Writing Commons

Writing Commons aspires to be a community for writers, a creative learning space for students in courses that require college-level writing, a creative, interactive space for teachers to share resources and pedagogy. The primary goal of the resource is to provide the resources that students need to improve their writing, particularly students enrolled in courses that require college-level writing. The site provides free access to a college textbook that was published by a major publisher and awarded the Distinguished Book Award by Computers and Composition: an International Journal.

Material Type: Textbook

Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1

Volumes in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing offer multiple perspectives on a wide-range of topics about writing, much like the model made famous by Wendy Bishop’s “The Subject Is . . .” series. In each chapter, authors present their unique views, insights, and strategies for writing by addressing the undergraduate reader directly. Drawing on their own experiences, these teachers-as-writers invite students to join in the larger conversation about developing nearly every aspect of the craft of writing. Consequently, each essay functions as a standalone text that can easily complement other selected readings in writing or writing-intensive courses across the disciplines at any level.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Charles Lowe, Pavel Zemliansky

Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 2

Volumes in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing offer multiple perspectives on a wide-range of topics about writing. In each chapter, authors present their unique views, insights, and strategies for writing by addressing the undergraduate reader directly. Drawing on their own experiences, these teachers-as-writers invite students to join in the larger conversation about the craft of writing. Consequently, each essay functions as a standalone text that can easily complement other selected readings in writing or writing-intensive courses across the disciplines at any level.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Charles Lowe, Pavel Zemliansky

Writing and Literature: Composition as Inquiry, Learning, Thinking, and Communication

In the age of Buzzfeeds, hashtags, and Tweets, students are increasingly favoring conversational writing and regarding academic writing as less pertinent in their personal lives, education, and future careers. Writing and Literature: Composition as Inquiry, Learning, Thinking and Communication connects students with works and exercises and promotes student learning that is kairotic and constructive. Dr. Tanya Long Bennett, professor of English at the University of North Georgia, poses questions that encourage active rather than passive learning. Furthering ideas presented in Contribute a Verse: A Guide to First-Year Composition as a complimentary companion, Writing and Literature builds a new conversation covering various genres of literature and writing. Students learn the various writing styles appropriate for analyzing, addressing, and critiquing these genres including poetry, novels, dramas, and research writing. The text and its pairing of helpful visual aids throughout emphasizes the importance of critical reading and analysis in producing a successful composition. Writing and Literature is a refreshing textbook that links learning, literature, and life.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Tanya Long Bennett

Advanced Academic Grammar for ESL Students

This textbook was created for an advanced academic grammar course for ESL students. By the end of the course, students will recognize and demonstrate the appropriate use of advanced grammar structures. To meet these outcomes, students will listen to aural language that includes the target structures, identify and edit grammar errors in written language, read and analyze texts that include the target grammar structures, and demonstrate the correct and appropriate use of target structures in written and spoken language.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Rebecca Al Haider

Advanced Community College ESL Composition: An Integrated Skills Approach

This book has been created to provide a framework for building your skills in writing and critical thinking. It provides access to published samples from professional authors along with essay drafts from ESL students who have polished their skills in their respective writing courses. The themes in the readings will give you a variety of topics to discuss with your classmates, which may inspire your own deeper thinking and writing. Overall, we hope that as you proceed through these chapters, you will build confidence and develop your voice in the classroom and beyond.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Edgar Perez, Jenell Rae, Sara Behseta

Business English for Success

Business English for Success is a creative solution to a common challenge across Business Communication courses: Business English or Business Presentations? Some classes place an equal emphasis on oral and written communication. If that's the case for you check out our text Business Communication for Success. If, however, your class places the emphasis squarely on written communication and writing proficiency, then Business English for Success is for you.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Scott McLean

College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success

College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success is designed as a comprehensive grammar and writing etext for high intermediate and advanced level non-native speakers of English. We open the text with a discussion on the sentence and then break it down into its elemental components, before reconstructing them into effective sentences with paragraphs and larger academic assignments. Following that, we provide instruction in paragraph and essay writing with several opportunities to both review the fundamentals as well as to demonstrate mastery and move on to more challenging assignments.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Barbara Hall, Elizabeth Wallace

Communication Beginnings: An Introductory Listening and Speaking Text for English Language Learners

This textbook is designed for beginning-intermediate English language learners. It is composed of 7 chapters, each of which covers specific speaking and listening learning objectives and includes dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each chapter includes listening and speaking components such as dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each chapter also focuses on 10 target words from the New General Service List of English vocabulary. The textbook includes an audio component that consists of recorded conversations of native and non-native English speakers, as well as links to additional listening resources on the web.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Della Jean Abrams

ESL Writing Online Workshop

ESL Writing Online Workshop (Video).

