Giving Effective Oral Presentations

Today in class we will discuss how to give an effective oral presentation and a brief run-down on how to use a Powerpoint presentation to enhance (and not detract!) from the speech you give in front of the class.

PPT #1: Egypt

PPT #2: El Niño

PPT #3: Movie Censorship

The final powerpoint contains a few tips on how to create an effective PPT

PPT Made Easy!

TED Presentations

Example TED Talk: Richard St. John's 8 Secrets of Success

The Debate and Housekeeping

I hope everyone is ready and excited for our debate today. I have no doubt that it will be both lively and informative. I'd like to say ahead of time how much I appreciate all your effort and hard work!

And now for some housekeeping details. Below you will find the due dates for the rest of the semester. Pay close attention to these dates and let me know if you have any questions. We are now in the final stretch of the semester... a few more weeks of hard work and it'll be Winter Break!

End of the Semester Due Dates:

-First Draft of Argumentative Essay: Monday, November 26th, Noon

-Conferences: Thursday, November 29th (in-class and office hours) (mandatory)

-Presentation Materials: Powerpoints due on December 4th (in dropbox)

-Actual Presentations: December 4th, December 6th and December 11th 

-Final Draft of Argumentative Essay: Tuesday, December 11th (3:30pm) - No late assignments will be accepted!

Debate Preparation

On Thursday we will have our class debate on whether or not the death penalty should be considered an ethical option for the punishment of criminals. While the actual debate is Thursday, I hope you all had a chance to read the assigned readings as you will have a few minutes at the end of class today to get into your groups and plan which member of your teams will cover which part of your debate presentation. Today we will be talking about the parts of a debate, the procedure we will use in our debate on Thursday as well as the characteristics of good public speech (talking in front of people).

The Great Debate (PowerPoint)

Order of the Debate

Debate Team Preparation

Debate: Rubric

Debate Preparation

Hello everybody! I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weekend weather. I can't remember the last time it was this warm and sunny during November. I'm sure you were all in the library or online looking up sources for your argumentative essay but I hope you got out and enjoyed a little bit of the sunshine and warm weather!

On Tuesday we will be discussing the characteristics of a good debate. Remember our topic: Is capital punishment (the death penalty) an ethical way to punish criminals? You have already been divided into your teams and positions. Before class, I would like you all to do some light reading so that you came prepared to talk about the subject.

I would like everyone to read this famous article about the death penalty written by a former mayor of New York City, Edward Koch. It's a good overview of the topic.

Death and Justice

Next, I would like you to review the list of pros and cons from the following website. Be sure to know and understand the arguments for your side of the debate and also familiarize yourself with the arguments of the opposing side so that you can make counterarguments and refutations. 

The Death Penalty: Pros and Cons

Finally, please review the issues listed in this link. It deals specifically with the morality of capital punishment, which is the actual question we will be debating. Again, make sure you know and understand the arguments for your side as well as the opposing argument. Judges: It is important you understand both sides of this argument very well. After all, you will be deciding the winner! 

Is the death penalty immoral?

Please come to class prepared to talk about these issues. Remember, the debate will not take place until Thursday, but we are going to talk about debate procedures and strategies in class on Tuesday, so it's necessary that you come prepared with a working knowledge of the topic. As always, please let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Using Opposing Arguments to Make Your Essay Stronger

Today in class we will be reviewing the necessary components of a strong argumentative essay and learning one last strategy on how to strengthen your overall argument, that of using including opposing arguments directly into your essay and refuting them (or showing how they are incorrect, not logical or not as strong of a concern as your own supporting points).

Argumentative Essay: Opposing Arguments and Refutation

Types of Evidence

Patterns of Argumentation

Argumentative Essay, Example #1

Argumentative Essay, Example #2

Evaluating Your Sources

As one of the requirements for our next essay is to have five sources, we are going to spend our class time today learning how to evaluate our sources. This will involve learning about the CRAAP strategy (a funny name, I know) as well as finding some good places to start looking up sources and doing some research in class based on the CRAAP criteria. The following links will be used in class today.

