Teaching English Composition
Resources for Teachers and Students, by John Richard Stevens

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English Composition II
English Composition is undoubtedly the most foundational of courses with regard to developing writing skills in analytical and expository prose.

The main shift in approach that students are expected to make in English Composition is from book report style summaries to argumentative writings that include a thesis statement and focused body paragraphs that advance the thesis. English Composition II advances the same writing skills that are stressed in English Composition I, but with far more emphasis on the development of research skills, scholarly/academic prose, the successful negotiation of MLA Style Guidelines, and argumentative writings.

Demonstrating a progressive improvement in the above skills is critically important to having a successful semester in both English Composition I and English Composition II.


English Composition II Resources:

How to do Well in This Course:
How to do Well in This Course


Syllabi:
Monday/Wednesday Spring 2009 Course Syllabus

Tuesday/Thursday Spring 2009 Course Syllabus


 Final Exam Study Sheet

 Final Exam Study Sheet:


Individual Research Presentation Schedules
2:00 Class Individual Research Presentation Topics and Schedule
3:30 Class Individual Research Presentation Topics and Schedule
5:15 Class Individual Research Presentation Topics and Schedule


The Assignments:

Personal Response Essay
          Notes on Ecopolis Video
Research Proposal
Connections Essay
Annotated Bibliography
Bibliographic Analysis Essay Exam
Bibliographic Analysis Essay
Argumentative Research Essay
Individual Research Presentation
Reading Skills Portfolio
Personal Writing Papers
Academic Prose Papers
Discussion Questions/Observations


Policies on Extra Credit and Penalties:

Late Work Policies on Various Types of Assignments
How to Earn Extra Credit Bonus Points
Absences Policy


Lectures:

1) Opening Remarks
2) Read This Before Turning in Any Work
2a) How to Fix the Extra Spacing Between Paragraphs in MS Word 2007
3) Read This Before Documenting Any Sources
 4) TurnItIn.com Information
 5) About Grammar
 6) The Annotated Bibliography
 7) Names of Authors, Titles of Books, Scholarly Articles and Miscellaneous Items
8 How and When to Use Block Quotes
9) How to Handle Page Numbers in Documentation
10) Formatting Web Addresses in a Citation Made Easy
11) How to Create a Document Header
12) Making the Formatting of Citations Easier
13) The Research Proposal
14) The Signal Phrase
15) The Research Process, Part One: Getting Started
16) The Research Process, Part Two: Doing Research
17) How to Structure and Organize Your Essays
18) Definition of a Thesis Statement


Handouts:

1) Examples of Common Works Cited Page Citations
2) Example of Page One of an Assignment
3) Peer Revision Worksheet
4) Annoted Bibliography Example Page
5) Example Works Cited Page
6) Timings Handout for Speed-Reading
7) How to Figure Out the Average Number of Words Per Line in Any Text
8) Example of a Note-Taking Grid
9) The 5 Paragraph Essay Format
10) Example Thesis Statements


English Composition II MLA Style Guidelines:

In-Text Citations: The Basics
In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style
Formatting Quotations
Works Cited Page: Basic Format
Works Cited Page: Books
Works Cited Page: Periodicals
Works Cited Page: Electronic Sources
Works Cited Page: Other Non-Print Sources
Abbreviations in MLA
Citing MLA Style (external link)
MLA Style (Diana Hacker)
OSU Library Style Guidelines on the WEB
Designed and Maintained by John Richard Stevens
Disclaimer: Although John Richard Stevens' academic affiliations are Oklahoma State University and  Northern Oklahoma College, englishdiscourse.org; .net, hold no such affiliation. The materials and contents herein do not necessarily represent the opinions of either academic institution. English Discourse is published independent of Oklahoma State University and Northern Oklahoma College.
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English Composition