ENGLISH 111/9

Unit 1

Instructor: Julie Peluso

Course Created by Dr. Diane Thompson, NVCC, ELI

Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Task 5 Task 6 Task 7

Begin the course by sending your NVCC email address to Julie Peluso. Include your name and the course you are in, so that I can send you your grades.  If you do not send me your email address before posting your Introduction, I will delete ten points from your Introduction. Because of privacy regulations, I can only send your grades to a College email account, so please do this immediately!

If you do not already have an NVCC email account, go to Email Instructions to learn how to open and use your NVCC student email account. 

Please read the entire Course Guide before starting to work on Unit 1. 

UNIT 1 will introduce you to the course, the instructor, the other students, the writing process, and the Internet. This Unit involves seven tasks. After posting each task, wait for my feedback before proceeding to the next task. 

You may want to print out this page before going on, so that you will have the instructions in front of you as you work through the tasks. However, the print-out will NOT include the hotlinks to other instructions, so you need to always refer back to this web page to access the hotlinks.

Unit 1, Task 1

First, go to Blackboard, put in your username and password. using the log in instructions linked to the course Home Page. Once you are logged in, you should locate the forums:

  • scroll down to the "My Courses" List 

  • select "English 111"

  • select "Communication"

  • select "Discussion Board"

This will bring you to the task table. Click on "Unit 1, Task 1" to go to the forum for this task. Read the instructions for the forum, and then open the forum, so you can read some of the other students' introductions. Think about what you would like your classmates and teacher to know about you. 

Then,  write your own introduction. Tell the class about yourself, your background, your interests and hobbies, why you are going to college, and what you hope to get from this course. Develop your ideas fully; don't skimp. Help your classmates and teacher get to know you. Unit 1, Task 1 is worth up to 50 points.

Write your Introduction on your own word processor, and run a spell check before posting it. I will grade down for poor English mechanics, grammar and spelling!

 

When you are ready to post your Introduction, go to the edit menu of your word processor and choose "select all" and then "copy."
Then, close the word processor, open this page on your browser, and click on Blackboard. Select "Unit 1 Task 1" by clicking on it, or just scroll down to the task. You will find instructions there for posting your work on the forum. 

Your posting may not show immediately; to see it, click on the "reload" or "refresh" button on your browser. Do not press the submit button more than once, or you will get multiple postings. 

***Please do not attach files; I will not open them and you will have to repost your message.

Your work will remain on the forum for about a month. If you think you will need any of your writing for longer than that (such as early work on your research project), be sure to keep a copy in your own files. 

Essay 1

Tasks 2 through 6 will take you through the steps of thinking about, planning, drafting and revising your Essay 1. This essay asks you to select a problem you have successfully dealt with in your life and write about why it was a problem, how you solved it, and the outcomes of that solution. 

Please do not select a problem so intimate that you will not feel comfortable with other students reading it, or with your teacher reacting to it as an essay and possibly suggesting substantial changes. Try to find some topic that you can easily share with other readers and easily accept suggestions about.  The purpose of this essay is to analyze a problem and its solution, not to expose some deeply personal issue that you would rather keep to yourself and your closest friends. Remember, you are writing for your classmates as well as for your instructor.

Unit 1, Task 2

Go to Blackboard and click on "Unit 1,Task 2." This will take you to the forum for posting your response to another student's Essay 1. Read the instructions on this forum and follow them.

Be sure to use grammatically complete, correct sentences.  Task 2 is worth up to 20 points. 

When I read and respond to your work, I will note any areas where you need to do grammar and/or writing review. I will tell you which sections of the Hacker textbook to study, and then ask you to go to the  Diana Hacker: Companion Web Site, where you will find the corresponding exercises. Select the Grammar Exercises from the menu across the top of the page, and then select the area(s) you need to test yourself on. The exercise menu comes up when you select the area you need to work on. For example, if you select Word Choice (W), the menu for that area will pop up. Then, select the specific area I have asked you to study and do the self-correcting exercises to check your understanding of the concepts.

