ENG1503/102/1/2023

Tutorial Letter 102/1/2023

Academic Language and Literacy in English

ENG1503

Semester 1

Department of English Studies

This is a feedforward tutorial letter for Assignment 1 of Semester 1

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 ENG1503/102/1/2023

Dear student,

This tutorial letter serves to guide you in the writing of the assignments set for this
module. Our intention is to unpack and explain the assignment questions in such a
manner that you are able to use these guidelines meaningfully to select the appropriate
structures and content for the assignment. The purpose of this Tutorial Letter 102 is
to assist you with writing Assignment 01. Your assignments can be found in the
Tutorial Letter 001. By now, you should have downloaded the Tutorial Letter 001 under
the “Official study material” from the main ENG1503-23-S1 on Moodle Learning
Management System (LMS) site on myUnisa.

It is important that your assignment is presented in a legible and formal way. As there is
no official cover page, please make sure that your cover page contains the following
information: your full names and surname, unique number, module name/code and
assignment number.

For those of you who will type your assignments, we recommend that you use Arial
font, 12 point, and 1.5 spacing. You will NOT be penalised for hand-writing your
assignment. If you choose the hand-written and scanning option, please make sure
that your writing is legible and visible.

Do not forget to attach a signed declaration form to your assignment because it is

mandatory/compulsory to include it. The declaration form can be found at the back page
of the Tutorial Letter 101. If you do not have access to a scanner, you may retype the
declaration form and insert an electronic signature/ type your name and surname in the
signature line. You are only able to upload 1 file in your assignment submission link.
Your declaration needs to be incorporated into your assignment file as one document.

Your assignment should be saved as a ‘pdf’ document. Please make sure you are
submitting/ have submitted the correct document to avoid being awarded a ‘0’ mark.
In your answers we look for evidence of, inter alia, critical reading, skimming and
scanning skills, comprehension, reflexive response, coherence and cohesion,
grammaticality, paragraphing, and spelling. In general, your paragraphs should be
properly structured, and coherent with a logical topic development.
The paragraphs should demonstrate excellent use of grammar, vocabulary, and be
properly edited as well as proof-read. In addition, you are required to use a high level of
creativity because you are expected to display an ability to gather information from
various sources and collate it in the most coherent, cohesive, relevant and
grammatically correct format.

During the course of the semester, we will be posting feedback on assignments. You
are advised to frequently visit the Moodle LMS site for the module ENG1503 on myUnisa
and interact with your e-tutors for more guidance.

NB: A significant and helpful source that will guide you successfully as you answer this
assignment is the “ASSIGNMENT 01 PODCAST” that was prepared by your lecturers
and uploaded under the myUnisa’s “Additional Resources” tab. Please download the
PODCAST, listen to it attentively, and follow the presented instructions as you answer
this assignment. You will learn invaluable skills just by listening to the PODCAST: You
are advised to practise and apply these learned skills throughout your academic journey
and beyond. Please attend the Microsoft Teams LIVESTREAM SESSION for
Assignment 01 that is scheduled to take place on the 21st February 2023 @ 16:30. You
will receive the Microsoft Teams meeting link via the announcements on the main
ENG1503 site. If you are unable to attend the livestream session, a recording link will
be posted on the main ENG1503 site so that you watch the presentation at your
convenience. Please keep checking the announcements we post on a regular
basis. Please do NOT ignore email notifications on your mylife email account.

Reading strategies

There are many academic reading strategies. For this Tutorial Letter, we describe four
basic reading strategies you need to develop for successful and meaningful reading of
a text. You should be able to use the following techniques:

• Summarising: Identifying, outlining, and making notes of main points or ideas

presented in a text (see pages 66 and 67 of your Study Guide)
• Paraphrasing: Expressing the author’s ideas in your own words.
• Questioning: Asking yourself questions as you read, e.g. What is the main idea
of this paragraph? The questions should be formulated and expressed in your
own words.

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 • Synthesis: A synthesis is a written discussion (combination of ideas) that draws
on two or more sources.

