Benjamin L. Stewart

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tagsmodule, archive
subjectWriting II

11 min read

Writing II Module 1

Monday

In pairs, categorize the list of random expectations (see below) into 1) instructor expectations, 2) student expectations, and 3) mutual expectations.

  • Randomized list of expectations

    1. Access and use course platforms/resources (e.g., Notion, virtual classroom, ICTs).

    2. Provide a student‑centered, step‑by‑step scaffold with feedback throughout the writing process.

    3. Write strong introductions (hook + clear thesis).

    4. Attend at least 80% of classes to pass.

    5. Use transitions to ensure logical flow between ideas/paragraphs.

    6. Aim for B1+ (CEFR) writing outcomes by course end.

    7. Plan for 0T/5P weekly load (0 hours theory, 5 hours practice).

    8. Establish class rules together on Day 1.

    9. Complete the three major essays on the stated timelines/weights: Descriptive 25% (5 wks), Expository 35% (5 wks), Argumentative 40% (6 wks).

    10. If you miss Day 1, take responsibility to learn the class rules.

    11. Engage in peer review and feedback cycles (students participate; instructor facilitates/responds).

    12. Upload partial grades to E‑SIIMA as progress references (final grade is not the average of uploaded grades).

    13. Avoid plagiarism, including any unauthorized use of GenAI; violations earn an automatic zero for that work.

    14. Craft conclusions that tie key points and reassert the thesis.

    15. In argumentative writing, address counterarguments and support claims with evidence using formal, objective language.

    16. Demonstrate English use (worth 50% of each graded item).

    17. Do a final read‑through during editing before submitting.

    18. Use pre‑writing tools (e.g., brainstorming, graphic organizers, outlines).

    19. Attend the face‑to‑face sessions (course modality is F2F).

    20. Develop body paragraphs with topic sentences and cohesion/coherence.

    21. Use APA style for all written assignments.

    22. Follow the full writing process together: draft → revise (self/peer/expert) → edit → final draft.

    23. Commit to the student‑centered approach (students engage actively; instructor designs and guides).

Tuesday

  • SWOP Activity

    1. Go to your personal Notion page by accepting the invite send to your @edu.uaa.mx email.

    2. Complete the SWOT questionnaire.

  • SWOT Questionnaire

    Please answer the questions as best as you can. This will help you understand your writing skills and how you can improve.

    Section A: Personal Information

    1. Full Name: __

    2. Level of English (A2, B1, etc.): ___

    3. Country / First Language: __

    Section B: Strengths (Things You Do Well)

    1. What are your strengths in English writing?

      a)

      b)

      c)

    2. What writing tasks are easiest for you? (e.g., emails, short paragraphs, descriptions)

    Section C: Weaknesses (Things You Want to Improve)

    1. What parts of English writing are difficult for you?

      a)

      b)

      c)

    2. What writing tasks do you feel least confident about?

    Section D: Opportunities (Ways You Can Improve)

    1. What opportunities do you have to practice writing?

      a)

      b)

      c)

    2. Are there any classes, apps, or websites you want to use to improve your writing?

    Section E: Threats (Problems or Challenges)

    1. What problems or challenges make writing in English hard for you?

    2. Are there any outside factors (e.g., time, work, technology, lack of resources) that make writing more difficult?

    Section F: Your English Learning

    1. What English classes or certificates have you completed?

    2. Have you taken any English tests (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge)?

      Test: _ Score:

    3. Do you use English outside of class? (e.g., reading, movies, talking, texting)

    Section G: Understanding of Language Learning

    1. Have you learned anything about how people learn languages?

      • Yes

      • No

    2. How do you think people learn a second language?

    3. What methods help you learn English?

      a)

      b)

      c)

    Section H: Writing Skills and Strategies

    1. What writing strategies do you know? (e.g., brainstorming, using a dictionary, checking grammar)

    2. How do these strategies help you write better?

    3. What do you think is the most important part of writing in English?

    Section I: Your Writing Practice

    1. Describe a writing task you usually do (for work, school, or personal use).

    2. How do you try to improve your writing?

    3. Do you use technology when writing? (spell check, online dictionary, apps, translation tools)

    4. How do you check your progress in writing? (teacher feedback, self-checking, peer help)

    Thank you for completing this questionnaire!

    Your answers will help you better understand your writing strengths and the areas you want to improve.

Wednesday

  • Open Writing II Syllabus 2026.pdf in Teams.

  • Questions for syllabus scavenger hunt

    1. True/False: The course modality requires you to attend class in person every week.

    2. What CEFR level are you expected to reach by the end of the course?

    3. Name the three essay genres you will practice in this course.

    4. Fill in the blanks: The course allocates __ weeks for the descriptive essay, __ weeks for the expository essay, and __ weeks for the argumentative essay.

