Advanced Composition for ESL Students

Advanced Composition for ESL Students (ACES) is a textbook and handbook designed to familiarize international students for whom English is not their native language with the expectations of academic and other types of formal writing, especially at the college level and beyond. It will focus on the writing process, the structure of paragraphs and essays, common rhetorical forms, and the grammatical structures and mechanics of good written communication.

This book is targeted at internationals learning English for academic purposes and seeking a deeper understanding of American culture. Therefore, the book will engage the students in high-interest topics that have remained current in social discourse and relevant in higher education settings. Its approach will be to lead students through the writing process while at the same time exposing them to the kind of active learning expected in American schools―learning that requires students to take responsibility for their own learning, to exercise critical thinking, to work cooperatively with peers, and to apply their new knowledge beyond the classroom.

As a writing textbook, ACES involves students in using the variety of traditional tools available to writers―reference books, writers' handbooks, and library resources. It also engages students in the use of tools available through new media such as the Internet. Though primarily focused on written communication, ACES also integrates reading, speaking, and grammar activities to emphasize their relationship to good written communication.

The book is designed to support teachers and students working together in a traditional classroom environment. It also includes activities that will allow blending traditional instruction with learning at a distance. And, with its extensive appendices, it should serve students long after they leave the classroom.

Bryan Ryan is Vice President of curriculum education services at Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, where he was previously the Department Head and an Instructor in the college's English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Program.