Lesson:
We read some of the students' definition essays about friendship. The class seemed to have a grasp of the assignment, and most successfully incorporated the sentence variety we have been practicing.
We spent the remainder of the class period teaching the concept and format for a simple block-style compare/contrast paragraph. Later we will learn to expand these to a five-paragraph essay.
To compare is to find how things are alike.
To contrast is to find how things are different.
For a simple contrast paper, students are to choose two things which seem similar, then explore the features that distinguish them as different. Examples might include:
cats and dogs (both small mammals commonly kept as household pets)
McDonald's and Wendy's (both fast food burger joints)
Target and WalMart (both large discount chain stores)
football and soccer (both team sports moving a ball down field to score)
FDR and Churchill (both allied leaders during WWII)
Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia (both beloved classic fantasy with Christian underpinnings)
and many, many more.
Whenever the subjects being compared or contrasted are mentioned together, they must remain in their original order. So, if cats are mentioned before dogs in the beginning, cats will always be mentioned first in any sentence where dogs are also mentioned. Therefore, choose the starting order strategically.
Begin by providing background and acknowledging similarities in at least the topic sentence; continue in a few following sentences if that helps explain things or add interest.
For example, one might say "Cats and dogs are perennially the most common and popular household pets. Fully half of all American families own at least one of these pets; 31% of households have cats, 39% have dogs, and some have both. While cats and dogs have many similarities, they are different in some important ways."
The next sentence should delineate whatever categories of differences the author chooses to highlight. (In a longer essay, this sentence would be at the end if the first paragraph, and would become the thesis statement.) For example, one might write, "Among other features, cats and dogs differ in ease of training, usefulness, and sociability."
The next section, the main body of the paragraph, will then contrast cats and dogs on those three points in that order. In our example, that would be:
(1) ease of training
(2) usefulness
(3) sociability
Usually, it works best to place whatever one considers to be the strongest point at the end.
Writers employ two different patterns for writing compare/contrast essays. One pattern involves a point-by-point, line-by-line examination, while the other considers all the points about one subject before switching to discuss all the points of other subject.
The line-by-line approach can be clear and effective, but it can also read like a ping-pong match of back-and-forth statements, if not done well.
Line-by-line example:
(1) Cats do not generally exhibit cooperation or obedience, but dogs can be trained to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining, and even valuable tasks. (2) Although some cats might deign to catch mice from time to time, many dogs serve valuable, even life-saving functions, such as: guarding homes and businesses; herding animals on farms and ranches; serving as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals; aiding law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations; and more. (3) Looking at the wild cousins of cats and dogs, one sees the biggest difference of all: cats are territorial while dogs are pack animals. Generally, cats are often aloof and independent, while dogs want to belong to a group. Thus, cats are carry themselves as rulers of their domain, while dogs are known as man's best friend.
Block style is the other major way of writing compare/contrast papers, and the one we will use for this assignment. Though we will still consider the same points about the same subjects in the same order, block style 'batches' these together in a few sentences devoted to each, so it has less of the ping-pong effect.
Block-style example:
(1)Even among cat fanciers, these regal felines are notorious for their lack of cooperation and obedience. Though cats may be beautiful and graceful, they simply do not do what they are told when they are told. (2)Certainly, these lovely creatures may occasionally catch mice if and when it suits them, but they seldom take pains to serve or please their human housemates otherwise. (3) Considering the natural behavior of big cats in the wild, this makes sense. Cats are territorial and independent. Placed in a household with humans, they coexist peacefully, even pleasantly, without yielding their innate sovereignty. On the other hand, (1)dogs have been trained quite easily for centuries to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining and even valuable tasks. (2) Working only for the occasional treat or pat on the head, perhaps even just for the sheer joy of doing what they were bred to do, dogs serve important, even life-saving, functions every day. Eagerly, canine companions guard homes and businesses, herd animals on farms and ranches, aid law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations, serve as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals,and more. (3) Because they are pack animals, dogs want to belong, to please, to know their place. Under the right leadership, dogs can do amazing things and display undying devotion and loyalty. Dogs are man's best friend.
Note that we use a clear transition expression (e.g., On the other hand,) to indicate when we switch from the first subject to the second.
Finally, we will wrap up the paragraph gracefully with at least a final concluding sentence, or clincher, that reflects the topic sentence in slightly different words, while bringing everything together again.
For example, if remaining impartial, we might say, "Cats and dogs are both popular pets whose differences make them beloved by different people."
If expressing a preference, we might rework the 'dog' block to end with "Though cats and dogs are both popular pets, only dogs are man's best friend."
