NROC Developmental English—An Integrated Program
Instructor Guide: Unit 1
Unit 1: Introduction to College Reading and Writing
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................2
LEARNING OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................2
FOUNDATIONS ALIGNED WITH UNIT 1 .....................................................................2
NECESSARY BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE .............................................................3
ABOUT THE READING ASSIGNMENT ...........................................................................3
READING SELECTION .................................................................................................3
INSIGHT INTO THE READING SELECTION................................................................3
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT FOR “THE PENNY DEBATE” .......................................4
TIPS............................................................................................................................... 4
ENRICHMENT...............................................................................................................6
INTEGRATING GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE (GPU)...............................6
INSIGHT INTO THE UNIT GPU FOUNDATIONS .........................................................6
TIPS............................................................................................................................... 6
ENRICHMENT...............................................................................................................9
ABOUT THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT ..........................................................................10
WRITING ASSIGNMENT ............................................................................................10
INSIGHT INTO THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT ...........................................................10
UNIT 1 WRITING ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................11
TIPS............................................................................................................................. 12
ENRICHMENT.............................................................................................................13
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS ........................................................................14
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES ...........................................................................................14
ACCESSIBILITY .............................................................................................................16
CLOSED CAPTIONS...................................................................................................16
SCREEN READERS ...................................................................................................16
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES .......................................................................................17
UNIT ASSESSMENT SAMPLE ANSWERS AND SCORING GUIDES..........................17
UNIT 1, FORM A, CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE........................................................17
UNIT 1, FORM B, CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE........................................................18
UNIT 1, ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTIONS ...........................19
SCORING GUIDES .....................................................................................................21
MEMBER SUGGESTED SUPPLEMENTS .....................................................................22
JOIN THE COMMUNITY .................................................................................................22
Developed by The NROC Project. Copyright ©2014 Monterey Institute for Technology and Education
Introduction
The focus of this unit is a basic Introduction to the key concepts of college reading and
writing: understanding and applying reading/writing strategies; reading critically to
determine what is being said, how it’s stated and whether or not it’s effective; and
understanding how being a critical reader informs writing. Students will also recognize
the role of facts and opinions as they read, and determine the best uses of these
concepts as they write.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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Identify the author of a reading.
Identify the author’s intended audience.
Identify the author’s intended purpose.
Identify the topic sentence in a paragraph.
Develop an effective topic sentence.
Recognize the difference between stated facts and opinions in a reading.
Use answers from seven key questions to write a one-paragraph response that
reflects an understanding and personal opinion of a reading.
Revise, edit, and proofread your writing to make it more effective.
Identify the subject and main verb in a sentence.
Use prepositional phrases in a sentence.
Identify the correct end punctuation to use in a sentence.
Use context clues to define unknown vocabulary in a reading.
Use word parts to define unknown vocabulary in a reading.
Essential College Skills: Timeliness and Punctuality
FOUNDATIONS ALIGNED WITH UNIT 1
You can locate the Foundations for each unit by clicking on the “Resources” button in
the top right-hand corner of the screen. We have also provided this separate list of links
for the Unit 1 Foundations:
Author, Audience,
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
and Purpose
Foundations/author-audience-and-purpose.html
Responding to a
Reading
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/topic-sentences.html
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/fact-and-opinion.html
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/responding-to-a-reading.html
Revising, Editing,
and Proofreading
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/revising-editing-and-proofreading.html
Subjects and Verbs
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Topic Sentences
Fact and Opinion
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Prepositional
Phrases
Foundations/subjects-and-verbs.html
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/end-punctuation.html
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/prepositional-phrases.html
Using Context
Clues
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/using-context-clues.html
Identifying Word
Parts
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/identifying-word-parts.html
Essential College
Skills: Timeliness
and Punctuality
http://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit01/
Foundations/essential-college-skills-timeliness-andpunctuality.html
End Punctuation
NECESSARY BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Review these concepts with students prior to starting this unit:
 Gaining computer access and navigating in an online environment
 General awareness of the relationships between readers, writers, and the text
 General understanding that texts have specific and unique writing goals
 General awareness of the writing process
About the Reading Assignment
READING SELECTION
“The Penny Debate,” by Brad Andrews
INSIGHT INTO THE READING SELECTION
Why it was chosen: “The Penny Debate” by Brad Andrews is a commissioned piece
that accomplishes one main objective: showing both sides of an issue in a balanced
manner but with enough evidence for students to form their own opinion about the topic
without additional research. Because it is commissioned, students will not be able to find
the article or the author through an Internet search. This may need an explanation for
those wanting additional information. The format and style for this reading represent a
news magazine article, so students should notice the simple but varied language, the
visual presentation of the piece, and the typical purpose and subsequent style of an
article written for a news magazine.
