The Course of English for University Students (Step 4). Учебное пособие

Initial findings suggest this approach is effective, with students demonstrating significant error reduction across key categories over a semester.

Activity 1

Editing: Major Error Categories Type 1: Nouns

••Noun endings:

I need to buy some book.

I gained a lot of knowledges in high school.

••Articles:

I need to buy ^book.

A good jobs is hard to find. Type 2: Verbs

••Subject-Verb Agreement: The boys was hungry.

That TV show come on at 8:00. Many students in the class is failing.

••Verb tense:

Last year I come to Sac State.

I've never been to Disney World, but I had been to Disneyland before.

••Verb form:

My car was stole.

My mother is miss her children.

Type 3: Punctuation and Sentence Structure

••Sentence fragments:

Wrong: After I got home. I washed the dishes. Right: After I got home, I washed the dishes.

••Comma errors:

When I got home ^I discovered my house was on fire. I studied hard for the test ^but I still got a bad grade. I studied hard for the test, I still got a bad grade.

••Run-on sentences:

I studied hard for the test I still got a bad grade.

••Semicolon errors:

Although I studied hard for the test; 1 still got a bad grade. I studied hard for the test ^I still got a bad grade.

(Note: The categories for this activity were taken from Fox [1992].)

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Type 4: Word Form Errors

Examples:

My father is very generosity.

Intelligent is importance for academic success.

Type 5: Preposition Errors

Examples:

I do a lot of work on volunteer organizations.

For an American, I like baseball and hot dogs.

Editing Worksheet

Instructions: Read the sample essay.

First, find all the nouns, and underline any noun errors. Then do the same with verbs, punctuation/ sentence structure, word forms, and prepositions. Count the errors of each type and fill in the worksheet below. Turn in both your marked essay and this worksheet.

Type 1: Noun Errors

Total number of noun errors in essay:

Write one example from the essay below. Underline the error. Type 2: Verb Errors

Total number of verb errors in essay:

Write one example from the essay below. Underline the error. Type 3: Punctuation and Sentence Structure

Total number of punctuation errors in essay:

Write one example from the essay below. Underline the error. Type 4: Word Forms

Total number of word form errors in essay:

Write one example from the essay below. Underline the error. Type 5 Prepositions

Total number of preposition errors in essay:

Write one example from the essay below. Underline the error.

Activity 2

Peer-Self-Editing Workshop

Your Name:

Writer's Name:

Instructions:Readyourpartner'ssecondessay,lookingspecifically for error in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Mark the paper using the following symbols:

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••If there is a spelling error, circle

If there is a grammar error, underline the word or phrase that has the problem;

If there is a missing word, put a ^to show that something is missing.

After you have read and marked the essay, complete the worksheet below.

Error Types

Type 1 (Noun Errors) Total number found in essay:

Example (from essay):

Type 2 (Verb Errors) Total number found in essay:

Example (from essay):

Type 3 (Punctuation and

Sentence Structure Errors) Total number found in essay:

Example (from essay):

Type 4 (Word Form Errors) Total number found in essay:

Example (from essay):

Type 5 (Preposition errors) Total number found in essay:

Example (from essay):

Activity 3

Grammar Focus: Nouns

I. Definitions: A noun is a word that names a person, place, object, idea, emotion, or quantity.

Nouns may be concrete: physical, can be touched, seen, felt, etc. (book, table, gas).

Nouns may be abstract: nonphysical (friendship, sadness, hope). Both concrete and abstract nouns can be classified into two types:

••count nouns: may be counted (apples, students, chairs)

••noncount nouns: are not counted (money, coffee, happiness) Il. Noun Trouble Spots for ESL Writers,

A.Plural nouns must have plural markers:

1.English teachers are good spellers.

2.One of the ways to improve your spelling is to study hard.

B.Subject nouns must agree in number with their verbs:

1.One of the reasons I came here is to study English.

2.People who emigrate to the U.S. are usually very happy.

