Monday, February 23, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Word of the Day
We are building vocabulary with Word of the Day. At the beginning of every class, I have a new word and definition written on the white board, the the first thing my students do is add them to their Word of the Day notebook. Then periodically, I quiz them on the words they have learned, or check to see if they have written an original sentence for each word. Words are beautiful and powerful and interesting, and building vocabulary is important for preparing for SAT and ACT tests too.
I have just started adding word etymology also, pointing out the root words, prefixes, suffixes and their meanings.
Here is today's quiz.
tranquility diaphanous scintillating rhapsodic lithe succulent effervescent luminescent
grotesque verisimilitude dulcet assuage ephemeral incandescent mellifluous eloquent
halcyon noxious lachrymose plethora cacophony superfluous acquiesce lackadaisical
Replace the underlined word with one of vocabulary words above.
1. Bubbly soda water can help relieve an upset stomach.
2. Slender and graceful bodies adorned with feathers, beads, ruffles, and shimmering fabric flounced down the fashion show runway.
3. The bride smiled at her groom through the sheer layers of her veil.
4. Fresh off the vine, the tomatoes were deliciously sweet and juicy.
5. The ecstatic expression on his face when he opened the envelope containing tickets to the championship game was priceless.
6. The articulate words of the salesman convinced my dad to try the new product.
7. The reckless way that some wealthy people spend money and treat those less fortunate is considered by some to be disgusting.
8. Susan was weepy as she watched her only son board the plane to leave for his job on the other side of the country.
9. Foreigners are often shocked by the profusion of choices found in an American grocery store.
10. Parents sometimes give in and buy their children candy to avoid tantrums in the check-out line.
11. He was captivated by the author's brilliant ideas and witty style.
12. The couple walked through the scenic grounds around the creek, enjoying the peacefulness of the old oak grove.
13. The volcano belched out steaming lava, clouds of hot ash, and poisonous gases.
14. The glowing face of my phone helped me find my way through the dark alley.
15. The musical sounds of a piano wafted over the patio as the guests mingled and chatted.
16. To appease security concerns, each watch is given its own serial number.
17. The players couldn't hear their coach above the uproar going on in the stands.
18. The thunderstorm was fleeting, starting suddenly and gone within minutes.
19. She wished for the relief of a cool breeze as she squinted up at the white-hot summer sun.
20. With so many people looking for work, the employees knew they could not afford to be lazy and careless in their work if they hoped to retain their jobs.
21. We are a much wealthier nation now than we were even in the idyllic year of 1960.
22. The sweet sounds of his mother's voice soothed the crying baby.
23. Tourists flock to Madame Tousaud's Wax Museum in New York because the extraordinary realism of the statues makes visitors feel like they are meeting celebrities in real life!
24. Use portion control to cut out excess calories from your diet.
I have just started adding word etymology also, pointing out the root words, prefixes, suffixes and their meanings.
Here is today's quiz.
tranquility diaphanous scintillating rhapsodic lithe succulent effervescent luminescent
grotesque verisimilitude dulcet assuage ephemeral incandescent mellifluous eloquent
halcyon noxious lachrymose plethora cacophony superfluous acquiesce lackadaisical
Replace the underlined word with one of vocabulary words above.
1. Bubbly soda water can help relieve an upset stomach.
2. Slender and graceful bodies adorned with feathers, beads, ruffles, and shimmering fabric flounced down the fashion show runway.
3. The bride smiled at her groom through the sheer layers of her veil.
4. Fresh off the vine, the tomatoes were deliciously sweet and juicy.
5. The ecstatic expression on his face when he opened the envelope containing tickets to the championship game was priceless.
6. The articulate words of the salesman convinced my dad to try the new product.
7. The reckless way that some wealthy people spend money and treat those less fortunate is considered by some to be disgusting.