    5. What percentage of the final grade is the descriptive essay worth?

    6. What percentage of the final grade is the expository essay worth?

    7. What percentage of the final grade is the argumentative essay worth?

    8. True/False: Final grades are calculated by averaging the partial grades shown in the institutional system (ESIIMA).

    9. What is the minimum attendance percentage required to pass the course?

    10. Short answer: List two resources/tools the course uses to support writing and project work.

    11. In the pre‑writing stage, give two techniques you are expected to use before drafting.

    12. What are the three paragraph types you must be able to write within an essay?

    13. Fill in the blank: In body paragraphs, each paragraph should begin with a __ sentence that controls the main idea.

    14. Name two features of cohesion/coherence you are expected to demonstrate between paragraphs.

    15. True/False: Peer review is not part of the revision process in this course.

    16. List the three revision roles involved in improving your drafts.

    17. Short answer: What’s the difference between revising and editing in this course?

    18. Policy check: What citation style must you use for all written assignments?

    19. Academic integrity: What is the consequence if plagiarism or unauthorized use of generative AI is found in your work?

    20. Fill in the blank: The use of English counts for __% of the grade on each item evaluated.

    21. True/False: Class rules are established on the first day; if you miss that class, it’s still your responsibility to learn those rules.

    22. Short answer: Name two companion courses you take at the same time as Writing II.

    23. Structure check: List two elements emphasized in the conclusion of your essays for this course.

    24. Argumentation focus: Besides developing arguments, what is one additional component you must address in the argumentative essay?

    25. Quality of writing: What kind of language register is expected in your formal essays?

    26. Hours/format: State the weekly hour structure (theory/practice) for this course.

  • Diverse images

    💡 sight (vision), hearing (auditory), touch (tactile), taste (gustatory), smell (olfactory)

    1. Busy Market Scene https://duckduckgo.com/?q=busy+market+scene&ia=images&iax=images

    2. Traditional Street Food

    3. Colorful Architecture

    4. Desert Landscape

    5. Crowded City Street at Night

    6. Traditional Crafts Workshop

    7. Coffee Shop Interior

    8. Old Library

    9. Street Musician

    10. Outdoor Festival or Celebration

    These images offer varied settings (indoor/outdoor, urban/rural, traditional/modern) with rich sensory details for your students to practice descriptive language.

  • Complete SWOT Analysis.

Thursday

Brainstorming

  • Groups based on the senses

    Sight

    • Dayned

    • Karol

    • Rubi

    • Selena

    • Andrea J.

    • Alejandro

    • Andrea E.

    Hearing

    • Karla

    • Nayolitzy

    • Eduardo

    • Dani

    • Massiel

    • Carolina M

    Touch

    • Angel

    • Itzel

    • Carlos

    • Alexa

    • Natalia

    • Perla

    Taste

    • Kateryn

    • Said

    • Elena

    • Anahi

    • Jesus

    • Monste

    Smell

    • Carolina D

    • Angeles

    • Lia

    • Samanta

    • Alondra

    • Nubia

    • Renata

  • Jigsaw groups

    1. Group 1 - Vacation

      1. Dayned

      2. Karla

      3. Angel

      4. Kateryn

      5. Carolina D

      6. Renata

    2. Group 2 -Oaxaca

      1. Karol

      2. Nayolitzy

      3. Itzel

      4. Said

      5. Angeles

    3. Group 3 - Relaxing

      1. Rubi

      2. Eduardo

      3. Carlos

      4. Elena

      5. Lia

    4. Group 4 - The Beach

      1. Selena

      2. Dani

      3. Alexa

      4. Anahi

      5. Samanta

    5. Group 5 - Nature

      1. Andrea J.

      2. Massiel

      3. Natalia

      4. Jesus

      5. Alondra

    6. Group 6 - Beach

      1. Alejandro

      2. Carolina M

      3. Perla

      4. Monste

      5. Nubia

      6. Andrea E.

Genre and Writing a Descriptive Essay

  • Review Understanding Genre in Academic Writing.

Understanding genre in academic writing is foundational to writing effective descriptive essays because:

Genre provides a shared framework between writer and reader

When students recognize descriptive writing as a genre with specific conventions, they understand that readers come with expectations about how information will be organized and presented. This is the essence of “reader design”—you’re not just randomly describing things, you’re following patterns that help readers efficiently process and visualize your content.

Genre conventions guide organizational choices

Descriptive essays follow particular structural patterns:

  • Spatial organization (left-to-right, top-to-bottom, near-to-far)

  • Sensory organization (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)

  • Topic sentences that preview the spatial/sensory structure

  • Dominant impression that unifies the description

Without understanding these as genre conventions, students might describe randomly or list observations without coherence.