UIUC Main Library Page

UIUC List of Libraries 

CQ Researcher 

CRAAP Power Point 

Evaluating Sources of Information 

For the final part of today's class we are going to be practicing finding a possible source for our debate next Thursday. The debatable idea I would like you to find a credible source of support for is: Capital Punishment is not an ethical way to punish criminals. Using the CRAAP criteria, you will fill out the handout with a partner in class. The handout is worth 20 points. This is your time to show me that you understand what constitutes a good, credible source and that you know how to critically evaluate the sources you will be reviewing.

New Powerpoints

I hope you've all had a restful weekend. Here are the last two power point presentations that we have used and consulted with in our class discussions on argumentative writing. I think you may find some of the information helpful as you research and begin to write your final essays.

Argumentative Writing 

How To Use Logic to Strengthen Your Argument 

Argumentative Essay

We have now begun the process of writing our argumentative essay. I know you are all excited and ready to start researching. Speaking of researching, here is a look at what's up next in ESL 500.

First, due in class tomorrow are your final debatable topics and your working thesis statements. Then, next Thursday, November 15th, I would like you to submit a bibliography with the five sources you will be using to write your argument. Next, you will be submitting a draft of your essay no later than Tuesday, November 27th, so that I can check it over and let you know what changes need to be made (if any).

And we have our debate coming up next week (more about that in class this week). As you can tell, we have a very busy schedule coming up, so it's important you pay attention to due dates and work ahead.

Here's our upcoming schedule one more time:

-Debatable Topics/Thesis Statements (Due before class on Nov. 6th, 2012)

 -Bibliographic listing of all 5 sources (Due by 12:00 pm on Thursday, Nov. 15th, 2012)

-Debate: Thursday, Nov. 15th (in class)

-Complete First Draft of Argumentative Essay (Due by 12:00 pm, Tuesday, November 27th)

 

Here are some of the basic guidelines for writing your source-based, argumentative essays:

• You should use at least 5 sources in your essay. This means that you have to do extensive research on your topic. We will spend some class time to decide on your topics for the argumentative essays, but please begin to think now about what you would like to write about. You may change your topic but before doing this, please discuss your new topic with me. I suggest that you choose a topic that relates directly to your current course work in your major field, but with a few constraints:
• You will be writing for a general, educated audience, not for professional peers.
• You may NOT revise a paper you have already written. It is vital that you go through the entire writing process in this class in order to practice what you are learning.
• You may NOT use a paper that you are writing for another class (see Student Code, §I-402(a))
• All papers should be double spaced, appropriate font, with 1 inch margins.
• Grammar issues should be resolved before handing in any final draft.
• Proper citation throughout the paper is required along with a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper. Any paper failing to properly cite will be considered plagiarized.

 And from there, we have oral presentations and the final draft of your argumentative essays due in December (we will talk about the final dates closer to when they are due).

So there is a lot to stay up-to-date on! Please make sure to check the course website often for updates and don't forget, if you've got questions, please ask! Send me an email or stop by my office hours for a chat. No matter what your question(s) and/or doubt(s) may be, we can work together to figure it out!

Source Synthesis Final Draft

Don't forget that your final draft of the Source Synthesis Essay is due this Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 5:00 pm :) Please upload it to your Dropbox account. Don't forget to include your bibliography as the last page. Remember, this is your final draft, so I will be grading it with extensive commentary. If you are unhappy with your final grade, you will have the option of rewriting your essay by making the appropriate suggested changes. Please email me if you have any questions.

Don't Be Like The Bear!

 

Synthesizing Summaries

We've now finished reading the three articles about how television affects us and our culture. Our next task is learning how to combine our summaries in such a way as to produce a new piece of work that takes the best from each individual article summary and integrates it all into a single passage.

The source synthesis chart will act like your outline for this essay. It will allow you to graphically organize your three articles based on three points of comparison that you will choose. Points of comparison/contrast can include: TV and it's influence on child development or TV and it's influence on human pyschology.

The source synthesis powerpoint will give you a good idea on how to combine the three articles into a cogent essay on the topic of television. The idea is not to take sides. What we are striving for in this essay is the ability to compare and contrast or evaluate the idea of how television influences our culture based on the information in each of the three articles.

