Introduction to the course.

1. Writing II – An Introduction
Dr. Ron Martinez
Universidade Federal do Paraná

2. Today’s agenda
• Get to know each other
• Get to know the course
• Talk about features of quality writing
• Examine real cases

3. Discuss: What makes good writing?
• Perfect grammar?
• Sophisticated vocabulary?
• “Style”?
• Other?

4. What do you need for this course?
• Access to the internet
• Vocabulary notebook
• Perseverance!

5. How will you be evaluated?
• “Portfolio” assessment
• e-Portfolio
• Checklist of items comprising 50% of total
grade
• Midterm essay (15%)
• Final essay (30%)
• Participation (including, for example,
vocabulary notebook) (5%)

6. Vocabulary notebook
• Will be collected from time to time, and will
be checked regularly for updating
• If you do not have one of your own, I can
supply one for you

7. Oral article summaries
• Main purpose: vocabulary development
• Why “oral”?
• Usually short (about 5 minutes)
• Usually once a week
• Often tied to a common theme

8. e-Portfolio
• Regular (usually) short writings, posted on
your individual student blogs
• Generally speaking, assignments will be due
weekly.

9. Over to you!
• Introduce yourselves
• Take online quiz

10. Rate the paragraph (1-10)

11. Homework for Friday
• Download worksheet online:
http://www.drronmartinez.com/writing-ii-
20161.).
• Give a score to the four paragraphs.
• Print and bring to class Friday.

12. Your turn
• Exchange emails with a classmate (preferably
one you did not know already before today’s
class)
• In an email to that person, write a paragraph
on the following topic: “Something I am proud
of”
• Copy me in the email:
drronmartinez@gmail.com

13. Example
Something I am proud of
There are many things I am proud of in life (and
probably just as many things I am not so proud of),
but one I am especially proud of is how I got to
become a professor of English. It all started when I
was in my early twenties, when I was working for my
father at his car repair business. At that time, I did
not know what career path I wanted to follow, but
certainly “teacher” was not among those in my short
list. However, one day…