ENGL 004, Basic Writing Skills, is a three-credit, one-semester course required of students whose Freshman Testing (FTCAP) scores suggest they need more writing practice before entering ENGL 015. (While credits earned in ENGL 004 count in GPA and computations of full-time status, they do not count toward graduation requirements for any baccalaureate degree.) The underlying premise of ENGL 004 is that students required to take it are inexperienced writers who need practice. The assumption is not that there is anything "wrong" with the students, not that they are incapable of college work. Basic writers do have the ability to conceptualize and organize ideas, to perform complex thinking, but they are unfamiliar with the world of formal writing. We assume that these men and women are apprentices-Mina Shaughnessy's word (Errors and Expectations, Oxford, 1977)-who need experience as writers.

Thus ENGL 004, like other composition courses, is designed to give students lots of practice in writing, practice calculated to improve their ability to invent substantial content and express it in fluent prose. It also tries to help students learn to see the many functions of writing-as a way to discover ideas, play with language, and communicate with and influence audiences. Along the way, students learn or review conventional practices of usage and punctuation.

The emphasis in ENGL 004 should be first on meaningful expression and then on mechanics-on invention before correctness. Focusing first on meaningful content, students see that they have important things to say. In this setting, where students and teachers value student ideas, the students may be led to see the value of correctness. But this is not to say that the course is half over before students study the conventions of standard edited English. Rather, time is regularly set aside from the beginning of the course to help students develop skill at the sentence level. Thus in every writing assignment students will first find a vital, significant subject, audience and purpose, and then turn their attention, during the editing stages, to correctness.

At the end of ENGL 004, each student submits a portfolio of the semester's work to the instructor, who reviews it to make sure that the student is ready for ENGL 015. The rare students who has not met the course objectives can be advised to repeat ENGL 004, even if the student has earned a passing grade (usually a D) in the course.

ENGL 004 COURSE OBJECTIVES

When students leave ENGL 004 and move on to ENGL 015, they should recognize the value of writing as a form of communication, and, more specifically, they should be able to do the following:

While the objectives of ENGL 004 are constant, the particular shape of any given section of ENGL 004-the particular sets of assignments and activities chosen by an instructor-may vary considerably. Instructors who have completed the ENGL 602 for ENGL 004 are encouraged to exercise their ingenuity to develop and redesign their syllabi.

All sections of ENGL 004 are, however, expected to operate within certain parameters. Because ENGL 004 is preparatory to ENGL 015, a student entering ENGL 015 should have learned certain things in ENGL 004. The basic requirements for all sections of ENGL 004 include, therefore, an introduction to and practice with the following basic concepts and skills:

Writing Principles

Sentencing Skills

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS

These are some of the assignments used in various combinations in ENGL 004:

Warm-Up Essay

For this assignment, you'll write a letter introducing yourself to me. I'd really enjoy reading some lively, interesting letters that would help me get to know you better, and that's why I and most writing teachers present an assignment like this early in the term. It helps us to learn about our students as individuals, and it might even help us plan future assignments.

Unfortunately, the pieces written in response to an assignment like this often turn out to be far from interesting or entertaining. In fact, they are often dull and tell us little or nothing about the real person behind the words. Why does this happen? Certainly, it's not because you are dull people with little or nothing of interest to say about yourselves! But "introduction essays" are often simply random lists of standard and predictable generalities ("I really love sports" or "I really love music") and standard and predictable details ("I went to high school here, I grew up here, I have X brothers and Y sisters, I am majoring in Z). General statements and random lists like this will fail to capture you as an individual with a personality, interests, goals, ideals, values, etc.

In short, the "typical introduction essay" fails to do two critical things that all good writing must do:

So, to avoid the pitfalls of the typical introduction essay (and to supply me with the interesting reading I so richly deserve!), here's what I'd like you to do in a letter addressed to me, your new English instructor:

First identify a single, dominant personality trait or a word or phrase that otherwise captures one specific aspect of who you are. You'll use this as the focus of your letter about yourself. You might choose a word or phrase that you or your friends or family would use to describe you. (Hint: the more narrow your claim is, the better off you'll be.) Then try drafting a thesis sentence setting forth that idea-something like "As a small child, I was always into mischief or "My father always called me the laziest of his five children" or "I wouldn't have made it through high school without my good sense of humor."