Understanding the instructions: How to answer questions

The following website outlines some details of what task words are and how to interpret
task words:

https://student.unsw.edu.au/glossary-task-words

Note on referencing: Please note that all references in this document are in the
standard (Harvard) format that we expect you to use in your assignments. You must
include (in-text citations) for all the sources you intend using. In this assignment, you
are not required to provide a reference list. Internet sources should be indicated by
providing the full website as indicated on page 5 of your study guide. We do not accept
information from Wikipedia and similar sites; but we do encourage you to conduct
research on scholarly websites such as Google Scholar to broaden your academic
horizon regarding the given topics. Read pages 63 to 73 of your Study Guide for more
guidance on sources you are required to use.

Paragraph writing

Consult your Study Guide on pages 36-39 for more information on writing paragraphs.
Your prescribed textbook also has detailed material on writing paragraphs (Gaetz et al.,
2018: 83-88). Please study these texts and the examples given. A paragraph should
have:

• A topic sentence: which introduces the idea of the paragraph;

• A supporting sentence: which explains or gives examples/quotations which
support the main idea contained in the topic sentence; and,
• A concluding sentence: which sums up the ideas you have discussed.

Please note that a paragraph should NOT include bullet points or numbers.

Short paragraph questions

IMPORTANT: WE HAVE INDICATED THE MARK ALLOCATION FOR EACH

QUESTION: PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THIS. You will note that
language/grammar and content are important components of each question.

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EDIT YOUR WORK THOROUGHLY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT LOSE
MARKS FOR LANGUAGE.

Question 1.1: Discuss how the first paragraph captures or connects with the title of
the text “Nature Returns to the Cities”. Your response should include THREE (3)
discussion points.
[10 marks]

This question requires you to use your own words. Do not lift words from the text when
answering this question. Yes, you can paraphrase the ideas from the text.

This question requires you to discuss your understanding of the given text in one
paragraph. You will be penalised for writing in point form. Do not number or use bullet
points when answering this question. A concise paragraph discussion of 150 words is
required.

*The self-reflection table below is for your own use. There is no need to submit it
with your assignment.

*Self-reflection for Question 1.1 Yes/ No

I have read the paragraph at least 3 times.
I have included at least THREE (3) main points that deal with the
CAPTURE/CONNECTION of the text.
I have written ONE paragraph.
I have edited my paragraph and it is error free.
I have adhered to the given word-count of 150 words.
I have indicated my word-count and the end of the paragraph in
brackets, for example: (Word-count: 130 words).

N.B: Your response should not be more than 150 words.

Marks: Link the first paragraph with the title of the text – 2 marks
Three discussion points- 6 marks
Language and structure – 2 marks

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 Question 1.2: Summarise the thesis statement of the text “Nature Returns to the
cities”. Provide THREE (3) examples from the text on how the author develops
his thesis statement.

[10 marks]

You need to write a summary of the thesis statement of the text, “Nature returns to the
cities”. Here are some tips to help you summarise the main point of the given
text/passage:
• Read and understand the text carefully.
• Think about the title of the text.
• Ask what the author's intention is in writing the text?
• The thesis statement (main idea of the text) is usually found in the first paragraph.
It is usually one line.
• Find the main idea - what is important.
• Write the thesis statement into your own words.
• Once you have written the thesis statement in your own words, provide THREE
(3) examples from the whole text to show how the author developed (or built on)
his thesis statement.
• Proofread your work. Delete repetitive information. Edit thoroughly.

Study Unit 2 (p.35-39) to learn more about how to write a thesis statement and how it is
identified in a text. A thesis statement usually appears at the conclusion of the
introductory paragraph. It offers a concise summary of the main point or claim of the
essay. Have you listened to the Assignment 01 podcast? In this podcast, we mention
types of thesis statements. Alternatively, you can research “nature returns to the cities”.
In this question, you need to provide a thesis statement in the text provided.

In your response, you are required to show us how the nature returns to the cities?

Here is a suggested example for presenting your response:

*The self-reflection table below is for your own use. There is no need to submit it
with your assignment.

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 *Self-reflection for Question 1.2 Yes/ No
I have found the thesis statement and put it in my own words.
I have discussed THREE examples to show how the author
developed his thesis statement.
I have responded in ONE paragraph.
I have edited my paragraph and it is error free.
I have adhered to the word-count of 150 words.
I have indicated my word-count at the end of my paragraph in
brackets, for example: (Word-count: 144 words).
N.B: Your response should not be more than 150 words.

