Welcome to Part 1 of the Preparing for College Writing Series! This beginner-friendly course is designed for students who are new to academic writing and want to build a strong foundation. Over 8 weeks, with classes held once a week for one hour, students will learn essential beginner skills for college-level writing.

Course Structure:
Duration: 8 weeks, 1 classes per week, 1 hour per class
Focus: Critical and academic writing skills 
Grading: Based on three in-class writing Assignments

Teaching Style: 
The teaching style is hands-on and interactive, with lots of group activities to make learning more engaging. These activities help students see different viewpoints and improve their critical thinking and argument skills. To keep things interesting and avoid monotony, there are quick interactive breaks every 10 minutes to keep students focused and involved. Plus, in-class reading activities are included to help manage homework load and make learning more manageable.

Course Content:
In this course, students will be introduced to essential academic writing skills with a focus on critical reading and writing strategies. We will be starting with "Reading rhetorically" to analyze texts and understand the author's intent, the context and his audience, etc. Students will then learn about "Annotation Techniques" to critically engage with texts, making notes that facilitate deeper understanding and analysis. Major emphasis is placed on effective "Summarization", teaching students how to condense complex texts into clear, concise summaries. Additionally, students will gain insight into "Plagiarism and Paraphrasing", learning how to avoid plagiarism and effectively paraphrase to uphold academic integrity. The course will also cover "Reflective writing", helping students explore and articulate their personal responses and emotional reactions to texts.  Finally, the course will teach students how to "respond to texts" by constructing well-supported arguments and counterarguments, enhancing their ability to engage critically with written material.

These skills are crucial for effective academic writing. Mastering rhetorical reading, annotation, summarization, and paraphrasing ensures that students can understand, condense, and ethically present complex ideas. As they advance to Part 2 and 3 of the series, these abilities will be essential for integrating and discussing sources in college-level research, helping them build strong, original arguments and avoid plagiarism.


Graded Assignments:
1) Summary Writing: Demonstrates the ability to summarize texts effectively.
2) Reflective Writing: Shows how well students can express personal insights and emotional responses to texts.
3) Response Writing: Assesses the ability to construct and support arguments with evidence.

For each activity, students will receive a format and checklist to guide their writing. Grades will reflect how well students follow these guidelines and the depth of their critical engagement with the texts. Emphasis will be placed on writing critically and academically, rather than focusing on grammatical accuracy or stylistic finesse. The goal is to help students navigate and understand complex texts while developing strong academic writing skills.