MY WRITING SPACE
Mónica Altamirano
PURPOSE
Intended to help some of you that struggle with writing.Â
Do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and start creating beautiful masterpieces!
WHAT IS A PARAGRAPH?
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. It’s usually composed of five sentences.
​
​
Example:
Sofia is an excellent student. She is very
intelligent. She is responsible. Sofia always
does her homework, and she is never late for
class. As a result of her hard work, Anna is one
of the best students in school.
​
Remember: The first sentence of a paragraph is indented.
​
Indentation is the blank space between a margin and the beginning of a line of text.
​
​
PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH
A paragraph has three parts:
Topic Sentence – tells the main idea.
Sofia is an excellent student. She is very
intelligent. She is responsible. Sofia always
does her homework, and she is never late for
class. As a result of her hard work, Sofia is one
of the best students in school.
​
It tells us what the rest of the paragraph is about.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Supporting Sentences – explain and support the main idea.
Why is Sofia an excellent student?
​
Sofia is an excellent student. She is very
intelligent. She is responsible. Sofia always
does her homework, and she is never late for
class. As a result of her hard work, Sofia is one
of the best students in school.
​
When writing supporting sentences you should be giving examples, reasons, or descriptions to support your topic sentence. - There are usually 2 - 4 supporting sentences in a paragraph.
​
​
Conclusion Sentence – reminds us of the main idea.
It restates the idea we introduced at the beginning of the paragraph.
​
Sofia is an excellent student. She is very
intelligent. She is responsible. Sofia always
does her homework, and she is never late for
class. As a result of her hard work, Sofia is one
of the best students in school.
​
Sofia is one of the best students in school reminds us that she is an excellent student.
​
EXAMPLES
1.
The fault in our stars is a great book. Not only was it a tragic love story but it was also a book that teaches you wonderful life lessons. It teaches you that it is never too late to love or care for one another. Thus, it was #1 on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list as well as The New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice.
​
Topic Sentence: The fault in our stars is a great book.
​
Supporting Sentences: Not only was it a tragic love story but it was also a book that teaches you wonderful life lessons. It teaches you that it is never too late to love or care for one another.
​
Concluding Sentence: Thus, it was #1 on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list as well as The New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice.
​
2.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. What makes it so great is that you can use your imagination to play anywhere in the world without needing to send a single penny. It requires less gear to play than other sports like football (shoulder pads, helmet, mouth piece, etc) or baseball (bats, baseball gloves, baseball cleats, etc). It is also relatively easy to play. In addition, soccer is one of the oldest sports. For this reason, soccer is played absolutely everywhere in the world.
​
Topic Sentence: Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.
​
Supporting Sentences: What makes it so great is that you can use your imagination to play anywhere in the world without needing to send a single penny. It requires less gear to play than other sports like football (shoulder pads, helmet, mouth piece, etc) or baseball (bats, baseball gloves, baseball cleats, etc). It is also relatively easy to play. In addition, soccer is one of the oldest sports.
​
Concluding Sentence: For this reason, soccer is played absolutely everywhere in the world.
​
​
​
​
​
TYPES OF SENTENCES
SIMPLE SENTENCE
A simple sentence has a subject and a verb.
1. I am a teacher - Subject: I Verb: am
2. She took a cab to the airport. - Subject: She Verb: took
3. We are having homemade pasta for dinner tonight. - Subject: We Verb: are having
A simple sentence is also called an independent clause.
COMPOUND SENTENCE
A compound sentence has two ( or more) independent clauses.
I am a teacher, and my sister is a lawyer.
She tried to lift the suitcase, but it was too heavy.
He didn’t have enough cash, so he paid by credit card.
We can take a bus to the museum, or we can just walk there.
coordinating conjunctions
F or
A nd
N or
B ut
O r
Y et
S o
​
Independent clause + ( , )+ conjunction + second independent clause.
COMPLEX SENTENCES
A complex sentence has a dependent clause and an independent clause.
When I got home from work yesterday, I watched TV for an hour
( dependent clause)(independent clause)
I love to travel because I get to meet a lot of interesting people.
Even though the exam was quite difficult, all the students passed.
Let me know if you need any help.
You can’t go out and play until you’ve finished your homework.
Dependent clauses start with linking words –
When - Because -Even though - If – until
We use commas when the dependent clause comes first!
​
For example:
Even though I was tired, I went to the gym after work.
​
Linking word + dependent clause + comma + independent clause.
​
How to teach Sentence Diagramming
Teaching students how to diagram is crucial as it can help them analyze sentences in a straightforward manner, teaching them how the sentences are put together.
