Yoko Ono's letter to the Parole Board - Entry #11

20 years had passed since John Lennon was murdered in cold blood when Yoko Ono, his widow, decided to write a letter to the Parole Board in response to their decision of releasing John’s murderer, Mark David Chapman. 
We can clearly see that she is against this decision taking into consideration these 5 main points she’s made:
1. If the man were to be released, many people would feel betrayed.
2. It would also serve as an example for others who would want to receive world attention.
3. Therefore, it will bring the chaos and confusion all over again.
4. John’s family would not feel safe again for the rest of their lives.
5. And Finally, it would not be safe for the man either, since there are a lot of people who are heavily afflicted by what he has done, and they would take the law into their own hands.

A podcast on argumentative essay - Entry #10

Argumentative writing: Step by step
Jennifer Gonzales, English language arts teacher, explains us how she teaches argumentative essay writing step by step. This is my summary with the information discussed in her PODCAST.

Step 1: Watch how it is done. 
In this step, students should read good examples of essays in the genre they want to write, such as argumentative or persuasive writing. It’s important to read different real world writing which is appealing to students’ interest and to compare different pieces of writings in order to notice the way they are written. It’s also important not to demand that students should follow a certain formula.

Step 2: Verbal Argument, freestyle.
Students should start making verbal arguments, a really good way of doing it, would be to use ice breakers in which students are told a statement and they should decide whether they agree or disagree on it. After that, they are supposed to defend their position and in that way they realise that the strategies of arguing are something they are used to doing all the time, but in an informal and verbal way.

Step 3: Informal Argument, not so freestyle.
Once they’ve already had the opportunity of persuading somebody about their position, it would be a good activity to tell them a certain topic and give them some articles for them to read in order to have background information for their arguments. After that, the situation of an argument is recreated but this time, they would have some evidence to contextualise their position. Once the debate is finished, they are supposed to write down a written argument, in which they should state their main point, and three reasons to back that up in order to practice a thesis statement.

Step 4: The assignment
The first thing to do, it to take a good look at the assignment paying attention to the instructions. It is always better, for teachers, to give a variety of topics (more or less 4 choices) so that students can choose what they are more comfortable with. At this stage, it a good possibility to give students different articles about the topics so that they do not mess things up by searching on their own.

Step 5: Building the base
Pre-writing is a very important step in this stage. First, once students have decided their three main points, teachers should work on a lesson about writing a thesis statement. Collaborative work may be helpful at this stage, because that would give them different models. (Students are not going to write exactly the same words anyway). Starting your own writing essay (as teacher) would be really helpful too, because in that way students can see that even for a decent writer it is not that easy to write an essay. Once they all have their own thesis statement, students should move at their own pace through the assignment.

Step 6: Writer’s workshop – writing the essay
Some amount of lessons should be needed to help them how to choose the best evidence for their argument, or help them recognise something which is credible or legitimate, how to quote and explain those quotes, teach them how to site sources, how to build successful background knowledge and how to use transactions effectively. Samples of argumentative essays should be presented to students so that they could see how the skills are implemented. This step should take about 2 weeks of preparation and correction of issues.

Step 7: Final assessment
Once students have finished they essay, they are supposed to submit it but only if they are sure that they have done the best they could and the paper fulfils the requirements needed. You should know that not all students finish at the same time, so if you do not have a deadline for the assignment, you should prepare another activity for those advanced students.

The five-paragraph essay - Entry #9

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A Poem About How The English Language Is CRAZY!

A well-written paragraph - Entry #8

In the following video Parts of a Paragraph - English Adacemic Writing Introduction. May 19, 2009 from the site:  "engVid - Free English Video Lessons"  it is discussed how to structure a written paragraph in English.





The parts of a paragraph are

• Topic Sentence 

     It should include an important topic & your opinion about it

• Body 

     Supporting arguments for your T.S.

