Welcome back, everyone, to the first of our last two classes in 2010.

Important announcement: the makeup class scheduled for Wednesday Jan. 13th has been cancelled. Instead, there will be class as usual on Friday, Jan. 15th.

Here is the lesson plan for today:

1. I return the remaining #2 reports.
2. Review of the criteria I use to evaluate your writing
   1. conventions of writing: sentence and paragraph structure, punctuation, etc.
   2. Vocabulary: rich, precise, correctly used.
   3. Grammar: basic and advanced structures, word order
   4. Organization: logically organized, correct use of paragraphs
   5. Originality: have you used your own words? Do you have interesting ideas or approaches?
   6. Academic writing:
      1. formal register:
         1. avoid “I”; your writing should be impersonal and objective;
         2. avoid contractions like “don’t”;
         3. be precise in your use of words
      2. citations (“according to ….”, (Krashen, 2003), etc.
      3. references / bibliography, including websites and the date visited
      4. opposing arguments (both sides of an issue)
      5. logical thinking
3. What does “discuss” mean?  Discuss - requires an answer that explains an item or concept, and then gives details about it with supportive information, examples, points for and against, and explanations for the facts put forward. It is important to give both sides of an argument and come to a conclusion.
4. Topics for January, and details of the final exam.
5. Australia quiz. Who or what are these (answer in 1 or 2 sentences):
   1. Alice Springs
   2. the Great Barrier Reef
   3. Canberra
   4. Stolen generation
   5. White Australia policy
   6. Pavlova
   7. vegemite
   8. Lamingtons
   9. RFDS
   10. Uluru
   11. Broome
   12. Bush tucker
   13. didgeridoo
   14. APEC
   15. What does Australia export apart from beef?
   16. How many foreign students does Australia have?
   17. Where did the new settlers who came to Australia in 2001-2 come from?

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1. Review of basic rules of English writing:
   1. simple sentence 5 conditions: capital letter, subject, verb, period, space.
   2. complex sentences + common errors (fragments, run-ons, and comma splices)
   3. the nature of the paragraph – unity, grouping of sentences, topic sentence, major supports, transitions.
   4. the nature of the essay (according to Andy Gillett) –made up of several paragraphs; introduction, main body, conclusion; all written about one main topic; needs to have a clear purpose; “you should present ideas you have learned but in your own words, and say something for yourself about the subject; the ideas and people you refer to must be made explicit by a system of referencing.”  (c.f. Using English for Academic Purposes: A Guide for Students in Higher Education )
2. Discuss your answers to the questions on page 29
3. Discuss your questions and answers on page 31
4. Listen and read page 32 and answer the questions in the textbook.
5. Conduct a class survey, using the questions on page 29.

HOMEWORK:

1. Your Australian movie reports are due next week.
   1. Movie report: write a report about an Australian movie. The movie must be about Australia (not just filmed there).
      1. See a list of movies that students reported about in the spring semester here
      2. You will read your report aloud to the class (same as in the first semester).
      3. Your report should include some research about the movie, e.g. about the history or area of Australia which the movie is about, also critical reviews or interesting reviews by people on Amazon.
      4. Your report must show me (the instructor) that
         1. you have seen the movie (not just copied your friend’s notes)
         2. you have understood the key points of the movie
         3. you have thought about the movie (is it good? is it useful to learn about Australia?), i.e. you have an opinion about it
         4. you can express your opinion in English
         5. you can use the MLA style for references.
      5. Your report MUST INCLUDE the following information:
         1. movie title (in both English and Japanese)
         2. movie director’s name and the names of the main actors and actresses and the characters they play
         3. date the movie was made
         4. the company that made and distributed the movie
         5. a summary of the story (key points only)
      6. This information MUST BE WRITTEN USING MLA STYLE (see the handout from session #3)
      7. Your handout should include the title of the movie and other key information, and some brief notes and pictures that will make your presentation more interesting. (The information in the handout does not have to be in complete sentences.)
      8. The report is due Friday October 23rd.
2. Make a blog for your writing in this class, so you can share your thoughts and ideas with other students. Watch this video on how to create a blog in less than 5 minutes. (On the right side of this blog, you can see a list of blogs that my Interactive Writing I students made in the spring semester. Check them out!)
3. Read the slideshows about paragraph writing and summarising:
   1. slideshow #1
   2. slideshow #2
   3. slideshow #3