• Unit 4: Reading to Write

    Unit 4 brings together what you learned in units 1 through 3. In this unit, you will read short descriptions of people's daily activities or routines. Then, you will write a few sentences about yourself. Finally, you will review your writing and post it for your classmates' feedback.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • use simple connectors to link simple phrases and clauses into simple, compound, and complex sentences; and
      • arrange a series of sentences to create basic, cohesive descriptions of routine activities.

      • 4.1: Writing Basics: From Sentences to Text

        The more we read, the more we write! Reading in English teaches you new words and shows you how words fit together in sentences. As you learn English, give yourself time to read often. You can read about anything you like: sports, fashion, movies, games, the list goes on and on. As long as you're reading, you're learning!

          • 4.1.1: Writing Basics: Let's Study

            The materials below include information about grouping sentences together to create a short text in Standard English. After you read the explanations and watch the videos to learn about writing, you will have a chance to test your understanding by completing practice activities.

            • From Sentences to Text Overview Page

              Taking college courses is all about reading and writing. We started this course by looking at word forms (parts of speech) and how we can group them to create phrases and then different types of sentences. Sentences can also be grouped together to create text: paragraphs and essays. Let's look at some basic information about grouping basic sentences to create a simple text or paragraph.

            • Reading and Writing in Chronological Order Page

              Much of the text and writing you'll do occurs in chronological order. This means that the events in a story happen in order from beginning to end. Writing in chronological order helps the reader follow what is happening in a story. For example, if a student wants to prepare for an exam, she will first go to class, then study, and finally, take the exam. These events all happen in an order the reader knows.

              In this section, you will learn how to use context clues, prediction, and prior knowledge to help figure out the chronological order of a text.

          • 4.1.2: Writing Basics: Let's Practice

            Now that we know some writing strategies, let's put our knowledge into practice.

            • Writing Process Practice Book

              The activities below give you the opportunity to find out how well you understand the writing process. If you have a difficult time recognizing these strategies, you may return to review the information in the Let's Study section and then try these practice activities again.

          • 4.1.3: Writing Basics: Let's Apply

            Now that you know some strategies for writing, let's see if we can easily use them to write a short paragraph in English.

            • Write About Your Daily Routine Page

              Throughout this course, you have learned some key phrases that are useful in explaining your daily routine to another person. In this section, you will demonstrate your knowledge of key vocabulary by describing a typical day in your life.

            • Writing Checklist for Editing Page

              You wrote some sentences about your daily routine using the parts of speech we learned in Unit 1. Good work! The next step is to edit your writing so that you can share it with others. Use the checklist below to review each sentence for errors. Correct any errors you find. Be sure to print or download the checklist so that you can save it for future use.

            • Review Your Writing Discussion Forum
              Make forum posts: 1

              Once you have reviewed the sentences you wrote about your daily activities, share your writing in the discussion forum and see what daily activities your classmates complete. If you wish, reply to your classmates' daily activities.

        • 4.2: Putting It All Together

          You have learned about some writing that can help you communicate clearly when writing in English. This is a lot to take in, for sure! This section will help you review what you have learned in Unit 4.
          • Let's Review Unit 4 Book

            Go through the video presentations, which provide a basic overview of some of the writing strategies you have learned about in this unit.

        • Unit 4 Assessment

          • Sentence Organization Page

            In this activity, you will organize sentences in a logical manner to create a short paragraph.