Revised 12/2023

ESL 41 - Composition II (5 CR.)

Course Description

Provides further instruction and practice in the writing process, emphasizing writing short essays and introducing advanced language patterns. Includes practice in developing and improving writing strategies. Credits are not applicable toward graduation. Lecture 5 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

To give high-intermediate ESL students an opportunity to practice and refine writing skills in the context of the short essay with a focus on increasing fluency and accuracy, thus preparing students for a variety of academic courses. 

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

An English placement test recommendation for ESL Level 4 or successful completion of ESL 31.

Corequisite: ESL 42; corequisite is not required to be taken in the same semester

Course Objectives

Goal 1 - Students will be able to produce multi-paragraph essays.

Objectives

Given a topic, students will be able to:

  • generate ideas
  • focus on the topic
  • make a plan for the proposed essay in response to that topic
  • write a draft of the essay from the plan
  • revise the draft
  • edit the draft

Goal 2 - Students will be able to use advanced language patterns in their writing

Objectives

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

  • connect ideas through coordination, subordination, or embedding
  • use punctuation appropriate to each language pattern

Goal 3 - Students will be able to write with increasing accuracy and fluency.

Objectives

Given a topic, students will be able to:

  • use a variety of academic vocabulary to express complex ideas
  • write using clear sentences with appropriate sentence structure
  • use transitions between ideas appropriately
  • incorporate colloquial language in their writing

Major Topics to Be Included

  • prewriting strategies, such as brainstorming and planning
  • drafting
  • revising
  • editing
  • focusing, organizing, and developing ideas
  • discussing, analyzing and responding to written materials
  • advanced sentence structures
  • advanced clause structures, including adjective and adverb clauses (including conditionals)
  • coordination and subordination
  • verb tenses and forms (emphasis on passive voice)
  • parts of speech review, including nouns and adjectives