Great writing 3 teachers notes 3rd edition

34–35 TEACHING NOTES Before beginning this unit, have students make some attempt at writing in order to assess their writing proficiency and their knowledge about the parts of a good pa

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UNIT 1 Introduction to Paragraphs

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the parts of a good paragraph Students will study the basic elements of a paragraph, and they will be exposed to example paragraphs that will model the elements in context In addition, students will begin work on grammatical elements (Grammar for Writing) that appear in all of the units of the text Students will also be introduced to peer editing and writing their first original paragraph

Unit 1 introduces students to Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary

activities found throughout the text For further support, you may use the Great Writing 3

Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary,

editing, or writing that is covered in this unit

OBJECTIVES

1 Understand the parts of a paragraph (p 4)

2 Learn about topic sentences (pp 4–13)

3 Become familiar with brainstorming (pp 13–15)

4 Learn about supporting sentences (pp 15–20)

5 Identify verbs and fragments (pp 20–21)

6 Learn about nouns and noun forms (pp 21–22)

7 Practice connecting topic sentences and supporting sentences (pp 23–26)

8 Learn about concluding sentences (pp 27–28)

9 Understand the four features of a well-written paragraph (pp 28–32)

10 Write an original paragraph (pp 34–35)

TEACHING NOTES

Before beginning this unit, have students make some attempt at writing in order to assess their writing proficiency and their knowledge about the parts of a good paragraph, namely

indenting, topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences

In Unit 1, the goal of the Grammar for Writing items is to teach students how to identify verbs and fragments and how to use the correct noun form with certain adjectives

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What Is a Paragraph? pp 4–5

This section presents some very important and foundational information on paragraphs and topic sentences Before moving onto the activities, carefully go over the explanations and examples presented here Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed as they write topic sentences

Activity 1: Selecting a Good Topic Sentence, p 6

This activity will help the students understand the concept of a good topic sentence Have students complete this exercise in class with a time limit Once they have completed the exercise, check it as a class Ask students to share their answers and how they came to each conclusion Discuss the answers in order to help students grasp the concept of a topic sentence

Activity 2: Studying Topic Sentences in a Paragraph, p 7

Have students discuss their answers to the pre-reading questions before they read the paragraph Point out to students that they will see this format (pre-reading questions, example paragraph/essay, questions to have students analyze the paragraph/essay) throughout the text Point out the glossed words and clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary before students begin the activity

Five Features of a Good Topic Sentence, p 8

Review the explanations and examples with students Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed as they write topic sentences

Activity 3: Recognizing Effective Topic Sentences, pp 8–9

Clarify that students should: (1) identify the general topic of the sentences and

(2) identify the best topic sentences Have students refer to the information on topic sentences presented on pages 4 and 8 as needed Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs depending on students’ needs

Practice with Controlling Ideas, p 10

Be sure to go over the explanations and examples, as students will need this information

to complete the next activity

Activity 4: Reviewing Topic Sentences and Controlling Ideas, p 10

Tell students that while his activity is similar to Activity 1, here they will have to identify the controlling ideas as well Have students refer to the information on controlling ideas

presented on pages 4, 8, and 10 as needed Give students a time frame to complete the activity and when they are done, have students share their answers and explain how they came to their conclusions

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Activity 5: Using Controlling Ideas to Limit or Narrow a Topic, p 11

Tell students that this activity will give them an opportunity to practice what they have learned so far Choose a topic that is of interest to students, such as traveling, and use it to create

a topic sentence that is too general Write this topic sentence on the board and work with students

to rewrite it by adding or changing the controlling idea After you have demonstrated this process

on the board, have students complete the rest of the activity on their own

Activity 6: Writing Topic Sentences, pp 12–13

Have students each paragraph before writing the topic sentences Clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary as needed Note that teach example paragraph in this activity is a different type of paragraph If needed, have students work in pairs to complete this activity

Building Better Sentences, p 13

Have students turn to the first pages of Appendix 1 (pages 232–233) and go through the examples of sentence-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

For further practice, refer students to Practice 1 on page 233 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed While working on Building Better Sentences activities, it is important that students NOT look at the original sentences 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 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed

Brainstorming, pp 13–14

Go over the information and complete the brainstorming activity If students need further clarification, provide another topic for students to brainstorm Write students’ ideas on the board and organize them Then, decide which ideas would be the best ones to elaborate on and which ones should be discarded Emphasize that during brainstorming, the focus should be on

generating and writing down ideas rather than correct spelling or grammar

Activity 7: Brainstorming Practice, p 14

If students completed the brainstorming activity from pages 13 and 14 as a class, have students complete Activity 7 independently as an extension of the brainstorming strategies they learned Clarify that students should brainstorm first Then they should write a topic sentence with a good controlling idea below the brainstorming box Point out that students will use their ideas from this activity to write a paragraph in the next activity As students work on this

activity, circulate around the room in order to support students as they complete brainstorming practice on their own

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Activity 8: Writing Your Own Paragraph, p 15

Before the students begin this activity, review the structure of a paragraph: (1) topic sentence, (2) supporting sentences, and (3) concluding sentence If needed, have students review the information about a paragraph on page 4

Supporting Sentences, pp 15–16

Go over the explanations and examples of the role of supporting sentences as well as the types of supporting sentence Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference

it as needed for future writing

Activity 9: Creating Questions Leading to Supporting Details, p 17

As stated on page 15, supporting sentences answer wh- questions about the main idea in

the topic sentence Go over the model provided and have the class come up with more questions

for this topic sentence using who, when, where, and how Examples might include questions such

as Who uses pesticides on their products? How are pesticides used? Where do people use

pesticides the most?

Avoiding Unrelated Sentences, p 17

Emphasize the point that each supporting sentence must be directly related to the topic sentence Remind students that the information that is included in a paragraph (supporting

sentences) should be limited by the controlling idea of the topic sentence

Activity 10: Identifying Supporting Sentences, pp 18–20

Depending on the needs of your students, do the first one or two items as a class to model the activity and/or have students work in pairs or groups for part or all of the activity When reviewing the answers, be sure to go over students’ explanations for their answer

For further practice, refer students to Practice 2 on page 234 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 232–233

Grammar for Writing

Checking for Verbs and Fragments, p 20

Emphasize the importance of avoiding fragments in one’s writing While including a subject and verb in each sentence is basic grammatical knowledge, they are not always included

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in student writing Explain that fragments greatly reduce the reader’s perception of the quality of the writing and that they are an important grammatical point to master

Activity 11: Checking for Fragments, p 21

After completing Activity 11, go over the answers as a class Remind students that

fragments are both a common and serious error, and encourage them to practice and check their work for fragments

Nouns and Noun Forms, p 21

Explain that students must: (1) be able to distinguish between count and non-count nouns and (2) know which adjectives take plural nouns Ask students which points they need work on and provide further explanations and examples as needed

Activity 12: Editing for Noun Forms, p 22

Point out to students that this activity will provide them with practice identifying count and non-count nouns Discuss as a class why “families” is a better choice than “family.” As a class, also decide whether “elders” is correct or not and have a student explain why Have

students complete sentences 2 through 6 independently and if time allows, correct the sentences

as a class to make sure that the students have fully grasped this concept Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

Connecting Topic Sentences and Supporting Details, p 23

In good paragraph writing, supporting details have an obvious connection to the topic sentence and elaborate on that idea

Activity 13: Brainstorming for Topic Sentences, p 23

Ask students to refer back to Activity 7, and remind them of what they learned when they were first introduced to the concept of brainstorming Quickly review the purpose of

brainstorming with students Clarify that they first need to brainstorm and then write a topic sentence Then have students complete this activity independently Once students are done completing this exercise, have them share their answers with a partner

Activity 14: Asking the Right Questions, p 24

Have students refer back to Activity 9 and remind them that asking wh- questions is an

effective way to generate the supporting details Clarify that students should use one of the topic sentences from Activity 13 for item #2 in this activity

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Activity 15: Writing Supporting Sentences, p 25

Have students continue practicing by continuing with the ideas that they have developed

in previous activities Remind students that they should use the topic sentence and questions they

wrote in Activity 14 and develop appropriate supporting sentences by answering the wh-

questions they invented

Activity 16: Writing a Paragraph, p 26

Emphasize to students that the most important point of this series of exercises is for writers to see the connection between having a topic sentence with good controlling ideas and, subsequently, a paragraph that includes solid supporting sentences

