Rikkyo - Reading & Writing - Elvin

Dear students, Today you will read your latest summary to your partner or group and then read chapter 7 of the textbook. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, For most of you, please keep up the good work. Your summary writing has been of good quality and your opinions intelligent, insightful and interesting. I would also like to remind everyone about plagiarism as written in the  course outline : Rules of Plagiarism • Don't copy sentences. • Don't copy sentences then change the words. • Strings of five words or more identical to the original may be construed as plagiarism. The maximum grade for anyone who copies will be "C". You have fourteen weeks to read and write about ten books, so if you are busy you may skip a week's homework assignment. Some students unfortunately have been copying. If you copy once, your grade will be no higher than "C". If you copy twice, you will fail the course. One student has already done so. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Today is your mid-term test. You should summarize a graded reader and write an opinion of it. Write two paragraphs of a minimum of 150 words each. (A paragraph is a block of text, indented on the first line). You should include an APA formatted in-text citation in your summary paragraph, and provide a full APA reference after your opinion. You should bring your reader to class. You may not use dictionaries, cell phones, or notes during this 70-minute test. Points: Summary - 4 In-text citation - 1 Opinion - 4 Reference - 1 Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Today you will read your latest graded  reader summary and opinion in small groups. After that, you will study chapter 6 of the textbook. You will also learn about APA formatting for in-text citations and references in preparation for next week’s mid-term test. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Today you will be put into groups based on the books you have read so far. Please talk to each other about your reading experience. What books did you enjoy reading and what would you like to read next? Here are your groups: After that, you will study chapter 5 of the textbook. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, You only need to read ten books over fourteen weeks, which means that you don't need to post every week. Golden Week may be a time to take it easy, or a time to do some reading - please choose. In the meantime, if you would like a suggestion, take one from below? Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Today you will read your latest graded reader summary and opinion, and then read chater 4 of the textbook. Kind regards, Chris Elvin P.S. Please make sure to write enough. If your assignment is too short, it may be disqualified.

Dear students, Today you will read the summary and opinion of your latest graded reader in small groups. After that you will study chapter 3 of the textbook. Kind regards, Chris Elvin PS. Below are your scores. Some zeros were for double posting (check your email before submitting twice) while others were for academic dishonesty. (I think it's not difficult to earn a good score by honest effort). Later...

Dear students, Today you will read your summary and opinion of the graded reader that you read last week. (The url to upload your summary can be found on the blog “welcome page” and also below: Graded reader summary upload form After you have read your summaries in small groups you will start chapter 2 of the textbook, “Select Readings pre-intermediate”. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Welcome to Chris Elvin's reading and writing, semester one. Today you will: 1) learn about the course by reading the course syllabus (see previous post ) 2) take a personal opinion survey 3) choose your first graded reader You should choose a book that you enjoy reading, with no more than five percent of the words that are unfamiliar to you. You should enjoy reading without the need for a dictionary. If you wish, you may take a graded reader level test to help you find your level. Oxford Graded Readers Level Test Macmillan Readers Level Test Penguin English Readers Level 4) read for pleasure in class (time permitting) Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Please access this blog weekly to check for news about the course, homework assignments, and updates. Kind regards, Chris Elvin SYLLABUS                                      Reading and Writing 1 (Spring 2019) Email Chris Elvin:  chriselvin@gmail.com Textbook:  Lee, L., & Gundersen, E. (2011). Select readings: teacher-approved readings for today's students. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Pre-Intermediate level) Course Description and Objectives: This course is designed for students to learn academic reading and writing skills. Students will learn strategies to promote fluency and accuracy in reading and writing through a variety of activities including reading extensively and intensively, and writing compositions. The goal of this course is to a...

Dear students, Today is your final test, which is worth ten points. You are asked to summarize a story in today’s newspaper and include your opinion. You may bring a newspaper to class or use your cell phone. Your essay should include an intext citatation and a reference, both in APA format. Your summary and opinion will be worth four points each. Your intext citation and reference will be worth one point each. Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Today is a free writing lesson. If you haven't completed all of the homework assignments, you should work on that today. If you have finished, then you should edit your work to try and improve your grade. Regardless of whether you have finished all the assignments or not, let me check your APA references. If there is anything else you would like to ask me about your work or the course, please do. Kind regards, Chris Elvin P.S. Next week will be your final lesson. You will have a writing test. Good luck!

Dear students, Today your topic is ethics. Ask and answer questions about cheating or honesty with your partner. Please conduct a class survey today and discuss the results as part of your essay. Cheating Honesty and Truthfulness Kind regards, Chris Elvin

Dear students, Please fill out a questiobnaire for my private research. Ability and intelligence Today you will talk about culture or culture shock in pairs or small groups. Culture Questions Culture Shock Questions Your homework is to write about culture or culture shock either by personal experience or from what you have read. You may conduct a survey if you wish. First, plan your paragraphs by drawing your concept map. Then write your essay. Cite your sources if appropriate. Kind regards, Chris Elvin