Week #24 (December 19, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

As this is the final class, I would like you to make a homepage presenting the four essays you wrote in the fall semester: "Young People Teaching Old", "Playing and Winning", "New Product", and "Resources Disappering".Click here and open the list page. Find your name on it and download your page file. You can download a homepage file by clicking the right button of your mouse and then clicking on "save the file as" in the shortcut menu. (Be sure not to download the other student's page but your own page! The file name must be "your first name+the first letter of your family name.htm".) Open the downloaded file by "Hidemaru" editor. Read the directions written in Japanese on the page. Follow the directions and copy-paste your three essays from your Criterion "portfolio" replacing the spring semester essays. Your can revise your essays if you would like to.
When you have finished the work, please let me know. I will collect your completed file by copying it on my MO. You may send it to me by email as an attached file if you like. Feel free to ask for my help if you have any problems.

Week #23 (December 12, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Work on your previous two essays "Playing and Winning" and "New Product" and see if you can improve them by making necessary corrections and revisions.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and make final versions of your sixth and seventh essays "Playing and Winning" and "New Product" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. They should be turned in by 11pm, Wednesday, December 17.

Week #22 (December 5, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

I could not make comments on all the essays but I added a few. Click on here and read the other students' essays and my comments. See if a part of my comments applies to your own essay. If so, revise your eighth essay "Resources Disappearing." Take note if nouns and verbs are in proper form. After that, work on your fifth essay "Young People Teaching Old." See if you can improve it by making necessary corrections and revisions.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your fifth essay "Young People Teaching Old" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 11pm, Wednesday, December 10.

Week #21 (November 28, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Click on here and read the other students' essays and my comments. Then keep on working on your eighth essay "Resources Disappearing."

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your eighth essay "Resources Disappering" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 10pm, December 4.

Week #20 (November 21, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today, you will start working on a new essay. Write your eighth essay on the spot in the class. Go to your portfolio and write an essay on the assigned theme, "Resources Disappearing." You may make use of anything you like: a dictionary, the spelling checker of the Word, the web, etc. You may submit your essay as many times as you like. But be sure to submit the final version of your essay by 2.40pm today.
As for the last week's assignment, "New Product," the following eight students marked score 6: Abe-san, Fukuchi-san, Kishi-san, Masuda-san, Nagaosa-san, Ogiso-sanm, Sawanobori-san, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your eighth essay "Resources Disappering" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 11pm, November 27.

Week #19 (November 14, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today, you work in a pair. First, open your own portfolio and select the portfolio of the person sitting next to you. Read his or her seventh essay "New Product" and try to analyze the organization of the essay your partner has written. (This week's essay can be considered as "Personal Opinion" or "Problem-Solution," both of which are explained in Week #8. Be sure to check if your partner's essay is written according to the guidelines in Week #8.) Then discuss with your partner the essays both of you have written. Talk to each other and suggest how to improve your essays.
Then, select and read a couple of the "score-6" essays below. Discuss them with your partner. You may work on your own essay if you finish these two tasks.
As for the last week's assignment, "New Product," the following three students marked score 6: Kishi-san, Sawanobori-san, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your seventh essay "New Product" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, November 20.

Week #18 (November 7, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

I am very sorry but again I have some official business and I cannot stay in the class today. But I would like you to stay and write a new essay on the spot in the class just as you did in Week #16. Go to your portfolio and write an essay on the assigned theme, "New Product." You may make use of anything you like: a dictionary, the spelling checker of the Word, the web, etc. You may submit your essay as many times as you like. But be sure to submit the final version of your essay by 2.40pm today.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your sixth essay "New Product" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, November 13.

Week #17 (October 24, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today, you work in a pair. First, open your own portfolio and select the portfolio of the person sitting next to you. Read his or her fifth essay ("Playing and Winning") and try to analyze the organization of the essay your partner has written. (You may also examine other items such as "Grammar", "Usage", "Mechanics", and "Style." It may be a good idea to use "View Feedback Analysis" and see if the evaluation "Criterion" has made is appropriate. It may be helpful to use and review "Writer's Handbook" in addition.) Then discuss with your partner the essays both of you have written. Talk to each other and suggest how to improve your essays.
Then, select and read a couple of the "score-6" essays below. Discuss them with your partner. You may work on your own essay if you finish these two tasks.
As for the last week's assignment, "Playing and Winning," the following two students marked score 6: Ogiso-san and Takahashi-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your fifth essay "Playing and Winning" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, November 6.

