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ESL Guide

Writing

Why People Hate Writing (12 mins)
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Sarah Moore talks about common advice about writing that is helpful to most people who are learning to write. She says, “You need to give yourself permission to write badly before you write well.”
Writing for Your Audience (8.5 mins)
How to Engage Readers by Picking and Developing an Appeal (7 mins)
Author’s Purpose and Models of Writing (4 mins)

Sentence Clarity

Paragraphs

Writing Structured Paragraphs (29 mins)
Parts of a Paragraph (5 mins)
How to Structure Paragraphs in an Essay (7 mins)
Paragraph Structure (10 mins)
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Topic sentence, transition signals (First of all, Therefore, For example, Another) details, and conclusion, all explained through analysis of a written paragraph.
How to Write an Introduction Paragraph for Your Essay (4 mins)
Intros, Conclusions and Formal Writing (8 mins)
Unity and Coherence in Academic Writing (3 ½ mins)
Main Idea, Thesis Statement & Topic Sentences (4 ½ mins)
Main Idea and Supporting Details (3 mins)

Transitions

Writing to Inform: Informative Writing

Informative Writing (7 mins)

Essays, Arguments and Other Kinds of Persuasive Writing

Argumentative Essay

Logos, Ethos and Pathos: 3 ways to Appeal to an Audience in Essays (6 mins)

Summaries

Writing for Tests (Writing and Reading)

Catalyst Writing and Reading (3 mins)
Write a Response Using Evidence from the Text (4 ½ mins)
Find the Main Idea of a Section of Nonfiction Text (3.5 mins)
Find the Main Idea of a Nonfiction Article, Lesson 5 of 7 (under 5 mins)
English Writing: Paraphrasing (8 ½ mins)
Lists to Sentences (14 mins)
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Start with a list of words or phrases, organize them in a logical order, write sentences, and use transition words to develop organized writing, a story for example.

Other Kinds of Writing

Reflection on Reading (5 mins)

Style

Bigger isn’t always better (2 mins)- (i.e. , paraphrasing Strunk and White’s Elements of Style: don’t use a big word when a smaller word would do)
How Word Choice and Language Sets to Tone of Your Essay (5 mins)
How to Write with Good Diction to Develop Style, Tone & Point-of-View (7 mins)
The Elements of Style (2 ½ mins)
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An entertaining (if outrageous) rap video on Strunk and White’s advice on writing style.
Using Rhetorical Skills to Write Better Essays (5 mins)
Six Traits of Word Choice (10 ½ mins)

Grammar and Usage

Punctuation

Punctuation: Using Colons, Semicolons & Periods (6 mins)

Editing and Proofreading

Evaluating Sources & Avoiding Plagiarism

"All About Plagiarism" Tutorial (Interactive Quiz)
(C) University of Texas at Austin
"Can You Make it Down the Hill Without Plagiarizing?" (Interactive Quiz)
(C) Empire State College, Owens Library Northwest
"What is Plagiarism?" Real Life Examples & "The Cite Is Right" Quiz
(C) Rutgers University Paul Robeson Library
"You quote it, you note it!" (Interactive Quiz)
(C) Vaughn Memorial Library, Acadia University
Evaluating Websites (2 mins)
Created by Diane Mizrachi, reference/instruction librarian in the UCLA College Library. These videos were designed by Jeff Warden.
Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity (Interactive Game)
(C) Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Northern Illinois University
Plagiarism "Rags to Riches" (Interactive Game)
Linwood Middle School
Plagiarism Game (Interactive)
From Lycoming College, Snowden Library
The GAP Project: Gaming Against Plagiarism (Video, 1:30)
(C) University of Florida Marston Science Librarians and the UF Digital Worlds Institute
What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It - A Guide for ESL Learners
(C) English Club
What is Plagiarism?
By Plagiarism.org

Citing Your Sources (MLA or APA)

Cite Your Sources: APA In-Text
Your APA Essay--How to Use Research Sources
APA Manual
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From JWU Libraries, Providence
MLA Manual
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From JWU Libraries, Providence.
Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide