell T their chosen
academic discourse
community.
5 -10min Introduction: Task 1: T asks two questions: Tasks 1 & 2: Ss share
their ideas/inputs first w/
1.What important elements do the person next to them
you include in a summary? (for 5 min) and then with
the whole class during the
2.What important elements do
you include in a response paper?
class discussion.
10min Presentation:
Summary-Response
Guide Sheet
(Note: Adapted
from English 86
Course Materials,
2006)
25min Activity # 1:
Analyze Summary
paper
Task 2: As a whole class T asks
Ss to share their inputs/ideas.
Task 1: T passes out “Summary-
Response” Guide sheet (Handout
1) to Ss.
Task 2: T then talks about how
to write effective summaries and
responses using the handout as a
guide.
Task 1: T passes out “Sample
Text Passage Summaries”
(Handout 2) and tells Ss to read
original passage and annotate it.
Ss may raise any
questions or concerns
about summary and
response writing.
146
Task 1: Ss read and
annotate original passage.

25min Activity # 2: Analyze
Sample Responses
Note: Sample
Responses taken from
MICUSP.
3min Wrap-Up: Homework
Summary-Response
Assignment
Task 2: T tells Ss to use
summary checklist to evaluate
the effectiveness of each
sample summary (total of 3)
Task 3: T walks around and
provides assistance if
necessary.
Task 4: As a whole class, T
tells Ss to share their opinions
of each summary. T also tells
Ss what he thinks about each
summary.
Task 1: T passes out “Sample
Responses” sheet to Ss
(Handout 3).
Task 2: T tells Ss to read each
sample response and evaluate
it using the response checklist
attached.
Task 3: T walks around and
provides assistance if needed
Task 4: As a whole class, T
goes over each response,
making sure Ss share their
opinions/ideas.
T reminds Ss that Draft A of
Summary-Response
assignment is due next class
session.
147
Task 2: Ss read each
summary and use summary
checklist to evaluate its
overall effectiveness.
Task 3: As a whole class Ss
share their opinions about
each summary
Task 1: Ss read each sample
response and use the
response checklist to
evaluate the effectiveness of
each response.
Task 2: Ss discuss their
opinions/ideas about each
response to the whole class.
Whole class

Writing a Summary and Response (Handout 1)
What is a summary?
A summary is a condensed or reduced version of a text. It is written in paragraph form and
contains all of the most essential information—and nothing extra. Therefore, a summary is much
shorter than the original text. A well-written summary should:
1. Identify the author’s name and the title of the text in the first sentence.
2. State the overall main idea of the text (the thesis) in the first sentence.
3. Identify only the most important examples and supporting details.
4. Mention the points and important examples in the same order as the original.
5. State the author’s main conclusion from the information presented.
Summary Don’ts
Don’t use the author’s words or include large quotes from the text. Use your own words
and style.
Don’t try to figure out the main idea of the text until you have finished reading through
the entire article. When you’ve finished reading, write out the text’s main idea. Then, go
back and briefly reread the text to make sure what you have written is really the author’s
main idea.
Don’t include your own ideas; don’t use “I.” Save your reaction for the response section.
What is a response?
A response is your critical reaction to the text. The word “critical” does not necessarily mean
negative. You may have positive or negative reactions to a text, but you must support those
reactions with reasons and examples. An academic response doesn’t end with, “I thought the
article was good,” or “I agree with the author’s point of view.” A well-developed response
describes why you liked the article or why you agree with the author. A thoughtful response
should:
1. State your reaction to one or more of the author’s ideas.
2. Express your opinion on the writer’s point of view and explain why you agree or
disagree.
3. Include your interpretation of the text (what it means to you); you will use “I.”
4. Make connections to your own personal experience. What does the article remind you of
in your own life?
Response Don’ts
Don’t just repeat the author’s ideas. State your impression/opinions about ideas in the
article.
Note: Adapted from Learning Skills (LS). (2006). English 86 Course Materials
148

Sample Text Passage Summaries (Handout 2)
Task 1: Annotate Summary
Instructions: Carefully read the passage below and annotate it by jotting down the writer’s main
point(s) in the right-column and your responses in the left-column.
Reader’s
Response(s)
An Introduction to Auctions
There are basically two types of auctions: ascendingbid
auctions and descending-bid auctions. Ascendingbid
auctions start out with a low bid for an object. The
price of the object is gradually raised until only one
bidder remains. By contrast, descending-bid auctions
start out with a high bid and the price is progressively
lowered until a customer expresses a willingness to
purchase the object. Both procedures have a number of
variants. For example, in some types of auctions a
professional auctioneer declares the suggested bids. In
other types of auctions, however, the customers make
their own bids. Another variant, used at places such as
eBay or Yahoo Auction, is called a "buyout option". A
high price for an item is declared. Anyone willing to
pay that price is guaranteed a purchase. This variant
seems to appeal consumers who dislike uncertainty: for
a fixed price they are guaranteed an object. "Buyout
options" are most commonly used if the seller has a
stock of several copies of the same item.
Writer’s main
points(s)
Both ascending-bid and descending-bid auctions can be
conducted in either open or closed formats. In open
formats, all participants know exactly how much an
object is going for. For example, at many Japanese fish
markets, wholesalers gather around the fish to be
purchased and raise their hands as the auctioneer names
progressively higher prices. In closed auctions,
participants are unaware of how much other
participants are willing to pay for an object. For
example, a case in which participants used sealed
envelopes to place their bids on a piece of real estate
represents this type of auction. Though open auctions
generally yield higher prices, closed formats are
sometimes preferred in situations in which the privacy
of the prospective buyers is considered paramount or
the need to document precisely how much each party
bid is high.
Note: Adapted from Tim Newfields. (2001). Sample Text Passage Summaries. Retrieved from
http://www.tnewfields.info/Articles/sum1.htm
149

Task 2: Evaluating Summaries
Instructions: Read each sample summary below and use the summary checklist attached to each
of the summaries to evaluate whether or not you think the summary is “excellent,” “acceptable,”
or “unacceptable.” You may also use your annotation of the passage above in helping you to
evaluate each summary.
SAMPLE SUMMARY # 1
There are two types of auctions: those in which the price starts out low and is gradually raised,
and those in which the price starts out high and is gradually lowered. Both auction types have
variants, such as a "buyout option" in which a customer is guaranteed an object if he/she is
willing to pay a high price. Moreover, auctions can be conducted in open or closed formats. In
closed formats, participants don't know how much others are willing to pay for an object since
they use sealed envelopes or some secret method to make their bids. Though open auctions often
result in higher sale prices, closed formats are sometimes preferred when privacy or the need for
documentation is paramount.
Summary Checklist
Yes or No
________Does the writer include the title of the essay in the first sentence of the summary?
________Is the title in quotation marks?
________Does the first sentence clearly state the main idea of the article?
________Does the writer include all of the important ideas or supporting points from the
essay? If not, which ideas did he/she leave out?
________Does the writer use his/her own words?
________Does the writer keeps his/her own opinions out of the summary?
____________________________________________________________________________
Overall evaluation:
Excellent Adequate Inadequate
Check-plus (√+)________ Check (√)__________ Check-minus (√)_________
SAMPLE SUMMARY # 2
In some types of auctions bids begin low and then gradually become higher. Others auctions use
the opposite approach: commencing with a high bid and gradually becoming lower. There are lots
of variants of these two basic approaches. For example, the "buyout option" available at some
online auctions enables customers who dislike the uncertainty of bidding to obtain an object for a
fixed, but high price. Although some auctions are held in open formats in which all customers
know the going price for an object, other auctions are held in a closed format in which customers
do not know how much their rivals are willing to pay for an object. Open auctions tend to
generate higher bids, however closed auctions offer more privacy and better documentation of the
respective bids.
150

Summary Checklist
Yes or No
________Does the writer include the title of the essay in the first sentence of the summary?
________Is the title in quotation marks?
________Does the first sentence clearly state the main idea of the article?
________Does the writer include all of the important ideas or supporting points from the
essay? If not, which ideas did he/she leave out?
________Does the writer use his/her own words?
________Does the writer keeps his/her own opinions out of the summary?
____________________________________________________________________________
Overall evaluation:
Excellent Adequate Inadequate
Check-plus (√+)________ Check (√)__________ Check-minus (√)_________
SAMPLE SUMMARY # 3
Basically, two types of auctions exist. I like the first, but not the second. In ascending-bid
auctions the price for an object starts out low and is increased by degrees. In descending-bid
auctions a high bid is first made, and then the price is consecutively lowered until someone
expresses a willingness to pay the object. Numerous variations of these two patterns can be
found. For example, the "buyout option" used in eBay, Yahoo Auction, and other places lets
customers who detest uncertainty procure an object for a high price. “A high price for an item is
declared. Anyone willing to pay that price is guaranteed a purchase.” Auctions can also be held in
open or closed formats. The open format is better for people like me because everyone knows
what current price is for an object is. Whereas, closed formats are opaque: only the seller is able
to tell how much each customer is willing to pay for an object. I don’t like the closed formats
because I want to know how much the customer price is.
Summary Checklist
Yes or No
________Does the writer include the title of the essay in the first sentence of the summary?
________Is the title in quotation marks?
________Does the first sentence clearly state the main idea of the article?
________Does the writer include all of the important ideas or supporting points from the
essay? If not, which ideas did he/she leave out?
________Does the writer use his/her own words?
________Does the writer keeps his/her own opinions out of the summary?
____________________________________________________________________________
Overall evaluation:
Excellent Adequate Inadequate
Check-plus (√+)________ Check (√)__________ Check-minus (√)_________
Note: Adapted from Tim Newfields. (2001). Sample Text Passage Summaries. Retrieved from
http://www.tnewfields.info/Articles/sum1.htm
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Sample Responses (Handout 3)
Instructions: Read each sample response below taken from MICUSP and use the response
checklist attached to evaluate whether or not you think the response is “excellent,” “acceptable,”
or “unacceptable.”
Sample Response # 1
I found the "Betrayal of the American Man" to be lacking in a good argument. As a
woman, I find it difficult to agree with her claim that, "men have lost a useful role in public life, a
way of earning a decent living, respectful treatment in the culture." While it is commonly
believed that the Vietnam War was a betrayal to the men who fought and returned home to find
protest rather than glory, that is the only such betrayal of which I am aware. It seems possible to
me that men may be missing opportunities to feel as though they are men. Most of today's men do
not enjoy a rite of passage to manhood, but Faludi blames the problem on media and
consumerism.
In "Blame it on Feminism", I was surprised to realize how the backlash against the
women's movement has hindered women's participation in it. As the media blames feminism for
many of today's common ills, more and more women leave the cause or begin to even fight
against it. This has affected me. I have always thought that equality among humans was a noble
cause, but I have been hesitant to consider myself a feminist. It seems as though the feminists
make it more difficult for women to make their own choices between traditional and
nontraditional relationship roles and career goals. I have also fallen victim to the media-hype that
career women are lacking in femininity and have difficulty maintaining relationships with men.
Before reading this article, I never considered the agenda of such a backlash.
Response Checklist
Yes or No
________ Does the writer respond to one or more of the author’s ideas?
________Does the writer express his/her opinion on the author’s point of view and explain why
he/she agree or disagree.
________Does the writer include his/her interpretation of the text and what it means to him/her?
________Does the writer make connections to his/her own personal experience?
________Does the writer refrain from summarizing the author’s ideas by stating his/her
opinions about ideas in the article?
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Evaluation:
Excellent Adequate Inadequate
Check-plus (√+)________ Check (√)__________ Check-minus (√-)_________
Sample Response # 2
In Faludi's first article, "Blame it on Feminism," much attention is paid to the anguish and
frustration experienced by women who choose careers outside of the home, as opposed to
domesticated lives. She says that these women are "paying for their liberty with an empty bed and
an empty womb" (25). Many women hold the conviction that the only way to achieve equality is
to acquire masculine roles and enter a world powered by men, leaving their femininity behind.
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The antifeminist backlash of this movement "push[es] women back into their 'acceptable' roles"
(29). While some women are struggling, in a sense, to be men, the American men are witnessing
a threat to their masculinity. Women have men to blame for their perceived injustices, but who
can men blame when they hold the power? Faludi discusses a "culture of ornament" in her article
entitled "The Betrayal of the American Man." This is a dilemma shaped by popular culture in
which "manhood is defined by appearance, by youth and attractiveness, by money and
aggression, by posture and swagger... These are the same traits that have long been designated as
the essence of feminine vanity" (55). I view the underlying problem as a lack of appreciation
between men and women. Men, by nature, are protectors and breadwinners. Women, on the other
hand, are socially recognized as being nurturers. Equality should not stem from men and women
being equal within the same domain. Instead, equal amounts of pride and prestige should be
earned based upon mastery of separate domains. The pressure currently rests upon the women to
gain respect in the work force. We should challenge the men to acknowledge women as equals
for being feminine and achieving their goals and dreams, even when they assume the role of
homemaker.
Response Checklist
Yes or No
________ Does the writer respond to one or more of the author’s ideas?
________Does the writer express his/her opinion on the author’s point of view and explain why
he/she agrees or disagrees.
________Does the writer include his/her interpretation of the text and what it means to him/her?
________Does the writer make connections to his/her own personal experience?
________Does the writer refrain from summarizing the author’s ideas by stating his/her
opinions about ideas in the article?
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Evaluation:
Excellent Adequate Inadequate
Check-plus (√+)________ Check (√)__________ Check-minus (√-)_________
Note: Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MICUSP). (2009). Ann Arbor, MI: The
Regents of the University of Michigan.
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SWBATS:
Academic Writing: Analyzing Arguments (Lesson 10)
Identify and understand common academic textual conventions ranging from structure
and paragraphing, specifically in regards to argumentative writing
Begin to demonstrate the ability to evaluate argument in academic writing.
Materials:
Academic Writing Slides (1-8)
Handout 1: Analyzing Argumentative Essay
Different colors of highlighters
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
3min Attendance/ T collects Summary-Response Whole Class
Announcement Draft A
15-20min Presentation: T present Academic Writing
Slides (1-8)
Ss take notes
50min Activity # 1: Task 1: T passes out
Task 1: Ss read sample
Analyzing
“Analyzing Argumentative essay and use the checklist
argumentative essay Essay” and checklist attached attached as a guide for
to Ss (Handout 2)
evaluating each paragraph.
2min Wrap-Up:
Read Smith’s “Part
Five: Laying Down
the Case”
Task 2: T tells Ss to read each
paragraph and use the checklist
as an evaluation guide.
Task 3: T walks around,
monitors Ss progress, and
provides assistance if needed
Task 4: As a whole class T goes
over the checklist w/ the Ss.
T reminds Ss to complete
reading assignment
154
Task 2: When using the
checklist, Ss are required
to highlight essential
elements in each of the
paragraphs (T will provide
different color
highlighters).
Task 3: When done, Ss
evaluate the entire essay
and share their
thoughts/opinions about
the essay with the person
next to them.
Task 4: Ss share their
thoughts w/ the whole
class.
Whole class

