Essay Writing Basics - Five Paragraph Essays
This course was designed as part of the LDT200X course. For more details, read below!
Executive Summary
This course is designed for high-school students and first year university students who do not speak English as a primary language in order to prepare them to write essays at a university level in the standard five-paragraph structure. Most participants in this course have limited experience writing academic essays so this course serves as an introduction to academic life in the English language. The course will be offered in an online format in order to be accessible to the greatest number of students, regardless of localization.
By the end of the course, students should be able to write a five-paragraph academic essay that includes the introduction, three body paragraphs and conclusion. Activities include: flashcards, an ungraded quiz, and discussion boards. Assessments include: a quiz, two discussion boards, a peer-review task, and an essay submission. Content includes unique informational materials and additional online resources from external sources. The course progresses through 5 phases: Introduce the Elements of five-paragraph essays; Thesis Statements; Topic sentences; Essay Outline; Writing the Essay.
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​This course utilizes Andragogy because the course materials are aimed at learners in their late teens-early twenties attending or seeking to attend university, and as such they are intrinsically motivated. The course also utilizes scaffolding to ensure that the information is clear and easy to follow. In order to pass the course, the participants need to complete and submit all the activities and assessments no later than 11:55 pm (23:55) UTC.
Type of course
Essay Writing Basics is a How-to course designed to instruct English language learners in the step-by-step process of writing a standard five-paragraph essay at a university level in the English language.
Target Audience & Learner Profile
The learners in this course include high-school students preparing for university entrance exams and first-year university students. The course is designed primarily for English language learners, and secondarily as a study aid for students who speak English as a primary language. The students’ skills will range from zero knowledge to some knowledge depending on their prior educational experiences.
Learning Gap
Many prospective or current university students have little prior knowledge or experience in writing academic essays. This lack of knowledge is especially apparent among English language learners, many of whom have never needed to write an academic essay in the English language and some have never written an essay in their primary language. The format and structure of an academic essay is not commonly taught in high schools in non-English speaking countries; however, many students whose primary language is not English desire to study in English either in their home countries or abroad. Many universities that offer degrees in the English language require the students to write an entrance exam, and most university courses conducted in English require students to write an essay at some point. By offering the course online, the course can reach the greatest number of students in various locations around the world. Some students might live in a town or area that does not have English language tutoring or English classes to enroll in or the student might not be able to afford tutoring or classes with a private tutor or language school and this course will offer an affordable alternative. University professors, high-school teachers, and private tutors can also utilize the course in their own teaching or recommend the course to their students if they notice a need for improvement.
Terminal Learning Objective
By the end of the (course, lecture, exercise, etc.), the learner will be able to write a five-paragraph academic essay in the correct structure including introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs, thesis statement and topic sentences.
Course Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Identify different elements of five-paragraph essays
2. Write a thesis statement
3. Write effective topic sentences that relate back to the thesis statement
4. Outline a five-paragraph essay
5. Compose a five-paragraph essay of at least 750 words
Instructional Strategies
1. What activity will the participant complete to practice Learning Outcome 1?
Match elements of each paragraph with the paragraphs they belong in using digital flashcards.
2. What activity will the participant complete to practice Learning Outcome 2?
Compare different thesis statements and select which one in each set is the most effective (in ungraded quiz format).
3. What activity will the participant complete to practice Learning Outcome 3?
Arrange example topic sentences in logical order in keeping with an example thesis statement (using a flashcard or interactive webpage).
4. What activity will the participant complete to practice Learning Outcome 4?
Compare different outline structures in a discussion board with other participants.
5. What activity will the participant complete to practice Learning Outcome 5?
Participate in optional discussion board with other participants to give and receive feedback about the material previously learned in the course.
Assessment Strategies
1. Assessment for Course Learning Objective 1
The participant will take a quiz to assess their knowledge of the different elements of five-paragraph essays (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion, thesis statement, topic sentences).
2. Assessment for Course Learning Objective 2
The participant will write a thesis statement, post it in a discussion forum, and give constructive feedback to at least 2 other participants.
3. Assessment for Course Learning Objective 3
The participant will write 3 topic sentences, post them in a discussion forum, and give constructive feedback to at least 2 other participants.
4. Assessment for Course Learning Objective 4
The participant will create an outline according to course instructions and submit it for graded peer review and reviews 2 other participants.
Minimum Requirement: Creates outline that includes at least 2 subpoints for each paragraph utilizing one of the organizational structures recommended in the course, has a complete thesis statement and complete topic sentences and includes body paragraphs, introduction and conclusion AND submits peer-review for at least 2 other participants.
5. Assessment for Course Learning Objective 5
The participant will write a 750-word essay and submit it for review by the instructional team.
Minimum Requirement: Submits a 750-word essay in a structure matching the outline, maintaining a complete thesis statement, topic sentences, introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs
Course Sequencing
1. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides a wealth of information about the writing process, outlining, citations and grammar. This resource will be used to describe the basics of outlines and as a reference for additional information throughout the course https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/index.html
2. Indiana University Bloomington’s website offers writing guides for how to write thesis statements with additional information about the specific types of assignments the participants will eventually get during their university studies: https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement.html
3. Matrix Education offers various tutorials on high-school subjects in Australia including tips for essay writing and structure: https://www.matrix.edu.au/essay-writing-guide/overview/
Course Sequencing (Outline)
Write a brief outline for each section of content for your course. Your subsections should show how your content is chunked and sequenced.
