Writing Center Tutor Training Exercises in Style Plus Handbook References

Developed by: Vanessa Armand

The Proposed Writing Center Tutor Training Course

This syllabus has been developed for an Upper-Intermediate/Advanced peer-tutor

training course for the proposed Writing Center. It reflects the objectives of the host

institution to offer learners opportunities to practice the target language through real-

world-related tasks. To do so, this course provides intensive practice with writing for

different genres (through investigation of an array of forms, audiences, and styles),

reviewing and utilizing appropriate grammatical forms, and building vocabulary through

multiple exposures and creative use. The writing assignments in this course require

learners to think both critically and creatively as they analyze genres and construct their

works according to the characteristics that they have identified in each one.

To achieve this, the genres have been divided up into modules for three categories

based on the types of writing that learners in the school are most likely to encounter both

inside and outside of their instruction at this school: 1) professional and business writing,

2) academic writing, and 3) creative writing. Grammatical and stylistic conventions for

each of the forms addressed within the categories are presented in context with authentic

texts. The format for each module are as follows: students are asked to reflect on their

prior knowledge of a given form (e.g. a cover letter), are provided with authentic texts are

provided for more in-depth analysis of the forms components (e.g. formal tone,

introduction/conclusion formatting, etc), and then are asked to prepare a written text of

that form based on the video prompt provided for that module (e.g. Charlie Chaplins The

Modern World).

The stages of the writing process mirror that of the peer-tutoring process for

which these learners are being trained, the steps of which include collaborative efforts

between writer and tutor to analyze the components of the target genre, brainstorm for

content, and revise written work. Following each session, in which learners work as both

tutor and writer, learners briefly reflect on their experiences (responding to prompts about

collaboration and new knowledge of the English language and of the process of writing in

English). Reflections are recorded in a journal and submitted to the instructors for review

and comments following each form-writing cycle. Form-writing assignments are

submitted to the instructors for feedback following the first-draft stage and preceding

collaborative peer revision. The final drafts of each assignment are complied into a

portfolio of each learners written work throughout the course and are displayed at the

end of the course in a relaxed-atmosphere book fair during which learners debrief

about their experiences with the writing process and circulate to read each others works.

The guiding texts for genre/form writing are provided to students in the proposed

Writing Center Handbook (Armand, 2013, pp. 11-19). Question prompts are provided to

learners for analysis of genre/forms of writing prior to the collaborative brainstorming

phase, for which tutors make use of the key questions in a given form section to prompt

their work in the session. Tutor/writers may also consult grammar resources (Kolln &

Gray, 2010; Murphy, 2003; Smalzer & Murphy, 2003) and structure resources (Harris,

2006; Graff & Birkenstein, 2010) to help them improve the precision of their content.

The instructors circulate to serve as facilitators and consultants during this process.

As the list of genres and forms provided in the Handbook is plausibly too

extensive to execute in a 10-week intensive course, and as certain genres/forms are more

relevant to some learners and more than others, work with these categories is likely to be

separated into two separate tutor groups for specialized training (business or academic),

for which learners self-select for participation based on their current and future needs. In

reflection of the Writing Centers support of World Englishes and in its objective to

encourage writers to use their own ideas and writing style (Armand, 2013, p. 2), the

modules included in this tutor training aim to empower learners with the English writing

skills they need to successfully and convincingly write in a given genre, while also

encouraging them to draw on their cultural knowledge and perspectives that can help

them personalize andthus strengthenthe arguments they present in these writing

assignments.

APPENDIX A: TUTOR TRAINING WRITING TASKS for GROUP 1

(professional/business)

o Writing prompt: Charlie Chaplin Modern Times http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGNYyG8F7WY

o (Time of excerpt 1m44-18m52)

TASK 1: Imagine you are Charlie Chaplin. You have just been released from the

hospital after a nervous breakdown and are looking for a new job. Write your CV

based on your prior work experience, the skills you have, your personality traits

as they relate to your prior job experience. You can also add details about your

education or training [imagine this]. You will be using this CV for many different

jobs.

o CV or Resum: a short document that describes your education, work experience, etc. It uses bullet points to outline the experience you have

that may be most important and relevant to a job that you are applying

for. If you have room to add detailed descriptions of these experiences,

you can, but you will often write about these experiences in your Cover

Letter, instead. NOTE: It usually only 1 page long.