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3.English teachers are good spellers.

C. Singular count nouns must be preceded by a determiner (a/an, the, some, my, this, that, one, etc.):

1.I have a friend.

2.My friend owns a car.

3.The car is old.

4.She bought her car a long time ago.

5.Some people think she should get a new car.

6.These people have more money than she does.

Exercises: Find and correct the noun errors.

1.One of the way teacher helps her students is to talk to them outside of class.

2.Teacher in general are very hard-working.

3.This is the reason that many people don't want to become teacher.

4.Each of the students is important to a good teacher.

5.Student should come to class everyday and always do homework

6.Students should treat their teacher with respect at all time.

7.Student who come to United States have to learn English.

8.Students is very nervous.

9.A teacher who gives a lot of high grade is good teacher.

10.All of student should give presents to their teacher at the end of the semester.

While students did show improvement, the extent of this improvement differed depending on the type of mistake, the essay's subject, and whether the writing was done in or outside of class. Teaching methods for editing in the next term could change to better address each student's specific editing difficulties. Instead of doing grammar presentations in class, students could get personalized editing tasks from a textbook (Fox, 1992) each time an essay draft is handed back. Research is still being done on how well this change works, but initial findings suggest students improved even more than with the old method.

Editing is a part of writing that hasn't gotten as much attention from ESL writing teachers and researchers as it should. Now that there are new methods and resources available (like editing guides for students and research and training books for teachers), it should be

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easier and more rewarding to work on students' sentence-level issues. We shouldn't go back to marking and fixing every little mistake students make, like teachers used to do. Instead, the aim should be to help students become good independent editors who can use these skills even after they leave the ESL writing classroom.

The Features of an A (B, C, D) Paper

A: Demonstrates Unusual Competence

An ability to avoid the obvious and thus gain insights that are individual and often illuminating

A capacity to develop ideas flexibly and fluently, yet with control and purpose

The ability to convince a most skeptical reader, of the validity of your position (whether or not they ultimately agree with it)

B: Demonstrates Competence

An ability to absorb ideas and interpret them meaningfully in a context of your own conception

A capacity to develop an idea with a logical and clear sense of order

The ability to develop your position in a well-balanced and unbiased manner

C: Suggests Competence

A tendency to rely on the self-evident, or cliche

A tendency to either lack organizational structure or to make the organization intrusive

A tendency to support your position with anecdote, emotional argument, or clearly biased sources

D: Suggests Incompetence

A tendency to exploit the obvious, due to lack of understanding, inability to read, failure to grapple with the topic, or lack of interest A tendency to wander, not following clear order, due to overall

misunderstanding

Problems or inconsistencies with grammar or other basic writing skills

With the exception of the midterm, you will be required to rewrite any Academic paper receiving a grade lower than a C. Papers receiving a C will have the option of a rewrite. Details about rewriting will be discussed in class.

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A Final Note:

Although many aspects of writing are objectively right or wrong, grading in this course is by nature at least partly subjective. If a student is dissatisfied with a grade they receive, they must submit their complaint in writing, along with supporting evidence or arguments. The tutor must receive this protest within one week of the date on which the tutor first attempts to return the assignment in class. Tutors will not consider any grade change request that does not fulfill this requirement.

The Portfolio and Grading (Example of grading at University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA) - Academic Writing

At the end of the semester your essay grade will be based upon the final portfolio. What is the portfolio? Throughout the semester you will be writing a total of four or five essays. As we go through the semester you will continue to learn more about formulating arguments and backing those arguments with good evidence. While you must turn in your essays on specified dates throughout the semester, I will officially grade them as they appear in their final form in what I call your end-of-the-semester portfolio review. The portfolio will include the final revision of each paper plus every draft of every paper up to the final revision, you therefore MUST all of your work!

