PROCESS-FOCUSED COURSE WITH RESEARCH COMPONENT
Two Seventeen-week Semesters
First Semester: Composition 1
Week One
Reading Assignment: Ch. 1, Writing Processes. Ch. 2, Reading Processes. Ch. 4,
Recalling an Experience. Ch. 21, Strategies For Designing Your Document.
Classroom Activities: Drafting of in-class reflective essay on the student as a writer or
diagnostic essay. Hands-on introduction to writing/computer lab. Exercise introducing
the steps of the writing process.
Week Two
Reading Assignment: Ch. 4, Recalling an Experience. Ch. 16, Strategies For Generating
Ideas.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 4, Recalling an Experience.
Classroom Activities: Peer evaluation training workshop. Activities to generate ideas
focused on Recalling an Experience essay.
Week Three
Reading Assignment: Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Journal Prompt from essay in Reader.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Peer evaluation
workshop on presenters’ Recalling an Experience essay. Peer evaluation of Recalling an
Experience essay.
Week Four
Reading Assignment: Essay from Reader; Ch. 17, Strategies For Planning.
Writing Assignment: Revised draft of Recalling an Experience essay due. Assignment
from Journal Prompts or Suggestions for Writing following essay.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Planning activities
focused on stating a thesis and organizing ideas.
Week Five
Reading Assignment: Ch. 5, Observing a Scene. Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 5, Observing a Scene.
Classroom Activities: Observation exercise from Other Assignments (Ch. 5). Group work
on analyzing essay from Reader. Collect observation data for essay. Planning activities
with focus on Observing a Scene essay.
Week Six
Reading Assignment: Essays from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Reflective essay on drafts of Recalling an Experience and
Observing a Scene essays.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essays from Reader. Peer evaluation
workshop on presenters’ Observing a Scene essays. Peer evaluation of Observing a Scene
essay.
Week Seven
Reading Assignment: Ch. 18, Strategies For Drafting. Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Observing a Scene essay revised draft due. Assignment from
Journal Prompts or Suggestions for Writing following essay.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Drafting activities
focused on introductions and conclusions. Conferences on works in process.
Week Eight
Reading Assignment: Ch. 19, Strategies For Developing.
Classroom Activities: Activities on developing works in process.
Week Nine
Reading Assignment: Essay from Reader.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay. Working portfolio check. In-class
essay: Mid-Term Reflection On Student's Writing In This Course. Midterm exam.
Week Ten
Reading Assignment: Ch. 6, Interviewing a Subject. Essay From Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 6, Interviewing a Subject.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from reader. Activities focused on
interviewing skills. Peer evaluation of interview questions. Class visit by professional
journalist.
Week Eleven
Reading Assignment: Ch. 22, Strategies for Understanding Visual Representations.
Writing Assignment: Short essay analyzing a visual image.
Classroom Activities: Analysis of visual images. Peer evaluation workshop on
presenters’ Interviewing a Subject essays. Peer evaluation of Interviewing a Subject
essay.
Week Twelve
Reading Assignment: Ch. 3, Critical Thinking Processes. Ch. 7, Comparing and
Contrasting. Ch. 20, Strategies for Revising and Editing.
Writing Assignment: Revised draft of Interviewing a Subject essay due. Assignment
from Other Assignments (Ch. 7).
Classroom Activities: Conferences on works in process. Revision workshop: Revising for
Structure (Ch. 20).
Week Thirteen
Reading Assignment: Ch. 8, Explaining Causes and Effects. Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 8, Explaining Causes and Effects.
Classroom Activities: Group work analyzing essay from Reader. Class activity on causes
and effects. Revision workshop: Revising for Purpose and Audience (Ch. 20).
Week Fourteen
Reading Assignment: Ch. 13, Writing for Assessment.
Writing Assignment: Timed in-class essay from Suggestions for Writing in Reader.
Classroom Activities: Peer evaluation workshop on presenters’ Explaining Causes and
Effects essays. Peer evaluation of Explaining Causes and Effects essay.
Week Fifteen
Reading Assignment: Essays from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Revised draft of Explaining Causes and Effects essay due.
Reflective essay on Interviewing a Subject, Comparing and Contrasting, and Explaining
Causes and Effects essays.
Classroom Activities: Group analysis of essays from Reader. Revision workshop.
Week Sixteen
Writing Assignment: Final reflective essay to be included in Presentation Portfolio.
Classroom Activities: Revision and editing workshop. Conferences on selection and
revision for Presentation Portfolio.