8. Susan was weepy as she watched her only son board the plane to leave for his job on the other side of the country.
9. Foreigners are often shocked by the profusion of choices found in an American grocery store.
10. Parents sometimes give in and buy their children candy to avoid tantrums in the check-out line.
11. He was captivated by the author's brilliant ideas and witty style.
12. The couple walked through the scenic grounds around the creek, enjoying the peacefulness of the old oak grove.
13. The volcano belched out steaming lava, clouds of hot ash, and poisonous gases.
14. The glowing face of my phone helped me find my way through the dark alley.
15. The musical sounds of a piano wafted over the patio as the guests mingled and chatted.
16. To appease security concerns, each watch is given its own serial number.
17. The players couldn't hear their coach above the uproar going on in the stands.
18. The thunderstorm was fleeting, starting suddenly and gone within minutes.
19. She wished for the relief of a cool breeze as she squinted up at the white-hot summer sun.
20. With so many people looking for work, the employees knew they could not afford to be lazy and careless in their work if they hoped to retain their jobs.
21. We are a much wealthier nation now than we were even in the idyllic year of 1960.
22. The sweet sounds of his mother's voice soothed the crying baby.
23. Tourists flock to Madame Tousaud's Wax Museum in New York because the extraordinary realism of the statues makes visitors feel like they are meeting celebrities in real life!
24. Use portion control to cut out excess calories from your diet.
Charles Dickens Scavenger Hunt
Find the answers to these questions about Charles Dickens.
1. When and where was Dickens born?
2. Name 3 places Dickens lived as a boy.
3. What happened to to his father when Charles was young?
4. Where did Charles go to work when he was 12 years old? Why?
5. What job did Dickens have in 1827, when he was 15?
6. What occupation did he have at age 20?
7. Who ruled England during most of Dickens' life? How old was Dickens when she became queen?
8. What was Dickens first book?
9. In what form was his first book published?
10. What was the name of the woman Dickens fell in love with as a young man?
11. Who did Dickens marry in 1836?
12. How many children did they have?
13. What is the name of the actress with whom Dickens became romantically involved?
14. What estate, which he had admired since childhood, did Dickens purchase in 1856 to be his family home?
15. Name five social problems that concerned Dickens during his lifetime.
16. In what magazine was "Great Expectations" first published?
17. Which president of the United States did Dickens meet at the White House?
18. Which novel of Charles Dickens has sold the most copies?
19. When did Charles Dickens die?
20. Where is Dickens buried?
21. Name 15 novels written by Charles Dickens.
http://www.biography.com/people/charles-dickens-9274087
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml
http://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/Dickens-Charles.html
1. When and where was Dickens born?
2. Name 3 places Dickens lived as a boy.
3. What happened to to his father when Charles was young?
4. Where did Charles go to work when he was 12 years old? Why?
5. What job did Dickens have in 1827, when he was 15?
6. What occupation did he have at age 20?
7. Who ruled England during most of Dickens' life? How old was Dickens when she became queen?
8. What was Dickens first book?
9. In what form was his first book published?
10. What was the name of the woman Dickens fell in love with as a young man?
11. Who did Dickens marry in 1836?
12. How many children did they have?
13. What is the name of the actress with whom Dickens became romantically involved?
14. What estate, which he had admired since childhood, did Dickens purchase in 1856 to be his family home?
15. Name five social problems that concerned Dickens during his lifetime.
16. In what magazine was "Great Expectations" first published?
17. Which president of the United States did Dickens meet at the White House?
18. Which novel of Charles Dickens has sold the most copies?
19. When did Charles Dickens die?
20. Where is Dickens buried?
21. Name 15 novels written by Charles Dickens.
http://www.biography.com/people/charles-dickens-9274087
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml
http://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/Dickens-Charles.html
Literary Devices in Great Expectations
Literary Devices used by Charles Dickens in Great Expectations
- Parallelism - The use of identical grammatical constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases.
- In a most irritating manner he instantly slapped his hands against one another, daintily flung one of his legs up behind him (both phrases have adv, past tense verb, prepositional phrase), pulled my hair, slapped his hands again, dipped his head, and butted it (past tense verb, direct object) into my stomach.
- Anaphora - The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several parallel clauses or paragraphs.
- A man with no hat and with no shoes and with an old rag tied around his head.