Reading difficulty: This piece represents a fairly simple, conversational presentation of
the current penny debate. The vocabulary term list is a preemptive reference tool that
can be used throughout each of the reading stages. To aid comprehension, instructors
can supplement the unit with discussions about the pros and cons of discontinuing the
penny and how the author informs the audience about the issue. Use the following
guiding questions: Is Andrews truly unbiased? How can you tell? Does he devote equal
time to both sides of the argument? Is the evidence equally persuasive for both sides?
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VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT FOR “THE PENNY DEBATE”
Abraham Lincoln
arguments
charities
circulate
complex
Congress
consumers
debate
declines
distributing
economies
efficient
eliminating
exchange
familiarity
federal
financial
issuing
manufacturing
minting
opponents
phased out
piggy banks
proverbs
resources
retire
rounding
sentimental
tradition
Treasury
TIPS
If students have difficulty recognizing facts and opinions:
 Find quotes by popular culture figures and decide as a group if they are facts or
opinions (could be offered individually online).
 Provide additional writing-sample paragraphs and have students work in pairs or
small groups to identify the facts and opinions.
If students have trouble with vocabulary:
 Review the terms together before pre-reading.
 Play quiz games with the students post-reading.
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Divide the terms equally among several small groups and ask students to
discuss the terms and/or apply them to a different context. This can include
making a visual representation of the assigned word(s).
If students struggle with the reading:
 Sit with the students as they complete the reading and discuss how to approach
and process the text.
 Have students discuss their reactions in pairs or small groups before moving
onto the next reading stage. Ask students to respond to reading prompts, such
as: “I noticed that…”, “I want to know more about this…”, or have students ask
each other “How did you approach this part of the task (pre, during or post
reading)…”.
 Find a short reading (could be one paragraph in length) and duplicate the
process before moving on to the writing assignment.
 Continue to offer guided practice until concepts are closer to mastery.
Helping students connect reading and writing:
 Before beginning the pre-reading presentation, model the My Journal feature
together in class and show how it collects the students’ work as they move
through the process.
 During post-reading, ask students (in class or in an online discussion group) how
the author might have prepared for writing this text. What were his goals? How
did they affect his process? What did he do well? What choices did he make in
order to write those sections effectively?
 Point out that the students will move to a writing assignment, during which they
will consider similar questions and anticipate the needs of their own readers. As
with reading, writing is a process that they will break down into manageable
segments, just as Andrews did when he wrote this text.
Tips for Teaching English Language Learners
Roots/suffixes/prefixes: The focus on word roots, suffixes, and prefixes is
tremendously helpful in building the vocabulary of English language learners.
Instructors are encouraged to spend additional time on this section with ELLs and to
supplement with additional practice as needed. (Online practices are widely
available.)
Cultural knowledge and background information: Students who have lived in the
U.S. for a period of time will not need an introduction to the penny. Students newer to
the U.S. could benefit from making connections to a similarly small-valued currency
in their home countries. Instructors can ask students what the smallest coin
denomination was, and how much buying power it had. Likewise, all of the students
in the class can be asked if they have ever bought anything for a penny, what their
smallest purchase has been here, etc.
Comprehension and text organization: The text is organized to include reasons
for keeping the penny and for discontinuing its use. As a class, make lists of the
arguments for both sides. Identify the transition words (also, in addition, as well, etc.)
that introduce each new argument. Remind students that when they write, they will
need to use transitions to signal a new idea.
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ENRICHMENT
Suggested activities
 Instructors can find another article about an opinion that the class chooses to
explore and work with it as additional practice. We do not recommend replacing
the reading, despite perceived student struggle, because a little struggle with
appropriate support leads to growth. Refer to sites such as
http://www.debate.org* or http://www.procon.org* to find suitable options.
 Find an additional well-balanced article on the penny debate issue, and ask
students to compare the two articles in terms of format, strategy, style, evidence
usage, etc. Ask students to consider which is more effective and why. This can
be done individually in class or online, in pairs, in groups, or in a whole class
discussion.
 Show students an additional article on the same topic that presents both sides of
the issue in a much more opinioned way, such as “The American Penny: How It’s
Stuck Around All These Years”; http://money.usnews.com/money/personalfinance/articles/2013/02/14/the-american-penny-how-its-managed-to-stickaround-all-these-years?page=2*). Have students note where the opinionated
author’s feelings about the issue surface, how those feelings appear when they
do surface, and what the effects of these statements are (overall and for that
point).
 In pairs, small groups, or individually, ask students to go back into the original
text and decide:
o Where the author’s opinion would appear if it were included?
o How would the presence of an opinion affect the text or their reading of it?
Integrating Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage (GPU)
INSIGHT INTO THE UNIT GPU FOUNDATIONS
The three Foundations for this unit integrate basic sentence skills for students by
focusing on the correct punctuation to end a sentence, the essential components of a
sentence, and how sentences start to become more complex with the addition of
prepositional phrases.
GPU Foundations
 End Punctuation
 Subjects and Verbs
 Prepositional Phrases
You can locate the GPU Foundations for each unit by clicking on the “Resources” button
in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
TIPS
End Punctuation:
End punctuation can seem like an obvious concept to students – meaning that they
know what a period, question mark, and exclamation point are – but they often confuse
the way they write when texting with the traditional rules of Standard Written English.
This lesson helps students understand the relationship between the words that express
their ideas and the punctuation used to make those ideas clear to others who read their
writing.
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The Grammar, Punctuation, Usage feature in the Active Reader shows students how
end punctuation is used throughout the reading and also gives them non-examples of
ellipses and dashes, which can be confused as end punctuation. Guide students to the
Foundation before exploring this lens, since the Grammar, Punctuation, Usage minilessons build on the content in that lesson.
Tips for Teaching English Language Learners
The presentation of end punctuation (the period, question mark and exclamation
mark) in Unit 1 will likely be clear to most English language learners. A potential
trouble spot can occur when students place the punctuation mark at the beginning of
a line of writing instead of the end. Some students who are new to the U.S. or the
English language need to be explicitly told about the “ragged right” margins and that
the end punctuation stays with the sentence and is never separated by a line. This
will generally not be a problem in word processing environments.
Subjects and Verbs:
Subjects and verbs can be confusing to many students since they seem to hide in many
of the sentences they use every day. Statements beginning with “there is/there are”
present such challenges as do commands like, “Don’t assume these first lessons will be
easy.” The lesson introduces subjects and verbs, which are the core of all sentences,
without going to into the great depths that are required for complete understanding of
how subjects and verbs work in all instances in Standard Written English. The point of
this introductory lesson is to get students to start recognizing the necessary elements of
a complete sentence and how they appear in written form.
In the Grammar, Punctuation, Usage lens, learners are presented with the basic rule that
“every sentence needs at least one subject and one verb,” and are shown typical
examples in the reading where the subject or verb may appear to hide. Going through
this lens will introduce the learner to looking at the underlying structure of the written
word, helping them decode how the English language works in a much more explicit
way.
Tips for Teaching English Language Learners
The general information about subjects and verbs given above will work well for most
ELLs. In addition, consider the following:
 Instructors could encounter English language learners who, depending upon their
first language, might omit subjects in sentences with be verbs. Examples are, “Is
a nice day today,” or “Is a factor in my decision.” Instructors can remind English
language learners that it is an important rule in English to have both a subject
and a verb.” (In fact, it is such an important rule that in the sentence “It is a factor
in my decision, it is actually a “dummy subject”—a placeholder subject. The true
subject of the sentence is factor, and the verb, is.)
 In many languages, unlike English, it is permissible to have a double subject:
“My brother he is an engineer.” If you notice ELLs in your class who transfer this
pattern to their writing in English, you can share the reminder phrase: “No double
subjects in English,” or something similar.
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Prepositional Phrases:
This lesson is included in the first unit because most sentences include additional
information beyond the subject and verb. Students use prepositional phrases throughout
their everyday conversation, so being prompted to create them in their writing is not as
challenging as creating other types of phrases or clauses. This allows the students to
create more robust simple sentences.
Tips for Teaching English Language Learners
Prepositions are challenging for English language learners. English contains a great
number of prepositions, and prepositions in the first language might not correlate to
English. (For example, the common English prepositions “of” and “from” are
represented by only one word in many other languages.)
The general focus in this lesson—the importance of adding prepositional phrases to
writing for greater precision and interest—will likely be clear to most ELLs. However,
learning to use prepositions correctly is a years-long process, and even advanced
students will frequently make preposition errors in their writing.
General patterns for prepositions of time and place: Many instructors use an
“In/On/At” pyramid to help ELLs generalize the broad-to-narrow contexts for these
three prepositions in situations of time and place. Doing a web search for
“preposition pyramid” will yield several examples, as well as other styles of graphic
organizers and charts. Instructors can replicate these on the board, or students could
create their own reference chart, using personally meaningful locations and times.
Online preposition resources for students: Students can be encouraged to use
an online dictionary to check verb + preposition or adjective + preposition
combinations as they write; the example sentences in the dictionaries often show the
prepositions used in context. For example, students might be writing about a favorite
recipe and use the verb “sprinkle.” A learner’s dictionary, for example the Longman
Dictionary of Contemporary English online (http://www.ldoceonline.com/), will show
the prepositions that go with “sprinkle” (with, over, on). Beyond a definition, a
learner’s dictionary provides information needed to use a word correctly in context.
Additional work with prepositional phrases: If ELL students in class are having
difficulty with prepositional phrases, instructors might wish to go to a language arts
website such as IXL (http://www.ixl.com/ela/topics) and do a topic search for
prepositions to have additional in-class group presentation and practice, perhaps
with a computer and projector. (A membership is not needed for single use at the
time of this writing.) Beginning with the highest level, 8th grade, is recommended, but
the materials are graded and include simpler examples, if needed.
