Great writing 2 great paragraphs teachers notes 4th edition

Read each sentence aloud and have students suggest verbs that would complete the sentences.. 44 Tell students that in this Original Writing Practice, they must choose a topic, brainstor

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UNIT 1 Paragraphs

OVERVIEW

This unit introduces students to a paragraph and its four main features, namely the topic sentence, the interrelation of all the sentences to the topic, the indenting of the first line, and the concluding sentence Students’ familiarity with paragraphs and paragraph writing may vary greatly

In Unit 1, students are not expected to learn to write a specific kind of paragraph, but they are expected to recognize these four key features in several example paragraphs Having students complete this material gives the teacher a chance to assess how much students already know about paragraphs from the very beginning

In this unit, students will be introduced to Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with

ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered

3 Analyze a narrative paragraph (pp 7–8)

4 Understand the use of the imperative in process paragraphs (pp 8–9)

5 Analyze a process paragraph (pp 9–11)

6 Understand the use of I and the simple past tense in narrative paragraphs (pp 11–12)

7 Become familiar with the four features of a paragraph (p 12)

8 Analyze example paragraphs to compare the use of the four features in those paragraphs (pp 13–22)

9 Learn to use capitalization and end punctuation correctly (pp 23–24)

10 Understand how to create and then correctly write a title in English (p 25)

11 Learn to identify and check for verbs in sentences (pp 26–27)

12 Write an original paragraph (on a general topic) by following a guided writing activity (pp 29–30)

13 Understand the importance of peer editing and rewriting your work soon after it is written (p 30)

TEACHING NOTES

Unit 1 introduces students to the basics of the composition of a paragraph The unit introduces the four main features that every good paragraph should include: a topic sentence, a

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single topic around which all the sentences revolve, an indented first line, and a concluding sentence or statement

If students are already familiar with the basics of paragraph writing, then begin in the middle of Unit 1 rather than starting with page 4 Most of the activities in this unit require

students to read an example paragraph, answer several comprehension and analysis questions about the paragraph, and then consider how they might write a similar paragraph

What Is a Paragraph?, p 4

Read the information aloud Point out that the information is presented in a paragraph – all the sentences are about one topic They will learn more about the features of a paragraph on page 12

Activity 1: Studying an Example Paragraph, pp 4–5

As with all the paragraphs in this book, it is helpful to use pre-reading questions in order

to activate students’ curiosity about the upcoming topic, gauge how much English vocabulary students already know about the content of the paragraph, and to prepare students for the

material with which they will be working Lead a discussion with the class using the two

Preview Questions

Note to students that this is a comparison/contrast paragraph (While types of paragraphs are mentioned in this unit, rhetorical styles will not be focused on until later in the book.) As you discuss the questions following the paragraph, encourage students to ask questions about

vocabulary and content

Grammar for Writing

Using the Simple Present Tense with Facts, p 6

After presenting the information in the chart, review the use and form of some common verbs in the simple present Have students work in pairs to write five sentences that are facts Call on students to read sentences to the class

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Writer’s Note: Repetition, p 6

Explain that the use of repetition and simple present tense verbs are two common features

of paragraphs, especially those that explain or describe something On the board or on the screen,

write the heading Repetition and record students’ answers and examples to the bulleted questions

on page 6 When two things are being compared, it is often necessary to use repetition for clarity

Activity 2: Writing Practice, p 6

Have students volunteer to write one or two of their sentences on the board for everyone

to read Have other students take turns reacting to their classmates’ sentences Point out the verb tense used (many sentences will use the simple present tense)

Note that this is a process paragraph that tells the reader how to do something (how to make an easy sandwich) Have students read their steps aloud from question 2 on page 8, or write examples on the board You can use these to illustrate imperatives in the next section

Using the Imperative in Process Paragraphs, p 8

Some students may know this grammatical form as the “command form.” Remind them that this form is used to give directions and giving directions often requires the use of sequence words Display the following sequence words in the classroom or have students copy them down

on an index card to use a reference when writing: First, Next, Then, After that, Finally If

students have written imperatives on the board, have students identify them and give the verbs

While students should write unique, original ideas, ask them to include at least four steps but not more than seven Remind them that if it takes more than seven steps, they may need to cut down what they are planning If they have fewer than four steps, then their topic may be too simple Remind students to use commands and to make the sequence of the steps clear

