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English Composition 1

Writing Resources

The resources linked below are designed for students in the course and should be especially useful as you are working on writing assignments.

The Writing Process

1. Prewriting
2. Drafting
3. Revising
4. Proofreading
5. The Final Draft

Guidelines for All Essays

1. The Proper Format for Essays
2. Template for Essays
3. Inserting Headers into Essays
4. Expectations for All Essays
5. IVCC's Grading Standards for Student Essays
6. Evaluation and Grading Criteria for Essays
7. Saving Files in Rich Text Format
8. Getting Started on Essays

Sample Essays and Checklists

1. Sample Student Essay on Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"
2. Sample Student Essay on Mansfield's "Miss Brill"
3. Sample Persuasive Essay with Sources
4. Revision Checklist
5. Checklist: Organization and the Support and Development of Ideas
6. Checklist: Style and Mechanics
7. Checklist: Using Online Sources

Thesis, Organization, the Support and Development of Ideas

1. Organizing and Developing Persuasive Paragraphs
2. Bad Paragraph / Good Paragraph: Effectively Developing a Persuasive Paragraph
3. Example of a Persuasive Paragraph
4. Organizing and Developing a Persuasive Essay
5. Developing Effective Arguments with Claims, Evidence, and Warrants
6. Creating an Outline for an Essay
7. Introductions
8. The Thesis Statement
9. Checklist: Organization and the Support and Development of Ideas

Punctuation, Grammar, Word Choice

1. Identifying and Eliminating Common Errors in Writing
2. Commas
3. Four Comma Rules
4. Semicolons
5. Integrating Quotations into Sentences
6. Using Quotations Properly
7. Checklist: Style and Mechanics

Style

1. "Words, Words, Words"
2. Using Specific and Concrete Diction
3. Formal Writing Voice
4. Sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex
5. Revising Sentences for Conciseness
6. Integrating Quotations into Sentences
7. Transitional Words and Phrases
8. The Readability Level of Your Writing
9. Checklist: Style and Mechanics

Writing with Sources

1. Using Sources Effectively
2. Citing Sources
3. Citing and Documenting Online Sources
4. Documenting Sources from Online Subscription Databases
5. Sample Works Cited Page for Online Sources
6. Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
7. Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism
8. Checklist: Using Online Sources
9. Paragraph with Sources on Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain"
10. Preparing the Works Cited Page for Essay 3
11. Sample Persuasive Essay with Sources

Evaluation of Essays

1. IVCC's Grading Standards for Student Essays
2. Expectations for All Essays
3. Evaluation and Grading Criteria for Essays
4. Rubric for Essays