In the Grammar, Punctuation, Usage lens, learners are shown how prepositional
phrases are used in the unit reading to add information about the subject and/or other
nouns in the sentences.
The video Writing Workshop 2 (in the Writing Center) offers more instruction on all of the
grammar topics in this unit. Students are shown how to find and correct errors with end
punctuation and subjects and verbs. Students are also instructed to look for places to
add prepositional phrases in their own writing and in the writing of their peers. Adding
more information to a piece of writing, such as prepositional phrases, is typically
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enjoyable for students. In contrast, students are generally reticent about giving
grammatical advice to others, so prepare them for this by practicing in class with a
sample text full of errors. The sample student writing can be used in this regard or an
instructor-generated text can be developed to target specific needs. You can view the
Student Writing Sample by clicking on the “Resources” button in the top right-hand
corner of the screen. The sample is listed under “Unit Resources.”
As a final exercise, students should be instructed to view the Grammar in Context video
presentation (located in the Resources for the unit) before editing and proofreading their
essay. The video presentation addresses all three topics in order to help students during
the editing and proofreading stages of essay development. A good strategy would be to
have students watch the video and immediately begin editing and proofreading their final
response paragraph.
ENRICHMENT
Suggested Activities
 Have students complete the Grammar in Context lens and the Foundation
lessons as a coordinated assignment, tasking students with reading the first two
sections of the Foundation lessons (Lesson & Example), reviewing the unit
reading using the Grammar, Punctuation, Usage lens, and then completing the
Your Turn exercises in the Foundation lessons.
 Create a worksheet using a portion of the reading that has all of the end
punctuation removed. Have students insert correct end punctuation.
 Print out the sample student writing draft and have students work on correcting
end punctuation errors in pairs or small groups, either online or face-to-face.
Once complete, students should promptly move to looking at their writing or the
writing of their peers.
 Create a unique piece of writing that contains end punctuation errors typical to
the students at your college and have them do the same activity as above.
 Do a variation on the earlier activity by asking students to create versions of their
response paragraphs that have all of the punctuation removed. Have students
exchange papers and insert punctuation as they see fit. (To work on subjects and
verbs, have students exchange papers with a different student (not the original
writer), and identify the subjects and verbs in every sentence. Return papers to
original writers and have them revise it.)
 Have students play Mad Libs as a warm-up exercise for the first few weeks of
class. These can be found for free on multiple websites like
http://www.madglibs.com*.
 Have students create as many prepositional phrases as they can and then have
them separate the phrases into three categories: Time (when), Location (where),
Other. Modify a section of the reading by removing all prepositional phrases and
creating mostly basic simple sentences. Have students add as many
prepositional phrases as they can to make all of the sentences more robust.
 Have students edit the end of “1/3, 1/3, 1/3” by Richard Brautigan
(http://roominate.com/pdfs/Richard_Brautigan_One-Third.pdf*). It is a story
written phonetically, and correcting both spelling and grammar create a great
warm-up activity for editing. This exercise could be used in Unit 2, Unit 3, or Unit
4 instead of Unit 1.
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About the Writing Assignment
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Write a one-paragraph response that reflects a personal opinion about “The Penny
Debate.”
INSIGHT INTO THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Why it was chosen: This particular writing assignment represents a good starting place
for college writing because it asks students to form and support an opinion in response
to something they have read or experienced. It is also a common assignment in general
education classes for gauging homework reading completion, comprehension, and
engagement. This assignment is one-paragraph in length, so students can devote their
attention to forming an opinion, stating that opinion well, and substantiating that opinion
with proof + analysis. Students tend to be great at stating their opinion and even
providing support, but they often don’t understand the importance of substantiating that
opinion with reasoning.
Task difficulty: A one-paragraph response can be a typical and manageable task to ask
of students, so the challenges students experience should be related to going “deep
enough” and supporting their evidence and its connection back to the opinion with
convincing reasoning.
Rubric: The following rubric can be used to score a student’s response using five
separate categories. Each of these five categories will be rated as Proficient,
Developing, or Needs Improvement.
Proficient means a student has met the standards of an effective response. Developing
means a student has partially met the standards of a response, but it needs some
revision. Needs Improvement means the student did not meet the standards of a
response.
RESPONSE PARAGRAPH
Proficient
Developing
Introductory
Sentence
Topic Sentence
Supporting Ideas
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Clearly states the
title, topic, author,
and author’s
purpose expressed
in the reading.
Clearly states your
opinion of the issue
expressed in the
reading.
Uses examples and
further develops a
personal opinion of
the reading’s issue.
States some
information about
the reading and
partially identifies
the topic.
States an opinion of
the issue, but it’s
not clear if it’s yours
or the author’s.
Partially uses
examples and
develops support
for a personal
opinion.
Needs
Improvement
Does not include
information about or
ideas from the
reading.
