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

most points adequately, and is still at college level, but may not be sophisticated and may violate a small number of conventions of academic writing.

A grade in the D range shows that the work does not achieve acceptable coverage of the requirements AND/OR the language is insufficient to make the writers points understandable to the reader. The content may be either incorrect to an unacceptable degree, or very incomplete. Papers with these content problems which show writing below college level will receive a D. Below college level means that the prose is either overly simple, with much repetitiveness and short, simple sentences; or that sentence structure is awkward or disorganized to the point that the reader has difficulty understanding the content being conveyed.

A grade of F indicates that so little of the required content is covered that grading the paper is an exercise in futility. It may mean that very major points have clearly not been grasped or have been misunderstood by the student. An F may also indicate that the ideas are expressed in such a way that they are not at all understandable to the reader. A grade of F is also awarded when assigned work is not handed in, or not handed in by the set deadline (unless alternative arrangements have been made personally with the instructor).

Plagiarized work (work copied from another author without giving credit) receives a 0 and is subject to administrative action.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Any typed assignment that asks students to write their own thoughts or report their research (for example, a take-home essay exam; a research report; a book report; a materials critique) will be held to the usual standards of academic writing. Students should use the writing process, including preliminary drafts and careful editing, to be sure that they hand in the best work you are capable of producing. Such papers will be graded not only on content but also on organization, presentation, the quality of the prose, and conformity to the grammar, punctuation, and usage rules of formal standard English (that is, the variety of English used in professional and academic communications). Students should make full use of resources available to help with academic writing: college writing handbooks available in the reference section of the library, as well as the Writing Lab.

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Grading Academic Writing at Duke University

A letter grade can offer only an approximate and reductive measure of the quality of a piece of writing, and much of our work together will center on developing more nuanced ways of describing the strengths and limits of an essay. But here is how professors assign grades to the kind of academic or intellectual essays students write in this course:

To earn a C, a student must clearly restate the meaning or argument of a text in their own terms. (A D means that you have difficulty in writing clear, idiomatic prose or that you seem to have deeply misunderstood the text. An F means that a student did not turn in a full or serious response to the assignment.) For a B, a student must begin to problematize what a text has to say—to raise questions about its possible uses or implications, and to use those questions to drive your own project in writing. And to earn an A, a student must do something more than simply restate or comment on the work of other writers. A student must somehow forward, counter, or transform what they have to say, apply their ideas and phrasings to other texts or situations, make their work part of a project you have defined as a writer. Or, to describe the same scale in different terms: The project of a C essay is determined by the texts being discussed, while the writer of a B essay begins to question the texts they are dealing with, and the writer of an A essay develops a project of their own that both responds to and goes beyond the texts they are reading.

Within these broad categories, tutors use a plus (+) to reward prose that strikes them as particularly strong or graceful, and a minus (-) to mark writing that seems unclear or needlessly difficult. But note that working on matters of style alone will not turn a C essay into a B, or a B into an A. That requires a shift of argument, of stance towards the texts you are discussing.

In more schematic form:

C– Demonstrates an understanding of the texts and issues at hand Begins to identify a problem or tension in interpreting them

B – Defines and investigates a problem in interpreting Begins to form a perspective on texts and issues

A – Clearly articulates a position on texts and issues

Develops a sustained and independent line of thought in response

+ particularly strong or graceful prose

- weakness in structure or clarity of prose

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Academic Writing: Assessment Criteria

at Colorado State University

•Addressed question well

Understands the topic well and answered the question appropriately.

•Has an analytical / critical approach

Able to synthesise information and form own view.

•Effective use of evidence

Supports own critical view with evidence from the literature.

•Well researched & referenced

Shows evidence of breadth of reading which is well

Writing Style 20%

•Clear/ logical structure

The text has a beginning, middle and an end.

•Coherent writing

The arguments are written clearly and are logically connected.

•Good use of paragraphs

•Clear sentence structure

Good grammar usage; sentences not overcomplex.

•Appropriate style

Choice of vocabulary, structure of sentences, logical structure - appropriate for assignment.

Presentation 10%

•It has an abstract (if necessary)

•It is word processed

•It has been spell checked

•It has a contents page (if necessary)

•It has headings/ subheadings/ sections

Total Mark:

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Suggested Grading Breakdown

Students have choices, of course, about the specific assignments they collect in the portfolios, but this breakdown is a general guideline for weighing elements of the course.

Unit 1 Portfolio: Personal and Academic Writing (6 pages of revised prose) – 30%

Personal Essay Summary

Response Using Personal Experience

Unit 2 Portfolio: Using Sources (8 pages of revised prose) – 40% Source Evaluation

Response Using Sources

Unit 3: Reflecting on Your Writing – 10% Course Postscript

Homework, Attendance, Participation – 20%

Written Peer Feedback in Second Language Writing

The process-centered approach to composition, first made for native language teaching, has, over the last few decades, gained traction with instructors teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). A key element of this approach is having students give each other feedback (also called peer review, peer editing, and peer assessment). This is where students read each other's papers. Then, they give comments to the writer. They usually answer specific questions from the instructor. These questions mostly target the overall structure and style. They tend to think less about things like grammar or spelling problems. Having students give each other feedback makes them think about who they are writing for. It can also make them more motivated and believe in themselves. It can assist them in judging their writing skills better.