Then, write a letter that supports that idea. Show me through concrete evidence and vivid examples that the statement you've made about yourself is true. Above all, be specific, and make sure your specifics are relevant to the character trait you're discussing.

Description

To describe means to offer specific and showing detail about something or someone. You already know that all good writing-whether informative or persuasive-backs up its claims with specific detail. So it shouldn't surprise you that description is an essential part of all good writing.

There are two kinds of description. Objective description offers specific details but doesn't make a "point" about the person, place, or thing being described (examples: a police report on a missing person or object: a surveyor's report on a piece of property). Subjective description uses details that are carefully selected to make a point about a person, place, or thing.

Both kinds of description involve careful attention to language. For description to be effective, a writer must use specific language-specific nouns, vivid action verbs and adjectives-and sensory language-words that help the reader see, smell, hear, touch, and taste.

Writing Assignment

Write a multi-paragraph essay with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a closing. Your essay will provide details about a person, place, or thing to make a point for a particular audience for a particular reason. That is, you will be writing a piece of subjective description.

Many great pieces of writing-both fiction and non-fiction-center on the unusual members of interesting families. The truth is that we all come from interesting families with relatives worth writing about. We're related to people who are eccentric, industrious, domineering, or wild and crazy. We've got family members who have special talents like woodworking or cooking or fishing. We've got relatives with problems: they gossip or have bad tempers or drink too much. Some of them are just plain amusing: they think they're great singers when they're practically tone deaf or they're constantly pulling practical jokes.

Imagine for a moment that a friend of yours will be going with you to a family reunion or visiting with you over the holidays-in any case, your friend will be meeting the whole "clan" for the first time.

Choose a relative you think your friend would want or need to know more about ahead of that visit-perhaps because of some special quality your friend will appreciate or perhaps even a warning. Then, settle on some single, focused trait of that person to write about. (As in the last two essays, the narrower the point, the easier your job will be.) In other words, this will not be a "loose" character sketch or description touching on many different traits, nor will it be simply a chronological biography without a point. You will need one clear focus-something relevant to your audience's needs or desires, and something you can use to help you carefully select your descriptive details. Physical description may or may not be part of what you write-that depends on whether physical traits help demonstrate the claim you're making. Feel free to call or write home to refresh your memory, gather details, and collect family stories that might help you build your essay.

Alternative Audience: Another possibility-perhaps requiring a little more imagination-would be to direct this piece of writing to some future family member, a time capsule of sorts for your child or grandchild.

For this option, your job is to describe an interesting but little-known, overlooked, or underrated local person, place, event, tradition, group, etc. You can choose from a number of rhetorical situations:

You may already know of a "local treasure" that would be worth writing about for one of these audiences. But if not, you can turn your search for a topic into a small adventure. Don't be afraid to scout around until you find a hidden waterfall, a pioneer graveyard, a backyard wine maker; look through the local paper for announcements of meetings and events, features that mention events and people. Look for people with interesting small businesses or hobbies. Walk around or hop on your bike and watch for curious buildings and out-of-the-way shops. Ask around about people who belong to unusual organizations.

Hint: In selecting a topic, remember the lessons from the essay we just finished-LIMIT your topic so that you can expand.

Once you select a topic, you'll also need to focus on a point-saying this thing or person is a local treasure isn't enough to focus the essay. Why is this a local treasure? Answering that question should help you derive a point to make about your topic.

