Lesson Set 8 - Give Me a Break: Teaching Paragraphs
I teach high school, so most of my students have a preconceived idea of what a paragraph should look like. However, the five sentence paragraph that leads to a five paragraph paper is what is trapping my students in their writing process. They are unable to expand an idea or simply move on if it has been covered. I really like the idea of looking at newspaper articles or periodicals and evaluating the number of sentences in the paragraphs. I also like the idea of taking out the indentions and having the students decide where the natural breaks need to occur based on content. These exercises will help the students break away from numbers and focus on the content of their paragraphs.
I have young children who are learning to form paragraphs at school. My son does not have to adhere to a five sentence rule, and I realize now that his teacher is helping the students focus on a complete idea and not simply encouraging a lack of structure. Ha! Seriously though, I am glad that he will not have to "unlearn" this writing concept and get frustrated like many of my students.
Lesson Set 9 - Do We Have Chemistry? Teaching Compound Sentences
My students are familiar with FANBOYS and often use the acronym on their own when I mention compound sentences. Once again using the technique of uncombing and recombing sentences to show the students what conjunction might be the most effective is a great teaching tool.
My son is entering 5th grade and my middle daughter is entering 4th and both of them are learning to use compound sentences with the use of a conjunction. They are familiar with FANBOYS and it helps make the concept easier to remember when in an acronym form.
Lesson Set 10 - What's Up? Teaching Dialogue
I will be honest, I have the students evaluate dialogue and notice punctuation, but I rarely teach dialogue writing. I use it occasionally as a fun Friday creative writing project, but I rarely take time to teach the fundamentals. This chapter helps give me ideas on how to incorporate the concept in my assignments this year. Having the students work together in groups or as a class seems like a really great way to help them practice and gain confidence.
I teach high school, so most of my students have a preconceived idea of what a paragraph should look like. However, the five sentence paragraph that leads to a five paragraph paper is what is trapping my students in their writing process. They are unable to expand an idea or simply move on if it has been covered. I really like the idea of looking at newspaper articles or periodicals and evaluating the number of sentences in the paragraphs. I also like the idea of taking out the indentions and having the students decide where the natural breaks need to occur based on content. These exercises will help the students break away from numbers and focus on the content of their paragraphs.
I have young children who are learning to form paragraphs at school. My son does not have to adhere to a five sentence rule, and I realize now that his teacher is helping the students focus on a complete idea and not simply encouraging a lack of structure. Ha! Seriously though, I am glad that he will not have to "unlearn" this writing concept and get frustrated like many of my students.
Lesson Set 9 - Do We Have Chemistry? Teaching Compound Sentences
My students are familiar with FANBOYS and often use the acronym on their own when I mention compound sentences. Once again using the technique of uncombing and recombing sentences to show the students what conjunction might be the most effective is a great teaching tool.
My son is entering 5th grade and my middle daughter is entering 4th and both of them are learning to use compound sentences with the use of a conjunction. They are familiar with FANBOYS and it helps make the concept easier to remember when in an acronym form.
Lesson Set 10 - What's Up? Teaching Dialogue
I will be honest, I have the students evaluate dialogue and notice punctuation, but I rarely teach dialogue writing. I use it occasionally as a fun Friday creative writing project, but I rarely take time to teach the fundamentals. This chapter helps give me ideas on how to incorporate the concept in my assignments this year. Having the students work together in groups or as a class seems like a really great way to help them practice and gain confidence.
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