Ask pre-reading questions such as: Who has flown on an airplane? How many times have you flown on an airplane? and Can you remember your first flight? Tell us about it If

appropriate, explain to students that this type of paragraph is called a narrative paragraph (it tells

a story)

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Using the Simple Past Tense in Narrative Paragraphs, p 11

Explain that narrative writing frequently uses the simple past tense and the subject

pronoun I Point out that while it is acceptable to use I in narrative writing, it should generally be

avoided in other types of more formal, academic writing

Remind students that they should write about something that happened to them, but that it should be in the form of a list of events Encourage students to write about a memorable

experience (rather than a mundane one) Remind them that narrative writing often uses the

simple past tense and the subject pronoun I For guidelines in terms of length, ask them to

include at least five sentences, but no more than ten

Building Better Sentences, p 12

Have students turn to page 283 of Appendix 1 and go through the examples of combining strategies as a class Demonstrate the steps of combining sentences on the board Explain the importance of sentence variety in writing and ask students to be conscious of the types of sentences they are creating as they write

sentence-Have students complete Practice 1 on page 284 individually, in pairs, or in small groups

as needed Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original

Four Features of a Paragraph, p 12

Have students read the information Check comprehension by asking questions: What is a topic sentence? (It states the main idea) Where is the topic sentence usually? (It is at the

beginning of the paragraph) How are the sentences in a paragraph related? (They are all about the same idea or topic) What is special about the first sentence? (It is indented) What does the last sentence do? (It brings the paragraph to a logical end.)

Activity 7: Analyzing the Features of a Paragraph, pp 13–14

Tell students that by visualizing the parts of a paragraph, it can help them create a map in their mind that they can follow when writing their own paragraph As you review the answers with students, be sure to refer them back to the appropriate points on the four features of a

paragraph on page 12

Activity 8: Analyzing the Features of the Example Paragraphs, pp 14–15

Explain to students that they will now go back and analyze paragraphs they have already read in this unit to identify some of their features Note that while paragraphs may be about

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different topics and have different purposes (e.g., tell a story, explain how to do something), good paragraphs should have the four main features explained on page 12

Activity 9: Analyzing the Features of Student Paragraphs, pp 15–22

Tell students that in this activity, they will study five example paragraphs and identify the four main features of each paragraph Remind them that it is important for them to become familiar with the four features and be able to identify them in a paragraph before they can

incorporate those features as they write

Ask pre-reading questions before working with each paragraph in order to help students connect prior or background knowledge and become engaged In addition, after students have read and analyzed all paragraphs, ask them which they liked the most, which they did not like, and why List the four paragraph features on the board or screen and display it in the classroom for students to reference as they read and analyze

Refer students to Practice 2 on page 285 Have students complete the activity

individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages

283–284

Working with Paragraphs

In this section, students are taken step by step through a process of organizing and

formatting paragraphs before they are asked to write their own original paragraphs

Activity 10: Reviewing Capitalization and End Punctuation, p 23

Review some of the basic capitalization and punctuation rules with the class If needed, turn to pages 254–263 in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities for a more thorough

review and/or practice of those rules

Activity 11: Copying a Paragraph, p 24

Suggest that students copy their work on separate sheet of paper rather than use the book

if it is easier than turning back and forth between pages You may consider omitting the copying phase for students who are good writers If needed, have students identify the four features of a paragraph after they have written the sentences in paragraph form

The Title of a Paragraph, p 25

After reviewing the guidelines and examples of paragraph titles, have students summarize the guidelines in a list (e.g., it tells readers what they will find in the paragraph, it is not a

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sentence, etc.) Encourage students to reference this list as they write paragraph titles in this course Have students revise their titles on page 24 if necessary

Checking for Verbs and Fragments, p 26

Remind students of the importance of finding the main verb in a sentence Tell them that

a helpful strategy for analyzing sentences includes finding the verb first and then working back from the verb Practice using this strategy as a class and demonstrate with example sentences on the board or screen Emphasize the importance of avoiding fragments in academic writing, which

is considered a serious grammatical error

Display several sentences on the board or screen that are missing verbs Read each

sentence aloud and have students suggest verbs that would complete the sentences

Activity 12: Checking Subjects and Verbs, pp 26–27

Clarify the meaning of italics so the task is clear to students Remind students of the

importance of proofreading and re-reading their work Point out that this is a very helpful

strategy not only for double checking that their sentences include verbs, but also for checking for correct grammar overall Have volunteers share their answers so students are exposed to different ways to correct sentences with missing verbs

