Rambling sentences and relative clauses

Hello students,

Today we'll check some very common problems that we face when learning English. To begin with, go to
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/improvingyourgrammar/a/runon.htm

to discover what rambling sentences and a run-on sentences are. Write the definitions in your notebook.

Now correct the following extract and write the correction in your notebook:

So then Emma tried to leave in a huff, but it was like, "Oh, no, you didn't," and she was like all like, "Oh, yes I did," and my mom was waiting in the car the whole time because I needed to go to the dentist, which I really hate, but I had to solve this so I pretended I couldn't hear her honking evne though it was really loud.




Now do research into relative clauses and their use at http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-clauses


Work on the exercisaes at http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-clauses/exercises?09

Biography world

You have recently read David Copperfield.  How familiar are you with the life and work of its author,Charles Dickens? To which extent is this story autobiographical?





Find out here:

Charles John Huffam Dickens ( 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic who is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and the creator of some of the world's most memorable fictional characters. During his lifetime Dickens's works enjoyed unprecedented popularity and fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was fully recognized by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to enjoy an enduring popularity among the general reading public.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens


Listen to the first 11 minutes of the lecture (see below) and write down notes about the most important events in Dickens' life.

Consider the following aspects to write a summary: (10 points)

• 1. Early years and adulthood
• 2. How he gained recognition
• 3. Some of his famous works
• 4. Themes present in his work
• 5. Autobiographical elements

Your summary must include all the above aspects in the same order in different paragraphs. Be carefull with spelling and grammar.

               
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdROFxYEuBI

               

The Elements of a Story

If needed make notes for your record of the following concepts.

Setting, in literature, the location and time frame in which the action of a narrative takes place.

The makeup and behaviour of fictional characters often depend on their environment quite as much as on their personal characteristics. Setting is of great importance in novels, for example, in some cases it is believed that environment determines the character. In some cases the entire action of a novel is determined by the locale in which it is set. 

Taken from: http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/536301/setting

Another essential story element is the character. Character can be defined as any person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work. There are many types of characters that exist in literature, each with its own development and function.

For more information about this you can visit:

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/character-in-literature-definition-types-development.html#lesson

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

Plot is known as the foundation of a novel or story which the characters and settings are built around. It is meant to organize information and events in a logical manner. When writing the plot of a piece of literature, the author has to be careful that it does not dominate the other parts of the story.

There are five main elements in a plot. The first is the exposition or the introduction. This is known as the beginning of the story where characters and setting are established. The conflict or main problem is introduced as well. The second element of a plot is known as the rising action which occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs and at the same time, events begin to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension or crisis is encountered. The third element of a plot is known as the climax or the main point of the plot. This is the turning point of the story and is meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion. The reader wonders what is going to happen next. The fourth element of a plot is known as falling action or the winding up of the story. Events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are put forward. The last element of a plot is the resolution or the conclusion. It is the end of a story and ends with either a happy or a tragic ending.

Taken from: http://literarydevices.net/plot/

 Now recall the story of David Copperfield  and provide the corresponding information about:( 9 points, 3 each element)

• 1. Setting                                         

• 2. Characters

• 3. Plot (conflict, climax, resolution)

Making Comparisons

Compare Dickens' life and the story of David Copperfield. Write a paragraph stating which aspects seem to be autobiographical. Support your arguments with examples. ( 8 points)

                            
                                      

The World of News

The World of News

Dear students,

As you know, there are sections in newspapers to address readers'
penchant for different genres. Today we will discuss some of the
best-known newspaper articles

Types of newspaper articles

Remember - all writing tasks are about understanding genre, audience, purpose and style (GAPS). In newspapers we can find:

• News articles: these are found at the front of a newspaper. They inform readers about things that are happening in the world or in the local area.
• Feature articles: these explore news stories in more depth. They may be triggered by a story that has been in the news for a while. The purpose of a feature is not just to tell you what has happened, but to explore or analyse the reasons why.
• Editorials, columns and opinion pieces: these are pieces by 'personality' writers. They might be there to inform (because the writer's expert opinion is valued), or they might be there to entertain (because the writer has a comic or interesting way of describing everyday life).
• 
  

taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english/creativewriting
/commissionsrev2.shtml.

Today in the lab, you will see the parts of a news article and practice how to write headlines and lead paragraphs.

Types of News

There are two types of news in a newspaper.

Hard news: they are stories which combine the concepts of seriousness and timeliness. i.e. politics, economy, war, disasters, accidents, law, science, crimes, protests, technology, etc.