So, putting it all together:
Cats and dogs are perennially the most common and popular household pets. Fully half of all American families own at least one of these pets; 31% of households have cats, 39% have dogs, and some have both. While cats and dogs have many similarities, they are different in some important ways. Even among cat fanciers, these regal felines are notorious for their lack of cooperation and obedience. Though cats may be beautiful and graceful, they simply do not do what they are told when they are told. Certainly, these lovely creatures may occasionally catch mice if and when it suits them, but they seldom take pains to serve or please their human housemates otherwise. Considering the natural behavior of big cats in the wild, this makes sense. Cats are territorial and independent. Placed in a household with humans, they coexist peacefully, even pleasantly, without yielding their innate sovereignty. On the other hand, dogs have been trained quite easily for centuries to perform any number of elaborate, entertaining and even valuable tasks. Working only for the occasional treat or pat on the head, perhaps even just for the sheer joy of doing what they were bred to do, dogs serve important, even life-saving, functions every day. Eagerly, canine companions guard homes and businesses, herd animals on farms and ranches, aid law enforcement with search-and-rescue operations, serve as eyes, ears, and able bodies for physically-challenged individuals,and more. Because they are pack animals, dogs want to belong, to please, to know their place. Under the right leadership, dogs can do amazing things and display undying devotion and loyalty. Though cats and dogs are both popular pets, only dogs are man's best friend.
Assignments:
Each student will write a block-style contrast paragraph on any suitable subjects of choice. Students may choose cats and dogs, as long as the thoughts and words are their own.
Students may treat the subjects in an impartial way, or may clearly state a preference.
Everything else we have learned applies. Besides vivid word choice and strong active verbs, this means students will need to work in ALL of the sentence variety we have been practicing.
This assignment is due April 17. Class will NOT meet this week, April 10.
With the extra week, any student who wishes to do so may submit an original poem or short story for extra credit.
Showing posts with label Transitions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transitions. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
4th - 6th Writing, February 13
Lesson:
This lesson was divided into two parts. We spent most of the lesson going over our next project, which is a country report. After that, we devoted the last part of our class time to introducing an exercise from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing. We will continue both of these sessions over the next class period.
Country Report:
Obviously, to write a comprehensive report about any country would require much more time, effort, and page length than we are devoting to this assignment. Therefore, students will need to be selective in choosing information that is most important in helping fellow classmates learn what is essential and distinctive about their chosen countries. Though not all items on the following list would apply in equal depth to all countries, some important information to consider might include:
- Name of country (and any previous names)
- Location (continent, region [north/south/east/west], near neighbors, etc.)
- Landforms (coastal, peninsular, mountainous, desert, plains, etc.)
- Climate (temperate, tropical, arid, etc.)
- Natural Resources (oil, gold, minerals, timber, fishing, etc.)
- Population/Demographics (number, ethnic mix, old/young/ rural/urban, etc.)
- Language(s)
- History (settling/founding, invasion/war, dramatic turning points)
- Government (form [democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.], capital)
- Religions(s) (Which beliefs? actively practiced? freedom of religion? etc.)
- Culture (way of life --- food, clothing, social structure, customs, etc.)
- Economy (income sources, financial condition)
- Special Features (places to visit, distinctive attributes, interesting facts)
Students should include a map on a separate sheet. This may be printed from an up-to-date internet source. The map source must be cited.
Assignment:
Students are to choose any current country; this is not a report on ancient countries or cultures. I suggested that the students may want to report on countries where their ancestors lived, or where the students have visited, or perhaps where they may know friends or missionaries; however, that is not a requirment.
As with the recent animal reports, students are to do light research into their chosen topics, taking simple notes, and crediting their sources. From those notes, student will write one to three long paragraphs about their chosen topic. These paragraphs are to:
~ begin with an interesting "hook"
~ include well-chosen details
~ flow smoothly in logical order
~ use effective transitions and a variety of sentence openers
~ demonstrate lively word choice
~ conclude gracefully
Students are to add a Works Cited page following their report. It will follow the guidelines in last week's post, moving more toward correct and complete MLA format. The best tool I know for easily formatting resources is http://citationmachine.net/.
To use that, click on the link here to access the site; then click on the words MLA in the top left column of the page that opens; then click on the words in the left column describing the type of resource you are using (book, magazine, online article, etc.). Enter the prompted data, then click the word Submit; the website will format the citation correctly.
Students will have two weeks to complete this assignment.
This lesson was divided into two parts. We spent most of the lesson going over our next project, which is a country report. After that, we devoted the last part of our class time to introducing an exercise from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing. We will continue both of these sessions over the next class period.
Country Report:
Obviously, to write a comprehensive report about any country would require much more time, effort, and page length than we are devoting to this assignment. Therefore, students will need to be selective in choosing information that is most important in helping fellow classmates learn what is essential and distinctive about their chosen countries. Though not all items on the following list would apply in equal depth to all countries, some important information to consider might include:
- Name of country (and any previous names)
- Location (continent, region [north/south/east/west], near neighbors, etc.)
