Room 312 - A View into the Vortex

Today’s Podcast:

• Introduction Paragraphs: Questioning
• Fireside Book Chats: - Seventeenth Summer - Harsh Pink - Perfect - The Bourne Identity - Diablo: My Dream Horse - Goosebumps: The Barking Ghost

Introduction Paragraphs: Questioning

By asking a question, you can raise curiosity in a reader and they will want to read more.

Have you ever considered what it would be like to be stranded in an unfamiliar place?  Have you ever wondered what extremes you would go to in order to survive?  The movie the Time Machine paints such a picture.

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Today’s Podcast:

• Introduction Paragraph: Describing
• The Mailbag
• Fireside Book Chats

Describing

Describe the person, place or thing you are going to write about to get the reader’s interest

Example: In The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne KO’s two Swiss police men, almost as an after thought.  The Oracle tells Neo that he is not there to make the choice but to understand why he made it. Jason Bourne’s struggle to understand why he is able to do what he does mirrors Neo’s Quest in the second Matrix.

From the mailbag:

This comes from Linda at http://www.you-can-teach-writing.com

Do you go from the oral argument to a written argument? If so, do you discuss the differences between oral and written argument?  Are you working with a class that includes a wide range of abilities, or a specialized group?

First, I am teaching career prep English, the lowest level at our high school, at the ninth and tenth grade level.  So while they have had paragraph and writing experience, they are stilling struggling many time and are in the learning process of writing a five paragraph essay.

I always introduce the persuasive essay orally.   I talk about how we try to convince parents to get money, friends to go see a certain movie, etc. I’ve used some fictive scenarios to set up some lessons. I’ve found the approach either was a huge success or a huge failure. What has been your experience?

Depends on the students I have.     It has been a mixed bag.  My more analytical students struggle with it.  My creative student excel in it.

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Today’s Podcast:

• Introductory Paragraphs:Narrating
• Student Persuasive Podcast Projects

Introductory Paragraphs: Narrating

This is the second of many possible introductions you can use to structure the introduction for your essay.  Narrating begins with telling a brief story about yourself or someone you know to set up the main idea of the paper, to draw the readers in. In my example below, I wrap up the introduction with a thesis statement.

Bilbo was an ordinary hobbit.  He took walks in the Shire.  He never meddled in other people’s business.  He would have tea in the mid-afternoon.  One visit from Gandalf changed all that.  Bilbo’s exciting journey to the Lonely Mountain shows how being pushed out of one’s comfort zone can change a person for the better.

Student Persuasive Podcast Projects

For more information on this, see the prior podcast.

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Today’s Podcast:

• Introductory Paragraphs: Selecting
• Student Persuasive Podcast Projects

Introductory Paragraphs: Selecting

This is just one of many possible introductions you can use to structure the beginning of your essay.  Selecting begins with a statement and then adds brief, specific examples.  In my example below, I wrap up the introcution with a thesis statement.

“There are many great science fiction movies.  Both IGN and IMDb  rates StarWars Episode 5 as the top movie. Austarnet touts Bladerunner as the ultimate scifi experience. However, one of the best science fiction movies of all time is Contact.

Student Persuasive Podcast Projects

The following are the handouts that were given to guide the student projects.  In the podcast, I share the student examples.

The Introduction to the Project

To:  The Alpha Research Group

From: The Department of Homeland Security

The following information is classified and should not be discussed outside your research group.  There have been enough reports coming in about an “alien threat” that we would like an initial risk assessment.  The crank reports have been sorted and thrown out, and the following documents have been deemed valid enough to warrant further investigation.

Your team is to read the reports and document the facts using the reading strategies we studied in training.  Your team is to present a 2 – 5 minute picture/audio podcast assessing the reality of the threat at the conference we will be holding titled “Is the Threat Real?”

Thank you for your time and commitment to keeping the homeland safe! Directions for the Podcast Script

Script Instructions

Before you start your script, you need to come to an agreement based off the information your read and gathered, and decide whether we are at risk of alien invasion or not.  Are these aliens visiting us a threat?  Your opinion of the matter or whether you even believe in aliens is NOT important.  Remember, you are basing your stance on the information you have gathered.  Lay it all out before you and look which side has the most evidence.

Once you have come to a decision, begin writing your script.  It needs to be set up like a script and should be structured as if you are actually talking about it.  Remember the script need to be 2 – 5 minutes long.  Everyone must have a speaking part.

Example”

Part 1:

Scott:      Hello.  We are Alpha Research Group 16 also known as ARG.  We are a subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security

Kim:     In our group we have Scott Tattleburg, Laura Ingles, and myself, Kimmy Johnson.

Laura: After looking at various credible documents, examining the evidence, ARG has come the conclusion that we are NOT at risk from alien invasion.

Here are the segments you need in your script:

The script: * Part One: - Introduce the name of group - Introduce members - Introduce stance

* Part Two: - Evidence to support your stance - Use specific references to articles your read

* Part Three - Why might people argue against you?  What arguments might they use? - How will you answer these arguments?

* Part Four - Recap your position - Sign off

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