Activity 13: Copying a Paragraph, p 27

Remind students about the importance of selecting a title for a paragraph that provides the reader with an idea of the overall topic of the paragraph Point out the indenting at the

beginning of a paragraph provides the reader with a visual clue that a specific topic will be addressed Have students reference the guidelines for a paragraph title on page 25 If needed, have students identify the four features of a paragraph after they have written the sentences in paragraph form

Building Better Vocabulary

Activity 14: Word Associations, p 28

Explain to students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing Point out

to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know

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Activity 15: Using Collocations, p 29

Make sure that students understand what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word) Explain that learning collocations will help students build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases

in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced

Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement

Original Student Writing

Activity 16: Original Writing Practice, pp 29–30

Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write a simple paragraph Model strategies for students on how to integrate the vocabulary words and

phrases from Activity 14 and Activity 15 into their writing

Introduction to Peer Editing, p 30

Students will practice peer editing throughout the book This is an important skill because

it can help them be editors of their own work as it teaches them to look carefully at a piece of writing and suggest improvement

Editing Your Writing, p 30

Tell students that while reviewing and revising their own work is crucial to improving their writing, peer editing is one way to maximize this effort Point out that peer editing can provide important feedback about your writing from the point of view of another reader

Suggestions for Peer Editing, p 30

Display the four suggestions for peer editing on the board or screen and review the

meaning of each suggestion as a class Model these examples for students in help students

understand how they can integrate these suggestions in their peer editing practice

Activity 17: Peer Editing, p 31

A series of peer editing sheets that students can use for each original writing assignment can be found online at NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 Before every writing assignment, remind students to download the appropriate Peer Editing Sheet for that unit Direct students to Peer Editing Sheet 1 to use with this activity Remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear

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Additional Topics for Writing, p 31

Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content

of this particular unit Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original

writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned throughout the unit In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices

Timed Writing, p 31

Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make Explain to

students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately

Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided If necessary,

teach the term writing prompt

EXPANSION ACTIVITIES

Have students apply their understanding of the content they learned in Unit 1 by

providing them with a variety of publications to analyze Bring in copies of newspapers,

magazines, or display copies of various articles on the screen Have students work in pairs or small groups to find the general topic and then the actual topic sentence

Have students search through various publications to find examples of good topic

sentences or good concluding sentences Encourage students to find an editorial page, which often includes carefully crafted paragraphs Point out that few paragraphs in the regular news stories will have good concluding sentences and that some might not even have any concluding sentence

Tell students that some editing formats do not indent the first lines of the first paragraph

in a story and have them find examples of this format if possible Ask students to share the range

of topic sentences, concluding sentences, and formats with the class Ask them to identify any exceptions to the rules that they have learned and discuss the rationale behind these exceptions

It may also be helpful to clarify the expectations for writing conventions in this course

VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the

vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate

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Making a Vocabulary Journal

An easy way to accomplish this is to do the following:

1 Ask students to separate a piece of paper into two sections vertically The column on the left should be approximately 2 inches wide

2 In the left column, students will write the vocabulary word and its part of speech

3 In the right column, students will write either a definition, a synonym, or a native language translation of the word

4 Underneath the definition in the right column, the student will create a sample sentence using the word, but a BLANK SPACE will be used instead of the vocabulary word

Using the Vocabulary Journal

Explain to the students that this type of vocabulary journal can be used in different ways:

a By covering up the vocabulary word, students must look at the clues (definition and sample sentence) and recall the vocabulary word

b By covering up the vocabulary word and the definition (across both columns), students must use the sample sentence with context clues to recall the vocabulary word

c By covering up the vocabulary word and the sample sentence, students must recall the

vocabulary word by using its definition as a clue

Sample Vocabulary Journal

vocabulary word, part of

Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal

Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary

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UNIT 2 Developing Ideas for Writing a Paragraph