Academic Writing
Rhetorical Situation
Writer’s Purpose:
• To inform
• To instruct
• To analyze
• To persuade
• To argue
• To evaluate
Rhetorical Situation
Audience Awareness
• Discourse community: Teachers are
representatives of their academic field (i.e.
biologists, sociologists, etc.)--groups of people
who have similar interests and shared
knowledge.
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Persona
Formal persona since most writing in college will
be academic types of texts for audience of
scholars in the academic field.
Argument as a Genre
The argumentative essay:
• a genre of writing that requires students to
investigate a topic.
• evaluate evidence
• establish a position on the topic in a
convincing manner.
Argumentative Essay
INTRODUCTION
makes the reader want to continue reading..
establishes the topic of the essay.
establishes the writer’s position on the topic,
often in a thesis statement.
May be one or more paragraphs long.
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Argumentative Essay
BODY
• clear and logical transition between
introduction, body, and conclusion.
• each paragraph is limited to one idea.
• Ideas are supported with evidence and/or
examples.
• paragraphs contain specific details & analysis.
Argumentative Essay
CONCLUSION
• draws a conclusion based on the ideas
presented.
• often relates back to the thesis statement .
• Signals the end of the essay.
• may be one or more paragraphs long.
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Analyzing Argumentative Essay (Handout 1)
Read the sample argumentative essay below taken from MICUSP and use the checklist in the
right column to evaluate the overall effectiveness of each section (introduction, body paragraphs,
and conclusion). In addition, you will be given different colors to highlight the essential elements
in each of the paragraphs. Finally, you will evaluate the essay as a whole and decide whether it is
an “excellent,” “adequate,” or “inadequate” paper.
INTRODUCTION
I wish I had a different life. I wish braver, and prettier, or just happy
(Vardalos, 2002). All of us have different perceptions of who we
are, who we would like to be, and how we want others to view us.
There are numerous factors that can influence the self, each one
having a different impact than the one before it. One important
dynamic is culture. The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding raises
several important questions about the relationship between the self
and one's ethnic background. What effect does being raised in a
close-knit collectivistic culture have on someone's self-esteem? Do
people feel it is necessary to change the way in which they portray
themselves so they can be accepted into another culture? My Big Fat
Greek Wedding depicts how culture can shape the self through its
influence on autobiographical memories, self-discrepancy, and self-
presentation
Introduction Checklist
Does the writer use a
“hook” to engage the
reader’s interest? Y/N
Highlight the “hook” in
red.
158
Does the writer introduce
the topic or background
information? Y/N
Highlight the topic in
yellow.
Does the writer move
from the general topic to
the specific issue or point
of the essay? Y/N
Highlight this transition
in green.

BODY PARAGRAPH # 1
There are several important scenes that provide us with insight into
the self. At the beginning of the movie, Toula reflects upon her life
by recollecting specific instances to show what it was like being
raised in a Greek family. The moments she is remembering are
known as autobiographical memories, which are recollections that a
person has about a series of events that have had a meaningful
impact on his or her life (Rubin, 1996; Thompson et al., 1998). Her
memories are used to show how her life has been affected by her
culture. People generally seem to recall instances that occurred
during transitional periods in their lives. In Toula's case, she talks
about specific times when she was in elementary school, middle
school, and high school. These are all important intermediary phases
in a person's life. Her memories only reflect upon ways in which her
culture made her stand out from others in school, thus causing her a
great deal of awkwardness and humiliation. Studies have shown that
when remembering things that occurred in the past, we tend to
exaggerate circumstances or inflate our roles in situations in order to
make ourselves look better and boost our self-esteem. For example,
in 1996 Harry Bahrick and his colleagues conducted an experiment
in which they asked college students to recall all of their grades from
Does the write have a
159
position on the argument?
(Thesis statement) Y/N
Highlight the thesis
statement in grey.
Body Checklist
Does the paragraph have
a clear topic sentence that
states the main idea?
Highlight the main idea in
red
Does that idea clearly
support the thesis
statement? Y/N
Does the paragraph have
enough specific support
for the topic sentence or
main idea? Y/N
Highlight the specific
support in yellow.
Does the paragraph

high school. After checking the accuracy of their reports with the
real high school transcripts, the researchers found that students had a
tendency to embellish any bad grades that they had received (Bahric
et al., 1996). Toula only talks about events that fostered her feelings
of inadequacy and lowered her self-esteem, such as being ridiculed
for eating ethnic food at school or her father embarrassing her in
front of her friends by talking about his Greek heritage. This does
not seem to go along with the research done on autobiographical
memories. I feel that this situation could be looked at from a
different perspective. Perhaps Toula was exaggerating her past to
make her life look bad. That way, when she does become happy and
successful in her life, people will view it as an incredible triumph
and praise her for it. This is a form of self-handicapping, which
occurs when people take actions to hurt their own performance or
image in order to protect their own self-esteem (Berglas & Jones,
1978). Some people do this so they can claim more recognition if
they succeed.
Is there anything missing from the introduction as specified in the
checklist? If so, what?
BODY PARAGRAPH # 2
Another important psychological principle depicted during the movie
is the notion of self-discrepancy. According to this theory, there are
discrepancies between how we see ourselves and the way in which
160
analyze the specific point
or example? Y/N
Highlight the analysis in
grey.
Does the paragraph flow
smoothly from one
sentence to the next? Y/N
Highlight some
transitional words in
green.
Does the paragraph come
to a conclusion at the
end? Y/N
Highlight the concluding
sentence in purple
Body Checklist
Does the paragraph have

eally want to see ourselves. This match can be used to define one's
self-esteem. For example, a person with a large discrepancy between
their real and ideal selves would most likely have a negative self-
image and a low self-esteem (Higgins, 1989). Early on in the movie
there is a part where Toula is sitting in an alley outside of her
restaurant looking at a flyer for college. She talks about her desire to
have a different life and to be happy. Her current self-perception is
that she is unattractive, boring, and cowardly. It is clear that there is a
large discrepancy between the way she views herself and the way she
would like to be viewed. Toula does not act in a positive or up-beat
manner during the beginning of the movie and she does not have any
confidence in herself. For example, when Ian and his friend come to
the restaurant for coffee, it becomes obvious that Toula is attracted to
Ian, but she has difficulties talking to him. She even tries to hide
behind the counter so she can observe him from afar. The self-
discrepancy that exists within Toula has greatly lowered her self-
esteem making it hard for her to even carry on a simple conversation
with a person of the opposite sex. She automatically assumes that he
would not want to have anything to do with her because she is not
good-looking or assertive. This is consistent with the self-discrepancy
theory. Toula's poor self-image stems from the pressure placed upon
her by her culture to marry a Greek man at an early age and have
many children. People like Ian, who do not have a specific heritage
that he or she can clearly identify with, do not experience these types
of demands from a large group or society. For this reason, Ian appears
to be much more comfortable with who he is and does not spend time
dwelling on who he could be. A number of studies have been done on
the self-discrepancy theory, including one by Higgins, Friedman, and
Shah. In this study, participants were asked to list several attributes
a clear topic sentence
161
that states the main idea?
Y/N
Highlight the main idea
in red
Does that idea clearly
support the thesis
statement? Y/N
Does the paragraph have
enough specific support
for the topic sentence or
main idea? Y/N
Highlight the specific
support in yellow.
Does the paragraph
analyze the specific
point or example? Y/N
Highlight the analysis in
grey.
Does the paragraph flow
smoothly from one
sentence to the next?
Y/N

that they would like to possess (ideal-self attributes) and several that
they feel they should possess (ought-self attributes). Next, they had to
fill out a questionnaire in which they rated how much they would like
to possess these traits and how much they thought they really did
have them. To determine self-discrepancy, the average score for how
much they thought they actually possessed these traits was subtracted
from the average score of how much they would like to possess their
ideal-self traits. The same was done for the ratings of ought-self
attributes. Afterwards, the subjects took an emotional frequency
survey in which they were asked how often they experienced certain
emotions in the last week. This survey included emotions associated
with dejection and agitation. Participants who had a high self-
discrepancy with regards to the ideal-self characteristics were more
likely to report that they had felt dejection-related emotions more
frequently in the last week. Similarly, those who had a high self-
discrepancy with their ought-self traits reported feeling agitation-
related emotions more often in the last week (Higgins, et al., 1997).
Is there anything missing from the body paragraph as specified by the
checklist? If so, what?
BODY PARAGRAPH # 3
A common theme throughout My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the
idea of self-presentation. This is basically the way in which we
choose to portray ourselves to others and the tactics we employ
in the process (Schlenker & Weigold, 1992). There are several
moments where this aspect can be identified in the movie.
Highlight some
transitional words in
green.
Does the paragraph
162
come to a conclusion at
the end? Y/N
Highlight the concluding
sentence in purple
Body Checklist
Does the paragraph have a
clear topic sentence that states
the main idea? Y/N

First, Toula can be seen changing her appearance by wearing
contacts, putting on makeup, and dressing differently. She is
later shown, with her new look, socializing with others at
college. In another scene Ian tells Toula that he will do
whatever it takes to make her family accept him, including
being baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. Immediately
after Ian is baptized, there is a scene in which he is welcomed
by Toula's entire family. Later on we see a part where Toula's
father complains that he went out of his way to be nice to Ian's
family so they would like him, but they did not seem to respond
to any of his endeavors. All of these are examples of strategic
self-presentation, which consists of the techniques we use to
form other people's impressions of us in order to assure that we
will gain some sort of approval. People tend to have an easier
time accurately presenting themselves, rather than
manufacturing a personality (Pontari & Schlenker, 2000). In a
study done by Pontari and Schlenker in 2000, experimenters
asked subjects who were introverted or extroverted to act in a
manner that either contradicted or was consistent with their true
selves. The subjects were able to do this without a problem.
However, the researches later asked the participants to do the
same thing while keeping an eight-digit number in mind for a
memorization test later on. When assigned with this task,
participants were successfully able to act in accordance with
their true selves, but had difficulties trying to act in a way that
was out of character. In reference to the movie, it can by
hypothesized that Toula's father was not able to make a good
impression upon Ian's parents because he was too preoccupied
with the notion that his daughter was marrying someone outside
163
Highlight the main idea in red
Does that idea clearly support
the thesis statement? Y/N
Does the paragraph have
enough specific support for the
topic sentence or main idea?
Y/N
Highlight the specific support
in yellow.
Does the paragraph analyze the
specific point or example? Y/N
Highlight the analysis in grey.
Does the paragraph flow
smoothly from one sentence to
the next? Y/N
Highlight some transitional
words in green.
Does the paragraph come to a
conclusion at the end? Y/N
Highlight the concluding
sentence in purple.

of their culture. This could have prevented him from presenting
himself as a more tolerant person, which is why Ian's parents
didn’t respond positively to him.
Is there anything missing from the body paragraph as specified
by the checklist? If so, what?
CONCLUSION
The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding shows us how the
responsibilities and expectations that come with cultural
orientation can affect the self. The three principles that have
been discussed in this paper-autobiographical memories, self-
discrepancy, and self-presentation-have all been affected in
some manner by the characters' cultural identifications. This
means that the ideas and values we were raised with play a
critical role in forming how we see ourselves, how we want to
see ourselves, and how we feel about ourselves. Everyday we
interact with people from a variety of different heritages, some
of which have played a stronger role in their lives than others.
It is important for us to take this fact into consideration before
passing judgment on people. For example, we may perceive
someone's enthusiasm for their culture as over-bearing or even
a little inappropriate, when we are really neglecting the fact
that they may have been raised to be very knowledgeable about
and have great pride for their heritage. This person could
define who he is by his ethnicity and might believe that the
best way to gain approval from others is to present himself in a
Conclusion Checklist
164
Does the conclusion relate back
to the thesis statement?
Y/N
Highlight this in yellow.
Does the conclusion reinforce
the main ideas by summarizing
or restating them in a different
way? Y/N
Highlight this in red.
Does the conclusion make a
prediction or call for action?
Y/N Highlight this in green.

manner that is consistent with his heritage. I think it would be
very interesting to conduct research with people who were
raised in the United States and belong to a culture that is very
close-knit or more collectivistic, such as the Greeks. I would
like to see how often events dealing with their cultural
identification are present in their autobiographical memories
and how the expectations of their ethnicity have affected the
discrepancy between who they are and who they want to be.
Other research should be done with people who come from
individualistic cultures, or who do not have a strong cultural
identity, and have been accepted into groups where a great
amount of pride and importance is placed on one's ethnicity.
For example, people who have married into a culture that is
very different from their own should be observed to see if they
present themselves in a different way when socializing with
members of the other culture and analyze how that has
affected their self-esteem. Everyone has been affected
differently by the manner in which they were raised and we
must make an effort to respect and understand these
differences in order to maintain a balance within our society.
Is there anything missing in the conclusion as specified by the
checklist? If so, what?
165
Does the conclusion pose a final
question, create an analogy, use
a powerful quote, or tell a story
to may his/her point? (i.e. use a
different technique than the one
in the introduction)
Y/N
Highlight this in blue.
Overall Evaluation:
Strong paper Adequate paper Inadequate
Check-Plus (√+)_________ Check (√)_______ Check-Minus (√--)________
Note: Taken from Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MICUSP). (2009). Ann
Arbor, MI: The Regents of the University of Michigan.

SWBATS:
The Writing Process Workshop (Lesson 11)
Invention Strategies
Identify and understand the distinct stages of the writing process
Identify, practice, and develop using various invention strategies for generating ideas
during the planning stage of the writing process.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to use invention strategies for a variety of writing tasks.
Materials:
Overhead Projector
Writing Process Slides (1-9)
Handout 1: Utilizing Invention Strategies
Handout 2: Creating an Outline
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes roll Whole Class
5min Review
25min Presentation
40min Activity 1: Invention
Strategies
3min Wrap-Up: Homework
Creating an Outline
(Handout 2)
T asks: “What does the structure
of an argumentative essay look
like?”
T presents “Writing Process”
slides (1-9)
For free-write, clustering,
and cubing, T will give
Ss a few minutes to
practice (as indicated in
each of the slides).
Task 1: T passes out “Utilizing
Invention Strategies” (Handout 1)
to Ss.
Task 2: T instructs Ss to create
two invention strategies as
preparation for Argumentative
Essay.
Task 3: T walks around, monitors
Ss progress, and provides
assistance if necessary.
Task 1: T reminds Ss they will
write first draft of Essay 1 in the
computer lab next class session.
Ss share their
ideas/inputs
Ss take notes and
practice a few of the
invention strategies, as
well as ask any
questions or concerns
that may arise.
Task 1: Ss create two
different invention
strategies as specified
in the handout 2.
Task 2: Ss then reflect
on which invention
strategy they like
better.
Whole class
166

Post SacCT # 3 (see
question below
Task 2: T tells Ss to complete
homework assignment (Handout
2) by writing an effective outline
as preparation for the in-class
essay.
SacCT Journal Entry 3
1. Which invention strategy do you feel most comfortable doing? Why? (Explain in 3-5
sentences)
2. Will you use the same strategy on future assignments? Or, will you try out other
invention strategies? (Explain in 3-5 sentences)
Note: Be sure to comment on at least two other class members’ responses.
167

Writing Process
Planning Stages
1. Planning:
• Generating ideas—creating new ideas
• Organizing ideas— grouping ideas into a
meaningful structure
• Goal-setting—Writer’s goals for the particular
assignment
Pre-Writing (Invention) Strategies
1. Freewrite
2. Loop Writing
3. Listing
4. Clustering
5. Cubing
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Freewrite
• Write for a short period of time.
• Don’t stop writing until the time has expired.
• Never stop to look back, to cross something
out, or how to spell something.
• Put down whatever is in your mind.
• Practice: Let’s free-write for few minutes on
the topic of movies!
Loop-Writing
• Freewrite about a given topic.
• Extract a sentence from the first freewrite.
• This sentence will be used to write the second
frewrite, starting the second loop, and so on.
Listing
Listing involves generation of words, phrases,
and ideas.
Ex. “The Benefits and Challenges of Being a
College Student.”
Benefits Challenges
• independence social responsibility
• Living away from home paying bills
• Freedom to come and go managing time
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Clustering
Classify and cluster ideas, concepts, and
abstractions captured in words and phrases.
Practice clustering your ideas for a few minutes
about the benefits of social networking.
Cubing
.Answer each question below on the topic of
driving and texting in California.
1.Describe: What is it?
2.Compare: What is it similar to? Different?
3.Analyze: How do the two fit together?
4.Associate: What do you associate each with?
5. Apply: How does it apply to our society?
6. Argue: What positions can be argued?
For or Against?
Organizing Ideas
4. Outlining—list your ideas in a meaningful and
organized manner.
* Research shows that outlining can serve as
both an effective prewriting and planning tool
for many writers.
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Utilizing Invention Strategies (Handout 1)
In this activity, you will receive the opportunity to practice using various invention strategies as
preparation for writing the first draft of Project 1 (Argumentative Essay). You may use this to
guide you during the in-class writing of this assignment. Examine the question prompt below for
the argumentative paper and then complete the each task.
Do you agree with Thomas’ argument that there exists reasonable evidence to arrest Pat Ramsey
for the murder connected to her daughter’s death?
Task 1: Pick One Invention Strategy
Read the position statement below and chose ONE pre-writing strategy to help you generate ideas
for Project # 1 Argumentative essay. Generate your ideas on a separate sheet of paper.
Position: You agree with Thomas’ argument and believe there is enough evidence to arrest Pat
Ramsey for the murder connected to her daughter’s death.
Task 2: Pick Another Invention Strategy
Read the position statement below and choose ANOTHER pre-writing strategy other than the one
you created in task 1. Generate your new ideas on a separate sheet of paper.
Position: You disagree with Thomas’ argument and believe that there is not enough evidence to
arrest Pat Ramsey for the murder connected to her daughter’s death.
Task 3: Reflection
1. Which of the two invention strategies do you like better? Why? (Explain in 3-5
sentences)
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Creating an Outline (Handout 2)
The purpose of creating an outline is to show the logical ordering or hierarchical relationship of
information. There are many different ways to create an outline. For example, you may list all of
your ideas down on paper, group related ideas together, order your ideas from general to specific,
or label your ideas into different sections--main and sub headings. Read the essay prompt again
and pick a position you would like to argue for (using the ideas you generated from one of the
two invention strategies in Handout 1). Then organize your ideas by creating an outline as
preparation for the in-class writing. Use the space below to complete this task.
Essay Outline
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SWBATS:
In-Class Writing (Lesson 12)
Practice using some effective writing strategies for generating academic essays.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to set purposes and goals for writing academically.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to organize their essays to support their points of view in
ways that are appropriate to their topic, audience, and purpose.
Materials:
Computer Lab
Project 1: Argumentative Essay Assignment
Assigned class readings for this unit
Handouts 1 & 2: Utilizing Invention Strategies & Creating Effective Outline (last class)
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
70min In-Class Writing T tells Ss that the in-class
writing will not be graded.
Instead, T will use it to
evaluate Ss overall writing
ability. In addition, T tells Ss
that they will have ample
opportunity to revise this inclass
writing throughout the
course of the year.
3min Wrap-up: Homework
Summary-Response Draft B
Read SWH (pp. 49-51)
T reminds Ss to complete all
reading and homework
assignments by next class
session.
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Ss use the computer to
complete the writing
assignment. They can
refer to any of the
assigned class
readings and related
handouts. Once done,
Ss will print out a
copy and give it to T.
Whole class

Peer Review Workshop (Lesson 13)
Goal for entire peer review workshop: To facilitate collaborative learning through the process
of peer review sessions for students to build effective feedback strategies and self-editing skills
(particularly for academic essays) through the implementation of various peer response exercises
and activities.
SWBATs (for Day 1 & 2):
Identify the essential parts of the Introduction and Body paragraphs in an argumentative
essay.
Begin to show evidence of using some effective feedback strategies through various peer
response exercises and activities.
Become more comfortable and confident in providing feedback on other student’s paper.
Begin to show evidence of incorporating their peers’ comments into their own essays.
Materials:
Handout 1: Student Written Sample
Handout 2: Revision Checklist for Introduction
Handout 3: Student Body Paragraph
Handout 4: Revision Checklist for Body Paragraph
Overhead Projector
Day 1
TIME LESSON ACTIVITY TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
3 min Attendance/
Announcement
30min Modeling Activity 1:
Effective Feedback
Strategies
Task 1: T takes roll
Task 2: T collects Summary-
Response Draft B
Task 1: T provides Ss w/ a sample
introductory paragraph of a student’s
writing (Handout 1), and “Revision
checklist for Introduction” (Handout
2)
Task 2: T models effective feedback
strategies on the sample introduction
using the revision checklist and peer
response form (Handout 2), focusing
only on content.
Task 3: After the modeling activity,
T asks two questions:
174
(STUDENT ACTION)
Whole class
Task 1: Ss read sample
paragraph
Task 2: Students
observe and follow
along with T as he
models this activity.
Task 3: Ss respond to
the questions asked by
T.

1.What types of feedback strategies
did I use during the modeling
activity?
2.What types of errors did I provide
feedback on the most?
40min Activity 2: Practice Task 1: T provides sample of a body
paragraph (Handout 3) and revision
checklist and peer response form
(Handouts 4).
2min Wrap-Up: Homework
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
needed.
T reminds Ss to bring in Draft A of
Argumentative Essay for the peer
review session.
175
Ss use the revision
checklist and peer
response form for the
body paragraph to
practice constructing
effective feedback
strategies.
Whole class

Introduction
Student Written Sample (Handout 1)
Do social networking sites help or benefit us in any way, or do they harm us? In the 21 st
century, social networking came into popularity with a big rise coming from mostly the younger
generation. Today that is all you would hear teens talking about, whether you have accounts on
MySpace, Face book, and Twitter. These social networks are free online sites where you can
create your own profile in your liking, and express yourself to your friends or to be able to meet
new people you would like to get to know. Marilyn Rose, a high school teacher with 20 years of
experience argues that by using social networking we simply aren’t developing face-to-face social
skills to create meaningful relationships. Also, she claims that anonymous bullying and impulsive
posting which can lead to destroying relationships, rather than developing them. Rose says that
today’s children are missing the opportunity to develop deep childhood relationships such as their
parents did. I disagree with Marilyn Roses argument, that social networks are destroying our
relationships instead of developing them. In fact, social networking keeps people in touch with
each other, even distant friendships, and can help meet new people to develop meaningful
relationships.
Note: Adapted from Learning Skills 86 Course Materials
176

Essay Revision Checklist for Introduction (Handout 2)
Writer’s Name:________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: ______________________________________________
Part A
Instructions: You will assist your classmates by helping them analyze their introductory
paragraphs. This will also help you to be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the
content areas of your own writing. Before you begin, read the introduction and highlight the
background information in “yellow,” the author’s point of view in “green,” and the thesis in
“blue.” Using the checklist provided to put a “check” next to each requirement needed to make a
successful introductory paragraph.
Introduction (organization):
_______ Provides background information to introduce the topic.
_______ Provides information about the prompt (Author’s point of view).
_______ Responds clearly and completely to the prompt (Agree/disagree).
_______ The essay has a clear thesis (main idea).
_______ The thesis is well supported with several major points or arguments.
Part B
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s draft and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be as specific as possible
when referring to particular parts of the introduction in your own words.
1. What do you like most about the introduction? From the checklist presented above,
choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the introduction is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them better?
4. On a separate sheet of paper, write a short response (3 to 5 sentences) to your partner
explaining how his or her writing can be improved. Begin your letter with your partner’s
name and sign your own name at the end. Remember to “sandwich” any suggestions with
positive comments. Follow this model:
Dear Joe,
Positive comment—1-2
Suggestions (improvements)—2 – 4
Positive comment (encouragement)—1-2
Sincerely,
Bob
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample peer response forms, 2005, p. 238 & 257
177

Student’s Body Paragraph (Handout 3)
Social networking does not destroy face-to-face relationships. However, these social
networking sites improve their face-to-face relationships. In fact, it develops stronger
relationships with distant friends. In the article, “Teenage Social Media Butterflies may not be
such a Bad Idea”, Amari Yee Mikami, a Psychologists from the University of Virginia, says ,
“adolescents are largely using social networking sites to keep in touch with friends they already
know, not to converse with strangers”. I myself have a “Face book”, which I only use to talk to
friends I already know or met in person also, so every friend I have as my friends each of them
have the same mutual friends as I. There is no possible way you are able to be destroying
relationships or coming more distant to your friends by talking to them through a social network
site. In fact, social networking sites increase human interactions with “online” friends that are just
as meaningful.
Note: Adapted from Learning Skills 86 Course Materials
178

Essay Revision Checklist for Body Paragraph (Handout 4)
Writer’s Name:________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: ______________________________________________
Part A
Instructions: You will assist your classmate by analyzing his/her body paragraph. This will help
you to also be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the content areas of your own
writing. Before you begin, read through your classmate’s body paragraph and highlight the topic
sentence in “green,” the supporting details (either reference from the reading or personal
example) in “yellow,” analysis in “blue,” and the concluding sentence in “red.” Using the
checklist below, put a “check” next to each requirement below needed to make a successful body
paragraph.
Body paragraph (organization):
_______ Transition words are used effectively between paragraphs.
_______ Include a clear topic sentence that is directly tied to the thesis statement (main
idea).
_______ The supporting points are developed with ideas from the readings, facts, or other
examples from the writer’s own experiences or observation.
_______ The ideas and facts in the readings have been reported accurately.
_______ The supporting evidence is carefully analyzed.
_______ The conclusion ties the ideas in the body back to the thesis (main idea).
Part B
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s body paragraph and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be as specific as
possible when referring to particular parts of the body paragraph in your own words.
1. What do you like most about the body paragraph? From the checklist presented
above, choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the body paragraph is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them
better?
179

Dear Joe,
4. On a separate sheet of paper, write a short response (3 to 5 sentences) to your partner
explaining how his or her writing can be improved. Begin your letter with your
partner’s name and sign your own name at the end. Remember to “sandwich” any
suggestions with positive comments. Follow this model:
Positive comment—1-2
Suggestions (improvements)—2 – 4
Positive comment (encouragement)—1-2
Sincerely,
Bob
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample peer response forms, 2005, p. 238 & 257
180

Peer Review Session (Lesson 14)
SWBATS: Same objectives (see previous lesson)
Materials:
Handout 1: Revision Checklist & Peer Response Form for Introduction and Body
Paragraphs
Handout 2: Reflection on Peer Review Session
Draft A: Argumentative Essay
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENT ACTION)
2 min Attendance T takes roll Whole Class
50min Peer Review
Session
Task 1: T provides Handout 1 to Ss
(Revision Checklist & Peer Response
Form)
Task 2: T forms Ss into groups of 3 for
peer review session.
Task 3: T instructs Ss to read each
other’s whole paper first and then reread
the introduction and body
paragraphs using the revision checklist
(part A) and peer response questions
(part B) in the Handout 1.
Task 4: T walks around and provides
assistance if needed.
20min Reflection Activity Task 1: After the peer review session, T
passes out reflection activity (Handout
2), where Ss reflect on the peer review
session as a whole, as well as to
specific comments in regards to their
essays made by their classmates.
3min Wrap-Up:
Task 2: T walks around and provides
assistance if needed
T reminds Ss to bring in their Field
Notes and collection of Artifacts as they
will have the entire period next class
session to work on their academic
discourse project w/ their members.
Task 1: Ss get into
groups and exchange
papers.
181
Task 2: Ss read each
other’s paper first and
then provide feedback
using the revision
checklist and peer
response form.
Task 1: Students will
reflect on their
experience by
answering questions on
Handout 2, as well as
write a paragraph about
what was helpful and
not as helpful about
their peers’ comments.
Whole class

