English for MISiS Graduate Students

The Writing Process: Day One

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Week One

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: 2 Academic Hours (1 Hour & 30 Minutes)

Objectives: Students will be able to…

1. Introduce themselves to the instructor and classmates 
2. Explain two differences between speaking and writing 
3. Define the concepts of 'audience' and 'purpose' as the relate to writing
4. Define the concept of brainstorming
5. Create a mind map about an example topic 
6. Write a short, informal reflection paragraph about their past experiences with writing in English

Materials

• Instructor introduction 
• Student introduction slips
• Course rules, goals and syllabus
• Audience & Purpose Comparison 
• Paper and writing utensils (for students)

Procedure
I. Instructor Introduction
The instructor will take a few minutes to introduce him-/herself. Here is an example introduction.

II. Student Introductions
After the instructor introduction, the students will introduce themselves using this procedure:

1). Ask them to write down the following information (in complete sentences):

• Name
• Age
• Hometown
• Favorite Food
• Favorite Hobby

2). Put them into groups of three and ask them to introduce themselves to one another.

3). After they have introduced themselves in groups, ask students to come to the front of the room and introduce themselves to the class.

III. Initials Introduction
On a new piece of paper, have students write the first and last names. For each name, ask them to write the first letter of the name beneath the name. For example, if the student is name “Joh Smith”, the student will write, “J” and “S”. For each letter, ask the student to write a word (an adjective, noun, adverb, etc.) that describes them. For example, “John Smith” could become “Joking Smiling” or “Just Smolensk” or “Jovial Smooth”. Give students a few minutes to come up with words for their initials. Then, ask them to get up and meet three other students. When they meet the other students, ask them to explain why they chose the words they did.

IV. Course Rules and Goals
Now, the instructor will review the course rules and goals. The instructor will give students a chance to read the information first. Then, he or she will read the information out loud and give students a chance to ask questions.

V. Brainstorming (and an Example)
Ask students, what the word “brainstorm” means? If they need help, separate the word into two and show them a picture of a brain and a storm. 

                    

                

Hopefully, they will know the definition. If not, give it to them: 

Brainstorm: a group discussion to generate ideas.

Now, show them the following picture... 

Next, lead students through an example of brainstorming. Tell them that when you brainstorm, you can think, say or share anything. The purpose is to generate ideas.

After this, ask students to create a mind map about writing. Tell them to try and create 15-20 “connections”.

Finally, have students create a mind map about MISiS. Again, tell them they can write anything they can think about the school. There are no right or wrong answers. 

VI. Audience and Purpose

Audience and purpose are two important concepts in writing. Elicit the answers to the following questions from your students: 

1. When you write something, who is the audience? Explain.
2. When you write something, what is the purpose for writing? 

There are many possible answers to both questions. Write them on the board as you discuss.

Finally, give students the following exercises: Audience & Purpose Analysis

VII. Writing Reflection
Give the students the reflection writing prompt and give them fifteen minutes to create an answer. Tell them there will be no grade and that the only thing that is important is for them to write truthfully.

Attributions

*All pictures from labeled for reuse* 

Brain Image: http://pixabay.com/en/brain-intelligence-human-science-311522/

Brainstorming Image: http://pixabay.com/en/brainstorming-think-class-education-411589/

Brainstorming Image (2): https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2782/4455910733_6ee8d8c93d.jpg

Mind-mapping Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3169/3043443100_9aef7642d2_z.jpg?zz=1

The Writing Process: Day Two

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Week Two

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: Two Academic Hours (1 Hour & 30 Minutes)

Objectives: Students will be able to...

