OUTCOMES FOR WRITING 91-98

By the end of the quarter, students earning a 2.0 or above will be able to

1. Write 2-3 page essays that are focused, organized and supported.  Their essays should
   • Demonstrate a clearly identifiable topic and main idea.
   • Maintain focus and develop a main idea with adequate support in the form of relevant, specific details and examples.
   • Demonstrate an understanding of the paragraph as unit of thought; each paragraph develops a controlling idea with relevant details.
   • Demonstrate an understanding of the overall organizational structure of an essay.
   • Attempt to establish a connection between ideas/paragraphs in the essay.

2. Edit their writing successfully using the rules of grammar and punctuation of Standard Edited English.  “Successfully” does not mean that the writing must be grammatically perfect, but students should be able to edit for more serious error patterns (run-ons, fragments, awkward syntax, serious word choice and spelling problems, and seriously distracting punctuation problems).  Students may be still working on less serious errors like pronoun agreement, minor article errors, and punctuation issues (like commas and apostrophes).  Grammatically, their writing should
   • Clearly demonstrate an understanding of sentence boundaries.
   • Attempt a variety of effective sentence structures, using subordination and coordination among other strategies.
   • Demonstrate general understanding of verb usage and tense construction.
   • Demonstrate clear syntax (patterns of word order) and correct use of parts of speech; minor errors should not impede understanding.
   • Demonstrate good spelling, vocabulary choice, and idiom use; minor errors should not significantly interfere with meaning.

Critical Thinking/Reading Goals

3. Write paragraphs and essays that utilize a variety of thinking/writing skills toward specific purposes such as description, summary, narration, analysis, among others.
4. Respond critically and constructively to the essays of published writers and fellow students.
5. Summarize a piece of reading and respond to it in writing.
6. Successfully apply ideas and strategies from course readings in their own essays.
7. Work productively with other students in collaborative groups to discuss readings and review each other’s papers.
8. Define and avoid plagiarism by distinguishing their own words from those of sources.

Revision Goals

9. Successfully revise their rough drafts with an understanding of focus, organization and support.
10. Use the word processor on the computer to effectively revise and edit essays and paragraphs.

Self-Assessment Goals

11. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as writers and determine their goals and needs.
12. Identify the key error patterns they have as writers.