OVERVIEW

The main goal of Unit 2 is for writers to learn how to come up with a multitude of ideas for a writing topic and then narrow that topic down to one that is suitable for a paragraph To accomplish this purpose, the main focus of Unit 2 is how to brainstorm ideas for writing

Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary

For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to

produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit

OBJECTIVES

1 Learn how brainstorming works and understand how it can help your writing (pp 34–39)

2 Improve subject-verb agreement accuracy (pp 40–42)

3 Write an original paragraph that started from an original general idea that was narrowed down

to a more specific topic by brainstorming potential subtopics and questions about the topic (p 44)

TEACHING NOTES

The activities in Unit 2 guide students through the brainstorming process by

demonstrating and providing practice in narrowing down a chosen topic In this way, students learn how to ask questions about a topic, which improves their ability to answer those questions, which in turn provides information for sentences that can become part of a good paragraph

Brainstorming, p 34

Write the words brain and storm on the board or screen Ask students to describe what each of the words means Then write the word brainstorming and ask them to guess what the connection between the meanings of these two words separately and the new term brainstorming

might be Ask students how quickly writing down all the thoughts that come into their heads might help them find an idea for writing

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Activity 1: Brainstorming Practice, pp 34–35

Practice brainstorming as a class Write a topic on the board, such as Plan a menu for a class reunion Ask students to quickly say the ideas aloud that come to their minds Write down

all student responses on the board or screen in order to model that all ideas are recorded during a brainstorm session Then have students complete the activity individually

How Brainstorming Works, p 35

Be sure to remind students that all ideas are recorded during a brainstorm session Point out that brainstorming involves considering all ideas before narrowing down and selecting an idea as this provides them with many ideas to choose from Also note that the ideas they generate during brainstorming can always be revised or changed as they develop their ideas further

Activity 2: Brainstorming Practice, pp 36–38

Direct students to each photo in turn Have students describe the photo and use it as a springboard for one additional idea Encourage students to use input such as photos, personal experience and other people’s stories as a source of ideas for writing

Select one of the brainstorming topic activities to complete together as a class Model how to follow the steps provided in the instructions on page 36 by reading each step aloud and then demonstrating how to complete each step Once you have modeled one topic as a class, have students complete a brainstorming practice in pairs or small groups and then have them complete a brainstorming practice individually In this way, students who are not familiar with this process will receive the scaffolding and support in learning how to use this practice and apply it to their everyday writing skills

Activity 3: Brainstorming Practice from Example Paragraphs, p 39

Explain to students that while the pictorial prompts in Activity 2 helped them visualize the brainstorming they completed, as they become more experienced with this practice, they will need to use printed material as a basis for brainstorming Point out that by writing down their ideas in the brainstorm area provided, or on a sheet of paper, students can visualize what they are thinking, which will help them narrow down and focus on a single topic or idea

Subject-Verb Agreement, p 40

Tell students that subject-verb agreement is one of the most basic and important grammar points for writers While it may be a bit tedious, carefully review each point and example in this section with students If appropriate, illustrate these points by providing other examples of errors that appear in students’ writing

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Activity 4: Finding Subject-Verb Errors, p 41

Do the first two sentences together as examples Have students explain their answers by referring to a rule on p 40, or their own knowledge of grammar Suggest that students work in pairs to complete the activity Suggest that students underline the subject to help them with agreement

Activity 5: Practicing Subject-Verb Agreement, p 41

As needed, provide extra support in identifying subject-verb agreement by completing this activity together as a class or have students work in pairs or small groups For those students who are most familiar with this grammar point, have them complete this activity independently

Activity 6: Correcting Subject-Verb Agreement Errors, p 42

Remind students that editing/correcting activities will help them become better able to recognize errors in their own writing

For further practice, have students go to Practice 3 on pages 285–286 in Appendix 1 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just

to see if the student combinations match the original If necessary, have students review the steps

of combining sentences on pages 283 –284

Explain to students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing Point out

to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know

Make sure that students understand what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word) Explain that learning collocations will help students build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases

in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced

Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs Encourage students to keep a

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list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement

Activity 9: Writing a Paragraph from Brainstorming, p 44

Tell students that in this Original Writing Practice, they must choose a topic, brainstorm specific ideas, develop a topic sentence, and write a paragraph Due to varying writing levels among students, some students may need additional help with this activity

