LibGuides: OER and ZTC by Subject (A-Z): English Comp 1

OER / Textbooks - English Comp 1 (Examples)

OER Textbooks

1, 2, 3 Write!
Provides step-by-step instruction to build college writing skills. It combines comprehensive grammar and mechanics review with sentence, paragraph and essay writing techniques and practice. Links to example essays from professional and student writers demonstrate the skills studied and provide reading and critical thinking opportunities.
Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Reader 6
This reader contains 11 original instructional essays written specifically for adults, and is designed to accompany the BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 6. This level 6 reader, one of a series of six readers, is roughly equivalent to grades 7.5 to 9 in the K-12 system. New vocabulary are set in bold throughout each story, and then summarized and defined in a Glossary found in the appendix. Font size and line spacing can be adjusted in the online view, and have been enhanced for the print and PDF versions for easier reading. This reader has been reviewed by subject experts from colleges and universities.
Advanced Community College ESL Composition: An Integrated Skills Approach
Welcome to the world of academic writing! 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.
Composition and Literature
This book is divided into two parts. Part I is a Composition Handbook designed to teach students the components of the writing process and the conventions of various forms of school and college writing assignments. Part II is an Anthology of Literature designed to help students read actively, analyze, understand, enjoy, and appreciate stories, poems, and plays by a diverse and inclusive group of exceptional writers.
Critical Language Awareness: Language Power Techniques and English Grammar (Pressbooks)
To inform, sell to, persuade, and motivate us, the authors and sponsors of these messages and stories use the power of language, choosing to word their message in particular ways. Behind their messages lie particular worldviews, discourses, and ideologies that may or may not align with those of the audience. In making certain word and grammatical choices, they show us their perspective and invite us to share in it. To do this, these authors may use rhetorical or language power techniques like metaphor, euphemism, hyperbole, address forms, weasel language, and epithets. These can be enacted with particular grammatical features; for example, an epithet may use a noun phrase, hyperbole a superlative adjective, or weasel language a passive form. We need critical language awareness to see these connections.
Critical Thinking
This course explores the boundaries of critical and creative thinking in pursuit of developing a clearer and more robust model for the construction and deconstruction of various forms of argument. A variety of "texts" are used to help students develop rhetorical analysis skills, critical thinking tools and a diverse, integrative apparatus for establishing the veracity of truth claims in both academic and cultural contexts.
English Composition: Connect, Collaborate, Communicate
Foundational concepts for first-year college composition courses.
Entering the Conversation: A College Composition Compilation
This collection of readings that emerged out of partnerships between OER enthusiasts, composition instructors at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and contributors who shared ideas and resources on a Twitter thread about open composition.
How Arguments Work: A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College (LibreTexts)
How Arguments Work takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.
Literacy for College Success (Libre Texts)
Believe it or not, we don’t all learn the same way. In fact, reading is a new enough behavior for humans that there is no wiring in our brains specifically for reading. Each and every one of us make those neural connections differently. This is a good reason to pay attention to your learning preferences. Being aware of your own learning preferences can help you to use strategies and tools for learning that will support what you naturally do. Of course, it’s still important to use strategies that “stretch” your brain a bit too – you never know when you might need those other strategies!
Putting the Pieces Together: Reason and Writing for Success
Putting the Pieces Together: Reason and Writing for Success is a text that provides instruction in steps, builds writing, reading, and critical thinking, and combines comprehensive grammar review with an introduction to paragraph writing and composition; This text is designed as a companion resource to WRIT: Reason and Writing, which is Fanshawe College's introductory writing curriculum. Edition update: July 2024.
The Word on College Reading and Writing (Currently Used at Western)
An interactive, multimedia text that introduces students to reading and writing at the college level. The text is organized into two major parts. Part 1 is titled “Working with Texts” and emphasizes building strong reading skills and how to work with texts that you need to use in completing college reading and writing assignments. Part 2, titled “Writing,” is all about, well, writing. This half of the text covers a variety of topics including determining the audience and purpose for your writing assignments, getting started, drafting, working with sources, revising, and more. While navigating through the text, you’ll notice that the major part of the text you’re working within is identified at the top of the page. We hope this helps you to navigate between sections and subsections and to understand the relationships between them
Writing, Reading, and College Success: A First-Year Composition Course for All Learners (Libre Texts)
This OER is a revision of “Writing for Success” that includes instructional scaffolding for students who require additional support. New sections on college readiness and success, reading skills, the reading-writing connection, grammar, and an ESL compendium have been added.
Writing for Success (Currently Used at Western)
Writing for Success is a text that provides instruction in steps, builds writing, reading, and critical thinking, and combines comprehensive grammar review with an introduction to paragraph writing and composition.
You, Writing! A Guide to College Composition
This text is meant to be used in any first year College Composition class or as a general guide to college writing. The book focuses on writing as a process, not a product. The goal is to help students discover their own writing process, tryin g out different methods and strategies to find what works best for them