When students give feedback out loud, they generally work in groups of four or five. Each student gives a copy of their paper to each person in their group. Ideally, each group member reads the other students' papers as homework. After this, they come up with a response to each using focus questions from the instructor. At the next class, students share their thoughts on each paper orally. Also, they can ask questions for things that are unclear. Each student then uses the input from their group to fix their paper.

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More recently, teachers have changed and expanded the ways they do peer feedback. For example, a lot of teachers now train their students to give useful, positive feedback. They also give possibilities to assess written work. Research shows that students who are not trained often focus on unimportant mistakes instead of how the writing is structured or the style. Also, feedback that is negative can make people feel worse instead of helping them. Many teachers now have students write out their feedback and give it to the author of the paper. This takes the place of group discussions. After getting written feedback, students have time to read it. They can ask about things or ask their classmates to explain what they meant. Just like in oral feedback, this written feedback informs how the paper is written in its final version.

Even though peer feedback started out as an oral activity, teachers now see that written feedback is the only way for students to share feedback via email. It can also assist students in talking to others in other cities or countries. There are advantages to having students respond to each other in writing even if they can also talk to each other about their writing.

Advantages of Written Peer Feedback

Written feedback creates a real audience for student writing. The best argument for having students give written feedback is that it boosts communication. Those who read the papers and respond to them in writing will be clear and to-the-point. The authors of the papers will want to read these written responses. They can use them to make their second drafts better. This lets everyone see the point of writing. They might not get this understanding in their normal writing assignments.

Written feedback allows for fast feedback and quick conversations aboutwhatthewritingmeans.Talkingaboutthemeaningofsomething is important for learning a language. It can be hard to find ways for students to discuss the meaning of their writing. I have noticed that when students respond to each other in writing, they ask others to explain their opinions. They can even argue about the responses on their own. It allows for fast feedback and great chances to talk about meaning. Meaning can even be talked about in the written responses

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themselves. This can further the learning of language. For example, written feedback can push students to ask each other questions like, What exactly do you mean?

The teacher can learn where students require help as far as writing and feedback are concerned. For example, a few students gave negative feedback despite getting training on positive language. These trainings had warned about the outcome of sounding too harsh. Having them write their thoughts down helps teachers see if students are giving feedback the right way. Also, it shows them examples of proper and improper feedback. This can be hard to fully accomplish when giving feedback out loud.

Written work makes grading simpler. Grading can be tricky when students give each other feedback. It may be hard to tell the amount of ideas that come from the student being graded. It is harder to know when other students give them feedback. But when students turn in early drafts and the peers' comments, teachers can follow where the ideas originated and how well the student used the peer feedback. This is not possible with oral feedback.

It saves time, especially in large classes. Many teachers think they do not have enough time for oral peer feedback. It can take up a lot of class time, but written feedback does not use up class time for preparing feedback. Similarly, it is hard to give detailed feedback in large classes. Written peer responses let students get lots of feedback. Also, fellow students that are reviewing may find parts of a writing that the teacher may not see.

Written feedback creates material to review. Students listening to oral feedback may not take good notes. Often, they rewrite their papers not knowing the comments that their peers provided. After the term, they have little material to review. Written peer responses give students reference materials on their own writing.

Writing enables students to have discussions similar to those of speaking.

(Adapted from Nat Barrels, Written Peer Response in L2 Writing)

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Modification of Evaluation Methods

A teacher has had a big impact on how languages are taught in some countries. Here's what it often looks like in China:

1.Teachers expect a lot. Students often can't reach those expectations because they keep getting higher as students do better. On top of that, teachers might not show when they're happy or impressed, even if they feel it. It's just not common for Chinese teachers to praise their students.

2.Teachers take responsibility. They'll fix every mistake in student work, even if it means staying up late. And they don't just mark or grade it; they correct it. They'll carefully point out every single mistake, big or small, and write in the right answer. They might look at all the corrections in red ink and think, I've done a really good job here.

3.Students are always being compared. Throughout the course, their grades from all the tests and exams determine their rank in the class. Some teachers might even tell a student exactly what number they are and push them to work harder to climb up the rankings for the next test.

The problem is, even when teachers have good intentions and go the extra mile, it can actually hurt students. If a teacher sets standards that are too high and hardly ever gives praise, even the smartest students will start to lose confidence. Students don't really know how to judge their own work and often rely on their teacher, who they see as the expert. By only focusing on mistakes, teachers can accidentally make students think they're failing, even when they're making progress.

But here's the thing: by simply changing how they assess students, teachers can make learning a language fun, enjoyable, and rewarding. Here are some ways teachers can adjust their grading methods to encourage students.

In a language class, communicating in the language is way more important than always getting the right answer.