Essay Revision Checklist for Introduction & Body Paragraphs (Handout 1)
Writer’s Name:________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: ______________________________________________
Part A: Whole Essay
Exchange papers with your group member and quickly read his/her entire essay. Do not provide
any sort of feedback or stop to use the revision checklists for the introduction and body
paragraphs until you have completely read your partner’s whole essay. Your main goal is to get a
sense of your group member’s main points and ideas before commenting on them. Once you have
completed this task, you may complete parts B, C, & D.
Part B: Introduction
You will assist your classmates by helping them analyze their introduction paragraphs. This will
help you to also be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the content areas of your
own writing. Before you begin, read through their introductory paragraph(s) and highlight the
background information in “yellow,” the author’s point of view in “green,” and the thesis in
“blue.” Use the checklist provided to put a “check” next to each requirement below needed to
make a successful introductory paragraph.
Introduction (organization):
_______ Provides background information to introduce the topic.
_______ Provides information about the prompt (Author’s point of view).
_______ Responds clearly and completely to the prompt (Agree/disagree).
_______ The essay has a clear thesis (main idea).
_______ The thesis is well supported with several major points or arguments.
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s introductory paragraph(s) and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be as
specific as possible when referring to particular parts of the introduction in your own words.
1. What do you like most about your partner’s introduction? From the checklist presented
above, choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the introduction is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them better?
182

Part C: Body Paragraphs
You will assist your classmates by helping them analyze their body paragraphs. This will help
you to also be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the content areas of your own
writing. Before you begin, read through their body paragraphs and highlight the topic sentence in
“green,” the supporting details (either reference from the reading or personal example) in
“yellow,” analysis in “blue,” and the concluding sentence in “red.” Use the checklist provided to
put a “check” next to each requirement below needed to make a successful body paragraph.
Body paragraph (organization):
_______ Transition words are used effectively between paragraphs.
_______ Include a clear topic sentence that is directly tied to the thesis statement (main
idea).
_______ The supporting points are developed with ideas from the readings, facts, or other
examples from the writer’s own experiences or observation.
_______ The ideas and facts in the readings have been reported accurately.
_______ The supporting evidence is carefully analyzed.
_______ The conclusion ties the ideas in the body back to the thesis (main idea).
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s body paragraphs and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Choose one body
paragraph to answer the questions below. Be as specific as possible when referring to particular
parts of the body paragraph in your own words.
1. What do you like most about your partner’s body paragraph? From the checklist
presented above, choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the body paragraph is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them
better?
183

Part D: Constructive Feedback
Dear Joe,
1. On a separate sheet of paper, write a short letter (3 to 5 sentences) to your partner
explaining how his or her writing can be improved. Begin your letter with your
partner’s name and sign your own name at the end. Remember to “sandwich” any
suggestions with positive comments. Follow this model:
Positive comment—1-2
Suggestions (improvements)—2 – 4
Positive comment (encouragement)—1-2
Sincerely,
Bob
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample peer response forms, 2005, pp. 238 & 257.
184

Part I
Reflection on Peer Review Session (Handout 2)
1. What did you learn from reading your classmate’s paper?
2. Now look over your paper and read your peer’s comments. What did he/she say about your
introduction and body paragraphs? Summarize his/her comments in 2-3 sentences.
3. Do you agree with his/her comments? Do you find them helpful? Do you think you will use
them in your revision? Why or why not?
Part II
Write 1 -2 paragraphs on the back side of this paper in which you explain (a) which of your
classmate’s comments you found most helpful and (b) any comments you did not find helpful or
with which you disagree, and (c) your own ideas (from your own rereading and from your peer’s
comments) about what you need to change when you revise the introduction and body
paragraphs.
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample follow-up activities, 2005
185

SWBATS:
Work on Academic Discourse Project (Lesson 15)
Work collaboratively in groups to evaluate and analyze research data collection.
Show evidence of integrating their own ideas with those of others.
Materials:
Field notes (includes observation and interview notes)
Collection of Artifacts
Writing Assignment: Academic Discourse Community Project
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
70min Activity: Academic
Discourse Project
3 min Wrap-up
Task 1: T tells Ss that they have the
whole class time to evaluate and
analyze their research data collection
w/ their group members.
Task 2: T tells Ss to take out the
“Academic Discourse Community
Project” assignment sheet and use the
questions specified in each of the
sections (Field notes, Interview, &
Artifacts) to guide them in evaluating
and analyzing the data collected.
Task 3: T walks around and monitors
Ss progress and provide assistance by
spending at least 5 minutes w/ each
group
T reminds Ss that they will meet in
the computer lab next class session to
use online Corpus
186
Ss get into their
groups and work
together to evaluate
and analyze their
research data
collection using the
questions specified in
each of the sections of
the “Academic
Discourse Community
Project” assignment.
Whole class

SWABTS:
Introduction to Corpus Research (Lesson 16)
Identify and practice using online corpus for research and writing purposes.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to develop another strategy for revising, editing, and
proofreading one’s own writing.
Materials:
Computer Lab
Handout 1: Corpus: An Introduction
Handout 2: Using Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)
Handout 3: Using Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MICUSP)
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance/
Announcement
Task 1: T takes attendance.
Task 2: T collects Argumentative
paper draft A.
Whole class
50min Introduction to Task 1: T goes over “Introduction Task 1: Ss read Handout 1
COCA: Tutorial
Activity
to Corpus (Handout 1) w/ Ss. and follow along w/ T.
Task 2: T gives Ss Handout 2 Task 2: Ss carefully
(Using COCA). T instructs Ss to complete all steps as
read and complete all steps as part
of the corpus tutorial.
specified in Handout 2.
Task 3: Using COCA, Ss
Task 3: T instructs Ss to complete are required to research
“Application: Data-Driven something in the English
Learning” section on the same Language they want to
Handout 2.
find out more about.
Task 4: Ss share their
Task 4: As a whole class , we ideas/inputs about the
discuss the benefits of using benefits of using online
COCA to improve Ss writing. corpus.
20min Introduction to
MICUSP:
Tutorial Activity
3min Wrap-Up:
Task 1: T gives Ss Handout 3
(Using MICUSP). T instructs Ss
to read and complete all steps.
Task 2: As a whole class, we
discuss the benefits of using
MICUSP.
T reminds Ss that next class will
be an editing workshop.
Task 1: Ss carefully
complete all steps as
specified in handout 2.
187
Task 2: Ss share their
ideas/inputs about benefits
of using MICUSP.
Whole class

What is corpus?
Corpus: An Introduction (Handout 1)
Corpus is a large collection of natural-language texts used for analysis.
A) Online COCA:
searchable 400 + million word corpus of American English
5 major registers
Spoken discourses (conversation)
Academic prose (scholarly journal articles, university textbook)
Newspaper
Magazines
Fiction
B) MICASE
collection of nearly 1.8 million words of academic language across disciplines
2 major registers
Academic spoken discourse
Academic prose
C) MICUSP
a collection of around 830 “A” grade papers (full-texts).
Paper Types
Argumentative essay
Creative writing
Critique/Evaluation
Research paper
Proposal
Report
Response paper
4 major academic departments
Humanities and Arts
Social Sciences
Biological and Health Sciences
Physical Sciences
What are the benefits of using corpus?
Identify grammatical features that are especially common or rare.
Find the most accurate vocabulary usage
Identify common pattern between words/phrases (collocation)
Find differences in use among registers
188

Handout 2: Using Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)
Step 1: Tutorial & Registration
Go to corpus.byu.edu and click on COCA. It will take you to the introduction page.
Read the Introduction (5 paragraphs long) to the right of the screen about American Corpus.
When you get to the last paragraph take the five minute guided tour by clicking on the “five
minute tour guided tour.”
After the five minute guided tour, click on Register button at the top right corner. It will take you
to the data form page, where you will be required to fill out the form.
Type in your full name and address
Type in your password
Type in your status as “student (undergraduate)”
After you fill out the form, press the Submit button. Then check your email and click on the link
in the email to complete your registration.
Type in your e-mail address and password to log-in and use COCA.
Step 2: Practice Performing Your Own Searches
I. Frequency, Distribution, & Concordances
In the left-hand column, select Chart, then write in the word “tool.” At the bottom of the
window, click on the Search button. It will take you to the frequency and distribution chart.
Register Awareness
1. Which of the 5 registers (spoken, fiction, magazine, newspaper, and academic) is the
word “tool” used most frequently in?
2. Which of the 5 registers is the word “tool” least commonly used in?
Now click on the bar for Academic, and you’ll get the first 100 concordances examples of “tool”
from a variety of different genres.
How to use Concordances
Left Collocate is a word or part of speech that frequently occurs to the left of the target word.
Looking at the first 100 concordance of “tool,” what part of speech frequently occurs to the left of
“tool?”
189

Right Collocate is a word or part of speech that frequently occurs to the right of the target word.
Looking at the first 100 concordance of “tool” again, what part of speech frequently occurs to the
right of “tool?”
II. Comparing Two Words for Vocabulary Development
In the left-hand column, select Compare and write in the words “affect” and “effect.”At the
bottom of the window, hit the Search button. It will show a screen to the right with the top 100
words that frequently appear with the words “affect and “effect.”
What are the top ten words that frequently appear with “affect?” Write them down here.
What are the top ten words that frequently appear with “effect? Write them down here.
Then select chart again, and type “effect” and press the Search button.
What register is “affect” most used in?
Now click on the bar for Academic, and you’ll get the first 100 concordances for “affect.”
1. Looking at the first 100 concordances, what do you think is the meaning of affect?
(Consider its part of speech and words/phrases that surround the targeted word.)Write
your conclusions down here by using the evidence displayed in the concordances (1-2
sentences).
Now do the same for “effect.”
What register is “effect” most used in?
Now click on the bar for Academic, and you’ll get the first 100 concordance for “effect.”
2. Looking at the first 100 concordances, what do you think is the meaning of effect?
190

(Consider its part of speech and words/phrases that surround the targeted word). Write your
conclusions down here by using the evidence displayed in the concordances (1-2 sentences).
Application: Data-Driven Learning
You are now familiar with using online corpora. Now pick something else in English that you
have always wanted to know more about but never had the chance (or time) to research it. For
example, it can be a new vocabulary word you recently heard of, or simply knowing the
difference between two phrases such as “on line” and “in line,” or even understanding the
meaning of idioms like “take the cake” and “shoulder surfing.”
Task 1: What is it that you want to know more about in English? Write this in the form of a
question in the space below. For example, if you want to know more about the difference between
“on line” and “in line,” then you would frame it as “What is the difference between “on line”
and “in line?”
A.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Task 2: Researching using online corpus COCA
B. What did you discover from using COCA? Did it answer your question? (Summarize this in 2-
3 sentences)
191

Handout 3: Using Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MCUSP)
Step 1: Tutorial
Go to: micusp.elicorpora.info
Scroll down for a tutorial on how to use MICUSP and click on “MICUSP Simple
Tutorials.” You will watch a short video tutorial that introduces you to the MICUSP,
showing you how to browse MICUSP papers
After the tutorial, click on “Search and browse MICUSP SIMPLE online now!”
Step 2: Exploring MICUSP SIMPLE
In the left hand column, click on “Argumentative Essay” for Paper Types.
Look at the Distribution Across Discipline chart. What discipline does this type of writing occur
most frequently in?
Look at the Distribution Across Paper Types chart. What is this paper type percentage across
discipline? And where is it ranked with other paper types?
In the left hand column, click on “English” for Disciplines.
Look at the Distribution Across Paper Types chart. What is this paper type percentage in this
field? Where does it rank with other paper types in this field?
Now click on “ENG. G0.05.1”” for Paper ID and Title “People or Property?” A sample essay
will appear along with a description of the student level, gender, native speaker status, paper type,
and word count.
Use your pre-reading skills (scanning and skimming) to examine the student’s essay. How does
the student incorporate his/her sources into the essay? Does he/she summarize, paraphrase, or
directly quote them in his/her paper?
192

Does the student provide a Works Cited page at the end of his/her paper? If so, how many sources
does he/she includes in this essay?
What are some benefits for using MICUSP to improve your writing skills? (Explain in 2sentences)
193

SWBATS:
Editing Workshop I: Sentence Boundaries (Lesson 17)
Fragments, Run-ons, Comma-splices
Identify and develop various and flexible strategies for editing and proofreading student’s
own writing.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to edit their work for appropriate grammar and
mechanics
Begin to demonstrate the ability to develop syntactic maturity and sentence clarity,
specifically in regards to forming grammatically complete sentences.
Materials:
Handout 1: Concordances
Handout 2: How-to-Fix Guide
Handout 3: Exercises 1 (Editing Own Writing)
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
5min Attendance/
Announcements
Task 1: T takes attendance
Task 2: T tells Ss teacher-student
conference is held in week 12 and
passes out sign-up sheet. T also tells
Ss to bring their log-in sheet (10
hours required), Project 1 Draft B,
and their potential research topic for
the Project 2.
Whole class
20min Activity I:
Task 1: T passes out concordances Task 1: In groups, Ss
Concordances
w/ questions (Handout 1) and examine concordances
instructs Ss to get into groups to and answer the
Note: Inductive complete the concordance activity. questions on Handout
Approach
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
necessary.
1.
30min Presentation: How-to-
Fix Guide
Note: Guide Sheet
(Adapted Roberta J.
Ching, CSUS 2008)
Task 3: As a whole class, T asks Ss
to discuss findings.
Task 1: T presents Handout 2
(Guide sheet for correcting
fragments, run-ons, and comma
splices). While doing this, T has Ss
correct incorrect sentences by
writing them in the blank lines
194
Task 2: Ss share their
findings w/ the whole
class.
Task 1: Ss read the
guide sheet and
correct each incorrect
sentence by writing
the correct sentences
in the lines provided

20min Activity 2: Edit Own
Writing
3min Wrap-up:
Read “Fundamental
Issues to Prevent and
End Youth
Homelessness”
Read Ira Colby (2001)
Due: Project 1
Argumentative Essay
Draft A
provided on the same Handout.
Task 2: As a whole class, T goes
over correct sentences w/ Ss.
Task 1: T instructs Ss to complete
“Exercise 1: Editing Your Own
Work” (Handout 3)
Task 2: T walks around and
provides assistance if needed.
T reminds Ss that Project 1
Argumentative Essay is due next
class session and to read the two
articles about youth homelessness.
on Handout 2.
Task 2: Ss share w/
class correct
sentences.
Ss are required to
pick a paragraph
from their own
argumentative essay
and edit their own
writing, looking for
fragments, run-ons,
and comma splices.
Whole class
195