Model strategies for students on how to integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 7 and Activity 8, into their writing

Remind students to download Peer Editing Sheet 2 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work Remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear

students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately

Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided If necessary,

teach the term writing prompt

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other groups or with the class and discuss the variety of responses that students produced from the general topics provided

Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire

a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course

Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 32 and 33 Direct their attention

to the objectives Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question

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UNIT 3 Topic Sentences

OVERVIEW

In Unit 3, students will learn how to write a topic sentence They will learn both what a makes a good topic sentence, as well as why a particular sentence would not be a good topic sentence This unit builds upon the information presented in Units 1 and 2

OBJECTIVES

1 Learn how to identify and write a good topic sentence (pp 48–69)

2 Evaluate the effectiveness of various topic sentences (pp 48–51)

3 Learn about and write good topic sentences with controlling ideas (pp 51–60)

4 Practice and improve the use of commas (pp 60–61)

5 Understand the difference between a fragment, a run-on sentence, and a comma splice, and how to avoid them (pp 62–65)

6 Write an original paragraph by choosing a general topic, narrowing it down, and developing

a good topic sentence with appropriate controlling ideas (pp 67–68)

TEACHING NOTES

Without a good topic sentence, a paragraph lacks direction Many writers are able to come up with a general topic but need practice and support in writing controlling ideas, which are crucial to helping guide the flow of ideas in the paragraph The bulk of this unit is devoted to controlling ideas and how they can solidify a topic sentence, which can solidify the entire

paragraph Although some of the exercises may seem a bit easy, discussing answers as a class can help students make the transition from completing exercises in this book to integrating what they learn into their own original writing

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The Topic Sentence, p 48

Review the four features of a paragraph from page 12 Tell students that they will focus

on the first feature, the topic sentence, in this unit

Activity 1: Studying a Topic Sentence in a Paragraph, pp 48–50

Tell students ahead of time that they will read a paragraph and answer analysis questions

about its content and organization Because shift (Example Paragraph 14) may be unfamiliar to students, conduct a pre-reading survey that may include the following questions: How many students in the class know how to drive? How many students have a driver’s license? and Who can drive both a manual and an automatic shift car? Point out that shift is a word often heard on

an airplane upon arrival: “Please be careful when removing items from the overhead bin as items

may have shifted during flight.” Help students make the connection that shift means “to change

place” in both contexts

Activity 2: Recognizing Effective Topic Sentences, pp 50–51

Before students begin this activity, remind them of the importance of reading all three of the sentences before they try to deduce the general topic Suggest that they re-read all three sentences after they have made their selection in order to double-check their answer

Features of a Good Topic Sentence, pp 51–52

Review the features of a good topic sentence, as well as the examples and explanations of controlling ideas These are very important for students to master as the quality of their

paragraphs greatly depends on the quality of their topic sentences Encourage students to take notes on the material presented here and to reference those notes as they write topic sentences throughout this course

Activity 3: Recognizing Controlling Ideas in Topic Sentences, p 53

Before students complete this activity, read each example from “Controlling Ideas” (page 52) aloud and ask students to explain in their own words why each example that is underlined is

a controlling idea in the topic sentence Then have them work in pairs as needed, or

independently, to complete Activity 3

For further practice, have students go to Practice 4 on page 286 in Appendix 1 For further practice, have students go to Practice 3 on page 254 in Appendix 1.Have students

complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT

to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284

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Activity 4: More Practice Recognizing Controlling Ideas, pp 53–54

Have students work independently or in pairs to complete this activity Remind them to reference the information on topic sentences and controlling ideas on pages 51–52 as needed Go over the answers as a class and discuss why the incorrect choices are not good topic sentences

Activity 5: Adding Controlling Ideas to Create Better Topic Sentences, p 55

Work together as a class to complete the first item together Because this exercise

simulates student errors with topic sentences that are too general and lack controlling ideas, it may be challenging for students to recognize the errors on their own Model how to check if a sentence is missing a controlling idea and then model for students how to rewrite the sentence so that it includes a controlling idea Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

Activity 6: Studying a Topic Sentence in a Paragraph, p 55

Have students work in pairs to complete this activity As you discuss with the class, you may want to take notes on the board to help students understand connections between ideas