Concluding Sentences, p 27

Go over the information on concluding sentences, including the features of a concluding sentence and transitions with concluding sentences Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed for future writing Also, point out the note at the bottom

of the page about connectors and transitions that are presented in the rest of this text They should review pages 220–222 in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities for more

information on connectors and transitions

Activity 17: Writing Concluding Sentences, p 27

Have students write a concluding sentence for Paragraphs 2 and 5 (pages 12 and 18) Keep in mind that concluding sentences have been intentionally omitted from these two

paragraphs so that students could add them at this point

Four Features of a Well-Written Paragraph, p 28

While most of this information has been presented in this unit already, these four points concisely sum up the key features of a good paragraph Be sure to point out the third feature and direct students to examples in the book of paragraphs that are indented Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed for future writing

Activity 18: Analyzing the Features of a Paragraph, pp 29–30

At this point students should be familiar with the parts of a paragraph To keep students from feeling intimidated by this task, have them work with a partner on this activity for a limited amount of time Then have the different groups share their ideas and if appropriate, record their ideas on the board or screen so that later, you can decide as a group what the best option is

For further practice, refer students to Practice 3 on pages 234 and 235 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

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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 232–233

Activity 19: Bringing it All Together, pp 31–32

As with all paragraph or essay reading in this book, provide some type of previewing

work, even if it involves just a simple question such as Can someone explain to us what a

natural disaster is? (This is an example for the first paragraph in this activity.) Have students

reference the information on concluding sentences on p 27 as needed

Building Better Vocabulary

Activity 20: Word Associations, pp 32–33

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

Activity 21: Using Collocations, pp 33-34

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 22: Writing Your Own Paragraph, pp 34–35

Tell students that in this activity, they will have an opportunity to combine everything they have learned and have practiced Read the directions as a class and encourage students to go back to their recent work to use as guidelines Encourage your students to use the Useful

Vocabulary for Better Writing on pages 226–229 to enhance their writing

Use this activity as an opportunity to evaluate students in terms of how well they are developing their writing skills By evaluating your students at this point, you will also know if there is an area or areas in particular with which some students are struggling and require

additional review

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Activity 23: Peer Editing, p 29

The website, NGL.Cengage.com/GW3, provides a series of peer editing sheets that students can use for each original writing assignment 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

Before students begin, you may want to present the tips for peer editing on page 36 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 1 the website 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

Tips for Peer Editing, p 36

Explain that peer editing is an effective strategy in the writing process and that both the editor and the writer benefit from the process Remind students that the student who is editing should also compliment the writer on his/her strengths and should also make some corrections and suggestions in areas that need improvement It is important for students to see the value in this activity so that they will do it in a serious and respectful way

Additional Topics for Writing, p 36

Included in this section is a list of descriptive essay writing prompts Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible You may choose to assign these topics a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis Remind students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages191–198)

Timed Writing, p 37

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 and the paragraph

guidelines provided If necessary, teach the term writing prompt

EXPANSION ACTIVITIES

Students will find many new vocabulary words in the paragraphs that they read You may want to pre-teach these words before students read the paragraph or address them within the context of the paragraph Be sure to check students’ understanding of vocabulary, whether it is explicitly or through informal comprehension checks on an ongoing basis Encourage recycling

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of vocabulary and let students know ahead of time that they may be informally or formally tested

on the vocabulary Survey students in order to find out about their areas of academic interests and goals Based on students’ interests or majors (e.g., business, chemistry, literature), integrate vocabulary related to these areas, possibly even from subject area textbooks Have them create their own subject area journals that they can use to add more vocabulary related to their specific areas of interest and studies

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

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

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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 Five Elements of Good Writing

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this unit is to teach students how to write paragraphs by reviewing the components of a good paragraph, including the five elements purpose, audience, clarity, unity, and coherence

Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary

For further support, you may use the Great Writing 3 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to

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

OBJECTIVES

1 Understand the purpose, audience, clarity, unity, and coherence of a paragraph (pp 40–57)

2 Learn how to write a purpose statement (pp 42–43)

3 Learn the importance of addressing the audience when writing (pp 44–46)

4 Learn how to make a paragraph clear (pp 46–50)

5 Practice unifying ideas (pp 53–56)

6 Learn how to make writing coherent (pp 56–57)

7 Understand the strategies of proofreading (p 58)

TEACHING NOTES

Now that students understand the parts of a paragraph, they will continue to improve their writing by learning how to apply the five elements of good writing to their own writing These

elements include: purpose, audience, clarity, unity, and coherence In Unit 2, the Grammar for

Writing items covered are using clear, descriptive language, and clear pronoun reference

to this question at the end of the unit

What Makes a Good Paragraph?, p 40

Without referring to their books, ask students to state the basic parts of a paragraph Record their responses on the board or screen and then have students open their books to page 40 and compare their responses to the bulleted list Encourage students to take notes on this

information and reference it as needed for future writing

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Five Elements of Good Writing

Element 1: Purpose, p 40

Display the five elements of good writing on the board or screen and have students copy the list onto an index card Review each element and ask students to describe what they think each term means in their own words Remind students to use the list of elements as a reference when analyzing writing and when they write original work

Then discuss the purpose of a paragraph Note that different types of paragraphs have different purposes and explain that the purpose will determine what is written and how it is written Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed for future writing

Activity 1: Analyzing a Paragraph, pp 41–42

Explain that this activity will help students analyze the purpose of this example

paragraph Discuss the pre-reading questions as a class Talk about murals and write a list of

related vocabulary words on the screen or board to help students both understand the terms and express what they know about the topic Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

Purpose Statement, pp 42–43

Review the explanations and examples of purpose statements Emphasize how effective purpose statements can be to help the writer say focused on his or her purpose for writing

Activity 2: Writing Purpose Statements, p 43

Point out that students will now practice writing purpose statements Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs as needed

Element 2: Audience, p 44

Go over the explanations and examples with the class, including the information on relating to the audience and person Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as needed for future writing

Consistent Pronoun Usage, p 44

Explain that shifting between first, second, and third person within one piece of writing

creates confusion for the reader Provide a few examples such as People should watch what you

eat and how much you exercise

Activity 3: Recognizing Person, p 45

Point out that this activity will provide practice with consistent pronoun usage It may be helpful for students to underline all the pronouns first and then see if the pronouns match the nouns they refer to

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Choosing Person in Formal and Informal Writing, p 45

Go over the information on formal and informal writing Elicit from students more

examples of each type of writing If needed, have students turn to page 44 to review the

definitions of first, second, and third person Emphasize that the writing students do for this class

is generally formal

Activity 4: Identifying Audience, p 46

Before they begin the activity, read aloud a few examples of writing and have the class decide the level of writing and which person should be used Some examples can include an e-mail to a friend, a paper for a class, an e-mail to an instructor, a letter of apology, or a letter of recommendation

Element 3: Clarity, p 46

Explain that clarity means the writing is easy to understand because the language used is specific and concise Point out that the next two Grammar for Writing sections will teach

students how to achieve this goal

Using Clear, Descriptive Language, p 47

While some of the Grammar for Writing items in this book help students avoid errors, this section reminds students to use expressive, precise adjectives Read the information aloud and ask students to think about some words that would not be good to use because they are not very descriptive Write them down on the board If students have a hard time thinking of

examples, you can suggest words such as stuff, things, fine, and good

Activity 5: Choosing Clear and Precise Words, p 47

If there are a limited number of dictionaries and thesauruses in the classroom, have students work in groups or assign the activity as homework and have students use a dictionary or thesaurus they have at home or online, or allow them to use their tablets or smart phones After students have completed the activity, compile a master list of all the adjectives students came up with for each word Point out that there are often a number of more descriptive and precise words that students can use in their writing

Emphasize that in addition to adjectives, prepositional phrases can be used to make one’s

writing more descriptive Also note that the use of adverbs (such as slowly in the example

sentence) can also help make writing more descriptive

Activity 6: Choosing Descriptive Phrases, p 48

Activity 6 might be just as challenging as or even more so than Activity 5 For this

reason, it might be supportive for students to work with a partner in completing this activity If

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appropriate, have students use a dictionary or thesaurus for support When students are finished and if time allows, have students share their final sentences with the whole class

Clarity in Sentences, p 48

Go over the explanation and examples Point out that asking wh- questions (e.g., Who

went to the store? What kind of store did he go to? Why did he go?) can help students identify

the information that would bring more clarity to their sentences

Activity 7: Rewriting for Clarity and Description, p 48

Point out that this activity is similar to the Activity 6, but here students are improving the clarity of sentences If students completed the previous activity with a partner they might feel more confident in completing this one on their own Encourage students to complete this activity

on their own Remind them to ask wh- questions if they have trouble identifying the information

that would make their sentences clearer Then check their sentences and provide feedback as needed

Activity 8: Analyzing a Paragraph, pp 49–50

Briefly explain that students will read and analyze a descriptive paragraph Discuss the pre-reading questions in groups Talk about eating in a restaurant and then working in a

restaurant Encourage students to share their work experiences Then have students complete the activity independently