Focusing on successes has so many advantages. It can create a better connection between teachers and students, help students feel good about themselves, make learning more fun, and ultimately lead to more effort and better results. When students feel appreciated, they're more likely to like their teacher, and when that happens,

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they'll start to enjoy the subject more. Of course, you can't just shower students with praise all the time, or it won't mean anything. Teachers need to pay attention and give real, honest praise in the right way, keeping in mind what's important to the students' culture. The good students might get lazy because they know they're better than everyone else. The struggling students might become quiet and lose motivation, eventually giving up. So, this kind of grading doesn't really help anyone.

The other way to grade is by comparing students to a set range of skills or knowledge. Instead of competing with each other, students are graded based on how well they meet certain standards. In the classroom, this means relating student work to the learning goals for a specific lesson or assignment. This method is much better than comparing students to each other. It gives everyone a chance to succeed as long as they're meeting the goals. Over time, students will feel better about themselves and be able to judge their own skills more accurately.

This works well with essays. When grading an essay, a teacher shouldn't just give it a general score based on how it compares to other essays. Instead, they should judge it based on how well the student met the specific goal of the assignment. So, if the goal was to support an idea with details, that's what the essay should be graded on. Other things, like grammar or organization, can be addressed in other assignments.

Grading based on learning goals should be part of everyday teaching. It helps teachers see if their lessons are actually working. A good teacher will not only plan their lessons well but also check regularly to see if students are understanding the material.

Teachers shouldn't expect too much from students or judge them too harshly. Instead, they should use learning goals to grade student work and also to evaluate their own teaching. If the goals are realistic and the lessons are good, most students should be able to meet the requirements and feel successful. Plus, this kind of teaching encourages everyone to try their best to reach the goals.

Detailed Assessment

Gradingshouldbeseenasawaytohelpstudentssucceedinlearning. It's part of the whole teaching process. By carefully assessing student work, teachers can help themselves and their students see what's been learned well and what needs more work.

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Detailed assessment is helpful for improving university students' pronunciation. Here's what can be done: First, have them record themselves reading something. Then, listen to each recording and write down any mispronounced words or problems with their intonation. Next, put all notes together and look for patterns in the mistakes and try to figure out why they're happening. Finally, write out your comments and suggestions.

*First impression can be wrong. Sometimes, what seems like a bad recording is only caused by one or two small things, like not pronouncing the ends of words correctly or not stressing the right words. At other times, a good first impression can hide problems.

*Students who are embarrassed about their speaking skills can feel better when they realize they only need to fix a few specific habits instead of feeling like they have to fix everything.

*Students are willing to work hard and practice when they get specific feedback. Instead of saying things like “Your pronunciation needs work”, give them specific suggestions for how to improve. With the tutor’s help, students can see and hear what they're doing well and what they need to work on.

Different from general grading, detailed assessment focuses on specific parts of a student's work. It requires looking at the details and figuring out what's going on. The teacher needs to be able to recognize what students are doing well, as well as find the reasons for any problems.

(Adapted from Mu Fengying, Motivating the students by modifying evaluation methods)

NOTES ON DESCRIBING A PLACE (A BUILDING)

A composition describing a place/building should consist of:

a)an introduction giving brief information about the name and location of the place/ building and stating the reason for choosing to write about it (e.g. What it is famous for, what makes It so special, etc.)

b)a main body giving both general and specific details about the place/building usually moving from the general features to specific ones. i) when you describe a place you should give the overall impression by referring to landscape, buildings, landmarks, etc., and

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particular details (sights to see, places to go, things to do) ii) when you describe a building you should write about its surroundings (e.g. situated in Oxford Street ...), then give a detailed description of its exterior and interior; and,

c) a conclusion in which you express your feelings or opinion concerning the subject or give a recommendation.

••You may also be asked to explain why a particular place is important to you, popular, etc. Note that the number and length of paragraphs varies depending on the topic.

••Descriptions of places/buildings may be included in several other types of writing tasks, such as stories, assessment reports, articles, brochures, letters and magazine articles.

Points to Consider

••Descriptions of places/buildings may include: factual information such as age, size, colour, materials, etc. (e.g. The temple, With 10-metre tall marble columns, was built in 800 BC.), details relating to the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) to suggest mood and atmosphere (e.g. Visitors' footsteps on the worn stone floors echo through the cool, dark corridors, disturbing the tranquil silence.), opinions/impressions of the place or building (e.g. Tounsts are fascinated by its air of mystery.)

••Each aspect of the description should be presented in a separate paragraph beginning with a clear topic sentence.

••The use of descriptive vocabulary (e.g. exquisite, exclusive, towering, etc), a variety of linking words and structures as well as narrative techniques will make your writing more interesting.

••Present tenses are normally used when describing a place for a tourist brochure or a magazine article. Past tenses are normally used when describing a visit to a place/building. First and second conditionals (will/would) can be used when you describe your ideal city/house, etc. Note that when we give factual information about a place or building this is normally given using Present tenses. (e.g. I flew to Madrid last Monday. Madrid is situated in the central point of the Iberian peninsula With a population of about 3,000,000.)

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