- Landforms (coastal, peninsular, mountainous, desert, plains, etc.)
- Climate (temperate, tropical, arid, etc.)
- Natural Resources (oil, gold, minerals, timber, fishing, etc.)
- Population/Demographics (number, ethnic mix, old/young/ rural/urban, etc.)
- Language(s)
- History (settling/founding, invasion/war, dramatic turning points)
- Government (form [democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.], capital)
- Religions(s) (Which beliefs? actively practiced? freedom of religion? etc.)
- Culture (way of life --- food, clothing, social structure, customs, etc.)
- Economy (income sources, financial condition)
- Special Features (places to visit, distinctive attributes, interesting facts)
Students should include a map on a separate sheet. This may be printed from an up-to-date internet source. The map source must be cited.
Assignment:
Students are to choose any current country; this is not a report on ancient countries or cultures. I suggested that the students may want to report on countries where their ancestors lived, or where the students have visited, or perhaps where they may know friends or missionaries; however, that is not a requirment.
As with the recent animal reports, students are to do light research into their chosen topics, taking simple notes, and crediting their sources. From those notes, student will write one to three long paragraphs about their chosen topic. These paragraphs are to:
~ begin with an interesting "hook"
~ include well-chosen details
~ flow smoothly in logical order
~ use effective transitions and a variety of sentence openers
~ demonstrate lively word choice
~ conclude gracefully
Students are to add a Works Cited page following their report. It will follow the guidelines in last week's post, moving more toward correct and complete MLA format. The best tool I know for easily formatting resources is http://citationmachine.net/.
To use that, click on the link here to access the site; then click on the words MLA in the top left column of the page that opens; then click on the words in the left column describing the type of resource you are using (book, magazine, online article, etc.). Enter the prompted data, then click the word Submit; the website will format the citation correctly.
Students will have two weeks to complete this assignment.
Monday, February 2, 2009
4th - 6th Writing, January 30
Lesson:
The journalism assignment led to some lively discussion which occupied the entire class period. I will be publishing a summation and follow-up to the journalism exercise later this week.
Assignment:
Going back to expository writing, students will prepare to write a report about an animal. This report is not meant to describe a particular animal, such as a pet; rather, this is meant to inform readers about a genus (such as elephants in general) or species (such as the Asian elephant). Since we have practiced writing the type of essay a student might need to produce for a history class, we are now practicing a typical science class essay.
At this point in the class, we are also bridging gently into longer, stronger, and more detailed academic writing.
NOTE: This assignment will take two weeks. For now, students should at least brainstorm, take notes, and organize ideas, perhaps even write a rough draft. After class this week, students will gather any additional info they need, then proceed through the steps to a finished report.
Information to cover might include:
Name Give including common and scientific names and any alternative names. (For example, the cougar, puma concolor, is also known as puma, mountain lion, or panther.)
Class State scientific class.(For example: mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, insect, spider, crustacean)
Anatomy and Appearance Describe distinguishing characteristics, such as shape, size, colors, covering, features, etc. (For example: four legs, two legs, no legs, wings? fur, feathers, scales? teeth, claws, horns, antlers, stingers? etc. )
Locomotion Tell how the animal moves. (Does it run, climb, swim, fly, dig, or jump? Is it fast or slow?)
Habitat and Range Identify continents, countries, regions, terrain, or ecosystems where it lives, such as:
~ Polar/arctic area
~ Mountain
~ Ocean
~ Desert
~ Savannah/grassland/prairie
~ Tropical rainforest
~ Woodland/forest
~ Tundra
~ Taiga
~ Wetland area/marsh
~ Pond
~ River/lake
~ Coral reef
~ Deciduous forest
~ Tide pool
Diet Explain what the animal eats and how it gets it food. (For example, is it carnivore [meat-eater], herbivore [plant-eater] or omnivore [both]? In the food chain, is it typically predator, prey, or both? Does it have unusual feeding habits? )
Enemies/Defense/Offense Identify any natural enemies the animal may have, as well as ways it attacks or defends itself. (Do other animals attack and/or this animal? Does anything else endanger this animal? Does it use camouflage, teeth and claws, armor, poison, etc.?)
Habits Note distinctive behaviors. (For example, does the animal hibernate? Or migrate? Is it nocturnal? Is it found alone, in herds, in packs, etc?
Life Cycle Explain how this animal lives and reproduces. (For example, does it lay eggs or give birth? How many young at once? Do family groups stay together, or are the young on their own? How long do they live?)
Environmental Impact Discuss how this animal interacts with humans, as applicable. (Are these endangered animals? If so, why? Are they useful [or harmful] to humans? If so, how? What impact would the extinction of this animal create?)
