This document contains information about an introductory writing course taught by Michelle Barry at Clark State College in Fall 2014. The course will focus on developing students' sentence, paragraph, and essay writing skills through assignments including a introductory essay, peer reviews, paragraphs using different formats, a 5-paragraph essay, and a group project. Students will learn revision skills and work on grammar, research, and critical reading. The course meets twice a week for 1.5 hours and uses the textbook Write Time, Write Place.

1. Instructor: Michelle Barry
Class/Section: CPE 0400-ST02C
Time: 11:00-12:15
Room/Location: Beavercreek, Rm #118
Term: Fall 2014
Contact info.: barrym@clarkstate.edu
Office Hours: By appointment or after class in our assigned room
Textbook:
Write Time, Write Place by Mimi Marcus
Course Description:
Builds on the writing skills of students at the sentence and paragraph level. Introduces students to
a variety of essay formats, revision skills, grammar, basic critical reading skills, and basic library
research.
Course
Goals
1. Demonstrate effective sentence writing, with an emphasis on the topic
sentence.
 Break down a broad topic, utilizing a controlling idea
 Recognize when paragraph strays from topic sentence
 Refer back to topic sentence to keep paragraph focused
 Apply simple, compound, and complex sentence forms within paragraphs
2. Demonstrate effective paragraph writing, with an emphasis on unity and
coherence.
 Create a workable, central idea appropriate to paragraph length
 Articulate a central idea in a clear, effective topic sentence
 Present purposeful and relevant examples, details, and illustrations to
support topic sentence
 Group sentences effectively using transitional words, phrases, and content
 Sequence information through logical progression
 Create sentences of varying lengths within the paragraph
 Present ideas according to the intended audience
3. Demonstrate basic, five-to-eight-paragraph essay writing, emphasizing thesis,
plan, introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
 Create a workable thesis appropriate to five-to-eight-paragraph essays
 Articulate thesis effectively
 Create an effective introduction with a thesis and plan
 Create supporting body paragraphs that reflect the thesis and plan

2.  Create an effective conclusion
4. Create a variety of essays, with an emphasis on observation, comparison and
contrast, and cause and effect.
 Demonstrate basic essay writing using observation, comparison and
contrast, and cause and effect formats
 Create rough drafts for observation, comparison and contrast, and cause
and effect formats
 Revise rough drafts for organization, development, and grammar according
to effective essay writing
5. Develop revision skills.
 Evaluate others' writing through peer-editing activities, emphasizing
organizational tools, such as the thesis and plan, introductory paragraph,
and closing paragraph
 Evaluate comments and analyses of others
 Revise to serve an academic, college audience
 Revise to enhance essay development, with an emphasis on creating sound
supports and examples
6. Identify and correct errors in usage, grammar, and MLA style.
 Present essays and paragraphs with clear language, emphasizing word
choice, standard forms of verbs, nouns, pronouns, punctuation, etc.
 Use correct spelling
 Edit complex errors in grammar, such as dangling modifers, parallel
construction, vagueness, and wordiness
 Correct errors in writing assignments
 Apply MLA style formats
7. Demonstrate basic critical reading skills.
 Analyze a variety of short reading passages
 Identify author, thesis, audience, and style
 Demonstrate comprehension of basic college material
8. Demonstrate basic library research.
 Access research sources
 Access library resources
Class conduct
 Please attend class regularly, unless in the event of emergency

3.  If you are late, please enter room quietly. If you your lateness starts to become a problem,
this make affect your attendance score at the end of the semester
 Bring textbook to class every day
 Be prepared to write a lot, but don’t be afraid to have fun with what you’re writing
 Please turn off all cell phones
Assignments
Homework/Participation 10%
Introductory Essay 10%
Peer Review 10%
3 Paragraphs 15%
Semester Group Project 15%
5-Paragraph Essay 25%
Final Exam 15%
Class Semester Calendar
*Words displayed in Bold emphasize importance; either an assignment is due on that date or you
need to be in class for important lessons/information, such as for Peer Review
*Words in “quotations” are chapter titles from your textbook; you are required to read before
attending class
*Words in italics are possible topics/information we will try to cover. Occasionally, some topics
may be carried over to the next class period, depending on the information its+ relevance
Week 1
August
T 26 Discuss course syllabus, class conduct, accessing Angel, CPE English, start discussion
on “Writing in College
H 28 Read Chapter 1 “Writing in College”
Skim Chapter 33 “Active Reading” (Intro. through Stage 3)
Introductory Essay Guidelines, reading and writing in academic settings, importance of
learning good writing skills, using MLA with Microsoft Word
Week 2
September
T 2 Introductory Essay Due
*Assign groups for group project-please be in class this day!
Read Chapter 2 “Prewriting the Paragraph”
Define academic paragraph/essay, writing paragraph in MLA format, learn about group
project
Group meeting 1

4. H 4 Read Chapter 3 “Organizing and Drafting the Paragraph”
Continue discussion on paragraph, start discussion on Narration
Week 3
T 9 Read Chapter 7 “Narration”
Discuss narration and how to create a narrative paragraph
H 11 Various narrative exercises, narration paragraph guidelines
Week 4
T 16 Narrative Paragraph Due
End discussion on narration, begin discussing comparions/contrast
Group meeting 2
H 18 Read 10 “Comparison and Contrast”
Various comparative exercises, compare/contrast paragraph guidelines
Week 5
T 23 Continue discussion on comparing and contrasting
H 25 Compare/Contrast Paragraph Due
End discussion on compare/contrast, start discussing argument
Group meeting 3
Week 6
T 30 Read for class Chapter 14 “Argument”
Discuss effective arguments, argument through writing
October
H 2 Discuss persuasion, sources, information/data needed for support, how to express
opinion using facts
Week 7
T 7 Continue discussion on effective argument
H 9 Argument Paragraph Due
End discussion on argument and the paragraph, begin discussing the 5 paragraph essay,
essay guidelines
Group meeting 4

5. Week 8
T 14 Read Chapter 5 “Writing the College-Level Essay”
Discuss 5-paragraph essay, college essay, adapt one of your previous paragraphs into a
resource for the five-paragraph essay
H 16 Discuss possible choice for extending the paragraph into a longer, more detailed essay
Week 9
T 21 Discuss 5-paragraph essay
H 23 Discuss 5-paragraph essay
Week 10
T 28 5-Paragraph Essay First Draft Due
Discuss 5-paragraph essay, peer review
Discuss editing process, critique, analysis, self-editing, proofreading versus editing
H 30 Discuss 5-paragraph essay, peer review
Discuss editing process, critique, analysis, self-editing, proofreading versus editing
Week 11
November
T 4 Peer Review-Day 1
H 6 Peer Review-Day 2
Week 12
T 11 No Class-Veterans Day
H 13 5 Paragraph Essay Second Draft Due
Re-read “Revising Your Own Paragraph” from Chapter 4.
Complete Activity 18 in Chapter 4 for your essay; some questions may be changed, but I
will give you correct procedures on this day
Review Peer Review week, discuss revision/self-criticism
Group meeting 5
Week 13
T 18 Group Project Presentations

6. H 20 Group Project Presentations
Week 14
T 25 Group Project Presentations
H 27 No Class-Thanks Giving Break
Week 15
December
T 2 Review 5 paragraph essay, final exam, critical reading/writing
H 4 Review 5 paragraph essay, final exam, critical reading/writing
Week 16
T 9 Last Day of Class-Final Exam
Final Draft of 5 Paragraph Essay Due
All students must attend the last day of class and complete the final exam
H 11 No Class