Mini Lesson: Articles (when to put them, and why)

1. E (Engage): Students will be show a picture of an actual article on PowerPoint. I will explain to them that although this is an article, this not what an article means in grammar. This is how I will introduce the topic.

2. E (Explore): The class will look at sentences that are missing articles and they will be asked to determine what is wrong without knowing the rules about using articles.

3. E (Explain): I will explain what articles are and the importance of using them in sentences. The information obtained for this mini lesson can be found at http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/articlestext.htm and http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/grammar/aanthepicture.html.


4. E (Expand): Working with a neighbor the students will come up with sentences on using the information he or she has learned about articles. Write a sentence using an indefinite article, one using a definite article, and one that does not have any articles.

5. E (Evaluate): Using PowerPoint, the class will do an online quiz together. The quiz can be accesse at http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/article_ex2.htm.

6. E (E-Search): For homework, the students will search the Internet and find three sentences. One sentence should have an indefinite article, one should have a definite article, and one should not have any articles.

Blog Summary 13: Texting Slang

The comments are due by Friday, March 20th, at class time.

___________________

TXTNG: the gr8 db8.

Texting has several unique features that attract users of all ages. David Crystal identifies six of these traits in his chapter entitled, "What makes texting so distinctive?" from his book, TXTNG: The Gr8 Db8. These include: pictograms and logograms, initialisms, omitted letters, nonstandard spellings, shortenings, and genuine novelties.

1) Pictograms and logograms are the most noticeable features in texting. Logograms can be used either alone or in combination with other letters and/or words.
Examples of logograms:

b = be
2 = to/two/too
@ = at
b4 = before
2day = today

When visual shape is what matters, graphic devices called emoticons are used. These are normally used to represent pictures and faces through texts. If this is the case, they are known as pictograms. Several hundred emoticons exist, however only a select few are used regularly.
Examples: :), :(, :P, ;), etc.

2) Initialisms are often called acronyms, like NATO or BBC. With text messaging, everyday words are shortened for quick communication. Initials are used for single words, compounded words, phrases, and even whole sentences.

Examples for single words: n = no, w = with, y = yes
Examples for compounded words: gf = girlfriend, dl = download
Examples for phrases: np = no problem, ftf = face to face
Examples for whole sentences: cmb = call me back, swdyt = so what do you think

3) Omitted letters are less noticeable than intialisms, but are far more common. Normally, the letters dropped are vowels. This feature is altered quite often. It changes with every person who texts, and there are sometimes more than one version of a word.

Examples: msg = message, fwd = forward, btwn = between, 2nite, 2nt, tnight = tonight

4) Nonstandard spellings occur, both intentionally and unknowingly. Regardless of whether or not the person texting knows how to spell correctly, he/she may still spell a word wrong. The reasons for this vary upon the user. Some nonstandard spellings are used so often, they have been given entires in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Examples of nonstandard spellings are easy to spot: cos, cuz = because, luv = love, skool = school, thanx = thanks

5) Shortenings occur when a word is reduced by omitting an important component. This can happen either at the end or the beginning of a word. There have been shortenings recorded in history books dating back to the origin of writing. Many words have become used as everyday terms themselves.

Examples of shortenings: prob = probably, approx = approximately, exam = examination, fridge = refrigerator

6) A genuine novelty is made within texting when language play has improved or increased. All of the six distinct features of texting can be juxtaposed. This allows for a vast array of word and sentence combinations. However, novelties are not used often. It solely depends on the person utilizing texting, and whether or not he/she is conservative or innovative
Example of a novelty: iydkidkwd = if you don't know, I don't know who does

Personally, I use texting on a daily basis. However, I only use three of the six traits featured in this chapter (logograms, initialisms, and shortenings).

How often do you text? Do you use any of the six mentioned characteristics of texting? Should there be any additional attributes added to these six?

By Nadia Aldroubi, ENG300-1

Mini Lesson: Style

Writing Style

Style is an intrinsic, yet elusive quality in all writing.The cartoon at the left riffs on the fact that, although many different writing styles exist, and hold value in their own right, each situation calls for a distinct one.





Read this passage from Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and think about how the author uses style to convey meaning. Remember, style equals more than just the sum of the words and punctuation marks.




“{Billy}....turned on the television. He came slightly unstuck in time, saw the late movie backwards, then forwards again. It was a movie about American bombers in the Second World War and the gallant men who flew them. Seen backwards by Billy, the story went like this:


American planes, full of holes and wounded men and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England. Over France, a few German fighter planes flew at them backwards, sucked bullets and shell fragments from some of the planes and crewmen. They did the same for wrecked American bombers on the ground, and those planes flew up backwards to join the formation . . .


When the bombers got back to their base, the steel cylinders were taken from the racks and shipped back to the United States of America, where factories were operating night and day, dismantling the cylinders, separating the dangerous contents into minerals. Touchingly, it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody again.”

Engage: Video clip, select visual media via powerpoint, and verbal prompting used to elicit and maintain engagement
Explore: Personal reading and analysis of a passage from a popular book allows students to explore knowledge and unknowns about style
Explain: A short lecture on types and features of style, along with a description of professional style, gives information to fill in unknowns and emphasize relevancy
Extend: The Paramedic Method is introduced as a procedure for making writing more concise, consistent with the professional style
Evaluate: Students use the Paramedic Method to edit sample sentences in professional style
E-search: Students must visit This website on proofreading and read sections 1-5. They must then analyze their own writing styles by proofreading their recent English papers. As an assignment, they must create a list of errors or conventions used consistently and incorrectly throughout the paper, and, for each item on this list, detail a short strategy they could use to correct the errors. They must also identify several conventions considered "correct" in professional writing, such as specific punctuation patterns, that characterize their personal style. The pages assigned, along with those on Sentence Variety, Punctuation, and Appropriate Language offer explanations of aspects of good professional writing, and offer suggestions for improvement. Students should also apply the Paramedic Method where applicable.