Does not include an
opinion of the issue
expressed in the
reading.
Does not develop or
provide examples
for a personal
opinion.
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Concluding
Sentence
Clearly makes a
final, interesting
statement on the
issue.
Grammar &
Punctuation
Paragraph contains
sentences with
correct subject-verb
agreement and has
few or no
prepositional phrase
or end punctuation
errors.
Attempts to wrap-up
the issue with a
moderately
interesting final
statement.
Paragraph contains
some subject-verb
issues and/or some
prepositional phrase
and end
punctuation
problems.
No concluding
sentence is present.
A lack of editing
distracts the reader,
making the
paragraph feel like a
rough draft.
UNIT 1 WRITING ACTIVITIES
Pre-Reading:
 Reading Overview: Characteristics of Magazine Writing
List three characteristics, or features, of The Penny Debate that help to identify it
as a magazine-style article.
 Preview: Scanning The Penny Debate
We just learned there are two sides to The Penny Debate with major points on
one side of the debate detailing financial arguments and the other side of the
debate discussing sentimental arguments. Identify which side of The Penny
Debate you think will most influence you, and briefly explain why you chose this
side.
 Connect to the Reading: Freewrite
Write down all the feelings, thoughts, or ideas you have about the penny. Ignore
spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Brainstorm about the penny and record your
thoughts.
 Make Predictions and Ask Questions: Predictions and Questions
o List one prediction about what you think the author might state in The
Penny Debate.
o List one question you have about the reading selection.
Post-Reading:
 Review: Understanding the Debate
When reading an article, it is important to note the difference between facts and
opinions.
o List one FACT found in The Penny Debate.
o List one OPINION found in The Penny Debate.
 Discuss: Author’s Purpose and Audience
o Make a list of the points on each side of the debate. What are two
arguments for keeping the penny?
o What are two arguments for eliminating the penny?
 Reflect: Freewrite
Now that you’ve had a chance to read, review, and reflect on The Penny Debate,
record your thoughts and feelings about whether to keep or eliminate the penny.
Remember to focus on content rather than grammar or mechanics.
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Pre-Writing:
 Understand the Assignment: Response
List at least five key features needed in a response essay.
 Generate Ideas: 10 Key Ideas
List ten ideas that you could include in your response assignment. These ideas
could be reasons that support your position on keeping or eliminating the penny,
personal examples from your experience, and answers to questions that you ask
yourself about the penny.
 Organize Ideas: Best Ideas and Main Idea
o Look at the 10 Key Ideas that you generated and saved in My Journal.
From this list of ideas, list the top four ideas. These should be the
strongest points from your list.
o From the list of your top four ideas, consider which of these ideas is the
most important, or Main Idea.
TIPS
Helping students connect reading and writing:
 Prior to beginning the writing assignment, ask students (in class or in an online
discussion group) how the author might have prepared for writing this text. What
were his goals? How did they affect his process? What did he do well? What
choices did he make in order to write those sections effectively? If you already
discussed these questions in post-reading, review them briefly.
 Point out that the students now face their own writing task, during which they will
consider similar questions and anticipate the needs of their reader. As with
reading, writing is a process that they will break down into manageable
segments, just as Andrews did when he wrote his text.
 Remind students to make use of the My Journal feature. Review their responses
to the writing prompts together in class or online, and reinforce the value of using
the reading process to inform the writing process.
 Remind students that the subject of their writing is the same as Andrew’s article,
so all of the responses and questions they have will be ones their readers have
as they read their final draft. The reading informs the writing and the writing is a
reaction to the reading.
If students have difficulty:
The unit walks students through each aspect of full paragraph development, but they
often need further practice and/or prodding with telling what the point they just stated
means (why is their evidence valid/convincing?) and why the reader should care about it
(“so what?”). Students sometimes need help stating a clear opinion or topic sentence,
but going through each phase of the writing process can help them finesse their opinion
and provide the support to justify it. Instructors may need to observe or intervene,
especially during the first draft review in the Writing Center. If students need additional
support, break the task down into stages and ask students to show their work before
moving to the next section of the presentation.
Additionally, some students have trouble staying on topic, but the task’s length (one
paragraph) should help avoid this issue. Remind students about the importance of
supporting their original point rather than one that might be related tangentially. If
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students seem to digress, instructors may implement more review checks in the process
to check for coherency.
Students who experience challenges with this task need someone to help them through
the process. This can be accomplished through peer or guided work, as long as the
instructor observes all interactions and steps in the writing process. Instructors can also
ask students to complete individual portions of the writing assignment (topic sentences,
evidence, reasoning, etc.) and provide feedback along the way. For students who
managed this process but might have trouble transferring their new strategies to future
tasks, create a similar writing prompt (ex. pick a current event and ask students to write
a one-paragraph response showing and supporting their opinion of the topic) and ask
students to repeat the process until confidence and/or mastery is achieved.
