Good morning, everyone.
Deep Thought of the day:
Most people overestimate what they can
do in a year and underestimate what they can do in ten years. Bill Gates
Today’s music:
Robert Schumann, Symphony Number 1
ANNOUNCEMENT:
It looks like we will have summer school this July and August.
Five weeks.
I have asked to teach EF4,5,6 or EF23
VERB TENSE simple past, present perfect
Earthquake drill today at 10am
drill- training, practice
1.
Hide under the table for 60 seconds.
2.
Evacuate the building.
3.
Leave by the South door.
4.
Congregate in front of the school.
This school is build on post and beam construction.
12X12 fir posts
steel I beams resting on top
Today’s agenda:
·
Paragraph structure- overview
“Structure of a Paragraph- Golden Week example”
·
HW Prepare/Read
for Friday- begin short stories and poetry
“What
Happened During the Ice Storm”
“trees
in ice”
“A Pheasant
on Deer Mountain”
Thursday
·
Test#1 – writing about Criteria
·
Begin sentences styles- overview
·
HW Prepare
for Friday
“What
Happened During the Ice Storm”
“trees
in ice”
“A
Pheasant on Deer Mountain”
Friday
·
Begin “What Happened During the Ice Storm” module
·
Continue sentence styles- overview
Monday
·
Continue sentence styles
Paragraph
– collection of sentences (approx. 4 minimum, often 7,8,10)
-EF6, EF7/Eng 10, Eng 11,
Eng 12 about 150-250 words
Grade
12 Provincial Exams-
“In
paragraph form and in at least 150 words, answer question 1...”
-150-250
ww- the Goldilocks Zone- not too long, not too short
IDIOM the Goldilocks Zone, a happy medium, a good
compromise
com-
together
promise-
agreement
-a
paragraph is a pretty short piece of writing, compact
-not
an essay
CHARACTERISTICS
OF A PARAGAPH
**has
to be focussed on the topic
**get
to the point quickly, stay on the point
**no
room for wandering around the topic
**has
to be well-organized- make a plan before
you write, make a few notes, brainstorm some key words, vocab, make a plan before to write sentences
-longer
pieces- long essay, paper (5-10-20 pages), more room to maneuvre, scope for
exploration
A paragraph
is about one thing, one topic.
paragraph
– so short- has to really focussed, well-organized, laser sharp
TIMES
EF3/4
– (70-90m)
EF5/6-
(50m-55m) paragraph (150-250 ww)
EF67-
(45-50m)
English
12 -much shorter amount of time (~20m)
Over
the next few courses-EF5/6, EF7, Eng11, Eng12- there will be a speeding up for
the writing time.
Time
allotments will get shorter.
NATURAL
REACTION -stress, anxiety, worry, panic!
Practicing
may/will help to reduce the nerves.
*
Source of anxiety, feel rushed, feel nervous, worried, emotional reaction – time pressure, pressure to write good
sentences, pressure to write good verbs, pressure to use good punctuation, pressure
to give a good answer, brain fog- mind goes blank
MY
ADVICE:
-mitigate
these responses with good planning and practice
***take
a few minutes and make a plan before you start writing the sentences of your
paragragh
VOCAB
mitigate(v) – make a difficult situation easier
e.g.
In order to mitigate this problem, we are going to delay the project for two
weeks.
*Writing
a good paragraph and writing it quickly is a challenge. It is a challenge that
you can rise to.
EUPHEMISM
– a polite word that we use when we don’t want to use the real word
bathroom,
restroom, washroom
pass
away
challenge-
difficult
There
are steps we can take to make it easier.
Process
and practice will make writing paragraphs less stressful, more routine.
routine
– everyday, not emotional, not stressful, run-of-the-mill
We
can learn to ameliorate that stress that we feel when we face difficult new
tasks.
VOCAB
ameliorate- make something bad better
Practice
is the secret to improving.
Practice
makes perfect.
I
will always give as clear a topic as I can.
e.g. “Do
you agree that marijuana should be legal in Canada?”
-opinion
+ 3-4 good reasons
STRUCTURE OF A PARAGRAPH- Western school
structure, academic writing
1. Grabber-
(optional) also called a Hook
-usually the first sentence of your
paragaph
-attention-getting
sentence
-pulls the reader in
-
makes them want to read your paragraph
**7 ways to do grabbers**
** I
will teach grabbers**
Grabber
Topic sentence – topic, controlling idea
Supporting sentences
Concluding sentence
Grabber- hook
OPTIONAL – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
MY ADVICE: When you are writing a paragraph
or essay, begin your paragraph or essay with a grabber/hook.
