Date

Assessment

Description

Weighting

Week 2

Diagnostic Test

Reading task (40 minuts) and problem-solution essay (50 minutes);

n/a

Week 9

ICA I and II

Reading task (40 minutes) and argumentative essay (50 minutes);  sample papers available on blackboard

20% (10+10)

Week 13

ICA III

2 reflective essays based on independent learning; open book with portfolio; content-focus, in-depth account

10%

Date

Assessment

Description

Week 3

Diagnostic Test

 Reviewing results from test; formulating independent learning plan

Week 10

ICA I and II

Reviewing results from test

Date

Topic

Materials

1.9.08 (W1L1)

Intro to UE: Written Language

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• PLA Roadshow Presentation (15 minutes)
• Brief introduction (5 minutes)
• Highlight important information in the student's manual (15 minutes)
• Demonstrate Blackboard Website and other Websites (15 minutes)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Small Group Discussion and Sharing on Forming Opinions (20 minutes)
  • You are a university student.
  • Hong Kong is a city in China.
  • There are about seven million people living in Hong Kong.
    
    • I am Chinese.
    • Foreigners find it difficult to learn Cantonese.
    • There are many opportunities to speak English.
  • What did you reference to formulate your opinion?

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

3.9.08 (W1L2)

Unit 1 - Reading Critically

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Promote LODs, morning drinks and Facebook group (10 minutes)
• Review Independent Learning Portfolio (10 minutes)
  • Include media options
• Class Activity to Differentiate between Fact and fiction (30 minutes)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Group activity - true and false statements (30 minutes)
  • Groups investigate and determine which statements are fact, and which are fiction
  • Transform into opinions (20 minutes)
  • Share and discuss how to create opinion statements
• Review student's manual; complete most of unit 1

T31 Lesson Flow

• Distribute manuals (5 minutes)
• Review Facebook group materials (5 minutes)
• Review unit 1 items; complete task 2 (30 minutes)
• Watched sarcasm video (5 minutes)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Finish unit 1 (50 minutes)

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

10.9.08 (W2L1)

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Diagnostic Test; Independent Learning Portfolio

T31 Lesson Flow

• Diagnostic Test (90 minutes)
• Break (20 minutes)
• Distribute and introduce independent learning portfolio (10 minutes)
• Cover unit 1: writing a problem-solution essay to task 4 (30 minutes)

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

12.9.08 (W2L2)

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Model Problem-Solution Essays (4 sets of cut outs) 

T31 Lesson Flow

• Piece together essays (30 minutes)
  
  • Discuss which parts were the easiest to put together (5 minutes)
  • Discuss which one is the strongest, in groups (5 minutes)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Review homework and discuss types of background information provided (20 minutes)
• Semantic Mapping (20 minutes)
• Analyzed introductory paragraphs, task 6, p.98 (10 minutes)

Links

School DropOuts: Problems and Solutions

Drug Abuse: Problems and Solutions

Understanding and Solving the Problem of Illiteracy

Obesity in Children

Date

Topic

Materials

19.9.08 (W3L2)

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Independent Learning portfolio; homework

T31 Lesson Flow

• Get computers
• Review independent learning process (30 minutes)
  
  • Results of diagnostic and own perceptions determine weaknesses
  • Distribute ILL worksheet; and in groups, share weaknesses, resources and best practices; as a class, suggest practices for weaknesses; further suggestions to be put on Facebook page
  • Discuss spelling; vocabulary learning strategies and analyses
  • Review record-keeping on pages 8 and 9
  • Submit learning evidence (photocopies and hardcopies) or softcopies with written reports on edublogs (volunteers will create their blogs in class and add me as admin.)
• Break (10 minutes)
• Demonstrate Google Document features and peer-editing process (10 minutes)
  
  • In pairs, open each other's documents
    
    • Check for style of background information, scope, topic sentences, supporting details, concluding sentences and conclusion
    • Search and assess one or two writing weaknesses based on diagnostic test
  • E-mail finished documents to teacher, classmates for review

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

24.9.08 (W4L2)