Individual Distinctives Explain anything else about this animal that makes it special or interesting.
Like all our assignments, students will need to:
~ brainstorm ideas and gather information
~ sort and sift those to choose the necessary and the best
~ arrange the chosen details in logical and balanced order
~ write a rough draft, placing those details into strong sentences
~ be sure to begin with an interesting topic sentence
~ be sure to end with a satisfying concluding sentence
~ add a title that draws the reader
~ check for active voice and lively language
~ check for sentence variety, using different openers and transitions
~ check for accuracy of fact, grammar, and spelling
~ produce smooth final draft
This time, remember, we have two weeks to accomplish this. Therefore, I will be expecting more from each student, in quantity, quality, or both.
The journalism assignment led to some lively discussion which occupied the entire class period. I will be publishing a summation and follow-up to the journalism exercise later this week.
Assignment:
Going back to expository writing, students will prepare to write a report about an animal. This report is not meant to describe a particular animal, such as a pet; rather, this is meant to inform readers about a genus (such as elephants in general) or species (such as the Asian elephant). Since we have practiced writing the type of essay a student might need to produce for a history class, we are now practicing a typical science class essay.
At this point in the class, we are also bridging gently into longer, stronger, and more detailed academic writing.
NOTE: This assignment will take two weeks. For now, students should at least brainstorm, take notes, and organize ideas, perhaps even write a rough draft. After class this week, students will gather any additional info they need, then proceed through the steps to a finished report.
Information to cover might include:
Name Give including common and scientific names and any alternative names. (For example, the cougar, puma concolor, is also known as puma, mountain lion, or panther.)
Class State scientific class.(For example: mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, insect, spider, crustacean)
Anatomy and Appearance Describe distinguishing characteristics, such as shape, size, colors, covering, features, etc. (For example: four legs, two legs, no legs, wings? fur, feathers, scales? teeth, claws, horns, antlers, stingers? etc. )
Locomotion Tell how the animal moves. (Does it run, climb, swim, fly, dig, or jump? Is it fast or slow?)
Habitat and Range Identify continents, countries, regions, terrain, or ecosystems where it lives, such as:
~ Polar/arctic area
~ Mountain
~ Ocean
~ Desert
~ Savannah/grassland/prairie
~ Tropical rainforest
~ Woodland/forest
~ Tundra
~ Taiga
~ Wetland area/marsh
~ Pond
~ River/lake
~ Coral reef
~ Deciduous forest
~ Tide pool
Diet Explain what the animal eats and how it gets it food. (For example, is it carnivore [meat-eater], herbivore [plant-eater] or omnivore [both]? In the food chain, is it typically predator, prey, or both? Does it have unusual feeding habits? )
Enemies/Defense/Offense Identify any natural enemies the animal may have, as well as ways it attacks or defends itself. (Do other animals attack and/or this animal? Does anything else endanger this animal? Does it use camouflage, teeth and claws, armor, poison, etc.?)
Habits Note distinctive behaviors. (For example, does the animal hibernate? Or migrate? Is it nocturnal? Is it found alone, in herds, in packs, etc?
Life Cycle Explain how this animal lives and reproduces. (For example, does it lay eggs or give birth? How many young at once? Do family groups stay together, or are the young on their own? How long do they live?)
Environmental Impact Discuss how this animal interacts with humans, as applicable. (Are these endangered animals? If so, why? Are they useful [or harmful] to humans? If so, how? What impact would the extinction of this animal create?)
Individual Distinctives Explain anything else about this animal that makes it special or interesting.
Like all our assignments, students will need to:
~ brainstorm ideas and gather information
~ sort and sift those to choose the necessary and the best
~ arrange the chosen details in logical and balanced order
~ write a rough draft, placing those details into strong sentences
~ be sure to begin with an interesting topic sentence
~ be sure to end with a satisfying concluding sentence
~ add a title that draws the reader
~ check for active voice and lively language
~ check for sentence variety, using different openers and transitions
~ check for accuracy of fact, grammar, and spelling
~ produce smooth final draft
This time, remember, we have two weeks to accomplish this. Therefore, I will be expecting more from each student, in quantity, quality, or both.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
4th - 6th Writing, October 17
Lesson:
I am thrilled with how well this class is learning! They are so enthusiastic about their writing, and their interest and effort are producing wonderful results. Their compositions show marked improvement every week as they apply their new lesson.
We opened class with a brief review of basics we have covered so far:
Clear communication
expressed in a lively way (vivid word choice, use of senses and emotion)
in correct paragraph form
with sensible organization
and sentence variety. (We will work more on this.)
We then spent some time explaining what we are seeking in the next assignment, which is a place description. I provided large color landscape pictures taken from calendars, from which students could choose their favorite. I asked the students to think about how many photos a photographer might take to get one great shot, and why he or she might have chosen that particular photo instead of another one. In other words, what is interesting, unusual, or special about this photo? Where is its drama? That is what we want to capture.