Focusing and Supporting a Thesis

Assignment Goals

Learning to

Choice of Topics

Write a multiparagraph essay consisting of an opening paragraph, three or more body paragraphs, and a closing. Choose from the following rhetorical situations:

So, they've decided to try new approach. They've asked a cross-section of students and former students to submit essays about their experiences (in clubs, service organizations, sports teams, musical or drama groups, etc.). Here's part of the letter they've written you:

Thanks for agreeing to provide us with an essay about your experiences in a club or organization. Your essay, along with many others, will be printed in a booklet and will be distributed at the start of the school year. You can help students get a "closer look" at these activities if you'll focus on some limited aspect of your experience that you particularly liked or disliked. What were the reasons for feeling this way? Or what things made this aspect good or bad for you? Please be detailed and specific in your writing so that students know as much about your actual experiences as possible.

(Alternate audience: you might want to write this as a letter to one person-a friend or sibling still at your high school.)

Your instructor has asked you to write about some limited aspect of your neighborhood that you especially liked or disliked. You've been asked to design this piece of writing for someone (either an individual or a group) for a specific reason. Perhaps you're trying to provide information for an audience who wants to know more or you're trying to correct a misperception about something.

How to Do this Assignment

Begin by choosing the writing situation which appeals to you the most and by deciding upon a topic suitable for that situation, even if it's a relatively broad topic at this point. Then start thinking about audience and exigence: who are your readers? What thing do they know or not know? Why do they need or want to hear about this? What qualifies you to talk about this subject? What do you think you might accomplish for your readers? etc.

Step #1: Gathering Information. Use any combination of techniques we discussed in class to start collecting material you might use to build this essay; try observation, listing, clustering, brainstorming, freewriting, etc. Gather information that's as specific as you can possibly make it, and gather plenty of it.

Step #2: Analyzing the Information. Look over the information you've gathered, and if you haven't done so already, start narrowing and focusing your topic. Then you can decide which information looks important and useful-and which you should delete or save for some other writing situation. See if you can begin to detect any relationships between the ideas you've noted as important, and begin to think about a logical order for your ideas.

Step #3: State Your Purpose. Draft a single sentence that includes a statement of narrowed topic and focused point (your thesis). Remember that the thesis will appear in the opening, and the opening of an essay needs to get the reader's attention. So try to write a thesis that not only makes clear the topic and point, but one which is also reader-engaging.

Step #4: Make a Plan. (Model for a 5-paragraph essay)

Step #5: Write and Revise.
Writing: Using your plan, write a rough draft(s). Be sure to double space your rough draft (typed or hand written), and leave ample margins. You'll need the space to make additions and changes after you've thought about revision strategies.

Revising:

Step #6: Edit and Proofread.

Narrative

"Narrative" means story telling. Some stories are fictional-they deal with characters and events that the writer has created from imagination. Some stories are nonfictional-they recreate events that happened to real people.

All stories, to some extent, have entertainment as their purpose, and entertainment alone can be a valid purpose of narrative. Writers often use narrative to do more than entertain, though; a narrative can help illustrate some point the writer is trying to make. For this assignment, you'll write a nonfiction narrative to illustrate a point.

You'll find that narrative is a useful device in both exposition and argument because it helps support a point in a dramatic, compelling way, a way your readers can understand. Of course facts and figures and reasons are useful support; but the human element in a narrative can add a powerful emotional dimension to your discussion or argument.

Let's say, for instance, that you're arguing for stiffer drunk driving penalties. Naturally, you'd want to build a logical case using statistical evidence to show things like the number of traffic accidents and traffic fatalities related to alcohol use. If you added to that evidence the story of a friend who was seriously injured or killed by a drunk driver, your audience's emotions might be stirred in a way they wouldn't be by statistics.

Whether you realize it or not, you have in your memory many stories worth writing down for a purpose. Your life has been full of dramatic moments-not necessarily the kind you see on television, but a kind that grows out of real situations that are important to you and which can be important to others.

Some basic guidelines

Writing Assignment

Write a multiparagraph essay (we'll talk about paragraphing strategies later) which recreates a significant event in your life-something that happened to you or something you witnessed first hand, an event that taught you something or forced you to look at something or someone in a new way.