Genre distinguishes purpose from other essay types

Knowing that descriptive writing’s purpose is to help readers visualize and experience what the writer observes (as your learning objectives state) helps students differentiate it from:

  • Expository writing (explains/informs)

  • Argumentative writing (persuades/debates)

This prevents students from drifting into explanation or argument when the task calls for description.

Genre awareness supports transfer

When students understand descriptive writing as a recognizable genre with conventions they can name and apply, they can transfer these skills to other contexts where description is embedded—research reports, case studies, or even within argumentative essays when they need to describe a problem or context.

In your course structure, this genre awareness scaffolds students toward increasingly complex academic tasks across the three essay types.

  • Add your Word document to Descriptive Essays and rename the document using your full name, first name first.

Friday

💡

Today is the last day to complete SWOT questionnaire and paragraph (in personal Notion page).

Thesis Statement

  • Review Thesis statement.

  • Example 1

    The university library at midnight transforms into a sanctuary of focused energy, where the soft glow of desk lamps, the rhythmic tapping of keyboards, and the faint scent of coffee create an atmosphere of quiet determination.

  • Example 2

    The traditional Day of the Dead celebration in Aguascalientes engages all five senses through vibrant orange marigolds, flickering candlelight, sweet pan de muerto, and the communal warmth of families gathering to honor their ancestors.

  • Example 3

    My grandmother’s hands tell the story of her life through their weathered texture, the silver rings she never removes, and the gentle yet practiced movements she makes while preparing her signature mole.

  • Example 4

    The antique typewriter in my professor’s office sits as a monument to a different era of writing, with its chipped ivory keys, satisfying mechanical clicks, and the faint ink-stained ribbon still threaded through its spools.

  • Example 5

    A thunderstorm over the Sierra Fría mountains commands attention through its dramatic display of purple-gray clouds, the sharp ozone smell that precedes the rain, and the rolling thunder that echoes across the valleys.

  • Each of the thesis statements listed above do the following:

    • Clearly identifies the subject being described

    • Previews the organizational approach (sensory details, spatial elements, or characteristics)

    • Sets reader expectations for the descriptive content to follow

    • Uses specific, concrete language rather than abstract generalizations

Reader-Design

“Reader design” refers to organizing content with the reader’s needs and expectations in mind.1(https://www.notion.so/Chapter-1-Course-launch-ethics-2ed4b19081c280d4a027f5472c45382b?pvs=21)

In the context of this Writing II chapter on descriptive writing, the concept emphasizes that when you write descriptively, you’re not just recording what you observe—you’re crafting your description in a way that helps your readers visualize and experience what you’re describing. This means considering:

  • What information does the reader need to understand your description?

  • How should you organize details so they’re easy to follow?

  • What genre conventions does the reader expect?

  • Genre conventions

    In this context, genre conventions refer to the established patterns, features, and expectations that define descriptive essays as a specific category of writing.

    For descriptive writing specifically, these conventions include:

    • Organizational patterns – how descriptive content is typically structured (e.g., spatial organization, moving from general to specific)

    • Language features – the use of sensory details, vivid adjectives, figurative language

    • Structural elements – clear topic sentences that preview organization, logical progression of details

    • Purpose and audience expectations – readers expect to be able to visualize and experience what’s being described

    When you learn to “identify and explain the key features of descriptive essay genre conventions,” you are learning to recognize and use these shared patterns that make descriptive writing effective and meet reader expectations. It’s what allows readers to immediately recognize “this is a descriptive essay” and know what kind of information and organization to expect.

Action Items

  1. Complete SWOT questionnaire and paragraph

  2. Get into your jigsaw groups from yesterday.

    • Jigsaw groups

      1. Group 1

        1. Dayned

        2. Karla

        3. Angel

        4. Kateryn

        5. Carolina D

        6. Renata

      2. Group 2

        1. Karol

        2. Nayolitzy

        3. Itzel

        4. Said

        5. Angeles

      3. Group 3

        1. Rubi

        2. Eduardo

        3. Carlos

        4. Elena

        5. Lia

      4. Group 4

        1. Selena

        2. Dani

        3. Alexa

        4. Anahi

        5. Samanta

      5. Group 5 - Nature

        1. Andrea J.

        2. Massiel

        3. Natalia

        4. Jesus

        5. Alondra

      6. Group 6

        1. Alejandro

        2. Carolina M

        3. Perla

        4. Monste

        5. Nubia

        6. Andrea E.

  3. Add your own Word document to Descriptive Essays in Teams.

  4. Rename your Word document in Teams using your full name, first name first.

  5. Add your group images… each representing a different sense.

  6. Create a unique thesis statement based on your jigsaw group theme from January 28, 2026.

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