     Order of importance or chronology

• Closing Sentence

     Remind the topic to the audiece & keep them thinking


Examples of Topic Sentences:

1. Many politicians deplore the passing of the old family-sized farm, but I'm not so sure. I saw around Velva a release from what was like slavery to the tyrannical soil, release from the ignorance that darkens the soul and from the loneliness that corrodes it. In this generation my Velva friends have rejoined the general American society that their pioneering fathers left behind when they first made the barren trek in the days of the wheat rush. As I sit here in Washington writing this, I can feel their nearness. (from Eric Sevareid, "Velva, North Dakota")

2. There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

3. We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more ridigd than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (from H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

4. Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close observation reveals regional variations across this country, distinguishing the East Coast from Central Canada and the West as surely as dominant dialects or political inclinations. In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

Genre: Exploring Ideas in Literature - Entry #7

Exploring literature can help people think about the important questions in life, and there is a variety of genres of literature.

Fiction Stories about made-up events and characters. It should guarantee a thrilling plot, a vivid setting and compelling characters. They might have themes, too. • Short story = often focuses on a single event or invident • Novel = is longer and explores different events, srotylines and characters.  • Novella = longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. It has a limited number of characters.       Academic vocabulary Plot – conflict – character – setting – theme – narrator – point of view

Nonfiction Texts which describe real events, people and places. Informational nonfiction are those sources you consult for information.  • Autobiography/biography=the true story of a person's life. Written in first-person point of view (autobiography) or from third-person point of view (biography) • Essay = focuses on a single subject. It could be reflective, persuasive or descriptive. Might be written in formal style with an academic tone or informal style with a conversational tone. •Speech = oral presentation with the intention of sharing ideas, beliefs or proposals.  • News/feature articles = intent to inform or entertain, should be objective and fair.  • Functional documents = serve the purpose of inform a specific audience (manuals, workplace documents) Academic vocabulary Purpose – text features – argument - persuasion

Poetry Words are chosen and arranged to create certain sounds and meanings in order to produce specific effects. It should be ear-chatching and unforgettable. Poems are made up of lines arranged into groups called stanzas which may or may not follow a recognizable form.  • odes, sonnets, narrative poems, lyric poems, haikus. Academic vocabulary Form – line – stanza – speaker – rhyme – rhythm – sound – devices - imagery

Drama It is written to be performed on stage; characters and conflicts are developed through dialogue and action whereas stage directions are written in italics throughout the play. It should have all the elements of a good fiction but it is usually divided into scenes which are grouped into acts. • comedies, radio plays, historical dramas. Academic vocabulary Plot – character – act – scene – stage directions - dialogue

Media It is also included since it refers to forms of communication involving large numbers of people. Media messages influence people's beliefs and actions and that is why it is important to become media literate and know how to read all types of media messages.  • Feature films = motion pictures that use narrative elements to tell stories with the purpose of entertaining and making money • News media = Designed to inform and entertain viewers presented in many forms such as magazines, newspapers, television, the radio and the Web. • TV shows = programs broadcast on television which are sponsored by advertisers. They could be dramas, sitcoms, talk shows, documentaries and reality shows. • Advertising = is designed to persuade a target audience to but a product, use a service or agree with an idea. • Web sites = Present information through text, graphics, audio, video, animation and interactive features. Most web sites are not checked for credibility. Academic vocabulary Medium – message – purpose – target audience

Communication & miscommunication - Entry #5

    Miscommunication is something that might happen to every one of us, every day. This could lead to confusion, animosity and misunderstanding and happens because communication is a complex phenomenon. 

    For the transmission model, communication is a message that moves directly from one person to another. But this doesn't happen in real life, that is why, the transactional model believes that communication involves receiving feedback and creating meaning together. For this model, one person expresses his/her interpretation of a message and the other person hears his/her own interpretation of that message resulting in a shift in meanings and interpretations. 

    Those interpretations are based on some internal factors such as age, religion, gender, ethnicity, race, experience or background and also on external stimuli or noise. 

     In order to avoid miscommunication, there are some key points that people should bear in mind. 1- Differentiate passive hearing vs active listening. 2- Listen with your eyes, ears and gut. 3- Try to understand and be understood. 4- Be aware of your personal perceptual filters.