Week 14

We are nearing the end of our semester together. As you know, our final essay topic is an argumentative essay. What would be your thesis statement be if the topic was "grades do not measure intelligence or achievement"? In other words, for this week you only need to state your thesis statement in the blog. You can agree or disagree with this topic, but your thesis statement needs to be clear which side you support. See page 147 in the book if you need guidance.

week 13

I know I gave you a tough quote to paraphrase last week. This week is easier. Write a summary of a movie you have seen recently. You can assume that I haven't seen the movie which is probably true anyway. Also, don't look on any websites with reviews or summaries of the movie. Just use your own memory and summarizing skills. Add a final comment about whether you would recommend that I see it or not.

week 12

I enjoyed reading about your memorable vacations in the United States, your own country and abroad. This week we are practicing paraphrasing. This skill will help you to integrate facts and ideas from other sources into your own writing. Paraphrase the following quote from Tony Schwartz "Going Postal". "Email's intoxicating qualities are now well known: It's convenient, efficient, simple, and informal, and way to stay connected to more people, a democratizing force in the workplace and less intrusive than the telphone. But as email proliferates, its more pernicious effects are increasingly evident. Much as it facilitates the conduct of business, email is threatening to overrun people's lives."

Week 11

I hope everyone enjoyed the Halloween activities at SAL. The question this week comes from the end of our chapter on adverb clauses. In one paragraph, tell me about a memorable vacation, trip or adventure that you have had.

Week 10

It was great to read that you all feel that you are benefiting from the interactive nature of SAL's classes. I agree that the small class size is a critical piece of our program. That is one of the reasons I love teaching here! Since we are still working on comparing and contrasting a topic, please tell me about another aspect of your life here (outside of the classroom) and how it is similar or different from your life in your country.

Week 9 question

We are beginning a chapter on writing a compare and contrast essay. I would be interested to hear about how your classes at SAL are different from and/or the same as university classes in your country. You only need to write one paragraph, so you may only want to focus on one or two points. If you haven't attended university classes in your country yet, you can compare high school classes there with our SAL classes. If you are one of our new class members, I know you have only had 4 days of SAL classes. You can choose to talk about your orientation week at SAL as compared to your college orientation week in your country.

Week 8 question

Hi Class, I have found your posts so interesting and insightful! This week with midterms, we won't have a question to answer. However, check back next Monday for a new question.
Laura

Week 7 question

This week we are going to begin a unit on cause and effect essays. Can you think of one difference in the culture or the people here and in your country (excluding language). What do you think could be the cause of that difference? Explain your observations in one paragraph.

Week 6

I was pleased to read that you all feel you've made a good decision by choosing SAL. Your blogs expressed your thorough research and discussions with others before you made this big life-changing commitment to live and study abroad. For this week, I want to continue with a "process" question. How did you choose what career you want to pursue? If you haven't chosen your career or field of study yet, what steps do you plan to take to do so?

week 5 question

What interesting responses to the question about what you brought to the US. Most of you brought both practical and sentimental things for your journey and your stay here. This week, in preparation for writing a process essay, write a paragraph describing how you chose SAL for your studies in English.

Week 4 Question

I was trying to trick you all with the week 3 question by asking for only the advantages of an arranged marriage. I thought you would tell me advantages and disadvantages, but everyone stuck to the question. This week I would like to hear your response to the following question: When you left your home and families and came to study at SAL, in addition to clothing and personal care items, what one or two additional things did you bring with you and why?

Week 3 Question

Hi E3WC class,
You all had a lot to say about your birth order! It was very interesting reading for me. I'll talk more about it more in class. Here is the question for this week. Answer it in one paragraph. In some cultures, marriages are arranged by parents or other relatives or with the help of a matchmaker. What are the advantages of that system?

Week 2 Question

Glad to see everyone is online! Please respond to this question in one paragraph: Do you think your birth order (whether you are the youngest, oldest, or a middle child) has influenced your personality? Why or why not? Use examples to support your answer.

First Blog

Let me know that you are connected and ready for your first question. I'll post one question a week for you to respond to. Remember this is an academic writing class so please consider your format, grammar and so on when you respond. Laura