Activity 9: Clarity in a Paragraph, p 50

Point out that students will now analyze the clarity in Paragraph 11 Depending on the level of support needed, have students complete this activity in small groups, in pairs, or

individually

Clear Pronoun Reference, p 51

Remind students that this second Grammar for Writing will also guide students on ways

to bring more clarity to their writing This section focuses on the common error of faulty

pronoun reference Share with students the fact that this type of writing error is common with

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native speakers as well as students learning English Take some time to go over the explanations and examples with students

Activity 10: Editing for Clear Pronoun References, p 51

Have students work individually in order to complete this activity Clarify that the

number in parentheses is the number of pronouns in the item Go over the answers as a class and encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

Activity 11: Editing for Clear Pronoun References, pp 52–53

Tell students that this activity will help them continue to practice what they have learned

in the last two activities Before students begin this activity, have them skim the paragraph and then preview any vocabulary words with which students might not be familiar Complete the first sentence together as a class in order to provide a model sentence for this activity

Element 4: Unity, p 53

Go over the meaning of unity Emphasize that all supporting sentence should be related to

the topic sentence

Activity 12: Analyzing Unity, p 53

Point out that students will examine the unity of this example paragraph in this activity Before students begin this activity, review the glossed words and any other words that they might not know so that students can understand the content and will be able to focus on the activity

Explain that in addition to helping writers stay true to their purpose for writing, purpose statements can also be an effective aid in maintaining unity Go over the questions and answers about Paragraph 13 and its unity in relation to its purpose statement

For further practice, refer students to Practice 5 on pages 235 and 236 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 232–233

Activity 13: Maintaining Unity, pp 55–56

Before students begin this activity, provide students with some tips on what to look for in identifying a sentence that would not belong An example would include sentences that do not provide relevant information or accurate information If students have difficulty, it may be

helpful for students to generate a purpose statement for this paragraph after reading the

paragraph Then they can examine each sentence in the paragraph against the purpose statement

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As with any exercise involving a paragraph, it is often helpful to do some pre-reading practice, such as asking students general questions about the topic An appropriate question

might be: Have you ever acted in a play? or How do you think acting on TV is different from

acting in a live play?

Element 5: Coherence, p 56

Go over the three features of coherence Explain that logical order is particularly

important in paragraphs in which information must be presented in a certain order, such as a narrative paragraph that presents a story or a process analysis paragraph that presents steps for how to do something

Activity 14: Sequencing Information, p 57

Have students read the sentences in the order presented Point out how difficult it is to understand the information when the sentences are not in logical order Then have students complete the activity

Repetition of Key Words, p 57

Emphasize that there needs to be a balance between repeating key words and using pronouns

Transitional Words and Phrases, p 57

The section on transitional words and phrases includes tips to help the students improve their writing Take time to go over the transitional words and phrases aloud Ask them to think of some examples and write the examples on the board or on the screen Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

Writer’s Note: Proofreading Your Work, p 58

Explain that proofreading is a key component in the writing process Point out that it is helpful to have a list of items to check when proofreading

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Five Proofreading Strategies, p 58

These notes provide great tips for students Go over the strategies as a class Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

Writer’s Note: Titles for Your Work, p 58

Provide students with a copy of a sample paragraph, but do not reveal the title of the paragraph Have students brainstorm titles for the paragraph and record their responses on the board or screen Then write the original title of the paragraph and compare the title with those that students suggested

Activity 15: Word Associations, p 59

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 16: Using Collocations, p 60

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

Tell students that this activity will require them to apply everything they have learned and practiced Read the directions together as a class After students brainstorm, make sure they follow the guidelines listed

Use this opportunity to evaluate students and get an idea of how well they are developing their writing skills By evaluating your students at this point, you will also know if there is an area with which some students are struggling and need further support and review

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Before completing this activity, remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 2 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW3 Have them use the sheet to provide feedback to their peers 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

Included in this section is a list of different essay writing prompts Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible You may choose to assign these topics a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis Remind students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages 191–198)

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 and the paragraph

guidelines provided If necessary, review the term writing prompt

Write five sentences on the board or screen Of the five sentences, be sure that three of

them contain vague language, e.g The book is good and We bought some stuff at the store Ask

students to take out a piece of paper and re-write the sentences they think are unclear Have students volunteer to write the sentences that they revised on the board or screen and discuss as a class if the rewrites include more specific language

Then give students an article or piece of writing that is of general interest to the whole class Have them work in pairs to find words that seem especially selected, i.e., words where it is obvious that the writer chose these words carefully Encourage partners to share the words they identified with the class