Like description in general, students will need first to observe the place in question, using as many of the five senses as apply. The difference, for most students, is that they must do this in their imaginations. I asked them to pretend they were in the location of their photo:
What do they see? Shapes, sizes, colors, textures? What colors? (Choose color names like those in the 64-crayon box, not the 8-crayon box.)
What might they feel around them? Soft, warm breezes? Hot, heavy stillness? Cool frosty chill? Piercing bitter cold?
What might they hear? Spring leaves rustling gently, autumn leaves crunching crisply? Songbirds lilting, seabirds cawing? Bees buzzing, crickets chirping, toads thrumming? Thunder clashing, waterfalls crashing, mountain streams splashing? Surf pounding? Silent stillness resounding?
What might they smell? Fresh air after a rain? Fragrant flowers in full bloom? Dry, windblown dust? Damp sea air?
What might they taste? Any notable taste in the air? (Though unlikely in most landscape settings, taste might factor in scenes full of dust, sand, or salt water.)
What movement might take place? Ripe grain heads bobbing and bowing in the wind? Water cascading downstream? Lightning flashing across the sky? (Motion helps to add life, so include it if appropriate.)
What overall mood prevails? Calm and peaceful? Stormy and foreboding? Lonely? Awestruck? Joyous? Powerful? Majestic? Welcoming? Comforting? Hostile? (Choose descriptive words that fit the mood.)
In selecting descriptive phrases, students should make the effort to include at least one, preferably two, instances of the following figures of speech:
Simile --- a comparison using the words "like" or "as"
"My love is like a red, red rose . . ." Robert Burns
Metaphor --- a comparison without using the words "like" or as"
"Love is a rose . . ." Neil Young
Personification --- ascribing aspects of personhood or personality to inanimate objects
"Love is blind . . ." William Shakespeare
As they 'observe' their setting, students might jot down their ideas and comments as we have done for previous paragraphs. From those notes, students can filter, edit, combine, and eliminate details to choose what they wish to include. They will then need to organize their select observations in a physical order that makes sense for the scene they are framing: top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, right to left, panorama to zoomed-in close-up, focused detail to wide-pan vista. Their words will guide the reader's eye.
With those details in order, students will proceed with the normal writing process. They will compose a catchy topic sentence, an effective conclusion, and an intriguing title. They will join sentences together using transition expressions, creating sentence variety with opening phrases and clauses. [We will continue to cover this more.] After a "breather" period, students will go back to edit and polish their work to their satisfaction, then prepare a smooth final version.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After explaining that lesson, we rounded out the class session by reading aloud some of the object descriptions the students had written the previous week. Many students brought to class the object under examination, so their classmates enjoyed matching the description to the actual item.
Assignment:
Each student will compose a paragraph describing a natural landscape, as described above. Most students will use the calendar pictures I provided, which they will return when they hand in their homework. A few will choose another familiar landscape, but should bring in a photo for the class to view. As we read the paragraphs aloud during our next session, the class will try to match up the photos with their descriptions.
These papers are to be pure description, not narratives. Students are not to make up stories to superimpose upon the settings.
This assignment will be due October 31. Class will not meet next week,October 24.
With an extra week available, some students may choose to write a longer paper this time, or even to write two papers. That is an extra-credit option, but is not required.
I am thrilled with how well this class is learning! They are so enthusiastic about their writing, and their interest and effort are producing wonderful results. Their compositions show marked improvement every week as they apply their new lesson.
We opened class with a brief review of basics we have covered so far:
Clear communication
expressed in a lively way (vivid word choice, use of senses and emotion)
in correct paragraph form
with sensible organization
and sentence variety. (We will work more on this.)
We then spent some time explaining what we are seeking in the next assignment, which is a place description. I provided large color landscape pictures taken from calendars, from which students could choose their favorite. I asked the students to think about how many photos a photographer might take to get one great shot, and why he or she might have chosen that particular photo instead of another one. In other words, what is interesting, unusual, or special about this photo? Where is its drama? That is what we want to capture.
Like description in general, students will need first to observe the place in question, using as many of the five senses as apply. The difference, for most students, is that they must do this in their imaginations. I asked them to pretend they were in the location of their photo:
What do they see? Shapes, sizes, colors, textures? What colors? (Choose color names like those in the 64-crayon box, not the 8-crayon box.)
What might they feel around them? Soft, warm breezes? Hot, heavy stillness? Cool frosty chill? Piercing bitter cold?
What might they hear? Spring leaves rustling gently, autumn leaves crunching crisply? Songbirds lilting, seabirds cawing? Bees buzzing, crickets chirping, toads thrumming? Thunder clashing, waterfalls crashing, mountain streams splashing? Surf pounding? Silent stillness resounding?
