POST: Week 1, Day 3, Friday, August 29, 2008

This is how I post to the blog. AFTER a class, I use the word POST in the title. BEFORE a class, I will use the word PRE.

We've got a lot of stuff going on, so let's review.

1. You should have read the syllabus (which is on this blog) and paid careful attention to all three assignments -- since we are clearly working on all three at the same time.

2. With respect to PROJECT 1, you should spend some careful time with the freeplay website. I am going to give a short quiz on this website on Wednesday to be sure you've been looking at it carefully!

3. With respect to PROJECT 2, you should be drafting letters to people who might be good references for you. Please send me, using GOOGLE documents, a draft of a letter to one of the two people you have decided to write to. Please send it to me by Sunday at 9 p.m.

4. With respect to PROJECT 3, you should give serious thought to how you will develop your web building skills. English 300 is an excellent way to get skills fast. Finally, you should summarize the article on plastic bottles and send the paragraph to me using GOOGLE documents by Sunday night at 9 p.m.

5. A word about GOOGLE documents. There are a few things to remember when you work with GOOGLE documents.

A. You need to remember how to get into it! A lot of you had already forgotten your password! These are things you should write down somewhere.
B. You need to set up your document carefully. Always give it a title. Click on the word "Untitled" and give it a good title such as "Diagnostic" or "Draft of letter."
C. Always make me a collaborator on the document so I can have access to it. Click on "SHARE" and follow the links. My email is elizabethsiler@gmail.com.
D. When you finish your work RE-remind me that you have finished by clicking AGAIN on "Share" and then clicking on "email collaborators."

Welcome to the organized chaos that is English 403!

Sample Reference Request Letters

Here are model request letters you might consider given different situations.

Model #1: A letter to a professor the student studied with and/or worked for.

Dear Dr. Jones:

I write to ask if I could list you as a reference for a few specific jobs I am applying for as well as other jobs I anticipate applying for.

As I prepare to finish this semester, I am in the process of looking for internship opportunities around the Seattle area that will allow me to develop my interest and training in ________ Engineering. I am particularly interested in positions available with the ______ Company and The Washington Division of ____.

At this time, I only need to provide a list of references. If you would be willing to serve as a reference, I will send you the necessary materials to update you on my background immediately.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Sincerely,

A Very Good Student!

MODEL #2: (a letter sent to a person for whom the student works)

Hello _______:

I am writing to ask if I could list you as a reference for jobs I'll be looking for in the next few months.

As I prepare to complete my thesis research in your lab, I am in the process of looking for employment opportunities around the Bay Area that will allow me to develop my interest in issues of public health. Public health is an interest that has been considerably strengthened by my work in your lab. I am particularly interested in jobs with Breast Cancer Action, an education and advocacy group, St. Anthony's Foundation, a nonprofit agency dedicated to health and education issues among the homeless in San Francisco, and Oakland Teaching Fellows, which trains teachers to work within the Oakland Unified School District.

May I list you as a reference for these and other jobs? If so, I will be happy to provide you with any additional materials necessary to provide the most complete picture of my abilities and interests.

Thank you in advance for all your assistance.

(Full name of student)

MODEL #3: (a letter sent to a professor the student took many hours with as an undergraduate and who had previously agreed to serve as a reference. The student is on good personal terms with this professor. )

Hello _________:

I am writing to confirm that it is okay to continue to list you as a reference for some jobs I'll be applying for in the next few months. I really appreciate the fact you said you’d be willing to do this, but I just want to check that it’s still okay by you.

As I mentioned to you the other day when we spoke, I'm in the process of finishing up my Master's degree at Berkeley, and am looking into employment opportunities around the Bay Area that will allow me to develop my interest in issues of public health and social justice. I am particularly interested in positions available with Breast Cancer Action, a non-profit agency dedicated to education and advocacy that works closely with the Hispanic community, St. Anthony's Foundation, a nonprofit agency dedicated to health and education issues among the homeless in San Francisco, many of whom are Spanish-speaking. These are jobs I plan to apply for.

At this time, I just need to know whether I may continue to list you as a reference. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance, and for all the help and support you have provided my mother and me over the years.

(Name of student)

Week 1, Day 3, Friday August 29, 2008

Assignment for today:

Use your GOOGLE documents account to provide me with a one paragraph summary of the article you read for homework. As you write this paragraph, please:

focus on main ideas;
paraphrase;
use tenses correctly;
show where the information came from.

Send this to me as a GOOGLE document with me as a shared writer.

Liz Siler

Week 1, Day 2, Wednesday, August 27

This is the link to the article that I want you to read for Friday.