Concordances (Handout 1)
Here are some examples of sentences shown in a variety of academic genres taken from COCA.
Look at the table below and answer the following questions. Pay careful attention to the bolded
and underlined words/phrases.
Table 1:
Concordances
The doctor put a cold stethoscope on her chest. (A Journal of Delta Studies)
He runs downstairs holding a stick. (Scholastic Scope)
Students in guitar class should learn to play, read, and improvise single melodic lines in various
styles. (Music Educators Journal)
When I first arrived, the country still looked like it was at war. (American Scholar)
The engineers claimed that the bridge was safe; however, they were still not prepared to risk
crossing. (Science)
Note: Concordances taken from COCA
Questions
1. Look for the “subject” in these sentences. Where is it located? Does it come before the
verb?
2. Look for the verb(s). Where is it located? Does it come before or after the subject? Now
look for the phrase that comes after the verb? We call this phrase the “predicate” of the
sentence. What does the predicate contain?
3. Is there a comma, semi-colon, or colon in any of the sentences? If so, where is it located
in the sentence? What words come before and after?
196

4. Is there a period, question mark, or exclamation mark? Where is it located? What words
come before and after?
5. Now, can you come up with a general pattern of how the sentences above are formed
structurally?
Reflection
Do you think each of the above sentences contains a complete and grammatical thought? Explain
in 2-3 sentences using what you found in the concordances above.
197

How-to-Fix Guide (Handout 2)
Instructions: Read the sections on Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices below and edit each
of the incorrect sentences by writing the correct sentences in the blank lines provided.
Subordinate Clause Fragments
Sentence Fragments
A clause that begins with a subordinating word such as when, because, although, while, or if
cannot stand on its own as a sentence. It must be attached to a main clause so it is part of
complete sentence.
Incorrect: Even though hiring attractive people is not illegal. Discrimination is.
(“Even though” is a subordinating phrase that introduces a subordinate clause. The
subordinate clause forms a fragment unless it is joined to a main clause.)
Correct: ___________________________________________________________________
Correcting -ing and to Fragments
When an -ing word or a to phrase appears at or near the start of a word group, a fragment may
result. To correct these fragments, you can sometimes add the fragment to a complete sentence.
Incorrect: Hiring people who can be “brand enhancers.” That is necessary and smart.
(“Hiring” is a noun formed from the verb “hire.” It is a subject and needs to be connected to
the sentence that follows, which provides the verb “is.” Eliminate “that” because it refers to
“hiring.”)
Correct: ____________________________________________________________________
Correcting Added Information Fragments
Added information fragments lack a subject and a verb. They usually add a detail to the preceding
sentence and often begin with one of the following words.
• such as • including • except • for example • especially
You can correct an added detail fragment by attaching the fragment to the complete sentence
preceding or following it.
Incorrect: The company uses an aggressive approach. For example, recruiting attractive customers
as they shop.
Correct: _____________________________________________________________________
198

Sometimes a subordinate clause with a subject and verb follows a noun that is part of the added
information. A fragment is still the result.
Incorrect: The company uses an aggressive approach. An effort that officials proudly
acknowledge.
(The added information is not part of a main clause. It needs to be joined to the preceding
sentence.)
Correct: _____________________________________________________________________
Correcting Missing Subject Fragments
In this type of fragment, the sentence is missing a subject. To correct the fragment, you can attach
the fragment to the preceding sentence (if the verb goes with the subject of the preceding
sentence).
Incorrect: The director denied discriminating. But admitted that the company liked to hire
people who “looked great.”
Correct: _______________________________________________________________
Run-on Sentences and Comma splices
A sentence must have a main clause with a subject and a verb. It may have more than one main
clause (a compound sentence) or a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses (a complex
sentence). A run-on sentence occurs when two sentences (two main clauses) are punctuated as
though they form a single sentence. There are two types of run-on sentences:
• Two sentences that are joined with no punctuation
• Two sentences that are joined with only a comma
Both of these situations produce an error: a “run-on sentence.” The following is an example of
a run-on sentence.
Incorrect: Hiring attractive people isn’t illegal discriminating is.
(Two sentences are joined together without any punctuation between them.)
Correct: _________________________________________________________________
Correcting Run-On Sentences
1.Make a separate sentence out of each main clause:
Ex. Hiring attractive people isn’t illegal. Discriminating is.
2. Combine the clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. This method is useful
when you have two ideas of equal importance and you want to show the relationship
between them:
199

Ex. Hiring attractive people isn’t illegal, but discriminating is.
3. Make one clause a subordinate clause. This is an effective way to solve the problem if one of
the clauses is less important than the other.
Although hiring attractive people isn’t illegal, discriminating is.
4. Combine the clauses with a semicolon (;). This method is effective when the two clauses are
very closely related and you don’t want to break them up with another word. Be careful to
use semicolons only when the ideas are closely related; don’t use them simply as an
alternative to periods.
Hiring attractive people isn’t illegal; discriminating is.
5.Combine the clauses with a semicolon and a transition word followed by a comma. This
method is also useful when you have two equally important ideas, and you want to show
their logical relationship.
Hiring attractive people isn’t illegal; however, discriminating is.
(Adapted from Robert Ching’s “A Text-Based Grammar for Expository Reading and Writing,”
2008)
200

Handout 3
Exercise 1: Editing your own writing
Directions: Choose a paragraph from your argumentative essay. Underline the fragments and
correct the fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices.
• Put a question mark in the margin next to any sentences that you are unsure about.
• Exchange your paragraph with a partner and discuss the errors. Check with your teacher if you
can’t agree on an answer.
• Now edit the rest of your essay and correct the fragments and run-on sentences.
(Adapted from Robert Ching’s “A Text-Based Grammar for Expository Reading and Writing,”
2008)
201

SWBATS:
American Social Public Policy: Youth Homelessness (Lesson 18)
Demonstrate the ability to support their point of view (argument/claim) in ways that are
appropriate to their topic, audience, and purpose.
Demonstrate the ability to develop critical thinking skills for the purpose of writing
argumentative papers
Materials:
Video Clip: “Voices from the Streets: Homelessness Youth Speak Out on State Policy”
Assignment Sheet: Project # 2 Public Policy Research paper
Handout 1: Analyzing and Comparing a Set of Readings
Handout 2: Class Debate “Pros and Cons”
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
5min Attendance/ Task 1: T takes attendance and hands Task 1: Ss may ask any
Announcement out Project # 2 Public Policy Research questions or raise any
paper
Task 2: T goes over Project # 2,
highlighting the service learning aspect
of the assignment.
concern about Project #
2
7min Introduction:
Youth
Homelessness
13min Activity 1:
Analyzing and
Comparing a Set
of Readings.
Task 3: T collects Argumentative Essay
Draft A
Task 1: T asks Ss if they know a family
member or friend who is homeless.
Task 2: T plays video clip # 1: “Voices
from the Streets: Homelessness Youth
Speak Out on State Policy” (6:51 min)
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmHHcv
-SLVE&feature=relmfu)
Task 1: T tells Ss to complete
“Analyzing and Comparing a Set of
Readings”(Handout 1)
Task 2: T walks around, monitors
students’ progress, and provides
assistance if necessary.
Task 2: Ss turn in
Argumentative Essay
Task 1: Ss share their
experiences or
observations about
homelessness
Task 2: Ss watch and
take notes
202
Task 1: Ss use Handout
1 to analyze and
compare two sets of
readings dealing with
the issue of
homelessness.

50min Activity 2: Class
Debate
Task 2: T walks around, monitors
students’ progress, and provides
assistance if necessary.
Task 1: T splits class into team A (for),
and team B (against) and hands out
“Debate” assignment (Handout 1)
Task 2: T explains the rules. To receive
a point, each team member must use
evidence/examples from the readings or
personal experience or observation to
support his/her argument. T gives each
team 10 minutes to prepare.
Task 3: T starts class debate. During
debate T keeps track of points for each
team.
*T will bring in treats next class session
for the team that wins!
203
Task 2: Ss then
compare their answers
w/ another classmate.
Task 1: Ss first
collaborate w/ other
members in the group
and then come up w/
arguments for their
respective side.
Task 2: During the
debate, some of the
members in each group
will present their
arguments to the whole
class.

Analyzing and Comparing a Set of Readings (Handout 1)
Questions Reading 1: “Fundamental Issues
to Prevent and End Youth
Homelessness”
1.What is the topic
or issue discussed
in the two readings?
(1-2 sentences)
2. What is the main
idea? Use your own
words (paraphrase)
to express the
article’s main idea.
3. What are the
most important
points/ideas each
article makes? (list
2-4)
4. Do you agree or
disagree with these
points/ideas? Why?
1.
2.
3.
4
Reading 2: “Runaway and
Throwaway Youth: Time for
Policy Changes & Public
Responsibility”
1.
2.
3.
4.
204

Class Debate: Pros & Cons (Handout 2)
Classroom debates allow you to strengthen your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You
will use the assigned readings as well as your own personal experience or observation to assist
you in developing a well-developed argument for this topic. The debate topic and position
statements are outlined below.
Debate Topic:
Should the Government take full responsibility to help end youth homelessness?
For this debate, you will randomly be selected into your assigned team. Once you are assigned to
a team, you will first collaborate with your group members (using the Pro & Con chart below)
and then present your argument to the whole class during the class debate. Representatives from
each group will have to stand up and express their viewpoints. Each representative will have
approximately 2-3 minutes to present his/her argument.
Position Statement
Team A: For (Pro). Yes, the government should take full responsibility
Team B: Against (Con). No. the government should not take full responsibility.
PRO CON
205

SWBATS:
Research Process: Finding a Research Topic (Lesson 19)
Identify and understand the processes involved in writing research.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to develop focused research topics and questions for
academic writing.
Materials:
Handout 1: Research Process
Handout 2: Developing a Research Topic From SL Experience
Handout 3: Potential Research Topic
Laptop (Ss check one out from the library)
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
20min Introduction:
Research
Process
Developing a
research topic
Note: Handout 1 adapted
from Booth, et al.’s The
Craft of Research, 2008
50min Activity 1: Develop
Own Research Topic
3min Wrap-Up:
Task 1: T passes out “Research
Process” (Handout 1) and
“Developing a Research Topic”
(Handout 2).
Task 2: Using both handouts, T
summaries the research process
and explains to Ss how to develop
research topics as preparation for
Project # 2 Public Policy paper.
Task 1: Using Handout 3
(Potential Research Topic), T
instructs Ss to develop possible
research topics for their own
Public Policy paper.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors
Ss progress, and provides
assistance if needed.
T asks Ss if they have any
questions or concerns about their
research topic
206
Task 1: Ss follow
along while T
summarizes both
handouts. Ss may raise
any questions or
concerns.
Ss use the chart in
Handout 3 and access
the internet to find
ways to narrow and
focus their research
topics.
Ss ask questions and
raise concerns about
their research topic

The Research Process (Handout 1)
One important factor in doing college level research is thinking about and using the steps in the
research process. The steps illustrated in this process can be repeated or reordered, depending on
your research needs.
INVESTIGATE
207
The first step is investigating. This involves identifying what it is you need to
research, understanding the requirements of the assignment, and stating your
research need as either a focused research question or thesis statement.
The second step is searching and locating the information. In this step, you’ll
choose keywords from your research topic, and use these in catalogs and databases
to find books and articles on your topic either in the library or online at the school
site.
Once you obtain the information you need, the next step is evaluating the quality
of that information (detailed more in-depth during week 11)
The final step is integrating the information you’ve just identified, found, and
evaluated for your research purpose. This might be a paper, speech, presentation, or
research project. In this step, you will communicate what you found to a particular
rhetoric situation.
SEARCH
&
LOCATE
Research Process
EVALUATE
INTEGRATE
Note: Adapted from Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., & Williams, J.M. (2008). The Craft of
Research. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press.

Developing a Research Topic from your SL Experience (Handout 2)
Identifying a Research Topic
Find a research topic you want to know more about in your service learning experience for your
public policy research paper. Your chosen topic for this research paper must deal with current
social issues that affect the community in which you serve in one of the areas of health care,
human services, criminal justice, inequality, education, and labor.
1. Brainstorming: One of the most effective ways to find a research topic of interest is to
brainstorm your ideas on a piece of paper. When you brainstorm, you are generating new
ideas. When you are generating new ideas, you are generating new potential research
topics.
2. Preliminary stages of research: Once you have your ideas on a piece of paper, you
should research more about these ideas from a variety of sources. This initial research
process should help you find a topic of interest for your research paper. The steps are
listed below.
Step 1: Consult with your site supervisor about possible research topics and ideas
Step 2: Utilize your service learning field notes
Step 3: Gather more information about your organization via internet or from
collection of written artifacts at the site (i.e., monthly newsletter, mission
statement, etc.)
From a Broad Topic to a Narrowed and Focused Topic
At this point, your topic is probably too broad. You need to start narrowing the topic. Narrowing
your topic is integrated with a lot of library research and asking more questions about it. As you
begin to understand more about your topic, you will begin asking more questions about the topic,
thereby helping to narrow your topic.
1. Extensive Library Research: At this point you should conduct in-depth library research
about your research topic in regards to its historical, political, social, and cultural climate.
In other words, research everything you want to know about the topic.
Use Eureka & online databases provided by CSUS (explained more in-depth during
next class session)
2. Asking more questions: During your extensive library research process you will begin to
ask more questions about the topic that will eventually lead to more questions. These new
questions will help you narrow and focus your topic.
208

Activity 1: Develop Your own Research Topic
Potential Research Topic (Handout 3)
1. Use the chart below and come up with a broad topic for your Public Policy Research
paper and narrow it by using ONE invention strategy (i.e. freewrite, brainstorm, listing,
clustering, cubing, questioning, outlining etc.), as well as the general data collected from
your SL experience.
Broad Topic
Generate Ideas
*use one
invention
strategy
SL Experience
*use your field
notes
Possible
Narrowed Topic
209

2. After you have narrowed your topic, use your laptop to go on the Internet and gather
more information about the topic. This will help you to focus your topic. Use the
information gathered from the internet to help you ask even more questions, and, finally,
arrive at a “potential” focused topic.
Extensive Research
(using the internet)
Asking More
Questions
Focused Topic
210

