This OER is a writing handbook and resources for English grammar and punctuation.

This assignment asks students to answer various formatting questions related to MLA style. Depending on skill level, the instructor may choose to allow them to use an aid (like Purdue Owl) to construct the citations or do them from memory. This assignment is best used to assess students’ understanding of MLA and provide them with low-stakes practice of these formatting skills. All highlighted areas are the correct answers of the multiple choice questions; highlights should be removed from the worksheet before giving to students.

This two-part resource is designed to support instructors and students as they navigate the presence of generative AI tools, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, in the rhetoric and composition classroom. Part I of this resource offers an instructor-focused introduction to what LLMs are and how they operate, as well as an in-depth exploration of the privacy concerns and ethical considerations related to using a tool like ChatGPT. Additionally, Part I provides insights on the practical application of LLMs within the realm of reading and writing in the rhetoric and composition classroom, while promoting a modified stasis theory as a strategy for evaluating any generated output.

Part II of this resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

This lesson aims to acquaint students with academic writing and the importance of grammar rules in this formal type of writing. They will familiarize themselves with subject-verb agreements; past, present, and future tense; passive and active voices; and modal auxiliaries.

Grammar Bowl is a game designed to review important grammar rules with students in a group setting. The game can be played individually; however, small groups of 2-3 students collaborating often creates a competitive, albeit friendly, atmosphere that encourages students to think and work quickly.

This is the 1-credit coreq designed to accompany ENGL 1301. The course has four components: grammar, reading questions, writing style assignments, and reflections. There is a module for each of the components, with templates, videos, and resources. There is also an instructional resources module. 

In this section, we will examine how generative AI (GenAI) tools may assist with academic reading and research. Examples of content generated by ChatGPT will show how GenAI may be incorporated into a classroom setting. Each section offers suggestions for use and various strategies that could be incorporated for those who wish to allow the use of these tools for assignments. Included throughout are suggestions on how to promote students’ ethical and effective use of these tools and to possibly limit their use if desired. By the end of this section, you should be able to use GenAI to support reading practices.

Author: Jonahs Kneitly
Contributors: Gwendolyn Inocencio, Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Designers: Irene AI, Sweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

In this section, illustrative examples from ChatGPT show how to incorporate Large Language Models (LLMs) into the writing process while considering ethical concerns associated with such tools, namely avoiding plagiarism or exploitation of AI-generated content. The advent of public access to LLMs means they are now a critically important aspect of digital information literacy. As such, this technology must be addressed in the composition classroom with guided instruction. We recommend a strategy that models application of a modified version of stasis theory to all LLM-generated content.

After reading this section you should be prepared to teach stasis theory as a strategy for continual interrogation that helps rhetors discern whether generative-AI content exhibits appropriate depth, scope, and quality, along with the appropriate next steps in argumentation, writing, or research.

Author: Gwendolyn Inocencio
Contributors: C. Anneke Snyder, Mary Landry, Jonahs Kneitly
Designers: Irene AI, Shweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned with disenfranchising students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. Thanks to a generous grant from Dean David Carlson of the Texas A&M University Libraries, this project became a reality. It is a collaborative endeavor undertaken by faculty in the libraries and English Department as part of the Provost’s Student Success Initiatives at Texas A&M and continues to be a work in progress. Combined, Dr. Terri Pantuso, Dr. Kathy Anders, and Prof. Sarah LeMire have over 30 years of experience in writing and research instruction. Our goal is for students to leave this course as critical thinkers, polished writers, and informed citizens who can engage in civil public discourse. Gig ‘em, Ags!

This course studies what is language and what does knowledge of a language consist of. It asks how do children learn languages and is language unique to humans; why are there many languages; how do languages change; is any language or dialect superior to another; and how are speech and writing related. Context for these and similar questions is provided by basic examination of internal organization of sentences, words, and sound systems. No prior training in linguistics is assumed.

Launching Digital Writing in the Elementary Classroom tells the stories of seven teachers who were willing to take risks and venture into new territory by integrating technology into their workshops in meaningful ways.

This online textbook represents materials that were used in the first four semesters (two years) of the Mandarin program at MIT. They eventually formed the basis of a print textbook of the same name, published by Yale University Press; information and supplemental materials for the Yale edition are available at the companion website. The OCW course materials were extensively revised, and at times reordered, before publication, but the general principles of the original remain: to provide a comprehensive resource for the foundation levels of Chinese language that separates the learning of oral skills from literary (the former being transcribed in pinyin, and the latter in characters). This resource contains the complete online version of the text and accompanying audio recordings.

