English Language & Writing Skills (ENGL) 145

Overview

This course is designed for students who need to fill the gaps in their reading and writing skills in preparation for studies at the university level. It is appropriate for both ESL students and native speakers of English who wish to upgrade their academic skills and strongly recommended for those who plan on taking or ENGL 155, ENGL 177, or ENGL 189.

Outline

Unit 1

• Lesson 1 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 2 – Reading
• Lesson 3 – Writing—Summary Paragraphs I

Unit 2

• Lesson 4 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 5 – Reading
• Lesson 6 – Writing—Summary Paragraphs II

Unit 3

• Lesson 7 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 8 – Reading
• Lesson 9 – Writing Narratives I

Unit 4

• Lesson 10 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 11 – Reading
• Lesson 12 – Writing Narratives II

Unit 5

• Lesson 13 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 14 – Reading
• Lesson 15 – Descriptive Paragraphs I

Unit 6

• Lesson 16 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 17 – Reading
• Lesson 18 – Descriptive Paragraphs II

Unit 7

• Lesson 19 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 20 – Reading
• Lesson 21 – Explanatory Paragraphs I

Unit 8

• Lesson 22 – Structure and Language
• Lesson 23 – Reading
• Lesson 24 – Explanatory Paragraphs II

Learning outcomes

After completing ENGL 145, you should be able to

1. write cogently and persuasively in a variety of modes, using the appropriate form of English for the occasion.
2. distinguish textual forms and genres in order to evaluate their functions and facilitate a close reading of a text as a composed artifact.
3. apply original and creative thinking related to the discipline in order to produce compelling and imaginative work.

Evaluation

To pass ENGL 145, you must complete all of the assignments, achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and a composite course grade of at least C- (60 percent). The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:

Activity	Weight
Assignments 1-8 (10% each)	80%
Final Exam	20%
Online Self-tests	0%
Total	100%

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

May, C. (2006). Spotlight on Sentence and Paragraph Skills. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Physical course materials

The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:

Silberstein, S., Dobson, B., & Clarke, M. (2023). Reader’s Choice (6^th ed.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Merivale, J. (1998). Reading Matters: A Selection of Canadian Writing. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada. (PDF)

Other materials

All other learning resources will be available online.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services