2. To train students to write short English essays coherently and fluently.

3. Students are required to write weekly journal entries in the first few weeks and present their essays in one Peer Conference as if they were attending a real conference.

Week 1       9/15     Orientation; Self-introduction & Introducing one of your classmates; introduction to IELTS writing skills (Writing Assignment; hereafter WA1: “Something Particular about me” (200 words⁺) Due Week 2. (Online)

Week 2       9/22     Peer review; Ch.1 What Is an Essay? (Your idea vs. the textbook definition); Reading & Reflection on “Razor Wire Sweat Lodge,” At a Glance (AAG hereafter) 2-4. (Online)

Week 3       9/29     Ch.1  How to make an effective thesis statement? ex. (short for exercise) 1, 2, (AAG 6-7); Ways to start Introductory paragraph (AAG 8-11) (WA2: journal 1) (Online)

Week 4       10/6     Peer review; drafting the body and the conclusion (WA3: draft 1)

Week 5       10/13   Ch. 2 Draft 1 reexamined and revised through peer review (WA4: draft 2; journal 2)  

Week 6       10/20   Ch. 3 A demo of Revising and Editing (AAG 46-51); work on your draft 2 accordingly (WA5: final draft)

Week 7       10/27    Peer Conference 1 (based on your 1^st essay)

Week 8       11/3    Ch. 4 Reading-based Writing ex. 1(annotating, outlining, note-taking), & 2   (summarizing) (WA6 journal 3)

Week 9       11/10   Peer review; Ch. 4 reaction and response to reading

Week 10     11/17    Individual consultation (A1029)

Week 11     11/24   Ch. 5 Descriptive Narration (AAG 85-87)

Week 12     12/1     Ch. 5 (AAG 91-93) (WA7: Choose from AAG 96-97 Topic Cluster 1-3& 7, and write a draft)

Week 13     12/8     Peer review (WA8: final draft)

Week 14     12/15   Ch. 5 from employee report (AAG 94-96) to other reports (AAG 97) (WA9: Pick from Topic Cluster 8 to write your own report as essay)

Week 15     12/22   Peer review

Week 16     12/29   Ch. 6 Exemplification AAG 102-104

Week 17     1/5       Final (in AA 501computer room)

Week 18     1/12     (Post-exam discussion; grade checking) 

At a Glance: Writing Essays and Beyond with Integrated Readings. Lee Brandon and Kelly Brandon. Sixth ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-285-44464-2. (Available in Caves Books 敦煌書局, NCHU Branch). Or get it online from MYTB 

1. WA: 4 weekly journal entries+4 essays (80%)
2. Attendance: 10% (2% deduction for each absence or extreme tardiness)
3. Peer Conferences performance (presentation, summarizing ability, critical thinking) 10% or final.
4. If you want to convert my final grade to a letter grade, the following is the conversion chart American Universities usually adopt: A= over 90, A- = 85-89, B+ = 80-84, B = 75-79, B- = 70-74, C= 65.