This page includes aligned teaching resources for English Composition, including detailed instructor guides and instructional PowerPoints. Each resource has been designed with Lumen’s framework for Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in mind with a goal to support an active, engaged, and connected classroom.
JUMP TO: Visual Syllabus | Instructor Guides | PowerPoints | Discussions and Assignments
Question Banks for Midterms and Finals | Videos
Visual Syllabus
This visual syllabus is designed to help you convey warmth and connection from the start of class. It includes sample language to describe Lumen One.
Download a Sample Visual Syllabus – for digital [GoogleDocs]
Download a Sample Visual Syllabus – for print [GoogleDocs]
Customizing the Syllabus
To customize the visual syllabus with your own photo or avatar, make a copy of the Google doc to edit for yourself. Click on the photo and then click “Edit” to open the editor. Click on the photo and then click “Replace image” on the menu bar. If you do not see the “Replace image” button, follow this video tutorial to replace the image. Ensure that your new image is centered within the editor. You will see horizontal and vertical lines appear to help you center the image.
To change the pie chart that displays your grading scheme, make a copy of this Google sheet, edit it to reflect your percentages and graded items, copy the new pie chart from the sheet, and replace it on the syllabus. Once you have pasted your new pie chart onto your syllabus, click on the pie chart and set the formatting option to “wrap text” and for the image to “Move with text” so that you can position it to your liking.
Instructor Guides
Instructor Guides are provided for each module of the course. These contain an overview of what is covered in the course content, a summary of what students see on the Apply It pages, a list of learning outcomes, and at least 3 engaging in-class activities. These may include handouts, worksheets, videos, discussion questions, and additional suggested resources.
While every guide includes the learning outcomes pertinent to that module, you can also view a full list of course learning outcomes here: English Composition Detailed Learning Outcomes.
M1 Instructor Guide: Success Skills
M2 Instructor Guide: Reading Strategies
M3 Instructor Guide: Writing Essentials
M4 Instructor Guide: Writing in College
M5 Instructor Guide: Grammar Essentials
M6 Instructor Guide: The Writing Process
M7 Instructor Guide: Revising and Proofreading
M8 Instructor Guide: Analysis and Synthesis
M9 Instructor Guide: Academic Argument
M10 Instructor Guide: Finding and Evaluating Sources
M11 Instructor Guide: Using and Citing Sources
PowerPoint Presentations
These slide decks come populated with the learning outcomes, essential concepts, engaging activities, questions, and videos that you can use during class.
To make a copy in your own Google Drive, click the link, and sign in to your own Google account. Then click “File” to access the drop down menu and click “Make a copy.” If you do not have a Google account, click the link, click “File”, then click “Download” in your preferred format.
These slides contain notes and sometimes link to our Instructor Guides. If you share slide decks with your students but wish to leave out the notes or links, downloading a PDF version will result in a file that contains all the slides without the speaker notes.
M6 Slides: The Writing Process
M7 Slides: Revising and Proofreading
M8 Slides: Analysis and Synthesis
M10 Slides: Finding and Evaluating Sources
Discussions and Assignments
Each module of the course includes links to Google Docs that explain discussions and assignments connected to the module content. They each contain clear instructions and rubrics.
You have the option to create your own copy of the Google Doc for personalized instructions, or you can directly copy and paste the instructions and rubrics into your LMS tool. Many of these assignments could be utilized for a larger course project.
| Module | Discussion | Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Success Skills | Module 1 Discussion: What is Success?