1. Describe their current writing process (both verbally and in writing) 
2. Explain why using a process approach when writing is important and helpful
3. Name the eight steps of the process that will be used in class
4. Give a brief definition for each of the eight steps to the process 
5. Explain the components of a good paragraph
6. Properly sequence an out of order paragraph 
7. Create their own paragraph

Materials

• Pen
• Paper
• Whiteboard
• Markers
• Writing Process PPT
• Writing Process Ordering Activity 
• Categories Organizer (optional) 
• Paragraph Handouts (3) 

Procedure
I. Warm-Up Questions and "Categories" 
The instructor will begin the class by asking students a few questions: how are you? How was the first week of classes? How was your weekend? How are your other classes? Do you have any questions from this class?

Then, the instructor will group the class into groups of three using the Group Randomizer. Once the students have been grouped, the instructor will tell them they are going to play a game called "Categories".

The rules for "Categories" are simple. They are....

1. Students will create a chart like the one in the example below. 
2. The instructor will give them a letter (for example, "A" is the letter for the model below) 
3. Students will work in their groups to brainstorm words for each category that start with the letter.
4. The first group to finish wins! 

Example

Animal	City	Food	Verb	Girl’s Name	Adjective
Alligator	Astana	Apple	Act	Ashley	Amazing

The first team to win three games wins!

II. Personal Writing Style
Tell students to write for 5 minutes and describe how they write an essay from the prompt to handing in the final assignment.

The teacher can show the students an example like this. This short video (found here) is also quite helpful!

Discuss the answers as a class. Then present the idea of writing as a process.

III. The Writing Process: An Overview

After students have had the chance to share their personal approach to writing, show them this short PowerPoint presentation that lays out "Eight Steps to Writing Success" with some examples. As you present, ask you students to take notes. 

Once you finish the PPT, ask the students to do this short activity (answers) that asks them to order the steps of the writing process. 

Then, have a short discussion about the materials. Consider the following questions: 

1. Which of these steps do you already do? 
2. Which of these steps are new for you? 
3. What is the most important part of the writing process? 
4. What is the most difficult part? Why? 

IV. Writing Good Paragraphs

(This article (from the Higher School of Economics Merrill Lynch Writing Center) might be helpful for teachers to read before class. If the students are looking for more information on paragraph writing consider sharing it with them). 

Have students do part one of this worksheet by themselves. Then ask them to share their responses with a partner. Finally, discuss their answers as a class. 

Then, ask students to do the sample analysis in Part Two of the worksheet. Discuss the answers as a 

class. 

Finally, ask the students to order the sentences in this example paragraph (answer). Then, ask them to label the following parts of the paragraph (there may be more than one!):

1. Topic Sentence
2. Supporting Sentence (Example)
3. Supporting Sentence (Explanation)
4. Concluding Sentence 

If you run out of time, ask the students to complete their "tech gadget" paragraphs for homework. 

The Writing Process: Day Three

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Week Three

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: 2 Academic Hours (1 Hour & 50 Minutes)

Objectives: Students will be able to…

1. Review the importance of using a process approach when writing for academic purposes
2. Review the eight step process approach discussed in the last class
3. Define key vocabulary related to writing an academic essay
4. Identify parts of an academic essay using key vocabulary 

Materials

• Pen
• Paper
• Whiteboard
• Cooperative storytelling warm-up questions slide
• Cooperative storytelling writing organizer 
• Key Vocabulary PPT
• Key Vocabulary Matching Activity
• Essay Structure Visualizer
• Example Essay
• Modified Example Essay
• Descriptive Essay Assignment Prompt & Rubric
• Descriptive Essay Brainstorming Cluster
• Descriptive Essay Focused Brainstorming

Procedure

I. Warm-Up 
The class will begin with a short period of small talk and/or a time for students to ask questions. If the instructor assigned the tech gadget paragraph for home, it should be collected at the start of class (if it was not submitted electronically). As a warm-up, the instructor will lead students through a cooperative storytelling activity. 