Soft news: they are usually timeless. It could appear any day without affecting its newsworthiness. i.e. travel  destinations, beauty and health, recipes, etc.

Parts of a Newspaper Article

            Writing a piece of news is different from writing short stories. The language used is different and the way it is organized also differs from any other type of writing. Click on the link below to have an idea of what a newspaper article consists of.

http://www.nytimes.com/

Choose an article that calls your attention and try to identify the following parts:

- Headline

- By-line

- Lead

- Body

Headlines

            The headline is the title of the news article. The headline should be short, does not include a lot of detail, and should catch the readers’ attentions. It is normally not a complete sentence, and tries to summarize the main idea or subject of the article. It is often printed in larger letters than the rest of the article, and the major words are capitalized. 

How to write a headline

Activity 1.

Write headlines for these news stories. Follow the rules presented above.

LEAD	YOUR HEADLINE
1.         A large wolf blew down two houses today, forcing the inhabitants of each house, two pig brothers, to take shelter with their elder brother, who fortunately lived in a brick house.
2.        Today Bonnie Walker became the first Canadian woman to hike to the North Pole.  She made the trip from her home in Reed Lake, Manitoba, in forty seven days.
3.         The last dinosaur died today of an overdose of peanuts in the zoo at a little stone-age town called Plains in the centre of North America.

Leads 

            The lead paragraph is found at the beginning of the news article. The lead briefly answers the questions “who”, “what”, “when”, “why”, “where”, and “how”. The ‘skeleton’ of the story can be found here.it also grabs the reader's attention with the news immediately (the hook).

Activity 2.

            Look at the following headlines and write their corresponding leads. You can organize your ideas using the table below

Headline:
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

What´s on the news today?

Activity 1 

Read  and answer the following questions in your notebook:

1.What media do you use? Why?

2.What is the difference between newspapers and other media? How do these differences affect its content?

3.What paper do you read? Why?

4.What paper do your other family members read?

5.Why do you think they read them?

6.What specific sections of the paper do you read? Why?

7.What sections don’t you read? Why?

Taken from:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~rbeach/teachingmedia/student_units/module10/newspaper_unit_mccartney.pdf

Activity 2

Now, let’s review what needs to  be considered when writing a newspaper article.

Visit the Parts of a newspaper video  :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teK_OMP-hCA

Activity 3: Put your knowledge into practice, and for that go to:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/pdf-content/vocabulary-british-english/british-english-newspapers-and-magazines-worksheet/147106.article


Do not forget to write your answers down.

Activity 4:

Read the article below, find the right sequence (1-5) and finally label its  parts.Write the answers in your notebook.

1.(__)___________________ Daedalus, sobbing from the distant shore where he had landed safely, said, “My last words to Icarus before we left the island was to stay close and not fly too high! He just didn’t listen! Why didn’t he listen to me?” Daedalus and Icarus had been held prisoner by King Minos on the island of Crete, and had been forced to build a labyrinth at the palace of Knossos. It was known to be the most difficult maze in the world to navigate successfully.

2. (__) _________________   Icarus, son of the famous inventor Daedalus, plunged into the Aegean Sea and drowned while attempting to escape from the island of Crete early

yesterday afternoon. His body has yet to be recovered.   

                                                                                          

 3.(__)_________________  High flying escape ends in death 

         

4.(__)__________________  Icarus and his father had made wings from wax and bird feathers they had collected over the years while imprisoned on the island of Crete. They attached the homemade wings to their arms and, using a flapping motion, lifted off from the island shortly before noon. While making their escape, Icarus flew too close to the sun. As a result, the heat melted the wax on his wings which caused the feathers to drop off. The wings collapsed and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.

 5.(__)__________________  By Robin Sloan

Task 10.

 Pair work Project                

If you notice, the news  article  you have just read  a few minutes ago was created from a greek myth. 

Now you will do something similar,  using a children's  story.

1. Watch  the video and take down notes.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfcttsaHTIY

2. Make a plan of your article keeping  in mind the 5 W’s + how 

(i.e. who, what, when, where, why) that you’ve revised in the story of Icarus  and Daedalus.

3. Based on your notes, write your article. Include the five parts .

  Click on the link below to find the newspaper  press tool to create and publish   your article:

                          http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?

id=110&title=

4.  Hand in your plan and your news article for 

evaluation.

You will have two sessions to work on the activities 

and the task.

Teacher tip:

If it happens that in a near future you
want your students to work with newspapers, 
here you have a great link for that:

http://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/communication_worksheets/
newspapers/

  Now, enjoy a nice song related to the topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOntHtfaeqQ