English 403 Fall

Instructions

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If you need to see me for a VERY quick question tomorrow, I will be in my office from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Liz Siler

Schedule for the last two weeks!

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WEEK 14

MONDAY: Workday
WEDNESDAY: Critique (have your site ready to be critiqued)
FRIDAY: Group evaluation of each other

WEEK 15

MONDAY: Roll book review (tentative grade RANGE discussion)
WEDNESDAY: Work day (course evaluations)
FRIDAY: Work day (submit your link by 5 p.m.)

Formatting guidelines for your cover letter

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Just a quick note:

You may choose one of the many formats for a cover letter that can be found on the Virginia Tech website.

You may also want to look directly at Microsoft Word. Some of the templates in the chooser can be useful (or modified) to create a nice cover letter.

Finally, the handbook has choices as well. You may look at those for a choice of template.

HOWEVER, keep this in mind:

1. All letters must be NOT MORE THAN ONE PAGE.
2. All letters should indicate both the sender and the recipient in the headings.
3. All letters should be dated.
4. All letters should indicate enclosures.
5. All letters should be single spaced.
6. Double space between paragraphs.
7. NEVER use a right margin.
8. NEVER indent a paragraph.

HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER

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I have received a request to answer this question, so here it is:

1. Stick to one page.
2. Properly format your cover letter. Always single space. There are multiple good formats in the handbook and on the WEBsite of the Virginia Tech.
3. Think THREE paragraphs.
4. Paragraph #1, Sentence 1: Explain WHY you are writing. Do NOT introduce yourself.
Example: I write to apply for the position of Office Manager. . ./ I write to submit a resume for possible future openings in the field of bridge engineering. . ./ I write to inquire about possible openings. . .
5. Paragraph #1 Sentence 2: Explain HOW you learned about the job/company.
Example: I learned about this opening from. . ./ You website provides great information about your company's goals. . ./
6. Paragraph #1, Sentence 3: Provide a thesis that connects you to the company.
Example: The job position as described fits well with my interests and educational background/ There is an excellent fit between your company's mission and my specific interests. . .
7. In Paragraph 2, draw specific connections between yourself and the company. Do not just repeat what is on your resume. Flesh it out and build it up. Give a good example. If you are applying for a specific job, discuss specifically how you meet those criteria.
8. In Paragraph 3, 4 refer to your resume and encourage them to look at it. Repeat the thesis in different words. Tell the company how they may contact you and outline your next step. Will you call them?

UPDATE: GETTING READY FOR THE END

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PAPER #1: If you have conferenced with me about this, resubmit at by 7 p.m. tonight. Do not resubmit if you haven't conferenced. Final conferences are possible from 2:30 to 3:00 today in the lab.

PAPER #2: Final interview is Monday. 5 questions: Tell me about yourself + the question you were asked in the practice + 3 others taken from the ones we've done in class. Check the website for more on this. Bring your business card to the interview and plan on handing it to me at the end of the interview (when you thank me for the interview -- it's always good to thank a person for the interview).

Paper #2 is due by November 7 at 7 p.m. Submit the resume and the cover letter as WORD attachments to an emal.

PAPER #3: KEEP WORKING ON THIS.

PRE: Week 9, Day 1, Monday, October 20, 2008

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Final Preparation for the Presentation

REMINDER: I will be in the lab 2-4 tomorrow (Sunday) to help anyone who has final questions about their presentation. REMINDER: I am always available from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. in Lab 101. You could see me on Monday if you had a question before your presentation.

The presentations will be held in the classroom downstairs. Please be there and be on time. Early would be better. Please review the many previous postings on this blog about the presentation.

Your presentation will be taped. You should have your powerpoint presentation ready and on a portable (thumb) drive as well as in your email account. Your presentation should effectively answer these three questions:

What do you know about the company? (Focus on basic, important structural, organizational and financial information -- not trivial and arcane data. If talking about a graduate school focus on structural/organizational information as well as ratings).

What is attractive about the company? (Imagine the company interviewer asks you this question. What will you say and how will you say it?).

