Week One
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Syllabus
Week One

Week 1 - Art of Beginning to Write

Overview of Week One



This is the first week of Essentials of Effective Writing. Your first writing in this course will be responding to your facilitator's Introduction because you will write an Introduction to . . . you. You may write it online on the Forum, or you may choose to write it in your favorite word-proccessor, and then copy and paste it onto the Forum.

You'll be taking a diagnostic test so you can see your strengths and weaknesses. And you will be listening to a lecture on writer's block, reading some text on prewriting techniques to get past writer's block, and practicing the prewriting techniques. You'll also watch a video on the art of description, and you'll write a draft of a description essay.

Guarantee: If you work hard in this course, you will be a better writer. These next several weeks are a fabulous opportunity for you to focus on your writing. People forget sometimes how sports players practice their sport every day, how musicians practice their instrument every day. It is not often that people get the opportunity to focus on their writing. The reward is clear: No matter how experienced you are as a writer, as a result of your focus in this course, it's guaranteed you will become a better writer.

Outcomes for Week One:

    Introduce yourself and meet the other students -- through your writing
    Identify strengths and weaknesses in grammar
    Experiment with prewriting strategies
    Overcome writer's block

Week 1 Activities

Introduction Directions

After reading your facilitator's Introduction, write yours, answering the following questions:

    Your name and email address
    The city where you live
    Your occupation or professional interests and aspirations
    Why you are taking this course
    Anything else interesting about you that you'd like to share.

Parts of Speech

Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Century

Week One Video - "Description"

Free sign-up is required. Afterwards, you will be asked only to provide a valid email address and password to access the video segments.

To view all the videos for this course, at the top, you will click on "Discipline" and select "Language and Language Arts," and "By Grade" and select "College Adult." You will see "English Composition: Writing for an Audience," and click there.

This week, you will go to Segment #3, "Description."

(To hear the sound and view video, you must have Windows Media Player, broadband connectivity (DSL, cable, LAN connection to T1 line or greater and have JavaScript enabled.)

The video segments can be accessed by selecting the VoD icon to the right.

Allow about 30 minutes for the video presentation.

Buying the whole group of these Comp. videos is $389!

Writer's Block Lecture

Prewriting - The Art of Beginning to Write

Diagnostic Exam - Do Form A Parts 1, 2, 3

Prewriting Exercise

Description Essay Assignment

Other Forum Activities for you to do

1. Say hello to at least two of your classmates.

2. Talk about your performance on the Diagnostic exam. What do you need to focus on?

3. What are your writing habits? How do you handle writer's block? Share your ideas with the rest of the class.

3. Answer two of the following questions regarding the Description video:

    a) Why is it important to learn to write descriptively?

    b) What are some careers that demand descriptive writing?

    c) Why is descriptive writing concrete?

    d) Why should descriptive writing be specific?