Welcome to English 106 Pathway!

Course Description

This course teaches basic writing conventions in crafting effective sentences, paragraphs, and short essays. It is recommended for individuals who do not feel prepared for the required English Foundations writing course, FDENG 101. While this course counts as three elective credits, it does not fulfill the University Foundations writing requirement.

Course Objectives

In this course you will learn to:

Think, speak, and write critically about meaningful topics that affect your life.
Discover truth, beauty, and enjoyment through writing.
Share your thoughts and writings with fellow classmates, thus creating a real sense of audience (and community) while developing interpersonal skills.
Analyze examples of effective and ineffective writing in order to emulate what works and avoid what doesn't work.
Understand how audience and purpose guides style, content, and organization in writing.
Generate a thesis and organize relevant support using rhetorical strategies appropriate for the context.
Use principles of free-writing, drafting, revision and editing to achieve polished prose.
Identify and correct common, sentence-level errors.

Course Architecture

This course will run in fourteen one-week lessons. The BYU-Idaho Learning Model, including Teach One Another activities, are integral to each lesson. The Gathering is also an important component of this course. There are three main units of study: Writing Effective Sentences & Paragraphs, Writing the Persuasive Essay, and Writing the Personal Essay. There are consistent due dates and accountability reports due each week. Failure to complete assignments and activities by their due date will significantly affect your final grade.

BYU-I online courses are designed with 3-4 hours of activities weekly for each academic credit received. Therefore, you will need to be able to devote at least 9-12 hours each week to this course in order to do well. If you know you will not be able to devote this much time to the class this semester, please consider taking the course at another time when you can make such a commitment.

Teach One Another is a vital part of the BYU-I learning model, and BYU-I online courses are not exempt. Teaching others what you have learned helps you to understand and remember ideas, concepts, and insights much better. Additionally, learning to have your views challenged and improved through the perspective of others is an important way to improve. If you will take advantage of the various opportunities within this course to strengthen your ability to write well and increase your understanding of English, you will find the insights and skills you acquire will be useful long after you have finished the course.

Semester Overview

Besides the introductory and concluding weeks, the course consists of three units.

Lessons 2-7 (Writing Effective Sentences & Paragraphs) focus on writing effective sentences and paragraphs to express yourself clearly and concisely. The writing assignments will allow you to practice the writing and grammar skills highlighted in each lesson and demonstrate your understanding of them.

Lessons 8-10 (Writing the Persuasive Essay) focus on persuasion, but rather than just taking a stand on an issue, you will propose a solution to the problem you are addressing. The culminating assignment for this unit is a 2-3 page persuasive essay paper. An explanatory essay assignment will help you develop this paper.

Lessons 11-13 (Writing the Personal Essay) shift the focus to writing about personal experiences and beliefs. The culminating assignment for this unit is a 2-3 page personal narrative essay. To practice for this paper, in Unit 1 you will complete two shorter assignments that focus on personal experience.

Each Lesson

Will open on Thursday (3 days) before the lesson runs in order to accommodate students who want to get started early
Weekly Reports are an exception. They open on mid-week due date of the lesson in which the report is due. Therefore, you will only have until the end of week due date to complete your Weekly Report.

Before the Gathering—Mid Week Due Date: (ocal time) Grammar Lesson Videos, Reading Assignments, Weekly Class Discussion, Paragraph and Essay Development Videos, and Writing Assignment (first draft or rough draft).
At the Gathering—Thursday: (due at the Gathering) Attend the Gathering. All relevant Gathering materials are due, including copies of the writing assignment that must be taken to the Gathering for Peer Review.
After the Gathering—End of Week Due Date: (local time) Weekly Class Discussion (subsequent posts), Writing Assignment (final draft), Grammar Exercise, Speaking Partner Reports, and Attendance and Weekly Reports.

Attendance Policy

The Thursday evening gatherings with your missionaries and peers are a source of spiritually and socially empowering experiences. As a Pathway student, you are expected to attend all gatherings during the semester. Plan your schedule accordingly and make any necessary arrangements to attend the Thursday gatherings in person.

If illness or another temporary issue arises and you do not attend a gathering, you will lose attendance points for the missed gathering. Meeting together each week during Pathway also satisfies the university's residency requirement, which must be met before you apply to the BYU-Idaho Online Degree program. Attendance counts for approximately 30% of your overall grade, so be sure to attend each gathering and then report your attendance using the Attendance Report located in each lesson.