Marks:
Summary of thesis statement – 2 marks
Examples – 6 marks
Language and structure – 2 marks

Question 1.3: Identify THREE (3) features of non-academic language from the text
and justify why each of your chosen features are non-academic. (Refer to Unit 5 of
Tutorial Letter 501). [10 marks]

Refer to Unit 5 of your Tutorial Letter 501 to understand more about the features of
academic writing. Do not answer this question if you have not studied this section.
Refer to the pdf document labelled ‘features of academic writing’ that we have uploaded
under the ‘Additional resources’ on the ENG1503 site, it may help you to understand the
features of academic writing better.

Now, with your acquired knowledge of academic writing features, are you able to spot
some of the features that are not academic in the text? If not, it means you have not
read the article at least three times or you have not understood the academic writing
features. There are MANY examples of non-academic writing features in the text, but
we only need you to find THREE features. Once you have found them, we need you to
quote and justify why these features are non-academic. You may present your
paragraph like this:

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One non-academic feature from the text is informal language, “….. [quote example from
the text here]…….” What makes this example informal is that it
………………………………………………… Another non-academic feature is
xxxxx……. “………….. [quote example from the text here]….” In academic writing, we
usually do not………………………………….. Finally, the last non-academic feature is
yyyyyy, “[quote example from the text here]…. What makes this particular example non-
academic is that……………………. (Word-count: 130 words)

*The self-reflection table below is for your own use. There is no need to submit it
with your assignment.
*Self-reflection for Question 1.3 Yes/ No
I have identified THREE (3) non-academic features in the Assignment
01 text.
I have quoted three of the non-academic writing features from the text.
I did not forget to include the inverted commas around my examples,
which I have extracted from the text.
I have justified why each of the non-academic features quoted are not
academic
I have responded in ONE paragraph.
I have edited the paragraph and it is error free.
I have adhered to the given word-count of 150 words.
I have indicated my word-count at the end of my paragraph in
brackets, for example: (Word-count: 139 words).

N.B: Your response should not be more than 150 words.

Marks:
Three non-academic language features – 3 marks
Justification – 3 marks
Language and structure – 4 marks

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 Question 1.4: Paragraph 3 states that “overcrowded cities and urban sprawls have
put more people and wild animals in close proximity than at any time in American
history, says Matthews.” In your own words, explain TWO (2) causes of urban
sprawl. Cite TWO (2) external sources to support each cause. (No reference list is
required)
[10 marks]

This question asks for your own opinion on TWO (2) causes of urban sprawls. For
example, if a person is subjected to dangerous animals roaming around freely in the
city, what could be the cause of animals roaming around freely??? Think of TWO
causes. When you have written down your causes, you must then support each cause
by citing a relevant source from the internet because you are required to provide in-text
citations in your response to this question. Think carefully about the two causes to
provide a well-constructed answer. Decide on a style in which you would like to present
your paragraph.
Support your resolutions with YOUR OWN RESEARCH from TWO EXTERNAL
SOURCES (books, journal, or other reputable academic sources). You may choose to
find articles from Google scholar, if you prefer. To find this site, enter the keywords
‘google scholar’ on Google. Then click on the Google scholar site. This is what will
appear:

In the search bar, you can enter the search words ‘human habitat’, for example. (In your
case, you will search for the causes of urban sprawl.) I clicked on 2022 to sort the articles
according to their years of publication:

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As you can see, many articles will come up. All you need to do is choose TWO articles
to support the TWO causes you have mentioned. The two articles you choose will be
the two citations that you should include in your written response as an in-text citation.
So, you are probably asking yourself, how should I include TWO citations to support
TWO causes? Let us show you an example:

You can choose to state a long- term effect of human and animal habitat and follow it
up with a solution to the cause you stated. For example:
The first cause of overcrowded cities and urban sprawls on a person
is………………………….. According to Jenner (2022), urban sprawls are
arguably…………………………….. The second cause of urban sprawl
is………………………………………. For Kardashian (2021: 34), urban sprawls
generally occur when…………………………………………… (Word-count: 140 words)

As you can see from the structure above, we have included TWO causes from the
text and used TWO citations to support the causes. We do NOT want you to
include a reference list as it is not required.

