JOHANSON’S ADVANCED COMPOSITION [FL3105301]CLASS #2 SEPTEMBER 21

Brief self-introductions of students to Professor and presentation of name-cards
Dr. J reviews the basics of last class: what we did and where we hope to go.

TIMED WRITING- TOPIC:
“This is my last semester of my life and I must learn as much about academic writing and English writing as possible. In this essay, I will tell you exactly what I want to learn and how I want my Professor to teach it to me in as much detail as possible.”

Dr. J discusses last week’s handouts:
10 TIPS for the Standard Timed-Essay
TOEFL Scoring Guide for the Standard Essay

~BREAK~

In groups, students discuss the handout Dr. J gave last week regarding STANDARDIZED TESTING WRITING PROMPT QUESTIONS:
What are the different types of questions?
What words are repeated in almost all questions?
What about the last line of each question, what should be do with it?
How do you feel about these types of questions?
What strategies might be useful in preparing to face these types of questions?
How might this exercise be applicable to us in our “real-life, real-time” jobs and our current positions as either worker, student, or employer?

DR. J’s Lectures on his reaction to last week’s timed writings:
Problems:
i. Fluency
ii. Transitions
iii. Lack of “grabber” first sentencesiv. Weak endings that showed little or no timing or practice
iv. Lack of exemplification (e.g., examples)
v. Failure to communicate in English writing

Solutions:
i. We will each create our own blog and on this blog keep a daily (if possible) journal of events or try to answer one of the questions on the Writing Prompt List like a timed writing.
ii. Extensive training by Dr. J on the use of transitions and visions of “where we want, should, and must go” with our current writingiii. Self-analysis tools for evaluating our own writing

~HOMEWORK (for September 28, 2005)~

1. Class Leader will announce textbook purchase details via e-mail:
2. [DISREGARD #2]Write one-two pages about your timed writing from September 14 and describe the following: 1) your general reaction, 2) your goals for future improvement,
3) specific areas in which you might improve, 4) strategies that you hope to use to improve your English-language writing skills in the future.
3. Create your own blog with blogspot.com and investigate and list five interesting On-line writing laboratories. Email your blog URL to the Class Leader and Class Leader will email it to me and I will post them all on our class blog.