Week #16 (October 17, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today I have some official business and I cannot stay in the class. But I would like you to stay and write an essay on the spot in the class just as you did in Week #14. Go to your portfolio and write an essay on the assigned theme, "Playing and Winning." You may make use of anything you like: a dictionary, the spelling checker of the Word, the web, etc. You may submit your essay as many times as you like. But be sure to submit the final version of your essay by 2.40pm today.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your sixth essay "Playing and Winning" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, October 23.

Week #15 (October 10, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today, you work in a pair. First, open your own portfolio and select the portfolio of the person sitting next to you. Read his or her fifth essay ("Young People Teaching Old") and try to analyze the organization of the essay your partner has written. (You may also examine other items such as "Grammar", "Usage", "Mechanics", and "Style." It may be a good idea to use "View Feedback Analysis" and see if the evaluation "Criterion" has made is appropriate. It may be helpful to use and review "Writer's Handbook" in addition.) Then discuss with your partner the essays both of you have written. Talk to each other and suggest how to improve your essays.
Then, select and read a couple of the "score-6" essays below. Discuss them with your partner. You may work on your own essay if you finish these two tasks.
As for the last week's assignment, "Young People Teaching Old," the following six students marked score 6: Abe-san, Masuda-san, Ogiso-san, Sato-san, Sawanobori-san, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your fifth essay "Young People Teaching Old" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, October 16.

Week #14 (October 3, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

This week, you will write an essay on the spot in the class just as you did in Week #12. Go to your portfolio and write an essay on the assigned theme, "Young People Teaching Old." You may make use of anything you like: a dictionary, the spelling checker of the Word, the web, etc. You may submit your essay as many times as you like. But be sure to submit the final version of your essay by 2.40pm today.
As for the last week's assignment, "Group Member or Leader," the following students marked score 6: Abe-san, Kamaya-kun, Kanai-san, Katori-san, Kawajiri-san, Masuda-san, Nagashio-san, Ogiso-san, Sato-san, Sawanobori-san, Suzuki-kun, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!
I hope you would read their essays.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your fifth essay "Young People Teaching Old" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 8pm, October 9.

Week #13 (September 26, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

As a start-up for the fall semester, I would like you to revise and complete your last essay written in the spring semester. First, open your own portfolio and read the fourth essays ("Group Member or Leader") other students have written. Begin with the essays that got the highest score. The following four students marked score 6 despite the fact that the essays were written "on the spot" (Great feats!): Abe-san, Masuda-san, Sato-san, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!
After you finish reading them, try to revise your own essay.

Your assignment for next week: Revise and complete your fourth essay "Group Member or Leader" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. This will be your final revision and it should be turned in by 8pm, October 2.

Week #12 (June 27, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Go to your portfolio and write an essay on the assigned theme. You may make use of anything you like: a dictionary, the spelling checker of the Word, the web, etc. You may submit your essay as many times as you like. But be sure to submit the final version of your essay by 2.40pm today.

Your assignment for the summer vacation: Send me by email your evaluation of the spring-semester class and suggestions for the fall semester. You may write either in English or in Japanese. Please email me by September 24.
If you would like me to revise your essay homepage, send the revised file to me by email by July 22. Have a good vacation and keep up the good work!

Week #11 (June 20, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today you will make your three essays into a homepage of your own. Click here and open the list page. Find your name on it and download your page file. You can download a homepage file by clicking the right button of your mouse and then clicking on "save the file as" in the shortcut menu. (Be sure not to download the other student's page but your own page! The file name must be "your first name+the first letter of your family name.htm".) Open the downloaded file by "Hidemaru" editor. Read the directions written in Japanese on the page. Follow the directions and copy-paste your three essays from your Criterion "portfolio." Your can revise your essays if you would like to.
When you have finished the work, please let me know. I will collect your completed file by copying it on my MO. You may send it to me by email as an attached file if you like. Feel free to ask for my help if you have any problems.

Your assignment for next week: Read the homepages of the other students by click here. If you would like to revise your homepage, send the revised file to me by email.
Next week you will be asked to write a new essay and to submit it within the class hour. As the score of this new essay will be counted for your spring semester grade, do not miss the next class.

