1. Introduction to Developmental Writing
Instructor: Jose J. Gonzalez Jr.

2. Welcome to my class Some information about myself
I have taught for about 20 years
in junior hi, high school and college.
Currently, I teach developmental writing, academic English, college success, and government.
I have a BA in Political Science and a MA in English. I am currently working on a Masters in music.

3. Purpose of Writing course
To prepare students for the writing part of the THEA test
To prepare students for academic English

4. Class assignments
1. Six essays, most of which will be persuasive
2. Many grammar exercises
3. Notes on both grammar and essay writing
4. Essay tests and grammar tests
5. Quizzes on both grammar and essays

5. How important do you think writing is?

6. Whether you like it or not, you are judged on how well you write.
College
Work

7. There is a world of difference between . .
Speaking
and
Writing

8. In fact, you may master spoken English, but
your writing skills may need a lot of work!

9. How often do you write ?

10. Different careers that require good writing skills . . .
Nurse
Policeman
Secretary
Journalist
Teacher
Computer specialist
Manager
Paralegal
Social worker
Counselor
Scientist
Insurance salesman
Business man
School administrator
Travel agent
Mechanic

11. Different types of writing
Poetic
Literary
Informative
Advertising

12. Poetry 1463 A Route of Evanescence With a revolving Wheel—
A Resonance of Emerald—
A Rush of Cochineal
And every Blossom on the Bush
Adjusts its tumbled Head—
The mail from Tunis, probably,
An easy Morning’s Ride—
Emily Dickinson, c.1879

13. Literary
A cloudy day: do you know what that is in a town of iron-works? The sky sank down before dawn, muddy, flat, immovable. The air is thick, clammy with the breath of crowded human beings. It stifles me. I open the window, and looking out, can scarcely see through the rain the grocer’s shop opposite, where a crowd of drunken Irishmen are puffing Lynchburg tobacco in their pipes. I can detect the scent through all the foul smells ranging loose in the air.
Life in the Iron-Mills, Rebecca Harding Davis

14. Informative
Herman Melville began life with everything in his favor; heredity first of all, with two genuine Revolutionary heroes for grandfathers. The Melville family was solidly established in Boston and the Gannsevoorts were linked to the greatest Dutch patroon families of New York. Melville’s much traveled father, Allan Melville, a dry goods merchant in New York City, took inordinate pride in the genealogy of the Melvilles, tracing the line past Scottish renaissance courtiers to a queen of Hungary and tracing his mother’s family, the Scollays, to the king of Norway.

15. Advertsing . . . When you need a smoke, buy Camel’s.
I’d walk a mile for a Camel any day of the week!

16. What do you need to be a good writer?

17. To be a good writer you need to--
Be logical
Be organized
Have some idea of the world around you
Read on a daily basis
Be able to take criticism
Know grammar well
Have a well developed vocabulary
Write often
Be determined

18. Some general information about the THEA Writing test
It is composed of two parts
Writing part, persuasive essay
Grammar part, multiple choice questions

19. Writing Part Persuasive essay, minimum 350 words But,
What does persuasive mean?

20. Persuasive defined
You are trying to convince some one of some certain view point on a controversial issue.
For example, are you for or against cell phone use in automobiles?
Yes or No
However, you have to decided one way or another.

21. How is the essay scored? And who scores the essays?
The essays are sent to Austin and are graded by two readers.
These readers can either give you a score of 1,2,3, or 4.
With the combination scores, you can have a minimum score of 2 to a maximum score of 8.
2, 3, and 4 are failing
6,7 and 8 are passing

22. But what about 5?
In other words, one person gives you a 3 and the other gives you a 2
In this case, and only in this case, they grade the grammar part of the essay. If you do well, you pass; if you do poorly, you fail.

23. Tell me about a funny incident that happen to you.