Teacher's Notes For Great Writing 2 [PDF]

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Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Keith S. Folse April Muchmore-Vokoun Elena Vestri Solomon

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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UNIT 1

Paragraphs

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to a paragraph and its four main features, namely the topic sentence, the interrelation of all the sentences to the topic, the indenting of the first line, and the concluding sentence. Students’ familiarity with paragraphs and paragraph writing may vary greatly. In Unit 1, students are not expected to learn to write a specific kind of paragraph, but they are expected to recognize these four key features in several example paragraphs. Having students complete this material gives the teacher a chance to assess how much students already know about paragraphs from the very beginning. In this unit, students will be introduced to Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Understand what a paragraph is, what it looks like, and how it relates to sentences and essays. (pp. 4–5, 12–22) 2. Understand the importance of repetition of key words and use of simple present tense verbs in paragraphs. (pp. 6–8) 3. Analyze a narrative paragraph. (pp. 7–8) 4. Understand the use of the imperative in process paragraphs. (pp. 8–9) 5. Analyze a process paragraph. (pp. 9–11) 6. Understand the use of I and the simple past tense in narrative paragraphs. (pp. 11–12) 7. Become familiar with the four features of a paragraph. (p. 12) 8. Analyze example paragraphs to compare the use of the four features in those paragraphs. (pp. 13–22) 9. Learn to use capitalization and end punctuation correctly. (pp. 23–24) 10. Understand how to create and then correctly write a title in English. (p. 25) 11. Learn to identify and check for verbs in sentences. (pp. 26–27) 12. Write an original paragraph (on a general topic) by following a guided writing activity. (pp. 29–30) 13. Understand the importance of peer editing and rewriting your work soon after it is written. (p. 30) TEACHING NOTES Unit 1 introduces students to the basics of the composition of a paragraph. The unit introduces the four main features that every good paragraph should include: a topic sentence, a

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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single topic around which all the sentences revolve, an indented first line, and a concluding sentence or statement. If students are already familiar with the basics of paragraph writing, then begin in the middle of Unit 1 rather than starting with page 4. Most of the activities in this unit require students to read an example paragraph, answer several comprehension and analysis questions about the paragraph, and then consider how they might write a similar paragraph. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows a bungee slingshot ride in Singapore. Go over the objectives on the top of page 2. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 2. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. What Is a Paragraph?, p. 4 Read the information aloud. Point out that the information is presented in a paragraph – all the sentences are about one topic. They will learn more about the features of a paragraph on page 12. Activity 1: Studying an Example Paragraph, pp. 4–5 As with all the paragraphs in this book, it is helpful to use pre-reading questions in order to activate students’ curiosity about the upcoming topic, gauge how much English vocabulary students already know about the content of the paragraph, and to prepare students for the material with which they will be working. Lead a discussion with the class using the two Preview Questions. Note to students that this is a comparison/contrast paragraph. (While types of paragraphs are mentioned in this unit, rhetorical styles will not be focused on until later in the book.) As you discuss the questions following the paragraph, encourage students to ask questions about vocabulary and content. Grammar for Writing Using the Simple Present Tense with Facts, p. 6 After presenting the information in the chart, review the use and form of some common verbs in the simple present. Have students work in pairs to write five sentences that are facts. Call on students to read sentences to the class.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Writer’s Note: Repetition, p. 6 Explain that the use of repetition and simple present tense verbs are two common features of paragraphs, especially those that explain or describe something. On the board or on the screen, write the heading Repetition and record students’ answers and examples to the bulleted questions on page 6. When two things are being compared, it is often necessary to use repetition for clarity. Activity 2: Writing Practice, p. 6 Have students volunteer to write one or two of their sentences on the board for everyone to read. Have other students take turns reacting to their classmates’ sentences. Point out the verb tense used (many sentences will use the simple present tense). Activity 3: Studying an Example Paragraph, pp. 7–8 Note that this is a process paragraph that tells the reader how to do something (how to make an easy sandwich). Have students read their steps aloud from question 2 on page 8, or write examples on the board. You can use these to illustrate imperatives in the next section. Grammar for Writing Using the Imperative in Process Paragraphs, p. 8 Some students may know this grammatical form as the “command form.” Remind them that this form is used to give directions and giving directions often requires the use of sequence words. Display the following sequence words in the classroom or have students copy them down on an index card to use a reference when writing: First, Next, Then, After that, Finally. If students have written imperatives on the board, have students identify them and give the verbs. Activity 4: Writing Practice, p. 9 While students should write unique, original ideas, ask them to include at least four steps but not more than seven. Remind them that if it takes more than seven steps, they may need to cut down what they are planning. If they have fewer than four steps, then their topic may be too simple. Remind students to use commands and to make the sequence of the steps clear. Activity 5: Studying an Example Paragraph, pp. 9–11 Ask pre-reading questions such as: Who has flown on an airplane? How many times have you flown on an airplane? and Can you remember your first flight? Tell us about it. If appropriate, explain to students that this type of paragraph is called a narrative paragraph (it tells a story).

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Grammar for Writing Using the Simple Past Tense in Narrative Paragraphs, p. 11 Explain that narrative writing frequently uses the simple past tense and the subject pronoun I. Point out that while it is acceptable to use I in narrative writing, it should generally be avoided in other types of more formal, academic writing. Activity 6: Writing Practice, p. 12 Remind students that they should write about something that happened to them, but that it should be in the form of a list of events. Encourage students to write about a memorable experience (rather than a mundane one). Remind them that narrative writing often uses the simple past tense and the subject pronoun I. For guidelines in terms of length, ask them to include at least five sentences, but no more than ten. Building Better Sentences, p. 12 Have students turn to page 283 of Appendix 1 and go through the examples of sentencecombining strategies as a class. Demonstrate the steps of combining sentences on the board. Explain the importance of sentence variety in writing and ask students to be conscious of the types of sentences they are creating as they write. Have students complete Practice 1 on page 284 individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. Four Features of a Paragraph, p. 12 Have students read the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What is a topic sentence? (It states the main idea) Where is the topic sentence usually? (It is at the beginning of the paragraph) How are the sentences in a paragraph related? (They are all about the same idea or topic) What is special about the first sentence? (It is indented) What does the last sentence do? (It brings the paragraph to a logical end.) Activity 7: Analyzing the Features of a Paragraph, pp. 13–14 Tell students that by visualizing the parts of a paragraph, it can help them create a map in their mind that they can follow when writing their own paragraph. As you review the answers with students, be sure to refer them back to the appropriate points on the four features of a paragraph on page 12. Activity 8: Analyzing the Features of the Example Paragraphs, pp. 14–15 Explain to students that they will now go back and analyze paragraphs they have already read in this unit to identify some of their features. Note that while paragraphs may be about