How do you see yourself fitting into this company? (Do the thinking for the interviewer --- if they hired you, where should they put you/what should they do with you to maximize their investment?)

Please review the powerpoint guidelines I've put up. Please be dressed neatly --- but not professionally (no need to wear a suit) for this presentation.

POST: Week 8, Day 2, Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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MORE ON YOUR PRESENTATION

I. Content of the presentation.

Please note what we discussed in class today -- and look carefully at previous assignment information on this blog.

The first minute of the presentation is about the company. Imagine you are in an interview. The interviewer asks you, "so what do you know about our company?" What would you say?

The second minute of the presentation is about particular interesting features of the company. Imagine in the same interview the interviewer asks, "so what attracted you to our company?"

The third minutes is a reply to another question --- about how you fit into the company. Imagine the same interviewer asking you, "so how do you see yourself fitting into the company?

II. About slides

Slides should:

-- not contain whole sentences.
-- be written more in "outline" form with phrases.
-- always contain cited information. Don't tell me that Starbucks is the #1 coffee retailer in the world without telling me where you learned that!

III. About the presentation in class

NOTE: We will do the presentation on Monday of Week 9

1. You need to be in the classroom downstairs BEFORE 11:00 on Monday.
2. You need your PowerPoint presentation on a portable drive. Do NOT send it to yourself by email. Be sure it works with our system! If you have questions, try running it in the lab today!
3. I will be there early. A technician from Media Services will be videotaping the presentations.
4. I will use the following sheet to evaluate your presentation:

ORAL PRESENTATION EVALUATION (25 points possible)

PRESENTATION (5 points possible)

*Audience contact. I will look for:

Good eye contact
No evidence of reading off of slides or notes or memorization
Relaxed presence
Interaction with the slides – you should refer to the slides as you talk – but not read off them

* Language . I will listen for

Good voice projection
Accurate use of the English language
Clear, but not perfect, articulation
Correct use of words and oral grammar

CONTENT: (10 points possible) I will look/listen for:

Accurate information about the three parts/questions I gave you to consider
Enough information.
Information relates to topic.
Information from at least three sources
Information cited on slides
Information referenced
Evidence of a significant research effort

VISUALS (10 points) I hope to see

Directions regarding number of slides and format followed
Information related to the oral report
Current information
Accurate information
Neatness
Correct grammar
Correct spelling

5. Each student in the class will fill out the following form about your presentation as well:

STUDENT COMMENT AND RESPONSE FORM

Name of student being evaluated: _______________________

Company/Grad School: __________________________________________

1. What was the best feature of this presentation?

2. What one suggestion would you give the student to improve the presentation?

3. What more would you like to know about the company?

PRE: Week 8, Day 1, Monday, October 12, 2008

2008-10-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today we will spend getting ready for the oral presentations that are due on Friday. We will also work on these questions:

Example of Illegal Questions

Possible Legal Alternatives

Where were you/your parents born?
What is your native language?
What is your country of citizenship?
Are you a US citizen?

Do you have any language abilities that would be helpful in doing this job? (Legal if language ability is directly relevant to job performance.)
Are you authorized to work in the United States?

POST: Week 6, Day 3, Friday , October 3,2008

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Today we spent much of our time, look at issues of finding jobs and getting information on companies. We looked at VAULT, Glassdoor.com, and a few other places. We also spent some time critiquing the websites I had previously posted on the blog.

POST: Week 6, Day 2, Wednesday, October 1, 2008

2008-10-03T10:13:00.001-07:00

Today we worked on two new questions and reviewed the material on how to find a job. The two questions were:

Give an example of a time when you used your presentation skills to persuade others.

Give an example of a time when you solved a problem in a unique/unusual way. (Strategy: Make sure the problem is clear, as well as the "typical" solution -- so that it is clear why your solution was unique/unusual. Be sure that you start with a clear topic sentence and end with a firm conclusion showing that this solution worked well.)

