Writing II Unit I - Descriptive Essay

🎯 Stage 1 — Desired Results

A. Established Goals (from course & unit documentation)

• Course objective: By the end of the course, students compose paragraphs and essays in English at CEFR B1+.

• Unit focus (25 hours): Pre‑writing (topic focus, brainstorming, graphic organizers, outlines), drafting (hook, thesis, topic sentences, cohesion/coherence, clarity, style), revising (self/peer/expert; spelling, punctuation, grammar, organization, APA), editing and final draft submission.

• CEFR alignment: At B1 (moving toward B1+), writers produce straightforward, connected texts on familiar subjects, linking ideas in a linear sequence; they can signal chronology and describe experiences with simple detail. These descriptors guide the expected level of clarity, cohesion, and control.

UbD anchor: Unit design will follow UbD’s Stage 1–3 sequence—identify desired results → determine acceptable evidence → plan learning—with transfer and meaning at the core.

B. Transfer Goals

Students will independently use their learning to:

1. Plan and produce a multi‑paragraph descriptive essay that clearly serves an authentic audience/purpose, with unity, coherence, and appropriate detail.

2. Apply a repeatable revision process to improve sentence clarity, paragraph focus, and cohesion before submitting polished work.

3. Write at B1+, making mostly accurate grammar and vocabulary choices so that meaning remains clear to the reader.

C. Meaning

Enduring Understandings (Students will understand that …)

• Effective description selects and organizes sensory detail to serve a clear purpose and audience, not to list everything observed.

• Coherence and cohesion emerge from topic sentences, logical sequencing, and transitions, not from adding more words.

• Revision is central to writing; clarity improves when writers re‑examine organization, sentence structure, and word choice before editing surface errors.

• Academic integrity applies to process and product; unauthorized use of GenAI constitutes plagiarism for this course.

Essential Questions

1. What makes description vivid yet purposeful rather than a string of observations?

2. How do organization and sentence choices help readers see, hear, and feel what I intend?

3. Where in my process does revision most improve clarity—and how do I know?

D. Acquisition

Students will know …

• Features of descriptive writing (focus/unity, sensory domains, precise vocabulary, figurative language used judiciously, paragraph structure).

• Organizational tools: brainstorming, graphic organizers, outlines to plan before drafting.

• Drafting elements: hooks, thesis/main idea, topic sentences, transitions for cohesion and coherence.

• Revising & editing criteria (organization, clarity, grammar/punctuation, APA as required).

• CEFR B1+ expectations for connected, straightforward prose and control of common structures.

Students will be able to …

• Focus and specify a descriptive topic; organize ideas visually and linearly before drafting.

• Draft an introduction with a clear focus, develop body paragraphs with concrete detail and cohesion, and conclude by reinforcing the central impression.

• Revise for unity, coherence, and clarity (moving from global to sentence‑level concerns), then edit for correctness and APA requirements.

• Produce writing that meets B1+ readability: mostly accurate grammar and vocabulary with few errors that impede understanding.

🎯 Stage 2 — Evidence

A. Performance Task (GRASPS)

• Goal: Craft a descriptive “profile” that lets readers experience a significant space/object/person from your context.

• Role: You are a contributor to a department microsite showcasing authentic campus and community spaces for incoming ELT students.

• Audience: New BA‑ELT students exploring the setting in English.

• Situation: The site needs a 600–800‑word descriptive essay that shows (not lists) details and maintains unity/coherence.

• Product/Performance:

  1. Planning artifacts (brainstorming, graphic organizer, outline).

  2. Draft with clear paragraphs (intro → body → conclusion).

  3. Revised draft demonstrating global and sentence‑level improvements.

  4. Edited final in APA format (as required in course) with a 150–200 word process reflection identifying the 2–3 most impactful revisions.

• Standards/Rubric (summary):

  • Purpose & audience: central impression is clear and sustained.

  • Organization & cohesion: paragraph unity, logical sequencing, effective transitions.

  • Detail & diction: precise vocabulary, concrete sensory detail, appropriate figurative language.

  • Language control (B1+): mostly accurate grammar and vocabulary; occasional errors do not impede meaning.

  • Process & integrity: complete planning/revision evidence; complies with course integrity policy regarding GenAI.

B. Other Evidence

• Quick writes and micro‑descriptions targeting specific senses (checked for unity and specificity).

• Organizer/outlining checks with peer feedback notes.

• Paragraph diagnostics (topic sentence identification, transition effectiveness).

• Revision checklists and self‑assessments (global → local).

• Exit tickets tied to essential questions (e.g., “What did you revise to sharpen the central impression today?”).

🎯 Stage 3 - Learning Sequence

A. Performance Task (GRASPS)

• Goal: Craft a descriptive “profile” that lets readers experience a significant space/object/person from your context.

• Role: You are a contributor to a department microsite showcasing authentic campus and community spaces for incoming ELT students.

• Audience: New BA‑ELT students exploring the setting in English.

• Situation: The site needs a 600–800‑word descriptive essay that shows (not lists) details and maintains unity/coherence.

• Product/Performance:

  1. Planning artifacts (brainstorming, graphic organizer, outline).

  2. Draft with clear paragraphs (intro → body → conclusion).

  3. Revised draft demonstrating global and sentence‑level improvements.

  4. Edited final in APA format (as required in course) with a 150–200 word process reflection identifying the 2–3 most impactful revisions.

• Standards/Rubric (summary):

  • Purpose & audience: central impression is clear and sustained.

  • Organization & cohesion: paragraph unity, logical sequencing, effective transitions.

  • Detail & diction: precise vocabulary, concrete sensory detail, appropriate figurative language.

  • Language control (B1+): mostly accurate grammar and vocabulary; occasional errors do not impede meaning.

  • Process & integrity: complete planning/revision evidence; complies with course integrity policy regarding GenAI.

B. Other Evidence

• Quick writes and micro‑descriptions targeting specific senses (checked for unity and specificity).

• Organizer/outlining checks with peer feedback notes.

• Paragraph diagnostics (topic sentence identification, transition effectiveness).

• Revision checklists and self‑assessments (global → local).

• Exit tickets tied to essential questions (e.g., “What did you revise to sharpen the central impression today?”).