In very rare instances, your Pathway Missionaries may cancel a gathering due to a US national or local holiday, extreme weather, or other unsafe situation. If such a situation occurs, this will not count against you as an absence and you will need to notify your online instructor. If you have questions or concerns regarding the attendance policy, please contact the Pathway Support Center at (855) 994-6721, 208-496-9898, or pathwaysupport@byui.edu.

Activities

Grammar Lessons

(Due Mid-Week and End of Week, local time)

Grammar Lesson: Each week, you will be focusing on a grammar skill used for improving your writing.
Note: All of the videos in this course are available in transcript form. Links to the transcripts are provided in the assignment and can also be accessed in the Course "Resources" folder.
Grammar Exercise: These short quizzes will assess your understanding of the grammar lesson each lesson.
Workbook PDF - This PDF contains the grammar lessons for the course and lessons with additional grammar concepts. Download the PDF if you would like an offline copy of the lesson content. If you would like a printed copy of the workbook, you may purchase a copy from Amazon.

Reading and Discussion

(Due Mid-Week and End of Week, local time)

Reading Assignments: Each week, you will be assigned readings that will lead to a Class Discussion, where you can talk about your ideas with your classmates.
Weekly Class Discussion Board: You will use this Discussion Board to discuss the lesson materials, readings, and discussion questions. This will help you build community with your online class as well as develop the skill of appreciating and responding to others' points of view. The purpose is to create a deeper understanding of the concepts, so you apply them to your understanding of basic writing.
Further Reading (Optional): These optional reading(s) are supplemental and complement the course material you are studying. They will be a powerful enhancement to the class lecture and practice activities. They have been provided to help you extend the reach of your understanding in each individual area.

Paragraph and Essay Development Lessons

(Due Mid-Week, local time)

View Presentation on Writing Principle: This activity serves to enhance your understanding of writing concepts you will be learning each week.

Writing Assignment

(Due Mid-Week and End of Week, local time)

This assignment will allow you to practice and apply the skills you learn, improve your writing, and sharpen your thinking. As with all good writing, expect to compose more than an initial draft in order to complete this assignment well.

Pathway Gathering

(Due End of Week, local time)

Gathering Preparation
Pathway Gathering: The purpose of the gathering is to take what you have learned from the reading and writing assignments to create a deeper understanding of the concepts and apply them to your understanding of basic writing.

Speaking Partner Appointment

(Due End of Week, local time)

Note: All English 106 students must register as a Speaking Partner Mentor. Depending on the demand for mentors this semester, there is a possibility that you will not be matched to a speaking partner learner. If you have not been assigned to a learner by the beginning of Lesson 3 Pathway Support will send you directions on how to complete the remainder of the speaking partner assignments. You will not lose any points for the speaking partner assignments through Lesson 2, as long as you report that you have registered and are waiting to be matched.

For 30 minutes each week (Lessons 2-13), you will meet with a fellow Pathway student who is learning to read, write, listen to, and speak English. Your partner will use the appointment time to practice speaking English in a face-to-face setting while you learn about your partner and their culture in an informal interview setting. You should take notes during each appointment in preparation to write about your experience at midterm and the end of the semester. You will reflect on what you have learned about your partner, your partner's culture, and the importance of English. As you reflect upon your experience, what have you discovered about yourself? How has this experience enriched or challenged you? How has this experience changed your understanding of your own culture? How will you continue to serve others or learn about the cultures of God's children around the world? You may also reflect on the sense of community or connections you felt during your appointments.
Your Pathway Speaking Partner will use the discussion materials from their Pathway course to lead your conversations.

To be a speaking partner, you must:

speak English fluently
have access to Internet and video chat setup
be 18 years of age or older
be available for a 30-minute appointment once a week for 12 consecutive weeks in a given semester of Pathway

Note

If you do not meet the fluency or age requirements, or you have extreme circumstances that would keep you from reasonably fulfilling this requirement, contact the Pathway Support Center right away. In most cases, "extreme circumstances" do not include lack of a webcam or time constraints.

Accountability Reports

(Due End of Week, local time)

There are three accountability reports due in each lesson.
- Speaking Partner Report: This short report will allow you to report your completion of this activity.
- Attendance Report: This will allow you to report on your level of participation and work completed at the Gathering.
- Weekly Reports: This short report will allow you to give important feedback about how you are doing in the course and allow you to report the completion of certain assignments.
- - Because the reports are a summary of what you have done throughout the week, they will not be accessible until later in the week that they are due.