Key Questions: What aspects of your education make you a good person to hire? What did you study?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGNYyG8F7WY

What aspects of your prior jobs make you a good person to hire? (skills, experiences, tools?).

What were your duties/responsibilities at your prior job(s)?

What other skills/experiences have you had that might make you a good person to hire? What

other tools do you know how to use that might be useful for a new job?

Do you work well with others? Do you volunteer for extra work?

Job posting will be provided to learners. Learners choose one post to apply for;

they adapt the skills and experiences that they embodied in the Charlie Chaplin

CV to their Charlie Chaplin Cover Letter and Personal Statement.

TASK 2: Imagine you are Charlie Chaplin. Choose from three job postings that

you have found, and write a cover letter and Statement of Purpose for this

position. Your goal is to impress the hiring committee and convince them to

interview and hire you. Use your imagination to change negative parts of the

video into positive experiences that you (Charlie) can write/talk about.

HANDBOOK p. 11

o Cover Letter (or Letter of Intent): a letter that is sent with your CV to explain why you are applying for a position/job and to give more information the

details of the experiences that you listed on your CV. The goal of this letter is to

convince the employer that you are the best candidate for the job. It should tell

him/her what you know/like about the company/business, and how you are different

from other candidates (what you have to offer the company/business). NOTE: The

ideas you include should flow smoothly from one to the next in your writing; the

Cover Letter is not simply your CV in paragraph form. Be sure to introduce yourself

and your purpose at the beginning, and to thank the reader(s) at the end.

Key Questions: What do you know about this company/business? What do you like about it?

Why do you want this job? How will it help you it in the future?

What experience do you have that makes you different from other candidates?

What other responsibilities have you had in the past that would be important for this position?

What experiences have you had that would help you in this position?

TASK 3: Role-play with a partner. One person is the hiring manager; the other

person is Charlie.

The hiring manager should:

A) read the job posting that Charlie is applying for, as well as Charlies CV,

Cover Letter

B) ask Charlie questions based on these materials.

C) ask questions that get Charlie to show his personality.

Charlie should:

Also see HANDBOOK p. 11

A) should have his application materials B) have questions that his has about the job (think about salary, hours,

opportunities for promotion, benefits, etc).

Business: o Writing prompt: Charlie Chaplin Modern Times



TASK 4: Imagine you are the inventor of the new Feeding Machine. You want

the president of the steel company to invest in the production of your new

invention. Write a proposal to convince the president to ask you to give a

demonstration. You can imagine that the proposal is either solicited or

unsolicited.

HANDBOOK p. 12

o Proposals: a bid for business (that helps you grow your company). 2 types of proposals: Solicited: when a company is looking for a business to

complete a project and asks businesses to compete to convince the company

to pay them to do the project. Unsolicited: when a business wants to create a

relationship with another (usually larger) business and offers ideas for how

the two businesses would benefit from working together. For both, do

research about the company you are writing to, and use words and

expressions that are familiar to your audience and field.

Key Questions: What do you know about the company you are writing to? (NOTE: the more you know, the more you will be able to understand the needs and wants of this

company, and the more likely you will be to win that companys business).

What solutions do you have for the problems this company has?

What can the company gain from working with you?

Have you worked with clients in this field before? What would they say about you?

What samples of work do you have that show your expertise?

TASK 5: Imagine you are the inventor of the new Feeding Machine. The

president of the steel company has agreed to meet with you. You are writing to

him to set up a time for your demonstration.

HANDBOOK pp. 12-13

o Formal email/letter: A business letter that is short and to the point; it answers who, what, where, when, why, and how in relation to the business

topic of the email or letter, but does not include unnecessary details. It

usually begins with Dear Sir or Madam, To Whom it May Concern if the

reader is unknown, or with Dear + Title and Name of Reader if the

reader is known. If the writer includes attachments, s/he should include a

brief explanation of them (what they are and the purpose they serve). To end

the letter, the writer uses Sincerely if s/he doesnt know the reader, or

Yours truly if the writer knows the reader well. NOTE: The reader should

sign the email with his/her name, followed by his/her title, business

address, phone number, and email address (and website if necessary).