Grabbers/Hooks
-usually first sentence, before the Topic
Sentence
-grabs the reader’s attention, hooks your
reader attention
-makes them pay attention, makes them want
to read your writing
-effective attention-getting device for
writing, highly recommended
MY ADVICE: Use a grabber. It will make your
writing way more interesting.
PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
Grabber
Topic sentence
Supporting sentences
Concluding sentence
Good for paragraphs, for essays, for speeches
Seven
different kinds of grabbers top choose from:
1.
-general to specific statement, a funnel
-say
something big and general, then narrow it down to specific topic
funnel
\ /
||
Everybody wants to have
success in their lives. Everybody wants to achieve their goals. Using
goalsetting techniques can help us to accomplish the objectives we want to
accomplish. Grabbers. Topic Sentence
goalsetting
techniques- making specific, realistic, measureable, time-bound plans
2.
-write a short anecdote- short personal story,
very short (1-2 short sentences)
personalizes
your writing, establishes a connection to your reader,
establishes
empathy- same feeling
sympathy – feel sorry about someone’s situation
anecdote
is told first-person “I”
first
person is very personal, friendly-sounding, close
When I was younger, I
always had trouble realizing the goals that I dreamed about for myself. Then I
learned about Goalsetting. This changed everything for me! Now, I will teach
you.
3.
-historical reference- knowledge about history
Throughout history, women
have usually been in less powerful positions than men. These days, women have
been claiming their rights to equality.
4.
-fact or statistic- numbers
80%, four out of five, 2/3
of ..., 37,000,000 people...
People who use Goalsetting techniques to
help them achieve their goals have a 65% higher chance of achieving their goals
than people who do not. (bbc.com)
5.
-ask a question (answered by the topic sentence
or thesis statement) PROBABLY THE EASIEST WAY
How do you keep yourself
on track? What steps do you take when you want to achieve something new in your
life? Goalsetting works for many people. It might work for you, too.
6.
-relevant quotation by a famous/important person
Dr. Jordan
Peterson says, “Make a plan. A plan is not a prison. It is a guide.”
“Make
a plan. A plan is not a prison. It is a guide.” This was said by Dr. Jordan
Peterson.
Barack
Obama once said, “Blah blah blah.”
My
mother always used to say, “Blah blah blah.”
Buddha
said, “Life is suffering. We must have empathy for all living creatures.”
Mao
Zhe Dong said, “Women hold up half the sky.”
PRO
TIP: Books of quotations.- Have some quotations in your memory. It is very
helpful to reference when you are writing.
Look
up quotations organized by theme.
7. -relevant idiom from any
language, proverb, saying
-don’t translate well, have
a lot of meaning
-these can be really fun
and colourful
In
Chinese, we say that a good career is a ‘golden rice bowl.’
In Farsi,
we say that a person who is making good money has their “bread in the oil.”
There
is a saying in Japanese: ‘Even monkeys fall from trees.’ It means everyone
makes mistakes. It’s important to keep going after you did something wrong.
IDIOM The apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree. (English)
Christmas cake. (Japanese)
Playing piano/violin to a
cow. (Chinese)
Pearls before swine.
(English) -showing beautiful pearls to a
pig
REVIEW
of ways to do grabbers/hooks:
1.
funnel
2.
anecdote
3.
historical
4.
fact/statistic
5.
question
6.
quotation
7.
idiom/saying
Choose
one. Start your paragraph off with it. It will make your paragraph, essay,
or presentation lively and engaging.
PRO ADVICE:
When writing a paragraph or essay, write the grabber last. You can mull it over
(think about it, roll it around in your mind) as you are writing the rough
draft. A good grabber might jump out at you. If not, if you can’t think of
anything for a grabber, just ask a question. The question is the easiest way to
do a grabber.
2. Topic
sentence- essential, can’t skip it, need it!
-introduces the main idea/topic of the
paragraph
-helps
the reader know what the paragraph is about and what your take on the topic
will be
-focusses on the
question that was asked
-TS
has to relate directly to the question that the teacher asked
3. Body
sentences – supporting sentences
-explain, describe, give examples, etc
-all related to the topic sentence
-focussed on the topic sentence
-support the topic sentence
4. Concluding
sentence- final sentence
-summary of the main points
OR
-restatement of the
topic sentence- same idea, different words
-way
to wrap up the paragraph smoothly and naturally
-the paragraph will not end abruptly
-lighter, personal, academic
STRUCTURE
OF A PARAGRAPH
Grabber
(optional, but highly recommended)
Topic
sentence
Body sentences/supporting
sentences
Concluding
sentence
(150-250
words)
WtC (Writing to Communciate) p3
“Golden Week”
POINTERS FOR READING ALOUD: take a break at
periods
commas
are breath marks
rising
and falling tone
drop
your tone at periods
Organization:
Grabber
Topic
sentence
Supporting
sentences
Concluding
sentence
Model
Paragraph #1
“Golden
Week” paragraph
Golden
Week
How
does it look on the page?