Library Research Tour (Lesson 20)
1. Teacher will take the students to visit the library on campus for a day. Once there, the
librarian will show the students how to access CSUS Eureka catalog. During the tutorial,
the librarian will show the students how to search and locate books in the library, renew
items checked out, and place a hold on books they want (15-20min)
2. Next, the librarian will show the students how to access online databases from CSUS
main website. During the tutorial, the librarian will show the students how to access
recommended discipline-specific databases and search for scholarly articles related to the
students’ research topics. The librarian will then provide students with some effective
search tips on how to narrow broad topics (30-35min)
3. Finally, students will use these recommended discipline-specific databases to search for
scholarly articles related to their research topics. (20min)
211

Teacher-Student Conferences (Lesson 21)
1. For these two class sessions, students will be required to meet w/ the teacher face-to-face
in the classroom. During the conference, the teacher will assist each student with his/her
research topic in regards to the public policy research paper.
2. Each student will be allotted about 7 minutes to conference w/ Teacher.
3. During the conference, students are required to turn in a preliminary bibliography for the
public policy research paper (as listed on the course syllabus), along with a copy of their
service learning log-in sheet (10 out of the 20 required hours) and Draft B of Project 1
Argumentative paper.
4. Sign-up sheet and guidelines for this conference will be given to the students at the end of
week 8.
212

SWBATS:
Evaluating Sources (Lesson 22)
Identify and practice evaluating sources appropriately
Begin to demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate scholarly sources from nonscholarly
sources.
Materials:
Handout 1: Criteria for Evaluating Sources
Handout 2: Source Evaluation Worksheet
Variety of scholarly and non-scholarly texts
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENT ACTION)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
15-
20min
Presentation:
Evaluating Sources
50min Activity 1: Evaluating
Sources w/ Scholarly
and non-scholarly
materials
3min Wrap-Up: Homework
Read SWH (pp.94-105)
Post SacCT # 5 (see
question below)
T goes over evaluating sources
using Handout 1 (Criteria for
Evaluating Sources) as a guide.
Note: Handout1(Adapted from
B. Doyle, 1999)
Task 1: T hands out “Source
Evaluation
Worksheet”(Handout 2)
Task 2: T brings in a variety of
scholarly and non-scholarly
texts for Ss to select from. Ss
must use the worksheet to
evaluate the source.
Task 3: As a whole class, Ss
share how they evaluate each
text.
T reminds Ss to post SacCT #
5, as well as complete the
reading assignment.
Ss read handout and
follow along w/ T.
Task 1: Ss read
worksheet.
213
Task 2: Ss pick two texts
(one academic & one
popular) to evaluate while
completing worksheet.
Task 3: Ss first share
what they found w/ the
person next to them and
then to the whole class, as
well as ask any questions
or concerns about how to
evaluate texts
appropriately.
Whole class

Choosing a research topic:
SacCT Journal Entry 5
1. What is your research topic? And is it related to your service learning experience? If so,
how is it related? (Explain in 4-6 sentences)
Note: Your research topic should relate to your service learning experience. If not, then you must
find another topic that better suits your service learning experience. I suggest you talk to your site
supervisor or contact me if you are having difficulty choosing a relevant research topic.
Alternative question:
If you do not have a topic that is related to your service learning experience, then you
should tell me why it is not related (explain in 4-6 sentences). Hopefully by doing this
you will come to realize how different your research topic is to your service learning
experience and you will consider picking a different research topic.
Evaluating sources:
2. What kind of sources do you think will be most appropriate for your research topic? And
where will you locate them? (Explain in 3-5 sentences)
Note: Be sure to comment on at least two other class members’ responses.
214

Criteria for Evaluating Sources (Handout 1)
Regardless of where you "do" your research--the library, Internet, surveys, personal interviews,
even information gathered from your service learning experience--you should evaluate both the
source of your information and the information you gather. Below is a list of criteria that can help
determine whether or not a source is useful for your research paper.
Accurate: How complete and accurate is the information?
Print Sources (i.e. Books, Journals,
Newspapers, Magazines)
What are the author’s research
methods?
Are facts and statistics confirmed by
research or studies?
Does the author cite other research
(footnotes or bibliography)?
Have other scholars cited this piece of
work?
Current: Is the information current enough?
Print Sources (i.e. Books, Journals,
Newspapers, Magazines)
What is the copyright date?
When was the piece of work
published?
How current are the sources listed in
the bibliography?
Web Sites
215
Does the information seem reasonable
or verifiable?
Are facts and statistics confirmed by
research or studies?
Does the information match other
information source (i.e. print
sources)?
Web Sites
When was the site created?
When was it last updated?
Is the site maintained and updated
frequently?
Do links still work?
Note: The "facts" change: whether it's history, politics, medicine, science or even the weather.
New information or evidence contradicts old "facts".
Reputable: Is the author or sponsoring organization reputable?
Print Sources (i.e. Books, Journals,
Newspapers, Magazines)
Who is the author, publisher, or
responsible organization?
Are qualifications or credentials of the
responsible party stated?
What are the author’s credentials? Is
he/she a specialist in the field?
Who is the publisher? Is it a university
Web Sites
Is the author or organization
identified?
Is there biographical information
about the author or organization?
What are the author’s credentials?
Is the site sponsored by an institution
or organization?

press, commercial publisher, a trade
association, the government, or is it
self-published?
In what type of periodical does the
article appear? Is it a scholarly journal,
a trade journal, or a popular magazine?
Appropriate: Is the information relevant to your research topic?
216
Where is the document published?
(Check URL, see evaluating electronic
sources section below for more details)
You and your instructor are the best people to determine if a source is appropriate for your
research. Many writing projects need research that is more detailed and precise. Make sure that
the source is a known scholar, publication, organization, etc. in a field appropriate to your
research topic. Before using a source ask yourself first if this source is relevant (or related) to
your research topic.
Evaluating Electronic Sources
Unlike printed sources of information--which most often go through a lengthy evaluation and
editing process--electronic sources may be posted by anyone. There are clues which help you
identify potentially useful sources, such as who's responsible for maintaining the web site,
whether it is a personal web page (/~), a government site (.gov), a professional organization or
society (.org), or a business (.com). Here are some domain names to look out for:
.com - this is the most popular domain name. The fact that it is easily recognizable makes it
attractive to both business and non-business interests. Anyone can register under this domain.
.org - anyone can also register under the .org domain, though, it is used most frequently by
nonprofit organizations.
.edu - this domain is used by educational institutions.
.gov - the use of this domain denotes that it is a government site. Both state and national
government sites use the .gov domain.
Note: It is best to approach these domain names with the understanding that the .com domain is
used for commercial websites, whereas .edu and .gov are tied to institutions and thus are more
appropriate and credible for academic work, and probably for your research topic.
Note: Adapted from North of Boston Library Exchange
http://www.noblenet.org/merrimack/FYS_eval.pdf

Author(s):
Source Evaluation Worksheet (Handout 2)
Source Information
Document Title: (article, web page, chapter, entry…)
Source Title: (book, journal, magazine, website…)
Publisher (host / sponsor if website):
Publisher Location / Website URL:
Publication Date:______________________ Access Date (website): ______________
Credibility
Author: Academic credentials:__________________________________________________
Publisher/Host:
Affiliation(s):________________________________________________________
____university press ____ professional society ____ non-profit organization
____government agency ____commercial publisher ____ other corporation/business
____self-published
Is this a reputable source? (Explain in 1-2 sentences.)
Currency
Copy Right Date______________ Date of Published_________________
How current are the sources in the bibliography? ____still relevant ____outdated
217

What best describes this information:
Accuracy
___ formal report of a study ___ news / feature by interested
amateur
___ fact sheet / data / statistics ___ anecdote / personal experience
___ news / feature article by journalist ___ fiction
___ opinion piece: expert? journalist? amateur? ___ other:
Purpose: ___Inform ___Persuade ___Satirize ___Amuse ___Sell___Other
Are facts and statistics confirmed by research or studies? Y/N
Does the author cite other research (footnotes or bibliography)? Y/N
Documentation: ____ sources cited formally ___ sources mentioned in text but cited formally
____none
How are the writing, grammar and spelling? ____ Excellent ____ Adequate ____Flawed
Appropriateness/Relevancy:
1. Is this an acceptable information source for an academic research paper? Why or why
not? Explain in 3-5 sentences.
218

SWBATS:
Integrating Sources (Lesson 23)
Identify and practice integrating sources appropriately
Begin to demonstrate the ability to accurately integrate sources by using a variety of
writing strategies (i.e. quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing)
Materials:
Handout 1: How to Integrate Sources (A Guide)
Handout 2: Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
20min Presentation:
Integrating Sources
50min Activity 2: Quoting,
Paraphrasing, &
Summarizing
3min Wrap-Up
T goes over w/ Ss how to integrate
sources using Handout 1(How to
Integrate Sources) as a guide.
Note: Handout 1 adapted from
Gordon Harvey, Writing with Sources
(Hackett
Publishing Company, Inc, 2008)
Task 1: T instructs Ss to complete the
“Quoting, Paraphrasing, &
Summarizing” (Handout 2)
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
needed.
Task 3: As a whole class T goes over
the Handout 2 w/ Ss.
T reminds Ss to bring in Public Policy
Draft A for peer review next class
session.
219
Ss read handout and
follow along w/ T,
while he summarizes
how to integrate
sources appropriately.
Task 1: Ss practice
how to quote,
paraphrase, and
summarize information
accurately in Handout
2.
Task 2: Ss share their
answers to the whole
class.
Whole class

How to Integrate Sources: A Guide (Handout 1)
Three Ways to Integrate Sources
1. Direct Quotation: A direct quotation is the use of the author’s exact words in your essay.
When you use a direct quotation, indicate this by putting the author’s words in quotation marks.
2. Summary: When using a summary in your essay, you condense a lengthy source to just a few
sentences or a short paragraph of your own words. If you use any words from the source in your
summary, you must put those words in quotation marks.
3. Paraphrase: Paraphrasing is somewhat similar to summarizing; you put a source’s ideas into
your own words. The main difference, though, is that a paraphrase is around the same length as
the original source while a summary is a shortened version of a source.
Provide Titles and Credentials of Authors!
Enhance your ethos by making clear why sources are credible. Provide information geared to
your audience’s needs and background knowledge. For example:
Professor of Library and Information Science William J. Cox
Albert Joseph, Vera Heinz Professor of Sociology,
Donna Loan Smith, women's studies scholar,
Experienced arbiter Elizabeth Johnson
Popular attorney Richard E. Baldwin
Renowned Pittsburgh symphony cellist James Greer
Use signal phrases!
The signal phrase alerts your readers that a source is coming, whether it’s a quotation, summary,
or paraphrase. The signal phrase mentions the author and/or text of the source you are using—
namely, source author + verb (e.g., Smith contends). Choose the tense for your signal phrase
verb based on the citation style you will be using (either MLA or APA). Do not overuse
“says.”Use other verbs in place of “says”. Here are some examples:
Analytical and Informative: comments, notes, reports, observes, responds, points out, suggests,
implies, compares, illustrates, adds, writes, advises, concludes, confirms, criticizes, discusses,
explains, reveals,
Argumentative: admits, argues, claims, declares, disputes, insists, rejects, asserts, contends,
reasons, thinks, denies, refutes, grants, agrees, acknowledges, emphasizes, believes, confirms,
endorses, contends, disagrees, opposes,
How to Quote (General Principles)
Carefully. Do not just cut-and-paste. You do not want to accidently plagiarize your source. When
transcribing from books, do so accurately. Note the book’s publication information and the
quote’s page number.
220

In context. All quotes should be preceded by an introductory sentence or signal phrase that
identifies the “speaker” and/or the source, alerting the reader to what they’re looking for in the
quote.
Concisely. Every part of the quote should have an evident reason to be there so your reader will
not have to wade through extraneous information.
Strategy for Paraphrasing
Read: Read the selection carefully so you understand the main point(s)
Write: Draft your paraphrase, using your own words and phrases in place of the original
wording. Rely on synonyms and equivalent expressions. You can retain names, proper nous, and
the like. Use quotation marks to identify a unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly
from the source.
Revise: Rewrite for clarity. Change sentence structures and phrasing to make sure your version is
easier to read than the original source.
Document: Indicate clearly the source of your paraphrase using a standard style of
documentation (see MLA or APA handout) to avoid plagiarism.
Integrate: Integrate your paraphrase into your paper carefully, in context, and concisely.
Strategy for Summarizing
Read: Read the selection, looking for the key ideas, evidence, and information.
Look over your highlighting and/or annotation: Re-read what you highlight and annotate to
decide which of the ideas you've noted are the most important.
Write (1): Summarize each section in a single sentence, highlighting key ideas/points.
Write (2): Summarize the entire passage in a single sentence, capturing its main point.
Combine: Combine your section summaries and overall summary of the passage.
Revise: Rewrite for logic and ease of reading. Check against the source for accuracy.
Document: Indicate clearly the source of your summary using a standard style of documentation
Integrate: Integrate your summary carefully, in context, and concisely.
Note: Adapted from Gordon Harvey, Writing with Sources (Hackett Publishing Company, Inc,
2008) and from Learning Skills. (2006). English 86 Course Materials, 2006.
221

Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing (Handout 2)
In this activity, you will carefully and accurately introduce your quotations, summaries, and
paraphrases in the spaces below. Read the selection in the box and complete the following steps
below.
Integrating a Direct Quote
“Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse
quotations in the final paper.” (Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers, 2 nd edition. (1976), pp.
46.
1. Read the quote above. Write the author and source of the information in the space below.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Then create a single phrase (about the author and source) to introduce this quote so that
you can provide context and write it in the space provided below.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3. Now put the single phrase (or introductory phrase) and quote together in the space below.
Make sure you use appropriate punctuations when quoting.
_______________________________________________________________________
Paraphrasing
_______________________________________________________________________
1. Read the quote above again and then use your own words and expressions to paraphrase
the quote in the space below.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Now practice using a different single phrase (or introductory phrase) to introduce your
paraphrase so that you can provide context and write it in the space below.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
222