Student Web Sites

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Here are four links to previous student web sites. You may want to look at these as you plan yours:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Oral Presentations for Week 8

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In Week 8, you will make your final presentations on a company that you have researched for employment purposes or a graduate school -- if your primary goal is to go to graduate school This is how I want to do these presentations:

1. Each presentation is to be between 2 and 3 minutes long.

2. The focus of each presentation is to answer these questions:

a. What is the scope of this company's business/this graduate program's mission? (basic factual info about the company/graduate program)
b. What are the most attractive features/components of this company/graduate school? (information that explains the company's/graduate program's appeal to you)
c. How do you see yourself fitting into this company/graduate school? (where would you fit best in this company/graduate school and why?)

3. You are expected to have PowerPoint slides to back up your presentation. However, there are some basic rules of PowerPoint I want you to follow:

No more than 3 slides per minute of presentation time; 2 is better.
You must have an introduction slide with your name and the name of the company.
No reading off notes or off slides;
No talking to the slides. Face the audience as you speak.
Any words on a slide must be in 24 point font.

4. All presentations will be done in the classroom, not the lab.

5. You are to be dressed decently (though not necessarily professionally) for this presentation.

6. I will arrange to have these presentations videotapes. I'll be happy to review your tape with you or to let you copy your part of the tape -- on a time available basis.

7. There won't be time for questions.

8. You will be anonymously evaluated by other people in the class.

9. I reserve the right to bring in other teachers to help watch these presentations.

PRE: Week 6, Day 2, Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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For homework tonight, I'd like you to read the article at this link:

POST: Week 6, Day 1, Monday, September 28, 2008

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Today we worked on getting the final paper together.

POST: Week 5, Day 3, Friday, September 26, 2008

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This is the checklist you need to follow in preparing your final version of paper #1.

1. The document should be in GOOGLE documents and I should be added as a collaborator.
2. The title of the link should be Paper #1.
3. The paper should have a title such as "Feasibility Study: Country 1 and Country 2."
4. Under the title you should list yourself as the person who prepared the report.
5. In terms of format, there should be five major sections: Overview, Country 1, Country 2, and Discussion and Recommendation and References.
6. Each section should have a heading. The headings and the title of the paper should be in different format than the text of the paper. Read pp. 318-320 in the handbook for more on this.
7. Each section (except the first one , the overview) should have multiple small paragraphs.
8. Paragraphs should NOT be indented.
9. Double space between paragraphs.
10. Each paragraph should start with a clear topic sentence.
11. Restrict yourself to one point per paragraph.
12. In the OVERVIEW section, you should indicate the purpose of the report, the countries examined, and the source used to get material.
13. In the COUNTRY section, you should introduce the country briefly and discuss information of most use to the CEO of Freeplay: the government of the country, the economy, population information, information about energy, information about communication infrastructures, information about the kind of weather and climate exists in the country.
14. In the DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION section, you should START with the recommendation and explain your recommendation with a discussion of several paragraphs. In those paragraphs, you should discuss why you think a country is a good place to do business and why you think a country is NOT a good place to do business.
15. In the REFERENCES section, you should reference the CIA World Factbook. See #28 on p. 264 for more on how to make a reference for the World Factbook.
16. You should edit your work carefully for major grammar errors. I suggest you keep sentences short and that you pay attention to the tense and subject-verb agreement of verbs.
17. Spell check your document.
18. Send the document to me via Google, in the message, include a brief note written as you would write to your boss. I suggest you use phrases such as:

In the following link, you will find. . . .

or

Attached to this message is a link that. . . .

Briefly describe what you are sending me. Why should I care? Does the report contain valuable information that Freeplay needs to consider?

Remember to end the email message with your name.

I'll need this document by Monday night at 7 p.m.

POST: Week 5, Day 2, Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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Our two questions today had to do with SKILLS! Skills are important because they are going to be on your resume as well.

One question is: What particular skills and qualities do you bring to this company? (The strategy is to talk a little about different skills. Remember to include particular job related skills -- "I am very proficient in international tax accounting." Also include computer competencies. "I am quite proficient at working in an online environment, and can manage data well using most of the functions of Excell." Finish with your language/cultural skills. Do not present yourself as bilingual --- unless you handle both languages at exactly the same level. Instead say, "I speak English and Chinese and can interact linguistically and culturally with people from many different cultures around the world.")