To do the activity, follow these steps: 

1. Put students into groups of three
2. Give them the cooperative storytelling organizer 
3. The instructor will read the story prompts. For each prompt, one student in the group will write an answer. Then, he/she will fold their answer so it is hidden from the other group members. The idea is to create a fun, spontaneous, crazy and creative story! 
4. The instructor will read the next prompt and the next student in the group will write an answer to it and then fold the answer to keep it hidden. 
5. Repeat the process until all the story prompts have been read and responded to. 
6. Ask the students to unfold the completed story and read it together as a group. 
7. Ask for volunteers to share stories and...
8. Have some laughs!

II. Review: Writing Process

Orally, the instructor will ask the students to order the steps in the writing process. The instructor will write the steps down on the class whiteboard. Then, he/she will ask the students to define/exemplify each step. If necessary, the instructor can review the PPT from the previous week. 

III. The Basic Five Paragraph Essay - Vocabulary

Now the instructor will ask students what they know about academic writing. He/she should record this "brainstorming session" on the class whiteboard. After eliciting student knowledge, he or she should review the information presented in this PPT on key vocabulary for writing academic essays. 

After reviewing the key vocabulary presentation, ask students to fill out this worksheet to demonstrate their understanding of the terms. The instructor should ask them to fill out the worksheet individually. When finished, ask the students to compare answers with a partner. Then, the instructor will ask for the correct answers as a class.

IV. Sample Analysis 
Ask students to look at this example organizer and label the different parts based on the vocabulary discussion. Discuss the answers together as a class. After, ask students to identify the different parts of this example essay in groups.

When analyzing the sample essay, ask them to find the following parts:

1. Introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion
2. Thesis Statement (in the introduction) 
3. Topic Sentences (3 - one for each body paragraph) 
4. Restated Thesis Statement (in the conclusion) 

Once they have identified the different parts, the instruction will show them the answer key and ask for any questions from the class.

V. Descriptive Essay Assignment Introduction
Finally, the instructor will handout the prompt and rubric for the first descriptive essay (here) and discuss the assignment with the students. It is important for the instructor to review the rubric, too, so that students understand how they will be graded. The important thing is for the students to follow the structure.

You can tell them that the next class will review the following topics:

1. Writing a good thesis statement
2. Writing good topic sentences 
3. Creating an outline for their essays 

VI. Descriptive Essay - Free & Controlled Brainstorming
With the final class time, asks students to start brainstorming ideas for their essay using this chart. By the end of class, they should have the following information:

1. A topic (their favorite place) 
2. Three reasons that describe why it is their favorite place 
3. Examples to support their reasons 

Give the students this focused brainstorming organizer to help them get order their thoughts. Collect their brainstorming work at the end of the class to review. 

The Writing Process: Day Four

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Week Four 

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: Two Academic Hours (1 Hour & 50 minutes)

Objectives: Students will be able to....

1. Clarify expectations for the descriptive essay assignment by asking questions in class
2. Define key vocabulary related to academic writing 
3. Explain the importance of using an outline when organizing writing
4. Explain the purpose of reverse outlining 
5. Reverse outline an example essay 
6. Create an outline for their own essays 

Materials 

• Pen
• Paper 
• Whiteboard 
• "Create a Character Backstory" PPT
• Picture of a skeleton
• Example Descriptive Essay (Milwaukee) 
• Learning to Create an Outline Worksheet
• Blank Outline Organizer
• Focused Brainstorming (from previous class)

Procedure
I. Class Introduction
The first few minutes of class can be used to ask students if they have any questions about the class or the essay assignment.

II. Warm-Up - "Create a Character Backstory" 
To get students thinking in a descriptive mindset, use the following activity. The goal of this activity is to have students think creatively and to practice descriptive writing in a free and fun way!

Instructions (also found on the PPT)

1. With a partner, choose one of the pictures from the PPT and invent a biography (life story) about the person in the picture or explain what the person is doing to look the way he does. 
2. Here are some questions to get you started: Who is the person in your picture? What does he do for a living? What is name? What has his life been like? What is the person doing in the picture? Why? How does he look? Why does he look this way? 
3. You will have five minutes. Try and write 6-10 sentences. Include FIVE adjectives. 
4. When you finish, share you story with a different group and see if you can guess which person is being described.

