Sophomore English Writing: Week 5

by

Learn English Writing

Review

Last week:

  • learned about complex sentences
  • created a story based on a picture prompt with a boy and UFO (focus: use complex sentences)
  • rewrite previous stories

New

Here are the study notes for quiz #1 (week 6 of the semester).

This Week

  • compound sentences
  • review complex sentences
  • rewrite 2nd and 3rd draft of your stories
  • start writing project 5
  • do mini assignment
  • complete articles practice

Feedback on Writing

Here are the positive comments:

  • great story ideas
  • good first sentences that create interest plus organisation

Things that can be improved through rewriting:

  • often use SO in the wrong place
  • SHOCKED and VERY too much
  • sometimes missing details

Here is an example:

He put the goat and went back.

Review Compound and Complex Sentences

Here we can review of compound and complex sentences. The worksheet has questions.

Mini Assignment: Write with Clarity

Here is an exercise to help students write clear sentences. Below are two logic puzzles. Read the puzzles. Find the answers. Write the answer with proper sentences

Logic Puzzle 1

You have a scale with two trays and nine marbles. The marbles look identical in size, shape and color but one is different. Eight marbles weigh 10 grams each. One marble weighs 11 grams.

How can you find the heavy marble by using the scale only two times?

Logic Puzzle 2

You are standing beside a well with two buckets. One bucket holds five liters. The other bucket holds three liters. How can you get exactly four liters of water using only these two buckets? You have no other tools and the buckets have no measurement lines.

Nothing to Do

Check your understanding of articles in this practice exercise.

Writing Assignment #5

Use all of your writing skills in this activity. That includes imagination and clarity plus the specific language skills we reviewed (i.e. noun modifiers, correct articles, complex sentences, compound sentences).

You also need to carefully consider the thinking questions we talked about earlier:  who, what, when, why and how. This exercise is the narrative challenge.

The main task is to take two pieces of different information and blend them together into one story. The second task is to include all of the writing skills we have learned so far.