What might they smell? Fresh air after a rain? Fragrant flowers in full bloom? Dry, windblown dust? Damp sea air?
What might they taste? Any notable taste in the air? (Though unlikely in most landscape settings, taste might factor in scenes full of dust, sand, or salt water.)
What movement might take place? Ripe grain heads bobbing and bowing in the wind? Water cascading downstream? Lightning flashing across the sky? (Motion helps to add life, so include it if appropriate.)
What overall mood prevails? Calm and peaceful? Stormy and foreboding? Lonely? Awestruck? Joyous? Powerful? Majestic? Welcoming? Comforting? Hostile? (Choose descriptive words that fit the mood.)
In selecting descriptive phrases, students should make the effort to include at least one, preferably two, instances of the following figures of speech:
Simile --- a comparison using the words "like" or "as"
"My love is like a red, red rose . . ." Robert Burns
Metaphor --- a comparison without using the words "like" or as"
"Love is a rose . . ." Neil Young
Personification --- ascribing aspects of personhood or personality to inanimate objects
"Love is blind . . ." William Shakespeare
As they 'observe' their setting, students might jot down their ideas and comments as we have done for previous paragraphs. From those notes, students can filter, edit, combine, and eliminate details to choose what they wish to include. They will then need to organize their select observations in a physical order that makes sense for the scene they are framing: top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, right to left, panorama to zoomed-in close-up, focused detail to wide-pan vista. Their words will guide the reader's eye.
With those details in order, students will proceed with the normal writing process. They will compose a catchy topic sentence, an effective conclusion, and an intriguing title. They will join sentences together using transition expressions, creating sentence variety with opening phrases and clauses. [We will continue to cover this more.] After a "breather" period, students will go back to edit and polish their work to their satisfaction, then prepare a smooth final version.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After explaining that lesson, we rounded out the class session by reading aloud some of the object descriptions the students had written the previous week. Many students brought to class the object under examination, so their classmates enjoyed matching the description to the actual item.
Assignment:
Each student will compose a paragraph describing a natural landscape, as described above. Most students will use the calendar pictures I provided, which they will return when they hand in their homework. A few will choose another familiar landscape, but should bring in a photo for the class to view. As we read the paragraphs aloud during our next session, the class will try to match up the photos with their descriptions.
These papers are to be pure description, not narratives. Students are not to make up stories to superimpose upon the settings.
This assignment will be due October 31. Class will not meet next week,October 24.
With an extra week available, some students may choose to write a longer paper this time, or even to write two papers. That is an extra-credit option, but is not required.
7th - 8th Writing, October 17
Lesson:
In this class period, we addressed common errors uncovered in grading the students' previous assignment.
I again stressed the need for unambiguous clarity regarding the thesis. I told the students that they need to be able to reduce their thesis statement to short, straightforward, powerful bullet points. Those bullet points then plug into the corresponding slots on our five-paragraph essay diagram. That structure forms the skeleton of the essay. From there, the students should flesh out those bones with supporting examples and details, and fully clothe their creation in elegant, flowing prose. However, when all is said and done, the clarity and power of those original bullet points should be just as clear to the reader as they were to the author in the beginning.
Other errors addressed were as follows:
Number agreement
Tense agreement
Parallel construction of concepts at the thesis level
Naming the subject (nouns, not pronouns) in the thesis statement
For all that, I must say that the definition essays turned in this week exhibit a much higher level of writing skill than the previous assignment. The students show that they are incorporating and applying what they are learning each week. In general, their word choices and sentence variety were excellent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We spent the remainder of the class period teaching the concept and format for a block-style compare/contrast essay. (If I get access to a scanner, I will attach a diagram here.)
For a simple contrast paper, students are to choose two things which seem similar, then explore the features that distinguish them as different. Examples might include:
dogs and cats (both small mammals commonly kept as household pets)
McDonald's and Wendy's (both fast food burger joints)
Target and WalMart (both large discount chain stores)
football and soccer (both popular team sports played by moving a ball down a field to score)
FDR and Churchill (both allied leaders during WWII)
Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia (both beloved classic fantasy with Christian underpinnings)
Star Trek and Star Wars (both influential sci fi series and cultural icons)
and many, many more.
Provide background and acknowledge similarities in the intro paragraph. Then delineate the categories of differences in the thesis statement. ("Cats and dogs differ in sociability, trainability, and usefulness." )
The body paragraphs will follow, each developing in order one of the three main points of the thesis statement. In our example, the next paragraph will discuss differences in the animals' sociability, the following paragraph will address their comparative levels of trainability, and the one after that will explore their relative degrees and roles of usefulness.
