Enhancing Your English Course: Steps Toward Better Writing - Standard (Part 1)

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For many people in the workplace, and many students involved in TAFE and university studies, success depends on achieving a satisfactory standard in writing. This increases skills in basic writing and it services people in a wide range of occupations as well as students involved in tertiary preparation, TAFE and tertiary education. It begins with revision of practical grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling and progresses to more complicated sentences, paragraphs and vocabulary enrichment for different kinds of writing, including workplace communication. It also functions as a reading and discussion group about selected texts, chosen mainly from current newspapers and magazines, in order to extend writing through reading. There is a main focus on intensive written practice with weekly written exercises, including detailed feedback and discussion. It works to improve communication skills through an interactive combination of grammar and sentence study, writing and reading.

Outcomes

• Enhance skills in writing basic formal format.
• Increase skills in sentence structure, paragraphs, punctuation and grammar.
• Increase skills in formal writing for a range of purposes including essays and formal work place communication.
• Increase skills in the development of their vocabulary.
• Gain skills for continued development of formal writing.

Content

• Introduction to spoken and written formats.
• Revision of practical grammar.
• Building writing with sentence structure and simple, compound and complex sentences.
• Punctuation and spelling.
• Paragraphs.
• Vocabulary enrichment.
• Formal writing for a range of communication including formal communication for the workplace and online text, and essays for secondary and tertiary courses.
• Individual written exercises with detailed reading and discussion by the presenter.
• Strategies for consolidation and development.

Intended Audience

Suitable for people with a basic competence who wish to increase their skills in standard writing. It is designed for people already engaged in the work place across a wide range of occupations, and for students in TAFE and tertiary studies. It is designed to be rewarding for both native speakers and people who come from another language. It is popular with EAL members of the multicultural Sydney professional workforce as well as native speakers who for one reason or another missed out on grammar and writing skills in their earlier studies and now need to reach a higher standard for work or further education.

Delivery Style

Delivered as lectures combined with interactive learning, including a reader with exercises and use of the web.

Materials

Includes a substantial course reader with exercises, available at the first meeting.

Recommended Reading

The following texts might be useful as preparation but they are not essential:

Woods,Geraldine (2010), Grammar Essentials for Dummies, Wiley Publishing.