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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different topics and have different purposes (e.g., tell a story, explain how to do something), good paragraphs should have the four main features explained on page 12. Activity 9: Analyzing the Features of Student Paragraphs, pp. 15–22 Tell students that in this activity, they will study five example paragraphs and identify the four main features of each paragraph. Remind them that it is important for them to become familiar with the four features and be able to identify them in a paragraph before they can incorporate those features as they write. Ask pre-reading questions before working with each paragraph in order to help students connect prior or background knowledge and become engaged. In addition, after students have read and analyzed all paragraphs, ask them which they liked the most, which they did not like, and why. List the four paragraph features on the board or screen and display it in the classroom for students to reference as they read and analyze. Building Better Sentences, p. 22 Refer students to Practice 2 on page 285. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Working with Paragraphs In this section, students are taken step by step through a process of organizing and formatting paragraphs before they are asked to write their own original paragraphs. Activity 10: Reviewing Capitalization and End Punctuation, p. 23 Review some of the basic capitalization and punctuation rules with the class. If needed, turn to pages 254–263 in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities for a more thorough review and/or practice of those rules. Activity 11: Copying a Paragraph, p. 24 Suggest that students copy their work on separate sheet of paper rather than use the book if it is easier than turning back and forth between pages. You may consider omitting the copying phase for students who are good writers. If needed, have students identify the four features of a paragraph after they have written the sentences in paragraph form. The Title of a Paragraph, p. 25 After reviewing the guidelines and examples of paragraph titles, have students summarize the guidelines in a list (e.g., it tells readers what they will find in the paragraph, it is not a Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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sentence, etc.). Encourage students to reference this list as they write paragraph titles in this course. Have students revise their titles on page 24 if necessary. Grammar for Writing Checking for Verbs and Fragments, p. 26 Remind students of the importance of finding the main verb in a sentence. Tell them that a helpful strategy for analyzing sentences includes finding the verb first and then working back from the verb. Practice using this strategy as a class and demonstrate with example sentences on the board or screen. Emphasize the importance of avoiding fragments in academic writing, which is considered a serious grammatical error. Display several sentences on the board or screen that are missing verbs. Read each sentence aloud and have students suggest verbs that would complete the sentences. Activity 12: Checking Subjects and Verbs, pp. 26–27 Clarify the meaning of italics so the task is clear to students. Remind students of the importance of proofreading and re-reading their work. Point out that this is a very helpful strategy not only for double checking that their sentences include verbs, but also for checking for correct grammar overall. Have volunteers share their answers so students are exposed to different ways to correct sentences with missing verbs. Activity 13: Copying a Paragraph, p. 27 Remind students about the importance of selecting a title for a paragraph that provides the reader with an idea of the overall topic of the paragraph. Point out the indenting at the beginning of a paragraph provides the reader with a visual clue that a specific topic will be addressed. Have students reference the guidelines for a paragraph title on page 25. If needed, have students identify the four features of a paragraph after they have written the sentences in paragraph form. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 14: Word Associations, p. 28 Explain to students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 15: Using Collocations, p. 29 Make sure that students understand what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Explain that learning collocations will help students build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing Activity 16: Original Writing Practice, pp. 29–30 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write a simple paragraph. Model strategies for students on how to integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 14 and Activity 15 into their writing. Introduction to Peer Editing, p. 30 Students will practice peer editing throughout the book. This is an important skill because it can help them be editors of their own work as it teaches them to look carefully at a piece of writing and suggest improvement. Editing Your Writing, p. 30 Tell students that while reviewing and revising their own work is crucial to improving their writing, peer editing is one way to maximize this effort. Point out that peer editing can provide important feedback about your writing from the point of view of another reader. Suggestions for Peer Editing, p. 30 Display the four suggestions for peer editing on the board or screen and review the meaning of each suggestion as a class. Model these examples for students in help students understand how they can integrate these suggestions in their peer editing practice. Activity 17: Peer Editing, p. 31 A series of peer editing sheets that students can use for each original writing assignment can be found online at NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Before every writing assignment, remind students to download the appropriate Peer Editing Sheet for that unit. Direct students to Peer Editing Sheet 1 to use with this activity. Remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Additional Topics for Writing, p. 31 Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned throughout the unit. In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices. Timed Writing, p. 31 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. If necessary, teach the term writing prompt. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Have students apply their understanding of the content they learned in Unit 1 by providing them with a variety of publications to analyze. Bring in copies of newspapers, magazines, or display copies of various articles on the screen. Have students work in pairs or small groups to find the general topic and then the actual topic sentence. Have students search through various publications to find examples of good topic sentences or good concluding sentences. Encourage students to find an editorial page, which often includes carefully crafted paragraphs. Point out that few paragraphs in the regular news stories will have good concluding sentences and that some might not even have any concluding sentence. Tell students that some editing formats do not indent the first lines of the first paragraph in a story and have them find examples of this format if possible. Ask students to share the range of topic sentences, concluding sentences, and formats with the class. Ask them to identify any exceptions to the rules that they have learned and discuss the rationale behind these exceptions. It may also be helpful to clarify the expectations for writing conventions in this course. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Making a Vocabulary Journal An easy way to accomplish this is to do the following: 1. Ask students to separate a piece of paper into two sections vertically. The column on the left should be approximately 2 inches wide. 2. In the left column, students will write the vocabulary word and its part of speech. 3. In the right column, students will write either a definition, a synonym, or a native language translation of the word. 4. Underneath the definition in the right column, the student will create a sample sentence using the word, but a BLANK SPACE will be used instead of the vocabulary word. Using the Vocabulary Journal Explain to the students that this type of vocabulary journal can be used in different ways: a. By covering up the vocabulary word, students must look at the clues (definition and sample sentence) and recall the vocabulary word. b. By covering up the vocabulary word and the definition (across both columns), students must use the sample sentence with context clues to recall the vocabulary word. c. By covering up the vocabulary word and the sample sentence, students must recall the vocabulary word by using its definition as a clue. Sample Vocabulary Journal vocabulary word, part of definition/synonym/translation speech sample sentence

1. routine, n.

2. glamorous, adj.

3. task, n.

custom; habit My daily make dinner.

is getting up, going to work, and coming home to

exciting attractiveness; stylish Movie stars usually have

assignment; job The maid did not finish all her

lifestyles.

for the day.

Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Example Paragraph 1, p. 4 although geography population nation to take up border contrast narrow to differ majority to settle extremely Example Paragraph 2, p. 7 easiest delicious to cool to boil to peel shell to mash ingredient at least to spread bowl fork creation Example Paragraph 3, p. 10 although to fly afraid to wonder to be like to board aisle sort of crowded turbulence Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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to turn entire to be relieved destination over meal even detail Example Paragraph 4, p. 13 at some point whether or not to allow a sense of pet responsibility to take care of in addition compassionate bond on the other hand to hurt to shed to require to be divided reason brief a number of significant Example Paragraph 5, pp. 15–16 device normal energy lightweight efficient convenient wireless comfortable to convince Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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to purchase traditional Example Paragraph 6, p. 16 principal nickname independence approximately feat although Example Paragraph 7, p. 18 in person famous located world-class Example Paragraph 8, p. 19 both to take part in controversial figure to take away athlete professional to reverse (a decision) ruling achievement Example Paragraph 9, p. 20 participate citizen politician election candidate vary considerably Example Paragraph 10, p. 21 incident Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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to tremble neither silly humor career Example Paragraph 11, p. 24 geography unique continent border coast Example Paragraph 12, p. 27 to vary method to exist appropriate amount culture each other disinterested behavior farther apart near might aggressive Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 2 and 3. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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UNIT 2

Developing Ideas for Writing a Paragraph

OVERVIEW The main goal of Unit 2 is for writers to learn how to come up with a multitude of ideas for a writing topic and then narrow that topic down to one that is suitable for a paragraph. To accomplish this purpose, the main focus of Unit 2 is how to brainstorm ideas for writing. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how brainstorming works and understand how it can help your writing. (pp. 34–39) 2. Improve subject-verb agreement accuracy. (pp. 40–42) 3. Write an original paragraph that started from an original general idea that was narrowed down to a more specific topic by brainstorming potential subtopics and questions about the topic. (p. 44) TEACHING NOTES The activities in Unit 2 guide students through the brainstorming process by demonstrating and providing practice in narrowing down a chosen topic. In this way, students learn how to ask questions about a topic, which improves their ability to answer those questions, which in turn provides information for sentences that can become part of a good paragraph. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows lava flowing out of the Pu’u O’o vent of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. Go over the objectives on the top of page 33. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 33. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. Brainstorming, p. 34 Write the words brain and storm on the board or screen. Ask students to describe what each of the words means. Then write the word brainstorming and ask them to guess what the connection between the meanings of these two words separately and the new term brainstorming might be. Ask students how quickly writing down all the thoughts that come into their heads might help them find an idea for writing.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 1: Brainstorming Practice, pp. 34–35 Practice brainstorming as a class. Write a topic on the board, such as Plan a menu for a class reunion. Ask students to quickly say the ideas aloud that come to their minds. Write down all student responses on the board or screen in order to model that all ideas are recorded during a brainstorm session. Then have students complete the activity individually. How Brainstorming Works, p. 35 Be sure to remind students that all ideas are recorded during a brainstorm session. Point out that brainstorming involves considering all ideas before narrowing down and selecting an idea as this provides them with many ideas to choose from. Also note that the ideas they generate during brainstorming can always be revised or changed as they develop their ideas further. Activity 2: Brainstorming Practice, pp. 36–38 Direct students to each photo in turn. Have students describe the photo and use it as a springboard for one additional idea. Encourage students to use input such as photos, personal experience and other people’s stories as a source of ideas for writing. Select one of the brainstorming topic activities to complete together as a class. Model how to follow the steps provided in the instructions on page 36 by reading each step aloud and then demonstrating how to complete each step. Once you have modeled one topic as a class, have students complete a brainstorming practice in pairs or small groups and then have them complete a brainstorming practice individually. In this way, students who are not familiar with this process will receive the scaffolding and support in learning how to use this practice and apply it to their everyday writing skills. Activity 3: Brainstorming Practice from Example Paragraphs, p. 39 Explain to students that while the pictorial prompts in Activity 2 helped them visualize the brainstorming they completed, as they become more experienced with this practice, they will need to use printed material as a basis for brainstorming. Point out that by writing down their ideas in the brainstorm area provided, or on a sheet of paper, students can visualize what they are thinking, which will help them narrow down and focus on a single topic or idea. Grammar for Writing Subject-Verb Agreement, p. 40 Tell students that subject-verb agreement is one of the most basic and important grammar points for writers. While it may be a bit tedious, carefully review each point and example in this section with students. If appropriate, illustrate these points by providing other examples of errors that appear in students’ writing.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 4: Finding Subject-Verb Errors, p. 41 Do the first two sentences together as examples. Have students explain their answers by referring to a rule on p. 40, or their own knowledge of grammar. Suggest that students work in pairs to complete the activity. Suggest that students underline the subject to help them with agreement. Activity 5: Practicing Subject-Verb Agreement, p. 41 As needed, provide extra support in identifying subject-verb agreement by completing this activity together as a class or have students work in pairs or small groups. For those students who are most familiar with this grammar point, have them complete this activity independently. Activity 6: Correcting Subject-Verb Agreement Errors, p. 42 Remind students that editing/correcting activities will help them become better able to recognize errors in their own writing. Building Better Sentences, p. 42 For further practice, have students go to Practice 3 on pages 285–286 in Appendix 1. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283 –284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 7: Word Associations, p. 43 Explain to students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 8: Using Collocations, p. 44 Make sure that students understand what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Explain that learning collocations will help students build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing Activity 9: Writing a Paragraph from Brainstorming, p. 44 Tell students that in this Original Writing Practice, they must choose a topic, brainstorm specific ideas, develop a topic sentence, and write a paragraph. Due to varying writing levels among students, some students may need additional help with this activity. Model strategies for students on how to integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 7 and Activity 8, into their writing. Activity 10: Peer Editing, p. 45 Remind students to download Peer Editing Sheet 2 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. Remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 45 Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned throughout the unit. In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices. Timed Writing, p. 45 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. If necessary, teach the term writing prompt. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Write a variety of general topics on index cards or small sheets of paper for this group activity. Have students work in pairs or small groups to brainstorm ideas for writing a paragraph on specific topics from that general topic. Allow students 8-10 minutes per card and then have them exchange cards. Finally, ask students to compare their responses with their classmates from Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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other groups or with the class and discuss the variety of responses that students produced from the general topics provided. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 13, p. 42 may kindergarten elementary school to organize supplies to keep to fight to cry to attend to create extremely however every now and then to shout must a great deal of Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 32 and 33. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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UNIT 3

