1. Do you agree that mastering the Academic Word List will help us convince an audience that we are knowledgeable and well educated?" Why or why not?

2. Do you agree with Averil Coxhead's claim "The academic Word List provides useful information about which words give the bet return for learning for students with academic goals, and highlights the words which learners will meet in a wide range of academic texts" Why or why not?

3. Do you agree with David Corson's claim that in the English-speaking world the failure to master the high-status, Latin-derived vocabulary creates a barrier--a lexical br--to moving ahead economically, socially, professionally? Why or Why not? Give a couple of examples from your experience. For instance, do you know someone who has advanced professionally largely on the basis of his or her mastery of high-status English vocabulary?

4. Locate a Web site that provides a list of academic terms other than the AWL. What is the Web site's URL? What advantages do you think this list might have over the AWL for students attempting to master academic writing? Why? What disadvantages do you think it might have? Why?

5. Consider the following pragagraph (Kaplan, 2002):

Because individual students may shirk their responsibility when involved in team assignments, evaluation tools must be in place to measure individual performance and adjust individual grades accordingly. One of the most common approaches for measuring individual performance in a team project is the use of confidential peer evaluation. This evaluation should use a scoring system that differentiates individuals within teams and not between teams.