Finally, the concluding paragraph will begin with a restatement of the ideas of the thesis statement, followed by a sentence of two recapping the main point of each of the three body paragraphs. From there, that last paragraph broadens out to an overall conclusion, which might include a statement of preference, prediction, quotation, etc.
How this differs from the previous five-paragraph essays is that each of these three main points must be discussed for each of these two subjects. So, in the paragraph discussing sociability, for instance, the author will lead in with a topic sentences, then spend several sentences exploring the social behavior of cats. Next, with a pivot expression, ("on the other hand" . . .) the author will turn the topic to sociability in dogs for a few sentences, before concluding the paragraph gracefully with a reflection of the topic sentence. The same idea goes for the other two body paragraphs as well.
Whenever these subjects are mentioned together, they must remain in their original order. So, if cats are mentioned before dogs in the thesis statement, cats will always be mentioned first in any paragraph or sentence where dogs are also mentioned. Therefore, choose your starting order strategically.
Assignments:
Each student will write a five-paragraph block-style contrast essay on a topic of choice.
Students may treat the subjects in an impartial way, or may clearly state a preference.
Everything else we have learned applies.
This assignment is due October 31. Class will not meet next week, October 24.
With the extra week, students may opt to rewrite a low-scoring paper for an extra-credit grade.
In this class period, we addressed common errors uncovered in grading the students' previous assignment.
I again stressed the need for unambiguous clarity regarding the thesis. I told the students that they need to be able to reduce their thesis statement to short, straightforward, powerful bullet points. Those bullet points then plug into the corresponding slots on our five-paragraph essay diagram. That structure forms the skeleton of the essay. From there, the students should flesh out those bones with supporting examples and details, and fully clothe their creation in elegant, flowing prose. However, when all is said and done, the clarity and power of those original bullet points should be just as clear to the reader as they were to the author in the beginning.
Other errors addressed were as follows:
Number agreement
Tense agreement
Parallel construction of concepts at the thesis level
Naming the subject (nouns, not pronouns) in the thesis statement
For all that, I must say that the definition essays turned in this week exhibit a much higher level of writing skill than the previous assignment. The students show that they are incorporating and applying what they are learning each week. In general, their word choices and sentence variety were excellent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We spent the remainder of the class period teaching the concept and format for a block-style compare/contrast essay. (If I get access to a scanner, I will attach a diagram here.)
For a simple contrast paper, students are to choose two things which seem similar, then explore the features that distinguish them as different. Examples might include:
dogs and cats (both small mammals commonly kept as household pets)
McDonald's and Wendy's (both fast food burger joints)
Target and WalMart (both large discount chain stores)
football and soccer (both popular team sports played by moving a ball down a field to score)
FDR and Churchill (both allied leaders during WWII)
Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia (both beloved classic fantasy with Christian underpinnings)
Star Trek and Star Wars (both influential sci fi series and cultural icons)
and many, many more.
Provide background and acknowledge similarities in the intro paragraph. Then delineate the categories of differences in the thesis statement. ("Cats and dogs differ in sociability, trainability, and usefulness." )
The body paragraphs will follow, each developing in order one of the three main points of the thesis statement. In our example, the next paragraph will discuss differences in the animals' sociability, the following paragraph will address their comparative levels of trainability, and the one after that will explore their relative degrees and roles of usefulness.
Finally, the concluding paragraph will begin with a restatement of the ideas of the thesis statement, followed by a sentence of two recapping the main point of each of the three body paragraphs. From there, that last paragraph broadens out to an overall conclusion, which might include a statement of preference, prediction, quotation, etc.
How this differs from the previous five-paragraph essays is that each of these three main points must be discussed for each of these two subjects. So, in the paragraph discussing sociability, for instance, the author will lead in with a topic sentences, then spend several sentences exploring the social behavior of cats. Next, with a pivot expression, ("on the other hand" . . .) the author will turn the topic to sociability in dogs for a few sentences, before concluding the paragraph gracefully with a reflection of the topic sentence. The same idea goes for the other two body paragraphs as well.
Whenever these subjects are mentioned together, they must remain in their original order. So, if cats are mentioned before dogs in the thesis statement, cats will always be mentioned first in any paragraph or sentence where dogs are also mentioned. Therefore, choose your starting order strategically.
Assignments:
Each student will write a five-paragraph block-style contrast essay on a topic of choice.
Students may treat the subjects in an impartial way, or may clearly state a preference.
Everything else we have learned applies.
This assignment is due October 31. Class will not meet next week, October 24.
With the extra week, students may opt to rewrite a low-scoring paper for an extra-credit grade.
Friday, October 10, 2008
4th - 6th Writing, October 10
Lesson:
We spent the first part of the class reviewing some basic ideas:
~ Collect your good ideas and put them into the correct paragraph form.
~ Make that paragraph easy for the reader to understand and follow by clear, logical organization that leads your reader along with you step-by-step from intro to conclusion.