Syllabus -- Fall 2008

English 403.01
Professional and Technical Writing for ESL Students

Fall 2008, Washington State University

Elizabeth Siler, ESL Specialist
Telephone: 335-2251/509-432-9694 (cellular)
Office: Avery 220
e-mail address: elizabethsiler@gmail.com
ESL Program Web page: www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL

COURSE OBJECTIVES (OVERVIEW)

English 403 is a professional and technical English class for ESL and bilingual speakers. The two goals of this class are:

to prepare learners for real world experiences, both written and oral, that they will encounter in securing employment or positions in post-baccalaureate programs;

to prepare learners to write in a variety of formats at an advanced academic and professional level.

COURSE PREREQUISITES

This class is designed for those students who are degree-seeking undergraduates at Washington State University. Enrollees must be either speakers of English-as-a-second-language or bilinguals. All persons enrolled in this class must have completed the Junior Portfolio and received the results. If "needs work" has been assessed, you are expected to have either finished that "needs work" or enrolled in it concurrent with your enrollment in this course.

SYLLABUS/COURSE POLICIES REQUIREMENT

You are required to read this syllabus, ask questions, and sign the on-line course policies located at . Click on Services for Students, then on ESL Program Policies, then on General ESL Policies. You are required to read these policies carefully and then sign your name (electronically) to the bottom of the policies. In doing so, you will create a permanent record that you have read and claim to understand the policies.

REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS AND COMPUTER ACCOUNTS

All required texts are available at Crimson and Grey. Please do not come to me complaining that the books are not in the Bookie. That’s because I do not order from the Bookie!

The Thompson Brief Handbook (Yes, it's expensive; yes, it's required; yes, you must have it with you every day in class -- no exceptions).

You are expected to have a valid, working email account where I can reach you. You are also expected to have a GOOGLE documents account. I will show you how to get one in the first week.

AVERY MICROCOMPUTER LAB (AML) AND ENGLISH 300

As a student in this class, you have access to the Avery Microcomputer Lab (located on the first floor of Avery Hall) throughout the semester. Unless otherwise announced, after the first day of class we will meet in the lab rather than in the classroom.

NOTE: The third project in this class involves building a complex website. If you do not have these skills, you should plan on acquiring them throughout the semester by taking English 300 and/or the related workshops. You can learn more about English 300 at this website:
http://www.aml.wsu.edu/English300/English300Home.htm

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication. Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty

I expect you to know and adhere to the policy on academic honesty explained in the General ESL Policies section of the ESL Help Desk.

COURSE OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 403

At the conclusion of the course, the student should meet the C-1 competencies stated in the Descriptors from the Common European Framework (excerpts taken and slightly modified from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment, Cambridge University Press, 2001).

WITH RESPECT TO GENERAL SKILLS THE STUDENTS CAN EXPRESS THEIR OWN IDEAS, REFLECTIONS, AND UNDERSTANDINGS COHERENTLY IN WRITING AND SPEAKING. SPECIFICALLY, THEY:

Can express themselves fluently without much obvious searching for expressions
Can use language effectively for academic and professional purposes
Can produce clear detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

WITH RESPECT TO SPECIFIC SKILLS THE STUDENT :

Speaking/Listening

Can give a clear, well-structured presentation of a complex subject

Has a good command of a broad lexical repertoire, allowing gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder natural, smooth flow of language.

Writing

Can write, revise, and present clearly organized professional and technical papers in a variety of formats and for a variety of audiences.
Can edit own work using all available reference tools -- including the Thompson Brief Handbook and the dictionary.
Can accomplish high-quality secondary research and incorporate it into own work.
Can use writing processes, including revision, to produce technical and professional documents.

Listening

Can understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics beyond his/her field.
Can easily follow complex interactions between third parties in group discussion and debate, even on abstract, complex unfamiliar topics.
Can easily follow complex group discussions, even on abstract, complex unfamiliar topics.

Reading

Can understand in detail a wide range of lengthy, complex texts likely to be encountered in social, professional, or academic life, identifying finer points of detail including attitudes and implied as well as stated opinions.

Copyright 2004 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. Educational Testing Service, ETS, the ETS logo, TOEFL, TSE, TWE and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.


ATTENDANCE, LATE WORK, AND MAKEUP WORK POLICIES

THIS CLASS ADHERES TO THE POLICY OUTLINED ON THE GENERAL CLASS POLICIES. THAT POLICY IS REITERATED HERE:

NOTE: The ESL program does not accommodate schedules of students who have enrolled in classes that conflict with our classes (for example during summer school or via concurrent enrollment at the University of Idaho).

1. The ESL program and the university believe that attendance is important to promote learning. In some university classes, particularly language classes, regular attendance is very important for you to progress in your learning of the subject matter. Therefore, attendance is taken in all ESL classes from the first day of the semester.