Audience and Exigence

As human beings, we all share certain experiences and emotions; therefore, in some ways the audience for any narrative is a "general audience." But once you choose an event to recreate, you should be able to pinpoint a more specific set of readers who would need or want this narrative for a specific reason. The story of a triumph or defeat on the baseball field, for instance, might have meaning to other athletes and sports fans. Finding a specific audience for your narrative might be easier if you think about a magazine that might publish a story like yours.

Choosing a Topic

Almost any experience from your own life can be the basis for an effective short narrative, as long as a) there's really a story to tell-a series of scenes leading to a climax; b) its time span is short enough for full development; and c) it has significance in your life that would be useful for your readers. Here are some suggestions:

Making a Plan

Once you've gotten an OK on topic and purpose, you can make a list of the episodes that make up your story (use the exercise we'll do in class as a guideline). Gather details to dramatize each episode.

Then, look over those scenes. Mark the climax scene with an asterisk. Decide which other scene(s) need full development because of their importance to the story.

Which scenes are less important and deserve less detail when you write? (Refer to our class discussion of "pacing" as you make these decisions.)

Argument

In everyday use, the word "argument" may mean anything from a disagreement to a shouting match to a fist fight, but in rhetoric, we use the word "argument" in a more specific and limited sense.

First, let's consider what rhetorical argument isn't, what things we can't use as the basis for a written piece of rhetorical persuasion. For one thing, we can't argue about statements that are facts. Two friends might "argue" over which major league baseball player has hit the most home runs in his career, but rhetorically no argument exists on that topic. The answer to the question is a matter of record, of fact, and once we find the answer in a reliable source, the dispute will end.

We also can't argue rhetorically about assertions that are simply a matter of taste or personal opinion. By this, we mean there's no rhetorical argument if the arguer can offer only subjective evidence in support of the claim. If I don't like the colors or pattern of my friend's new wallpaper, for instance, I won't be able to convince her to redecorate by arguing that purple and red plaid is "ugly."

So what can we argue about? Rhetorical argument begins when we see an issue.

Once we have an issue, we need a thesis, a statement of our own view on the subject. Keep in mind that there may be a wide range of possible positions on any given issue.

Then, we need proof, the evidence we gather in support of our position, which we offer to an audience who is skeptical of or in disagreement with our thesis.

To build a credible argument, we need to consider different kinds of proof: logical, ethical, and emotional. We'll need to consider how to accommodate (or deal tactfully and effectively with) a skeptical or hostile audience. We'll often need to strengthen our own position by undermining or refuting the evidence and logic of the opposition. Using these skills and making an effective rhetorical argument is a complex art. The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to these concepts and give you a chance to practice these skills before you enter ENGL 015.

Topic Choices

We often have complaints about problems we encounter-at school, at work, where we live, in a club or organization we belong to, in our government, in society. For this option, instead of simply complaining about these things to friends, you'll have the chance to bring a problem situation to the attention of a specific audience who needs to know about it. You might begin by making a list of things that bother you-here at Penn State, at home, where you work, etc. Once you've settled on an issue, you'll need to think about audience and exigence. Some possibilities:

When we evaluate something, we assign a value judgment (excellent, good, mediocre) to the thing we're evaluating. It's easy to go along with the crowd if you honestly do agree with the value judgment of the majority. But what if you think fraternity parties are a waste of time when all your friends enjoy them? What if you find attending a Penn State football game a boring experience? What if you think this month's hottest movie is a bore or that watching the weather channel is a stimulating experience?

That is, at some time, we all find ourselves "out of the mainstream" in our value judgments. For this option, you'll have the chance to tell the others what you really think. Note that there's little point in defending something most people believe in or in attacking something that many people are skeptical of to begin with.

APPROVED BOOKLIST FOR ENGL 004

(Note: according to department policy, instructors who wish to use other textbooks must obtain permission by writing to the Director of Composition Programs.)