Problem-Solution Essays

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• 2-minute writing activity on problem-solution essays
• Review homework, tasks six and seven
• Analyze background information homework for style and clarity of scope
• Introduce body paragraphs, tasks nine and ten; quickly review concluding paragraphs
• Writing idea two - mapping in turns
• Break (10 minutes)
• Group activity - jigsaw problem-solution essays
  • Discuss which parts were the easiest to put together (5 minutes)
  • Discuss which one is the strongest, in groups (5 minutes)
• Demonstrate Google Document features and peer-editing process (10 minutes)
  
  • In pairs, open each other's documents
    
    • Check for style of background information, scope, topic sentences, supporting details, concluding sentences and conclusion
    • Search and assess one or two writing weaknesses based on diagnostic test
  • E-mail finished documents to teacher, classmates for review 

T31

• Tried mapping in turns (1-hour)
• ABC brainstorming of task one of unit two
• Read article, "Any Questions?"
  
  • Pronunciation help
• Assigned homework

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

29.9.08 (W5L1)

Problem-Solution Essays; Any Questions

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Demonstrate Google Document features and peer-editing process (10 minutes)
  
  • In pairs, open each other's documents
    
    • Check for style of background information, scope, topic sentences, supporting details, concluding sentences and conclusion
    • Search and assess one or two writing weaknesses based on diagnostic test
  • E-mail finished documents to teacher, classmates for review 
• ABC brainstorming of task one of unit two
• Read article, "Any Questions?"
  
  • Pronunciation help
• Assigned homework 

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

3.10.08 (W5L2)

Problem-Solution Essays; Any Questions

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Finish unit two
  • Explain the importance of critical reading, particularly persuasive language, task two (5 minutes)
  • Complete task three using morphemic and contextual analysis (15 minutes)
  • Complete task four on Google Documents; highlight persuasive language and main ideas (35 minutes)
  • Task five to completed by students on their own; some points should be highlighted (5 minutes)
• Provide feedback for Google Document problem-solution essay revision (10 minutes)
  
• Writing idea two - mapping (30 minutes)
  • On Google Documents, to be shared with the team that will write the essays; and the instructor

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

6.10.08 (W6L1)

Any Questions

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Finish unit two
  • Complete one item of task three using morphemic and contextual analysis (15 minutes)
    
    • Students should complete another item, with one student sharing his analyses
  • Explain the importance of critical reading, particularly persuasive language, task two (5 minutes)
  • Task five to completed by students on their own; some points should be highlighted (5 minutes)
  • Complete task four on Google Documents; highlight persuasive language and a vocabulary word (35 minutes)
    • Lastly, after writing the essay, and if you still have time, edit someone else's task four.  Read their work, and comment on it's structure, organization and language.  Focus, too, on one of your partner's writing weaknesses.  Help each other by writing constructive comments, and not simply correcting their work.
      

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

8.10.08 (W6L2)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • 1 hour homework
  • peer editing
  • focusing on things that can be improved (e.g. persuasive language; vocabulary; structure)
• Peer editing
  • Jigsaw students' task fours (5 minutes)
    • Ivan
    • Nick
    • Thomas
    • Eddie
  • Provide one piece of advice (content; organization; language) for each piece (15 minutes)
  • Review students' problem-solution essays (25 minutes)
    • Debbie 
    • Edited by Andy
    • Maggie
    • Angus
  • Provide five points for improvement, one of which should be directed at the comments, another of which should be about language, the last three of which should refer to the content and organization checklist on page 116
  • Summarize the essay, practicing skills mentioned on page 32
• Introduce argumentative essay writing (5 minutes)
  • controversy
  • thesis (position) statement
  • structural differences 
•  Groups complete task 1 (20 minutes)
  
  • Groups trade tasks and then select one controversial issue for which they shall enumerate five arguments for, and five against, ordered by strength
• Groups complete task 2 (20 minutes)
  • Rank each thesis on an OHT with a quick explanation as to why it was positioned there
• Complete task 3 individually and check with class (10 minutes)

T25 Lesson

T31 Lesson

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

10.10.08 (W6L2)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • Scaffolding of previous skills (vocabulary building; and summarizing)
  • strong scopes and introductory paragraphs for argumentative essays
• Vocabulary analyses as a class
  
  • Call My Bluff vocabulary game using vocabulary analyses
    
• Review students' scopes for one topic; categorize them into strong; fair; and weak; and articulate why
• Complete introductory paragraph tasks 4-5

