English 208 Writing Workshop Tuesdays, 1-2:45pm, B-264/261
Spring 2015
(Class#s ________________________________)
Course website: http://www.laney.edu/wp/chris-weidenbach/english-208-writing-workshop/
Instructor: Chris Weidenbach
Email: cweidenbach@peralta.edu
Office: Tower building, #550
Office Hrs: Mon-Tu-Wed-Thu 11:00 a.m. – Noon and by appointment
Course Description: Welcome to the Writing Workshop, a course in which you will work on writing
well organized, well-developed, effective paragraphs, essays and assignments for your other courses.
If you are taking a course that requires writing, you can use this class to organize, develop and polish
your writing assignments for that other course. You can also complete homework exercises and do
activities online to further develop your skills.
Approach to the Material: While you are in the class, you will work both independently and with a
tutor or instructor on your assignments. Your instructor and tutors will monitor your work and give
you feedback and points for all assignments you complete. The lecture part of the class is
individualized with small group and online instruction.
Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of the course you should be able to:
 Recognize problems in your writing and utilize a tutor.
 Integrate suggestions from tutors/instructors into your writing.
 Demonstrate an appropriate approach to completing a writing assignment.
 Demonstrate the ability to complete an assignment that meets the
requirements stated by the instructor.
*Attendance:
 You are expected to spend two hours (actually 1:45) per week in this Workshop.
 It is your responsibility to sign in and sign out each day you attend.
 If you miss more than 2 consecutive weeks, you may be dropped from the course.
 Students who choose not to continue the course are responsible for dropping the course
either online or at the admissions office. Failure to officially drop the course may result in a
failing grade.
Student Responsibilities:
 Bring your notebooks, textbooks and a flash drive with you each time you come to class.
 Bring your instructors’ assignments so that the tutors and instructors can guide you in
meeting the requirements.
 Sign in on the Sign-In Sheet as you enter class.
 Find a seat in B260/261 if you want to use a computer or B264 if you want to study.
 Begin work on an assignment and write your name on the board in B264 at any time you
need to see a tutor.
 Plan on a 15-20 minute appointment, maximum. Your tutor or instructor may work with you
on only PART of your assignment and ask you to make changes, and then put your name up
on the board when you are ready for the tutor to check your work.
 Use the online resources and activities on to improve your skills. *Always show this work to a
tutor or the instructor, who will record your work toward the workshop grade.
 You may use the Internet to do research for your writing assignments and to complete the
supplementary online assignments. Please, no online chatting or social networking.
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You may use B264 to talk about assignments with classmates. Tutors can also help you in
small groups in B264. Please no loud talking near the computers because your classmates
are concentrating on their own work.
Sign out on the Sign-In/Out Sheet when you leave class.
Instructors and Tutors:
In this class, you will work on reading and writing assignments that have been assigned to you in
your other classes. The instructor and tutors are available to help you at every step of the writing
process from choosing a topic and organizing your ideas to polishing your final draft. When the
instructor or tutor is available and sees your name next on the board, he or she will:
 Review your assignment and look over your work.
 Ask questions, answer questions and make suggestions.
 Write down your next steps on a yellow sheet.
 If needed, complete a checklist to show your success with the assignment and what you need
to work on.
 Record points earned.
 Assign online exercises and or activities as appropriate to build your skills.
Plagiarism: Successful students always make sure that their work is original. This is important
because the instructor must be able to know what the student has learned. Therefore, copying the
work of another person or asking your tutor to do your work for you is considered plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Any time a student uses someone else's words or ideas and does not give that
person credit, it is plagiarism. Anyone who plagiarizes will receive an “F” on the assignment. If this is repeated,
the student will fail the course and can be expelled from the college. If you are "suspected" of plagiarism, you
will bear the burden of proof. You must be able to present rough drafts or related materials and discuss the
topic intelligently.
If you are not sure if you are plagiarizing, let us help you. We can give you suggestions for avoiding plagiarism.
Grading: Students earn points for completing assignments using Writing Workshop Checklists and
Conference Cards. We give points as follows:
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Conference with a tutor or instructor:
Completing a page of exercises:
One-draft writing assignment:
Completing an online quiz or exercise and
going over it with a tutor or instructor:
Completing a paragraph:
Completing a part of an essay:
10 points
10 points
20 points
10 points
10 points
20 points
We will mark your points in your class folder so you can see your progress.
Final grades are as follows:
A = 300 +
B = 270–299
C = 230--269
D = 170--229
F =
-170
pts.
pts.
pts.
pts.
pts.
(approx. 20 pts. per class)
(approx. 18 pts. per class)
(approx. 15 pts. per class)
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