The example essay is a great resource. Read it over and see how you can pattern your own essay after it. Pay special attention to the thesis statement and topic sentences, as well as the introduction and conclusion.

Finally, I upload a document on language for comparing and contrasting. It shouldn't require any explanation. 

Summary Synthesis Template

Source Synthesis Powerpoint
Example Essay 
Language for Comparing and Contrasting

Presentation on Neutral Language

A concise guide to presenting your summary the way it should be, that is, without bias and as objectively as possible!

Objective vs. Subjective 
Reporting Verbs

Reflective Essay #2: In Class Reflection

It's now time for us to do our second reflective essay of the semester. The first one had to deal with with your personal writing style and how your culture possibly influences the way you write. This essay will deal with plagiarism and how we can incorporate outside sources into to our writing, to make it more succinct, stronger or more credible, while also giving proper credit to the original author(s). Please answer the following prompt in at least 300 words. 

We have spent a good amount of time discussing plagiarism in class. What is plagiarism? Why is it important to avoid it? How can you avoid plagiarism? Explain the difference between quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing. What is the difference between quoting and citing? Do you think that learning about plagiarism and how to avoid it was useful? Why or why not? What are the plagiarism policies in your home country? Are they similar or different from the ones you have learned in this class? Is there anything about plagiarism that you would like to discuss more in class? What? Write at least 300 words. If you use any sources to answer any of these questions, give them proper credit. 

When you are finished, please hand in your responses. I will take a look at them over the weekend.

Summary Writing Practice

Here is a very informative power point presentation created by two ESL 500 teachers, Betsy Devine and Kristen Michaelson, on how to correctly write a summary.

The Joys of Summary Writing

New Powerpoints!

The links below will take you to the power point presentations we've been referring to in class. Covered in the first presentation are the topics: plagiarism, quotation, paraphrasing and summary writing. Please consider using this to inform any questions you may have while working on the Source Synthesis Paper. The second short power point has some basic information on APA-style citation and referencing. As always, get in touch with me should you have any questions.

Plagiarism, Quotations, Paraphrasing and Summary
APA Citation + Referencing 

Source-Synthesis Paper

For our next major assignment, you will summarize three short articles about different aspects of the ongoing debate about the (lack of) virtues associated with the culture of TV here in the United States and then synthesize them into an effective summary that compares and contrasts both sides of the debate. Below you will find a link to the assignment information. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS DOCUMENT. There will be multiple due dates and it is your responsibility to know when each component is due. We will go over the assignment in class today but after that, you should refer to the document for further questions.

Source Synthesis Paper Information

The first summary is due by 3:00 pm, Tuesday, October 9th, 2012. Your assignment is to summarize the following article. As always, please email me with any questions (or come visit me during my office hours, Tuesdays and Thursday from 12-1 pm in 2022 FLB.

Article #1: Television Addiction
Article #2: TV is a Positive Influence on Child Development
Article #3: TV Turning Young Girls into Fame Monsters  (Listen to the story here)

Informal Early Feedback Form

Below you will find a link to a short survey about how the class is going so far. Please take a few minutes and answer the questions. They will help me make our future classes even more efficient by tailoring them to your needs. Thanks!

Informal Early Feedback Form

APA Formatting Worksheet

We will be talking about the APA guidelines for source citations on Thursday of this week. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the topic by filling out the worksheet (first link below) using the information found on Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) website (second link). The OWL webpage is a great resource for information on the all the aspects of writing effectively in English. The homepage is listed to the right under the header "Helpful Websites". Please email me or leave a comment on the course website if you have any questions or concerns, but don't worry if you can't find all of the answers or there is something you are unsure about; this is just an introduction to the topic. We will cover everything in detail in class on Thursday.

APA Worksheet

Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style

Powerpoints on the Writing Process

Here are a couple of the power point presentations that I used in class to talk about the writing process. There is everything from outlining to introductions and conclusions, body paragraphs, topics sentences and unity and coherence. Hopefully these will not only provide you with a useful reminder of the steps involved in producing a quality piece of writing in English but help you to organize your in class notes and exercises. As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments.