Topic Sentences

OVERVIEW In Unit 3, students will learn how to write a topic sentence. They will learn both what a makes a good topic sentence, as well as why a particular sentence would not be a good topic sentence. This unit builds upon the information presented in Units 1 and 2. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to identify and write a good topic sentence. (pp. 48–69) 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of various topic sentences. (pp. 48–51) 3. Learn about and write good topic sentences with controlling ideas. (pp. 51–60) 4. Practice and improve the use of commas. (pp. 60–61) 5. Understand the difference between a fragment, a run-on sentence, and a comma splice, and how to avoid them. (pp. 62–65) 6. Write an original paragraph by choosing a general topic, narrowing it down, and developing a good topic sentence with appropriate controlling ideas. (pp. 67–68) TEACHING NOTES Without a good topic sentence, a paragraph lacks direction. Many writers are able to come up with a general topic but need practice and support in writing controlling ideas, which are crucial to helping guide the flow of ideas in the paragraph. The bulk of this unit is devoted to controlling ideas and how they can solidify a topic sentence, which can solidify the entire paragraph. Although some of the exercises may seem a bit easy, discussing answers as a class can help students make the transition from completing exercises in this book to integrating what they learn into their own original writing. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows a woman learning to sky dive over Sao Paulo, Brazil. Go over the objectives on the top of page 47. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 47. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

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The Topic Sentence, p. 48 Review the four features of a paragraph from page 12. Tell students that they will focus on the first feature, the topic sentence, in this unit. Activity 1: Studying a Topic Sentence in a Paragraph, pp. 48–50 Tell students ahead of time that they will read a paragraph and answer analysis questions about its content and organization. Because shift (Example Paragraph 14) may be unfamiliar to students, conduct a pre-reading survey that may include the following questions: How many students in the class know how to drive? How many students have a driver’s license? and Who can drive both a manual and an automatic shift car? Point out that shift is a word often heard on an airplane upon arrival: “Please be careful when removing items from the overhead bin as items may have shifted during flight.” Help students make the connection that shift means “to change place” in both contexts. Activity 2: Recognizing Effective Topic Sentences, pp. 50–51 Before students begin this activity, remind them of the importance of reading all three of the sentences before they try to deduce the general topic. Suggest that they re-read all three sentences after they have made their selection in order to double-check their answer. Features of a Good Topic Sentence, pp. 51–52 Review the features of a good topic sentence, as well as the examples and explanations of controlling ideas. These are very important for students to master as the quality of their paragraphs greatly depends on the quality of their topic sentences. Encourage students to take notes on the material presented here and to reference those notes as they write topic sentences throughout this course. Activity 3: Recognizing Controlling Ideas in Topic Sentences, p. 53 Before students complete this activity, read each example from “Controlling Ideas” (page 52) aloud and ask students to explain in their own words why each example that is underlined is a controlling idea in the topic sentence. Then have them work in pairs as needed, or independently, to complete Activity 3. Building Better Sentences, p. 53 For further practice, have students go to Practice 4 on page 286 in Appendix 1. For further practice, have students go to Practice 3 on page 254 in Appendix 1.Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284.

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Activity 4: More Practice Recognizing Controlling Ideas, pp. 53–54 Have students work independently or in pairs to complete this activity. Remind them to reference the information on topic sentences and controlling ideas on pages 51–52 as needed. Go over the answers as a class and discuss why the incorrect choices are not good topic sentences. Activity 5: Adding Controlling Ideas to Create Better Topic Sentences, p. 55 Work together as a class to complete the first item together. Because this exercise simulates student errors with topic sentences that are too general and lack controlling ideas, it may be challenging for students to recognize the errors on their own. Model how to check if a sentence is missing a controlling idea and then model for students how to rewrite the sentence so that it includes a controlling idea. Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed. Activity 6: Studying a Topic Sentence in a Paragraph, p. 55 Have students work in pairs to complete this activity. As you discuss with the class, you may want to take notes on the board to help students understand connections between ideas. Activity 7: Writing Topic Sentences, pp. 56–60 Tell students that in this section they will find five paragraphs that are missing the opening topic sentence. Explain that they must first read the entire paragraph, decide which ideas control or help organize the paragraph, and then go back and write the topic sentence and the controlling ideas. Be sure to ask questions about these paragraphs in order to prompt students to comment on the organization, especially in regard to the controlling ideas, the organization (e.g., first, second, third, and so on). Also, remind students to indent the first line as well as to use correct capitalization and punctuation in their topic sentences. Have students to return to these pages when they learn about concluding sentences in the next unit. Building Better Sentences, p. 60 For further practice, refer students to Practice 5 on page 287. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Grammar for Writing Using Commas in Sentences, p. 60 Go through the explanations and the examples. Suggest students write an additional example for each explanation and compare sentences with a partner. For more information, Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Have students turn to the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities in order to preview punctuation rules (pages 257–263). As needed, have students complete any punctuation activities that will help them complete this activity. Activity 8: Comma Practice, p. 61 You may want to read the paragraph aloud to help students notice where commas might be necessary. Grammar for Writing Avoiding Three Common Sentence Errors, p. 62 Emphasize that fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices in academic writing are serious errors. Review the explanations and examples as a class. Have students copy the following reminders on an index card to use as reference: If a sentence does not have a subject or does not have a verb, that sentence is not a sentence; it is a fragment. If a sentence actually consists of several sentences that have been “connected” by commas, that sentence is called a comma splice. You may want to teach students the mnemonic device FANBOYS to remember the coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so). Activity 9: Correcting Sentence Fragments, p. 63 This activity allows students to focus on identifying and correcting sentence fragments before they deal with run-on sentences and comma splices. Suggest students refer to pages 26 and 62 as necessary. Activity 10: Correcting Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, and Comma Splices, pp. 64–65 Before students work on this activity independently or in small groups, complete several sample items on the board or on the screen. Encourage students to ask for clarification as you demonstrate how to identify errors and correct them. Building Better Sentences, p. 65 For further practice, refer students to Practice 6 on pages 287–288. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284.

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Building Better Vocabulary Activity 11: Word Associations, p. 66 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 12: Using Collocations, pp. 66–67 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing Activity 13: Brainstorming Ideas for a Paragraph, p. 67 If students need support with this activity, have them first choose one of the four topics provided. Then have students divide into groups based on their topic choice and brainstorm ideas as a group. Activity 14: Original Writing Practice, p. 68 Display the following four main features of paragraph (from page 12) on chart paper or on the board: • A paragraph has a topic sentence that states the main idea. • All of the sentences in a paragraph are about one topic. • The first line of a paragraph is indented. • The last sentence, or concluding sentence, brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion. Encourage students to reference the list as they write an original paragraph. Have them use it as a final checklist once they have finished writing to double-check that they have include all of the main features of a paragraph.

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Activity 15: Peer Editing, p. 68 Remind students to download Peer Editing Sheet 3 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 68 Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned throughout the unit. In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices. Timed Writing, p. 69 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Have students write two original topic sentences, one with and the other without a viable controlling idea. Have students write them anonymously on a piece of paper and hand them in. Then randomly choose student topic sentences and write them on the board or screen. Have students vote yes or no as to whether or not the sentence is a good topic sentence and ask individuals to defend their choice. Then have students practice brainstorming ideas for paragraphs. Divide the class into small groups of 3–4 students. Give all groups a general topic, such as pets, hobbies, sports, and ask them to brainstorm the general topic and come up with a viable topic sentence with good controlling ideas. Then have groups share their answers with the whole class and discuss the differences and similarities between each group’s ideas. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate.

