7th - 8th Writing, October 3

Lesson:
We were missing a couple of students this week, since several families were camping. We used class period primarily to discuss some issues that had arisen in students' papers.

The first issue we discussed was use of transitions. Good transitions are essential to lead readers along through the flow of the essay, particularly between the body paragraphs in a longer essay. Specifically, I stated that I prefer that students include transition statements in the opening of each inner body paragraph, rather than at the conclusion of the previous paragraph, as some had been doing. In other words, Paragraph #3 should begin with a brief word or phrase linking to Paragraph #2 before pivoting to discuss the main thought of the new paragraph #3. In this way, each paragraph retains the integrity of a single main topic, which is central to the very idea of a paragraph as a unit of writing.

I realize opinions differ, and other teachers may teach otherwise. In some cases, their way may be preferable. However, this way (linking transitions at the beginning of the new paragraph) is consistent with what I teach about the structure of writing, and also agrees with authorities such as Purdue University Ongoing Writing Labs.
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/, specifically http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/01/)

The second major issue we discussed was the use and format of the concluding paragraph of a five-paragraph essay. The students already have hand-outs detailing this, but seemed to benefit from a refresher. Generally:
~ The first sentence of the final paragraph should reflect the thesis statement.
~ Following that, write a sentence or two reiterating the main point of each body paragraph. (That will be three to six sentences or so.)
~ Depending upon the type of essay, the conclusion ends with a strong statement of the writer's position, a projection of impact, a call to action, or other appropriate way of wrapping up the topic. A pertinent quotation is often effective here, as well.


Assignment:
Each student will write a five-paragraph essay exploring a single intangible quality, such as liberty, leadership. friendship, courage, peace, etc.
To that end, students will want to define terms in their intro paragraph.
They may also want to define the quality in terms of what is is NOT.
They might consider how the quality might be attained or developed, or any other angle that seems helpful in discussing the quality in its essence.
They will need to give examples of their quality in action. These examples may be from any arena: from general and common knowledge, from Scripture, or from the lives of specific individuals(s), living or dead, historical or fictional, etc.

Here is an excerpted example of an intro paragraph defining wisdom:

The majority of people seem to assume rather vaguely that wisdom increases with age and experience. The idea is that if one lives long enough, or makes enough mistakes, one will gather enough knowledge to become wise. By that definition, wisdom is just the knowledge gained during a lifetime. However, wisdom is much more than just knowledge gained. Biblically, wisdom signifies the pursuit of knowledge, the application of that knowledge with understanding, and the personification of God's will in action.