A 1925 Lesson on Slang

Responses are due Friday, March 6th, at class time.

This article is the dialogue from a discussion that took place in a ninth grade composition class. The teacher asked the students what language exists for. One student said, “To make your thoughts clear, and to have thoughts, and to express thoughts.” Based on this answer, the teacher asked the students whether or not slang fits this definition. Slang makes thoughts clear and expresses thoughts to those who understand it meaning. Slang exists to express thought to everyone, depending on who is hearing it and the current language in existence.

One interesting point in this article is the explanation of the origin of slang. According to this article, slang originated in England. In Shakespeare’s time, slang was used by thieves to conceal the meaning of their words from others. Slang existed to express thought, but only to the small group of people that understood its meaning. Slang had two purposes. It was used to conceal and convey meaning, depending on who was listening.

Over time, slang became incorporated into the speech of everyone. Words that were once considered offensive slang are now a part of everyday language. For example, the word “kid” was originally used by thieves. It came from the word “kidnapping”. During this time, the word kid would have been considered offensive slang. Today, it is simply another word for child.
Today, slang is used by different cultures for many different reasons. Most people use in casual settings. It is a way to communicate with those whom we are most familiar with. Some use slang to show that they are very familiar with something. For example, those who use slang when talking about drugs are usually trying to convey that they are familiar with drug use. Others use slang to be part of a group. A high school student who desires to be a part of the “popular” click may use slang to prove that he or she is worthy of entrance into the click. The majority of people in America are more comfortable using slang than using proper English. This means that slang is often used inadvertently in professional and academic settings.

What is your definition of language? Does slang qualify as language? Is there anything inherently offensive about slang? Should it be incorporated into our speech, or should it be left out completely? Are there situations in which slang is appropriate? Are there situations in which slang is not appropriate?

Subject Verb Agreement

Audience: Eleventh Grade

Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. Sometimes, it is easy to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural because only one way sounds right. However, for those who speak English as a second language, it is not so easy. There are several rules which help us understand subject verb agreement. We will be covering these in class.

Engage – Introduction of topic; I will ask students how to determine if the subject and verb agrees. What has been your method in the past?

Explore – Students will be asked to determine which verb is correct in a sample sentence without knowing the rules. They will put their old methods to the test.

Explain – I will explain the rules for subject verb agreement and the exceptions to those rules, according to the Owl at Purdue. (OWL, 2006) We will discuss how this knowledge can enhance our writing.

Expand – Students will be asked to come up with a sentence of their own which exhibits proper subject verb agreement.

Evaluate – I will hand out a quiz. We will do the first three of these in class together. The remaining ten questions will be for homework.

E-Search – In addition to completing the take home quiz, students will be asked to find five sentences on the internet which exhibit proper subject verb agreement for homework. (Warning- There are many sites which are not reviewed by any educational institution. Make sure that you use only trusted academic sites. Do not bring in incorrect sentences!)

Reference List

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Last edited August 20, 2006). Subject Verb Agreement. Retrieved March 2, 2008, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/

Collaboration is not Collboration is not Collaboration: Writing Center Tutorials vs. Peer Response Groups

responses due in class Wednesday, February 25

This article highlights the differences between, and the value of, both peer response groups and tutoring based in a writing center. Both are examples of collaborative learning, which is "dialogue and negotiation" between a reader and a writer. In both, the author retains control and makes all final decisions regarding his or her work, but uses either review process to strengthen the writing and to get a real sense of having an audience.
A peer response group is a group of students centered around a certain class or teacher and focusing on a particular assignment that all members share. Writers take turns reading their own work and then receive commentary from classmates, either verbally, or through written forms or free-write. This experience is closer to what an author might find in the "real world", in which relatively equal working peers review each others' work in academia, or in the scientific or business spheres. This process benefits students because they get practice looking at writing critically and articulating their thoughts, along with the enrichment they get on the particular assignment. Pitfalls include that students are often not skilled or trained enough to give appropriate, helpful criticism, or they are bound by peer protection to keep silent. Class time devoted to appropriate methods of critique and group citizenship is essential.
The tutoring experience, however, is a highly personal activity in which the tutor, who is a "hybrid" of authoritative, knowledgeable teacher and sympathetic, plain-speaking peer, helps the tutee to focus on the underlying weaknesses in his or her writing, and helps him or her to improve confidently over time. Although a student may often just want help on a particular assignment, the tutor must steer away from telling them what to write or "fix" in a certain paper, intead guiding him or her to self-help and discovery by asking meaningful questions. This interaction is often frustrating for both parties, with the student simply wanting to finish the assignment and receive a good grade, and the tutor wanting to promote long lasting improvement on the part of the writer.
This article does not take a diffinitive stance on the useful-ness of either method. Studies provide conflicting views on their benefits. This author, as a writing center proponent and employee, did suggest that collaboration could be very helpful, provided that peer-responders and tutor are appropriately trained and organized.
I found this article interesting in that it looked into the psychology of the relationship between tutor and tutee. It described the delicate balance one often has to walk: not wanting to DO someone's work for them, while knowing that the student mainly wants the assignment done and sees the tutor as the central source of "answers". This is something I have often encountered when tutoring, not just in English.
What do you think about peer response and tutoring? Have you utilized one of these resources; have you been a tutor or a peer respondent? Do you think these services are valuable and should be promoted on campus? If you were a teacher, how would you integrate them into your classroom?