Welcome to GE 117Composition I
Mr. O’Leary
DO_Leary@Itt-Tech.edu
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Review Course Syllabus
Review Class Rules/Expectations
Introduce the Writing Process
Introduce Prewriting
Complete a Diagnostic Assignment to
determine baseline writing level
Today’s Objectives
Major Instructional Areas:
The Writing Process
Illustration and Descriptive Writing
Comparison/Contrast Writing
Cause and Effect Writing
Process Analysis Writing
Resume and Cover Letter
Research Paper
Course Syllabus
Major Course Objectives:
Students by the end of this course should
be able to:
1) Write Clearly, Concisely, and Effectively.
2) Write in order to complete a variety of
writing assignments.
3) Analyze an audience and adapt writing
styles and conventions appropriately.
4) Effectively and Efficiently use the ITT
Virtual Library.
Course Syllabus
Major Course Objectives:
5) Prepare an Independent Research Paper.
6) Synthesize information from a variety of
sources into a new document.
7) Utilize peer review and instructor
feedback in revising and editing writing.
8) Draft an error-free Resume and Cover
Letter.
Course Syllabus
Textbooks and Resources:
1)The Longman Writer: Rhetoric and Reader by
Judith Nadell and John Langan
2) Prentice Hall Reference Guide by Muriel
Harris.
3) ITT-Tech Virtual Library
(http://library.itt-tech.edu)
Course Syllabus
Course Requirements:
1) Attendance and Participation – Regular
attendance and participation are a must! In the
past, an average student “might” lose 10 points off
his/her final grade for EACH class missed.
2) Completed Assignments – Each student will be
expected to submit work regularly and on time.
Late assignments will lose one full grade value PER
WEEK(E.G. – An “A” paper becomes a “B”, the “B”
becomes a “C”, etc.)
3) Writing Workshop – Students will be expected to
commit to the Writing Process by meeting with
peers and the instructor for feedback and revisions.
Course Syllabus
Grading Breakdown:
Discussion Forum – 20%
Exercises – 15%
Writing Assignments – 30%
Project Part 2 – 7%
Project Part 3 – 8%
Project Part 5 – 20%
***NOTE –The Research Project Totals 35%
of your overall grade in this class!!!!!!***
Course Syllabus
Course Outline:
Weeks 1-3: Introduction to The Writing
Process: The POW method (Plan, Organize,
Write.)
Weeks 4-6: The Writing Process (continued)
and the Research Paper
Weeks 7-10: Advanced Writing Models,
Resume and Cover Letters, The Research
Paper
Week 11: Final Revision of Research Paper
Course Syllabus
Be on time and with the necessary
materials for class. (Books, assignments,
a notebook, a pen, etc)
 Attend class regularly and participate
actively in your own learning.
 Ask questions when you do not
understand something. (If you don’t
understand something, that’s my
fault, not yours!!!!!)
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Class Rules and Expectations
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Commit to the Writing Process and strive
to improve upon your current abilities.
Be respectful to your classmates and
instructor.
Keep a folder or Flash Drive for your
assignments. (You must stay organized!)
Keep a binder/folder for your Research
Paper (Again, stay organized!!!!)
Try to have fun (or this class will really,
really, really suck!)
Class Rules and Expectations
Let’s take a 10-15 minute break now. When
you come back, I will answer any
questions you may have, and then we will
get started on our first writing lesson!
BREAK TIME!!!
Welcome back from break! We will now
begin our first lesson.
Here are the main objectives:
1) Describe the nature of the writing
process and its importance in the
professional world.
2) Describe and utilize a variety of
prewriting techniques.
The Writing Process
Q: What is “Composition”?
A: It’s not a product, but a process.
We will stress the process of writing, from
the tiniest of thoughts to drafting to
revision and finally to the final “version.”
The Writing Process
Q: Why are Composition and the Writing
Process so important?
A: The business world today hinges upon many
rapid forms of communication. As Technical
Professionals, you will be required to write!!!
Those who can write clearly, concisely,
and effectively will have advantages
over those who cannot. We don’t want to
turn you into Shakespeare, but rather, the
next Bill Gates!
The Writing Process
Writing IS Technology – A lot of
technological progress is based on
writing!