Week Seventeen
Writing Assignment: Presentation Portfolio due
Classroom Activities: Portfolio workshop ; Final Exam.
Second Semester: Composition 2
Week One
Reading Assignment: Part I: A Writer's Processes.
Writing Assignment: Process analysis essay.
Classroom Activities: Introduction/ice breaker activity. Drafting of in-class reflective
essay on student as writer and class goals. Process analysis exercise. Hands-on
introduction to writing/computer lab.
Week Two
Reading Assignment: Essay From Reader; Ch. 28, Planning and Managing Your
Research Project.
Writing Assignment: Process analysis essay due.
Classroom Activities: Analysis of essay from Reader. Library orientation tour. Library
orientation exercise.
Week Three
Reading Assignment: Ch. 29, Finding Sources in the Library, on the Web, and in the
Field.
Classroom Activities: Exercises on recognizing logical fallacies. Library orientation
exercise due. Assignment of college library hunt exercise.
Week Four
Reading Assignment: Ch. 12, Reading Critically. Essay From Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 12, Reading Critically.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Activities on
quoting, paraphrasing, and nutshelling.
Week Five
Reading Assignment: Ch. 32, Documenting Sources.
Classroom Activities: College library hunt exercise due. Peer evaluation of Reading
Critically essay.
Week Six
Reading Assignment: Ch. 9, Taking A Stand. Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 9, Taking A Stand. Revised draft of Reading Critically essay
due. Short reflective writing on Reading Critically essay.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Conferences on
Reading Critically essay. Generating ideas and planning activities for Taking A Stand
essay.
Week Seven
Reading Assignment: Essay from Reader. Ch. 10, Proposing A Solution.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 10, Proposing A Solution.
Classroom Activities: Group work on analyzing essay from Reader. Generating ideas and
planning activities for Proposing A Solution essay. Peer evaluation of Taking A Stand
essay.
Week Eight
Reading Assignment: Ch. 11, Evaluating. Essay from Reader.
Writing Assignment: Ch. 11, Evaluating. Revised draft of Taking A Stand essay due.
Short reflective writing on Taking a Stand essay.
Classroom Activities: Group Work On Analyzing Essay From Reader. Generating Ideas
And Planning Activities For Evaluating Paper. Peer evaluation of Proposing A Solution
essay.
Week Nine
Reading Assignment: Ch. 28, Planning and Managing Your Research Project (review).
Writing Assignment: Ch. 28, "Writing from Research." Revised draft of Proposing a
Solution essay due.
Classroom Activities: Generating ideas for research topic. Peer response to Evaluating
essay. Mid-term reflective essay on the student's writing in this course. Mid-term exam.
Week Ten
Reading Assignment: Ch. 20, Strategies for Revising and Editing.
Writing Assignment: Revised draft of Evaluating essay due. Short reflective writing on
Proposing a Solution and Evaluating essays.
Classroom Activities: Three general research topics phrased as questions due. Individual
conferences to select research topic. Revision activities on Taking a Stand Essay,
Proposing a Solution, and Evaluating essays.
Week Eleven
Reading Assignment: Ch. 29, Finding Sources in the Library, on the Web, and in the
Field (review).
Classroom Activities: Approved research question due. Library research lab. Annotated
bibliography cards due. Preliminary outline due.
Week Twelve
Reading Assignment: Ch. 30, Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes.
Classroom Activities: Exercises in nutshelling, paraphrasing, and quoting. Library
research lab. Note cards due.
Week Thirteen
Reading Assignment: Ch. 31, Writing the Research Paper. Ch. 17, Strategies For
Planning (Review sections on thesis statement and formal outline).
Classroom Activities: Exercises on thesis statement and outlining. Thesis statement due
and formal outline due. Individual conferences on thesis statement and outline.
Week Fourteen
Reading Assignment: Ch. 32, Documenting Sources.
Writing Assignment: Research paper rough draft (with Outline, Works Cited)
Classroom Activities: In-class drafting of research paper. Individual conferences on
research paper. In class reflective writing on research project.
Week Fifteen
Reading Assignment: Ch. 20, Strategies for Revising and Editing (review).
Writing Assignment: Research paper rough draft due. Final reflective essay for inclusion
in presentation portfolio.
Classroom Activities: Individual conferencing on research paper drafts. Revision
workshop using Quick Editing Guide.
Week Sixteen
Writing Assignment: Research paper final draft due.
Classroom Activities: Conferencing on portfolio selection and revision. Revision
workshop.
Week Seventeen
Writing Assignment: Presentation portfolio due.
Classroom Activities: Revision workshop. Final exam.