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Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 14, p. 49 benefit manual automatic transmission typical economy car up to to shift clutch gear to release vehicle brake type to malfunction while Example Paragraph 15, p. 56 instrument hobby to occupy oud a great deal of research function in sum Example Paragraph 16, p. 52 reptile modern environment to control Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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temperature surrounding to seem quite Example Paragraph 17, p. 58 trim healthy-looking fewer in shape overall to accomplish goal Example Paragraph 18, p. 59 food to serve piping (hot) addition calorie cup fat heart-friendly snack furthermore source fiber to surprise to soar Example Paragraph 19, p. 60 learner foreign language native language stage link target word hatchet to cut down tree Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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effective Example Paragraph 20, p. 61 to be located next to each other might similarity to a certain extent temperate climate throughout to attract colony thus Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 46 and 47. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 4

Supporting and Concluding Sentences

OVERVIEW By this point, students have learned what a paragraph looks like, how to come up with ideas for writing one, and what a good opening topic sentence includes. Unit 4 addresses the middle and ending of a paragraph by teaching students how to write supporting sentences and a concluding sentence. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to write supporting and concluding sentences. (pp. 72–93) 2. Understand the relationship between the topic sentence, the controlling ideas in the topic sentence, and the supporting sentences in the paragraph. (pp. 72–84) 3. Use correct pronouns for key nouns. (p. 85) 4. Understand the importance of only including information related to the topic sentence. (pp. 79, 85) 5. Identify good concluding sentences. (pp. 86–90) 6. Write an original paragraph by developing a good topic sentence with appropriate controlling ideas, creating appropriate supporting sentences, and writing a good concluding sentence. (p. 92) TEACHING NOTES While selecting a topic and writing a good topic sentence is important, the middle of the paragraph, which includes good supporting statements that follow logically from the topic sentence and its controlling ideas, is crucial to developing a solid paragraph. In addition, a well-composed paragraph has a solid concluding sentence. Unit 4 focuses on the concluding sentence doing one of two things: (1) restating the main idea (from the topic sentence) or (2) offering a suggestion, giving an opinion, or making a prediction. It is important to point out to students that they will rarely see a single paragraph function all alone. In an essay, for example, a paragraph might appear among fifteen other paragraphs. In other words, a paragraph is a small part of a larger body of paragraphs. In this case, the concluding statement serves as a transition or link to the next paragraph. The concluding sentence should lead the reader logically to the content of the next paragraph. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task.

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Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows a cable car going toward the top of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Go over the objectives on the top of page 71. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 71. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. Supporting Sentences, p. 72 Check comprehension by asking the questions: What do supporting sentences do? What kind of questions do they answer? Activity 1: Predicting Paragraph Content from the Controlling Idea, p. 72 Tell students that they will read three topic sentences and then predict what information would logically appear in a paragraph that begins with each of them. Have students work in pairs or small groups, as needed, and have them identify the controlling ideas. Tell students that these three topic sentences and their corresponding “bodies” or paragraphs appear in Activity 2, so they will have a chance to check their answers by analyzing a real paragraph. Activity 2: Reading Example Supporting Sentences, pp. 73–75 As a class preview the three paragraphs that the topic sentences in Activity 1 came from. Tell students that they should verify their answers from Activity 1 by analyzing how they are part of the paragraphs in this activity. Kinds of Supporting Sentences, p. 76 Review the function that good supporting sentences perform. Encourage students to write these down in their notebooks and reference them as they write supporting sentences throughout the course. Activity 3: Matching Supporting and Topic Sentences, p. 76 Tell students that they will match eight supporting sentences with one of two topic sentences. Before having students complete these sentences independently, or with a partner as needed, preview and discuss the meaning of the vocabulary used in this exercise, such as low-fat, high-protein, diet, stamina, and trim. Also, have students note the function that each supporting sentence performs (in parentheses). Activity 4: Asking Questions about Topic Sentences, p. 77 Point out to students ahead of time that this is an important activity because it will help them learn how to add supporting details (and sentences) to their paragraphs. Explain that asking wh- questions is not only a valuable exercise when brainstorming, but it is also beneficial when developing supporting ideas.

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Building Better Sentences, p. 77 For further practice, refer students to Practice 7 on pages 288–289. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Activity 5: Brainstorming Topic Sentences, pp. 77–78 As a class, review the first sample that has already been completed. Be sure to point out to students how the Brainstorming Topic and the notes below the topic are related to the Topic Sentence with Controlling Ideas. Encourage students to ask for clarification as needed. Depending on the level of support needed for this activity, complete brainstorming topics and writing topic sentences with controlling ideas together as a class, or have students work in pairs or small groups for extra support. Activity 6: Asking for More Information, p. 78 Clarify that students should choose two of the topic sentences they wrote in Activity 5 for this activity. Display the question words on the board or screen and/or have students copy them down on a notecard or in their notebooks to reference during this activity and for future writing. Unrelated Information, p. 79 Go over the information. Remind students that it is up to the writer to decide what information is important. Point out that a writer should only use information that can logically occur in a paragraph with the topic sentence and the controlling ideas. Otherwise, that information may confuse readers and prevent them from fully understanding the writer’s main point. Activity 7: Identifying the Unrelated Sentence, pp. 79–81 Have students read the first paragraph individually. Elicit which sentence is unrelated. Ask students to support their answers. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Activity 8: Identifying Supporting Sentences, pp. 82–84 As a class, go over the sample answers in the first paragraph, including the reasons for the choices. Emphasize that students should ask themselves whether the sentences are directly related to the topic sentence or help support the topic sentence. Encourage students to think through and explain their reasons clearly, especially when the sentence is determined to be unrelated.

