Welcome to Writing 4!

The goal of this course is to improve your writing in English, but NOT ONLY for Academic purposes. We will learn skills that can be applied to academic contexts (summaries, reported speech, compare/contrast, etc). However, we will also practice writing emails, poetry, film reviews, letters, and other fun topics.

A very important part of writing is the drafting process. Every week you will receive a new topic (posted here) and will work on your essay all week. On Friday, you will publish your final draft to your personal blog. At the end of the quarter, you will choose your four (4) best pieces of work and revise them again for your personal writing portfolio.

This course is about improving the fluidity of your writing and your comfort working in English. Throughout this class you will read short texts in English and comment on them. You will participate in an online class forum to discuss technical issues and make comments about American culture. You will watch short films on the internet, and you will review a full-length feature film.

Internet Links

Internet Resources for English study:


BBC World Service – Learning English
This site has grammar and vocabulary information, and quizzes as well:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml

BBC Website
Here you can look for world news, business news, sports, etc. You can both watch videos and listen to radio programmes:
www.bbc.com

CBS Television Website
This is a TV station that has a lot of drama (movies, etc.):
www.cbs.com

CNN Literacy Site
This site has stories presented in full format, abridged (easier) or outline. It also has vocabulary and grammar exercises, in a multiple choice format.
http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/

Dave's ESL Cafe
A website full of excercises for self-study and extra practice, including grammar, slang, idioms, etc.
www.eslcafe.com/

ELLLO
ELLLO is a free online listening resource with a bunch of listening activities, including images, interactive quizzes, transcripts and downloadable MP3s.
http://www.elllo.org/english/

NBC Television Website
This TV website also has drama, sitcoms, etc.
www.nbc.com

PBS Television Website
This is the USA Public Television website. Check out PBS Teacher Source for learners’ activities:
www.pbs.org


RADIO

KUOW Seattle Radio Station Website
This is the main public radio station in Seattle, which streams live over the web (which means you can listen to the radio programs on your computer, not just on the radio):
www.kuow.org

KBCS Bellevue Radio Station Website
This is the main east-side (Bellevue) radio station, streaming live:
www.kbcs.fm

Air America Radio Website
This is a talk radio website, mostly about US political issues, which also streams live:
www.airamericaradio.com