Key Questions: Who are the readers and what is your relationship with them?

What is the purpose of this letter? (ex. Discuss a problem, offer an

idea/solution, discuss changes, make a request)

What is the most important information to include?

Of the details that you have included, which ones are the most/least

important? Which ones can you delete?

What do you expect the reader to do with this information?

TASK 6: Again, you are the inventor. This time, you are writing to your

employees. Inform them about the demonstration you will be giving. Think about

who will be going with you, where, what time, why you are giving the

demonstration, and who will be in the audience.

HANDBOOK p. 14

o Memo: A short letter/email used to make public announcements, discuss procedures, report on company activities, and inform many employees about

important information. Anything confidential should not be written in a memo.

The tone is informal and friendly, but not unprofessional.

Key Questions: What is the purpose of the memo? (Discuss procedures, make an

announcement, report on company activities, tell employees about important

info)

Is all the information in your memo new information to your readers? If not, you

can mention that in the memo.

What is the most important information? (put it first)

What is the least important information? (put it last)

TASK 7: Once again, you are the inventor. Imagine that you are giving a short

presentation (instead of a demonstration) of your invention. Your goal is put the

information from your proposal into a presentation format. You will present this

to the president of the steel company and a small group of his business partners.

At the end of your presentation, they will give you feedback.

HANDBOOK p. 14

o Oral presentations materials: PowerPoint slides or other types of visual aids (charts, graphs, etc) that give the basic points of what you are talking about.

The font size should be large enough for your audience to read from the farthest

part of the room where you are giving the presentation. They use colors and font

type that is appropriate for the field and audience. They use the same format on

each slide to show similar points, and a different format to point out a specific

point. NOTE: Do not use a lot of long sentences or paragraphs on your slides

because they can distract your audience from what you are saying (instead, they

will be trying to read).

Key Questions: Who is your audience and what is your relationship with them?

What is the topic of your presentation?

What is the purpose of your presentation? (What do you want to accomplish?)

What kinds of language do you need to accomplish this?

What points are similar and how are they related?

Are some points more important than others? Why? (Make them look different to

grab audiences attention).

APPENDIX B: [TENTATIVE] TUTOR TRAINING MODULE SCHEDULE for

GROUP A (professional/business)

WEEK 1: Introduction to course

Day 1: Purpose of our WC, discussion of peerness (Handbook chapters Intro & 1)

Day 2: Discussion of appropriation (Severino, 2004); respect, authority

(Handbook chapters 2 &3)

WEEK 2

Day 3: Overview of tasks (a. the purpose of performing exercises in style, what

learners can expect to gain by doing this; b. the prompt and how it will be used; d.

brief description of each writing task; c. explanation of how subgenres will be

analyzed; d. how grammar will be integrated; e. explain the process of peer

editing; f. reflection component). Watch the video prompt; learners fill out

Paesanis chart (Figure 1).

Figure 1: "Vocabulary Chart" adapted from Paesani, K. (2006). Exercices de style: Developing

Multiple Competencies Through a Writing Portfolio. Foreign Language Annals, 39(4), 618

639. (p. 623).

Day 4: review video prompt; Analysis of CV components; Assign TASK 1;

Group-work brainstorming session (one person works as tutor to drive session).

HW: Draft 1 of TASK 1.

WEEK 3

Day 5: Brief review of components of a CV; tutor-writer collaboration on Draft 1

of TASK 1; Brief learner reflection on TASK 1 process. DUE by Day 6: Final

draft of TASK 1.

Day 6: Analysis of Cover Letter components; Assign TASK 2; Time for

individual work, then Group-work brainstorming session (same groups as for

TASK 1 with different person working as tutor to drive session). HW: Draft 1 of

TASK 2. SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback.

WEEK 4

Day 7: Brief review of components of a Cover Letter; tutor-writer collaboration

on Draft 1 of TASK 2; Brief learner reflection on TASK 2 process. DUE before

Day 8: Final draft of TASK 2.

Day 8: TASK 3: Mock interviews role-play. Learner reflection.

WEEK 5

Day 9: Watch the video prompt again? Chart fill-in focused on the Feeding

Machine? Analysis of Business Proposals. Brainstorming for TASK 4. HW: Draft

1 of TASK 4.