Material Type: Module

Explorations 1: Grammar for the Experienced Beginner

Welcome to Explorations 1: Grammar for the Experienced Beginner. This English grammar textbook was designed for a class of Clackamas Community College (CCC) ESOL students who need only a review of the BE verb and are ready to learn the simple present and present progressive tenses.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Kristee Emens-Hesslink

Home and School: Ten Easy Picture Stories for Beginning Students of English

This book contains 10 easy picture stories for beginning students of English. The stories have a Lexile level of 100L-500L and address common home and school situations. Each story includes images, self-correcting comprehension exercises, and a conversation prompt.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Timothy Krause

It’s All Greek to Me! Using Authentic Readings to Improve Knowledge of the English Language and Western Culture

“It’s All Greek to Me!” has everything—entertaining stories, academic articles in a variety of disciplines, vocabulary crossover in literary and academic readings, connections to local, American, and Western culture, and plenty of chances for critical thinking for advanced students of English as a Second Language (ESL). All readings are authentic with minimal adaptation from a variety of sources. This textbook also gives help for advanced level grammar and writing issues, using outside sources, and reading and vocabulary strategies.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Charity Davenport, Davenport Charity

Oral Communication for Non-Native Speakers of English

Short Description: This textbook includes materials on listening, speaking, lexicogrammar, pragmatics, and pronunciation. Long Description: This textbook includes materials on listening, speaking, lexicogrammar, pragmatics, and pronunciation. Word Count: 10362 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Elena Cotos, Lily Compton, Monica Ghosh, Timothy Kochem

PCC OER: A Digital Workbook for Beginning ESOL

This book contains three levels of interactive grammar lessons and reading activities for beginning students of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). The grammar section includes a select set of YouTube videos, and the three original readers include short picture or chapter stories. Each lesson is accompanied by self-correcting exercises.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: and Timothy Krause, Davida Jordan, Eric Dodson

PDX Journeys: Studying and Living in the US, Low-Intermediate Novel and Textbook for University ESL Students

Each unit begins with a chapter of fiction about a teacher and students in one ESL class. Reading comprehension and reading skills exercises follow. Prefix and suffix vocabulary-focus exercises are included. Academic Word List vocabulary exercises help students build a strong foundation in both receptive and productive knowledge. The following chapters in each unit expand on unit themes through non-fiction articles focusing on academic preparation, international experiences, and cultural adjustment. Vocabulary is repeated and comprehension and reading skills are further practiced.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Amber Bliss Calderón

Portland People and Places: Stories from the Rose City for Beginner Students of English

This book contains nine short stories about people and places of Portland, Oregon written for beginner students of English (lexile range of 300-500). Each story has approximately 150-250 words. It is formatted as a picture book with approximately 1-3 sentences per illustration. Each story is accompanied by a set of self-correcting comprehension questions and a speaking prompt. All images are public domain except where noted in the alt text.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Timothy Krause

Reflexiones sobre nuestra lengua

Reflexiones sobre nuestra lengua se compone de ocho unidades temáticas pertinentes a la realidad social de los hablantes de español como lengua de herencia en los Estados Unidos. Además de enfocarse en la escritura como un proceso, se enfatiza el desarrollo de una conciencia sociolingüística y crítica del lenguaje en esta población estudiantil.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Student Guide, Textbook

Authors: Jos Esteban Hern Ndez, Yanina Hern Ndez

Seven Wonders of Oregon: A Travel Book for High-Beginner/Low-Intermediate ESOL Students

This book contains nine short stories about natural wonders of Oregon written for high-beginner/low-intermediate students of English (lexile range of 500-600). Each story is approximately 225-250 words long and features a picture, a set of self-correcting comprehension questions, a writing prompt, and full citations of sources with links.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Timothy Krause

Sharing Our Knowledge: Best Practices for Supporting English Language Learners in Schools

To complete the course ECUR 415.3: Current Issues in EAL, students are required to submit a final paper that reflects their growing knowledge about English as an Additional Language (EAL). EAL is the term used in Saskatchewan to describe students who speak languages other than English and require adequate levels of English to be successful with the school curriculum. Most students enrolled in the online course ECUR 415 are practicing teachers who are working toward a Post-Degree Certificate in EAL Education (PDCEAL), while continuing to live and work in various locations both within and outside of the province. The certificate program, offered through the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, is recognized by provincial education authorities as being equivalent to one full year of post-degree study. As such, the certificate equips teachers with the knowledge and expertise to be considered teacher-specialists of EAL Education. The course ECUR 415 also attracts some pre-service teachers who are pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree and have an interest in EAL Education.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Cari Pankewich, Chrystal Polanik, Danielle Clatney, Eddy Paslowski, Hassan Chatha, Jana Blechinger, Jayden Smith, Karun Mann, Kelly Koshinsky, Kim Guillet, Michele Hudson, Patricia Hicks, Rochelle Chambers, Sarah Gerrard, Shawn Walker, Victoria Oldershaw