1. Welcome to KU121 Unit 1 Seminar Intro to Writing Skills and Strategies Instructor – Rachelle Phillips, M.A. You are in the right place :).

2. Seminar Agenda 1.Introduce Ourselves 2.Introduce the Course a)Syllabus b)Policies c)How to Get Help d)Questions 3.What is Writing? 4.The Writing Process 5.Unit 1 Assignments 6.Questions

3. What is Intro to WSS? Course Description: This course will review basic skills in grammar and mechanics, spelling, and written expression in order to prepare students for success in College Composition I and subsequent courses. Students will be introduced to the writing process and will implement each step of the process, developing a personal writing process to fulfill specific writing tasks. In addition, students will examine the importance of peer review and revision in improving written expression. Improve writing skills Grammar Mechanics Spelling Written expression Learning about the writing process Introduction to writing process Use writing process steps Develop a process that works for you Use this process to write Learn and use revision strategies

4. Course Map Get to know WSS, the sylla- bus, each other, and the writing process Review sentence develop- ment and learn about the Writing Center Unit 1 Unit 2Units 3-8Unit 9Unit 10 Explore writing process steps and create bio essay. Review basic grammar. Discuss how to evaluate and apply feedback to polish work Reflect on course concepts. Plan for future writing success.

5. What is a Syllabus? A syllabus is a document that contains key information about the class. A syllabus is like a contract What you can expect from your instructor What is expected of you How you can earn credit What happens in different situations A syllabus is like a road map What the course will cover and when What concepts are included in each unit What assignments are included in each unit A syllabus is like a sports game rule book When there are opportunities to earn points What the points mean (grading scale) How the points are awarded (rubrics) What penalties apply (example, late penalties)

6. Syllabus FAQ #1 What will I learn from this class?

7. Syllabus FAQ #1 What will I learn from this class? Course Outcomes As a result of successfully completing this course, students will be able to: Describe the steps of the writing process Distinguish between formal and informal writing situations Apply writing skills using Standard American English Compose original documents fulfilling various writing purposes, utilizing Standard American English

8. Syllabus FAQ #2 What activities and assignments will help me to achieve these outcomes?

9. Syllabus FAQ #2 What activities and assignments will help me to achieve these outcomes? Readings My Writing Lab exercises Discussions Seminars Projects Quizzes (A unit by unit schedule is included in the syllabus)

10. Syllabus FAQ #3 Are all assignments and activities graded?

11. Syllabus FAQ #3 Are all assignments and activities graded? All are not graded, however, each helps support your best work in the class. Please complete all assignments and activities during the assigned week. A unit by unit schedule is included in the syllabus. For learning and practice Also for a grade Readings MWL Activities Discussions Seminars Projects Quizzes

12. Syllabus FAQ #4 How do these assignments affect my grade in the class?

13. Syllabus FAQ #4 How do these assignments affect my grade in the class? Each graded assignment is an opportunity to earn points As you complete graded work, you accrue points Your letter grade in the class is determined by how many points you earn by the end of the term You must have a grade of at least 73% in the class by the end of unit 3 in order to remain in the class The full grading scale is included in the syllabus

14. Syllabus FAQ #5 What if I can’t make it to the live seminar?

15. Syllabus FAQ #5 What if I can’t make it to the live seminar? There is a written assignment you can complete to earn seminar credit This assignment is often called “seminar option 2” Option 2 earns the same number of points as option 1 Assignment details are included in the “seminar” section of each unit

16. Syllabus FAQ #6 What is “My Writing Lab” (MWL)?

17. Syllabus FAQ #6 What is “My Writing Lab” (MWL)? My Writing Lab (MWL) is included in units 1-9 of our course MWL provides a chance to assess your progress MWL provides a chance to practice writing skills MWL includes some practice exercises and some graded assignments

18. Syllabus FAQ #7 When are assignments due?

19. Syllabus FAQ #7 When are assignments due? Assignments are due by 11:59 ET on Tuesday of the unit in which they are assigned (unit week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday) Late assignments are not eligible for credit in units 1-3. Late assignments incur late penalties of one letter grade per unit in units 4-9 Assignments more than 3 weeks late may not be accepted Credit is not available for late classmate replies in the discussions Contact your instructor in cases of extenuating circumstances, preferably prior to the deadline

20. Syllabus FAQ #8 How are assignments graded?

21. Syllabus FAQ #8 How are assignments graded? Rubrics (scoring guides) are used to grade each assignment Rubrics show how many points an assignment is worth Rubrics show how many points each aspect of an assignment is worth Rubrics for each assignment are included in the syllabus Assignments will be graded within 5 days of the end of the unit in which they were assigned

22. Syllabus FAQ #9 What should I do if I have questions or need help?

23. Syllabus FAQ #9 What should I do if I have questions or need help? Contact me via email – rphillips@kaplan.edu Contact me via AIM – Profphillips73 Post a question to the “Course Questions” discussion on the course web site If your question is related to technology, contact tech support at 1-866-522-7747 If your question is policy related, check the syllabus. The syllabus contains more info than we covered today. Then, contact me with remaining questions.