Day 10: Brief review of components of a Business Proposal; tutor-writer

collaboration on Draft 1 of TASK 4; learner reflection. If time allows,

independent learner revision. DUE by Day 11: Final draft of TASK 4. SUBMIT

reflection journals to instructor for feedback.

WEEK 6

Day 11: Analysis of Formal Letters. Brainstorming for TASK 5. Independent

writing time. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 5.

Day 12: Brief review of components of a Formal Letter; tutor-writer collaboration

on Draft 1 of TASK 5; learner reflection. If time allows, independent learner

revision. DUE by Day 13: Final draft of TASK 5.

WEEK 7

Day 13: Analysis of Memos. Brainstorming for TASK 6. Independent writing

time. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 6.

Day 14: Brief review of components of a Memo; tutor-writer collaboration on

Draft 1 of TASK 6; learner reflection. If time allows, independent learner

revision. DUE by Day 15: Final draft of TASK 6. SUBMIT reflection journals to

instructor for feedback.

WEEK 8

Day 15: Analysis of Oral Presentations. Look at slide composition, parallel forms;

also good vs. bad oral presentations. Brainstorming for TASK 7. Independent

writing time. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 6.

Day 16: Brief review of components of an Oral Presentation; tutor-writer

collaboration on Draft 1 of TASK 7; learner reflection. independent writer

revision. DUE by Day 17: Final draft of TASK 7.

WEEK 9

Day 17: TASK 7 Practice Oral Presentations in pairs, feedback. HW: revisions,

practice, learner reflection.

Day 18: TASK 7 Oral Presentations Group A, feedback; HW: Group A final

journal reflections.

WEEK 10

Day 19: TASK 7 Oral Presentations Group B, feedback. Group A: SUBMIT

reflection journals to instructor for feedback. HW: Group B final journal

reflections. HW 2: Print complete portfolios (PPT slides included).

Day 20: Group B SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback. Group

reflection, debriefing about process as a whole. PORTFOLIO FAIR PARTY!

HW: Online survey for feedback to teacher/Course evaluations.

APPENDIX C: TUTOR TRAINING WRITING TASKS for GROUP 2 (academic)

o Writing prompt: Away we go Antwerp http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/esl_movieclip8.html

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/esl_movieclip8.html

TASK 1: Step 1: Watch the video clip. Choose a character that you will become.

Then, construct your character (use your imagination) based on the following

questions:

How old are you?

Where did you grow up?

What is your relationship with the other characters?

What do you do for a living?

What are your likes/dislikes? Hobbies?

What is your vision for the future?

Step 2A: In a group, each person representing a different character, introduce

yourself as your character and tell your group about your character as you

imagine him/her. Your group members should ask questions about your character

to help you think in more detail.

Step 2B: Write a brief character description based on the questions from Step 1

(simply put your answers into complete sentences to form a paragraph). Email

this to your instructor.

Step 3: Imagine you are one of the characters in this movie clip. Imagine that you

are writing a narrative on a blog for a broad audience of readers. You should

include a description of the Antwerp conversation from your perspective, and

should talk about what happened before this event.

HANDBOOK p. 15

o Narrative: an essay that tells your reading about a personal experience that you or someone else has had. It tells a story, but also talks about a central idea

(theme) and lesson that has been learned from the experience. It talks about

what not why, uses facts as the basis for the story, and contains descriptive

language that creates images in the readers mind. It may include dialogue.

Narratives essays are usually in the 1st or 3rd person perspectives; they use past

tense, action verbs, similes/metaphors, and a lot of personal voice.

Key Questions: What happens to you/the main character in the story?

Where does the story take place? How does this impact the story?

How does the story begin/end? What is the main problem in the story? How is the

problem solved?

What is the theme of the story? What message do you want your audience to

remember from your story? What lesson did you learn from this experience?

TASK 2: Imagine that you are describing the process of telling your kids about a

decision you have made to move far away. How and when do you tell them? Why

do you tell them? (How do you expect them to respond? This will change how

you tell them.) What do you say to introduce the idea? Are there other ways of

doing this? How can you respond to their reactions? How can you end the

conversation?