A more specific question is: What computer skills would you use to communicate, do presentations, and manage data? (Strategy here includes specific mention of computer skills/functions you use in each of these categories. EX: Well in doing presentations, I have found "PowerPoint" and "Photoshop" to be most helpful, and I generally prepare an agenda in MSWord. I also find that WEB-camming presentations and posting them online afterwards can make them available to all.")

Most of the hour was spent doing work on all papers. I would like to remind the not-so-computer proficient to investigate GOOGLE sites (available by going to www.google.com and clicking "MORE") as a possible way to build a simple site.

POST: WEEK 5, Day 1, Monday, September 22, 2008

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Today we started with these two questions:

1. What are some tricks/techniques that you have learned at school or on the job to make your life easier or your work more effective? (Talk briefly and specifically about skills you learned that make you an effective worker. EX: I learned early that long-term projects need to be divided into small parts and addressed daily).
2. Give an example of a specific time when you complied with a policy you didn't agree with. Why? (Explain the policy briefly and why you disagreed with it. Be sure to show why you complied with it.)

We talked about the strategy for managing the "Tell me about yourself" question. Start by:

a. Identify yourself. (I'm John Jones)
b. Give your current status. (I'm a senior accounting major at Washington State University in Pullman. I'll be graduating this spring.)
c. Give a bit about your background. (I've been in this country for about 5 years. I'm originally from China.)
d. Give a bit about your future. (I'm looking forward to finding a position in tax accounting).
e. Give your particular professional interests. (I enjoy tax accounting, esp. across cultures).
f. Give your "also" information. (Meeting people from other cultures is something I enjoy doing. I enjoy working with people from many different backgrounds. I speak Chinese, so that makes it easy.)
g. Ask if the interviewer would like some more information. (What other information can I give you about myself?)

We formed the teams for the third paper. Persons who weren't there today will be randomly assigned a team on Wednesday. I DO WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT I AM TAKING ATTENDANCE AND SOME OF YOU HAVE SOME REAL ATTENDANCE ISSUES.

By Monday of next week, you group should have met once and decided on a focus for the website you will develop.

t

POST: Week 4, Day 3, Friday, September 19, 2008

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Today we worked on a few more important topics:

I. Questions for interviews:

Tell me about a time when you worked as a member of a team. OR Are you a team player? This is a very important question, and it's important to note how the question is asked.

If you hear "Tell me about a time. . ." give a specific example of a time when you functioned as a team member. Express satisfaction with the team's outcome. Finish with a comment about how there is a lot of good that can come from working on teams.

If you hear "Are you a team player?" immediately answer yes and then point out how in your discipline (name it) there are a lot of different chances to work in teams. Express some of the general things you have done in teams. Be positive about working on teams.

What is your philosophy of work? The answer should be 2-3 sentences and should be very direct. A good answer might be something like, "So far my philosophy is simple: Figure out what I have to do, marshall the resources to do it, and get it done right -- on time."

II. We talked about continuing issues with the drafts. One area many people are having a hard time with is selecting good information and making a point with that information. We discussed how it is important to consider the perspective of the person you are writing this to: the CEO of Freeplay. What does she/he need to know about a country? Is it important that the country was colonized by France? Or is it important to know what the current state of electrical energy is in the country?

Points should always be made clearly with topic sentences. Example: Electricity is scarce in Chile. But don't talk about how these points impact Freeplay until the end of the paper in the discussion section.

HW: Please send me a revised draft of your paper by Sunday at 5 p.m.

POST: Week 4, Day 2, Wednesday, September 17, 2008

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Today we started out with two behavioral questions:

1. How do you typically deal with conflict? Give an example. (Strategy: Briefly describe a situation, make the conflict clear, explain how you dealt with it -- and show your strategy. This is essentially a strategy question. The best answer is one that makes the process of dealing with conflict clear.)
2. Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision. (Strategy: Talk about something like your decision to come to the US to study. Make the decision clear. Again, focus on your decision-making strategy. HOW did you make the decision? Be sure to indicate that you were satisfied with the decision.)