Week #10 (June 13, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Today, you work in a pair. Open your own portfolio and select the portfolio of the person sitting next to you. Read his or her third essay ("Change in Your School") and try to analyze the organization of the essay your partner has written. You may also examine other items such as "Grammar", "Usage", "Mechanics", and "Style." It may be a good idea to use "View Feedback Analysis" and see if the evaluation "Criterion" has made is appropriate. It may be helpful to use and review "Writer's Handbook" in addition. Then discuss with your partner the essays both of you have written. Talk to each other and suggest how to improve your essays and apply the suggestions by revising your own essay. See if your score has improved after the revisions. Feel free to ask me if you have any question.

Your assignment for next week: Revise again and complete the final version of your third essay "Change in Your School" trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to make your essay more concise (i.e. shorter but as comprehensive as the present one) and still get score 6. It should be turned in by 9pm, June 19.
Next week you will be asked to make your three essays into a homepage of your own. Be sure to work on your previous essays and see if you can make any revisions.

Week #9 (June 6, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

First, open your own portfolio and read the comments other people in your group wrote for your second essay "Experience or Books." Then talk with your group members and each picks up one of the essays written by the other members. Try to "proofread" the essay you have chosen. When you have finished proofreading, paste the revised essay on the "Create a comment" section of the essay you have picked up.
If you have finished the above assignments, read the third essays ("Change in Your School") other students have written. Begin with the essays that got the highest score. The following two students marked score 6 this time: Sawanobori-san and Yamada-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise again and complete your third essay "Change in Your School" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 9pm, June 12.

Week #8 (May 30, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Now you write the third assignment "Change in Your School." Before you start writing, be sure to decide on your own thesis and make up the organization. The new essay can be regarded as a "Personal Opinion" essay. In a "Personal Opinion" essay, you state your opinion in the introduction, and possibly mention some reasons that will be discussed for that opinion. Then, in the discussion, you give facts, arguments or supportive data for that opinion. In the conclusion, you restate the opinion or summarizes the arguments or facts. The following words and phrases are indications that personal opinions are being expressed:

I think; I believe; in my opinion; from my point of view; it seems to me that; I agree/disagree that; I am certain/sure...; There is certain/sure to be...; some (people, etc.) believe/think; there are (several, two, etc.) reasons for this; for these reasons; favorite; best, worst, most, least, etc.

Week #7 (May 23, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

Open your own portfolio and select the portfolio of the person sitting next to you. Read his or her second essay ("Experience or Books") and try to analyze the organization of the essay your partner has written. You may also examine other items such as "Grammar", "Usage", "Mechanics", and "Style." It may be a good idea to use "View Feedback Analysis" and see if the evaluation "Criterion" has made is appropriate. It may be helpful to use and review "Writer's Handbook" in addition. Then discuss with your partner the essays both of you have written. Suggest to each other how to improve your essay and apply the suggestions by revising it. See if your score has improved after the revisions. Feel free to ask me if you have any question.
In addition to the five students that marked score 6 last week, the following three students got score 6 this week: Kanai-san, Masuda-san, and Takahashi-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise again and complete the final version of your second essay "Experience or Books" trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to make your essay more concise (i.e. shorter but as comprehensive as the present one) and still get score 6. It should be turned in by 6pm, May 29.

Week #6 (May 16, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html.

First, open your own portfolio and read the comments other people in your group wrote for your first essay "Reasons for Attending College." Then talk with your group members and each picks up one of the essays written by the other members. Try to "proofread" the essay you have chosen. When you have finished proofreading, paste the revised essay on the "Create a comment" section of the essay you have picked up.
If you have finished the above assignment, read the second essays ("Experience or Books") other students have written. Begin with the essays that got the highest score. The following five students marked score 6: Abe-san, Manabe-san, Ogiso-san, Sawanobori-san, and Yamada-san. Congratulations!

Your assignment for next week: Revise again and complete your second essay "Experience or Books" at home accessing Criterion trying to improve your score. If you have already gotten score 6, try to minimize errors and improve the organization and development. It should be turned in by 6pm, May 22.

Week #5 (May 9, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html. Some of you have not changed your default password yet. Be sure to change and renew it by clicking on "Edit My User Information" button at the bottom of your "Home Page."

