Recommended Lab Practice for ESL 91 ESL 91L is a .5-unit lab course designed to help you excel in ESL 91, College Reading and Writing. ESL 094 is the lab course for ESL students enrolled in English 1A-ESL Focus. The following sugggestions for lab activities and practice will help you excel in these courses. ♦ Use an interactive software to advance your grammar, reading, and writing skills      • FOCUS ON GRAMMAR 5 (or FOG 4 if needed): Under Contents, select your own grammar troublespots and practice the units that will most benefit you. Complete the Practice Exercises, From Grammar to Writing, Grammar Out of the Box and Review Tests in each unit you study. You can use the reading section of each unit to advance your reading skills. (Be sure to first set your profile at the top of the page so that you and your instructor can track your scores.)      • WRITER'S RESOURCES (for lessons on essay development) This interactive program consists of four sections: Witing Process Lessons; Writing Elements Lessons; Rhetorical Patterns Lessons; and Grammar | Punctuation | Mechanics Lessons. The Rhetorical Patterns section gives helpful examples of different types of essays: cause/effect, comparison/contrast, definition, persuasion, etc. Helpful lessons on all of the elements of essays such as introductions, thesis statements, transitions, conclusions, etc., are very clear and instrumental in learning to write essays.      • Market Leader Interactive (for advanced students with an interest in Marketing and Business) Market Leader Interactive strengthens your English skills for authentic business situations. Topics include globalization, international trade, advertising, and organizational management. Use the same user information that you use for FOG and set your profile to track your scores.      • Reading Explorer 5: Select 6 to 8 units of interest, or your instructor may assign units. Borrow the text and the CD-Rom. (If necessary, get help in the lab for playing the audio and video files.) • Before Reading:       ° Scan the two chapters in the unit and choose Reading 1A or Reading 1B to read and listen to.       ° Complete the "Before you Read" questions. (PLEASE DO NOT WRITE IN ANY LAB BOOK.) • Read and listen       ° Read 1A or 1B       ° Listen to the reading (Play audio file) and read along. • After Reading       ° Answer the comprehension and Vocabulary questions (on paper please).       ° Go to "Explore More" at the end of the chapter.       ° Watch the video.       ° Type the SUMMARY of the video, using the vocabulary from the box.       ° Extra challenge: Write out the answers to C. Think About It. Share your written work with a lab instructor.       ° If the theme of the chapter was interesting to you, read the alternate reading passage and complete the comprehension and vocabulary exercises.       ° Follow the same directions for each unit you read. ♦ Inside Reading 4 Borrow the text with a CD-Rom in the back to master the academic word list in context. • Before Reading:       ° Scan the Table of Contents and find six units that interest you.       ° Select Reading 1 or Reading 2 in a unit you have selected.       ° Skim the passage: Quickly read the title, the introductory paragraph, the first sentence in each paragraph and the concluding paragraph. Look at pictures and their captions. • Reading:       ° Open the Oxford Genie on the desktop to look up new words as you read.       ° Read the entire passage carefully. • After Reading:       ° On paper, answer the Reading Comprehension Questions.       ° Work with a partner or a small group to engage in the vocabulary activities and discussions.       ° Play the student CD-Rom and master the vocabulary for the unit you have just read. ♦ Conference with a lab instructor on reading and writing assignments for ESL 91 or English 1A-ESL Focus. The lab instructor may help you in the following ways:      • Answer questions you have about assigned readings or lab reading material.      • Discuss prewriting techniques such as listing, outlining, clustering, etc., to suggest ways to generate and organize your ideas.      • Use the Revising Checklist for Essays, to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your essay: introduction and thesis statement, body paragraphs, concluding paragraph.      • Suggest revision strategies for better content and organization.      • Suggest editing strategies to avoid and correct your most common grammar and word choice errors.      • Suggest a lab assignment to improve your grammar and writing skills. Please Note: The lab instructor will not correct your paper for you. The purpose of the conference is to enable you to make the necessary revisions and corrections discussed during the conference. ♦ Come to the ESL Lab for timed writing practice. You will be given a topic to write on for 1 to 2 hours. This exercise is designed to increase your writing speed and readiness to take essay exams. Turn in your practice writing to a lab instructor or our instructional assistant, who will put your essay in a timed writing folder. Return to the lab within one to five school days to discuss your writing with a lab instructor. It is advisable that you do a timed writing at least twice during the course of the semester any time after week 3. ♦ Request a workshop: Come to the ESL Lab with a small group of classmates who are experiencing the same difficulties you are and ask the lab instructor or Instructional assistant for a brief workshop that will answer your questions. ♦ Form a Circle of Friends Reading Group (for independent learners who love great literature)     • Select a short novel by John Steinbeck (one you haven't read) to read with your group: Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat, Of Mice & Men, or The Pearl.     • To help with understanding the elements of the novel, read the SparkNotes for the novel (the links above) to comprehend the Context, Plot, Characters, and Themes & Symbols.     • Set a schedule and meet weekly with your group members. Decide how many chapters to cover during each meeting.     • Read the designated chapter(s) and each group member will write 3 to 5 discussion questions on each chapter to bring to the meeting. Try to formulate at least one question for each chapter that relates to one of the literary elements you read about (context, plot development, characterization, themes and symbols).     • Each time you meet, choose a group leader to lead the discussion. Discuss the questions presented.     • After you finish the novel, print off the Study Questions and the Review Quiz for the novel you read (in Sparknotes linked to titles above). During your last meeting answer the questions and take the quiz together, sharing and justifying your answers. ♦ Other books you may wish to read (or recommend another title to your friends):     • Farewell to Manzanar   Background information and discussion questions     • To Kill a Mockingbird   Chapter-by-chapter questions and Vocabulary and Allusions.     • This Boy's Life   Follow the same directions for the Steinbeck novels above. ♦ Research and Text Citation     • OWL. Complete site map for the Online Writing Lab at Purdue. Sections include The writing Process, Academic Writing, Common Writing Assignments, Mechanics, Grammar, Punctuation, and Research and Citation. GED and ESL resources are under Writing Lab Engagement Resources.     • A Guide to Writing Research Papers Based on MLA Documentation: Use the menu bar on the left.     • Research and Documentation: Diana Hacker's Guide to Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age.     • Assembling a List of Works Cited in your Paper: A complete guide for citing sources.     • The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: Topics are listed across the top of the page. ♦ Sample Research papers with instructional notations     • Sample 1     • Sample 2 ♦ Additional Online Practice     • Real Writing with Readings: Online student resources for the textbook.     • Evaluation check list for essay writing     • TWE Topics: A list of TOEFL writing topics for the TWE exam.     • Edit Grid on San Jose Writes. Learn to avoid common errors. Open the teacher icon by a topic of interest.     • www.eslstation.net  Select a skill to practice:         • Reading         • Writing         • Grammar         • Vocabulary / Master the Academic Word List, sublists 9 and 10. Please Note: When studying online at home, keep track of your time on the lab timesheet and turn it in each time you have completed 4 hours. The last day to turn in a time sheet is 2:00 P.M. Friday of the 15th week (the week before final exams). Check your Moodle page often. This is where your course instructor will post your course assignments and information.