ZTC / LibGuides - English Comp 1

Western Library LibGuides (ZTC)

Western LibGuides for Writing Assignments

Information Literacy Faculty Guide
Explore models of information literacy to help your students develop this lifelong set of skills.
Introduction to College Writing Argumentative Essay Research
Use this guide to help gather and understand information you'll need to write an essay.
Database Intro Guide
Learn how to use Western Library databases to find articles and video for homework and research assignments.
Library 101
A quick-start guide to finding library sources for assignments.
Library Research for Writing Assignments: A Quick Guide
Learn to find, read, and use database articles for a writing assignment.
Library Research Skills for College Students: Step-by-Step
A step-by-step in-depth start to finish guide through the research process.
Citing Sources in MLA 9
A quick guide to help you cite sources in MLA 9.
Citing Sources in Chicago Style
Guide to citing sources using Chicago/Turabian Style
Citing Sources in APA 7
A quick guide to help you cite sources in APA 7.
Note-Taking: A Quick Guide
The best note-taking method is the one that works best for you!

ZTC / Library Databases - English Comp 1

Western Library Databases (ZTC) for Current Issues

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Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
This is a great source for assignments related to current events and important social issues. This database contains full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, biographies, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to websites. Additional features include pro/con viewpoint articles, topic overviews, court cases, and issues of interest. Choose a research topic from a wide range of areas from genetic testing to gun safety to women in professional sports, to recycling, cell phones in schools, or medical technology, and much, much more.
SIRS Issues Researcher (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Use this database if you need to find a research topic to complete an assignment. This database dives into current global social issues and provides content such as analysis and opinion via pro/con articles, government documents, primary sources, newswires, charts, maps, images, statistics, newspapers, magazine, and scholarly journal articles, as well as links to websites. Topic groups include business and economics; communication and technology; environment and science; world culture and politics; ethics; civil rights and liberties; school, family, and youth; and health and wellness.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Use this database to understand basic concepts taught in your courses. It's also a great database for the first step in your research process. It contains short articles from encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks and other reference sources on a wide range of subjects. Get started on your assignment or research project by learning about key people, places, dates, events, concepts, and ideas related to your topic.
MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Find content from full-text general-interest magazines and newspapers, with content that includes essays, short stories, and poetry. Also find journal articles and reference books, in a wide range of subjects including business, health, fashion, sports, personal finance, and more.
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
A great resource for writing assignments. Browse a wide list of subject categories from the database’s home page to find articles and information from scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, and multimedia. Content is provided in the fields of biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, psychology, and more. Includes Gale’s visual Topic Finder tool.
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
A giant database that covers a wide range of topics. Use it to find peer-reviewed scholarly articles, as well as articles from trade journals, newspapers, and magazines.
Literary Reference Plus (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Use this database for literature assignments and projects. Information is provided on thousands of authors and their works. Types of sources include literary magazines and journals, literary reviews and criticism, plot summaries and synopses, critical essays, reference books, author biographies, full-text classic novels, book reviews, short stories and poems.
Literature: LitFinder (Gale) This link opens in a new window
A great source to access historical and contemporary literary works and authors, including full-text poems, as well as short stories, speeches, and plays. The database also includes secondary materials like biographies, images, and multimedia. Includes Gale’s visual Topic Finder tool.
Literature Resource Center (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Find biographies, overviews, and reference information, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on nearly 150,000 authors in all fields of literature, from all time periods throughout history and around the world. Content from scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, and multimedia. Includes Gale’s visual Topic Finder tool.

Western Library A-Z Databases List
Over 100 databases by EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest and more, covering all fields in Western's curriculum.

ZTC / Links and LibGuides

Link: All Western Library LibGuides and Databases (ZTC)

Western Library LibGuides
LibGuides are web-based digital "handouts" that contain links, information, and learning materials customized for an assignment, course, or program.
Western Library A-Z Databases List
Use the Subject Menu in the upper left to bring up the databases most relevant to your subject area. Login with your Western ID.

ZTC / Writing Resources on the Web

Writing Resources on the Web (ZTC)

Excelsior College Online Writing Lab
A recommended alternative to the Purdue Online Writing Center. Link your students to information about:
The Writing Process - Research Process - Citation & Documentation - Rhetorical Styles - Argument & Critical Thinking - Online Writing & Presentations - Grammar Essentials - Avoiding Plagiarism - Academic Writing 101
Writing in the Disciplines - Writing Refresher
Writing Commons
The encyclopedia for writers, researchers, and knowledge workers. Get the help you need to realize your potential as a writer and speaker in school and workplace settings.