2. If you miss MORE than 6 classes , you will not pass the class. It is your responsibility to drop or withdraw if there are further absences. If your name is on the roll book at the end of the semester and you have gone over the limit of permitted absences, you will receive an F in the class regardless of the grade you have earned in the class.

3. Some absences may be excused. Excused absences still count as absences towards the total allowed (see #2). The only difference between an excused and unexcused absence is that the teacher may do makeup, reteach parts of the class, and accept late work in the case of an excused absence -- but not in the case of an unexcused absence.

4. Excused absences are limited to the following reasons:

a. Court appearances in which you are not the defendant. Show court papers to the teacher prior to the absence.

b. Field trips or university-sponsored travel. Give your teacher documentation prior to the absence.

c. Hospitalization. Give your teacher a copy of your admission papers immediately upon returning to class.

d. Military service in the armed forces of the United States. Show your teacher deployment papers prior to the absence.

Attention WSU varsity athletes: If you plan extended absences due to scheduled out-of-town athletic events, we recommend that you take the class during a semester when you are not actively playing your sport. Athletes are also encouraged to take the Tu/Th section of the class (if one is available) to accommodate scheduled absences around weekends. If, for some reason, you must take the class during a semester when you will have extended absences due to participation with your team, please see your teacher within the first four days of class to discuss how the attendance policy will affect your grade in this class.

5 . I realize that you may get sick during the semester. Please note: only hospitalization counts as an excused absence for illness. This is the definition of "hospitalization": admission into a hospital for in-patient treatment of illness or injury. In all other cases, this is the procedure we want sick students (those not requiring hospitalization) to follow:

a. If you have symptoms that indicate you have a communicable illness (fever etc.), do not come to class.

b. Save your available absences (remember 6 total!) and use them wisely to ensure that you have days available to use if you become sick.

c. Have the email and telephone number of two other students in the class. We recommend you get this contact information in the first week of class. Contact these students -- not the teacher -- in the event of illness to get copies of materials and stay current with the class.

d. If work is due to be turned in on a day when you are absent due to illness, turn that work in via email or your teacher's preferred WEB-based document delivery system (e.g. Google documents/ WEBCt). The work must arrive in the teacher's email box prior to the beginning of the class hour in which it is due. No late work will be accepted due to illness.

e. If the teacher provides an online environment (for example a WEBCT chatroom), you are encouraged to use that to keep up with the class while sick.

f. When you return to class, you are expected to have "caught up" by first talking to another student in the class. If you have any further questions about the material you missed while you were sick, you may contact your teacher during his/her office hours -- but your teacher will not reteach the class or make special appointments to discuss the class with you. The teacher has the right to ask for the name of the student you contacted to find out about the class.

g. Absences due to sick days also count towards the total of absences. If you use up all your absences because you are ill, you will need to drop or withdraw from the class.

h. It is your responsibility to know the last drop and withdrawal dates for a given semester. This information is available at http://www.registrar.wsu.edu/Registrar/Apps/AcadCal.ASPX If you use up all your drops and withdrawals, the ESL program will not assist you in petitioning the university for an exception.

i. You are expected to be in class on time and to remain in class for the entire class period. If you arrive after your name has been called for roll, you will be counted as tardy. Two tardies will equal one absence. If you arrive after twenty percent of the class time has passed (10 minutes on MWF), you will be counted as absent.

IN ADDITION TO THIS POLICY, I ALSO assign F grades for lack of preparedness. If you come to class unprepared for the work we will do in class that day, you may get an F for preparedness for that day. Here are some examples of reasons (this is not a complete list) why I give Fs: the student was told to have a book ready to use in class and did not have that book; the student was told to have work ready to turn in and did not have that work; the student was confused and disruptive in class; the student was seen doing his/her homework work for the class (or homework for another class) in class.I will notify you by email of your F and the reason for it. If you receive three Fs for preparedness, you will fail the class. BE PREPARED.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

You are all adults, so please make every effort to act accordingly. Arrive on time to class and do not behave disruptively during class discussions and workshops. Be prepared to complete in-class assignments and engage in fruitful discussion with your classmates. While in class, turn off your cell phones or put them on silent mode. Additional electronic devices, including electronic dictionaries, laptops, and i-pods are not permitted.

COURSE BLOG AND INSTRUCTOR EMAIL

The course blog is the central part of this class. I blog after every class with notes and handouts given in class. You need to check the blog before class and stay with the class via the blog in the event that you miss a class.

On the blog, you will find this syllabus as well as copies of handouts given in class and many other useful resources. You should never have to track me down to get copies of handouts you may have misplaced or missed, as that information will be available to you 24/7 online.

