Final Opinion Paragraph

Hi Students,

This was a great class!  I really appreciate all the hard work you put into your writing this summer. Thank you!

Of course, I can't end the semester without giving you one more (small) assignment: your Opinion Paragraph. Please email me your final Opinion Paragraph by Monday night.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and good luck with whatever you do in the fall.

Josh

HW for Thursday, July 19th

1. Act. 9-10 (p. 174-175) (check answers when finished; bring questions for Thursday)
2. Paragraph 3.3 (Final Process Paragraph)
**Please email to Josh

Class Opinion Paragraph HW

         In our opinion, teenagers should work due to several reasons.

HW for Wednesday, July 18th

HW for Wednesday, July 18th
1. Class Paragraph (see post above)
**Add supporting idea, detail, or concluding sentence to class paragraph.
2. Paragraph 4, Draft #1 (Opinion)
3. Sentence Variety Internet Practice

• Practice 1
• Practice 2

4. Check Quiz #2 (find correct answers and bring questions).

WG 3 Final Exam Review

You can download the final exam review information here or you can simply read the information below. 


1. Writing

Part One: The Parts of a Paragraph
*You should be able to do the following:

• identify the topic of a paragraph;
• identify the parts of a paragraph (title, indentation, topic sentence, supporting sentences, transitions, and concluding sentence);
• Identify a supporting sentence that is off-topic (doesn't fit paragraph topic);
• Add main supporting ideas to a paragraph;
• Add specific supporting details to a paragraph;
• write a topic sentence for a paragraph.

Part Two: Write a Paragraph

*Your paragraph should have the following: 

• title
• indentation
• strong topic sentence (that includes topic and controlling idea)
• supporting sentences/details
• transitions
• concluding sentence (restate topic sentence or give opinion/suggestion)
• accurate grammar
• punctuation (periods and commas)
• capitalization
• no fragments
• no comma splices

2. Grammar

• Capitalization (p. 228)
• Unit 1
• Simple Present Tense
• Simple Past Tense 
• Identifying the subject and verb in a sentence
• Unit 3
• Commas
• Comma Splices and Fragments
• Unit 5
• Articles
• Unit 6
• Adjective Clauses
• Sentence Variety
• Simple sentences
• Compound
• Complex sentences
• Unit 7
• Transition Words
• Punctuation for transition words

3. Vocabulary 

• Unit 1 (p. 26-27)
• Unit 3 (p. 60-61)
• Unit 5 (p. 96-97)
• Unit 6 (p. 118-119)
• Unit 7 (p. 132-133)
• Unit 9 (p. 174-175)

Week 8 Blog Response

Hi,

This week's question comes from Judy. Please answer this question based on what you know about American and British English. If you need to, you might want to find a friend who has been to the U.K.
Here is the question:

Which do you think is easier, American or British English? Please explain your answer.

Happy writing!

HW for Tuesday, July 17th

1. Week 8 Blog Response (see post above)
2. Complete Opinion Outline (handout)
**Please write three reasons for your outline. YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE DETAILS OR A CONCLUDING SENTENCE.
3. Activity 1, Paragraph 1 (p. 163-164)
4. Paragraph 3.2 (Process Draft 2) ***Please email to me Sunday night!

HW for Thursday, July 13th

1. Act. 5 (p. 130)
2. Act. 7-8 (p. 132-133) **check answers!
3. Study!

Grammar Quiz #2

When: Wednesday, July 11th
What:
1. Articles (p. 94-95)
2. Adjective Clauses (p. 111-113)

HW for Tuesday, July 10th

1. Process Paragraph Draft 1 (please send it in an email as Word document)
2. Study for the quiz (Wednesday)
3. Act. 9-10 (p. 118-119) (Check answers!)
4. Act. 7-8 (p. 132-133)
5. Adjective Clause Internet Practice
Practice 1
Practice 2
6. Blog-->Respond to two other students' week 6 responses. Politely agree with one student and disagree with the other. Please explain your answer.
7. Correct article sentences from article HW handout (older students only!)

Have a great holiday and trip to Bigfork!

Week 6 Blog Response

Hi!

This week's question comes from Abdulaziz. Please remember to write at least 8 sentences in your response. Here is the question:

In your opinion, is smoking a physical (body) or mental (mind) addiction? Please explain your answer with explanation and examples. 


Have a good weekend!

