Syllabus

Course Overview 

This semester-long remedial English course is designed to help students develop essential writing skills. Students will engage in a series of lessons, assignments (including essays), and quizzes to build a strong foundation in writing.

Course Objectives 

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Understand and apply basic grammar principles.
  2. Construct coherent sentences and paragraphs.
  3. Recognize and correct common sentence-level and punctuation errors.
  4. Develop effective revision and editing skills.
  5. Gain genre awareness and apply appropriate writing conventions.
  6. Reflect on their writing process and areas for improvement.

Course Structure

1. Introduction to Writing Essentials 

  • Lesson: Course Overview and Expectations
  • Lesson: MLA Format Basics
  • Lesson: Key Parts of Speech
  • Assignment: Identifying Parts of Speech
  • Quiz: Parts of Speech

2. Building Strong Sentences 

  • Lesson: Sentence Construction
  • Assignment: Constructing Effective Sentences
  • Quiz: Sentence Construction

3. Punctuation and Paragraphs 

  • Lesson: Punctuation Essentials
  • Quiz: Punctuation Errors
  • Lesson: Paragraphs
  • Quiz: Punctuation and Mechanics

4. The Writing Process 

  • Lesson: Planning and Drafting
  • Assignment: Imaginative Essay Outline
  • Lesson: Revision and Editing
  • Assignment: Writing a Revision Plan
  • Assignment: Drafting and Revising an Essay
  • Quiz: The Writing Process

5. Genre Awareness 

  • Lesson: Understanding Genres
  • Assignment: Applying Genre Conventions
  • Quiz: Genre Awareness
  • Literary Interpretation
  • Lesson: Literary Heritage, Genres, and Interpretation
  • Assignment: Exploring Themes
  • Quiz: Literary Interpretation

6. Reflecting on Writing

  • Lesson: The Importance of Reflection
  • Assignment: Reflective Essay on Personal Growth
  • Lesson: Peer Review Strategies
  • Assignment: Peer Review of Personal Essays
  • Quiz: Reflecting on Writing

7. Creating Lessons for the Future

  • Lesson: Writing Challenges and Plans
  • Assignment: Selecting a Writing Challenge
  • Assignment: Creating a Lesson for Future Students
  • Quiz: Lesson Creation Process

8. Final Thoughts and Course Review

  • Lesson: Preparing for Future Writing Courses
  • Assignment: Course Reflection and Feedback
  • Lesson: Course Conclusion

Final Project 

For a final project, students will reflect on the most challenging writing issue they faced during the course. They will create a comprehensive lesson plan to help future students overcome the same challenge. This project allows students to apply what they’ve learned and contribute to the learning community.

Course Materials 

All course materials, including lessons, assignments, and quizzes, will be available online. No textbooks are required.

Students may submit each quiz and assignment a total of three times. Quizzes are available to be retaken automatically. To redo an assignment, please request that your submission be returned, so that you may submit a revised version.

Grading

  1. Assignment: “Identifying Parts of Speech” — 50.00 points
  2. Quiz: “Parts of Speech” — 50.00 points
  3. Assignment: “Constructing Effective Sentences” — 30.00 points
  4. Quiz: “Sentence Construction” — 30.00 points
  5. Quiz: “Punctuation Errors” — 50.00 points
  6. Quiz: “Punctuation and Mechanics” — 50.00 points
  7. Assignment: “Imaginative Essay Outline” — 30.00 points
  8. Assignment: “Writing a Revision Plan” — 40.00 points
  9. Assignment: “Drafting and Revising an Essay” — 100.00 points
  10. Quiz: “The Writing Process” — 50.00 points
  11. Assignment: “Applying Genre Conventions” — 100.00 points
  12. Quiz: “Genre Awareness” — 20.00 points
  13. Assignment: “Exploring Themes” — 100.00 points
  14. Quiz: “Literary Interpretation” — 25.00 points
  15. Assignment: “Reflective Essay on Personal Growth” — 100.00 points
  16. Assignment: “Reflective Essay on Personal Growth” — 100.00 points
  17. Assignment: “Peer Review of Personal Essays” — 75.00 points
  18. Quiz: “Reflecting on Writing” — 70.00 points
  19. Assignment: “Selecting a Writing Challenge” — 50.00 points
  20. Assignment: “Creating a Lesson for Future Students” — 100.00 points
  21. Quiz: “Lesson Creation Process” — 30.00 points
  22. Assignment: “Course Reflection and Feedback” — 50.00 points
  • Quizzes: 375 points possible (30%)
  • Assignments: 925 points possible: (70%)
  • Total: 1,300 points possible

Course Conclusion 

Your instructor is available to you via the Messages function (the envelope icon above) and via the comments area under each assignment.

This course aims to equip students with essential writing skills while fostering reflection and peer learning. Students will leave this course with a stronger grasp of writing fundamentals, our literary heritage, and a valuable lesson to guide future students in their writing journey.