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Goals of ENGL 005

ENGL 005 is a one-credit course that provides weekly individual tutoring in writing to support selected students in the first-year composition courses, ENGL 004 and ENGL 015, and in other courses as resources permit. With a recommendation, a student may register for ENGL 005 when classes begin. In the fall and spring semesters, one 35-minute tutorial is held per week. In the summer, each weekly tutorial is 60 minutes. ENGL 005 tutors are English department graduate students and lecturers who are also composition staff members professionally familiar with composition course goals. ENGL 005 is designed around the following objectives:

Not only does ENGL 005 offer composition instructors a chance to be writing tutors who assist students' in learning about writing more efficiently in a one-on-one, relaxed, personal situation, it provides a unique opportunity for tutors and students to become an active part of a writing community in the Undergraduate Writing Center. Moreover, through working with students, communicating and collaborating with other tutors and composition instructors, and participating in staff meetings and peer observations, tutors gain many benefits that enhance classroom teaching as well.

One-on-One Learning

Learning in this one-on-one tutoring situation is personal, relaxed, and efficient. The tutorial does not have a syllabus of its own and is not a replacement for composition classes or individual conferences between the instructor and student; it complements classroom and conference work. Students are required to attend sessions; to bring assignment sheets, other necessary class materials, writing in progress, and returned papers; and to be prepared to work with the tutor on composition course assignments. Because the goal is to make students as self-sufficient writers as possible, tutors will not do any work for students; instead, tutors will keep responsibility for the writing with the writers and help students to improve their writing skills.

Grading

Students enrolled in ENGL 005 must receive a letter grade. To emphasize the supportive nature of ENGL 005, tutors do not mark papers, discuss paper grades, grade exercises or evaluate the student in any way. A student's ENGL 005 grade is based entirely upon the grade in the composition course taken in conjunction with tutoring. Therefore, the instructor for the composition course, not the tutor, will determine a student's grade. One exception to this rule is that if a student misses too many tutoring sessions, she or he will receive an "F" in ENGL 005. Two lates (more than 10 minutes) equal one cut. In the fall and spring, students must attend a minimum of 12 sessions to pass, 6 in the summer.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF TEACHERS WITH STUDENTS IN ENGL 005

Students can register for ENGL 005 only with a referral from a teacher or academic advisor. To facilitate the referral process, the English department has placed ENGL 005 under course control; therefore, a student cannot register for ENGL 005 until after classes begin. Registration continues during the drop/add period (until all spaces are filled), allowing instructors time to conduct in-class writing to determine which students could profit most from ENGL 005. Because ENGL 005 usually had a full roster as well as a long waiting list, instructors should refer students early and selectively, especially students most likely to profit from a weekly tutorial in writing.

To register, a student should bring a referral, preferably with a writing sample, the composition class syllabus (with assignment due dates, if possible), and his or her semester schedule to the Undergraduate Writing Center, 219 Boucke Building. Here the ENGL 005 Coordinator conducts the registration each semester, assigning each student a regular weekly time that fits into his or her schedule and the rhythm of assigned papers and due dates. Ideally, the tutors and students can work together on drafts as much as possible-before they are handed in for evaluation. When students register for ENGL 005, they are assigned a tutor, and their instructors are notified of their enrollment. Composition instructors should be aware that sometimes their students will enroll on the basis of an advisor's or a previous instructor's recommendation.

Note: Unless students are registered for a full academic load of 12 credits in the fall and spring semesters, they are charged one academic credit for ENGL 005. During summer sessions, all students are charged one academic credit for the tutorial.

Instructor-Tutor Correspondence

The ENGL 005 tutor's weekly communication with the student's instructor is key to the student's success because it creates a tutor-student-instructor triad of cooperation focusing on the student's improvement. Following each session, the tutor sends the instructor a communication log describing the work that the tutor and student have done together. Instructors then respond to the log by the next session to recommend additional work or suggest areas that need special attention. Of course, the instructor and tutor can contact each other in other ways, too.

