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Showing posts from September, 2016

Week 4

Dear students, Today you will learn about setting up your word processor in order to format your essay correctly, so please remember to bring the "Becoming a Better Writer" textbook to class. (You will also review plagiarism in the textbook, too.) If your document is correctly formatted, it will look similar to the one below. A Rikkyo University correctly formatted word document Today's topic is media. In groups of four you will propose a question that your group will plan and write together as a 600-word multiple paragraph essay. For homework you should type it in the appropriate format for this college. You may inlude all of the essay in your portfolio, but highlight the part that you wrote. Please also note that the three book summaries that you have to write for homework should be typed in APA format (Rikkyo University English Department format), which is detailed in your textbook. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Week 3

Dear students, Today you will read your essay about a building in class. After that you will take a small writing challenge. The topic for today is language. Language essay question: Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. After that, you will try to assess your own writing by using a public version of the IELTS essay band scores and marking criteria (task 2). Please download a copy of this and bring it to class: IELTS Task 2 writing band descriptors Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Week 2

Dear students, For homework, you should finish your essay about retirement and put it into your portfolio which you should bring to class each week. You should also get a graded reader from the library and start reding it. Remember, you have to read three books and summarize them for homework this semester. Today you will talk about the appearance of people and things. Please download and bring the print to class. http://www.eflclub.com/rikkyo/designandfashion2.pdf In class, you will write an essay about a building. What is the purpose of your writing? (your main idea). After you have drawn your  map and had it checked, you should be ready to write. Your essay should be at least 250 words. If there is no time, you may finish it for homework. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Welcome to writing class - Week 1

Dear students, Today I will assess your writing level, so please answer the following question: Some people say that everyone should retire at age sixty-five, whereas others argue that this should not be the case. Discuss both points of view before concluding with your opinion Your essay should be at least four paragraphs, and you may work alone or in a group. Kind regards, Chris Elvin CLASS GRADING CRITERIA Attendance: 30 points Three typed 150-word summaries of graded readers that you read this semester: 20 points Your class portfolio (keep everything that you do in class): 20 points A mid-term test: 10 points A final test: 20 points CLASS SCHEDULE Week 1 - human rights Week 2 - appearance Week 3 - language Week 4 - media Week 5 - globalization Week 6 - gender Week 7 - mid-term test Week 8 - human rights Week 9 - appearance Week 10 - language Week 11 - media Week 12 - globalization Week 13 - gender; hand in class portfolio; hand in graded reader summar