Tips for Teaching English Language Learners
Developing Writing
 The tips above are useful for English language learners. If students have
difficulty producing logical reasons to support their topic sentence, encourage
them to ask themselves if they can put the word “because” in front of their
supporting statements: if the statements are logical, then they likely have
acceptable reasons. This technique can also be presented at the beginning of
the assignment.
 To model and practice paragraph development, in addition to the activities below,
instructors can provide a “naked paragraph” containing only a topic sentence and
three major supporting details. (These are relatively easy to create, with obvious
topic sentences such as “Americans are out of shape for several reasons.”)
Instructors can add 3 complete sentences as major details, taking the cognitive
load away from the students so that they can focus on the minor details. As a
class or individually, students can provide relevant and appropriate minor details
(specific examples and explanations) for the major details, building skills and
familiarity with this process. Writing conventions in other languages do not
always value specific details; public praise for students who are able to
successfully add interesting and specific details—(vs. criticism of overly-general
writing)—can establish expectations in a positive way.
ENRICHMENT
Optional activities:
 For students needing additional practice, pick a current-events topic and ask
students to provide a supported response. In other words, duplicate the writing
task as often as necessary to ensure mastery of the concepts before moving on.
As long as the topic changes, students won’t object if they are unsure of their
abilities to complete the assignment and the task seems different.
 Have students work in groups (online or in class) to develop each phase of the
writing assignment progressively and collaboratively. One student starts the topic
by creating the topic sentence, and then passes his/her work to the next student
who must convincingly add the next component of the paragraph (the evidence).
This continues until each aspect of the paragraph is complete. Each group
member must then evaluate the strength of and connection between each
component to see if it “fits” and “advances” the intent of the original opinion. Each
member can come up with a topic sentence and send it around the group, giving
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

each student a continuous task as well as the chance to create and support the
group’s work and develop different skills.
Create a poorly written example of the writing task and give it to the students to
evaluate, diagnosis, and fix. This can also be offered online.
Provide student work models, either real or simulated, and ask students to grade
and/or rank each response (in class or online). Students must be able to defend
their choices according to the rubric.
Common Core State Standards
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Once your students have completed Unit 1: Introduction to College Reading and Writing,
you can continue teaching with these extension activities. These activities build upon the
skills learned in the unit and correlate with the reading selections. The material is
designed to assist in addressing Common Core State Standards. The content is
organized by grade level to mirror the organization of the standards.
Grades 9-10 students:
1. Conduct a classroom penny debate. To begin, create small teams or pairs to use
the SPAR (or similar) format. Click here to learn more about the SPAR format*.
SPAR debates do not require outside research, so debaters would need to rely
only on the reading selection in the unit, “The Penny Debate.” Debaters have five
minutes to prepare after being given a side, pro or con. The debate follows this
format: affirmative opening speech (90 seconds), cross-examination (60
seconds), negative opening speech (90 seconds), cross-examination (60
seconds), affirmative closing (45 seconds), negative closing (45 seconds).
2. Ask students to present the paragraphs they completed in the Writing Center to
the class or in small groups. Peers can flow the argument, which essentially
means that they track the main claim and evidence for the argument, and have a
short time for questions and responses to the paragraphs at the end of each
presentation.
3. Select a short piece of fiction on a related topic. Examine it using the same prereading, active reading, and post-reading strategies presented in the unit. As
students:
 if strategies used to analyze “The Penny Debate” (pre-reading: reading
overview, preview, connect to the reading, make predictions and ask
questions; post-reading: review, discuss reflect) would also work to
analyze the fiction reading selection.
 to determine the theme of the fiction reading and how it emerges.
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
to discuss how fiction and non-fiction differ (focus student discussion
specifically on the reading selection “The Penny Debate” and the fiction
piece you selected for students to read).
For texts that would fit nicely with “The Penny Debate,” we suggest Alice
Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”.*
Grades 11-12 students:
1. Ask students to research and locate an additional article or video for the penny
debate. Once they have identified the extra source, ask students to analyze the
article or video to identify the central idea and prepare to discuss that idea in
class; prepare an objective summary of the text or video; discuss how the idea is
shaped by specific details; and analyze the source for any inferences in the text.
2. Read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. After completing the novel,
students will work in groups to create a final project—a presentation using
various forms of media and technology in which they examine the following
questions:
●
●
●
Evaluate two or more themes in the novel and evaluate how they develop
over the course of the text. How do they build on one another? Discuss
how other literary elements create the theme.
The reader learns the truth about Jay Gatsby's past through flashbacks.
This makes the story move from the present to the past several times.
Why do you believe the author, Fitzgerald, chose this writing technique
instead of writing the story in sequential order? How does this impact the
novel? As a reader, do you believe this decision was effective? Why or
why not?
The narrator Nick claims to be the most honest person he has ever met.
