Great Essays

AE2 writing students: this is a link to a website where you can take quizzes for each chapter in Great Essays. Click on the link below to take the quiz for Chapter 3 - Comparison Essays.

Great Essays student site

AE1 paragraph example

What can international students gain by studying in the U.S.?

There are many advantages for international students who study in the U.S. First, they can learn English from native speakers. It is very important to become fluent in a second language. Second, they can meet new people when they study in their classes. Also, they can make new friends in the dorms or cafeteria. Finally, international students can learn about other cultures because the U.S. has people from different countries and is very diverse. In conclusion, international students studying in the U.S. can gain many benefits.

Term 093 in CESL

The first summer term is well under way after a nice, long holiday weekend. The activities for this term include bowling and roller skating, as well as social breaks every Thursday at 3:10. Check out the events on CESL's Facebook page - it's called Center for English as a Second Language.

SIU's Sunset Concert Series begins Thursday, June 18 at 7:00. Every Thursday for six weeks, SIU sponsors a concert from 7:00 to 9:00. The first one will be in front of Shryock Auditorium. After that, they will alternate between Shryock and Turley Park.

There is a lot of other fun stuff to do in Carbondale during the summer. Just tell me what you're interested in and I can give you some suggestions. There is no reason to be bored in this small, but exciting town.

Happy blogging, AE2!

AE2 sample paragraph - formatting practice

Julie Bird
AE2 Writing
Paragraph
May 21, 2009

My Family

My family is not a typical, American family. My parents got married when they were young and have been married for more than fifty years. I have three older sisters, one of which was in college when I was born. Even though my family has four, adult women in it, my parents only have three grandchildren. In these ways, my family is unique.

AE2 - example summary

In the article, “Lucid Dreaming,” the author points out the history of lucid dreaming and how to become a lucid dreamer. First, he explains that lucid dreaming is a dream in which the dreamers are aware that they are dreaming and they can control what happens in the dream. Lucid dreaming is a very old idea going back to the days of Aristotle and having its original connections to religion. More recently, lucid dreaming has been redefined and books are still written about it today. Next, the author describes some of the techniques used to become a lucid dreamer. Stephen LaBerge created the MILD technique in which people wake up, tell themselves they are dreaming, and then go back into the dream to control what happens in the dream. There are also steps people can take to help themselves remember their dreams and start learning from their dreams. Finally, the author wishes the readers a nice journey into their dreaming life.

AE2 Summary

Our class wrote a summary about an article that explained how secondhand smoke is dangerous. This was a group project and our first summary of the term.

In “The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke,” the author shows the harm of secondhand smoke to lessen the dangers to nonsmokers. First, the new studies of secondhand smoke show that lung cancer is a danger even for nonsmokers. Next, the author explains that in the past people did not know that cigarettes could be a risk for nonsmokers. In addition, children whose parents smoke are more affected than those that live in a nonsmoking household. Finally, the U.S. now has many laws to stop the effects of secondhand smoking. Both smokers and nonsmokers have a high risk of having problems strong laws strong laws related to smoking.

Treasures at the University Museum

Our AE2 class went to the museum on Tuesday. The students analyzed one piece of art of their choice. Their paragraphs are on their weblogs - check them out.