~ Keep that well-organized paragraph lively and interesting to your reader by choosing vivid action verbs and strong descriptions that evoke the senses, motion, and emotion.
~ Add even more readability to your interesting paragraph by using a variety of ways to begin different sentences.
We added There is, There are, It is, and similar expressions to our no-no list as legal but weak ways to begin sentences.
To help organize and add variety to sentences, I provided each student with a sheet of transition expressions. These transitions are organized into groups that can be used to show time, location, similarities, differences, and so on, so that students can easily choose words that suit their method of organization for any writing project. We will be discussing more about using these transition words skillfully in the coming weeks, especially as we begin to emphasize sentence variety.
Up until now, most of our early writing assignments have been narratives, organized in chronological(time) order. Now we are switching to descriptive papers for a few weeks, with details organized in spatial (place) order. I told the class to imagine they are movie directors, deciding how the camera will reveal their object on screen. Will they choose to start at the top and work down? Start at the bottom and work up? Start out with a general shot and then zoom in for a close-up? Start with close focus on some small detail and then pan out to an overview? As directors, they decide what will work best. All I ask is that they be consistent,not jumping all around but rather flowing smoothly through their description, using transition expressions to guide the reader's mind like a movie camera guides the filmgoer's eye.
Next, we talked about preparing to write a description of a physical object by first spending some time observing that object using as many of the five sense as we can, really paying attention to what we can discover as we jot down our observations on our brainstorming mind maps. I showed some example objects to the class as we talked together about how we might describe the colors, textures, and so on.
To wrap up, we read aloud a few student papers, commenting on the good features, suggesting one way the authors could now use what we are learning about transitions and sentence variety to make their next papers even better.
Assignment:
Each student will write an interesting, well-organized paragraph describing a physical object. This may be any individual tangible item: a sea shell, rock, figurine, banana, apple, orange, baseball, soccer net, basketball hoop, old shoe, tea cup, candlestick, --- almost anything. We will be describing places and people later, so I do not want students to tackle those yet. A few students asked about describing pets; that is acceptable as long as the paragraph is limited to physical description, not behavior or personality. It might be easier, though, to choose an inanimate object.
Students should incorporate all we have learned, with special effort to incorporate some appropriate transitions and some sentence variety.
We spent the first part of the class reviewing some basic ideas:
~ Collect your good ideas and put them into the correct paragraph form.
~ Make that paragraph easy for the reader to understand and follow by clear, logical organization that leads your reader along with you step-by-step from intro to conclusion.
~ Keep that well-organized paragraph lively and interesting to your reader by choosing vivid action verbs and strong descriptions that evoke the senses, motion, and emotion.
~ Add even more readability to your interesting paragraph by using a variety of ways to begin different sentences.
We added There is, There are, It is, and similar expressions to our no-no list as legal but weak ways to begin sentences.
To help organize and add variety to sentences, I provided each student with a sheet of transition expressions. These transitions are organized into groups that can be used to show time, location, similarities, differences, and so on, so that students can easily choose words that suit their method of organization for any writing project. We will be discussing more about using these transition words skillfully in the coming weeks, especially as we begin to emphasize sentence variety.
Up until now, most of our early writing assignments have been narratives, organized in chronological(time) order. Now we are switching to descriptive papers for a few weeks, with details organized in spatial (place) order. I told the class to imagine they are movie directors, deciding how the camera will reveal their object on screen. Will they choose to start at the top and work down? Start at the bottom and work up? Start out with a general shot and then zoom in for a close-up? Start with close focus on some small detail and then pan out to an overview? As directors, they decide what will work best. All I ask is that they be consistent,not jumping all around but rather flowing smoothly through their description, using transition expressions to guide the reader's mind like a movie camera guides the filmgoer's eye.
Next, we talked about preparing to write a description of a physical object by first spending some time observing that object using as many of the five sense as we can, really paying attention to what we can discover as we jot down our observations on our brainstorming mind maps. I showed some example objects to the class as we talked together about how we might describe the colors, textures, and so on.
To wrap up, we read aloud a few student papers, commenting on the good features, suggesting one way the authors could now use what we are learning about transitions and sentence variety to make their next papers even better.
Assignment:
Each student will write an interesting, well-organized paragraph describing a physical object. This may be any individual tangible item: a sea shell, rock, figurine, banana, apple, orange, baseball, soccer net, basketball hoop, old shoe, tea cup, candlestick, --- almost anything. We will be describing places and people later, so I do not want students to tackle those yet. A few students asked about describing pets; that is acceptable as long as the paragraph is limited to physical description, not behavior or personality. It might be easier, though, to choose an inanimate object.
Students should incorporate all we have learned, with special effort to incorporate some appropriate transitions and some sentence variety.
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