The layout of our book implies there is a beginning, middle, and end to a writing course, but because writing is both an art and a skill, people will find their own processes for learning, improving, and using these skills. Writing processes differ because we are each looking for a workable schemata that fits our way of thinking. Try out a variety of writing processes and strategies, and find what works for you. If you are not uncomfortable on this journey, you simply are not stretching yet.

A quick glance through the book will show you that it deftly covers the basics, which are always important to review as you get ready to build onto your scaffolding. Reminders of terminology that form the foundation of a discipline—as well as explanations, descriptions, and examples of their use in a basic education—are in chapters such as “Critical Reading,” “Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence,” “The Writing Process,” “Punctuation,” and “Working with Words.” These are, of course, fundamentals that you have worked with throughout your education, learning in each course skills and habits that elevate your reading, writing, and thinking abilities. This college writing course will ensure that you take another step up to college and professional writing.

This text is different in its emphasis on research skills and research writing. The form you will learn, the building blocks of that form, the formality, and the sacrosanct crediting of sources is explained here from English professors and our instructional librarian at the college. Leaning on questions that lead to searches for answers that lead to arguments that present your understanding, the chapters “Critical Reading,” “Rhetorical Modes,” and “Argument” will fill out your growing appreciation of and comfort with the research form in everyday life. From the discussion of source types to guidance through the research process to the models of essay deconstruction, you will find that the expectations and language of this text begin with the college-level student in mind.

Working through this text will elevate you into the next stage of writing for a 21st century student and professional.

Subject is a reading course in English literature across genre and historical period. Designed for students who wish to study English literature or writing in some depth, or wish to know more about English literary culture and history. Students learn about the relationships between literary themes, forms, and conventions and the times in which they were produced. Students examine Renaissance lyrics, Enlightenment satire, and modernist short stories. Subject focused on England because of its historical importance and its usefulness as an example for illustrating patterns over the centuries. Students form a framework for understanding how more focused subjects fit into literary studies, and what terms, concerns, and methods provide connections among the diverse subjects grouped under "Literature."

Examines cultural developments within European literature from different societies at different time-periods throughout the Middle Ages (500-1500). Considers--from a variety of political, historical, and anthropological perspectives--the growth of institutions (civic, religious, educational, and economic) which shaped the personal experiences of individuals in ways that remain quite distinct from those of modern Western societies. Texts mostly taught in translation. Topics vary and include: Courtly Literature of the High and Late Middle Ages, Medieval Women Writers, Chaucer and the 14th Century, and the Crusades.

Informed by a writing philosophy that values both spontaneity and discipline, Michelle Bonczek Evory’s Naming the Unnameable: An Approach to Poetry for New Generations offers practical advice and strategies for developing a writing process that is centered on play and supported by an understanding of America’s rich literary traditions. With consideration to the psychology of invention, Bonczek Evory provides students with exercises aimed to make writing in its early stages a form of play that gives way to more enriching insights through revision, embracing the writing of poetry as both a love of language and a tool that enables us to explore ourselves and better understand the world. The volume includes resources for students seeking to publish and build a writing-centered lifestyle or career. Poets featured range in age, subject, and style, and many are connected to colleges in the State University of New York system. Naming the Unnameable promotes an understanding of poetry as a living art of which students are a part, and provides ways for students to involve themselves in the growing contemporary poetry community that thrives in America today.

OER reading list for ENGL 3360 teaching writing class. List of articles and resources used for teaching writing.

This section is designed to build confidence about what Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) means for the future of education by closely studying the operations, limitations, and theoretical value of a Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT. To this end, this section seeks to explain what language modeling is and how this process contributes to an LLM’s tendency to generate inaccurate information. Additionally, this section considers how the design of an LLM—specifically, the collective knowledge it is trained upon—can contribute to the perpetuation of biases. Lastly, this section encourages critical thinking about the value of an LLM from a theoretical standpoint regarding the writing process and collaborative learning. By the end of this section, you should be able to articulate how an LLM like ChatGPT operates, as well as the value and limitations of this design within the evolution of learning.

Author: Mary Landry
Contributors: Gwendolyn Inocencio, C. Anneke Snyder, Jonahs Kneitly
Designers: Irene AI, Shweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

This peer review resource is part of the Digital Design for Student Success (D2S2) project, a collaboration between Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Rice University, Texas A & M University, and The University of Texas. Peer review materials are designed for use in any course that uses writing--particularly writing flag (writing intensive) courses in the undergraduate curriculum.

This is a guide for students to use as they provide feedback to their peers on a piece of writing. The activity was done in groups of 3.