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

a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course

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Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 38 and 39 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 Types of Paragraphs

OVERVIEW

In Unit 3, students will review various types of paragraphs, as well as other writing skills Some students may already be familiar with different paragraph styles while others may not have been exposed to this aspect of academic writing It is important to take the time to ensure that all the students in the class understand the different styles in order to prepare them for more

advanced academic writing

OBJECTIVES

1 Understand descriptive paragraphs (pp 66–70)

2 Understand comparison paragraphs (pp 70–74)

3 Practice subject-verb agreement (pp 75–76)

4 Learn about and edit word forms (pp 76–77)

5 Understand cause-effect paragraphs (pp 78–81)

6 Understand classification paragraphs (pp 81–85)

TEACHING NOTES

In Unit 3, students will study four types of paragraphs: descriptive, comparison, cause-effect, and classification Most of the activities in this unit require students to study and analyze example paragraphs Students will learn how to write the various styles of paragraphs (descriptive, comparison, cause-effect, and classification) by completing brainstorming and peer editing activities The Grammar for Writing sections of this unit present subject-verb agreement and word forms, which are two important grammatical points that will enhance the quality of student writing

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Types of Paragraphs, p 66

Explain that there are different types of paragraphs (some of which are listed here) which differ in form and purpose If time allows, have students identify the different types of

paragraphs presented in Units 1 and 2 Point out that in this unit, students will learn about

descriptive, comparison, cause-effect, and classification paragraphs Briefly walk students

through the unit to show how each of the four types of paragraphs is covered in this unit

Descriptive Paragraphs, p 66

Go over the purpose, key features, and uses of descriptive paragraphs with students Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

Activity 1: Analyzing a Descriptive Paragraph, pp 66–68

Point out that students will read and analyze a descriptive paragraph in this activity Have students discuss the pre-reading questions in groups Talk about environments Quickly move the discussion topic to environmental destruction Support students with vocabulary needs they have

as they try to discuss this topic (before reading) This kind of vocabulary support allows students

to re-encounter words they recently learned from class discussion or from other classmates Have students reference the information on descriptive paragraphs on page 66 as needed while they answer the post-reading questions

Writer’s Note: Use of the Pronoun I in Academic Writing, p 68

Review with students that although the pronoun I is not usually used in formal academic

writing, it is used to write about a personal experience If time allows, bring in various examples

of writing that do and do not include I and discuss why this is appropriate for each kind of

writing

Activity 2: Writing a Descriptive Paragraph, pp 69–70

Tell students that this activity will guide them through the process of writing an original descriptive paragraph Discuss the various sample topics already provided and have students select a topic of their own Then circulate around the classroom in order to support students as

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they brainstorm ideas for their particular topic Continue to guide students through items #2–6 and provide additional support and reinforcement as needed

Before doing this activity, remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 3 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW3 Have them exchange books and use the sheet to edit each other’s work If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions

Comparison Paragraphs, p 70

Point out that this is the second type of paragraph that will be covered in this unit Go over the purpose, key features, and uses of comparison paragraphs with students Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

Activity 4: Analyzing a Comparison Paragraph, pp 71–72

Ask students how many similarities and differences they notice between dancing and writing Have them work on the activity in pairs or small groups

Point out that students will read and analyze a comparison paragraph in this activity Help students clarify vocabulary as needed while they discuss this topic (before reading) This allows students to re-encounter words they recently learned from you or other classmates Have students read the paragraph and answer the analysis questions individually Have students reference the information on comparison paragraphs on page 70 as needed as they answer the post- reading questions Then discuss the answers as a class and encourage students to ask for clarification as needed

For further practice, refer students to Practice 8 on page 237–238 Have students

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

Activity 5: Writing a Comparison Paragraph, pp 73–74

Tell students that this activity will guide them through the process of writing an original comparison paragraph Discuss the various sample topics already provided and have students select a topic of their own Then circulate around the classroom in order to support students as they brainstorm ideas for their particular topic Continue to guide students through items #2–6 and provide additional support and reinforcement as needed

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Subject-Verb Agreement, p 75

Go over the explanations and examples as a class as this is an area in which many errors are often made in student writing Emphasize the importance of correct subject-verb agreement Point out to students that because all sentences have a subject-verb relationship, this error could potentially occur in every sentence Remind them that this error is common in the writing of both native and nonnative speakers of English