III. Learning to Create an Outline

An outline can be thought of as the "skeleton" of an essay. It provides the necessary internal structure to support the main ideas and supporting points. 

Now, students will have a chance to practice using an outline. Before they create their own outlines, they will "reverse engineer" an outline for an essay that has already been written. Ask them to work through the following steps: 

1. Read the sample descriptive essay, "Milwaukee: The Greatest Place on Earth" 
2. After they have read the essay, give them the example essay outline. 
3. Once they have the example essay outline, go over the information on the top and review the directions. Some of the information on the outline has already been filled out. Some has not. It is the students job to fill out the missing information. 
4. Give students some time to fill out the missing information. 
5. Once they finish, have them compare their answers with a partner. 
6. After filling out the outline and comparing their answers with a partner, have the pairs answer the comprehension questions. 
7. Finally, discuss the answers (here) as a group. Feel free to use this graphic organizer to help explain some of the answers to the comprehension questions. 

IV. Creating An Outline

Now, give students time to create outlines for their descriptive essays. Use the following procedure: 

1. Return their focused brainstorming work from last week (with any comments) 
2. Provide each student with a blank outline organizer 
3. Ask them to create an outline like the one they made for the example essay, but using their own ideas.
4. Tell them to use the focused brainstorming work to create the thesis statement and topic sentences
5. Ask them to only write down the key ideas
6. Monitor their progress and answer any questions they may have 

V. Writing the First Draft

Depending on how much time is left in class, you can ask your students to beginning writing the first draft of their essays. Ask them to use the following sequence: 

1. Start by writing the body paragraphs
2. Then write the introduction and conclusion

Whatever the students do not finish, ask them to do for homework!

Attributions

*All pictures from pixabay.com* 

Skeleton Image: http://pixabay.com/en/bones-color-anatomy-skeleton-307297/

The Writing Process: Day Five

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Week One

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: 2 Academic Hours (1 Hour & 30 Minutes)

Objectives: Students will be able to…

1. Define the concept of "peer review" 
2. Conduct peer review to offer feedback to their classmates on the first draft of their essay using terms and strategies discussed in class
3. Explain the difference between 'countable' and 'uncountable' nouns
4. Explain three rules for determining proper article use and demonstrate understanding of each rule

Materials

• Pen
• Paper
• Whiteboard
• Peer Review PPT
• Peer Review Organizer
• Article Use Practice Worksheet

Procedure

I. Class Introduction

The instructor will take the first minute of class to make some small talk with the student and ask for any questions about the course. 

II. Hangman 
To provide a brief warm-up for the class, the instructor will lead the students through a round (or two) of "Hangman". The instructions for "Hangman" are:

1. The instructor will write the blanks for a word on the board. For example: the word "writing" would have seven blanks and would look like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
2. The students will guess which letters should be used to fill in the blanks. If they guess the correct letter, the instructor will fill in the blank. For example, if they guess "t" for the word "writing", the instructor will fill in the "t" space and the board will look like this: "_ _ _ t _ _ _".
3. If they guess a letter that is not in the word, the instructor will write that letter on the board and start drawing a picture of a person hanging from a rope. 
4. The game is a race: if the students can figure out the word before the drawing is complete, they win! If the instructor draws the person first (usually between 5 and 10 turns), they win! 
5. Here is a short video tutorial to explain the rules one more time

Possible Words for Hangman

• Paragraph (9 spaces)
• Description (11 spaces) 
• Essay (5 spaces) 
• Introduction (12 spaces) 

III. Peer Review

Now, students will engage in peer review. In order to do this, each person in class needs a finished first draft of their essay. If necessary, give students enough time to finish their first drafts. 

