Learn English Writing
Review
Last week:
- finished a quiz
- started lessons about 15 new verbs
- almost finished rewriting stories 1 to 5
This Week
- return quiz and review answers
- complete all 5 writing tasks
- finish feedback
- review study notes for the mid term exam
- check the exam schedule
Quiz #1 Review
Click this link to see suggested answers for Quiz #1.
Half-Semester Review
Started the semester with a plan to understand, “What is good writing?”
The answer is the 6+1 writing traits.
- idea
- voice
- word choice
- sentence fluency
- organisation
- conventions
- presentation
Five major writing tasks to learn and practice these 7 parts of good writing:
- Creative story (based on a picture): idea, voice, word choice, organisation
- Mini saga: organisation, word choice, idea, organisation
- Boat and Goat: conventions (articles), word choice
- UFO story: sentence fluency (complex sentences), word choice, idea
- Narrative Challenge: idea (include details), organisation, sentence fluency (complex and compound sentences), conventions, presentation
We also did some smaller activities:
- fluency activities (write faster)
- articles exercises
- add punctuation
We learned and practiced several specific aspects of writing:
- importance of a good first sentence
- noun modifiers
- complex sentences
- compound sentences
- adding style and variety with new verbs
- including important details with 2 logic puzzles
Mid Term Exam Study Notes
The exam will have 3 parts. The exam will be 50 minutes long.
Exam Schedule
The exam schedule is as follows:
- EGL 109-10 Monday, October 17, 10 am (regular class time, regular room)
- EGL 109-11 Monday, October 17, 12 noon (regular class time, regular room)
Part 1. Rewrite your narrative challenge (#5) or creative story (#1) . Your choice.
Why? Show me your best creative writing.
It will be graded as follows:
- 1-2 pages (max) in length
- demonstrates ability to put 6+1 writing traits in a story
- no major grammar or spelling errors
- no major missing details (all main questions should be discussed in the text like who, what, where, when, why and how)
- it should have a strong first sentence, good flow and a good ending
- it’s interesting
- it should use the writing elements we studied in class (e.g. complex and compound sentences used correctly).
- proper presentation and organisation (paragraphs and margins)
Part 2 Write a New Mini Saga
Why? Show me you know how to write a fascinating paragraph about one concept.
This 50 word short story will be on a theme selected by me.
- be 50 words
- one paragraph
- have a title
- have a beginning, middle and end
- be related to the theme
The theme will be one of these. I will choose one for the exam.
- the future
- a challenge
- regret
- happiness
Part 3 Error Correction
Why? Show me your ability to find and fix text errors.
You will be given a short text to read. Rewrite the text and fix the mistakes. All or some of the following errors might be included:
- spelling
- grammar (including articles)
- complex and compound sentence errors
- poor noun modifiers
- capitalization
- punctuation
- bad conclusion sentence
- weak first sentence
Good luck.