Activity 7: Writing Topic Sentences, pp 56–60

Tell students that in this section they will find five paragraphs that are missing the

opening topic sentence Explain that they must first read the entire paragraph, decide which ideas control or help organize the paragraph, and then go back and write the topic sentence and the controlling ideas

Be sure to ask questions about these paragraphs in order to prompt students to comment

on the organization, especially in regard to the controlling ideas, the organization (e.g., first, second, third, and so on) Also, remind students to indent the first line as well as to use correct capitalization and punctuation in their topic sentences

Have students to return to these pages when they learn about concluding sentences in the next unit

For further practice, refer students to Practice 5 on page 287 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student

combinations match the original If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284

Using Commas in Sentences, p 60

Go through the explanations and the examples Suggest students write an additional example for each explanation and compare sentences with a partner For more information,

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Have students turn to the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities in order to preview

punctuation rules (pages 257–263) As needed, have students complete any punctuation activities that will help them complete this activity

Activity 8: Comma Practice, p 61

You may want to read the paragraph aloud to help students notice where commas might

be necessary

Avoiding Three Common Sentence Errors, p 62

Emphasize that fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices in academic writing are serious errors Review the explanations and examples as a class Have students copy the

following reminders on an index card to use as reference: If a sentence does not have a subject or does not have a verb, that sentence is not a sentence; it is a fragment If a sentence actually consists of several sentences that have been “connected” by commas, that sentence is called a comma splice You may want to teach students the mnemonic device FANBOYS to remember

the coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so)

Activity 9: Correcting Sentence Fragments, p 63

This activity allows students to focus on identifying and correcting sentence fragments before they deal with run-on sentences and comma splices Suggest students refer to pages 26 and 62 as necessary

Activity 10: Correcting Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, and Comma Splices,

pp 64–65

Before students work on this activity independently or in small groups, complete several sample items on the board or on the screen Encourage students to ask for clarification as you demonstrate how to identify errors and correct them

For further practice, refer students to Practice 6 on pages 287–288 Have students

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If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word It may be

beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary Have

partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know

Activity 12: Using Collocations, pp 66–67

If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word) Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced

Activity 13: Brainstorming Ideas for a Paragraph, p 67

If students need support with this activity, have them first choose one of the four topics provided Then have students divide into groups based on their topic choice and brainstorm ideas

as a group

Activity 14: Original Writing Practice, p 68

Display the following four main features of paragraph (from page 12) on chart paper or

on the board:

• A paragraph has a topic sentence that states the main idea

• All of the sentences in a paragraph are about one topic

• The first line of a paragraph is indented

• The last sentence, or concluding sentence, brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion

Encourage students to reference the list as they write an original paragraph Have them use it

as a final checklist once they have finished writing to double-check that they have include all of

the main features of a paragraph

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Remind students to download Peer Editing Sheet 3 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work If necessary, remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her

or his writing is clear

students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided

Have students write two original topic sentences, one with and the other without a viable controlling idea Have students write them anonymously on a piece of paper and hand them in Then randomly choose student topic sentences and write them on the board or screen Have

students vote yes or no as to whether or not the sentence is a good topic sentence and ask

individuals to defend their choice

Then have students practice brainstorming ideas for paragraphs Divide the class into small groups of 3–4 students Give all groups a general topic, such as pets, hobbies, sports, and ask them to brainstorm the general topic and come up with a viable topic sentence with good controlling ideas Then have groups share their answers with the whole class and discuss the differences and similarities between each group’s ideas

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UNIT 4 Supporting and Concluding Sentences

OVERVIEW

By this point, students have learned what a paragraph looks like, how to come up with ideas for writing one, and what a good opening topic sentence includes Unit 4 addresses the middle and ending of a paragraph by teaching students how to write supporting sentences and a concluding sentence

OBJECTIVES

1 Learn how to write supporting and concluding sentences (pp 72–93)

2 Understand the relationship between the topic sentence, the controlling ideas in the topic sentence, and the supporting sentences in the paragraph (pp 72–84)

3 Use correct pronouns for key nouns (p 85)

4 Understand the importance of only including information related to the topic sentence (pp 79, 85)

5 Identify good concluding sentences (pp 86–90)

6 Write an original paragraph by developing a good topic sentence with appropriate controlling ideas, creating appropriate supporting sentences, and writing a good concluding sentence (p 92)

