Revised 12/2023

ESL 31 - Composition I (5 CR.)

Course Description

Provides instruction and practice in the writing process, emphasizing development of fluency in writing, as well as competence in structural and grammatical patterns of written English. Credits are not applicable toward graduation. Lecture 5 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

To give intermediate ESL students an opportunity to practice and refine writing skills in the context of the paragraph and other longer pieces of writing with a focus on increasing fluency and accuracy. 

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

An English placement test recommendation for ESL Level 3 or successful completion of ESL 21.

Corequisites: ESL 32 and ESL 33; corequisites are not required to be taken in the same semester

Course Objectives

Goal 1 - Students will be able to write well-organized and developed paragraphs or longer pieces of writing.

Objectives

Given a topic, students will be able to:

  • generate ideas
  • focus on a main idea
  • organize and develop support
  • write a draft
  • revise the draft
  • edit the draft

Goal 2 - Students will be able to use simple, compound, and complex sentence patterns in their writing.

Objectives

After generating ideas about a topic, students will be able to:

  • construct simple sentences
  • construct compound and complex sentences
  • use punctuation appropriate to each sentence pattern

Goal 3 - Students will build fluency and accuracy in writing.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • use appropriate word forms in sentences
  • use vocabulary appropriate to the context
  • edit writing focusing on verb forms, including base form, infinitive, and gerund, verb tense, and agreement (subject/verb, singular/plural, and pronoun reference)

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Emphasis on composition skills to include
    • prewriting strategies, such as brainstorming and planning
    • drafting
    • revising
    • editing
    • focusing, organizing, and developing main idea sentences and concluding sentences
  • Grammar
    • basic parts of speech
    • verb forms, including basic modals (can, might, will, could, should, may), base forms, infinitives, and gerunds
    • basic verb tenses and forms (present, past, and future; simple and progressive) and auxiliaries
    • word order, including punctuation, use of articles, and passive voice
    • clause structures (including adverb clauses)