Category Archives: Writing Strategies

2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: Week 14, July 19th, 2019

Announcement

Please take the online class survey on Manabi on the DWC website.
Check carefully the class name and instructor’s name before you answer.
This survey is anonymous and no personal information is passed to the teaching staff.
You can complete this survey from a pc or smartphone, during class or in your own time.
The deadline is Aug. 8th.
Once submitted, you cannot revise your answers.
The class results can be seen on Manabi after late September.

Homework

Write a 3-paragraph essay (about 500 words) about any story or stories that you have read for  this class this semester.
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
  4. Reference page
Print it out and bring a copy to class, as well as uploading it to Manaba

Today’s class

Read the story “When the desert blooms” (p. 38) and write a 3-paragraph essay
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
Write a paragraph giving an example of someone judging their own experience by some outward sign instead of using their own feeling and judgement, like the old man in the story “The old man’s milk”.
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: Week 13, July 12th, 2019

Homework 1 (for July 17th)

Read the story “The Old Man’s Milk” (p. 34) and write 3 paragraphs about it:
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
  4. Reference (this story in the textbook in correct APA style: see this resource to help you Reference List: Books – article or chapter in an edited book
Your paper should be double-spaced in the correct APA style.

Homework 2 (for July 26th)

Write a 3-paragraph essay about any story or stories that you have read for  this class this semester.
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
  4. Reference page
Print it out and bring a copy to class, as well as uploading it to Manaba

Today’s class

  • What is the root problem in the story “The King’s Desserts” and why is it a problem?
  • Demonstration of a model summary of the story “The Archer and the Oil Salesman”. (Uploaded to “Resources” on Manabi.)
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: WEEK 12, JULY 5TH, 2019

Homework 1 (for July 5th)

Read the story “The King’s Desserts” (p. 28) and write 3 paragraphs about it:
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
  4. Reference (this story in the textbook in correct APA style: see this resource to help you Reference List: Books – article or chapter in an edited book
Your paper should be double-spaced in the correct APA style.

Homework 2 (for July 26th)

Write a 3-paragraph essay about any story you have read in this class this semester.
  1. the main points of the story
  2. the main idea(s)
  3. your personal response to the story
  4. Reference page
Print it out and bring a copy to class, as well as uploading it to Manaba

Today’s class

Topics of last week’s articles:
  • A Christmas Carol
    1. the 1951 movie “Scrooge”
    2. the original 1843 story by Charles Dickens
    3. the main ideas of the story
  • Robinson Crusoe
    1. the main points of the story
    2. one Christian idea in the story
    3. another Christian idea in the story
We read the textbook pp. 21-27 and “The archer and the oil salesman” p. 37
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: WEEK 10, JUNE 21ST, 2019

Homework

  • Read my comments to your book report draft 1 (I will send you two files soon on Manaba)
  • rewrite your draft 1
  • save it as “WS1 Book report1 draft2 YourName” and upload it to Manaba by next Friday.

Today’s class

  1. Group discussions about book reports
  2. Questions:
    1. How did you feel while doing your book reports (finding the book, reading it, writing the report, uploading, etc, everything)?
    2. What was most difficult or what did you not like about doing the book report?
    3. What did you enjoy about this assignment? In addition, give yourself an enjoyment score out of 10 points.
    4. How can you use the textbook and book report assignments to improve your English?
      1. What can you do?
      2. What could I (Mr. Sheffner) do to help you improve ?
    5. How could you enjoy this class more?
      1. What can you do?
      2. What could I (Mr. Sheffner) do to help you enjoy more?
  3. One-to-one discussion about your writing.
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: Week 9, June 14th, 2019

Homework

  • Write a short book report (150-300 words) about the book you read from the Easy Reading list. Divide it into two parts: a summary (keep it as short as possible) and your understanding of the meaning of the story. Type it and upload to Manaba by Friday’s class.
  • Don’t forget your Reference page.

Today’s class

  • Discussion of books from the Easy Reading list.
  • The next story from “Splitting the Arrow”.
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: Week 8, June 7th, 2019

Homework

  1. After receiving my comments and corrections to your draft 2 of “The Tortoises’ Picnic” writing, re-write it, save as “WS1 Tortoises’ Picnic draft3 Name” then upload to Manaba by next Friday 11:00.
  2. Choose an English book from the booklist “WS1 Easy Reading Library List” on Manaba (under “Resources”) and start reading it. It should be a book you can read without using a dictionary too much. Choose a book that interests you and that you can read easily.

Today’s class

Sentence correction and discussion about the meaning of the story.

2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: WEEK 7, MAY 31ST, 2019

Homework

Update: I have now sent everyone my corrections and comments to your “Tortoises’ Picnic” writing. Re-write your first draft, save it as “WS1 Tortoises Picnic Draft2 YourName” (without the quotation marks) and post on Manaba by 11 a.m.  Friday June 7th.

Today’s class

Watch the beginning of “Get Shorty”: https://youtu.be/Q7iU5hfG53w?t=93

  1. Which country is Miami in?
  2. Which part of that country is Miami in (West, East, South, North, Centre?)
  3. “I’ll say no more than I have to, if that.” Translate into Japanese.

Now watch Episode 6 of Dragon Zakura.

  1. What did you learn about learning English and writing English from this episode?
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: WEEK 6, MAY 24TH, 2019

Homework

Write a summary and comment about today’s story ” The tortoises’ picnic.

  • Use your APA template to write the summary and your response to the story, and upload it to Manaba in the assignment section.
  • If you agree to let your classmates read your response, copy it into the forum. (If you don’t want your classmates to read your response, don’t post it in the forum but only with your summary.)

Today’s class

  1. Were you able to see my two files (*.htm and *.rtf) with my corrections and comments to your writing? Were they useful to you? (If you were absent from class today, please email me your answer to this question.)
  2. Release forms from students for
    1. this class
    2. for public use (including publication)
  3. Academic writing rules:
    1. Avoid non-academic language (conversational English, contractions like “don’t”,  “isn’t”, etc.)
    2. Don’t begin new sentences with “And”, “But” or “Because” but instead keep them as part of the same sentence.
    3. One paragraph, one topic. New topic, new paragraphs. Keep sentences about the same topic together.
  4. Would you like to continue reading classmates’ comments to stories?
  5. Would you like to read your classmates’ summaries?
  6. Would you like to read Sheffner’s comments and corrections to classmates’ writing?
  7. Read the next story “The Tortoises’ Picnic” and the author’s comment. Check the vocabulary and meaning.
2019 WS, Writing Strategies

WS1: Week 5, MAY 17th, 2019

Homework

  1. Make your own 3-page APA-style template for your Writing Strategies writing.
    1. You can download the instructions (which I showed in class today) here
  2. Write two paragraphs about the “Learned Parrots” story.
    1. paragraph 1 – summarise the story (main points only, don’t tell the whole story)
    2. paragraph 2 – your personal response to the story.
    3. your paragraphs should be typed and saved with the name “WS1 Learned Parrots Name.doc(x)” and uploaded to Manaba by Wednesday midnight.

Update

I have corrected your “Two Ants” summaries, and uploaded them to Manaba. Please take a look.

Today’s class

  1. How to create an APA-style template for your Writing Strategies class writing.
  2. Explanation of my error-correction system with examples.
  3. Read the next story “The Learned Parrots” in the textbook.