General English:

Intermediate Level
Writing
Instructor: Jonathan Huang
Welcome to Intermediate
English Writing!

I am so excited to start this learning journey with you. In this

class, we will explore three different forms of writing, as well
as read materials that further exposes us to how English is
used to communicate meaning.

Our class is designed for students who are ready to move on

from writing basic sentences to constructing whole
documents with an intended rhetorical purpose. This means
we will be building skills for communicating to a specific
audience, whether that is our loved ones, our colleagues, or
people on the internet. Emphasis is placed on developing
arguments, organizing and framing ideas, and strengthening
critical thinking.

Together, we will...

...learn fundamental forms of writing such as the poem, the

essay, and the letter.

...work with templates and multi-word expressions

(collocations) to gain fluency.

...and be instilled with an intuitive sense of English use and a

deep appreciation for the applying language.
Our goals for this class are to prepare students to think
creatively about their own academic writing, and to
encourage students to be empathetic interpreters of
information from, and about, other racial, cultural, and
socioeconomic groups.

Students will be able to make connections between texts and

the world around them, as well as understand how to write
effective texts, in order to participate more fully in their
realities as active citizens and discerning moral agents.
I only ask that you come and get
wet!

The classroom is a learning studio where we will learn only as

much as we invest... with that said, let's go over some
classroom expectations for our time together.
Classroom
Expectations

Attendance is critical to our

learning journey in this class.

We will gain reading, writing, and interpersonal skills by

showing up and engaging with our instructors and peers in
class. Situations may come up which are beyond our control
and which may interfere with our attendance. Please try to
notify the instructor as early as possible when you have a
conflict. You may use a total of 3 excused absences, after
which your grade will start to be impacted by further
absences.

1. We will promote a courteous learning environment by

exhibiting mutual respect and consideration of the
feelings, ideas, and contributions of others.

2. We will demonstrate respect for each other’s work by

recognizing strengths and improvements.

3. We will demonstrate respect for tools, equipment, and

supplies in the classroom.

4. We will practice consideration for others by maintaining

a clean and orderly learning environment.

5. We will recognize everyone’s opportunity to contribute

information in a relevant and meaningful manner by not
monopolizing discussions, interrupting, interjecting
irrelevant, illogical, or inappropriate questions or
comments.

6. Regarding food and beverages in the class, you can drink

any campus-approved beverage in a spill-resistant
container while foods will be limited to break time :)

7. Regarding personal electronic devices (cell phones,

laptops, etc.) please use them if they help you in your
work! It is important to stay engaged with the lesson and
with direct instruction when it occurs. However, if you
are off task, we will know :)

8. We will operate in accordance to the college student

code of conduct and basic standards of academic
honesty. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of
academic dishonesty are not acceptable in this
classroom. Violations of standards of academic honesty
will be reported to the school dean for appropriate
action.
A Word About
Plagiarism

“You must document all of your source material. If you take any
text from somebody else, you must make it clear the text is being
quoted and where the text comes from. You must also cite any
sources from which you obtain numbers, ideas, or other material.
If you have any questions about what does or does not constitute
plagiarism, ask! Plagiarism is a serious offense and will not be
treated lightly. Fortunately, it is also easy to avoid and if you are
the least bit careful about giving credit where credit is due you
should not run into any problems” (Sample Plagiarism Warnings
for Syllabi, Yale Center for Learning and Teaching).

Don’t do it! It’s not worth getting an F (zero on the

assignment) and losing your instructor’s trust.

If you need academic support...

Please come talk to me after class, and we can develop a plan

that will help you succeed in this course. If you have a
disability that impacts your learning, we have options to
maximize your ability to participate. I offer additional
supports including extra test taking time and extensions on
homework.
Please stop by my office hours for additional support! If you have specific concerns, feel free to email them to
me or find me after class to discuss your learning needs.
Unit 1: Poetry

In this unit...

We will engage in word play, use technology to enhance our

English intuition and fluency, and publish our work in class
and online. We will learn to use written English to express
ourselves meaningfully and poetically in

1. a self portrait

2. a mirror (of our environment)

3. a social commentary on a current issue

Unit 2: The Essay

In this unit...

we will learn to think critically about our writing,

develop arguments, and

independently craft a persuasive essay.

We will utilize our class reading materials as mentor texts to

guide our writing and peer review processes. During this unit,
much of our class time will be devoted to workshops of your
essays. This is a crucial step in our development as writers
and English users, so be sure to show up!
Unit 3: The Letter

In this unit...

we will discuss strategies for writing an effective and polite

letter, compose a professional or personal letter (your choice!)
and send our letters to our intended recipients (extra credit!)

Letter writing is one of the oldest ways people used to

communicate in English, and it is still relevant today in the
way we write our emails or in how we ask for things from
other people. By learning to write letters, we can build our
fluency in communicating with other people, which will
continue to help you when you finish this course.
Assignments &
Grading

In this class, grades are assigned partially by contract grading.

This means that we receive points for turning work when it's
due. Grades for more complex assignments such as Essay 1 or
2 are based on the rubrics provided with each assignment.