We also talked about more problems with the drafts. Here are some pointers I reminded everyone of:

1. Use sub-headings (such as "overview").
2. Do not indent paragraphs.
3. Double space BETWEEN paragraphs.
4. Restrict yourself to one topic per paragraph (e.g. don't put information about electricity and communications in the same paragraph). It is better to write several small paragraphs than one large one.
5. Introduce each paragraph with a short topic sentence that makes the point of the paragraph.

I'll continue to work on these and send them to you.

POST: Week 4, Day 1, Monday, September 15, 2008

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Today we did some with two projects and spent class time working on all three.

Project 1: We discussed some common problems I saw in many of the drafts. The biggest issue is citation.

Suggestion: Put your reference to your source into the overview section of the paper. For example, you could say something such as: The information in this paper is taken exclusively from the Venezuela and Antigua pages of the CIA World FactBook (www.cia.gov).

HOWEVER, it was pointed out that this is NOT enough. It's good to alert readers at the beginning of a paper about what your source is -- but as you present statistics, you must also do that as well. So we looked at different ways to do this:

One is to say:

According to the CIA World FactBook, the population of Venezuela is 15,000,000.

NOTE: Do not use"In the CIA World FactBook" as your phrase.

You could also use a subject phrase:

The CIA World FactBook states the population of Venezuela as 15,000,000.

A third way is to create an end citation.

The population of Venezuela is 15,000,000 (CIA World FactBook: Venezuela: People).

As I stated in class, I'll be commenting on drafts over the next few days -- but go ahead and make corrections now and I'll keep looking at them.

Project 2: We looked at 2 new questions:

1. What would your colleagues say about you? (Strategy: Start by defining your colleages. "Most of my colleagues are people I collaborated with on various projects at the university." Then use the conditional: "If they were to be asked what they thought of me, they might say. . ." State two or three good points and elaborate. )

2. What have you done in the last year to improve your knowledge? (Strategy: Start by answering the question using language from the question. "Over the last year I've done a number of things to improve my knowledge in the field of X." List a few things you've done. Be specific.. However, do not expand on this question. For example, don't say how you felt about those things. "I attended a conference by NCICA in Houston. The subject was fractural ceramics and I attended a number of workshops.")

POST: Week 3, Day 3, Friday, September 12, 2008

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Today we worked mostly on projects 2 and 3. With respect ot #2 we started on the way to answer interview questions.

In addition to "Tell me about yourself" we worked on "What are your strengths as an employee?" This last question can be very hard to answer -- nobody likes to sound like they're bragging.

But think honestly about yourself. Here are some qualities that may apply to you:

Are you hard working?
Are you organized?
Are you a person who will take risks?
Are you a person who can work well towards a difficult goal?
Can you communicate with a lot of people?
Are you a person who is good at details?

These are all important qualities that people look for in employees! Choose two or three and elaborate on them -- showing how in your life you've demonstrated the qualities you choose.

We also worked on project 3 -- and spent a lot of time on issues having to do with plagiarism. Please pay attention to pp. 166-178 in the handbook. Here are some common problems:

1. not blending a quotation (called "integrating" a quotation) grammatically into a sentence.
2. writing "vomit" -- where there are large, recognizable "chunks" of the original material in your writing.
3. copying something without quoting -- even if you cite (reference) it.

Be careful of these problems and others. Consult the handbook!

Liz Siler

POST: Week 3, Day 2, Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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This was mostly a work day, but we did a little with Project 3.

We looked at Lexis Nexis. Here are the directions for getting to it:

1. Go to www.wsulibs.wsu.edu
2. Click on "find journal articles"
3. Click on "databases a-z"
4. Click on "L'
5. Click on Lexis Nexis Academic
6. Click on "agree."
7. Check the settings: Major newspapers and previous year.
8. Type in words you want to scan for (e.g. "plastic bottles").
9. Send yourself interesting articles -- save paper! Don't print until you're sure you like the article!