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

13.10.08 (W7L1)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • Scaffolding of previous skills (vocabulary building; and summarizing)
  • editing argumentative essays
  • Incorporation of contextual skills and persuasive language into writing of argumentative essay
• Text Summary game where students from each group will seek cohesion, and provide reasons if there isn't any
• Vocabulary analyses as a class
  
  • Call My Bluff vocabulary game using vocabulary analyses
    
• Review students' argumentative essay introductory paragraphs
• Work on planning argumentative essays (page 129 onward)

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

15.10.08 (W7L2)

Midterm Evaluation; Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • To provide honest feedback regarding teaching and learning in the course
  • To construct sound paragraphs for the body of an argumentative essay
  • To be able to incorporate a context for a new vocabulary word in one's writing
• Course evaluation (1 hour)
  • Read reintroduction
    • In groups, students should discuss one thing that they have learned (in the reintroduction or in the course) and one question that they would like answered; a student from each group will report
  • Complete online evaluation form
  • In groups discuss, reach a consensus to share one thing that is going well in the class, and one thing that isn't; and suggest a solution for improvement in that area
• Argumentative Essay Writing (1.5 hours)
  • Provide specific feedback on two introductory paragraphs; also mention word count statistics
    • Kitman
    • David
  • Model the P.M.I. strategy
    • Groups should create a new P., M., or I. and a consequence; as well as F.I.P.; and each group shall report their additions 
  • Groups should create a P.M.I. for the question, "Should Hong Kong have a minimum wage?" and one group shall share their report with the class using Google Documents
  • In groups, students will complete.
• Vocabulary analyses as a class (30 minutes)
  
  • Call My Bluff vocabulary game using vocabulary analyses in groups

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

17.10.08 (W7L2)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents; Pbwiki

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • Teacher will be able to promote cycles of contemplation time and specific prompts; to withhold first, rapid reactions
  • Students will clarify independent learning queries and discriminate good activities and evaluations from poor ones
  • Students will be able to comment on each other's language and content in their argumentative essays
  • Students will be able to competently weave a new vocabulary word into their writing
• Independent Learning Symposium (50 minutes)
  • Feel free to raise questions
  • Create wiki and Google Document library
    
    • Write up your best independent learning record; link it to the main directory
    • One member from each group will present a record
    • Each group will be responsible for asking a critical or clarification question with regard to:
      • skill/weakness
      • resource
      • activity
      • evaluation
• Argumentative Essay Editing (30 minutes hour)
  • Explain teacher's feedback and stipulation that it continues so long as a student's comments continue
  • Provide specific feedback on body paragraphs as regards:
    • persuasive language
    • apparent truths
    • personal experience
  • Students will peer edit, providing commentary solely on the language and content of the body paragraphs; that is, identify and highlight where they are used and suggest at least location where either persuasive language, apparent truths or personal experience can be included
  • Mention word count statistics for use in goal setting
• Vocabulary analysis and expansion (30 minutes)
  
  • Review contextual clues
    
  • Model the indentification of a word and its clue; and model the inclusion of a contextual clue
  • Review the use of a concordancer
  • Students will practice either on a peer's essay
    • The student will highlight a word and add a contextual clue; each member of a group shall be assigned a different clue to include
      
      • Synonym
      • Antonym
      • Example
      • Explanation
  • Or using a newspaper article:  students will not only add a contextual clue, but identify and highlight a contextual clue already in the article
    
    • Tainted milk
    • Faltering schools
    • Finance students
    • Google Phone

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

20.10.08 (W8L1)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (5 minutes)
  • To provide honest feedback regarding teaching and learning in the course
  • To construct sound paragraphs for the body of an argumentative essay
  • To be able to incorporate a context for a new vocabulary word in one's writing
• Class Announcements (5 minutes)
  • Announce date of assessment
  • Reiterate homework protocol and revised commentary procedure
  • Reveal attendance information and final exam information
• Independent Learning Feedback (10 minutes)
  
  • Feel free to raise questions
  • Share wiki and Google Document library
    
    • Each week report on your best independent learning record; link it to the main directory
• Text Summary game where students from each group will seek cohesion, and provide reasons if there isn't any (50 minutes)
  • Introduce NYTimes news summaries Webpage, with vocabulary and geography highlighting
  • Examine keyword concentration of an NYTimes summary
    
