Inclass Activities

Theme for English B --TaylorjoyMitchell

This is a short assignment so I'm going to go ahead and post it without an attachment. I think that students using cliches is an aspect that we need to focus on in the writing process. I have my students fill out this worksheet, changing the sentences from cliches to their own original thoughts.

The pillow is light as a feather.

The little boy was as quiet as a mouse.

I’m going to sleep like a log tonight.

I’m so hungry that I could eat a horse.

The mattress felt as heavy as a log.---SusanSavageLee

Memoir movie idea -- JamieKinsley

Teaching Detail -- JamieKinsley

As preparation for the memoir project, and as an in class writing assignment, I have the students write a letter or a poem to their future selves. I ask them to think about what kind of people they envision themselves to be, say, ten years from now. They are to think about the changes they see themselves undergoing. Being the intended audience, they are to ask questions of their future selves, and maybe relate incidents from the present as events for the future self to remember of reflect upon. This assignment is intended to be more creative than the memoir project (since it is obviously not factual), but includes the same elements of reflection and narration. - Lina Michalewicz

Developing an Audience -- CaitlinFahey

Cliches

Here's a paragraph for avoiding cliches and getting students to think differently.It also helps with 'to be' verbs.

Rewrite the paragraph using original expressions.

1) Correct overuse of ‘to be’ verbs (is, was, were, has, has been, etc)

2) Rewrite all clichés.

In my memoir I’m going to talk about the death of my brother and how this changed my life. For starters, my brother, Keith, was the center of my universe. I always looked up to him for everything and so, when he died, I felt as dead as a doornail on the inside. There really isn’t another way to explain it. Then after a couple of months, it seemed like I could think about other things. Although my heart didn’t feel as light as a feather, I was beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. This is when I met one of my friends, Ashley, for the first time. She really helped me cope with Keith’s death.--SusanSavageLee

Citation Jeopardy -- SuzanneDesmond

Understanding Ethos, Pathos, and Logos -- SuzanneDesmond

Metaphor for Writing a Paper -- SuzanneDesmond

Finding Ethos, Logos, and Pathos -- SuzanneDesmond