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Grammar for Writing Using Pronouns in Place of Key Nouns, p. 85 Display a paragraph on the board or screen that does not use pronouns for key nouns. Read the paragraph aloud to demonstrate how the repetition of the key noun is distracting and awkward. Then replace the key nouns with pronouns (after the first occurrence of the key noun) and read the paragraph aloud again. Ask students to share their observations on the differences between the first and second readings of the paragraph. Also, emphasize the importance of consistent pronoun use. Read through the example paragraph provided and, if time allows, have students rewrite the paragraph with the correct pronouns and possessive forms (individually, in small groups, or as a class). Activity 9: Identifying Key Nouns and Pronouns, p. 85 Display the pronouns it, they, and we on the board or screen and review examples of key nouns that could be replaced by these pronouns. Keep the list posted for reference as students practice using appropriate pronouns for key nouns in this activity. Writer’s Note: Staying on Track, p. 85 Encourage students to practice sticking to the topic and making sure that supporting sentences are related to the topic. Suggest that they highlight the topic sentence when they are writing a paragraph. Encourage them to refer back to the highlighted topic sentence as they write supporting sentences. Concluding Sentences, pp. 86–87 Go over the types of concluding sentences as a class. Have students write down these types on a notecard or in their notebooks to reference as they write concluding sentences throughout the course. Activity 10: Analyzing Concluding Sentences, pp. 87–88 Point out that these four paragraphs are from three different units in the book and show how every paragraph should have a good concluding sentence that provides a logical end to the paragraph. Activity 11: Analyzing Paragraphs, pp. 88–91 Tell students ahead of time that this exercise might be a little more difficult than most because they are not given any additional information. In previous exercises, certain words or sentences were underlined and students had to identify those as unrelated or good supporting information. Here, however, students must work with three paragraphs, analyze them for topic sentence, good supporting information (vs. unrelated information), and write a good concluding sentence. The writing of the concluding sentence alone is a difficult task.

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More advanced students may work independently, but those students who need extra support may benefit from working in pairs or small groups. Remind students to reference the information on types of concluding sentences on pages 86–87 as they complete this activity. Building Better Sentences, p. 90 For further practice, refer students to Practice 8 on page 289. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 12: Word Associations, p. 91 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 13: Using Collocations, p. 92 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing Activity 14: Original Writing Practice, p. 92 Point out that students are to choose one of the topic sentences from Activity 5, as well as the supporting information from Activity 6, as the basis for this original writing assignment. Remind students to refer back to the information on types of supporting sentences (page 76) and concluding sentences (pages 86–87) as they write. Model strategies for students on how to

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integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 12 and Activity 13 into their writing as needed. After students have written their drafts, encourage them to check for good pronoun use. Activity 15: Peer Editing, p. 92 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 4 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 before completing this activity. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 93 Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned throughout the unit. In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices. Timed Writing, p. 93 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES At this point, students have learned about all parts of the paragraph. Use scrambled paragraphs as an expansion activity by choosing or writing a paragraph that has a good topic sentence, good supporting sentences, and a good concluding sentence. Write out the sentences of a paragraph on a sheet of paper and cut them in strips. Have students work in groups. Give each group a set of sentence strips and have them put the sentences in the correct order. Then have a volunteer from each group read the paragraph aloud and ask the whole class to determine if the sentences are in the correct order. For extra practice, choose from the variety of activities in Units 2 and 3 and have students complete them by adding supporting and concluding sentences.

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VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 21, p. 73 city coast landmark tourist spot monument such (as) excitement northwest famous room to lead to view Example Paragraph 22, p. 74 to admire (great-)grandmother young ship landing property seamstress such (great-)grandfather large discrimination immigrant world war Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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depression illness rarely to complain admiration Example Paragraph 23, p. 75 palace destination construction to consist of to surround countless official Example Paragraph 24, p. 79 evaluation dish fresh spicy bland curry grilled vinegar ingredient beverage tremendously Example Paragraph 25, p. 80 continent to depend on southern to combine Example Paragraph 26, p. 81 option discounted fare to research

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Example Paragraph 27, p. 82 parent strict protective prison straight cartoon chore laundry to iron to mow the lawn architect housewife Example Paragraph 28, p. 83 underwater adventure to float nervous anxiety coral reef to snorkel creature squid sea cucumber lobster blocked out silence Example Paragraph 29, p. 84 dream to fall asleep to relax pleasant peaceful creative deep-breathing rhythmic to stay awake to develop Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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majority Example Paragraph 30, p. 88 college to be surprised to adjust hardly university to seem tremendous limited to be replaced to go out high school used to every other Example Paragraph 31, p. 89 thunder result dangerous hurricane cyclone due to to endanger Example Paragraph 32, p. 90 egg to prepare delicious to boil to scramble mixture pan to fry to involve yolk to cook to poach dish Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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shallow Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 70 and 71. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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UNIT 5

Paragraph Review

OVERVIEW This unit provides a review of the paragraph skills that were introduced in Units 1–4. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Review and synthesize information regarding the structure of a paragraph. (pp. 96–115) 2. Review and synthesize language focus material on verbs in a sentence, capitalization and punctuation, sentence fragments and commas splices, and pronouns. (pp. 96–112) 3. Understand the importance of proofreading and learn how to check for mistakes. (p. 100) 4. Learn how to choose the correct articles when writing sentences. (pp. 111–113) 5. Write an original paragraph that contains all of the features of a paragraph. (pp. 114–115) TEACHING NOTES Unit 5 requires that students demonstrate mastery of the parts of a good paragraph. If students are already familiar with the basics of paragraph writing, you may want to begin the writing course with this unit before moving into Units 6–10, each of which presents a different rhetorical mode of paragraph writing. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows hikers ascending Carlisle’s steep volcano with a clear view of Chuginadak’s Mount Cleveland in Alaska. Go over the objectives on the top of page 95. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 95. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. Review, p. 96 Before students look at the items for review, elicit the features of a paragraph and the elements of grammar and punctuation that they have studied so far. Write them on the board. Have students read the review information and check to see if they remembered everything. Working with the Structure of a Paragraph, p. 96 Remind students that understanding paragraph structure will, in turn, help them create better paragraphs. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 1: Writing Topic Sentences, pp. 96–99 Before students begin Activity 1, which requires them to write a good topic sentence for three independent paragraphs, review how the parts of a paragraph are arranged. Remind students to indent. Writer’s Note: Proofreading Your Work, p. 100 Discuss the importance of proofreading with your students and have students copy the proofreading list on page 100 onto an index card. Have students use this list to double-check for all items before they turn in any writing. Tell them that you will use the same list to check their writing and provide feedback on any items they may need to review. Activity 2: Correcting Errors in a Paragraph, p. 100 Use this straightforward exercise as an informal assessment. Review any grammar points that you notice students need to review based on their accuracy in correcting the errors in the paragraph. Suggest that students keep a tally of the number/types of errors they have found as they work through this exercise. Activity 3: Copying an Edited Paragraph, pp. 100–101 Students are asked to copy their corrected sentences/paragraph from Activity 2 here. You may wish to have more advanced students skip this activity, but it may provide extra practice and support for students who are not as advanced. Remind students that they should choose a title that reflects the topic of the paragraph in order to provide the reader with a preview or clue about the topic of the paragraph. If necessary, have students review the guidelines for paragraph titles in Unit 1 on page 25. Activity 4: Correcting Errors in a Paragraph, p. 102 Review general indentation (page 12), capitalization (page 254), and punctuation rules (pages 257-262) with students before having them complete this activity independently. Suggest that students keep a tally of the number/kinds of errors they have found as they work through this exercise. Activity 5: Copying an Edited Paragraph, p. 103 While this activity may provide students with reinforcement of general indentation, capitalization, and punctuation rules, you may choose to assign this to students who need extra practice. If necessary, have students review the guidelines for paragraph titles in Unit 1 on page 25.

