Welcome to RW2a and to our class blog

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Summary 

Although I've read a bit in preparation for it, this post has a different purpose than summarizing and responding to something I've read. I want to welcome you to your EAP class on Saturdays.

So, welcome, and thank you for registering for the class this term.

Our aim is to cover as much of the material in Units 1 and 2 of Skillful 3: Reading and Writing as we can. In addition to your paper book, there is also a very useful digital version of the text, which includes access to a an online workbook.

As with the Google Apps for Education that we will use and this class blog, it might take a couple of sessions for you to become familiar with these tools, but I am confident that you will find that initial effort worthwhile. By moving some of the work to out-of-class activities, we can then focus our class time on preparation for and discussion of the skills you will practice at home, or wherever you like.

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Response 

The digital version of the book
is very convenient

In her introduction to students on page 6, the series editor, Dorothy E. Zemach, gives some strategies for successful learning, one of which is to "be an independent learner" (in Rogers & Zemach, 2018). As Zemach suggests we do in her comment, it is one way for you to "practice English outside of class." Some of the topics you will write about here are the unit topics, but I also like Zemach's suggestion that "reading for pleasure and using the Internet in English" are important, so your writing here will not be limited to the topics of the units that we study over the next four weeks.
 
Another point that I like in her introduction is Zemach's emphasis on practice, for which she suggests that we do "a little bit each day." The research on this is strong: regular practice in small chunks of time is far more effective than long sessions once or twice a week. But we only meet for one long session once a week! 

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Question

Since we only meet for one four-hour session once a week, what is to be done? What are one or two suggestions you think we can follow to get the most out of our four-week term? 
(Although it's two sentences, this is one question; I've just written the idea twice using different language; that is, sentence 2 paraphrases sentence 1.) 

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Reference 

• Rogers, L. & Zemach, D. E. (2018). Skillful 3: Reading & Writing, Student's Book Pack (2nd. ed.). London: Macmillan Education 

An important aspect of academic writing is citing sources when we use the exact words (quote or use a quotation) from a source, or when we state the ideas from a source in our own words (paraphrase). In my short response section above, I have both paraphrased Zemach's ideas and copied some of her exact words. In addition to making it clear to readers that I've done that, it is also usual in formal academic work to write a reference citation, which gives readers all the information they need to find the exact source that has been quoted or paraphrased.