The Writing Proficiency Exam Preparation Workshops
Two workshops are provided every month, free of charge, to help students prepare for the Writing Proficiency Exam.
The one-hour Orientation Workshop introduces the format of the exam and gives students an idea of what to expect on the exam. These are held on the Monday of the exam week.
The Three-hour Extensive Workshop is designed for students who have failed the WPE once or who want more support to prepare for the WPE. These workshops allow time for students to practice exam strategies like prompt analysis, brainstorming techniques, organization, and paragraph development. These are held the Friday afternoon before each exam.
Note: A one-hour or half-day workshop cannot address chronic writing problems like awkward, confusing, and inadequate sentences, weak verbs and word choice, spelling, and grammar errors. Skills in building good, fluent sentences, choosing the best word for the purpose, recognizing grammar errors that can confuse the reader, and generating, organizing, and developing good, specific ideas take time-and regular practice in writing-to master. Consequently, we recommend that you consider attending Weekly Writing Practice to work on these skills over time.
Fall 2008 Weekly Writing Practice meets on Thursday afternoons in M212 from 3:00-4:30 PM.
To register for a workshop, send an e-mail to the Director and indicate which workshop you plan to attend.
Fall 2008 Orientation Workshops
|
Date |
Day | Time |
| 11 August 2008* | Monday | 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
| 15 September 2008 |
Monday | 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
| 13 October 2008 |
Monday | 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
| 17 November 2008 |
Monday | 4:00 - 5:00 pm |
*Before classes start
Fall 2008 Extensive Workshops
| Date |
Day |
Location | Time | |
| 08 August 2008* | Friday | C201 | 2:00 - 4:30 pm | |
| 12 September 2008 | Friday | C201 | 2:00 - 4:30 pm | |
| 10 October 2008 | Friday | C201 | 2:00 - 4:30 pm | |
| 14 November 2008 | Friday | C201 | 2:00 - 4:30 pm |
*Before Classes Start
WPE Self-Workshop
If you cannot make it to a WPE Orientation Workshop and still want information about what to expect on the WPE, use the attached files to find out what the WPE Readers are looking for in an essay, how they score essays, practice analyzing the essay prompt you choose, brainstorm for ideas, and organize your ideas for the essay.
Agenda--Step by Step through the Writing Process
The Five Prompt Analysis Questions
Sheet for Rhetorical Analysis of Prompts
Brainstorming--You Know More Than You Think You Do!
Mind Mapping--Generating and Organizing Your Ideas
Two-Column Notes Using Prompt-Organizing and Developing Support for Your Ideas