3. Now put the single phrase and your paraphrase together in the space below.
Summarizing
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse
quotations in the final paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as
directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of
source materials while taking notes. (Lester, James D. Writing Research papers, 2 nd ed. (1976),
pp. 46-47.
1. Read the selection above and highlight the main point(s). What is/are the main point(s) of
this selection? Write it in the space below.
2. Now use your own words to summarize the above selection in one sentence. Write it in
the space below.
4. Now practice using a different single phrase (or introductory phrase) to introduce your
summary so that you can provide context and write it in the space below.
5. Now put the single phrase and summary together and write it in the space below.
223

SWBATS:
Peer Review for Public Policy Paper (Lesson 24)
Identify the essential parts of the Introduction and Body paragraphs in a research paper.
Begin to show evidence of applying some effective feedback strategies on other student
writing.
Begin to show evidence of incorporating peers’ comments into their own essay.
Become more comfortable and confident in providing feedback on other students’
writing.
Material:
Handout 1: Revision Checklist & Peer Response Form for Introduction and Body
Paragraphs
Handout 2: Reflection on Peer Review Session
Draft A: Public Policy Research paper
Time Lesson Teacher Action Participation (Student
Action)
2 min Attendance T takes roll Whole Class
50min Peer Review
Session
20min Reflection
Activity
Task 1: T provides Handout 1 to Ss
(Revision Checklist & Peer Response
Form)
Task 2: T forms Ss into groups of 3 for
peer review session.
Task 3: T instructs Ss to read each
other’s whole paper first and then
provide comments on the introduction
and body paragraphs using the revision
checklist (part A) and peer response
questions (part B) in the Handout 1.
Task 4: T walks around and provides
assistance if needed
After the peer review session, T passes
out reflection activity (Handout 2), where
Ss reflect on the peer review session as a
whole, as well as on specific comments
in regards to their own research paper
made by their classmates.
224
Task 1: Ss get into
groups and exchange
papers.
Task 2: Ss read each
other’s paper first and
then provide feedback
on the introduction
and body paragraphs
using the revision
checklist and peer
response form.
Students reflect on
their peer response
experience by
answering questions
on handout 2, and
write a paragraph
about what was
helpful and not as

3min Wrap-up:
No Homework!
T asks Ss if they have any question about
the Public Policy Research paper
helpful about their
peers’ comments
225
Ss may raise questions
or concerns about the
Public Policy
Research paper.

Essay Revision Checklist for Introduction & Body Paragraphs (Handout 1)
Writer’s Name:________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: _____________________________________________
Part A: Reading Whole Research Paper
Exchange papers with your group member and quickly read his/her entire research paper. Do not
provide any sort of feedback or stop to use the revision checklists for the introduction and body
paragraphs until you have completely read your partner’s whole research paper. Your main goal
is to get a sense of your group member’s main points and ideas before commenting on them.
Once you have completed this task, you may complete parts B, C, & D.
Part B: Introductory Paragraph
You will assist your classmates by helping them analyze their introduction paragraphs. This will
help you to also be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the content areas of your
own writing. Before you begin, read through their introductory paragraph(s) and highlight the
background information in “yellow,” and the thesis in “blue.” Use the checklist provided and put
a “check” next to each requirement below needed to make a successful introductory paragraph.
Introduction (organization):
_______ Interesting hook that engages the reader.
_______ Provides adequate historical and current “background” information to introduce
the research topic (in regards to its political, social, and cultural climate).
_______ The paper has a clear thesis (main idea).
_______ The thesis is well supported with several major points or arguments.
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s introduction and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be as specific as
possible when referring to particular parts of the introduction in your own words.
1. What do you like most about your partner’s introduction? From the checklist
presented above, choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the introduction is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them
better?
226

Part C: Body Paragraphs
You will assist your classmates by helping them analyze their body paragraphs. This will help
you to also be able to recognize areas of weakness with regard to the content areas of your own
writing. Before you begin, read through their body paragraphs and highlight the topic sentence in
“green,” the supporting details (either reference from the reading or data collected from your SL
experience) in “yellow,” analysis in “blue,” and the concluding sentence in “red.” Use the
checklist provided and put a “check” next to each requirement below needed to make a successful
body paragraph.
Body paragraph (organization):
_______ Transition words are used effectively between paragraphs.
_______ Include a clear topic sentence that is directly tied to the thesis statement (main
idea).
_______ The supporting points are developed with ideas from various academic texts (i.e.
articles, journals, and books), as well as data gathered from your
service-learning experience.
_______ The ideas and facts in academic texts and your service-learning experience
have been reported accurately using correct citations.
_______ The supporting points are effectively analyzed.
_______ The conclusion ties the ideas in the body back to the thesis (main idea).
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your
partner’s body paragraphs and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Pick one body
paragraph to answer the questions below. Be as specific as possible when referring to particular
parts of the body paragraph in your own words.
1. What do you like most about your partner’s body paragraph? From the checklist
presented above, choose one or two things that captured your attention.
2. What part(s) of the body paragraph is/are missing?
3. What parts need to have more detail added so that readers can understand them
better?
227

Part D: Constructive Feedback
Dear Joe,
1. On a separate sheet of paper, write a short letter (4 to 6 sentences) to your partner
explaining how his or her writing can be improved. Begin your letter with your
partner’s name and sign your own name at the end. Remember to “sandwich” any
suggestions with positive comments on the outside. Follow this model:
Positive comment—1-2
Suggestions (improvements)—2 – 4
Positive comment (encouragement)—1-2
Sincerely,
Bob
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample peer response forms, pp. 238 & 257
228

Part I
Part II
Reflection on Peer Review Session (Handout 2)
1. What did you learn from reading your classmate’s paper?
2. Now look over your paper and read your peer’s comments. What did he/she say about
your introduction and body paragraphs? Summarize his/her comments in 2-3 sentences.
3. Do you agree with his/her comments? Do you find them helpful? Do you think you will
use them in your revision? Why or why not?
Instructions: Write 1 -2 paragraphs in which you explain (a) which of your classmate’s
comments you found most helpful and (b) any comments you did not find helpful or with which
you disagree, and (c) your own ideas (from your own rereading) about what you need to change
when you revise the body paragraph.
Note: Adapted from Ferris & Hedgcock’s sample follow-up activities, p. 245
229

SWBATS:
Editing Workshop II (Lesson 25)
Subject-Verb agreement
Identify and develop various and flexible strategies for editing and proofreading student’s
own writing.
Begin to demonstrate the ability to edit their work for appropriate grammar and
mechanics
Begin to demonstrate the ability to develop syntactic maturity and sentence clarity,
specifically in regards to forming correct subject-verb agreement sentences.
Materials:
Handout 1: Concordances
Handout 2: Subject-Verb Agreement (How-to-Fix-Guide)
Handout 3: Exercises 1, 2, & 3
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENT ACTION)
2min Attendance T takes attendance Whole class
20min Activity I:
Concordances
Note: Inductive
Approach
15min Presentation: Subject-
Verb Agreement
Note: Handout 2
adapted from Roberta J.
Ching, CSUS 2008)
10min Activity # 2: Subject-
Verb Agreement
Exercise
Task 1: T passes out concordances
w/ questions (Handout 1) and
instructs Ss to get into groups to
complete the concordance activity.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors
Ss progress, and provides
assistance if necessary.
Task 3: As a whole class, T asks
Ss to discuss what they found.
Task 1: T presents Handout 2
(Subject-Verb Agreement). While
doing this, T has Ss correct
incorrect sentences by writing
them in the blank lines provided
on the same handout.
Task 2: As a whole class T goes
over correct sentences w/ Ss.
Task 1: T passes out “Exercises 1
(Handout 3).T instructs Ss to
complete “Exercise 1: Making
230
Task 1: In groups, Ss
examine concordances
and answer the
questions on the
handout
Task 2: Ss share their
findings w/ the whole
class.
Task 1: Ss correct each
incorrect sentence by
writing the correct
sentence in the lines
provided on Handout
2.
Task 2: Ss share w/
class their answers.
Task 1: In exercise 1,
Ss are required to fill in
the blanks w/ the

Note: Exercise also
adapted from Roberta J.
Ching, CSUS 2008
25min Activity # 3:
Edit own writing
3min Wrap-Up: Homework
Project 2 Public Policy
Research paper
ReadSWH (pp.58-66)
Verbs Agree w/ Subjects in
Authentic Text.”
Task 2: T walks around and
provides assistance if needed.
Task 3: As a whole class T
discusses answers w/ Ss.
Task 1: T instructs Ss to complete
“Exercise 2: Editing Your Own
Work.” (Handout 3)
Task 2: T walks around and
provides assistance if needed.
T reminds Ss that Project 2 is due
next class session, as well as to
complete the reading assignment.
231
correct verb form to
agree w/ the subject.
Task 3: Ss share
answers w/ whole
class
Ss are required to edit
their own writing,
looking for subjectverb
agreement errors,
as well as any other
error taught before.
Whole class

Concordances (Handout 1)
Here are some examples of complete and grammatical sentences shown in a variety of academic
genres taken from COCA. Look at the table below and answer the following questions. Pay
careful attention to the bolded and underlined words/phrases.
Table 1:
Concordances
He wants a space devoid of context, not only without expectations and conventions to follow, but
entirely without categories to qualify love. (Education)
For example, women's spiral metal earrings indicate they are married….(Anthropological
Quarterly)
Scientists have carried out extensive work on the estimation of stature from a variety of bones
throughout the world (Journal of Forensic Science)
As Kelvin and the other scientists move the station toward the planet's southern polar region,
they try beaming Kelvin's own brain waves into the ocean.
Whether you are a diplomat or a negotiator, an economist or a war strategist or just an ordinary
person navigating the shoals of everyday life, sometimes you have to decide whether to behave
cooperatively with other individuals. (Natural History)
If you were in her shoes would you have handled the situation differently when hit with the
ball? (Physical Educator)
The teacher assesses students regularly through discussion, classroom assignments, homework,
and written tests. (Music Educators Journal)
Everyone agrees that all these mechanisms need strengthening, and no one denies being totally
surprised by the way that markets seized up and closed down in August and September of 1998.
(Economics)
Note: Adapted from COCA
Questions:
1. Look for the “subject” in these sentences. Where is it located? Is the subject singular or
plural?
2. Look for the verb. Where is it located? Is the verb form singular or plural?
232

3. Is there a conjunction (i.e. and, or, nor, etc.) in any of the sentences? If so, where is it
located? Does the conjunction join two subjects together?
4. Now, can you come up with a pattern of how the subject and verb must be formed
structurally and grammatically to make sense and agree w/ each other?
233

Subject-Verb Agreement: How -to-Fix-Guide (Handout 2)
Instructions: Read the section on Subject-Verb Agreement below and edit each incorrect
sentence by writing the correct sentence in the blank lines provided.
Subject-Verb Agreement
The basic rule of subject-verb agreement is that if the subject is singular, the verb should be
singular; if the subject is plural, the verb should also be plural. Although it is usually natural to
make subjects and verbs agree, if the subject is separated from the verb by other words or if there
is more than one subject, it is more difficult.
Verb forms that need to agree
Present tense: Scientists study whether animals feel emotions.
Present perfect tense: Some people have argued that animals have rights.
Helping verbs: Does an elephant feel grief for a dead mate?
Main verb to be: Daily play is essential for happy pigs.
Pay particular attention when you have the following situations. If two or more subjects are
joined by the conjunctions and, or, or nor, the conjunction determines if you use a singular or a
plural verb.
• When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by
and, use a plural verb.
Incorrect: Anger and pity is powerful emotions.
Correct: _____________________________________________________________________
• When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more singular nouns or pronouns
connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
Incorrect: Either anger or pity are an emotion that can cause us to take action.
Correct: ____________________________________________________________________
• When the subject of a sentence is composed of a singular and a plural noun connected by or or
nor, the noun closest to the verb determines whether it is singular or plural.
Incorrect: In the commercial, neither the doctor nor the advertisers is being completely honest.
Correct: ____________________________________________________________________
If the subject and the verb are separated by a phrase or clause, make sure that the verb still agrees
with the true subject of the sentence—not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase or clause.
Examples
• One of the philosophers is (“philosophers” is not the subject)
• The people who understand rhetoric are (“rhetoric” is not the subject)
• The farmer, as well as his neighbors, is (“neighbors” is not the subject)
• The farmer with all the pigs is playing (“pigs” is not the subject)
234

Some words that might sound plural are actually singular and take a singular verb. These words
are each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody,
somebody, someone, and no one.
Examples
• Each of these animals is
• Either of the philosophers is
• Everyone is
(“Everyone” seems plural, but the verb agrees with “one,” which is singular.)
In sentences beginning with “there is” or “there are,” be aware that “there” is not the true subject.
Therefore, the verb has to agree with the noun that follows the verb.
Examples
• There are many arguments
• There is an argument
Note: Adapted from Robert Ching’s “A Text-Based Grammar for Expository Reading and
Writing,” 2008.
235

Handout 3
Exercise 1: Making verbs agree with subjects in authentic text
This exercise is based on letters to the editor regarding “A Change of Heart About Animals.”
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. When you have
finished, compare your version with a classmate.
Re “A Change of Heart About Animals,” Commentary, Sept. 1: Jeremy Rifkin __________
(argue) that science __________ (have) shown that the differences between animals and humans
__________ (be) less than we think and that we should extend more “empathy” to animals. I
disagree. In nature, animals naturally __________ (kill) each other. If the hawk __________ (do)
not care about the feelings of the rabbit that it __________ (eat), why should humans be any
different? __________ (be) Rifkin saying that nature __________ (be) wrong?
Rifkin __________ (go) so far as to say that pigs __________ (need) social contact and should be
provided with toys. There __________ (be) many real human children in the world who
__________ (do) not have these things. __________ (be) animals more important than human
children? Should our society spend scarce resources on toys for pigs?
Anyone who __________ (have) owned a pet __________ (know) that animals can feel pain,
happiness, anger, and other simple emotions. Most people __________ (have) heard a parrot or a
mynah bird talk, but this __________ (be) just imitation and mimicry. We __________ (do) not
need science to tell us that animals can do these things. However, __________ (do) a parrot
understand what it __________ (be) saying? Can an animal write a poem or even a grocery list?
Rifkin __________ (be) simply an animal rights activist hiding behind a handful of scientific
studies. He __________ (want) to ignore human suffering and focus on animal discomfort. He
__________ (want) animals to have more rights than humans. Let’s not be fooled.
Exercise 2: Editing your own writing
Directions: Pick a paragraph from your public policy research paper and edit it, making sure that
the subjects and verbs agree.
Put a question mark in the margin next to any subject-verb agreement that you are unsure
about.
Next, exchange your paragraph with a partner and discuss any questions you have. Check
with your teacher if you can’t agree on an answer.
Now look over the same paragraph again and correct other errors dealing with fragments,
run-ons, and comma splices.
Note: Adapted from Robert Ching’s “A Text-Based Grammar for Expository Reading and
Writing, 2008
236