24. What other questions do you have?

25. A Couple of Additional Reminders!

26. Conditional Acceptance – Units 1-3 Students who do not pass both KU 120 and KU 121 with a 73% (730 points out of 1,000) or better on their first attempt will be academically dismissed from the University. Students enrolled in KU120 and KU 121 must have a course average of 73% or higher in both KU 120 and KU 121 at the end of Unit 3 to be officially enrolled at Kaplan University. If an average of 73% or higher is not achieved in both KU 120 and KU 121, a student will have their enrollment reversed at the end of Unit 3.

27. Conditional Acceptance – Units 1-3 At the end of the third week of classes, the University will review the academic performance of online conditionally accepted students. Online students who have earned a grade up to that point of 73 percent or higher for all foundational coursework will become fully instated students, and will only then be eligible to earn financial aid and course grades. The University will reverse the enrollment of any online student not meeting these criteria, and such a student will not owe any financial obligation to the University except for the tuition deposit, which is not refundable. Grades for the conditional basis checkpoint at the end of Unit 3 will consist of the KU 120 and KU 121 grades in Units 1 through 3 only. Please refer to the KU Catalog Addendum, published February 22, 2010 and your course syllabus for complete details.

28. Late Assignments – Units 1-3 No late assignments will be accepted during Units 1-3. Please refer to your course syllabus for complete details.

29. My Reading Lab and My Writing Lab Do not work ahead in My Reading Lab or My Writing Lab. Stay within the current unit. For example, during Unit 1, complete only the Unit 1 My Reading Lab activities in KU 120 and the Unit 1 My Writing Lab activities in KU 121.

30. Whew! Thanks for your attention to all that detail :). Moving On …

31. What is Writing? Writing is communication Writing is a skill – like other skills, it can be developed This development takes time, effort, and strategy “Words don’t select a few deserving or anointed persons to call on. They come to us all, sometimes in splashing brilliance. Naturally, we’ll write better if we keep our door open and take care of our guests when they arrive.” ~ Ken Macrorie, Telling Writing Macrorie, K. (1985). Telling writing. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.

32. What is Writing? Writing Is…Writing is not … following a step-by-step process of planning, drafting, and revising thinking through and organizing ideas explaining your ideas or experiences clearly and correctly using precise, descriptive, and accurate vocabulary constructing clear, understandable sentences a skill that can be learned being able to pick up a pen (or sit at a computer) and write something wonderful on your first try developing new, earthshaking ideas no one has ever thought of before being primarily concerned with grammatical correctness showing off a large vocabulary constructing long, complicated sentences McWhorter, K. (2010). Pathways writing scenarios: Sentences and paragraphs. NY: Pearson.

33. The Writing Process

34. Steps in the Writing Process 1. Prewriting – Getting ideas flowing 2. Drafting – Creating a rough draft 3. Revising – Tweaking content 4. Editing – Tweaking mechanics and formatting Each of these steps corresponds with a step in the process a sculptor uses when he works.

35. Think of a beautiful marble sculpture… How was it created?

36. Step 1: Sculptor Chooses Stone First, a sculptor chooses his stone. This step of sculpting is like prewriting – the stage where we plan ideas and come up with a general sense of what we want to write about and put it into outline form. Like with sculpture, we can’t expect perfection at this stage – all we aim for is a basic shape.

37. Step 2: Sculptor Chips away After choosing his stone the sculptor begins to chip away at it. Before long, the rough image of a person appears. It isn't perfect but it does become recognizable! This step of sculpting is like drafting – the stage when we put ideas in essay form. Our essay is rough, but recognizable!

38. Step 3: Sculptor Works on Details Next, maybe the sculptor makes the nose a little sharper, the eyes a little clearer, or forms the fingers and toes on the hands and feet. The sculpture is not perfect, but it's really coming along! This step of sculpting is like revising – in this stage we tweak content to make sure that all of our ideas are present, clear, and smooth. Like with the sculpture, the essay is not perfect yet, but we can see real progress!

39. Step 4: Sculptor Polishes Work When the sculptor is done with the form, then it's time for him polish his work. He makes the surface smooth and shiny. Any small bumps or scratches are removed. This allows people to see just how beautiful it really is. Then, the sculpture is finished!

40. Step 4: Sculptor Polishes Work This step of sculpting is like editing – this is the stage where we tweak the technical aspects of our work (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, format). When we remove all of the small "scratches and bumps" from our work it really lets our ideas shine through and our essay is complete!

41. If you get discouraged when you write, think about a sculpture.

42. Like the sculpture, your writing won’t happen all at once. But, if you stick with it and take things one step at a time when you are done it will really shine!

43. Unit 1 To Do Reading Discussion Seminar MWL Exercises Quiz

44. Thanks for coming! Works Cited Macrorie, K. (1985). Telling writing. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. McWhorter, K. (2010). Pathways writing scenarios: Sentences and paragraphs. NY: Pearson.