Not every paper will be weighted the same. I will require you to distinguish amongst your papers what I call a "show paper": a paper you like, feel comfortable with, and one that you feel displays the best of your abilities this semester. But what the Portfolio really means is that you will have a chance to revise all of your papers up. to the very last day of class (when the portfolio is due) to make all them as perfect as possible.

The possible downside to this type of grading system is that you will not be receiving "official" grades on your work until the end of the semester. I do this for one main reason: you are going to learn about your writing more effectively if you pay attention to the comments I give you than to a letter or number. I will, however, be giving you grade approximations at midterm. If, during the semester, you happen to be in dire straits (in danger of not getting credit for the class) I will let you know in plenty of time so that you can work harder to boost your grade. I should note that if you decide to hand in a paper late then you forfeit your opportunity to revise it for the portfolio and it will be graded as is.

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We will be writing a minimum of 25 pages this semester. All written assignments should be typed and double-spaced unless otherwise stated. The possible grades for the class are as follows: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, and NC (no credit). If you receive a no credit for this class then you will have to take it again the next semester.

Grading Criteria for Effective Writing

The following criteria for grading are used in many colleges and universities. They are included here to help students understand the standards that professors generally use as they evaluate student writing.

The "A" Paper:

The first and most noticeable quality of the "A" paper is the depth of specific information and observations—facts; textual evidence; concrete reasoning; quotations; stories; images—all the substantial details that make the reader feel significantly taught by the writer. This information consistently contributes to explaining a clear focus, an idea – not a topic but a complete statement about a topic that requires an explanation – that answers the questions, So what? Why is all this important? This idea reveals a degree of insight that goes far beyond the first or most obvious things one could say about the topic. Not all ideas are equal; some are demonstrably more sophisticated and more compelling to a community of readers, and ultimately it is this level of sophisticated intellect that distinguishes the excellent writer from the superior or average writer. The "A" paper demonstrates excellent ability in all of these criteria: information/ observations; focus; connections; language and style; and grammar.

The "B" Paper:

The "B" paper demonstrates superior ability in all of the previously mentioned criteria. Two main areas usually separate the "B" paper fromthe"A."Althoughthewriterestablishesaclearandintellectually sophisticated focus, he or she does not support it with the same level of substantial information. The writer tends to summarize key sections of the paper quickly instead of developing them in authoritative detail, leaving the reader generally well informed, but not with the same confident degree of expertise as in the "A" paper. In other cases, the "B" paper tends to fall short in creating a sophisticated focus because while the writer raised insightful connections or insightful observations, he or she did not pursue and develop them with the

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intellectual depth of the "A" paper. In sum, the So what? How? Why? questions have not been fully or explicitly answered. The writer does not always draw explicit conceptual connections. Therefore, the connections within and between paragraphs, though adequate in moving the reader forward smoothly, do not create the same level of intellectual progression. The language and style of the "B" paper is clear, even fluent and imaginative at times, but not with the same level of polish as the "A" paper. The occasional grammatical error is present, but not enough to distract the reader beyond a momentary annoyance.

"C" Paper:

The "C" paper demonstrates average ability. The writer displays some understanding of the text and how it works or of the topic under consideration, but the argument or point of view is too broad or vague to establish a compelling focus. It does not go much beyond the most obvious or general thing one could say about the topic. The writer tends to identify themes and topics instead of explaining their significance. The information, although fairly specific in places, is more often presented in the form of vague generalities that prompt the confused reader to ask questions such as How? Why? Why is this important? The writer does not pursue the kind of insightful conceptualconnectionsprevalentinthe"A"and"B"papers.Therefore, connections within and between paragraphs are unclear. The writer simply lists points as they come to mind, leaving the reader to wonder,

Ok, why is this here? What exactly does this have to do with the main idea? There is no compelling or apparent progression of ideas. The reader is forced to fill in gaps for the writer, to read between the lines, because the writer assumes the reader is already familiar with the material. The writer may have something to say, but it is not very interesting or intellectually compelling. In some cases, the writer may be attempting to present a potentially insightful idea, but he or she has not yet clarified that idea completely in his or her own mind. Therefore, though the paper may offer evidence of an interested and well-intentioned intellect at work, it requires the reader to infer what the writer might or seems to be saying. The language and style is readable, for the most part, but without the insightful connections the superior or excellent writer creates. The "C" writer often uses choppy, simple, and predictable sentences, imprecise words and/or inappropriate diction. The re may be a number of grammatical errors,

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rather than the occasional slip found on the "B" paper, which indicates either the writer's questionable mastery of Standard English or his/ her carelessness in proofreading.