Students will develop a 200-400 word post defining what success means to them in college and beyond. |
Module 1 Assignment: College Reflection
Students will reflect on and write about their expectations and experiences as college students. |
| Module 2: Reading Strategies | Module 2 Discussion: Reading Analysis and Summary
Select a reading from The Conversation website and answer questions about it. |
Module 2 Assignment: Annotating and Outlining
Students will write an annotation using an article from this Reading Anthology. |
| Module 3: Writing Essentials | Module 3 Discussion: Take a Stance
Students will pick a NYTimes prompt and take a stance on the issue, crafting arguments and evaluating their peers’ arguments. |
Module 3 Assignment: Thesis Statements and Supporting Claims Discussion Students will select a reading from The Conversation website. Identify the thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting ideas |
| Module 4: Writing in College | Module 4 Discussion: Descriptive Writing Students will practice descriptive writing by using a mundane object as their focus, then evaluating their peers’ descriptions. |
Module 4 Assignment: Neologism Discussion Students will create a new word, write a 1-page essay about it, and comment on other essays |
| Module 5: Grammar Essentials | Module 5 Discussion: Presentation Strategies Students will discuss a NYTimes article about How Important is Correct Spelling? |
Module 5 Assignment: Punctuation Poster Discussion
Students will create a poster or infographic about a punctuation or grammar concept. |
| Module 6: The Writing Process | Module 6 Discussion: Narrowing a Topic
First, students post a broad topic and then post defining questions to help narrow the topic before suggesting ideas for approaching the topic. |
Module 6 Assignment: Prewriting
Students will complete a free-write and outline for the essay topic: select a specific category of college students and, considering challenges facing this category of students, detail a practice that could lead to enhanced success for that category, and argue for the adoption of that practice. |
| Module 7: Revising and Proofreading | Module 7 Discussion: CARES Peer Review *
Students will share their essay drafts and complete a review of a peer’s essay. *This assignment requires having an existing essay draft to work with that can be shared with peers. |
Module 7 Assignment: Editing Your Draft
Students will implement the feedback they received during their CARES peer review. |
| Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis | Module 8 Discussion: Ad Rhetorical Analysis
Students will find and share an advertisement, and answer some questions as part of a rhetorical analysis |
Module 8 Assignment: The Role of Inference in Reading and Understanding Satire
Students will read and analyze Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. |
| Module 9: Academic Argument | Module 9 Discussion: Logical Fallacy Advertisement
Students will create an advertisement for a fictitious product using a minimum of 3 fallacies from the module |
Module 9 Assignment: Evaluating Rhetorical Appeals and Logical Fallacies Students will |
| Module 10: Finding and Evaluating Sources | Module 10 Discussion: Narrowing the Research Topic
Students will practice narrowing a broad research topic into a specific researchable question. |
Module 10 Assignment: Evaluate a Source
Students will use the Four Moves to evaluate a source. |
| Module 11: Using and Citing Sources | Module 11 Discussion: Academic Honesty
Students will discuss the NY Times article Is Cheating Getting Worse? |
Module 11 Assignment: Incorporating and Documenting Sources Students will paraphrase a passage of text, then paraphrase and summarize passages from sources that students are using for their own research |
| Module 12: Grammar Basics | Module 12 Discussion: Does Grammar Still Matter?
Students will discuss the NY Times article Does Grammar Still Matter in the Age of Twitter? |
Module 12 Assignment: Grammar Book Discussion
Students will create a grammar “story” or book designed to explain one of the grammar concepts presented in this module. |
AI-Related Assignments and Discussions
We recognize that there is a wide range of opinions about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. The approach of these assignments and discussions is to embrace the use of AI because it’s a powerful tool that is here to stay. In a study of over 750 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) consultants, the results indicated that using OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 for ideation and content creation improved 90% of participants’ performance by an average of 40% compared to those who did not use AI. The degree of improvement with the use of AI was greater for lower performing participants than higher performing ones. In contrast, use of AI for complex problem solving resulted in poorer performance compared to human-only output.[1] The AI-assisted component of these assignments and discussions focus on those ideation and creation tasks rather than interpretive tasks that involve more nuanced problem solving. A summary of the study is available on the BCG website. Each AI-assisted assignment includes:
- introductory instructions on the use of AI
- a component stressing the importance of human review of AI content
- a reflection on the use of AI and the student’s decision-making process in incorporating AI generated content