- Epistrophe - The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several parallel clauses or paragraphs.
- Antithesis - Placing contrasting ideas side by side using parallel structure.
- So new to him; so old to me; so strange to him; so familiar to me.
- Polysyndeton - Using several conjunctions in close succession, especially where they are usually replaced by commas.
- A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, andstung by nettles, and torn by briars.
- Asyndeton - a style that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.
- The winking lights upon the bridges were already pale, the coming sun was like a marsh of fire on the horizon.
- Parallelism - The use of identical grammatical constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Argument Essay - Candy Bar Battle
We are doing a version of this activity - Twix v. Snickers
6 paragraph essay:
IntroductionArgument #1
Argument #2
Argument #2
Counter-argument & rebuttal
Conclusion
Battle Bars -- The Edible Argument
An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Debate/DEB0201.html
Submitted by: Mark A. Schneberger
Email: markusschneberger@hotmail.com
School/University/Affiliation: Oklahoma City Community College
Date: November 20, 2001
Email: markusschneberger@hotmail.com
School/University/Affiliation: Oklahoma City Community College
Date: November 20, 2001
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12, Higher Education, Adult/Continuing Education
Subject(s):
- Language Arts/Debate
- Language Arts/Writing
Duration: 50 minutes
Description: This lesson can be used to teach the beginning stages of argument to high school or college level English composition classes. Students use their writing skills to describe how their group's Snickers are a better buy than another group's Kit Kats, while the other group describes how its Kit Kats are a better buy than Snickers. Students use examples of price, advertising appeal, ease of consumption, appearance, dangers, nutrition facts, feel, smell, and taste to support their topic.
Goals: Students will be able to develop a thesis statement and write paragraphs using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information to an audience (for the purposes of persuasion and argumentation).
Objectives:
- Students will be able to develop a thesis statement and two paragraphs which support that thesis statement.
- Students will be able to write a paragraph identifying one opposing viewpoint and write another paragraph that attempts to challenge that viewpoint.
Materials:
- a 20-piece bag (approx.) of Snickers Fun Size candy bars
- a 20-piece bag (approx.) of Kit Kat Fun Size candy bars
- chalkboard or dry erase board and chalk/marker
- writing utensils and paper
[If your college disapproves of bringing in outside food items (those not sold at the often overpriced commissary), substitute homemade nut-filled cookies and chocolate chip cookies for the candy bars. If using cookies, modify the thesis statement to fit.]
Procedure:
Inform students that they are to begin a unit about argumentation. Find out how many students like to argue and how many do not. Tell them that they are going to argue about something very important today -- candy bars! Inform students that the class is going to be split down the middle, and students on one side will receive Kit Kats while students on the other side will receive Snickers. [ Author's Note: You may allow students to choose sides, but you must have (closely) equal representation on each side. Also, tell students not to eat the candy bars.]
Lay a candy bar on each student's desk, or pass the bags around and allow the students to choose their own. Tell the students that they need to imagine that there are only two brands of candy bars in the world -- the ones being discussed. Tell them that their candy bar is the best value, and it is their job to come up with as many "logical" reasons why their candy bars are the best value. Tell them not to consider that the other group is working on doing the same project for another brand. Rather, have them just focus on the question, "Why is my candy bar the best value?" Encourage them to work together to make a list of the top 10 points for why their candy bars are the best.
After they have come up with their lists, have each group elect a representative to write their 10 reasons on the board. The result will be a split board with Kit Kat best-buy points on one side and Snickers best-buy points on the other side. Next, have students vote on which of their side's three reasons best represent why their respective candy bars are the better value. Erase all the others. This will result in a split board with three strong points for each side. Then, tell the groups that they are to individually, or in teams of two or three, write a thesis statement which expresses the idea that their candy bar is the best value. Then they are to craft two short paragraphs of three or more sentences (the paragraphs must be linked with transitional expressions) for each point they've chosen for their side. While students are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be a thesis statement and two paragraphs which support it. Allow students to eat their candy bars if they choose at this time. (Sugar may help them write faster!)