This continued cooperation, especially with weekly communication logs between the instructor and tutor, is important to the tutoring system. In a very real sense, in each tutorial, the tutor is working with an instructor and a student to develop the student's writing skills. Consequently, instructors' responses are expected and valuable.

Composition instructors can respond to whatever seems appropriate. Even brief responses to tutors' questions or concerns, to what's working, what's not, or suggestions for the next meeting assist the tutorial immensely. Logs of the correspondence are used during tutorials and kept in the students' folders to document students' attendance and progress, as well as the instructors' contributions. For these reasons, logs should be returned promptly to tutors.

Instructors should remember that because these logs are used during tutorials, comments they wouldn't want students to see should be avoided. Instructors and tutors may contact each other directly to discuss topics of a sensitive nature related to students' work and progress, and tutors may do similarly. If you have concerns about any policies or practices, please contact the ENGL 005 Coordinator or the Undergraduate Writing Center Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF ENGL 005 TUTORS

Division of Hours

ENGL 005 tutors are assigned to the Undergraduate Writing Center each semester for either a half-course equivalent or a full-course equivalent. ENGL 602: Supervised Instruction for ENGL 005 is offered every fall semester. First-semester and returning tutors have tutoring and staff responsibilities.

A half-course assignment. In the fall and spring semesters, a half-course assignment entails 6.5 hours a week of Undergraduate Writing Center work divided as follows:

In the summer semester, the half-course assignment entails 13 hours. Tutors see eight students for 60 minutes each and complete the paperwork. No regular staff meetings are held, but scheduling and evaluations are conducted.

A full-course assignment. In fall and spring semesters, a full-course assignment entails 13 hours a week of Undergraduate Writing Center work divided as follows:

the summer, the full course assignment entails 26 hours. Tutors see 17 students for 60 minutes each and complete the paperwork. No regular staff meetings are held, but scheduling and evaluations are conducted.

Scheduling. Tutors can choose to work M-F in the Undergraduate Writing Center from 9:00 a.m. until late evening. However, tutors are advised to schedule only as many as three students in succession and to work only infrequently during the busy peer tutor hours in the afternoons. Also, first-semester ENGL 005 tutors must register for ENGL 602 and so must reserve that staff meeting time. Preferred tutoring times are honored, but sometimes, tutors are requested to change their time slots so that the number of tutoring stations is adequate, and tutorials are spread evenly throughout the week.

Staff Meetings. At the beginning of each semester, the ENGL 005 Coordinator and the Undergraduate Writing Center Director hold an orientation meeting for all tutors in order to fill out tutoring schedules. This meeting is particularly important because schedules are needed by the first day of classes when ENGL 005 registration begins. Orientation also serves to share tutors' writing backgrounds, to explain current ENGL 005 and Undergraduate Writing Center policies and procedures, and to plan the first week of tutoring. Pertinent background information gathered from tutors assists the registration process of matching students' needs to tutors' interests and expertise-their composition teaching experience at Penn State, as well as their work with developmental/basic writing, learning disabled students, students for whom English is a second language, and visually or hearing impaired students.

Weekly ENGL 602 staff meetings for first-time tutors cover

Conduct of Tutorials

ENGL 005 tutorials belong to the student. To provide a productive environment as described in the objectives, tutors hold sessions in the Undergraduate Writing Center or the Computer Learning Center, either in 219 or 217 Boucke-not in teaching offices. To provide a productive environment as described in the objectives, tutors hold sessions in the Undergraduate Writing Center or the overflow room, either in 219 or 220 Boucke-not in teaching offices. Furthermore, tutors need to be prompt and conscientious about attending tutorials, show interest in tutoring, work cordially with students and their instructors, explain points clearly, foster student independence, and help students to meet ENGL 005 objectives through all other appropriate tutoring practices, policies, and procedures.