Now you write the second assignment "Experience or Books." Before you start writing, be sure to decide on your own thesis and make up the organization. The new essay can be regarded as a "Comparison and Contrast" essay. You may discuss similarities ("comparison") and differences ("contrast"). In a "comparison" discussion, you list similarities between the subjects or explain one or two major similarities. The following words and phrases are typical of comparison paragraphs:

compare; comparison; similarity; similar (to); equal (to); in common; both; neither; the same (as); alike; resemble; resemblance; just as; in the same way; to have (something) in common.

Week #4 (May 2, 2003)

Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html. Unless you have changed your default password yet, be sure to change and renew it after logging in. You can do that by clicking on "Edit My User Information" button at the bottom of your "Home Page."

Choose "View your portfolio for this class." Read the essays and, if applicable, my comments at the bottom as well as your own essay. You can go to each student's page by clicking on the button at the right end of the second line beginning with "Portfolio for". Begin with the last one named "zShimada, Keiichi" in the list. Try to guess why each essay is scored as it is. You might as well click on "View Feedback Analysis" button on each essay page and view each category in order to see how "e-rater" evaluated the essay. I recommend that you view at least the "Organization and Development" category. If you have any question, feel free to ask me.

Your assignment for next week is to revise your essay again and again at home accessing Criterion and complete the final version trying to get a higher score than 4. The final version should be turned in by 10am, May 8. In general, you access Criterion and revise your essays too few times and they are too short to reach a score of 5 or 6. Try to expand your discussion paragraphs (main ideas) . It seems to me that you at least need two discussion paragraphs with valid main ideas followed by ample supporting ideas in order to get a score of 6. (You can see that if you examine the portfolio of "zShimada, Keiichi.")

Week #3 (April 25, 2003)

Your "Criterion" account is now ready. Log in at http://criterion.ets.org/cwe/student/index.html. Your user id is "your family name+the first letter of your first name" in lower case (e.g. shimadak). Your default password is your first name in lower case (e.g. keiichi). Be sure to change and renew your password after logging in. You can do that by clicking on "Edit My User Information" button at the bottom of your "Home Page."

Complete your first essay and submit. Click on the "View Feedback Analysis" button and read the feedback. Then click on "Writer's Handbook" and click on each tab ("Grammar", "Usage", "Mechanics", and "Style") to study what each section says. (Note you have already studied the "Organization & Development" section.)

Your assignment for next week is to revise your essay again and again at home using Criterion. You can submit as many times as you like until 7pm, May 1. You are expected to get by then at least score 4, preferably higher. We will discuss your revised essays in the next class.

Week #2 (April 18, 2003)

Try out e-rater "Demo TOEFL" after logging in at http://www.etstechnologies.com/criterion/demo.html. Submit your essay and click on "Writer's Handbook." We will study about "Organization & Development" in the "Handbook."

Essays are usually made up of three parts: an introduction, a discussion, and a conclusion.

In the introduction, the writer tells the reader what the topic is going to be. The writer makes a statement about that topic. This statement is the thesis of the essay. He may tell the reader what the topic will be and what aspect of that topic the writer intends to deal with as well as how the writer organized the essay.

In the discussion, the writer expands on the statement about the topic made in the introduction. The discussion might include examples, personal experiences, or specific information about the topic (supporting ideas). Each sentence in the discussion should be related to the aspect of the topic that the writer specified in the introduction. There should not be any sentences that are not related to the main idea of the paragraph or essay.

The conclusion completes the discussion. It may summarize what has been said in the discussion or express the main idea(s) again or draw some conclusion from the discussion.

A good paragraph or essay must have cohesiveness. Cohesiveness is the way all the parts of the essay connect with and relate to one another. One aspect of cohesiveness is making the relationships among different parts of the essay clear. If the relationship among the parts of the essay are not clear, it is not cohesive.

The use of words or phrases called transitions helps make essays cohesive. Transitions are words that specify the relationships among parts of a paragraph or parts of sentences. They let the reader know what type of information is coming. For example, they may indicate that what is coming is different from what you would expect, is stronger than what came previously, or is an example of what came previously.

Week #1 (April 11, 2003)

Learn about ETS Technologies.

Try out e-rater demo at http://www.etstechnologies.com/criterion/demo.html. The user name and password have been provided in the class. If you have forgotten them, email me. If you would like to register after trying out the demo, email me at shimada@dokkyo.ac.jp for registration by April 15. Be sure to make the subject of your email "EC01" and don't forget to include your name and student numbers, etc. in your email.