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*The self-reflection table below is for your own use. There is no need to submit it
with your assignment.
*Self-reflection for Question 1.4 Yes/ No
I have used my own opinion (ideas) in this response.
I have stated TWO causes of urban sprawls.
I have included at least TWO citations to support the causes.
The citations that I have used are in the correct Harvard referencing
style.
I have written ONE paragraph.
I have edited my paragraph and it is error free.
I have adhered to the given word-count of 150 words.
I have indicated my word- count at the end of my paragraph in
brackets, for example: (Word-count: 145 words).

N.B: Your response should not be more than 150 words.

Marks:
Two causes of urban sprawl– 4 marks
Two citations – 2 marks
Language and structure – 4 marks

Question 1.5: Based on paragraph 2, do you think that human habitats and
animal habitats/wildlife should co-exist? In your own words, substantiate your
answer with ONE (1) example from the text (you may quote or paraphrase) and
TWO (2) examples of your own. [10
marks]

First, you will need to agree or disagree with the question. The question requires you to
take a stance. You cannot agree and disagree at the same time, choose one side.

From the given text, provide ONE example, to support your answer. You may quote or
paraphrase from the text. THEN, discuss two possible ways (your own examples) on
why human habitats and animal habitats should/ should not co-exist.

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Possible example:

Yes, I do think that human habitats and animal habitats can co-exist. According to the
text……….From my own experience………….In addition to this, I
…………………………

Another example:

No, I do not think that human habitats and animal habitats can co-exist. According to the
text……….From my own experience………….Firstly by …… Secondly by …..In addition
to this, I …………………………*The self-reflection table below is for your own use.
There is no need to submit it with your assignment.
*Self-reflection for Question 1.5 Yes/ No
I have provided my stance/ position on the topic.
I have stated ONE example from the text.
I have used TWO ideas of my own in this response.
I have responded in ONE paragraph.
I have edited my paragraph and it is error free.
I have adhered to the given word-count of 150 words.
I have indicated my word-count at the end of the paragraph in
brackets, for example: (Word-count: 145 words).

N.B: Your response should not be more than 150 words.

Marks:
Stance/ position – 1 mark
One example from the given text – 2 marks

Two of student’s own ideas – 4 marks

Language and structure – 3 marks

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 [50 x 2 = 100 MARKS]

Avoiding plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work without
acknowledging them or copying directly without acknowledging that the used ideas are
not your own. You will be penalised for copying as it is against Unisa policy on
plagiarism. Your Study Guide gives an in-depth information about plagiarism.

How can I avoid plagiarism?

1. Acknowledge the author(s).

2. After making use of another authors’ work, immediately acknowledge them.

3. Make use of correct punctuation to indicate the difference between your own voice
and the author’s voice.

4. Avoid doing your assignment at the eleventh hour.

6. Do not lend your notes to your study partner.

7. Make use of words such as: according to/maintains/ points out e.g. Mohale (2018:19)
maintains that plagiarism is academic suicide…

8. Always verify the used ideas (my own or other authors’ ideas).

9. Paraphrase used sentences.

10. DO NOT BUY YOUR ASSIGNMENT FROM GHOST WRITERS. Ghost writers tend
to mislead students, sell one copy of the assignment to different students. In the past,
we have had students who believed they were buying an assignment which was solely
for them. These people sell the same assignments to students who use their services.
We are able to pick up these similarities immediately and you will be awarded a ‘0’ mark.
Do not fall into this trap. Have confidence in your OWN abilities and attempt to do
assignments on your own. You will feel a greater sense of achievement and will be able
to learn from your own mistakes.

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References:

Tutorial Letter 101/3/2022, ENG 1503, Academic Language and Literacy in English,
Department of English, UNISA, p. 15.

Tutorial Letter 501/3/2022, ENG 1503, Academic Language and Literacy in English,
Department of English, UNISA, p. 38-39.

Tutorial Letter 001/3/2022, ENG 1503, Academic Language and Literacy in English,
Department of English, UNISA, p. 1-10.

We hope that you have found this Tutorial Letter 102 helpful and would like to take this
opportunity to wish you all of the very best in your first assignment.

Best wishes,

The ENG1503 Team

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