    • Select an article to read and each group shall summarize in one of the following ways:
      
      • 8-12 key words or ideas
      • 1-2 sentences
      • 3-4 sentences (paragraph)
      • 5-10 key words of reaction/reflection
    • Each group forms a new group and shares the summaries; students should discern similarities and explain differences
    • Group reports on findings
• Vocabulary analysis and expansion (30 minutes)
  
  • Review contextual clues
    
  • Model the indentification of a word and its clue; and model the inclusion of a contextual clue
• Review the use of a concordancer
• Students will practice either on a using a newspaper article
  • The student will highlight a word and add a contextual clue; each member of a group shall be assigned a different clue to include
    
    • Synonym
    • Antonym
    • Example
    • Explanation
• And students will highlight a contextual clue already in the article
  
  • Tainted milk
  • Faltering schools
  • Finance students
  • Google Phone

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

22.10.08 (W8L2)

Argumentative Essay Writing

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (10 minutes)
  • To stand in the back of the classroom (teacher)
  • To use no books, less technology, and more whiteboards and markers 
  • To make reading and writing processes more active
• Independent Learning Portfolio Presentation (10 minutes)
  • Maggie will present briefly on her activity and its usefulness
  • Students individually will offer one change in plans if they were to do this activity
  • The next student will be chosen to report
• Circle Drilling-cum-Summarizing (20 minutes)
  
  • Students will form a semi-circle with chairs; other chairs shall be stacked
  • Students will read the article and then highlight keywords for summary
  • Each student will announce a keyword, with every fourth person creating a sentence or two using those three key words (answers to be written on whiteboard)
• Circle Drilling-cum-Argumentative Essay Brainstorming (10 minutes)
  
  • Go around the semi-circle and solicit argumentative essay topics
• Contextual Clue Hookup (15 minutes)
  
  • Each student will receive a card with either a word, a contextual clue or a contextual clue label; they must find their corresponding parts to form a group
  • Each group will form a semi-circle within the larger semi-circle
• Argumentative Essay Mapping (60 minutes)
  
  • Each group will map a section of an argumentative essay
    • Select a topic and write a thesis statement and a scope
    • Another group will write two topic sentences
    • The final group will write the background information
  • Each group will present their argumentative essay outline to the class
    • Each group will generate at least one presentation skill to the class
    • Groups will present and critique each other
• Understanding Ellipsis (45 minutes)
  
  • Take students through pages 62-64
  • Mine the VOA News article for ellipses and write examples on the whiteboard.

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

31.10.08 (W9L2)

Ellipses

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

• Introduce lesson's objectives (10 minutes)
  • Identifying where to put persuasive language, linking words and signposts in essays
  • Creating more persuasive and linking language to use in essays
  • To understand the importance of key words in forming summaries
• Independent Learning Portfolio Presentation (5 minutes)
  • Ask if students will try the activity
  • What can be done to improve it?
• Written Language ICA2 Feedback (5 minutes)
  • Argumentative Essay Blank Fill Worksheet (15 minutes)
  • Pairs should suggest and place alternatives to answers on board (10 minutes)
• One-minute writing on Foreign Students in American Universities (5 minutes)
  • Sharing and Agreeing
• Form Groups (10 minutes)
  
  • There are four articles whose four types of summaries are listed below
    • 8-12 keywords
    • 1-2 sentences
    • 3-4 sentences
    • 5-10 reflection/reaction keywords
  • Find your article's other summaries and form groups
• Understanding Ellipsis (30 minutes)
  
  • Each group reads respective article
  • Highlight your ellipsis and information on page 62
  • Highlights one example of an elliptical expression; and looks for another sentence which can be written using ellipsis
  • Report examples on whiteboard

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

7.11.08 (W10L2)

Summarizing, Article Titles and Comprehension

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

11.11.08 (W11L1)

Summarizing, Article Titles and Comprehension

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

14.11.08 (W11L2)

Summarizing, Article Titles and Comprehension

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

19.11.08 (W12L1)

Summarizing, Article Titles and Comprehension

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

Assignment

Date

Topic

Materials

21.11.08 (W12L2)

Summarizing, Scanning, Extensive Reading; reading analysis review

Student's Manual; Blackboard; Google Documents

Lesson Flow

Assignment