If you have a question, e-mail me at: elizabethsiler@gmail.com. Please remember that an e-mail is a professional communication. Use proper salutation, grammar, complete sentences, spell check and other editing features. Typically, I will respond to your e-mail within 24 hours (weekdays). If you do not receive a reply in that time frame, send a query to see if I received your original message. Do not expect to reach your instructors 24/7 via e-mail. Plan your work accordingly so that questions and concerns can be addressed in a reasonable time frame.

I expect you to check your email daily prior to coming to class for any last minute announcements. With respect to emails that you send me, I do not open emails with attachments. I do not open emails without subject lines. I do not open emails written in languages I can’t read – so be sure if you have your email set to a non-English format that your name and information come through in English.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES

There are a total of 300 points possible in this class. There are three projects and each one is worth 100 points. Each project involves one or more actual papers. The projects and papers are described below. Click the links for the assignments.

Project 1: Report Writing (33%)
Project 2: Writing for Professional Objectives (33%)
Project 3: Writing to Inform (33%)

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

Please note the word tentative. A detailed schedule will be provided as the session progresses.

Week 1: Orientation and begin all three projects.

Week 5: Finish and submit project 1

Week 10: Finish and submit project 2

Week 14: Finish and submit project 3

Week 15: Finish up and last details

CALCULATION OF FINAL GRADES

This course demands student involvement. If you do not take an active participation in your own learning process, the grade you earn will illustrate this. Your instructor does not negotiate grades.

All grading in the ESL Program follows the rubric outlined in University Regulation 90. For further information, see and search for Regulation 90. In brief, A/B/C/D are defined as follows:

· A: Consistently excellent work
· B: Superior work
· C: Satisfactory
· D: Minimally passing-effort and achievement less than satisfactory

This is how final grades are calculated:

1. All points are added.

2. A curve is set using the highest number of points earned by a student in the class. For example, suppose that the best student in class earns 270 points. Then the curve starts at 270. 270 is called the curve point in this case.
3. Grades are organized as straight percentages drawn from the curve point.

Percent from the curve point/ Grade earned

93-100/ A

90-92/ A-

87-89/ B+

83-86 /B

80-82 /B-

77-79/ C+

73-76 /C

70-72 /C-

67-69/ D+

60- 66 /D

Below 50% / F

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITY

Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available forstudents with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.

If you have any questions, please contact Rosie Pavlov at pavlovr@wsu.edu or 332-3417.

IMPORTANT MEDICAL/DISABILITY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR TEACHER

I live with a neurological disease that has a number of symptoms. The main symptoms that may affect my performance in this class relate to mobility and fatigue and hearing impairment.

Symptoms 'come and go' -- so I may seem to be fine one day and quite ill the next. Specifically, these are ways in which you will be called upon to accommodate me as I teach with this disease:

1. With respect to mobility, I am very unsteady on my feet. I ask that you keep pathways clear. This is particularly important in the lab.

2. If I drop something, pick it up.

3. If I ask you to carry something, plan on doing so.

4. With respect to fatigue, please understand that there will be days when I look tired. You should not assume I am bored, upset with you, or angry because I am not smiling or my face is slack.

5. I have a documented hearing disorder, called a central auditory processing disorder. There is relatively little that can be done for people with this disorder, but I do wear hearing aids to help. Therefore, it is important for people who have this disorder to manage their environment. This is what I ask that you do to help me manage my environment:

Do not create unnecessary noise. Avoid cross-talk, whispering, cell phones.

Do not come into class late. This disrupts my attention and my listening. When I am disrupted, I become confused -- and the flow of the class is seriously disrupted.

Look directly at me when you talk to me. I lip read to support what I am hearing.

Speak up! Do not shout, but instead "throw" your voice forward by speaking from your chest. Speak SLOWLY. Slow and loud (but not shouting) should be enough for me to hear you. Please note: do not be embarrassed about your pronunciation. Anyone who makes another person feel uncomfortable about pronunciation, will be removed from the class. Speaking loudly is particularly important in the Avery Microlab -- because there are often other distractions (such as blowing fans and cross traffic).

At times, I may ask for clarification because certain sounds cannot be seen easily on the lips. For example, I often cannot tell if a person is making a plural sound. In this case, I use finger-spelling, which is a form of American Sign Language, to verify what I think you heard. I often use the symbols for "A" "A.N" "T.H.E" and "S." I do not expect you to learn this language, but it may help you to understand how I ask for clarification.

I hear only poorly anything said behind me. If you want to get my attention and I can't see you, come and get me. Touch my shoulder and say "Liz" or "Mrs. Siler" (whichever you feel comfortable with) in a loud voice.