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Activity 6: Sequencing Information, pp. 103–104 Clarify that students should first determine the best order of the sentences and then identify the type of sentence each one is. If necessary, ask students to read the sentences and identify any unfamiliar vocabulary words they need clarification on. Activity 7: Copying a Paragraph, pp. 104–105 Tell students that while this activity does not require them to edit, it does reinforce what they have learned by having them copy the sentences that they sequenced and labeled in the previous activity in correct paragraph format. If necessary, have students review the guidelines for paragraph titles in Unit 1 on page 25. Also, remind students to indent the first line. Building Better Sentences, p. 105 For further practice, refer students to Practice 9 on page 290. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Analyzing Paragraphs, p. 105 In the next few activities, students will analyze and improve paragraphs. Remind students about the importance of rereading what they write, as it is a critical step to help them be sure that each sentence is related to the topic sentence. Encourage them to use visual support, such as circling the controlling ideas in the topic sentence as a focus point when checking to make sure that the supporting sentences are related. Use this as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of self-editing, as well as peer editing. Activity 8: Analyzing a Paragraph, p. 105 Point out to students that in this activity, they must answer four questions in order to analyze the content, formatting, and organization of Example Paragraph 38 from the previous activity. This is a culminating exercise that reinforces sequencing information, labeling sentences, and copying sentences in correct paragraph format. Activity 9: Identifying Poor Supporting Sentences, pp. 106–107 Before having students identify the sentence in each paragraph that is not a good supporting sentence, review what makes a good supporting sentence. Write an example of a good supporting sentence from the first paragraph on the board or screen and discuss how it is related to the topic sentence and its controlling ideas. Display the sentence and encourage students to reference it as needed while they complete the activity. If necessary, review information about supporting sentences in Unit 4. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 10: Proofreading for Comma Errors, pp. 108–109 Before students proofread for comma errors, have them turn to the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages 258–259) and review the different functions of commas. If needed, have students complete additional practice with using commas correctly in the Handbook. Remind students to rewrite the paragraph correctly on the lines provided on page 109. Activity 11: Guided Peer Editing, pp. 109–110 Tell students that this proofreading activity provides a new twist, as the writer has written questions in the margin for the editor (a classmate) to answer. Answering these questions will give the writer feedback regarding the writing and models how to peer edit. Point out that there are also errors that the classmate did not find, which students must identify and correct as well. Building Better Sentences, p. 94 For further practice, refer students to Practice 10 on pages 290—291. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Grammar for Writing Reviewing Articles, p. 111 Write a, an, and the on the board or screen. As you review this section on articles, jot down the key points about each article and keep this information posted as students complete Activity 12. Encourage students to copy this information on a notecard or in their notebooks as well and to refer back to it as they write. Activity 12: Correcting Articles, p. 112 Point out that while articles may seem like “small” words, they can be very challenging. Refer students to the guidelines on how to use articles correctly on page 111 and troubleshoot common problems such as omitting, adding, or confusing articles. Depending on the level of support needed, have students work independently, in pairs, or in small groups. Activity 13: More Practice with Concluding Sentences, p. 113 In this activity, students will use their own judgment to select and revise a concluding sentence. This will help them with revising their own work.

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Building Better Vocabulary Activity 14: Word Associations, pp. 113–114 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 15: Using Collocations, p. 114 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing Activity 16: Original Writing Practice, p. 114 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to create an original paragraph. Model strategies for students on how to integrate the vocabulary words and phrases from Activity 14 and Activity 15 into their writing. If time allows, have students also check for correct article usage. Activity 17: Peer Editing, p. 115 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 5 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 115 Review with students the list of journal writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. Tell students that while this is an opportunity to create original writing, they should try to include vocabulary and grammar structures that they have learned

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throughout the unit. In this way, the material that they have learned in this unit can become integrated into their daily vocabulary and writing practices. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 115 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES To help students synthesize the material they have learned in Units 1–5, have them work in groups or pairs to create a summary of the information presented in those units. Encourage students to be creative in the presentation of the information (chart, visuals, etc.) and to include the most important points and helpful examples without making the summary so long that it becomes difficult to use. Have groups present their summaries to the class. Encourage students to refine and add to their summaries as they progress through the remaining units, using the summary as a “cheat sheet” for future writing. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 33, p. 97 to compile to narrow down to figure out to request to submit Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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likely express individual timely Example Paragraph 34, pp. 97–98 bridge suspension to rise wood rope steep canyon adventure-seeking to attempt narrow goal amazing sight Example Paragraph 35, p. 98–99 to warn to grab to groom stirrup reins smooth horseback riding to manage to Example Paragraph 36, p. 100 hockey skates to score to hit disk puck to guard goalie perhaps Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Example Paragraph 37, p. 102 beverage to perform to stir mixture to brew separate to stir to pour magically to stretch foam Example Paragraph 38, pp. 104–105 ancient coin mast variety location active tradition roots legend disaster crew afterlife sailor ferry Example Paragraph 39, p. 106 to adapt various hot springs to gather to bury fur remarkable Example Paragraph 40, p. 107 polar bear Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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harsh to weigh weight warm fur to hide pile icy wind claw paw amazing creature Example Paragraph 41, p. 108 spot historic culture stadium ought to zoo giant site Example Paragraph 42, p. 110 Everglades crucial flood to support lake wide variety to drain worse dam canal annual eventually generation

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Example Paragraph 43, p. 112 beyond any doubt contest grandchildren great-grandchildren relative experience seafood red bean gumbo cookbook memory to agree conclusion ability Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 94 and 95. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 6

Definition Paragraphs

OVERVIEW Unit 6 is the first of five units that presents a specific rhetorical mode, i.e., type of paragraph writing. This unit introduces students to definition paragraphs. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn what a definition paragraph is. (p. 118) 2. Study and identify examples of definition paragraphs. (pp. 118–123) 3. Learn to cite information borrowed from another source. (pp. 123–125) 4. Study specific, relevant examples in writing to avoid plagiarism. (p. 124) 5. Learn how to order sentences in a paragraph. (pp. 125–127) 6. Use adjective clauses in constructing definition sentences. (pp. 127–129) 7. Combine sentences for variety. (pp. 130–133) 8. Write an original definition paragraph. (pp. 135–136) TEACHING NOTES Unit 6 introduces students to the basics of composing a definition paragraph. Most of the activities in this unit require students to study and analyze example definition paragraphs. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows the emotions of World Cup soccer players in Milan, Italy. Go over the objectives on the top of page 117. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 117. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. What is a Definition Paragraph?, p. 118 After going over the information, check comprehension by asking questions: What does a definition paragraph do? (It defines something, a term or a concept.) What are two aspects of a definition paragraph? (It explains what something is and it gives facts, details and examples to make the definition clear.)