It is important to point out to students that they will rarely see a single paragraph function all alone In an essay, for example, a paragraph might appear among fifteen other paragraphs In other words, a paragraph is a small part of a larger body of paragraphs In this case, the

concluding statement serves as a transition or link to the next paragraph The concluding

sentence should lead the reader logically to the content of the next paragraph

Unit Opener

Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task

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Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see This photo shows a cable car going toward the top of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Go over the objectives on the top of page 71 Explain that students will do these things in the unit Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 71 Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit

Supporting Sentences, p 72

Check comprehension by asking the questions: What do supporting sentences do? What kind of questions do they answer?

Activity 1: Predicting Paragraph Content from the Controlling Idea, p 72

Tell students that they will read three topic sentences and then predict what information would logically appear in a paragraph that begins with each of them Have students work in pairs

or small groups, as needed, and have them identify the controlling ideas Tell students that these three topic sentences and their corresponding “bodies” or paragraphs appear in Activity 2, so they will have a chance to check their answers by analyzing a real paragraph

Activity 2: Reading Example Supporting Sentences, pp 73–75

As a class preview the three paragraphs that the topic sentences in Activity 1 came from Tell students that they should verify their answers from Activity 1 by analyzing how they are part of the paragraphs in this activity

Kinds of Supporting Sentences, p 76

Review the function that good supporting sentences perform Encourage students to write these down in their notebooks and reference them as they write supporting sentences throughout the course

Activity 3: Matching Supporting and Topic Sentences, p 76

Tell students that they will match eight supporting sentences with one of two topic

sentences Before having students complete these sentences independently, or with a partner as

needed, preview and discuss the meaning of the vocabulary used in this exercise, such as low-fat, high-protein, diet, stamina, and trim Also, have students note the function that each supporting

sentence performs (in parentheses)

Activity 4: Asking Questions about Topic Sentences, p 77

Point out to students ahead of time that this is an important activity because it will help them learn how to add supporting details (and sentences) to their paragraphs Explain that asking

wh- questions is not only a valuable exercise when brainstorming, but it is also beneficial when

developing supporting ideas

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For further practice, refer students to Practice 7 on pages 288–289 Have students

Activity 5: Brainstorming Topic Sentences, pp 77–78

As a class, review the first sample that has already been completed Be sure to point out

to students how the Brainstorming Topic and the notes below the topic are related to the Topic Sentence with Controlling Ideas Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

Depending on the level of support needed for this activity, complete brainstorming topics and writing topic sentences with controlling ideas together as a class, or have students work in

pairs or small groups for extra support

Activity 6: Asking for More Information, p 78

Clarify that students should choose two of the topic sentences they wrote in Activity 5 for this activity Display the question words on the board or screen and/or have students copy them down on a notecard or in their notebooks to reference during this activity and for future writing

Unrelated Information, p 79

Go over the information Remind students that it is up to the writer to decide what

information is important Point out that a writer should only use information that can logically occur in a paragraph with the topic sentence and the controlling ideas Otherwise, that

information may confuse readers and prevent them from fully understanding the writer’s main point

Activity 7: Identifying the Unrelated Sentence, pp 79–81

Have students read the first paragraph individually Elicit which sentence is unrelated Ask students to support their answers Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs

Activity 8: Identifying Supporting Sentences, pp 82–84

As a class, go over the sample answers in the first paragraph, including the reasons for the choices Emphasize that students should ask themselves whether the sentences are directly related to the topic sentence or help support the topic sentence Encourage students to think through and explain their reasons clearly, especially when the sentence is determined to be unrelated

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Using Pronouns in Place of Key Nouns, p 85

Display a paragraph on the board or screen that does not use pronouns for key nouns Read the paragraph aloud to demonstrate how the repetition of the key noun is distracting and awkward Then replace the key nouns with pronouns (after the first occurrence of the key noun) and read the paragraph aloud again Ask students to share their observations on the differences between the first and second readings of the paragraph

Also, emphasize the importance of consistent pronoun use Read through the example paragraph provided and, if time allows, have students rewrite the paragraph with the correct pronouns and possessive forms (individually, in small groups, or as a class)