You can do a better job if you write on your own word processor, so that you can run a spell check before posting to the forum. Here is how to copy/paste a worksheet. 

1. Highlight the worksheet or other text you want to copy. Do this by dragging the cursor across the text you want to highlight. 

Note: A student has reported that when he copies a worksheet, if he includes the "message" information at the far right, his pasted format becomes garbled, so you might try to just highlight the worksheet alone. 
2. When the text is highlighted, go to the edit menu with your cursor and select "copy."
3. Open a new file on your word processor, go to the edit menu and select "paste." This will put the worksheet or essay into your word processor file.
 4.  Do your writing, editing, etc. When you are done, run a spell check.
5. Highlight the text on your word processor file, go to the edit menu and select "copy."
6. Open a new message box on the appropriate forum, click the cursor in it, and then go to the edit menu and select "paste." This will put your completed worksheet back on the forum.

Unit 1, Task 3

Do a problem-finding worksheet. This task will help guide you as you plan your essay on "A Problem I have Solved Successfully." Go to Blackboard and select "Unit 1, Task 3" to go to the forum for this task. 

Follow the instructions for Unit 1, Task 3 on the forum. Unit 1, Task 3 is worth up to 20 points.

Unit 1, Task 4

Prepare the Essay 1 Draft. Go to Instructions for Writing the Essay 1 Draft. Read this page carefully. Then click at the bottom of the page to go to Blackboard and select the forum "Unit 1, Tasks 4, 5 and 6," where you will post your own essay draft. You will write your own essay draft: "A Problem I Have Solved Successfully," receive feedback on your draft, and work on revision. 

No points, but Unit 1, Task 4 is required for an eventual grade on this essay. You may only post one draft, so be sure and do your best work before posting it.

You must post the revised, final version within thirty days after the draft is posted, or I  will not grade the final essay (I need to see the draft when I grade the final version of the essay).

Unit 1, Task 5

Following your Instructor's suggestions, study selected grammar and style issues that affect your essay draft. No points, but Unit 1, Task 5 is required for an eventual grade on this essay.

Unit 1, Task 6

Write the revised, final polished version of this essay and post it to Blackboard, selecting the forum for "Unit 1, Tasks 4, 5 and 6. 

Follow the instructions on the forum for posting your revised essay as a reply to your draft. 

You must complete the revision within 30 days, because after that the draft and my comments will be removed from the forum. I will not grade any revised essay unless I can also see the draft and my comments on the draft. Unit 1, Task 6 is worth up to 100 points.

Unit 1, Task 7

 Prepare and take Exam 1. It will have three parts: 

  • a quiz on the Course Guide; 
  • a question asking you to locate, discuss and evaluate an Internet research site or article that interests you; 
  • an ungraded writing sample question that asks you to write at least two paragraphs about an experience that changed your life. Although this writing sample will not be graded, you will lose ten points from your total test score if you do not do it. I suggest planning ahead for something to write about; it does not have to be major; a new pet, a new baby sister, moving to a new town, a special teacher.....reflect now, so you will know what to write later.

You will write Exam 1 in an NVCC Testing Center. Be sure to take the appropriate Exam Pass and a photo ID with you. Call the Testing Center first to make sure it will be open long enough for you to complete the exam.

If it is not possible for you to get to an NVCC Testing Center, you may arrange for a proctor at another location. If you need a proctor, go to the ELI Policies and Procedures Screen. Select the link for Examination Proctors, from the Table of Contents, for information on how to arrange for a proctor.

When you go to take the exam, you should bring a printout of your Course Guide and a printout of the Internet research site or article that you want to discuss. You may not bring a draft. Task 7 is worth up to 50 points.

You may now go on to Unit 2.

(c) Diane Thompson: 11/7/1998; updated: 9/20/2004