Jordan states that Nick is a dishonest person. Using evidence from the
text, evaluate whether Nick is or is not an honest person.
3. Study “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
●
●
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Read the poem and discuss with the class why they believe Richard Cory
committed suicide. The students should formulate a rationale using
evidence from the poem, and evaluating where the text leaves matters
uncertain.
Listen to “Richard Cory” by Simon and Garfunkel, providing a copy of the
lyrics to the students. Discuss with the class how the lyrics of the song
vary from the original poem. Direct students to use evidence to answer
the following questions: What creative liberties did the artist take when
writing the song? How do these changes impact the audience’s
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understanding of the poem? What are the similarities and differences
between the two pieces? After the class discussion, have students write a
personal summary answering the previously stated questions.
Accessibility
CLOSED CAPTIONS
All of the videos in NROC English include Closed Captions (CC)—text versions of what
is being spoken. To access the Closed Captions, click on the CC button in the controller
bar for each video.
Once you click the CC button, the captions will open to the right of the video and will
automatically advance as the video progresses.
To close the captions window, click the CC button again.
SCREEN READERS
The NROC English Unit Player has been designed for use with screen readers. We have
provided an Accessibility Guide, which you can share with anyone who will be
using NROC English with a screen reader. You can also put the link to this accessibility
guide directly into your course:
http://gradeservice.montereyinstitute.org/courses/DevelopmentalEnglish/files/Accessibilit
y.html
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We have also provided a video that demonstrates how to use the NROC English Unit
Player with a screen reader. The demonstration video can be accessed from the
Accessibility Guide or directly at this URL: https://player.vimeo.com/video/132236450
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
We have also provided an alternate form of two Active Reader lenses since they are not
implemented for a screen reader:

Grammar, Punctuation, Usage lens:
http://gradeservice.montereyinstitute.org/courses/DevelopmentalEnglish/files/U01GPU.ht
ml

Vocabulary lens:
http://gradeservice.montereyinstitute.org/courses/DevelopmentalEnglish/files/U01Vocab.
html
Unit Assessment Sample Answers and Scoring Guides
For each of the constructed response questions (short answer) in the Unit Assessment,
we provide you with a suggested point value, sample answer, and scoring guide (below).
UNIT 1, FORM A, CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE
Question 19
Learning Objective Use prepositional phrases in a sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this sentence.
The protesters were concerned about traffic congestion.
Revise the sentence using prepositional phrases to make it
more descriptive.
Sample Answer:
The protesters at City Hall were concerned about traffic
congestion around their neighborhood.
Question 20
Learning Objective Develop an effective topic sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this paragraph, which is missing a topic sentence.
It is the story of a boy who conquers his fear with the help of a
deaf dog. This independent film doesn’t have any major stars,
but it deserves to be a box office hit. The writing,
cinematography, and acting are superb. Find Your Way Home is
the second film from director Ahmed Rahman. His first effort,
Dust, also received critical acclaim.
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Write an effective topic sentence for this paragraph.
Sample Answer:
The movie Find Your Way Home is a must-see.
Or
Director Ahmed Rahman has scored another hit with the film
Find Your Way Home.
UNIT 1, FORM B, CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE
Question 19
Learning Objective Use prepositional phrases in a sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this sentence.
Susan was late.
Sample Answer:
Revise the sentence using prepositional phrases to make it
more descriptive.
Susan was late for the class in the auditorium.
Question 20
Learning Objective Develop an effective topic sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this paragraph, which is missing a topic sentence.
It is the story of a boy who conquers his fear with the help of a
deaf dog. This independent film doesn’t have any major stars,
but it deserves to be a box office hit. The writing,
cinematography, and acting are superb. Find Your Way Home is
the second film from director Ahmed Rahman. His first effort,
Dust, also received critical acclaim.
Write an effective topic sentence for this paragraph.
Sample Answer:
The movie Find Your Way Home is a must-see.
Or
Director Ahmed Rahman has scored another hit with the film
Find Your Way Home.
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UNIT 1, ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTIONS
These questions are not included in the course itself, but are included here for your use.
Learning Objective Develop an effective topic sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this paragraph, which is missing a topic sentence.
The top two ice cream makers had combined sales of over
$950 million in 2013. Ice cream is so popular that in 1984,
President Ronald Reagan designated the month of July as
National Ice Cream Month. July is traditionally a hot month,
and during the summer, ice cream sales soar.
Write an effective topic sentence for this paragraph.
Sample Answer(s): Ice cream is big business in America.
Or
Ice cream is very popular in the United States.
Learning Objective Develop an effective topic sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this paragraph, which is missing a topic sentence.
According to the “rare Earth hypothesis,” conditions on our
planet are unique, and the possibility of similar conditions
being found on another planet is close to zero. There is a flaw
in this thinking; the theory takes for granted that life requires
conditions identical to those on Earth. If life on other planets
exists, it may be completely different from what we find
around us.