After the paragraphing is complete, tell the students how important it is when arguing to be fair and to demonstrate that others may have differing opinions. Then, direct them to individually, or in teams of two or three, assume the position of the other side and identify what they consider to be that side's strongest point about why they have the best value bar. Kit Kat groups will write a paragraph supporting Snickers and vice versa. Encourage students to spend a few minutes in discussion with members of the opposing groups, so they can adequately explain and support their points. Kit Kat members will solicit information from Snickers members and vice versa. While they are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be one paragraph, linked to the first two, which demonstrates the opposing position. If students request an opposing side's candy bar, allow them to have one (if there are ones left) to eat.
Finally, explain to students that their job after identifying a strong differing opinion is to directly and convincingly challenge it. Using what they know about candy bars, nutrition, packaging, and logic, they must try to construct one short paragraph (including transitional element) to disprove the other side. Kit Kats will challenge Snickers' strongest point and vice versa. While students are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be one challenge paragraph linked to the previous three paragraphs. Encourage students to share their completed paragraphs.
Inform students that they are to begin a unit about argumentation. Find out how many students like to argue and how many do not. Tell them that they are going to argue about something very important today -- candy bars! Inform students that the class is going to be split down the middle, and students on one side will receive Kit Kats while students on the other side will receive Snickers. [ Author's Note: You may allow students to choose sides, but you must have (closely) equal representation on each side. Also, tell students not to eat the candy bars.]
Lay a candy bar on each student's desk, or pass the bags around and allow the students to choose their own. Tell the students that they need to imagine that there are only two brands of candy bars in the world -- the ones being discussed. Tell them that their candy bar is the best value, and it is their job to come up with as many "logical" reasons why their candy bars are the best value. Tell them not to consider that the other group is working on doing the same project for another brand. Rather, have them just focus on the question, "Why is my candy bar the best value?" Encourage them to work together to make a list of the top 10 points for why their candy bars are the best.
After they have come up with their lists, have each group elect a representative to write their 10 reasons on the board. The result will be a split board with Kit Kat best-buy points on one side and Snickers best-buy points on the other side. Next, have students vote on which of their side's three reasons best represent why their respective candy bars are the better value. Erase all the others. This will result in a split board with three strong points for each side. Then, tell the groups that they are to individually, or in teams of two or three, write a thesis statement which expresses the idea that their candy bar is the best value. Then they are to craft two short paragraphs of three or more sentences (the paragraphs must be linked with transitional expressions) for each point they've chosen for their side. While students are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be a thesis statement and two paragraphs which support it. Allow students to eat their candy bars if they choose at this time. (Sugar may help them write faster!)
After the paragraphing is complete, tell the students how important it is when arguing to be fair and to demonstrate that others may have differing opinions. Then, direct them to individually, or in teams of two or three, assume the position of the other side and identify what they consider to be that side's strongest point about why they have the best value bar. Kit Kat groups will write a paragraph supporting Snickers and vice versa. Encourage students to spend a few minutes in discussion with members of the opposing groups, so they can adequately explain and support their points. Kit Kat members will solicit information from Snickers members and vice versa. While they are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be one paragraph, linked to the first two, which demonstrates the opposing position. If students request an opposing side's candy bar, allow them to have one (if there are ones left) to eat.
Finally, explain to students that their job after identifying a strong differing opinion is to directly and convincingly challenge it. Using what they know about candy bars, nutrition, packaging, and logic, they must try to construct one short paragraph (including transitional element) to disprove the other side. Kit Kats will challenge Snickers' strongest point and vice versa. While students are working, assist each group and view their progress. The result will be one challenge paragraph linked to the previous three paragraphs. Encourage students to share their completed paragraphs.
Assessment: Collect students' paragraphs to assess completeness and students' ability to logically demonstrate argumentation in writing.
Special Comments: If you have further questions about this lesson plan, which uses food as a base for understanding, please do not hesitate to contact: Mark A. Schneberger, Adjunct Professor of English, Oklahoma City Community College.
Monday, November 17, 2014
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