HW: Look over the page on Interview Questions. (www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL).

1. Click on Services for Students
2. Click on Study Skills and References Materials
3. Click on Useful Links for Students in 403
4. Click on III B. (Questions with answer prompts).

PREPARE a 45-second answer to this question: Tell me about yourself!

POST: Week 3, Day 1, Monday , September 8, 2008

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We worked on the three projects today:

Project 1: We went over the outline materials in the pre-blog. The first draft is due to me in GOOGLE docs by Friday at 7 p.m.

Project 2: We reviewed some resumes and discussed what is good/not so good about them. We looked at Career Services homepage. Bookmark this date: October 8 9-3 Beasley Coliseum for the Career Exposition.

Project 3: We set up a google news alert for "plastic bottles."

PRE: Week 3, Day 1, Monday, September 8, 2008

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We will be looking at sample resumes. Here are some I'd like to look at in class:

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Sample 5

Sample 6

We will also be talking about how to organize your first report. Here is a basic outline to keep in mind:

Clear Title/Name of Report Preparer

I. Overview of Report/Statement of Purpose for Report

II. Review of Country A. (2-3 descriptive/introductory paragraphs about the country. Final "paragraph" should be a summative list of country highlights of most relevance (both good and bad) to the Freeplay).

III. Review of Country B. (2-3 descriptive/introductory paragraphs about the country. Final "paragraph" should be a summative list of country highlights of most relevance (both good and bad) to the Freeplay).

IV. Recommendations/Discussion/Conclusion. (2-3 paragraphs in which you discuss, recommend, and conclude the report based on information given in sections II and III).

V. List of Reference Materials Consulted.

POST: Week 2, Day 2, Friday, September 5, 2008

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Over the weekend, you should work on project 1. Choose two countries and continue reading the website. Look at the material on the CIA World FactBook website and about the two countries you have selected and choose the most relevant material.

Today we spent a lot of time going over project 2 -- resumes. Continue to send me your drafts of reference request letters. You need to review the material in the handbook on resumes. Also review the great models that are available at the Virginia Tech website. The direct link is http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearc/Resumes/Resume1.htm

Over the weekend, get started on a first draft of your resume. Use MS Word and either send it to yourself via email or put it on a portable drive.

Finally you should continue revising and sending me your summary of the article on bottled water. This is useful for project 3.

POST: Week 2, Day 1, Wednesday, September 3, 2008

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Today we started with

Project 1: We looked at the CIA World Factbook, which can be accessed at this link. We reviewed how that works. For HOMEWORK you should look at the assignment 1 and carefully select two countries. We will start the writing of this paper on Monday next week.

Project 2: We talked about some common problems with reference request letters. I suggest that when you send a letter, say "Request for a reference" in the subject line. Also, use the word "position" instead of "job" -- it sounds more professional. Keep working on these request letters. When I tell you they are good enough -- send them. On Friday we'll work on the resume. Please look at section 8 in the handbook and bring the handbook with you.

Project 3: We talked about some problems with summary writing. See pp. 164 to 178 in the handbook. Summaries should start with sentences that:
a. Identify the type of source (article, book, documentary, etc.)
b. Identify the general topic of the source (about X)
c. Identify the last name of the author
d. Identify the year date of the source
e. Use a present tense verb from the list on p. 164. Be careful to select the right one!
f. Express the main point of the selection.

Ex: In an article about bottled water, Williams (2007) presents some of the environmental issues surrounding plastic bottles and bottled water.

Be very careful as you read to be clear about what the author himself believes and what he reports on.

Ex: Some people believe that bottled water is a great thing. (This does not mean that Williams feels this way. It simply means he has identified people who feel that way and is reporting on them).

Bottled water is a great thing. (This means Williams DOES believe bottled water is great. He doesn't ascribe this belief to anyone else -- so you can assume it is his belief.)

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

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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

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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

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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

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

Syllabus -- Fall 2008

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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.