The Writing Process (Days 4-7) 

Unity and Coherence in Your Essay (Betsy Devine, ESL 500) 

You'll also notice that I've started to put up some of the other documents we've consulted in class over the course of the last month under the "Class Links" heading to the right. Hopefully they're helpful!

Diagnostic Revision Assignment

Our next assignment will be a revision of your diagnostic essay. This means you will have a chance to re-write your initial essay over the course of about a week. I am attaching a copy of the article and question used for the diagnostic on the second day of class.

While this is not the final draft of your essay, it will still count as a grade. I will be grading it with more extensive comments because by the time it is due, we will have covered all of the basics of essay structure for English academic writing. That means I will be looking for clear thesis statements, clear topic sentences that connect to the thesis, supporting details for your main body points and a conclusion that is able to restate the ideas presented in your first four paragraphs. The goal of this assignment is two-fold. First, it's a chance for you to make corrections to the structure and content of your original diagnostic essay. Second, it is an opportunity to demonstrate some of the techniques we've talked about in class and use them in your own writing.

I would also like each one of you to include a quote from the article used to talk about the prompt. Please try and include the proper citation for your quote but if you're not sure how to properly quote/cite in APA, don't worry too much!

Important! Please note that one of the requirements for this assignment is that it be properly formatted. That means that your essay should be 2-4 pages, double-spaced, in 12-pt font (preferably Times New Roman). Also, make sure that your margins at set at 1 inch. 

Finally, for five additional or "extra credit" points, you can submit an outline with your essay, following the format and examples we talked about in class.

So, to review, here is a checklist of the things I will be looking for in your diagnostic revision:

- a Title 

- An introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement

- Three main points in support of your thesis statement, each presented in a separate paragraph that includes a clear topic sentence as well as supporting evidence to back up the topic sentence.

- A conclusion (that restates the central point of your essay) 

- One quotation from the article (with citation)

- Proper formatting (following the guidelines given above)

Your essay will be due in Dropbox at 12:00 pm on Thursday, September 20th. Also, please print and bring a copy with you to class on the 20th as well. If you have any questions, please send me an email.

Diagnostic Article and Prompt 

What Our Language Habits Reveal

A really interesting Ted talk about how language unites us and how it's evolution allows us to view the evolution of the mind and of humanity in general from a new perspective.

Stephen Pinker on Lanugage and Thought

Reflective Assignment #1

We have talked about how writing styles are different (or the same) in different cultures and how one’s cultural identity comes through in your writing.  We have also talked about ways to come up with and develop ideas to write about. In at least 300 words, describe your own personal style of writing by answering the following questions:

 -What is your preferred style of writing?  Does this change depending on the assignment? (For instance, does your style change if you are writing a paper for a humanities class vs. writing in a science-related class? Do you ever do any personal writing? How would you describe that?).

-Were any of the cultural writing styles we discussed surprising to you?  If your own culture was mentioned, did you agree or disagree with what was said about that style?

-When you are ready to begin a paper, do you use any brainstorming techniques?  If so, what do you use?  If not, what do you do?  What is your method?

-After you brainstorm, what do you think is the logical next step? How do you organize your ideas before you begin the writing process? Why is organization important in formal academic writing?

Welcome to ESL 500 (Fall 2012)

WELCOME!

I just wanted to take a moment and welcome everyone to ESL 500: Oral and Written Communication. My name is John Kotnarowski and I will be your guide this semester as we take an in-depth look at what it takes to be an efficient and concise English communicator in an academic context. I look forward to meeting everyone and getting off to a great start to the semester. I also want to extend an open invitation to come visit me during my office hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-1pm in FLB 2022.

And I wanted to point out the links to our Class Schedule/Syllabus and Class Policy Handout to the right under the "Class Links" header. We've already reviewed the majority of this information but I want you all to have access to it throughout the semester.  Finally, check out the "Helpful Websites" links for writing tools and sites filled with interesting critical thought pieces. 

I hope this website is useful to everyone. Please do not hesitate to send me an email (jk.esl.uiuc@gmail.com) or comment directly on the blog should you find something you don't understand (or something that doesn't work!). I hope this semester is a great one for us all!