HANDBOOK p. 16 (adapted)

o Expository/Instructional: An essay that describes a process (instructions about how to do something) or a thing (using the 5 senses to describe it). It can

also analyze people, objects, or events, and provide facts and ideas that are

supported by historical and/or scientific evidence. It has a thesis and presents

information without bias. It uses cue words like: first, second, third; next; then;

finally.

http://web.gccaz.edu/~mdinchak/ENG101/expository_writing.htm

Key Questions: What topic are you writing about?

What process are you describing?

Who is your audience?

How will your description help your audience?

What details must you have? What details can you leave out?

What details are currently missing from your description that might make the

process confusing for your audience?

Do you have a clear opening and conclusion?

What alternatives can you give for different steps?

TASK 3: Imagine you are writing an article for a journal about parenting. Write a

cause/effect essay outlining the causes and effects of the interaction in this clip.

Use your imagination to think larger than just what is said in the clip. What might

have happened to cause the parents to make their decision to move away? What

might happen as a result of the decision that the parents make?

HANDBOOK pp. 16-17 (adapted)

o Cause and Effect: A cause/effect essay focuses on the relationship between two [or more] experiences or events. It can talk about the causes, the effects, or

both. A cause essay talks about the reasons something happened. An effect essay

talks about the consequences of an event. It uses cue words like: reasons why/that;

ifthen; because; thus; therefore; as a result. It usually uses conditional statements

with the 3rd person perspective. Generalize the situation: ex. The parents decide to

move away and the kids become upset. = If parents decide to move away, kids may

become upset.
http://web.gccaz.edu/~mdinchak/ENG101/expository_writing.htm

Key Questions: What is the topic of your essay?

Why is this topic important to you?

Are you writing about the causes of an event, the consequences/effects of an event,

or both the causes and effects of an event?

List the causes and/or effects that you know of for this event. What other

causes/effects might be possible?

What facts/evidence can you use to support your claims?

TASK 4: Once again, imagine you are one of the characters in the clip (the same

one you chose to be in TASK 1). Again, you are writing on your blog. This time,

write a persuasive essay to convince your writers to think the way you do about

the situation (Parent= Parents should be allowed to fulfill their dreams in

retirement; kids= grandparents should remain close to their families when their

grandchildren are born). Even though this is a personal perspective, you will be

more convincing if you present your ideas as though they are fact; therefore, do

not use the first person perspective. Instead, use 3rd person.

HANDBOOK p. 17

o Persuasion/argumentation: A persuasive essay tries to convince the reader to agree with the writers opinion and to think the same way the writer

does. To do this, it includes facts and quotes as support for the writers

perspective. It must have a clear conclusion if it is to be convincing to the reader.

It is important to be confident in your opinion and to let this confidence show in

your writing. NOTE: Write from the readers perspective; this way, you can find

and fix holes in your argument and make it stronger and more effective.

Key Questions: What is the topic of your argument?

Why is this topic important to you? Why should the reader care about this topic?

Describe how you feel about this topic. (What is your argument?)

What are other possible views on this topic/argument?

How could you answer these questions & counter arguments?

Do you have a clear conclusion? If not, what is missing? How can you make your

conclusion clearer/stronger?

http://www.eslflow.com/Acargumentativessay.html

TASK 5: Once again, imagine that you are writing for the parenting journal.

Think about the similarities and differences in the arguments presented by the

parent group and kid group in TASK 4. Outline these similarities and differences

and write an article that compares or contrasts the two perspectives on the

situation in the clip. Whose side are you taking (kids or parents?)? Use one of the

two organization styles below.
http://www.eslflow.com/Acargumentativessay.html

HANDBOOK p. 15-16

o Compare/contrast: A comparison essay is an essay in which you talk about the similarities between two things; a contrast essay is an essay in which you talk

about the differences. It uses cue words like: different; in contrast; alike; same as;

on the other hand. There are 2 ways to organize comparisons/contrasts: 1) block arrangement of ideas where the writer talks about one side (block A) and then the

other (block B); 2) point-by-point arrangement of ideas where the writer compares the two sides point by point (Point 1A, 1B; Point 2A, 2B). Writers

usually use comparison or contrast to support their personal point of view.

Key Questions: What is the topic you are writing about?

