Write like an Academic

for EAL/ESL Graduate Students

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This program provides support in academic written communication for graduate-level
English as Additional Language (EAL) students. This program provides students an opportunity
to improve their writing in typical graduate-student academic and professional scenarios.
Students will engage in discussions and practice activities that will allow them to learn and
practice academic writing communication skills and strategies as they apply to these academic
and professional scenarios. The scenarios include:
Writing emails to professors and/or advisors
Providing written feedback to students as TAs
Writing for online discussion forums
Writing abstracts for academic audiences
Writing cover letters to potential employers
Organizing and writing a slide deck

PROGRAM OUTCOMES:
By the end of the Write like an Academic program, students will be able to:
1.

2.

3.

Identify the particular academic writing skills and strategies presented during
the session that are relevant and applicable to a particular language need and/or
an academic or professional communication context.
Adapt the relevant academic writing skills and strategies practiced in the
workshops to improve written communication in academic and professional
contexts.
Demonstrate increased confidence in identifying and applying particular
writing skills and strategies for future academic and professional
communications.

PROGRAM INSTRUCTOR

Laura Schnablegger, MA-IS, BEd, CELTA

English-as-an-Additional Language (EAL) Specialist
Learning and Curriculum Support Team
McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
519-824-4120 ext. 52086, schnable@uoguelph.ca

TIME AND LOCATION

Winter 2016 (starting January 26th ending March 8th)

Tuesdays 3:00pm 5:00pm
Library, Room 384

WEEKLY OUTLINE
Session
Scenario
Writing emails to your
Week 1
th
professors and/or
Jan. 26

Lesson Activities
DISCUSS: Challenges and characteristics of bad
emails

advisors

LEARN: Email communication template and useful

phrases and language for email communication

Week 2
Feb. 2nd

Providing written
feedback to students as
TAs

PRACTICE: Mock email writing scenarios

DISCUSS: Challenges of providing written
feedback
LEARN: Useful strategies and language for
providing written feedback

Week 3
Feb. 9th

Writing for online

discussion forums

PRACTICE: Mock feedback scenarios

DISCUSS: Challenges of writing in discussion
forums
LEARN: Useful strategies for planning and writing
online discussion posts

Week 4
Feb. 23rd

Writing abstracts for

academic audiences

PRACTICE: Snowball discussion activity

DISCUSS: How to summarize your research and
what to include
LEARN: Summarization strategies

Week 5
March 1st

Writing cover letters to

potential employers

PRACTICE: 1-minute written thesis pitch activity

LEARN: What to include in and how to structure
cover letters

Week 6
March 8th

Organizing and writing

a slide deck

PRACTICE: Edit a sample cover letter

DISCUSS: How to structure and organize a slide
deck
LEARN: Key preparation and writing strategies
PRACTICE: Creating an outline for a slide deck