Activity 9: Identifying Key Nouns and Pronouns, p 85

Display the pronouns it, they, and we on the board or screen and review examples of key

nouns that could be replaced by these pronouns Keep the list posted for reference as students practice using appropriate pronouns for key nouns in this activity

Writer’s Note: Staying on Track, p 85

Encourage students to practice sticking to the topic and making sure that supporting sentences are related to the topic Suggest that they highlight the topic sentence when they are writing a paragraph Encourage them to refer back to the highlighted topic sentence as they write supporting sentences

Concluding Sentences, pp 86–87

Go over the types of concluding sentences as a class Have students write down these types on a notecard or in their notebooks to reference as they write concluding sentences

throughout the course

Activity 10: Analyzing Concluding Sentences, pp 87–88

Point out that these four paragraphs are from three different units in the book and show how every paragraph should have a good concluding sentence that provides a logical end to the paragraph

Activity 11: Analyzing Paragraphs, pp 88–91

Tell students ahead of time that this exercise might be a little more difficult than most because they are not given any additional information In previous exercises, certain words or sentences were underlined and students had to identify those as unrelated or good supporting information Here, however, students must work with three paragraphs, analyze them for topic sentence, good supporting information (vs unrelated information), and write a good concluding sentence The writing of the concluding sentence alone is a difficult task

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More advanced students may work independently, but those students who need extra support may benefit from working in pairs or small groups

Remind students to reference the information on types of concluding sentences on

pages 86–87 as they complete this activity

For further practice, refer students to Practice 8 on page 289 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student

combinations match the original If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284

If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word It may be

beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary Have

partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know

If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word) Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced

Activity 14: Original Writing Practice, p 92

Point out that students are to choose one of the topic sentences from Activity 5, as well as the supporting information from Activity 6, as the basis for this original writing assignment Remind students to refer back to the information on types of supporting sentences (page 76) and concluding sentences (pages 86–87) as they write Model strategies for students on how to

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integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 12 and Activity 13 into their writing as needed After students have written their drafts, encourage them to check for good pronoun use

Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 4 from

NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work If necessary, remind students that peer editing

is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear

students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided

At this point, students have learned about all parts of the paragraph Use scrambled paragraphs as an expansion activity by choosing or writing a paragraph that has a good topic sentence, good supporting sentences, and a good concluding sentence Write out the sentences of

a paragraph on a sheet of paper and cut them in strips Have students work in groups Give each group a set of sentence strips and have them put the sentences in the correct order Then have a volunteer from each group read the paragraph aloud and ask the whole class to determine if the sentences are in the correct order

For extra practice, choose from the variety of activities in Units 2 and 3 and have students complete them by adding supporting and concluding sentences

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vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate

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shallow

Self-Assessment

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UNIT 5 Paragraph Review

OVERVIEW

This unit provides a review of the paragraph skills that were introduced in Units 1–4 Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary For

further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to

OBJECTIVES

1 Review and synthesize information regarding the structure of a paragraph (pp 96–115)

2 Review and synthesize language focus material on verbs in a sentence, capitalization and punctuation, sentence fragments and commas splices, and pronouns (pp 96–112)

3 Understand the importance of proofreading and learn how to check for mistakes (p 100)

4 Learn how to choose the correct articles when writing sentences (pp 111–113)

5 Write an original paragraph that contains all of the features of a paragraph (pp 114–115)

TEACHING NOTES

Unit 5 requires that students demonstrate mastery of the parts of a good paragraph If students are already familiar with the basics of paragraph writing, you may want to begin the writing course with this unit before moving into Units 6–10, each of which presents a different rhetorical mode of paragraph writing

Go over the objectives on the top of page 95 Explain that students will do these things in the unit Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 95 Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit

Review, p 96

Before students look at the items for review, elicit the features of a paragraph and the elements of grammar and punctuation that they have studied so far Write them on the board Have students read the review information and check to see if they remembered everything

Working with the Structure of a Paragraph, p 96

Remind students that understanding paragraph structure will, in turn, help them create better paragraphs

Tiêu đề	Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs
Tác giả	Keith S. Folse, April Muchmore-Vokoun, Elena Vestri Solomon
Trường học	National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning
Thể loại	teacher's notes

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