SWBATS:
Oral Presentation & Visual Rhetoric (Lesson 26)
Identify and understand how to effectively conduct an oral presentation
Identify and practice using some effective visual rhetoric on PowerPoint
Begin to demonstrate the ability to use PowerPoint (i.e. font types, colors, etc.) and visual
presentations (graphs, charts, pictures, etc.) effectively.
Materials:
Computer Lab
PowerPoint Slides: Oral Presentation & Visual Rhetoric
Handout 1: Intro to PowerPoint-Tutorial Guide
Handout 2: Creating a Mini-PowerPoint Presentation
TIME LESSON TEACHER ACTION PARTICIPATION
(STUDENT
ACTION)
2min Attendance T takes roll Whole class
15-
20min
Introduction: Oral
Presentation Delivery
& Visual Rhetoric
20min Activity 1:
PowerPoint tutorial
30min Activity 2: Creating a
Mini-PowerPoint
Presentation
(Handout 2)
T presents oral presentation delivery &
visual rhetoric slides (1-12).
Note: PowerPoint slides adapted from
Dr. Heather, 2008.
Task 1: T passes out PowerPoint
Tutorial Guide (Handout 1) to Ss and
instructs Ss to complete the steps listed
in the Handout using the computer in
the lab.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
needed.
Task 1: T passes out (Handout 2) to Ss
and instructs Ss to get into their groups
to complete the steps listed in order to
make an effective Mini-PowerPoint
Presentation for their academic
discourse community project.
Task 2: T walks around, monitors Ss
progress, and provides assistance if
needed.
Ss listen and take
notes
237
Task 1: Using the
computer, Ss
complete the steps
listed in the
PowerPoint Tutorial,
thereby becoming
familiar w/
PowerPoint Software.
In groups, Ss
complete the steps
listed in Handout 2 to
make an effective
Mini-PowerPoint
Presentation for their
academic discourse
community project.
3min Wrap-up: PowerPoint presentation next class!!! Whole class

Oral Presentation Delivery &
Visual Rhetoric
English 10M
Vu Tran
Preparation
• Know your topic—become an expert
• Know your audience
• Prepare an outline—bullet or number
the main points
Experience
The more you do oral presentations,
the more experience you will gain.
The more experience you gain, the
more effective your oral presentations
will become!
Three Keys to Effective Oral
Presentation & Delivery
Preparation
Practice
Experience
In front of a mirror
Practice
In front of a live audience (friends or
family)
Time yourself so you do not go over the
time limit
Delivery Tips: Physical
1. Coping with anxiety: deep breaths,
don’t lock knees, drink water
2. Eye contact with audience
3. Articulation
4. Volume
5. Pacing/delivery speed
(the phone number principle)
6. Body language
238

Information Delivery
Pick fewer main points, BUT develop
them thoroughly.
Communicate your organization clearly:
1.Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em
2.Tell ‘em
3.Tell ‘em what you told ‘em
Check Font Sizes
This is 18 point font.
This is 20 point font.
This is 24 point font.
This is 28 point font.
This is 32 point font.
This is 36 point font.
This is 40 point font.
This is 44 point font.
Check Your Colors
This is white.
This is light blue.
This is yellow.
This is red.
This is green.
This is orange.
This is pink.
This is black.
This is light blue.
This is yellow.
This is red.
This is green.
This is orange.
This is pink.
Guidelines for Slides
Minimal content with few words
Not too much on a slide
Not too small
Not too cute or too fancy
Consider fonts, background & color
(check the lighting in the presentation
room)
Font Options
You can use a sans serif font like
Helvetica, Arial, or Geneva (this is
Arial)
OR you could use a serif font like Times
New Roman, New Century Schoolbook
(this is Times New Roman)
Whatever you do, be careful about
using “fun” fonts such as HerculaNum
Chant The Mantra
1. I know how to speak publicly and I will do it
correctly.
2. I have prepared well, so I won't make many
mistakes.
3. If I make a mistake, the audience is not
likely to notice.
4. If my mind goes blank, I know how to give
myself time to recover.
239

Getting Started
Step 1: Open PowerPoint
Intro to PowerPoint: A Tutorial Guide (Handout 1)
Double click on Applications folder and then click on Microsoft office folder
Double click on the Microsoft PowerPoint program
Step 2: Starting a new presentation & selecting slides
1.When you first
open your
PowerPoint, you
will see the
main menu.
Click on the title
or content areas
to change them.
2.To add a slide
click Home tab,
then the New
Slide button, and
then select your
desired slide
layout
3.You can
change the slide
layout by
clicking on the
Layout button
and selecting
your desired
layout.
240

Inserting Graphs, Pictures, and Clip Arts
Step 3: Creating and Integrating Graphs
1. Click on Insert tab
and then click on
Chart button.
2. The Insert Chart
will show
templates of
various visual
representations
(i.e. bar graphs,
pie graphs, line
graphs, etc.).
Choose one of
these visual
representations for
your presentation
and press “OK.”
3. The graph will be
inserted along with
the Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet
attached so you
can change the
graph to fit your
text.
241

Step 4: Inserting Pictures
1.Go online and pick a
picture and save it to
the computer
2. Click on the Picture
button and it will show
the picture saved on
the computer file.
Then click on the
picture that you saved
and then click on Open
and Insert.
2. The picture will be
inserted automatically
in your slide of the
PowerPoint
presentation.
Note: You can enlarge
or make it smaller
depending on how you
want to present your
information.
242

Step 5: Inserting Clip Arts
1. Click on Clip Art button
and the clip art board on
the left side of the screen
will appear.
2. In the Search for box,
type in “tool” and press
go. Clip arts of tools will
appear. Then select one
and insert it into your
PowerPoint Presentation
Note: As with all the others you
can enlarge it or make it smaller
243

Creating a Mini-PowerPoint Presentation (Handout 2)
Application: Mini-PowerPoint Presentation
Instructions: Create an effective PowerPoint presentation for your academic discourse project.
Follow the three steps below to complete this activity using Microsoft Office PowerPoint.
Step 1: Choose a layout
You can choose a different layout for each slide or retain the same layout throughout
(depends on how you want to present your information to your audience).
Step 2: Create the first slide to your presentation (Introductory Page)
Your first slide must include the following information below:
Title of your Academic Discourse Community
Names of all group members involved
Name of class
Note: Remember to use appropriate font, size, color, and background when creating your slides!
Step 3: Create a slide (or two) that includes some essential contents about your Academic
Discourse Community.
Your contents must:
Include short, concise words to guide your audience (i.e. keywords & phrases).
Use bullet points. Don't use full sentences in your PowerPoint presentations unless it's
absolutely necessary.
Incorporate visual representations (i.e. pictures, graphs, tables, figures, charts) to support
the contents.
Note: If you have already created slides for your PowerPoint presentation, then chose one that
you would like to revise and improve on it by adhering to the principles above.
244

Academic Discourse Community Presentation (Lessons 27-29)
1. For a total of three class sessions, each group will use PowerPoint to present their
selected Academic Discourse Community to the whole class. To supplement the
PowerPoint presentation, each group must also pass out extra copies of the handout that
summarizes the PowerPoint presentation to every student.
2. Each group must go in the order for which they signed-up on the first day of the week 2.
Each group will have approximately 15 minutes to present, with an extra 2-3 minutes to
answer any questions the audience may have about their selected discourse community.
Each member in the group must equally participate!
3. The teacher will use the PowerPoint Presentation Feedback Form (Handout 1) to evaluate
each group’s overall performance.
245

PowerPoint Presentation Feedback Form (Handout 1)
Name of Presenters:____________________________________________________________
Symbol Key
√+ Excellent
√ Adequate
√- Marginally Adequate (did this but not always)
≠ Inadequate (did this poorly or not at all)
Criteria for Evaluating
______Handout clearly written and well edited
______Visual representation
______Focus/organization
______Clarity (content & language used)
______Eye contact
______Articulation
______Volume
______Body language (i.e., posture, gestures, etc.)
______All members participated equally
Comments:
246

Last Week of ENGL 10M (Week 16)
1. Students are required to turn in Summary-Response Draft C, Argumentative Essay Draft
C, and Public Policy Research Paper Draft B to receive full credit for English 10M and
move on to English 11M in the spring semester of 2013.
247

APPENDIX D
COURSE READINGS
248

Summary of Course Readings
Bausch, L. S. (2003). Just Words: Living and learning the literacies of our students’ lives.
Language Arts, 80 (3), 215-222.
This article describes the journey of a teacher who documented actual literacy events in
her community and used what she found to bring the outside world into her classroom.
The author provides examples of her students’ works taken from their home lives and/or
communities, and uses these works to celebrate her students’ accomplishments through
various classroom related activities.
Boudreaux, M. C., Lord, W. D., & Etter, S. E. (2000). Child abduction: An overview of current
and historical perspectives. Child Maltreatment, 5, 63–71.
This article defines children abduction from two perspectives (the legal and social
aspects). In addition, the authors summarize research findings in regards to children
249
abduction rates, victim and offender characteristics, motivation, and risk factors. They
suggest that practical application based on these research findings should be used to (1)
create “sound” child safety training programs and (2) build highly trained law
enforcement agencies handling child abduction cases.
Carlson, M., & O’Neal-McElrath, T. (2008). Winning grants: Step by step (3 rd Ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This is a comprehensive workbook for planning, developing, and writing successful
proposals. The guidelines, exercises, worksheets, and samples of materials included in

this workbook are designed to help a novice create materials for various organizations in
the nonprofit sector—community-based agencies, educational institutions, hospitals and
clinics, and research organizations.
Colby, I. (2011). Runaway and throwaway youth: Time for policy changes and public
responsibility. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children
at Risk, 2, 1-11.
This article describes the characteristics of youth homelessness, delineating between
“throwaways” and “runaways.” The author defines “throwaways” as being forced to live
somewhere else, and “runaways” as having the choice to live somewhere else. In
response to the increase of youth homelessness, the federal government has taken several
key steps to end youth homelessness by (1) implementing the Runaway and Homeless
Youth Act, and (2) authorizing federal funding for three programs: the Basic Center
Program, Transitional Living Program, and Street Outreach Program.
Johnson, C. F. (2000). Death from child abuse and neglect. The Lancet Perspectives, 356, s14.
The author summarizes research findings in the area of children abuse and neglect in
many countries. The research findings come from myriads of countries such as the United
States, New Zealand, Australia, France, Japan, Mexico, and a few others. According to
the data in 1997, 41 states in the U.S. reported 967 fatalities from child abuse and neglect,
which estimated to about 1.7 per 100,000 deaths. In the Netherlands, this rounded out to
250

about 1.14 deaths per 100, 000 deaths. Countries such as Australia, France, and Japan
reported slightly higher amounts of deaths in children than did all other countries.
Kajornboon, A. B. (2005). Using interviews as research instruments. E-Journal for Research
Teachers, 2(1), 1-10.
This article discusses the dynamics involved in conducting research, in particular with
using interviews as research instruments for data collection. The author focuses on four
different types of interviews—(1) structured interviews, (2) semi-structured interviews,
(3) unstructured interviews, and (4) non-directive interviews. Finally, the author
discusses some of the ethical issues involved in conducting interviews.
Martin-Young, N. (1995) Communication skills in the workplace: Employers talk back. Retrieved
online at North CEI [accessed 03
January 2012].
The author identifies three main skills needed by all workers: teamwork, flexibility, and
communication (written and oral skills). In addition to these skills, employees must
possess technical skills such as using e-mail, word processing, and other basic computer
software. These skills are essential for every employee wanting to become successful in
today’s high-powered workplace.
Melzer, D., & Sacramento State University Writing & Reading Subcommittee. (2009). Student
writing handbook. (1 st edition). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento State University.
251

This resourceful handbook guides first-year freshmen through their writing career at
Sacramento State. The first part of the handbook provides information about the campus
writing programs at Sacramento State. The second part of the handbook explains how the
university writing, reading, and researching processes interact with one another. The final
section details how to conduct research and write in the various disciplines encountered
at Sacramento State (i.e., Natural Science, Social Science, Arts & Humanities, and
Business).
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youth homelessness. Youth Homelessness Series, Brief No. 1, 1-4.
This issue brief highlights the key issues surrounding youth homelessness, especially the
causes and characteristics of youth homelessness. The NAEH organization also explains
the “Youth Housing Continuum,” a solution for developing stable housing for youth
homelessness during their transition to adulthood. Finally, they outline some policy
implications for preventing and ending youth homelessness.
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cover letters. Business Communication Quarterly, 72(2), 163-176.
The authors summarize the results of employers’ preferences for résumé style, résumé
delivery method, and cover letters. The results show that employers still widely prefer the
“standard chronological résumé.” As for the type of delivery method, the results show
that electronic delivery, either by email (46%) or at the company’s website
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(38%) is the best method for résumé delivery, with only a small percentage preferring a
paper copy (7 %). Finally, the submission of a cover letter along with the résumé is also
widely preferred by the majority of employers (56%).
Tech Directions. (2004). Career directions: Résumé and cover letter writing tips. Retrieved from
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tips and strategies for writing effective résumés and cover letters, along with providing
reliable information and resources.
Thomas, S. (2000). JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey murder investigation. New York, NY:
St. Martin’s Press.
This book is a comprehensive study of the Ramsey case. Steve Thomas, a former lead
Boulder Police detective, explores the case and reveals facts and information about
JonBenet Ramsey known only to detective and cops closest to the case. Thomas describes
the mistakes made during the crucial early hours, and then details where the subsequent
investigation led and where it went wrong. In the end, Thomas believes that there existed
reasonable evidence to arrest Patsy Ramsey in connection with the death of her daughter,
but because of a careless investigation from the beginning, the Ramseys successfully hid
behind a group of attorneys, where Mrs. Ramsey was never arrested and charged of the
murder.
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