Class 2

Today's plan:

- Understand about writing assignments

- Introducing the first assignment & practicing 

Understanding Writing Assignments (Essays)

We will have 2 writing assignments each term, where the goal is effective writing. The assignments will be on a document (Google Docs), not your blog page. They will be graded on quality. To develop quality writing skills, we will go through the following process: 

planning & brainstorming > organizing > writing > a lot of editing > sharing the draft (comments & feedback from classmates) > editing more > submitting > feedback from teacher.

This is a long process, so it is called process writing. It is needed to develop your writing and English ability.

Note that the goal & writing style of your writing assignment is very different from your blog: 
- You have 2 big writing assignments per term.... but your blog is weekly.

- Effective, perfect writing is the goal of the writing assignments.... but writing fluency & informal writing are the focuses of the blog.

 

- For the writing assignments, we brainstorm, plan, and edit carefully.... In the blog, just write as much as we can without thinking too much or worrying about spelling or grammar.

- The writing assignments will receive detailed comments & feedback by the teacher....  The blogs will be read and counted, but there is not feedback on your writing skills on your blog by the teacher (since the goal is fluency).

Introducing Writing Assignment #1 

Narrative Writing (1 true, 1 fictional story) 

2 stories draft due in Class #5 

The first writing assignment is to write two stories, one fiction and one true. Telling stories is great for developing writing and communication skills, and it is good for entertaining people, making friends, and reflecting on our life. You will write two interesting stories: one true and one totally made up. In a few weeks, you will share them with your group, and they will try to guess which is fictional! Your writing goal is to entertain your readers with interesting stories and good writing. It is best if half of your group mates guess correctly because both stories seem real (if your fiction story is too unbelievable or not detailed, it will too easy for them to guess).

1st, please read my example stories HERE.

2nd,  guess which is true (absent? click here).

3rd, click HERE to check the answer and to analyze the essay.


Homework

Think of 5 story ideas. HERE to write your story ideas (just write the ideas, not the story)

Blogging: Remeber that each week, you need to write a blog post of 10+ sentences on the topic of your choice. (1st. log into Okadai Gmail, 2nd. go to blogger.com, 3rd. click 新しい投稿). Also, comment on classmates' blogs (in your group). Check this post to get more ideas and guidelines about writing the blog.