Helping L2 writers respond
to writing assignments
across the curriculum
Part 2
Zuzana Tomaš
Eastern Michigan University
ztomas@emich.edu
Overview
Intensive Writing Institute (IWI)
Effective response to assignments:
demands on L2 writers.
Popular IWI activities focused on
responding to assignments
Context
Intensive Writing Institute (IWI)
 First year as one intensive undergraduate
course and extracurricular activities
 Large U.S. (Western) university
 Designed in a partnership with the US-Sino
Pathway (USSP) program
 Targeted new conditionally admitted,
Chinese undergraduate students
Course design
 Hybrid course (four weeks of online course work before the students
arrived at the University and two intensive weekends once they were
on campus.)
 The first weekend session took place before school started and the
second session took place the following weekend, after the semester
had already begun. This design helped our students with:
 Understanding syllabi
 Understanding and planning (written) assignments
 Contacting professors to ask clarifying questions or arrange for additional
help
 Navigating the expectations of their courses and professors
 Panel with senior international students
 Becoming familiar with resources available to help them with their
writing assignments (e.g., the tour of the writing center).
 Extracurricular activities
Course content and objectives
In terms of content, the course had five
major sections:
1. understanding and planning for common
2.
3.
4.
5.
assignments,
implementing feedback,
overview of planning, writing strategies, and
reading strategies,
revision and editing practice, and
exploration of cultural and institutional
expectations relevant to academic writing.
Course Objectives
How assessed
Students produce writing and receive  Completion of writing sample
individualized assessment of their
 Summary paper
writing and an opportunity to reflect
on their specific areas of difficulty.
Students become familiar with
institutional expectations relevant to
academic writing.
Students become equipped with
important reading and writing
strategies.
 Online quiz about students’
understanding of institutional
expectations (e.g., plagiarism
policy)
 Notes on a reading
 Graphic organizer representing
the content of the chapter
Students learn to address professors’  Peer review assignment
writing feedback and improve skills  Revision of summary paper
in providing feedback to peers.
Course Objectives
How assessed
Students familiarize themselves
with available supporting
resources.
Students learn how to
communicate their needs to
faculty and/or academic advisors.
Students prepare for the expected
academic challenges relevant to
writing.
Students are introduced to
differences relevant to writing in
various disciplines and genres.
 A brief quiz about available
resources
 A revision of an
inappropriate email to a
professor
 Completion of a semester
writing plan
 In-class activity
 Panel presentation with
senior international students
Student evaluations of the
course
 Of the 21 students who completed the post-
online-sessions survey, 19 (91%) agreed
that they had learned something about
academic writing
 Of the 17 who completed the post-on-
campus survey, 14 (82%) agreed that they
had learned something new in that portion
of the course.
Responding to assignments
 To respond to assignments effectively, students
must be able to:
 Understand the assignment and the corresponding
assessment or have the confidence and ability to
request additional information or clarification about
the assignment (from the professor)
 Break down the assignment into manageable steps
and draw on available resources if necessary
 Understand the the guiding principles of the expected
genre
Popular IWI activities focused
on responding to assignments
 To respond to assignments effectively, students
must be able to:
 Understand the assignment and the
corresponding assessment or have the
confidence and ability to request additional
information or clarification about the assignment
(from the professor)
 What do you want from me?
 Break down the assignment into manageable steps and draw
on available resources if necessary
 Understand the the guiding principles of the expected genre
What do you want from me?
 Levels: Pre-intermediate, intermediate
 Aims: To provide L2 writers with tools to ask for clarification
on written assignments, to make students aware of their
rights to request additional information about assignments
 Class Time: 20 min.
 Preparation Time: Five minutes to copy the email template
and writing assignment prompt
 Resources:
 Appendix 1: Writing prompt: Select an article related to the
topics we’ve discussed in class and summarize it. Make sure
you relate the information from the article to the issues
covered in the class. Correct formatting is expected!
 Appendix 2: Email template.
What do you want from me?
cont.
Procedure:
Distribute one writing prompt and one email
template per group.
Ask students to identify any questions they
may have about the assignment.
Ask students to write an email to a professor
Provide support and suggestions as needed
while you monitor.
Popular IWI activities focused
on responding to assignments
 To respond to assignments effectively, students
must be able to:
 Understand the assignment and the corresponding
assessment or have the confidence and ability to request
additional information or clarification about the assignment
(from the professor)
 Break down the assignment into manageable
steps and draw on available resources if
necessary
Mission “A” Assignment
 Understand the the guiding principles of the expected genre
Mission ‘A’ assignment
 Levels: Intermediate, advanced
 Aims: To provide support for L2 writers’ planning and
completion of assignments
 Class Time: 10-15 minutes
 Preparation Time: Five minutes to copy the worksheet
 Resources: Worksheet
Mission ‘A’ assignment cont.
Procedure:
1. Distribute one worksheet per student.
2. Ask students to complete the worksheet.
3. Ask students to compare their answers in small
groups.
4. Provide support and suggestions as needed while
you monitor.
Popular IWI activities focused
on responding to assignments
 To respond to assignments effectively, students
must be able to:
 Understand the assignment and the corresponding
assessment or have the confidence and ability to request
additional information or clarification about the assignment
(from the professor)
 Break down the assignment into manageable steps and draw on
available resources if necessary
 Understand the the guiding principles of the expected
genre
 Match the paper!
Match the paper!
 Levels: Intermediate, advanced
 Aims: To make students aware of differences in genres
and assignment expectations
 Class Time: 20-30min.
 Preparation Time: Ten minutes to copy the papers and cut
out the title, assignment guidelines, and the paper
excerpt
 Resources: Three paper excerpts in the Appendix
Match the paper! cont.
Procedure:
 Distribute a folder that includes 1) the title of each
paper, 2) the assignment guidelines, and 3) the
assignment excerpt to each group.
 Students match the three components correctly.
 Have one group representative share the main
discussion points on behalf of each group.
 Point out any additional genre and assignment
features that students have not mentioned.
Conclusion
A program such as the Intensive Writing Institute that
offers students explicit instruction in, extended
practice of, and significant feedback on skills related
to the English language (particularly academic reading
and writing), strategies, and cultural, institutional, and
rhetorical knowledge is well placed to improve the
success rates of the increasing international student
populations in U.S. universities.
Acknowledgements
 Isabel Gardett co-developed the program
 Erin Jensen and Jay Jordan co-taught the
course