Write an effective topic sentence for this paragraph.
Sample Answer:
The theory that there is no life on any planet except Earth
could be wrong.
Or
If you support the “rare Earth hypothesis,” then you believe we
won’t find life on other planets.
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Learning Objective Develop an effective topic sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this paragraph, which is missing a topic sentence.
Minor issues are bugs, like mosquitos and ants. The pesky
insects can drive campers to the nearest hotel. If there are
bears around, take extreme care with food and food packaging.
If food is stored inside a tent, the tent must never be left open.
When hiking, a camper must be careful where he or she steps.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are
between seven and eight thousand people per year who are
bitten by venomous snakes.
Write an effective topic sentence for this paragraph.
Sample Answer:
Camping can be a dangerous pastime.
Or
As a camper, you may experience dangerous encounters with
nature.
Learning Objective Use prepositional phrases in a sentence.
text
Point Value
2
Prompt
Read this sentence.
They texted their friends.
Revise the sentence using prepositional phrases to make it
more descriptive.
Sample Answer:
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They texted their friends about the new movie at the theater.
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SCORING GUIDES
The following scoring guides are provided as a guide for scoring answers to the Unit 1
Constructed Response questions.
Topic Sentence Scoring Guide
Learning Objective: Develop an effective topic sentence.
CATEGORY
Content:
FOCUS ON
TOPIC
2
1
NS/0
There is one clear, wellfocused topic. The
sentence previews the
information and/or
structure of the
paragraph.
One or more topics may
have been introduced in
the topic sentence. The
sentence does not
adequately or clearly
preview the information
or structure of the
paragraph.
The topic is not clear.
There is a seemingly
random collection of
information. The student
may not have completed
the task.
CONVENTIONS
Exhibits REASONABLE
CONTROL of grammatical
conventions appropriate
to the writing task:
sentence formation;
standard usage including
agreement, tense, and
case; and mechanics
including use of
capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling.
Content: STYLE
- Vocabulary
Exhibits skillful use of
vocabulary that is precise
and purposeful.
Exhibits MINIMAL
CONTROL of grammatical
conventions appropriate
to the writing task:
sentence formation;
standard usage including
agreement, tense, and
case; and mechanics
including use of
capitalization,
punctuation, and
spelling.
Exhibits minimal use of
vocabulary that is precise
and purposeful.
Illegible or otherwise
unscorable: blank
responses, restatements
of the prompt, responses
that are off-topic or
incoherent.
LACKS CONTROL of
grammatical
conventions appropriate
to the writing task:
sentence formation;
standard usage
including agreement,
tense, and case; and
mechanics including use
of capitalization,
punctuation, and
spelling.
Illegible or otherwise
unscorable: blank
responses, restatements
of the prompt, responses
that are off-topic or
incoherent.
Prepositional Phrases Scoring Guide
Learning Objective: Use prepositional phrases in a sentence.
CATEGORY
Convention:
SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
(insert correct
prepositional
phrases into a
sentence)
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2
1
NS/0
The sentence is wellconstructed and uses an
appropriate prepositional
phrase to complete the
structure of the sentence.
The sentence contains a
prepositional phrase,
although the phrase may
not be the appropriate
phrase for the sentence.
The student did not
include a prepositional
phrase. Student did not
follow directions or did
not complete the task.
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CONVENTIONS
Writer makes no errors in
conventions that distract
the reader from the
content: sentence
formation; standard
usage including
agreement, tense, and
case; and mechanics
including use of
capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling.
Writer makes 1 or 2 minor
errors in conventions
appropriate to the task
that distract the reader
from the content:
sentence formation;
standard usage including
agreement, tense, and
case; and mechanics
including use of
capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling.
Writer makes multiple
errors in conventions
appropriate to the task
that distract the reader
from the content:
sentence formation;
standard usage
including agreement,
tense, and case; and
mechanics including use
of capitalization,
punctuation, and
spelling.
Member Suggested Supplements
We encourage our members to share teaching ideas, as well as any additional
resources they create to pair with NROC English. To find materials other members have
donated, go to The NROC Network and select “Professional Development”.
http://www.nrocnetwork.org/professional-development
Additional member-suggested resources to use with Unit 1 include:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5UT04p5f7U*
Please email [email protected] if you would like to contribute resources or
suggestions for this Instructor Guide.
Join the Community
We recommend that all instructors join the NROC English group at the NROC
Community so they have access to all updates and notices about the English course.
The NROC Community is a user community of teachers and administrators who want to
learn, share ideas, help each other, and work together to improve educational
opportunities for everyone. We encourage all members to actively participate and
support each other through posts in the Community.
*Any links to non-NROC, third-party resources listed in this Instructor Guide may change
over time. We update the Instructor Guides annually and correct any broken links.
Developed by The NROC Project. Copyright ©2014 Monterey Institute for Technology and Education
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