Day 17 (Oct 3) - Plagiarism Prevention Certification Test

Today, we will...
Take the Plagiarism Prevention Certification Test

Yeah! You guys all feel excited? We are taking the Certification Test today!

You will be given 50 minutes to complete the test. The test consists of 20 multiple-choice questions, and you will have to get at least 15 right to pass the test in order to remain your seat in this class.

To take the test, you will need to go to Compass 2g. Then you click on "TRAINING - ESL Plagiarism Prevention Training Fall 2014", and you enter the 3rd item, which is the "Certification Test" to begin your test.

Your performance will be automatically calculated by the software, and I will be able to see your grade right after your submission. Work carefully on each question because some of them can be really tricky.

Again, if you pass, go home and enjoy a wonderful weekend and think about your research paper topic; if you fail, go home and cry and get ready for the remedial test, and you still need to think about the research topic.

Finally, good luck to all of you!

Day 16 (Oct 1) - Overview of Research Paper

Today we will...

Enter a new historical era, which is the core of this course: RESEARCH PAPER!

Heads-up Warning

Before we talk about and start the process of writing research paper, there is a short video to watch.
So what is this video trying to tell us about paper writing?

General Overview of Research Paper

Let us take a look at what a research paper is really about.

Procedures in Research Paper Writing
Here are some general procedures in writing a research paper, please sequence them in the right order.
Now let's check the answer.

Let's learn the Research Paper Writing!

Let's do a hands-on activity on Prompt Analysis.

Here are some features of academic writing.

Day 15 (Sep 29) - Plagiarism & Paraphrasing

Today we will...

1. get to know what plagiarism is and its negative effects
2. see different ways to avoid plagiarism
3. concentrate on how to paraphrase

What is Plagiarism? How bad can it be?

Take a look at the following Naughty Boys, and share your ideas with the person next to you. You can google these people if you have no idea who they are and what they have done.

Let us now watch a video and see what can happen when you commit plagiarism.

How can we avoid plagiarism then?

There are 3 major ways in which we can avoid plagiarism, and they are paraphrasing, summarizing and quoting. Today we will focus on paraphrasing.

Get your hands on it

Read the Ikenberry Dining Hall article, and focus on the highlighted part. Work with your partner and answer all the questions. Then paraphrase the highlighted part in your own words.

Summary

Always bear in mind the 8 steps you need in paraphrasing
1. Read the original to make sure you understand
2. Read it again to identify the key words and phrases
3. Stop looking and try to write it in your own words
4. Check your accuracy to make sure your words carry the same meaning as the original
5. Change the words
6. Change the structure
7. Check your accuracy again
8. Cite your source

Homework

Do the Avoiding Plagiarism exercises assigned on Writer's Help ebook. There are 4 exercises you need to complete before class on Wednesday. Please use those exercises as review for the Certification Test on Friday.

Day 13 (Sep 24) - Peer Perception Training

Today we will...

1. Go over the exercise on advanced punctuation.
2. Do the peer perception training.
3. See how to revise your paper, which is due next Monday.

Peer Perception

So what is Peer Perception? How does it differ from Peer Review or Peer Editing?
Let's take a look here.

Here are some strategies and expressions to use in peer perception.

Here is the Peer Perception Handout you have to print out before you come to class on Friday.

Example for Peer Review & Editing

Now I will show you what a peer review & editing looks like.

Now Get Ready

Now you have understood what peer perception is. Go home and scan over the handout and make sure you know what to look for in other people's paper. When you come to class on Friday, make sure you bring the handouts for peer perception.

Day 12 (Sep 22) - Commas & Other Advanced Punctuation

Today we will...

1. See some "Comma Jokes"

2. Discuss the correct use of commas & other punctuations in writing

Comma Jokes

Take a look at the following pictures and talk with other people about what is wrong with all these pictures. What can be a good way to avoid those?

Let's take a look at another funny but scary illustration.

The universal truth behind all these is that "Comma Matters"! Here are some rules regarding the usage of comma.

Actually...

All these advanced punctuations matter in your writing!

Here is some practice before we go into the advanced punctuation.

Get your hands on it!

Read all the sentences on the handout, and add any punctuation if necessary.

Additional Help & Homework

Please read all the assigned sections in Writer's Help on Comma, Colon, Semi-colon and Dash as a review of the content in class today. Do the exercises thereafter if there is any. Watch the video on Conjunction Junction.

Day 11 (Sep 19) - Academic Style & Tone

Today we will...

1. discuss what kind of writing style and language to use in academic writing
2. practice the academic style & tone

Warm-up

1. What kind of language should we use in academic writing?
2. What are the differences between academic writing language and daily conversational language?
3. What will happen if you use conversational languages in your writing?

How do we do it?

Please refer to the following advice on how to sound smarter and more professional in writing. Here is something you can keep as a reference when you write papers, and it can help you sound smart and academic.

Jeopary

Let's play some JEOPARDY and test your knowledge on word choices!

Get your hands on it!

Open this document in Googledoc, and you will work in groups of 3. Work with your group members to read carefully and find out all the words, phrases and structures that do not sound academic, smart or professional in this paragraph. Then rewrite it to make it look GREAT. When you are done, please compare your work with this sample.

Homework

Read through the assigned parts (Concise Language, Appropriate Language, Exact Language) in Writer's Help ebook on language use in academic writing, and do all the exercises associated with those topics.

Cool Video

Here is the link for the video that I mentioned last time in class. You can just watch it for fun.

Day 10 (Sep 17th) - Introduction & Conclusion

Today we will...

1. learn the structure and basic elements of introduction & conclusion

2. apply the skills in your introduction & conclusion writing

First of all

Let's take a quick look at this video and discuss the following questions:

1) What do you think makes his speech effective?

2) What are some good points or strategies that you have observed from the way he talks?

How to do it?

The effective way to write a good introduction is similar to the opening of a good speech. There are several points that you need to keep in mind when you write your introduction.

Now let's take a look at the sample paragraphs and see if you can identify the purpose for each of the numbered sentences.

What about conclusion?

The introduction goes from broad to narrow, but the conclusion is just the opposite. Here is how you should write your conclusion.

Putting them all together

Let's take a look at the diagram which demonstrates and compares the way introduction and conclusion are developed.


Now you all have learned how to compose the introduction, the body and the conclusion of an essay, and you should have no problem writing one perfect essay!

So keep working on your essay based on the content we have covered so far, and make sure that you are writing the introduction, the body and the conclusion exactly the way I am teaching you. In addition, make sure that you have a clear purpose and target the right audience.