UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT BAYAMN

170 Rd. 174, Minillas Industrial Park

Bayamn, Puerto Rico 00959-1919
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE

Grammar, Composition, and Reading Analysis I

CODIFICATION

INGL 3201

CREDITS

3 credits

CONTACT HOURS

3 lecture hours per week, 45 lecture hours per semester

PRE-REQUISITES

INGL 3102

COURSE DESCRIPTION :

Study of advanced grammatical techniques

Emphasis on composition based on careful analysis of
selected readings

TEXTBOOK

Folse, K., Vestri Solomon, E., & Clabeaux, D. (2015).

Great Writing 3: From great paragraphs to great

essays (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: National
Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning.
OTHER BOOKS

English Dictionary and Spanish-English Dictionary

Thesaurus (English Dictionary of Synonym and
Antonyms) Optional

General Objectives
1. Help students develop and use critical thinking skills in the writing process and in the
oral exchange of ideas during in-class discussion.
2. Develop the necessary communication skills that will allow students to produce
communicatively meaningful and effective paragraphs or short compositions of an
expository and academic nature.
3. Help students develop analytical skills and strategies in reading for comprehension and
content. Show students how to relate these skills and strategies to their own writing.

4. Familiarize students with correct grammatical forms and patterns as well as with their
appropriate usages so that these may be applied in their compositions.
5. Incorporate the use of word processing technology in writing.
6. Practice the use of electronic communication processes. (Optional)
Specific Objectives: The student will
1.
a. use the processes of prewriting: choosing and narrowing a topic, brainstorming,
organizing, and outlining.
b. apply the processes of drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading.
c. apply critical thinking strategies in class discussions to analyze the writing
processes.
d. apply the writing process to the development of paragraphs or short compositions.
2.
a. identify the basic elements in a paragraph that include the following: topic,
supporting, and concluding sentences.
b. apply and identify the concept of unity in paragraphs.
c. apply and identify coherence devices and techniques such as transition signals,
repetition or key words, synonyms, pronouns, etc.
d. apply and identify chronological order, order of importance, spatial order, and
logical division as common logical orders in English rhetoric.
e. apply the techniques associated with the writing of an expository piece with regard
to purpose/goals.
f. produce narratives, descriptive, and argumentative (opinion) writing.
g. recognize and use concrete support in paragraphs when expressing opinions vs.
facts and supporting details (examples, illustrative incidents, quotations, and
statistics).
h. write paragraphs or short compositions following and outline.
3.
a. recognize and distinguish between different types of reading selections.
b. apply critical thinking skills in reading general nonfiction items, especially from
magazines, newspapers, and professional journals.
c. identify the main ideas in paragraphs and selections.
d. list the main events of narratives in the correct order.
e. distinguish between main and supporting ideas.
f. list specific facts that support main ideas.
g. make inferences based on facts.
h. distinguish between facts, inferences, and opinions.
i. use titles to infer the main theme of selections.
j. analyze reading selections to identify rhetorical devise such as paraphrase
expressions and synonyms, key and reference words, and transition elements.
k. apply context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.

4.
a. review the formation, usage, and reasoning behind the use of the simple present,
present progressive, future, simple past, and past progressive tenses.
b. review the formation, usage, and reasoning behind the use of the following:
frequency adverbs and phrases
there is / there are
a, an or the and when to omit them
at, in, or on
passive voice
basic word order in simple sentences
c. review and apply the formation and usage of
simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences
main and subordinate clauses
adverbial, noun, and adjective clauses
d. identify and use cognates correctly.
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

use a word processing program to produce written documents.

insert, delete, move, change, and correct text on the screen.
format according to teacher specifications.
pre-write on the screen (brainstorming, organizing, and outlining). Optional
compose and/or type rough drafts on the screen. Optional
rewrite and edit documents on the screen.
produce written documents for evaluation.
produce revised versions of documents after initial evaluation by the teacher.

6.
a. use e-mail to communicate with the teacher and classmates.
b. use e-mail to communicate with other students of ESL/EFL in and outside of Puerto
Rico. Optional
c. use the Internet to locate and retrieve information related to course themes and
assignments.
d. use campus computer networking and computerized databases to locate and retrieve
information from the library.
7. Identify characters, setting, and story elements in a novel used for pleasure-reading.
Methodology
The methodology (teaching/learning techniques) to be used includes lectures, reading and/or
writing workshops, teamwork, pair work, individual skill-building class activities, groupwriting projects, and individual writing projects.

Evaluation Criteria
The weight assigned to the evaluated tasks may vary according to the teachers. The grading
curve is the same for all sections.
Evaluation (sample weight of tasks)
Compositions (paragraphs)
Journal Entries
Final Project
Oral Presentation
Written Presentation
Class work/participation, quizzes, assignments,
student responsibilities, etc.)
Attendance

300 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a
disability should contact the Office of Disability Services, located on the first floor of the
Students Center, next to the cafeteria, to discuss your specific needs and provide written
documentation. At the request of the student, the Office of Disability Services will prepare a
letter individualized for each professor. This letter certifies that the student has a disability and
provides reasonable accommodations required by the student to obtain an adequate academic
achievement. If you are not yet registered as a student with a disability, please contact the
Office of Disability Services.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The University of Puerto Rico promotes the highest standards of academic and scientific
integrity. Article 6.2 of the UPR Students General Bylaws (Board of Trustees Certification 13,
2009-2010) states that academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: fraudulent actions,
obtaining grades or academic degrees by false or fraudulent simulations, copying the whole or
part of the academic work of another person, plagiarizing totally or partially the work of
another person, copying all or part of another person answers to the questions of an oral or
written exam by taking or getting someone else to take the exam on his/her behalf as well as
enabling and facilitating another person to perform the aforementioned behavior. Any of these
behaviors will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the disciplinary procedure
laid down in the UPR Students General Bylaws.

Basis for Grade

Grading Scale
A
B
C
D
F

730-800 points
660-729 points
590-659 points
560-589 points
0-559 points

Attendance Grade Scale

0-1 (justified) 100 pts.
1-4
75 pts.
5-6
50 pts.
7-over
0 pts.

Instructors References
Ackert, P., & Nebel, A. (1995). Insights and ideas (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle, Cengage
Learning.
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Arlov, P. (2012). Wordsmith: A guide to paragraphs & short essays (5th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Bailey, E., & Powell, P. A. (2008). The practical writer with readings (7th ed.). Boston, MA:
Thomson Wadsworth.
Carrell, P. L., Devine, J., & Eskey, D. E. (Eds.). (1998). Interactive approaches to second
language reading. England: Cambridge University Press.
Clouse, B. F. (2001). Jumpstart! A workbook for writers (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
Eide, K., & Oharra, B. (1995). Writing with the lights on: From sentences to paragraphs. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Elbow, P. (2000). Everyone can write: Essays toward a hopeful theory of writing and teaching
writing. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Ferris, D. R., & Hedgcock, J. S. (2011). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and
practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Ferris, D. R., & Hedgcock, J. S. (2014). Teaching L2 composition: Purpose, process, and
practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Flemming, L. E. (2013). Reading for results (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Gibbs, R., & Smith, R. (1994). Navigating the Internet Deluxe Edition. New York, NY:
Pearson Education.
Hernndez-Virella, R., & Rodrguez-Gonzlez, J. (2011). Grammar portfolio (Revised
Edition). San Juan, PR: Editorial Panamericana, Inc.
Langan, J. (2013). Sentence skills with readings (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Maimon, E., Peritz, J., & Yancey, K. B. (2011). The brief McGraw-Hill handbook (2nd ed.).
Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.
McCrum, R., MacNeil, R., & Cran, W. (2002). The story of English (3rd ed.). New York, NY:
Penguin Books.
Modern Language Association of America. (2009). MLA handbook for writers of research
papers (7th ed.). New York, NY: Modern Language Association of America.
Pousada, A. (2000). The competent bilingual in Puerto Rico. International Journal of the
Sociology of Language, 142(1), 103-118. doi: 10.1515/ijsl.2000.142.103
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the
English language (2nd ed.). London: Longman.
Rogers, J. (1997). A five-step outlining procedure to develop academic journal reading skills.
TESOL Matters, Oct./Nov., 8.

