Welcome to the Unit One Seminar for KU 121!

1. Welcome to the Unit One Seminar for KU 121! Topics: Course Overview & Chapter 1 Professor: Ann Meek, PhD. ameek@kaplan.edu Presentation References: Teresa Kelly & Joanna Chrzanowski

2. Seminar Agenda Seminar Rules Course Navigation Course Outline Course Syllabus Getting Organized Types of Assignments Grading Chapter One Overview

3. Seminar Rules • I’ll go over a section then pause for questions; please hold questions until I ask for them. • Please do not use the text box for side chatter once the seminar begins. • If you have audio issues during seminar, try to adjust your speakers. My volume must be high to broadcast, so regulate at your end as needed. • If you have any technical issues with seminar, call tech support at 1 -866-522-7747. • In about four hours, follow the link you used to get here to find an audio and visual archive. • The presentation will be posted in Doc Sharing after the seminar.

4. Course Navigation One of your first goals in the course should be to become familiar with our course site and understand how to navigate effectively within it. If you are having trouble with course navigation: • Review the materials in KU 085 (this is a great tool). It is located on your My Campus Page. • Contact tech support at 1 -866-522-7747.

5. Course Outline • Unit 1: Introduction to Writing • Unit 2: An Introduction to Sentence Development and Grammar • Unit 3: Developing your Focus and Pre-Writing • Unit 4: Planning and Organizing your Essay • Unit 5: Starting to Draft – The Introductory Paragraph • Unit 6: Drafting the Body Paragraphs • Unit 7: Completing the Rough Draft of Your Essay • Unit 8: Getting Feedback and Reviewing Your Work • Unit 9: Editing, Proofreading and Polishing Your Essay • Unit 10: Share Your Work and Apply Your Writing

6. Course Syllabus A few highlights: • Found in Course Home and Doc Sharing • Professor’s contact information • Notice that Microsoft Word is required for all Kaplan courses • Grading Scale and Timetable • Grading Rubrics • Plagiarism policies

7. Getting Organized • After reading the syllabus, marking important dates and noting what to expect, the next step is to get organized. Taking a class is a major project and it is a long-term commitment. With planning and organization, each week you will progress toward your goal of doing well in this class. 

8. Getting Organized • Week begins Wednesday and ends Tuesday • Visit announcements on main course page every time you log into class. • Click the Unit to the left to see all the material/assignments for the Unit. • Tasks for the Unit can be found by clicking the Unit Home then the To Do List (far right). • Be sure to complete all reading assignments prior to completing discussions, quizzes, and projects. • There are ten units; Units One - Nine have graded items.

9. Types of Assignments • Weekly Discussions (Unit 1-9) – Initial response to question plus at least two responses to classmates; see examples in Discussion area; all responses including posts to classmates must be 5-7 sentence each. • Weekly Seminars (Unit 1-9) – attend OR complete Option 2; not both • Weekly Quizzes (Unit 1-9) – timed (1 hr.) & may only be taken once. • MyWritingLab (Unit 1-9) – click the MyWritingLab Section under each Unit • Projects (Units 3- 8) – we will discuss these as we get to them; all build to the final project • Final Project (Unit 9) – we will review this in Unit 2

10. Grading • Weekly Discussions (Unit 1-9) – 20 points each week; see rubric in syllabus • Weekly Seminars (Unit 1-9) – 5 points each week; see rubric in syllabus • Weekly Quizzes (Unit 1-9) – 5 points each week; auto-graded; grades appear in the gradebook immediately. May only be taken once. • MyWritingLab (Unit 1-9) – points and grading vary; auto-graded. Click the MyWritingLab Section under each Unit to access. • Projects (Units 3- 8) – points vary; rubrics found in the syllabus • Final Project (Unit 9) – 250 points; rubric found in the syllabus Total 1000 points – students must earn 730/1000 points to earn credit and continue at Kaplan. See the catalogue addendum in the Announcements Area. Grades and feedback are posted in the KU gradebook; make sure you know how to use that! See the tutorial in KU-85. Units end on Tuesdays. Grades are posted by the following Sunday (within 5 days after the unit ends).

11. Writing is not a single-step process. All writing involves five basis steps: Chapter 1:The Writing Process

12. Before you can write about a topic, you have to collect ideas to write about. Two helpful techniques are Freewriting—writing nonstop whatever comes to mind about a topic for a specified period of time. Brainstorming—making a list of everything you can think of that has to do with your topic, such as facts, ideas, examples, questions, and feelings. Chapter 1:Tips for Generating Ideas

13. Chapter 1:Example of Freewriting Here is a sample of freewriting done on the topic of owning a dog:

14. Chapter 1:Example of Brainstorming Here is a sample of brainstorming on the topic of fast food:

15. A common method of organizing ideas is outlining: Outlining is a method of listing the main points you will cover and their sub-points (details) in the order in which you will present them. Chapter 1:Tips for Organizing Your Ideas

16. Here is a sample outline for a brief essay on the topic of a vacation to San Francisco: Chapter 1:Outlining

17. A paragraph is a group of sentences that expresses one main idea. A paragraph's one main idea is expressed in a single sentence called the topic sentence. The other sentences, called supporting details, explain or support the main idea. Chapter 1:Writing Paragraphs

18. Here is a sample paragraph with its idea map: Chapter 1:Sample Paragraph

19. An essay, which consists of three or more paragraphs, expresses and explains a series of related ideas, all of which support a larger, broader idea. It contains one key idea about the subject, called the thesis statement. Each paragraph in the essay supports or explains some aspect of the thesis statement. Chapter 1:Writing Essays

20. An essay follows a logical and direct plan. It introduces an idea (the thesis statement) explains it, and draws a conclusion. Chapter 1:How Is an Essay Organized?

21. Your introductory paragraph should accomplish three things: Chapter 1:The Introductory Paragraph

22. The body of your essay should accomplish three things: Chapter 1:The Body

23. The concluding paragraph should accomplish two things: Chapter 1:The Concluding Paragraph

24. Consider the following points as ways to get off to a successful start: Chapter 1:Practical Advice for Getting Started

25. Classmates can tell you what they like and what they think you need to do to improve your writing. You can also learn a lot from reading and commenting on the work of other students. The following tips tell you how to use the peer review process: Chapter 1:Peer Review

26. Chapter 1:Peer Review

27. Chapter 1:Writing Success Tip 1 Participating in Your Writing Class

28. Chapter 1:Writing Success Tip 1

29. Have a great first week, and enjoy the course!