Section 1: Introduce the Elements of five-paragraph essays:
1.A What is an Essay?
1.B What is an Introduction?
1.C What is a Conclusion?
1.D What are Body Paragraphs?
Section 2: Thesis Statements
2.A What is a thesis statement?
2.B What are elements of effective thesis statements?
2.C How to write a thesis statement when you don’t know what to write about.
2.D When to edit a thesis statement.
Section 3: Topic Sentences
3.A What are topic sentences?
3.B Why do we need topic sentences?
3.C How to connect topic sentences to the thesis statement.
3.D How topic sentences and the thesis statement form the framework of an essay.
Section 4: Essay Outline
4.A What is an outline?
4.B Why should you outline?
4.C Different types of outlines
Section 5: Writing the Essay
5.A How to use the outline to write your essay.
5.B Review – Body Paragraphs
5.C Review – Introductions
5.D Review – Conclusions
Learning Model
Which Learning Model are you using to develop your course? Why did you choose this model?
I chose Understanding by Design because the course begins with a very clear desired outcome and from there it was easier to work backwards from the desired outcome to Stage 2 of determining what assessments and evidence the students should complete and produce in order to prove mastery. After completing these steps, the instruction and learning experiences step was much easier and faster to complete because I only needed to answer the question of “how” this information would be taught. Reflection is conducted throughout.
Learning Theory
Which learning theory or theories are you using in your course? Why did you choose this theory or theories?
I am using adult learning theory (Andragogy) because my course is aimed at participants finishing high school or in university. Adult learners have a problem-centered focus to learning and are intrinsically motivated, and this course is aimed at a specific problem many adult English language learners attending university have (Pappas, 2013). In addition, I am utilizing scaffolding in order to construct a clear path for the participants to follow when progressing through the course and when writing essays in the future.
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Reference:
Pappas, C. (2021, May 12). The adult learning theory - andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning Industry. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles
Course Standards
What are your course standards?
Attendance Policy:
This course does not have a regular attendance requirement; HOWEVER, please be mindful of the deadlines for submission and the end date of the course. Because this is a self-paced course YOU decide how much you get out of it. IF you participate earlier and more frequently, you have a greater understanding of course content which will help you on the quizzes and personal submissions.
Communication:
Every Monday and Wednesday you will be sent a reminder on the group message board of the upcoming deadlines. If you wish to receive these via email, please contact our team.
The course instructors will respond to any message or email within 3 days, Monday-Friday. In the case of a high volume of inquiries or requests sent on a Saturday, please expect that a reply will be sent to you no later than the following Tuesday.
You can communicate with our team via message through the online system or via email at: EXAMPLE@EMAILADDRESS.COM.
Technical Support:
If you have technical questions about the elearning system please contact (EXAMPLE@EMAILADDRESS.COM) and we answer your questions as best we can.
You are responsible for your own electronic devices. We do not offer any technical assistance with your devices.
Course Requirements:
Activities – All activities are mandatory; however, there is no minimum grade requirement. These activities are there to optimize your understanding of the course material, so we recommend repeating an activity if your automated score is less than 65%.
Assignments – These are also mandatory AND there are minimum requirements for completion. Your work is pass/fail. In order to pass, you must include all the required elements of each assignment.
Module 1 Quiz: Three (3) attempts are allowed, minimum 75% passing score
Module 2 Discussion Board: Post a thesis statement to the discussion board and reply to AT LEAST 2 other participants giving constructive feedback.
Module 3 Discussion Board: Write 3 topic sentences that match the thesis statement in Module 2, post them into the discussion board, and reply to at least 2 other participants. \
Module 4 Outline Peer-Review: Create an outline that includes at least 2 subpoints for each paragraph utilizing one of the organizational structures recommended in the course. Include a complete thesis statement and complete topic sentences and includes body paragraphs, introduction and conclusion AND submits peer-review for at least 2 other participants.
Module 5 Essay Submission: Submit a 750-word essay in a structure matching the outline, maintaining a complete thesis statement, topic sentences, introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs.
Plagiarism/Cheating:
This course is designed as a tool to help boost your personal skills in essay writing and construction. The goal of the course is to verify if you can correctly write an essay in the appropriate structure and as such, it is not beneficial for you to plagiarize or cheat in any way. Since this is a preparation course focused on essay structure not content, we will not verify or check your submissions for plagiarism; however, you should remember that the reason you are taking this course is to improve your skills. Thus, taking someone else’s answers or copying answers off of the internet ultimately hurts both you and the person you are stealing from.
Deadlines:
All submissions, discussion posts, and activities are due no later than 11:55 pm (23:55) UTC on the last day of the course. No late submissions will be accepted without an approved accommodation request. Your work and submissions will be graded and returned to you no later than 15 days after the closure of your session.