Rosario, N., & Sostre, M. (2014). Grammar review skills (Revised Edition). Ro Piedras, PR:
Biblio Services.
Salomone, W., McDonald, S. & Japtok, M. (2014). Inside writing: A writers workbook with
readings, form b (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Salomone, W., McDonald, S., & Japtok, M. (2015). Inside writing: A writers workbook, form
a (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Smalley, R. L., Ruetten, M. K., & Kozyrev, J. R. (2011). Developing composition skills:
Academic writing and grammar (3rd ed.). USA: Heinle ELT.
Smalley, R. L., Ruetten, M. K., & Kozyrev, J. R. (2011). Refining composition skills:
Academic writing and grammar (6th ed.). USA: Heinle ELT.
Spears, D. (2012). Improving reading skills: Contemporary readings for college students.
Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.
Troyka, L. Q., & Nudelman, J. (2003). Steps in composition (8th ed.). England: Pearson
Longman.
University of Chicago Press. (2010). The Chicago manual of style: The essential guide for
writers, editors, and publishers (16th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Vandrick, S. (1995). Using newspapers to teach critical reading and thinking. TESOL Matters,
June/ July, 9.
Winkler, A. C., & McCuen-Matherell, J.R. (2014). Writing talk: Paragraphs and short essays
with readings (5th ed.). London: Longman.

Internet Resources
Online Dictionaries
www.dictionary.com
www.m-w.com (Merriam Websters Online Dictionary)
www.onelook.com
www.wordreference.com
Internet Sites
http://blog.apastyle.org
www.bibme.org
www.easybig.com
www.eslcafe.com
www.grammarly.com
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
Novel
Students will select a novel of their choice to read. They must obtain their professors approval
before proceeding with this project. They will also be required to write four reader responses
on questions provided by the professor as well as make an oral presentation toward the end of
the semester.

Revision Committee:
Dr. Rosa Vallejo Reyes
Prof. Davieliz Villafae Coln

Revised: August 7, 2015

Model of a Tentative Class Schedule for INGL3201

Week

Topics
Introduction to the course, course requirements, and
evaluation criteria
Icebreaker activity
Introduction to the writing process
The topic sentence
Supporting sentences
Verbs and subjects
Prewriting practice
Unity and coherence
Description, narration, and examples
Subject-verb agreement
Assigned reading (focus on description)
Prewrite and draft description paragraph
Revising, proofreading, and formatting
Narration
Verb shifts
Assigned reading (focus on description and narration)
Revise description paragraph; prewrite and draft
narrative paragraph
Examples
Coordination and subordination
Assigned reading (focus on examples)
Revise narrative paragraph; prewrite and draft
example paragraph
Definition, classification, and process (focus on
definition)
Run-on sentences
Assigned reading (focus on definition)
Revise example paragraph; prewrite and draft
definition paragraph
Classification
Sentence fragments
Assigned reading (focus on classification)
Revise definition paragraph; prewrite and draft
classification paragraph
Process paragraph
Pronoun case
Pronoun agreement, reference, and point-of-view
Assigned reading (focus on process)
Revise classification paragraph; prewrite and draft
process paragraph

Hours
3

10

11

12

13

14

Comparison-contrast, cause-effect, and argument

paragraphs
Adjectives, adverbs, and articles
Parallel structure
Assigned reading (focus on comparison-contrast)
Revise process paragraph; prewrite and draft
comparison-contrast paragraph
Cause-effect paragraph
Misplaced and dangling modifiers
Assigned reading (focus on cause-effect)
Revise comparison-contrast paragraph; prewrite and
draft cause-effect paragraph
Argumentative paragraph
Capital letters
Assigned reading (focus on argumentation)
Revise cause-effect paragraph; prewrite and draft
argumentative paragraph
Writing an short composition
Commonly confused words
Word choice
Assigned reading (focus on argumentation)
Revise argumentative paragraph; write thesis and
outline for an argumentative short composition
Revise thesis and outline for short composition
Commas
Other Punctuation
Assigned reading (focus on argumentation)
Draft short composition
Review revising, proofreading, and formatting
Apostrophes
Quotation marks
Revise final essay

This is only a model of a tentative schedule. Each professor will determine how the material
will be covered in class as long as the general and specific objectives of the course are met.
Oral presentations will also be included so that the students can improve their oral skills along
with their writing skills. Students will read a novel in order to make an oral/written
presentation near/at the end of the semester.