What two points are you comparing or contrasting? (And how do they relate to

your topic?)

Why is this topic important to you? What is your view on this topic? Which point

do you support? Why?

What details are you using to support your arguments?

How are you organizing your paper? (block or point-by-point)

Why is this topic important/relevant to your readers?

http://www.eslbee.com/compcont.htm

APPENDIX D: [TENTATIVE] TUTOR TRAINING MODULE SCHEDULE for

GROUP 2 (academic)

WEEK 1: Introduction to course

Day 1: Purpose of our WC, discussion of peerness (Handbook chapters Intro & 1)

Day 2: Discussion of appropriation (Severino, 2004); respect, authority

(Handbook chapters 2 &3)

WEEK 2

Day 3: Overview of tasks (a. the purpose of performing exercises in style, what

learners can expect to gain by doing this; b. the prompt and how it will be used; d.

brief description of each writing task; c. explanation of how subgenres will be

analyzed; d. how grammar will be integrated; e. explain the process of peer
http://www.eslbee.com/compcont.htm

editing; f. reflection component). Watch the video prompt (2X); quick

comprehension check; learners fill out Paesanis chart (Figure 1). Then pair-

compare.

Figure 2: "Vocabulary Chart" adapted from Paesani, K. (2006). Exercices de style: Developing

Multiple Competencies Through a Writing Portfolio. Foreign Language Annals, 39(4), 618

639. (p. 623).

Day 4: review video prompt; Assign TASK 1, step 1 (character description

independent brainstorming). Group brainstorming TASK 1, step 2A. Independent

writing time for TASK 1, step 2B. DUE by Day 5: TASK 1, step 2B.

WEEK 3

Day 5: Analysis of components of Narrative Essays; brainstorming for TASK 1,

step 3. Independent writing time. Brief learner reflection. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 1

step 3.

Day 6: Brief review of components of Narrative Essays; tutor-writer collaboration

on Draft 1 of TASK 1, step 3; Brief learner reflection on TASK 1 process. DUE

before Day 7: final draft of TASK 1 steps 2 & 3.

WEEK 4

Day 7: Analysis of Instructional Writing; brainstorming for TASK 2. HW: Draft 1

of TASK 2.

Day 8: Brief review of Instructional Writing; tutor-writer collaboration on Draft 1

of TASK 2. Brief learner reflection. Independent writing time. DUE before Day

9: Final draft of TASK 2. SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback.

WEEK 5

Day 9: Analysis of Cause/Effect essays. Independent planning time, group

brainstorming time for Draft 1 of TASK 3. HW: Outline for Draft 1 of TASK 3.

Day 10: Time for Questions, Concerns (SS-T). Brief review of components of

Cause/Effect essays. Tutor-writer collaboration on Outline for Draft 1 of TASK 3.

Independent writing time. Learner reflection. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 3.

WEEK 6

Day 11: Brief review of components of Cause/Effect essays. Tutor-writer

collaboration on Draft 1 of TASK 3. Independent writing time. Learner reflection.

DUE by Day 12: Final draft of TASK 3.

Day 12: Analysis of Persuasive Essays. Thinking time, brainstorming for Outline

for Draft 1 of TASK 4. Independent writing time. Learner reflection. HW: Outline

for Draft 1 of TASK 4. SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback.

WEEK 7

Day 13: Brief review of components of Cause/Effect essays. Tutor-writer

collaboration on Outline for Draft 1 of TASK 4. Independent writing time.

Learner reflection. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 4.


Cause/Effect essays. Tutor-writer collaboration on Draft 1 of TASK 4.

Independent writing time. Learner reflection. DUE by Day 15: Final draft of

TASK 4.

WEEK 8

Day 15: Analysis of Compare/Contrast essays. Independent planning time, group

brainstorming time for Outline of Draft 1 of TASK 5. HW: Outline for Draft 1 of

TASK 5.


Compare/Contrast essays. Tutor-writer collaboration on Outline for Draft 1 of

TASK 5. Independent writing time. Learner reflection. HW: Draft 1 of TASK 5.

SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback.

WEEK 9


Compare/contrast essays. Tutor-writer collaboration on Draft 1 of TASK 5.

Independent writing time. Learner reflection. HW: 2nd Draft of TASK 5.