To conduct the peer review: 

1. Brainstorm: Begin by asking the students to define the concept
2. Show the PPT that explains what peer review is and offers a brief overview of how to do it
3. Ask students to get into pairs. In pairs, they will exchange their first drafts
4. Ask the students to read their partner's draft
5. After they have read the draft, give each student a copy of the PEER REVIEW QUESTIONS. Ask the students to read the first draft once again and answer the questions on the worksheet. 
6. After each pair has answered their questions, ask them to discuss the answers with their partner. 
7. Have the partners return the essay and peer review question sheet to their original owner
8. Ask students to type a second draft of their descriptive essays for homework. 

IV. English Articles Practice

English articles often give students a lot of difficulties. This short practice worksheet is designed to help students practice with understanding the difference between countable and uncountable nouns and practice using articles.  

The instructor should lead the students through the practice section-by-section. After the students have had a chance to answer the questions in each section, they should share their answers with the class. 

The Writing Process: Days 6 & 7

Academic Writing - Demo Class
Weeks Six and Seven 

Level: Students are expected to possess a B1 (Intermediate) level of English
Time: 2 Academic Hours (1 Hour & 30 Minutes)


Day 1 Objectives: Students will be able to…

1. List three characteristics of a good paragraph 
2. Brainstorm ideas for topic sentences
3. Brainstorm ideas for supporting sentences
4. Identify and exclude irrelevant information from their paragraphs
5. Practice writing effective paragraphs

Day 2 Objectives: Students will be able to....

1. Review the information from Day 1
2. Review proper essay structure
3. Explain the connection between a thesis statement and topic sentences 
4. Define and identify the four major components of a PIE-C paragraph: Point, Illustration, Explanation and Concluding Sentence 
5. Practice creating their own PIE-C paragraphs in a homework essay

Materials

• Pen
• Paper
• Whiteboard
• Paragraph Practice Workshop Worksheet
• Essay Structure Activity Worksheet
• PIE-C Worksheet
• PIE-C Vocabulary and Example Worksheet
• PIE-C PPT

Procedure

Day One

I. Class Introduction
The instructor will take the first minute of class to make some small talk with the student and ask for any questions about the course.

II. Re-Introduction to the Topic

The instructor should be familiar with the information from the following two sources: 

1. Massey University: Body Paragraphs
2. Northeast Alabama Community College: Writing the Perfect Paragraph 

III. Paragraph Writing Workshop

Now, the instructor will lead the class through the paragraph writing workshop (found here). The instructor should present the introduction and then lead the class through each activity, section by section, giving the class enough time to perform the activities and then, discussing the answers (found here). 

Anything that is not finished in class should be assigned for homework. 

Day Two

For an additional overview to the topic, the instructor should read this article by Dr. Ashley Squires of the Merrill Lynch Writing Center at the New Economic School before class. 

I. Class Introduction
The instructor will take the first minute of class to make some small talk with the student and ask for any questions about the course. 

II. Questions/Homework Review

If the instructor assigned homework, he/she should discuss the answers with the class and answer any questions. 

III. Introduction to Advanced Essay Structure
There was a discussion of essay structure earlier in the semester. This class will discuss the topic in greater depth. To begin, the instructor will use this activity which is designed to let you show how much the students already about this topic.

IV. Overview of Essay Structure
First, the instructor will begin with a short discussion of some important vocabulary terms found on this worksheet.

After the vocabulary discussion, the instructor will review this short PPT that discusses basic essay structure and offers examples. It also presents a convenient way to organize your paragraphs called, “PIE-C”.

V. PIE-C Practice
Finally, the class will practice identifying PIE-C structure in some examples. Everyone will do the first part together in pairs. The second part will be done in teams. For answers, the instructor can look here.

Homework: Write a four paragraph essay response using the format we discussed in class today to answer the following question:

Is it better to be happy and poor or rich and unhappy?

Your essay should have:

• A introduction with a thesis statement 
• Two PIE-C body paragraphs 
• A conclusion