| Module | Discussion or Assignment |
|---|---|
| Module 1: Success Skills | Module 1 Discussion: AI’s Role in Writing
Students will share their thoughts on how AI affects writing, including its pros and cons, and reply to classmates about using AI responsibly. |
| Module 2: Reading Strategies | Module 2 Assignment: AI-Assisted Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Students will practice summarizing and paraphrasing a passage, compare their work with AI-generated versions, and reflect on the strengths and limits of using AI for writing. |
| Module 3: Writing Essentials | Module 3 Discussion: Use of AI Argument
Students will choose an AI-related topic, take a clear position with supporting arguments and examples, and engage in a respectful debate with peers. |
| Module 4: Writing in College | Module 4 Assignment: AI-Assisted Descriptive Language
Students will write a basic description, use AI to enhance it with sensory details and figurative language, revise the paragraph, and reflect on how AI shaped their writing. |
| Module 5: Grammar Essentials | Module 5 Assignment: AI-Assisted Punctuation Practice
Students will use AI to generate flawed sentences, correct the errors themselves, compare their revisions to AI’s suggestions, and reflect on what they learned about grammar and punctuation. |
| Module 6: The Writing Process | Module 6 Assignment: AI-Assisted Essay Outlining
Students will freewrite on a topic, use AI to generate and revise an essay outline, and reflect on how the process helped them organize and focus their ideas. |
| Module 7: Revising and Proofreading | Module 7 Assignment: AI-Assisted Essay Revision
Students will revise an essay using AI feedback, decide which suggestions to keep or change, and reflect on how AI and human judgment work together during revision. |
| Module 8: Analysis and Synthesis | Module 8 Assignment: AI-Assisted Audience Adaptation
Students will write a message, use AI to adapt it for three different audiences, revise one version, and reflect on how well AI handled changes in tone, style, and purpose. |
| Module 9: Academic Argument | Module 9 Assignment: AI-Assisted Logical Fallacy Memory Devices
Students will use AI to create and revise memory aids for five logical fallacies, make a visual for one, and reflect on how these tools help with understanding and recall. |
| Module 10: Finding and Evaluating Sources | Module 10 Assignment: AI-Assisted Source Analysis
Students will use AI and a library database to find sources on a research topic, evaluate one from each using the CRAAP test, and reflect on how well AI supports source selection and evaluation. |
| Module 11: Using and Citing Sources | Module 11 Assignment: AI-Assisted Citation Creation
Students will use AI to create a citation in MLA or APA style, check it for accuracy using official guidelines, and reflect on AI’s reliability as a citation tool. Module 11 Discussion: AI Ethics Students will reflect on ethical concerns around using AI in academic work, explore school policies or suggest their own, and discuss responsible versus dishonest uses of AI with peers. |
| Module 12: Grammar Basics | Module 12 Assignment: AI-Assisted Grammar Practice
Students will use AI to create and revise grammar practice questions, complete their own mini quiz, review AI’s explanations, and reflect on how this process supported their grammar learning. |
Essay Assignments
Some instructors assign multiple rhetorical styles, while others scaffold just one or two large essays throughout the course. For this reason, the essay assignments are listed here and can be moved into the appropriate places within the LMS.
The different rhetorical style essays are each split into at least two parts, with one for prewriting and one for the final draft. They could also be combined into one assignment or split into several smaller assignments; for example, you could divide each essay into a prewriting, drafting, and final draft stage (which is how the argument essay is currently organized).
Note that:
- The optional “Essay Reflection” Assignment can also be paired with any of the rhetorical style essays.
- The “Writing Process—Revising and Proofreading” module also includes a discussion assignment that has students peer review whichever essay is assigned during that module (Discussion: CARES Peer Review).
| Essay Type | Assignments |
|---|---|
| Argument Essay | Argument Essay—Prewriting and Outlining |
| Cause-and-Effect Essay | Cause-and-Effect Essay—Prewriting and Drafting |
| Compare/Contrast Essay | Compare/Contrast Essay—Prewriting and Drafting |
| Illustration Essay | Illustration Essay—Prewriting and Drafting |
| Narrative Essay | Narrative Essay—Prewriting and Drafting |
| Essay Reflection Assignment | Essay Reflection |
Question Banks for Midterms and Finals
Videos
Videos are included throughout the course. To streamline the text, there are only a few select videos included on Learn It pages that nicely explain key concepts. More videos are found on the Apply It pages, where students engage more deeply with the material, or on Fresh Take pages, where informative videos re-teach essential concepts. Additional videos are sometimes included within the slides to use during in-class conversations.
You can view a list of videos and their location in the course here: English Composition Videos (this is a living document and is updated as we improve accessibility, cull broken external links, etc.)