HW for Tuesday, July 3rd

1. Paragraph 2, Draft 3 (for old students)
**Please bring ALL drafts.

2. Write a topic sentence for your process paragraph.

3. Adjective clause handout (from class)
*Complete all activities.

4. Week 6 Blog Response (see post above)

HW for Wednesday, June 27th & Thursday, June 28th

HW for Wednesday (6/27)

Paragraph Review

*Complete the following internet activities in order to review the parts of a paragraph. When you finish each exercise, check your answers. 

Paragraph Practice #1

Paragraph Practice #2

Paragraph Practice #3

Paragraph Practice #4

HW for Thursday (6/28)

1. Part Two, Article handout from class (write seven sentences)

2. Act. 9-10 (p. 118-119)

Class Paragraph on Learning Academic English Vocabulary

Learning Academic English Vocabulary

                Academic English vocabulary is the most difficult thing to learn in English for many reasons.  There are too many academic words, so it is difficult to memorize.  Academic English words can have different meanings in other sentences. For example, the word complex can have different meanings such as complicated or a group of buildings.  Also, there are many academic words we don’t use every day. Therefore, they are difficult to learn.  For instance, we don’t see the word “awareness” in many books or newspapers, but we can see the synonym “knowledge” everywhere and every day. Academic words describe complicated things or ideas.  To illustrate, the word “nuclear” is a very complicated word to describe.  It is a physical and chemical category which is defined as the smallest thing in the world, and to understand this is very difficult.  Finally, academic English words can be considered the most difficult thing to learn in English.  Academic English vocabulary is difficult not only for international students but also for native English speakers!

HW for Tuesday, June 26th

1. Definition Paragraph Draft #2
**Please write carefully and edit your paragraph when you are finished.

2. Answer Week 5 Blog Question

Week 5 Blog Question

This week's question is from Nawwaf!

What have you learned (so far--until now) this summer? Please give specific examples and write at least 8 sentences (>8).

HW for Thursday, June 21st

1. Check answers for Activities 13-14 (p. 96)

Mid-term Test Review

Part One: The Parts of a Paragraph
*You should be able to do the following:

• identify the topic of a paragraph;
• identify the parts of a paragraph (title, indentation, topic sentence, supporting sentences, transitions, and concluding sentence);
• Identify a supporting sentence that is off-topic (doesn't fit paragraph topic);
• write a topic sentence for a paragraph.

Part Two: Write a Paragraph

*Your paragraph should have the following: 

• title
• indentation
• strong topic sentence (that includes topic and controlling idea)
• supporting sentences/details
• transitions
• concluding sentence (restate topic sentence or give opinion/suggestion)
• accurate grammar
• punctuation (periods and commas)
• capitalization
• no fragments
• no comma splices

Writing a Definition Paragraph

1. Topic Sentence
2. Explain how the simple definition is correct.
3. Explain how the word means much more!!!! Give examples, description, details, and so on.
4.  Concluding Sentence

HW for Wednesday, June 20th

1. Redo "Topic Sentence" HW from last week.

2. Paragraph 2, Draft #1 (definition paragraph)

3. Read Josh's example "definition" paragraph; find one error and correct it in a comment.

Josh's Definition Paragraph

Fly Fishing: More than a Definition!

      The dictionary says that fly fishing is "fishing with a fly to catch a fish," but it's actually much more than that.  The basic definition is not wrong because fly fishing does use a fly that imitates a real insect to catch a fish.  However, fly fishing is not just an act but an experience. Fly fishing means connecting with the river that the fisher is standing in.  While casting one's fly, the fisher feels the river move past his/her legs, listens to the soft talk of the water, and hears the diverse sounds of the birds and insects in the air.  Of course, catching a fish is a huge part of the fly fishing experience, but the fish's beautiful colors are just as cool as the fight of the fish.  To hold a fish that has so many colors and lives in a perfect environment is truly a wonderful experience.  Everyone should experience the thrill of fly fishing before leaving Montana.

Task 1: Josh's paragraph has 9 errors.  The errors are as follows: capitalization (2), commas (3), commas splices (2), and fragments (2).  Find one of these errors and correct it in a comment below.  You cannot correct an error that has already been corrected by a fellow classmate.  You might need a dictionary for some of the new vocabulary words.  Good luck!

       

Week 4 Blog Response

This week's challenging question comes from Saud:

What kind of job would you like to have? Why? Please explain.

Happy writing!

HW for Tuesday, June 19th

1.  Week 4 Blog Response (see post above)
2. Check Vocabulary Answers (Act. 10-11, p. 60-61)
3. Activities 13-14 (p. 96-97)
4. Example paragraph 42 (p. 102-103) (read and answer questions)
5. Paragraph Topic + DICTIONARY DEFINITION

HW for Thursday, June 14th

1.  Check Vocabulary HW (p. 26-27)
2. Do Act. 10-11 (p. 60-61)
3. Grammar Review (punctuation and capitalization) (Wednesday)
Practice 1
Practice 2

4. Paragraph 1, Draft #3
**Please hand in drafts 1-3.

5. Choose a topic for paragraph 2 (definition paragraph) and bring a definition of your topic from a dictionary (online, digital, or print is ok).

Week 3 Blog Response

Hi students!

Mofadal contributed this week's blog question. Here is the question:

What do you do every day?

Please write at least eight sentences, and don't forget to read other students' responses.

Have a good weekend.

HW for Tuesday, June 12th

1. Activity 6 (p. 51-54) (collected--please write on separate paper)
*#5 is extra credit

2. Topic Sentece and Controlling Idea Practice

3. Fragment and Comma Splice Practice

4.  Week 3 Blog Response (please see post above for question and respond under the post above.)

HW for Thursday, June 7th

1. Act. 14 and 15 (p. 26-27) 
2. Verb and Fragment Practice
3. Topic Sentence Practice
 4. Write a comment about Josh's paragraph.
***Find ONE characteristic of a paragraph that we have talked about in class and write about in a short comment.  Here are some possible ideas: 1) indentation 2) topic 3) topic sentence 4) concluding sentence 5) supporting ideas 6) supporting details 7) controlling idea 8) title 9) connecting words (transitions)
5. Paragraph 1, Draft 2 (difficult time when you first came to U.S.)

Josh's First Paragraph

The Korean Food Challenge          

           Even though I had already lived in Ecuador and traveled through Europe, moving to Korea was a big change in my life. Language, customs, and transportation were all new challenges I had to face. However, getting used to the food was probably the hardest thing I had to do for more than one reason.  The first Korean food challenge for me was eating the spicy food. Before I went to Korea, I hardly ever ate spicy food, but when I arrived to the bus station, I realized that almost everything on the menu was spicy! I remember the difficulty of eating my first meal. In fact, it was so spicy that I barely ate half of it. When I got on the bus, I was still really hungry. Another challenging aspect of Korean food was that there were so many strange and unfamiliar food items. The first time I saw "bundeggi" (boiled silkworm larvae), I almost threw up. One time I went to a seafood restaurant because I love fish. Unfortunately, the fish that was brought to me hadn't been gutted. In other words, the fish still contained all of  the guts and other inedible parts.  Perhaps the hardest culinary challenge I had to deal with during my first few weeks in Korea was not knowing what to order in a restaurant. I could read the menus, but I didn't know what anything was! Everything was new to me because I hadn't researched what the dishes were before I left the U.S. There were so many choices, but I didn't know if I was ordering pork (I don't eat it), fish, beef, chicken, soup, noodles, rices, and so on. Despite these difficulties with Korean food, I eventually found Korean food that I really loved, and I even started enjoying all of the spicy dishes.

HW for Tuesday, June 5th

1. Paragraph 1, Draft 1
**Please write a paragraph in response to the following question:

What was the most difficult thing you experienced when you first came to the  U.S.?

Please use the "mind map" that you wrote in Thursday's class to help you write your paragraph. Your paragraph should be at least 8 sentences long. Make sure you include the following:
a. Title
b. Indentation
c. Topic Sentence
d. Supporting Sentences
e. Concluding Sentence


2. Respond to another student's blog response.

HW for Thursday, May 31st

1. Finish "Capitalization and Punctuation" handout

2. Capitalization and Punctuation Internet Practice (click on the link below)

Capitalization and Punctuation Practice

Capitalization Quiz

HW for Wednesday, May 30th

1. Create a blog.

2. Answer the Week 2 Response question.

Week 2 Blog Response

Hi!

Welcome to the Writing and Grammar 3 Summer 2012 blog!  Hopefully you had no trouble setting up your blog. Now you are ready to write! Please answer the question below.

Here is your first question:

What was the most difficult thing you experienced when you first came to the U.S.? 


Happy writing!