Note

Some lessons have additional assessment activities such as: Mid-term Feedback, Final, or Course Evaluation.

Preparation and Interaction

This course is designed to engage both your mind and your heart. Thus, it is important to prepare both intellectually and spiritually each week. Consistent personal prayer, scripture study, and attention to your covenants will provide a great support to your academic studies. While this is not a religion course, what you study here will help you to grow spiritually. When you are prepared, the Holy Spirit can provide guidance and direction that will make a great difference in your life.

As you interact with others in various assignments, please remember to be kind, considerate, and respectful of differing viewpoints. You can differ in opinions (sometimes the best learning comes when others challenge your thinking) but still be civil and loving. Respect one another's opinions and avoid using racist, bigoted, homophobic, sexist, or aggressive language in class discussions, writing assignments, or in reporting problems or concerns. Any violation of basic common courtesy including interaction with peers, the instructor, or others monitoring the course, will negatively impact your grade.

Course Accountability

Grammar Lessons

Videos
Exercises

Short Assignments

Writing a Love Letter
"This I Believe" Reflection
Critical Thinking Essay
Explanatory Outline
First Draft Persuasive Essay: Problem Solution
Personal Essay Outline or Summary
First Draft of Personal Essay
Speaking Partner Reflection

Long Assignment

Persuasive Essay: Problem-Solution
Personal Essay

Accountability Reports

Attendance Report
Speaking Partner Report
Weekly Report

Plagiarism

Plagiarism or other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. From BYU-Idaho's Academic Honesty policy statement: "Intentional Plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote." To avoid unintentional plagiarism, consult with your instructor if you have a plagiarism question.

The use of any language translation software, apps, or online programs, such as Google Translate, in order to translate sentences, paragraphs, or whole essays is not permitted in this course. However, the use of these translation programs to look up a single word or short phrase, is generally allowed.

Course Materials

All materials can be accessed through the course; no additional textbooks are required. A digital copy of the entire course workbook can be found at this link, and a published copy is available here.

You must have consistent access to a computer with a reliable Internet connection.

In order to complete the Speaking Partner Appointments, you will need video chat capabilities.Many newer computers have built-in webcams and microphones; however, if your computer is not equipped with these components, you may need to purchase them. You may use Skype or another video chat format. Use this link if you would like a free Skype download.

If you have any Speaking Partner technology related questions, check for an answer on the Speaking Partner FAQ page. If you need further assistance, contact the OSC (Online Support Center).

Class Policies

Prerequisites

None

GRADING POLICIES

Final Grade Breakdown

A = 94-100%; A- = 90-93%; B+ = 87-89%; B = 83-86%; B- = 80-82%; C+ = 77-79%;
C = 73-76%; C- = 70-72%; D+ = 67-69%; D = 63-66%; D- = 60-62%; F = 0-59%

Course Questions/Problems/Concerns

This course has a Questions and Conversations Board where you are encouraged to post general course questions/problems/concerns, etc. Using this board will inform other class members, the instructor, and others of the issues you find and allow the proper people to correct them for everyone. Please check this board throughout the semester. If you are experiencing the same problem as another student who has already reported it, you can make an additional post so others know the seriousness of the problem. If you know the answer to a question, you are encouraged to post solutions. Helping to solve your classmates' problems is another way to teach one another. Additionally, your instructor is monitoring this board and will inform you of fixes and solutions here.

Note

You should only email your instructor directly if the problem is of a personal nature. Sometimes your instructor has a reason he or she would like to be informed of problems another way. If this is the case, your instructor will explain the change. Otherwise, please use the questions/problems/concerns board as the preferred way to report any problems.

Late Work Policy

Assignments are due on the day indicated. No late work will be accepted without permission from the instructor. Work that is late hampers your ability to fully participate in the course and will be accepted only at your instructor's discretion. Inform your instructor before the assignment is due. Any late work that is accepted is subject to a penalty as determined by your instructor.

Transcripts

If you would like to access a transcript of any grammar or writing lesson video used in the course, you may do so by opening the Resources folder, and choosing the desired transcript.

Disability Law

In compliance with applicable disability law, qualified students with a disability may be entitled to "reasonable accommodation." It is the student's responsibility to disclose to the teacher any special need she or he may have as soon as possible as accommodations are not retroactive.

Disclaimers

The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus at any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. You will be notified prior to any changes that may take place.