Activity 7: Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement, p 76

Work with students as a class to model strategies for finding errors in subject-verb

agreement Tell students that while the task may seem simple, it is more difficult to perform within a whole paragraph (as compared to just individual sentences)

Word Forms, p 76

Point out to students that one of the most common language errors occurs with word forms Tell them that a common error involves suffixes that indicate the part of speech For

example, differ is a verb, different is an adjective, and difference is a noun

Give students short lists of common suffixes that indicate a word’s part of speech, e.g

-tion, -ity for nouns; -ate, -ify for verbs; -ive, -able for adjectives; -ly for adverbs

Activity 8: Editing for Errors in Word Form, p 77

Work together as a class to find the seven word form errors within this short paragraph Depending on the needs of your students, give them hints such as identifying lines of the

paragraph contain the error

Cause-Effect Paragraphs, p 78

With books closed, brainstorm as a class the purpose of a cause-effect paragraph and record student responses on the board or on the screen Then have students turn to page 78 and compare the purpose provided in the book with their brainstorm responses

Go over the purpose, key features, and uses of cause-effect paragraphs with students Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

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Activity 9: Analyzing a Cause-Effect Paragraph, pp 78–79

Point out that students will read and analyze a cause-effect paragraph in this activity Ask

students what they know about the phrase dropping out Then do the same with retention

Support students with clarification of vocabulary as needed while they discuss this topic (before reading) This allows students to re-encounter words they recently learned from you or other classmates Have students read the paragraph and then answer the analysis questions

individually Encourage them to reference the information on cause-effect paragraphs on page 78

as needed as they answer the post-reading questions Then discuss the answers as a class

Activity 10: Writing a Cause-Effect Paragraph, pp 79–81

Tell students that this activity will guide them through the process of writing an original cause-effect paragraph Discuss the various sample topics already provided and have students select a topic of their own Then circulate around the classroom in order to support students as they brainstorm ideas for their particular topic Continue to guide students through items #2–6 and provide additional support and reinforcement as needed Encourage your students to use the Useful Vocabulary for Better Writing on pages 226–229 to enhance their writing

Classification Paragraphs, p 81

Point out that this is the fourth and final paragraph type to be covered in this unit With books closed, brainstorm as a class the purpose of a classification paragraph and record student responses on the board or on the screen Then have students turn to page 81 and compare the purpose provided in the book with their brainstorm responses

Go over the purpose, key features, and uses of classification paragraphs with students Encourage students to take notes on this information or flag this page and reference it as needed for future writing

Activity 12: Analyzing a Classification Paragraph, pp 82–83

Tell students that they will read and analyze a classification paragraph in this activity Ask students how many of them exercise at a gym and then how many of them run Ask students

if any of them know about different kinds of running or about specific runners Support students with clarification of vocabulary as needed while they discuss this topic (before reading) This allows students to re-encounter words they recently learned from you or other classmates

Encourage students to reference the information on classification paragraphs on page 81 as needed as they answer the post- reading questions

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Activity 13: Writing a Classification Paragraph Practice, pp 84–85

Tell students that this activity will guide them through the process of writing an original classification paragraph Discuss the various sample topics already provided and have students select a topic of their own Then circulate around the classroom in order to support students as they brainstorm ideas for their particular topic Continue to guide students through items #2–6 and provide additional support and reinforcement as needed Encourage your students to use the Useful Vocabulary for Better Writing on pages 226–229 to enhance their writing

Writer’s Note: Remembering the Purpose of Your Paragraph, p 85

Remind students that using a purpose statement can also help them keep the purpose in mind as they write

Activity 14: Word Associations, pp 85–86

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 15: Using Collocations, pp 86–87

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

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Review the four types of paragraphs students have practiced in this unit Suggest they generate one or two ideas for each type before they decide on a topic Encourage your students to use the Useful Vocabulary for Better Writing on pages 226–229 to enhance their writing

Included in this section is a list of essay writing prompts using the different modes Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible You may choose to assign these topics a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis Remind

students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages 191-198)

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 and the paragraph guidelines provided

Have students work in partners or small groups Provide them with pre-selected reading materials such as newspapers, magazines, articles from the Internet, etc Tell students that the readings contain at least one example of each types of paragraph they have learned to identify Have students find a sample of each type of paragraph, tape or glue them on chart or poster paper, and label each type Have groups post their charts around the classroom and give them time to walk around and view their classmates’ charts

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

a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course

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Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 64 and 65 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 4 Descriptive Essays: Moving from Paragraph to Essay