It
looks like a paragraph- neat and organized
- one
block of writing
- first word indented
- double-spaced
*Topic
sentence – sets up expectation for the reader
Golden Week, Japan, four days
topic and
controlling idea
-topic- the
subject of the paragraph, the topic that will be addresses
-controlling
idea- your take on the topic, your focus, the direction you are going go with
the topic, limits the scope of the paragraph, focusses, the reader knows what
to expect
Our job as
writers is to set the parameters of the paragraph and then satdify those
parameters.
Golden week is
Japan is a combined celebration of four holidays.
*Supporting sentences
Support #1- ‘first’
Point - subpoint
Support #2
‘second’
Point - subpoint
Support #3
‘next’
Point - subpoint
Support #4
‘fourth’
Point – 3 subpoints,
Why?
Why change the stucture? -most important point, explain more, cultural value
There
are reasons why you can break the pattern. Have a good reason. Be aware of your
pattern.
Concluding
sentence -wrap-up, way to end the writing, bring it to a conclusion, nice,
gentle, land the airplane, like saying ‘Goodbye’ on the phone
**
Establish a structure to follow: point+ subpoint
There
is no grabber in this paragraph.
-missed
opportunity
-good
idea to use a grabber
REVIEW
paragraph
– organized collection of sentences, all on the same topic, one topic
–
express your idea in full within a short format
Your
main point of contact with teachers, instructors, professors, customers, etc,
will be through writing.
The
ability to construct and formulate a coherent, organized piece of writing is a
wonderful gift that you can give yourself.
It is
wonderful thing to be able to write something that is clear.
coherent-
following a logical order, well-organized, makes sense, no ? when the reader is
reading
cohere(v)
The restaurant must cohere to food handling requirements.
adhere(v)
– connect to, glue adhesive-glue
coherent(adj)
incoherently(adv) The man on the bus was talking incoherently.
The
piano teacher explained very coherently how to place your fingers on the
keyboard.
likely
6-8 approximately, around 150 words approx.
I’m
not counting the words.
- not
too short, not too long- Goldilocks range
IDIOM
Goldilocks zone- just right, not too much, not too little
90
words is too short, 300 words is too long
Students
are much more likely to go long than short.
150-220
words is the ‘sweet spot’
‘sweet
spot’ a good spot
IDIOM
sweet spot – sports term
‘sweet
spot’ – the best place to hit a ball, tennis racquet, ping pong, baseball bat,
golf club
pitcher-
throws the ball
catcher-
catches the ball
batter-
tries to hit the ball with the bat
umpire
– call strikes and balls
You
can watch a ballgame at Nat Bailey Stadium close to Hillcrest Community Centre
near QE Park.
*How
to count your words: word processor on computer – word count
MS
Word, Googledocs, Notes (free with Apple)
*How
to count your words on paper: count two lines and multiply
College
– 1500, 2500-word paper
USEFUL TRANSITIONAL TERMS
Sequence- Time-order transitional
words:
first, second, third, firstly, secondly, at
first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place
secondly, in the second place
next, then, after that,
also, at the same time, for now, for the time
being
in time, in turn, later on, soon, later,
earlier, simultaneously, afterward
Summarizing – alternatives to in conclusion
after all, all in all, all things considered,
briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief, on the whole, in
short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to sum
up, to summarize, in a nutshell, in the end
By and large, Golden Week is...
Try some new words when you are writing. Stretch your
vocabulary. Stretch your word usage. Challenge yourself. It is the only way to
grow.
“The Topic Sentence” pp4-6
topic sentence TS- topic, controlling idea
New York- fun NYE
-Time Square -countdown, ball drops, sings
-Central Park
-fireworks
-party, dancing, drink
New York- great entertainment
-famous landmarks- Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Ellis
Island, etc
-museums, art galleries-
-show- opera, Broadway musical, dance, ballet
-shopping- SoHo, Upper West Side, boutiques
-sports- basketball, hockey, football, soccer, baseball
-food- street food(food trucks), gourmet, any cuisine
-music- jazz, classical, rock
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