- 3500 BC: Sumerians use cuneiform on
clay tablets
- 3000 BC: Egyptians invent papyrus
- 1000 BC: Egyptians invent lead stylus
- 1440: Gutenburg invents printing press
- 1560: Graphite pencil invented
The Writing Process
Writing IS Technology – A lot of
technological progress is based on
writing!
- 1836: Samuel Morse invents telegraph
- 1870: Typewriter invented
- 1874: QWERTY keyboard layout created
- 1980’s: Personal Computers can support
Word Processing software
- 1990’s: Speech recognition: Talk to Type
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The Writing Process
Q: I don’t believe I’ll have to write. I’m a technical
or numbers person. How can you be so sure?
A: You will need to write a Resume and Cover
Letter to even get a job. Once there, you will
write emails, memos, reports, audits, customer
service receipts/tickets. You may have to ask for
a raise or promotion in writing. You may have to
request additional time/money/resources for a
project in writing.
As they say here at ITT, “IF IT AIN’T
DOCUMENTED, IT NEVER HAPPENED!”
The Writing Process
Q: What are the “stages” of the writing process?
A: There is no “correct” answer, but in general, the
process consists of:
1) Prewriting and Idea Generation
2) Planning for Audience, Tone, Style
3) Drafting
4) Revising the Draft for Overall Meaning, then
Paragraph Development, then for Sentences and
Words.
5) Editing and Proofreading the Draft.
6) Polishing the Draft into a “Final Version.”
The Writing Process
Q: What is that first stage, “Prewriting”?
A: “Prewriting” refers to any number of
activities that writers engage in BEFORE
drafting. The purpose of “prewriting” is to
generate a sufficient amount of
ideas/thoughts/material that later can be
“molded” into something more refined
and polished.
The Writing Process
Think of prewriting like sculpting – you will
always need more clay or marble to start
than there will be in the final sculpture.
Some material will get cut, and will hit the
floor – it won’t be in the final version.
But you can’t sculpt with material you don’t
have, so we always need more than we
will really use!
Prewriting
Q: What are some prewriting techniques I
can use?
A: Some common prewriting techniques
include: Brainstrorming, Freewriting,
Questioning, and Mapping.
Each technique has its own pros/cons and
some students prefer one over another.
You will have to learn over time what
prewriting technique works best for you!
Prewriting
Brainstorming – An activity where the
writer creates a list of thoughts/ideas they
have about a topic.
- Grammar/Punctuation doesn’t matter
- Use bullets, dashes, or numbers
- A Stream of Consciousness activity
- No idea is too “stupid” or “bad.”
- Best as a timed exercise (5 minute
intervals)
Prewriting
Freewriting – An activity where the writer
writes out the thoughts or ideas he or she
has about a topic. It generally “appears”
more like real prose writing. It uses to
some degree punctuation and grammar.
It’s also a stream of consciousness
activity, and is also timed in 5 minute
intervals. The thoughts can jump from
here to there and all over the place.
Prewriting
Questioning – An activity where the writer
assesses his or her knowledge and
thoughts about a topic by writing out
specific questions he or she has about the
topic.
1) What is global warming?
2) How does it occur?
3) What are factors that contribute to
global warming?
Prewriting
Mapping - An activity where a writer
places a central idea/topic in a “box”, and
then branches off that box into several
subtopics. Each subtopic can then be
further branched outwards until all ideas
have been exhausted.
Note: This is very good for visual
learners!!!!
Prewriting
We’re going to practice some prewriting
ourselves now!
This assignment is called “My Favorite…”
Tasks:
1) Choose a favorite activity, object, place,
person, meal, song, whatever.
2) Choose 2 different prewriting techniques to
try.
3) Spend 5-10 minutes prewriting on “My
Favorite….” for EACH prewriting technique.
Assignment # 1
4) Can be done by hand or on computer.
5) Staple or Clip the 2 prewriting samples
together and submit to instructor.
6) Congrats! You’ve earned your first grade
in the class. Great job!
Assignment # 1
For next week, please complete the following
assignments:
Read in Longman Writer pages 15-24.
Send an email to:
DO_Leary@Itt-Tech.edu
A) Include your name, quarter, major, and a hobby you
have outside of class.
B) Write a Personal Essay: 1-2 paragraphs about you.
Where are you from? What do you study here?
Why did you choose that major? What experience
do you have in reading/writing? What worries or
concerns do you have about this class? Anything
else you want me to know!
1)
2)
Homework Assignment