Day 18: Tutor-writer collaboration on 2nd Draft of TASK 5. Independent writing

time. Learner reflection. DUE by Day 19: Final draft of TASK 5. Group A

WEEK 10

Day 19: ALL TASKS WORKSHOP DAY. Tutor-writer pair-up/swap; day for all

learners to get feedback on any essays that they still need to work on. Independent

writing time. In class/HW: Final reflections. ANY COMPLETE FINAL

REFLECTIONS SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for feedback. HW 2:

Print complete portfolio.

Day 20: ALL LEARNERS SUBMIT reflection journals to instructor for

feedback. Group reflection, debriefing about process as a whole. PORTFOLIO

FAIR PARTY! HW: Online survey for feedback to teacher/Course evaluations.

APPENDIX E: EXTRA (LECTURE) TOPICS/WORKSHOPS o Video prompt: ?? o

Creative Writing:

TASK 1: Step 1: Watch the video clip. Write 6 words that you feel express the scene

in the clip. Write 3 related ideas (in phrase form) for each of these words as they

relate to the scene.

Step 2: Brainstorm with a partner about these words/ideas. What words/ideas did

your wordweb make your partner think of? Add them to your wordweb. Repeat with

a second partner.

Step 3: Write a rough story outline using the video, your wordweb, and your

partners feedback.

Step 4: Collaborate with your partner to improve your draft. Think about the kind of

imagery that you want to use (use metaphors, similes). Be as creative and original as

possible. You can and should use imagery from your home country. You can also use

idioms and expressions that you have learned in English. Your story can be in the

past or present tense; it can use 1st or 3rd person.

HANDBOOK p. 18

o Fiction: A story that contains character with specific personalities/identities, and descriptive language that creates images in the readers mind. It may

include dialogue. It can be imaginary, factual, or both; some genres include:

fairytales, mysteries, science fiction, romance, horror stories, adventure stories,

and personal experience. Narratives are usually in the 1st and 3rd person

perspectives; they use past tense, action verbs, specific nouns (oak instead of

tree), similes/metaphors, and a lot of personal voice. They also help the reader

imagine the world that the writer wants to create by using the senses; this

means that the writer can use the following 5 senses questions to create

detailed descriptions of characters, settings, mood, and experiences.

What does it smell like?

What can be heard?

TASK 2: Choose 3 different types of poems that you want to write. Write 1 poem

per type using the video as inspiration. Think about the kind of imagery that you

want to use. Be as creative and original as possible. You can and should use

imagery from your home country. You can also use idioms and expressions that

you have learned in English if they fit into your poems form.

HANDBOOK pp. 18-19

o Poetry: Poetry is a very complex form of creative writing. There are countless types of poems, some with strict rules, and some with no rules (freeform). The

main elements of poetry are: speaker (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person), subject/topic, theme

(makes an important point about the topic), and tone (writers attitude towards the

topic). Other important elements are: poetic devices (allusion, hyperbole,

paradox), the sound of the poem (alliteration, onomatopoeia), and the

symbolism of the poem (abstract meaning made from of objects, things, places,

etc.). In some types of poems, emphasis, rhyme, meter, pauses, and stops are

important for how the poem is read (and therefore how it is interpreted).

Key Questions: What kind of poem are you writing?

Does this kind of poem have rules? If so, what are they?

What is the topic (and theme) of your poem?

Why is this topic/theme important to you? Why are you writing about it?

Are certain sounds important for your poem? (Does your poem use rhyme

ex. Cat/hat--? Does it use alliterationex. big black-eyed bug--? Does it use onomatopoeiaex. Bang! Whoosh!--?)

Are pauses or stops important in your poem?

What symbols do you use in your poem? Why?

What other symbols might you use instead or in addition?

What can be seen?

What does it taste like?

What does it feel like?

(http://ncowie.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/features-of-narrative-writing/)

Key Questions: What happens in the story?

Where does the story take place?

Who are the main characters? Describe them.

How does the story begin/end? What is the main problem in the story? How

is the problem solved? What is the theme of the story? What message do you

want your audience to remember from your story?
http://ncowie.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/features-of-narrative-writing/

Documents

Writing Center Tutor Training Exercises in Style Plus Handbook References