ESOL 0347 Intermediate Writing Syllabus
Level 2B Spring 2011
Instructor: Carla Brownlee
E-mail:
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.-8:20 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday in room 214.
Your performance in my class is very important to me. Please free to contact me concerning any
problems that you are having in this course. I am available to hear your concerns and to discuss
course topics. Feel free to see me anytime during my office hours.
Class Time: 8:30 a.m.-9:20 a.m.; 10:20 a.m.-11:10 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday
Computer Lab: 9:20 a.m.-10:10 a.m. Tuesday
1. Course Description:
A continuation of ESOL 0343. This course develops vocabulary skills, both written and oral.
Students learn to write short simple paragraphs.
2. Course Purpose
This course seeks to prepare students for college level academic or workforce study by
accomplishing the following objectives:



Strengthening awareness of the basic principles of organization of the single- paragraph
composition, focusing especially on the role of the topic sentences, examples, details, and the
conclusion.
Strengthening awareness of the nature of the writing process, focusing especially on the areas
of effective prewriting, composing, revising, and editing.
Strengthening skills in the basic principles of sentence combination, focusing especially on the
role of subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.
3. Course Outcomes:
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
 Write an well-organized paragraph of between 11-15 sentences
 Choose a topic and then write an appropriate title
 Write a basic outline
 Write a topic sentence, a conclusion, and examples with details
 Show familiarity with the use of coordination and subordination
 Use a variety of sentence types
 Be familiar with the composing process: prewriting, composing, proofreading, and revising
4. GRADE BREAKDOWN:
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
In-Class Paragraphs (5)
65%
Daily Work/Lab/Quizzes
10%
Final
25%
Total
100%
GRADING SCALE:
90-100=
A
80-89=
B
70-79=
C
69 or less=
F or IP*
* A student who completes all the course requirements and assignments but has not mastered
Level 2 skills; will receive an "IP". A student, who does not complete the course requirements and
assignments and has not mastered level 2 skills, will receive an "F".
Textbooks and Supplies:
You are required to buy the following books/supplies for this course:
 First Steps in Academic Writing Level 2, 2nd Edition
By Ann Hogue
Longman Publishers
 a good English dictionary such as Longman Dictionary of American English or the Newbury
Dictionary
 composition paper
 notebook or binder to take notes
 pocket folder to keep handouts
CLASS POLICIES
ATTENDANCE: Attending class regularly is the best way to succeed in this class. A student who
has more than 10 hour absences in a class may be dropped.
TARDINESS: You must come to class on time in the morning and after the breaks.
If you are 10 minutes late, you will be marked absent. Leaving class for more than 10 minutes
counts as an absence.
WITHDRAWALS: If you feel you cannot complete this course, you will need to withdraw from
the course before April 14, 2011 to receive a "W". If you withdraw after that date, you will receive
a grade of IP or F. Please meet with your instructor to discuss why you feel it is necessary to do so.
F-1 students may not withdraw from class without becoming out of status.
MAKEUP TESTS / LATE HOMEWORK: Assignments are given in advance and they are your
responsibility to be turned in on time. Late work will not be accepted and there will be no makeup tests in this class. I will drop the lowest test grade at the end of the semester. If you miss more
than one test during the semester, you must see me to make other arrangements.
ACADEMIC HONESTY / CHEATING: A student who is academically dishonest is not showing
that they have learned the coursework. Any form of copying, cheating, or plagiarism will result in a
zero (0) for the assignment. See the HCCS Student Handbook for more information
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with a learning or physical disability which might
affect their performance in class should contact the HCCS disabilities counselor, Dr. Becky Hauri
at 713-718-7909, FAX 713-718-7906.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: To show respect to your fellow students and instructor, you will turn
off your phone and other electronic devices and will not use them in the classroom unless you
receive permission from the instructor. All phones and electronic devices must be turned into
the instructor before test.
NOTICE: Students who repeat a course three or more times will face significant tuition increase at
HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor/counselor about
opportunities for tutoring/other assistance if you are not receiving passing grades.
TUTORING/OPEN LAB: Students can get extra help after school and on Friday mornings.
Tutoring by qualified ESL teachers is available by week 3 at no extra charge.
Students can also use the computer and listening labs for additional practice.
Course Schedule
Note: This schedule is approximate; I may make changes to it if necessary to cover the required
material in the course. We will cover 5 units in your writing textbook. At the end of each chapter,
you will write an in-class paragraph based on the rhetorical mode we studied. You will periodically
have quizzes on punctuation, capitalization, sentence types, sentence error, editing, and sentence
combining.
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Topic
Unit 1
Unit 1
In-Class Paragraph #1
Unit 2
Unit 2
In-Class Paragraph #2
Unit 3
Unit 3
In-Class Paragraph #3
Unit 4
Unit 4
In-Class Paragraph #4
Unit 5
Unit 5
In-Class Paragraph #5
Final Exams
Holidays:
No Classes
Spring Break
March 15- March 19
Important Dates:
Last Day of Classes:
Grammar Final:
Grades available online:
Thursday May 5
Tuesday May 9
Friday May 20
Week 15
Week 16