So that ENGL 005 objectives can be met, tutors strongly emphasize the students' responsibilities. Students are asked to actively engage in their tutorials. Tutors stress that they do not grade or do any work for students, but help students to improve their writing. Therefore, students plan an agenda for each session and bring the appropriate materials every time: the current assignment sheet; the most recent returned assignment with the instructor's comments; a folder containing all old papers, quizzes, exercises, etc.; and the syllabus, textbooks, handouts, and workbooks from the composition course. At any time, if students have to hand an assignment back to the instructor before coming to the tutorial, they make a photocopy of it beforehand.

The student's agenda, comments from the composition instructor's communication log, and the tutor's insights guide the tutorial. All components of the writing process and product are worked on during sessions, but because students learn most about their writing from the drafting, tutors encourage students to write at least a partial draft for sessions and discourage repeated reliance on sessions for planning that s/he can do outside of the tutorial. Most likely, students will learn that working ahead of their class schedule is okay and sometimes necessary in order to take full advantage of ENGL 005.

In addition, tutors place great emphasis on students' promptness and attendance. Students are encouraged to call the Center ahead of time if they are going to be absent or late. Make-up sessions for absences are at the discretion of the tutor. Similarly, if tutors have to miss sessions or will be a few minutes late, they should try to notify students and their instructors ahead of time and reschedule make-ups at the most convenient time. In a pinch, students need not rely totally on the tutors' rescheduling but may take advantage of their instructors' office hours and the Center's peer tutor drop-in hours.

Lastly, at the end of each semester, each student is asked to fill out an ENGL 005 evaluation form, where they have a chance to assess their tutoring activities, writing objectives, and the ENGL 005 tutor. These evaluations, after being reviewed by the tutor, are kept in the tutor's Undergraduate Writing Center file for future reference.

Paperwork-Correspondence and Record-Keeping

Each ENGL 005 student has a folder that remains in the Center at all times because it holds the student's ENGL 005 application and writing sample, the instructor's recommendation, the Undergraduate Writing Center Survey detailing the student's writing background and goals, the tutor's private personal log, and the more public instructor's communication logs.

Immediately after each tutorial, tutors quickly record a brief summary of the tutorial's events on the personal log. Dates, descriptions of achievements, concerns and a tentative agenda for the next week are noted. Lateness and absences are recorded, too. These personal logs must be accurate and up-to-date because they are the basis for writing the instructor's communication log. Moreover, if instructors do not return progress logs promptly or at all, tutors have the personal log backup record for use in preparing future tutorials, ENGL 005 grading, or addressing concerns about student progress.

At the end of the semester, personal logs are used to determine students' grades as well. Based on student attendance, Pass or Fail is indicated on the personal log, and a failure is explained in detail. These personal logs are so important that the ENGL 005 Coordinator checks for their satisfactory and timely completion at several times during the semester. The ENGL 005 Coordinator and Undergraduate Writing Center Director also refer to the personal logs in order to check particular students' progress during the semester, or to verify grades after tutors have left the ENGL 005 staff, and perhaps Penn State.

In addition to the personal log, tutors write out the more public communication log, which is a brief report of the session's events. According to policy, evaluating the student should be avoided; that's the instructor's responsibility. Evaluating the instructor is not the tutor's responsibility, either. Nor should the communication log reveal a tutor's takeover of the student's writing or the instructor's class work or authority. However, a non-evaluative description of the student's preparation, what he or she understands or doesn't about class material and writing tasks, and what works and doesn't in the writing, can be very helpful to the instructor's work with the student and prompt a timely response of feedback and suggestions for future work. In fact, many times during sessions, tutors pull these logs from the student folder and use instructor's comments to help the student create an effective writing agenda.

If a student misses a session, instead of filling out a communication log, tutors send an attendance report to the instructor. Also, if tutors have to miss sessions, they try to inform instructors promptly.

As soon as possible after sessions-to ensure instructors enough time to return the logs for the following week's tutorials-tutors personally deliver logs and attendance reports to instructors' mailboxes. E-mail or campus mail can also be used. Tutors have to remember to check their English department mailbox and Undergraduate Writing Center mailboxes, as well as their e-mail, for returned logs. In the event that instructors fall to respond to logs, tutors can try several avenues, depending on the context.