First Step:
Start by teaching the basics.
State the importance of identifying the parts of speech. Such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections.
Second Step:
Teach students that the first step when diagramming a sentence is to create a base line. This line of the diagram will explain what the sentence is about and it is the fundamental piece of the sentence.
Explain the structure of a simple sentence in which we have the subject, verb and direct object together, and underline them. Explain that we separate the subject from the verb with a vertical line that crosses the underline and we separate the direct object from the verb with a vertical line that does not cross the underline.
Then teach students the basic rules as to diagramming.
You could also create a fun video in which you include all the basic rules when it comes to diagramming sentences. This way you can really catch the attention of your students.
​
Third Step:
Create fun and dynamic games, such as an activity using note cards in which students have to create sentences by using a note card that either has a verb, noun, subject and other parts of speech. In addition you could include a fun memory game or kahoot.
Also encourage students to help one another, allow them to work in groups and try to diagram different types of sentences. You can also assign groups to learn about each part of speech and teach it to the rest of the class to help reinforce the lessons. This way, they learn one part of speech really well themselves and help the other kids learn it, too.
https://1drv.ms/p/s!Aip8VW7X7pHHcEB4TIWvXFiyGII?e=30H4Mn
​
​
​
Create a mural
Create a mural yourself or ask your students to make one in class.
Murals are a great dynamic way to present material, encourage class participation and interaction, and get students making their own murals for brainstorming, solo or group project organization, and presentation.
Excel
Excel is a great tool to keep track of the progress of students in class, such as daily work observations.
​
You can add different features making it look more appealing to the eye, and thus make it look more professional and well organized for showing parents.
​
I provided an example of a front page, grade breakdown and daily work observations, in which I added different colors and created buttons to make it easier to go from page to page.
This is a great way to spice things up and make it look less dull.
Try it out! :)
Use of cellphones in class
The use of cellphones in class can certainly be a distraction for many, but we should also consider the benefits these technological devices can bring to the classroom.
For instance, implementing educational learning apps in the classroom, incorporating digital platforms in class as well as providing easy access to more information. All of these are options in which teachers can take advantage of cellphones and catch the attention of students while learning in fun/ new ways.
Although, it must be acknowledged that the use of these devices should always be monitored and educators should set limits and rules in the classroom. Every student should be clear as to how/ when to use their cellphone and it should never serve as a distraction as to what is being studied in class.
Cellphones should not be viewed as something negative, but instead something that educators can take advantage of and aid in the learning process of students at the same time.
​
​
Authentic Material Vs. Commercial Material
Without a doubt commercial material is essential in a language learning classroom. It is an easy and fast way to provide useful material for students. Although, it is crucial to also include authentic material in class.
It not only allows students to experience a new way of learning in which they become more aware of the use of the language outside of textbooks but it can also be a fun and engaging way to learn.
​
I included an example of a type of authentic material that can be used for learning diagramming sentences.
Provide students with a picture book in which they have to describe what they see, then ask them to diagram the sentence.
The girl walked on the sidewalk.
The girl is sad.
Flipcharts
Flip charts are a great option when presenting material in a creative, economically and spontaneous way.
Some tips for using them more efficiently are:
-
Use flip chart markers and not regular magic markers. Flip chart markers will not "bleed" through the paper. Also, they do not have as strong a smell as regular markers. You can also find "scented" markers. They usually come in various fruit scents.
-
Avoid using the colors yellow, pink, or orange. These are extremely difficult for the audience to see. Don't make your audience have to strain their eyes to see your points. Avoid using too many colors. Using one dark color and one accent color works best.
-
You can write "lightly in pencil" any notes next to key points you need. The audience won't be able to see them. You may also write what is on the next sheet. Knowing this will allow you to properly introduce your next sheet.
-
Do not speak when writing on the flipchart, you want to be looking at your students when you are speaking.
​
Flipcharts - Diagramming
Flipcharts can be an amazing way to teach and review diagramming sentences.
-
Start by mentioning the reasons why we diagram sentences and its benefits.
-
List the steps we must take when diagramming sentences (first identify the subject...)
-
Provide different sentences for students to identify and highlight with bright colors the different parts of the sentence. For example, one sentence could include a preposition, another a conjunction. Really make it visual for students to identify the different lines and where to place the different parts of the sentence when diagramming.
-
Another option could be assigning different colors for each part of the sentence. For example, blue can always be for the verb and red can always be for the subject. Yellow could be for adverbs and purple for prepositions. This way students will be associating the colors with the parts of the sentences and thus make it easier for them to diagram sentences.