"D" Paper:

This paper resembles a rough draft. It may reveal a germ of a focus with some relevant or potentially relevant information, but the idea is unclear, and the connections are haphazard or, at best, loosely arranged in an arbitrary list. No clear argument or point of view is offered. The paper may be a mere summary of the text or a general overview of the topic under consideration. Whatever ideas the writer intended appear to have moved directly from the writers brain to the page; the writer does not seem to have thought about how to develop ideas effectively. The language and style is awkward, ambiguous, and marred by pervasive grammatical errors. The reader has to fight his or her way through the sentences just to figure out what the writer is trying to say.

The "F" Paper:

It fails to meet the assignment in a variety of ways. Its treatment of the subject is superficial or inappropriate. The language and style is garbled or stylistically primitive. "F" papers are filled with grammatical errors. In short, the information, focus, and connections are far below the level of acceptable college level writing.

Grading Standards – Undergraduate courses at California Polytechnic State University

Grade inflation is a problem in the CSU system, and these standards are intended to contribute to the correction of this problem by restoring the value of grades as an indicator of how well a student has grasped the material, and of what that student's abilities are in relaying the material to another person using academic English. This following is intended to explain the standards used by some professors in grading.

GENERAL: This grading policy is additive, not subtractive. In other words, all students start at the same point: 0. They work up from there depending on (a) how much of the required material is present in the work being graded; (b) how accurate that material is;

(c)how well-written it is.

The ability to convey ideas in sophisticated and well-constructed

language is considered to be a necessary skill in a college-educated

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person; all written works are graded on the quality of the writing as well as coverage of content and mastery of analytical skills. Work that is not presented in well-written academic English conforming to most grammar rules is not eligible for an A, regardless of the quality of the content.

The 'A' grade range (A- to A+) is reserved for work that is well above average. This work does not only satisfy all requirements (e.g., supplying all information that a test question asks for, or accomplishing all the tasks expected in a research assignment); it goes beyond the requirements. There are two major ways that student work can go beyond the requirements: (1) it can be exceedingly well-written, showing superior command of academic English, and well-present- ed (including visual appearance as well as organization), and (2) it can show depth of thought. Depth of thought means that the student shows an exceptionally clear and insightful understanding of the material, and is able to connect it to a wider context of knowledge by relating it to other areas of knowledge in the course or outside of the course, or to the student's other interests and concerns. Work must be flawless to attain an A+/A. Work with minor flaws that is nonetheless excellent in other ways will earn an A-.

Mastery of academic English means a good command of the variety of Standard English used in academic and professional writing: grammar, spelling, and punctuation in accord with the conventions of formal Standard English; a broad vocabulary, appropriately used; complexity and variety of sentence structure, and mastery of the generally recognized features of good academic style, such as parallelism, clarity, etc. It also means excellent control of aspects of manuscript form such as indentation of paragraphs, clean and readable copy, and conformity with the typographical rules prescribed for each assignment.

A grade in the B range means that the work is good to very good. This work satisfies all (B+) or most (B/B-) of the requirements of the question/research task, is neatly presented and shows capable use of academic English. If the work is well-written and covers most of the required content, but has several minor flaws or one major flaw, the grade will be B-.

A grade in the C range means that the work is acceptable. That is, it covers the required content within an acceptable limit, although both major and minor items may be missing. The language communicates

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