Below, please see how our grades will be weighted in this

course.

Workshops (30%)

Writing Project Unit 1 (15%)

Writing Project Unit 2 (15%)

Writing Project Unit 3 (15%)

Homework (15%)

Quizzes (10%)

workshops (30% total)

As we will be work-shopping written pieces extensively in our

class, it is important to show up to class well prepared. By
arriving on time and bringing in the required drafts to
workshop, we will receive full marks on this portion of our
grade.
writing projects (15% each unit)

The final drafts of your writing projects will be reviewed

alongside a rubric given for each assignment. In this course,
we will be writing two poems, one essay, and two letters.
Each of these will be assigned after we have finished learning
about the mediums in which these forms of communication
were written.

homework (15%)

The homework grade is determined by own ability to turn in

completed homework on time. Homework will include
assigned reading and annotating texts, or coming to class
prepared for an activity.

quizzes (10%)

The quiz grades are a cumulative score on all the quizzes we

will cover in our class. These quizzes may occur weekly, or
every other week, as quick checks for understanding.
If you have any other questions,
please let me know!

I look forward to having you all

in our class!

Credits:

Created with images by kaboompics - "pencils writing write" • Kelly Sikkema - "untitled image" •
Osama Saeed - "untitled image" • rawpixel - "people hands achievement" • Sandrachile . -

"untitled image" • PNG Design - "untitled image" • Josh Calabrese - "untitled image" • Mathyas

Kurmann - "untitled image" • Ben Mullins - "untitled image"

Course: Intermediate Writing Course  
Session Length: 120 mins each 
Instructor: Jonathan Huang 
 
Unit 1: Poetic Expression 
Week 1 
Session #1  
Topic(s):  Readings/materials:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Introduction to Poetry  www.piclits.com   
 
Session #2 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Poetry as a Portrait  1. “I Am” Poem Template   
  http://www.readwritethink.org
/files/resources/lesson_images
/lesson391/I-am-poem.pdf 
 
Week 2 
Session #3 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Poetry as a Mirror  1. “I look at the world” by  1. “I Am” Poems Due 
Langston Hughes 
https://www.poetryfoundation.
org/poetrymagazine/poems/52
005/i-look-at-the-world 
2. “They Say I Say” poem 
http://www.edu.pe.ca/vrcs/re
sources/poetry/text/poems/wh
at's%20fair/theysay.html 
Session #4 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Poetry as Social Commentary  1. “Ghazal, after Ferguson” by   
Yusef Komunyakaa 
https://www.poetryfoundation.
org/poems/58753/ghazal-after-
ferguson 
2. “The iAm Video Project” 
https://spark.adobe.com/video
/jWkotZtfRP8Ll?red=a 
 
Week3 
Session #5 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Publishing Poems    1. “They Say, I Say” Poems Due 
 
Session #6 
 Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Publishing Poems     
 
 
Course Unit 2: The Essay Form 
Week 4 
Session #7 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Writing a 5 Paragraph Essay  1. A sample essay about climate   
change. 
Session #8 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Introduction and Thesis  1. Grammar sheets on commas.  1. Completed brainstorm 
2. Sample essay.  handout about essay topics. 
 
Week 5 
Session #9 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Body Paragraph  1. Grammar sheets on run-on  1. Introductory Paragraph and 
sentences.  Thesis Statement (Page 1) Due. 
2. Sample essay. 
Session #10 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Body Paragraph (cont.’d)  1. Sample essay.   
 
Week 6 
Session #11 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Conclusion  1. Grammar sheets on  1. 2-3 Body Paragraphs Due. 
semicolons and complete 
sentences. 
2. Sample essay. 
Session #12 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Conclusion (cont.’d)  1. Sample essay.   
 
Week 7 
Session #13 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
The Revision Process  -Printed copies of student  1. Conclusion Paragraph Due. 
writing 
-Markers and whiteboard for 
“chalk talk” 
 Session #14 
Topic(s):  Readings/materials:   
In-class revision workshop  -Printed copies of student 
writing 
-Markers and whiteboard for 
“chalk talk” 

Course Unit 2: Writing Letters 

Week 8 
Session #15 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Writing Formal Emails: Basic  1. Email Basic Elements Doc.  Assignments Given/Due: 
Elements of an Email  https://docs.google.com/docu 1. Essay #1 Final Draft Due. 
ment/d/1cGgF6jnEmjjGPomKnB
h4aQcpIgXhgDrKni6Sx0OBpeY/e
dit?usp=sharing 
Session #16 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Writing Formal Emails: Common  1. Sample email messages and   
Phrases  letters. 
2. What are Mentor Texts? 
 
Week 9 
Session #17 
Topic(s):  Readings:  Assignments Given/Due: 
Adobe Spark Page and Blogging  1. Sample op-ed articles.  1. Formal Emails Assignment 
due in printed form. 
Session #18 
Topic(s):  Readings/Materials:  Assignments Given/Due: 
  Computers  1. Personal or Professional 
Pictures from home  Letter final draft due.