OVERVIEW

The purpose of Unit 4 is to transition students from understanding the structure of a paragraph to understanding the structure and components of an essay This is done by showing students the similarities between the two and by providing students with a step-by-step process that breaks the task of writing an essay into seven simple, manageable chunks of work The unit also teaches how to write descriptive essays

OBJECTIVES

1 Understand similarities between paragraphs and essays (pp 92–96)

2 Outline a descriptive essay (pp 96–97)

3 Learn descriptive vocabulary (p 98)

4 Learn about and practice using prepositions of location (p 99–101)

5 Learn about the five-paragraph essay structure (p 102)

6 Understand the seven steps of the writing process (pp 102–109)

7 Write an original descriptive essay (pp 110–112)

TEACHING NOTES

This unit transitions students from writing paragraphs to writing essays using descriptive writing While teaching this unit, keep in mind the dual purpose of moving to essay writing and teaching how to write a descriptive essay

to this question at the end of the unit

Reviewing Paragraph Basics, p 92

As the comparison between paragraphs and essays is the foundation for this unit,

carefully go over the explanations and chart presented here and have students reference this information as needed as they learn to move from paragraph writing to essay writing

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Descriptive Paragraphs and Essays

Activity 1: Studying an Descriptive Paragraph, pp 92–93

Point out to students that students will read and analyze a descriptive paragraph in this activity and that this activity represents a transitional point in the book Explain to students that because this paragraph will be expanded into an essay in the next activity, the questions are designed to make sure that they have a good understanding of the structure of a paragraph Make sure that students understand the different parts of a paragraph: (1) the topic sentence, (2) the supporting sentences, and (3) the concluding sentence Be sure that students understand the vocabulary in this paragraph, as much of it will be used in the essay

Thesis statement, p 93

Like a topic sentence, a thesis statement identifies the topic and provides a controlling idea Point out that the topic sentences of the body paragraph will support the thesis statement

The Hook, p 94

Direct students’ attention to the photo, and elicit what a hook is and how a fish is

attracted to it Then go over the information about writing hooks

Explain that writers should not assume that readers will want to read their

paragraphs/essays Readers need a reason to keep reading past the first line This reason will often be an interesting hook Although it is a small part of an essay, emphasize the importance of having an interesting hook

Activity 2: Studying a Descriptive Essay, pp 94–96

This is the first essay that students will encounter in this book As a class, discuss the similarities between the parts of a paragraph and the parts of an essay Point out to students that the questions here are designed to illustrate how an essay parallels a paragraph Encourage students to refer to the information on paragraphs and essays on page 92 and to ask for

clarification as needed as they work through this activity

For further practice, refer students to Practice 10 on pages 238–239 Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed Remind students NOT

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Outlining a Descriptive Essay

Activity 3: Completing a Descriptive Essay Outline, pp 96–97

Have students work independently to fill in the blanks of a partially completed outline of the essay they just read Point out that this activity will help familiarize them with the structure

of an essay and will help them to develop their outlining skills

Describing with the Five Senses, p 98

Write the five senses on the board or screen, and as a class brainstorm examples of each one Discuss what it means to appeal to the five senses and discuss the examples on page 98 of

writing that shows rather than tells Emphasize the importance of showing rather than telling in a descriptive essay As a group, brainstorm other examples of sentences that show and appeal to

the five senses

Activity 4: Focusing on Sense Words, p 98

Tell students that Activity 4 is a vocabulary building activity in which they will be

required to try to generate words to describe the list of nouns Point out that using descriptive words related to the five senses will help students’ writing show rather than tell, which will strengthen their descriptive writing Divide the class into groups and have students compare their

lists of words at the end of the activity

Using Prepositions of Location to Describe, p 99

Clarify the meaning of the prepositions of location as needed Have students copy the list

of common prepositions of location onto an index card and have them reference the list as they describe a situation or event using spatial organization in their writing

Activity 5: Using Prepositions of Location, p 99

Utilize this activity as an informal evaluation opportunity After completing the activity, ask for a student volunteer This volunteer should take a personal item out of his or her

backpack The student should then proceed to place the object in 5 different places in the room (on the desk, behind the ear, etc.) Have the other students record where each object is Have students compare their answers or turn them in for instructor evaluation

Activity 6: Studying a Descriptive Essay, pp 100–101

Point out that this descriptive essay is organized by a sequence of events Essay 1 on

pages 94–95 was organized spatially (left corner, center, right corner) Both describe places and

use prepositions of location

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