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Activity 1: Studying Example Definition Paragraphs, pp. 118–123 Students will study and analyze one definition paragraph on gumbo, one on gossip, and one on pretzels. Remind students that the purpose of a definition paragraph is to tell the reader what something is by providing facts, details, and examples to make the definition clear. Building Better Sentences, p. 123 For further practice, refer students to Practice 11 on pages 291–292. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Quotation Marks, p. 123 Tell students that quotation marks are used for citing material taken from other sources. First, discuss what students know about quotation marks. Point out that they might already be familiar with using quotation marks for enclosing direct statements. Bring in various examples of quotations used for citing materials, such as a research paper, a journal article, etc., to show students how this point applies to writing they may read or write at some point. Activity 2: Adding Quotation Marks, p. 124 Tell students that they will practice inserting quotation marks in the correct place. Be sure to point out that this practice covers both words taken from a book and words spoken by someone. Clarify that students may have to add a comma and capitalize letters in some items. Writer’s Note: Citing Ideas to Avoid Plagiarism, p. 125 Since not all students may be familiar with plagiarism and citing ideas, review this material carefully. Emphasize the importance of avoiding plagiarism, which is a very serious offense. Have students turn to the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages 273–274) to review the various ways to cite ideas that they borrow from somebody else. Putting the Paragraph Together: Sequencing, p. 125 Point out that a definition paragraph often has two steps: (1) definition of a term (2) followed by examples and descriptions. Activity 3: Sequencing Sentences, p. 125 Tell students that they will have to number seven sentences in the correct sequence to form a coherent definition paragraph. Have students work individually or in pairs as needed. While reviewing the answers, ask volunteers to share how they sequenced the sentences.

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Activity 4: Copying a Sequenced Paragraph, p. 126 Tell students that while this activity does not require them to edit, it does reinforce what they learned by having them copy the sentences that they sequenced in the previous activity in correct paragraph format. Remind them that the original title they create for the paragraph should give the reader a clue about the content of the paragraph. Remind students to indent the first line. Activity 5: Analyzing a Paragraph, pp. 126–127 Tell students that the six questions in this activity will guide them in analyzing the content and composition of this paragraph. Point out that these questions can serve as a guideline for organizing and writing their own paragraphs. Grammar for Writing Using Adjective Clauses, p. 127 Clarify that an adjective clause is a clause (subject + verb) that acts as an adjective (describes a noun). Display additional sample sentences with adjectives clauses on the board or screen and as a class, identify the parts of an adjective clause. Point out that which and that are used for things, and who and that are used for people (but that who is preferred). Activity 6: Recognizing Adjective Clauses, p. 128 As a class, preview the definition paragraph about a hurricane. Before having students complete this activity independently or in pairs, work together as a class to practice identifying some of the adjective clauses in the paragraph and then labeling the adjective clauses and the nouns that the clauses describe. Activity 7: Writing Sentences with Simple Adjective Clauses, pp. 129–130 Display several examples of sentences with simple adjective clauses on the board or screen. Remind them to reference these examples for support as they write their own definitions with adjective clauses. Grammar for Writing Creating Sentences with Variety, p. 130 Present this section to class and have students take notes about specific points about creating variety in their writing on index cards. Ask students to use these index cards for reference material when writing their own original sentences. Remind students that the Building Better Sentences section contains guidelines on combining sentences as well (pages 283–284). Activity 8: Reading for Sentence Variety, p. 131 Suggest students circle the subjects in each sentence. This will help them notice sentence patterns.

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Activity 9: Sentence Combining, pp. 131–133 For each of the three example paragraphs, make sure students read the entire paragraph, read the sentences below the paragraph (Ideas), and think about how that information supports the topic sentence before they combine the sentences. Building Better Sentences, p. 133 For further practice, refer students to Practice 12 on page 292. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Activity 10: Word Associations, p. 134 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 11: Using Collocations, p. 135 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing: Definition Paragraph Activity 12: Original Writing Practice, pp. 135–136 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write an original definition paragraph. Remind students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pages 244–250.

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Activity 13: Peer Editing, p. 136 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 6 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 136 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional definition paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 137 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Provide students with additional practice composing a definition paragraph. Begin with a definition and ask students to define terms that they know but that someone else might not know. This could include a word from a language other than English that they know, or it could be a kind of food or hobby that they like that most people would not be familiar with. Ask students to use an adjective clause in their sentences. In order to help students understand the bigger picture, try to show how a definition paragraph could fit into an essay. Explain to students that this is important because a definition paragraph by itself is a rare occurrence. For example, if an essay compares two plans or two medicines, the writer will first need to define the two plans or the two medicines. This kind of essay might have an introductory paragraph, followed by a definition paragraph, and then followed by the body of that essay (which might consist of comparison writing). VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 44, p. 119 gumbo definition thick bland Cajun to mix such as pepper shrimp crab sausage turkey regardless of ingredient regional dish Example Paragraph 45, p. 120 gossip informal affairs harmless and so on rumor to grow fact to add damage subject potential to range Example Paragraph 46, p. 122 pretzel glazed Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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knot to be twisted originally reward treat especially Example Paragraph 47, p. 126 hatchet method gain among sound alike association link popularity connect Example Paragraph 48, p. 128 storm hurricane dangerous to feature to flood mostly modern technology in advance case to result in to keep track (of) movement Example Paragraph 49, p. 131 patience ability result to misbehave clerk polite Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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customer to drizzle to lack society nowadays civilized Example Paragraph 50, p. 132 folly foolish absurd purchase oil to produce to convince waste empty gold mineral source Example Paragraph 51, p. 133 relationship guess sincere pottery to come from wax crack worthless potter brand-new careless to realize to be respected Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 116 and 117. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then

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ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 7

Process Paragraphs

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to process paragraphs. Students will learn how to analyze a task by listing the steps in the task. The main grammar focus for this type of writing is the use of transition words and chronological order. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to study, analyze, and write a process paragraph. (pp. 140–153) 2. Learn how to use notecards to manage information. (p. 146) 3. Use appropriate sequence words and chronological order to organize information in a process paragraph. (pp. 145–149) 4. Use commas with sequence expressions. (pp. 148–149) 5. Write an original process paragraph. (pp. 151–152) TEACHING NOTES Unit 7 teaches students about the process paragraph, or a paragraph that tells the steps for doing something. Most of the activities in this unit require students to study and analyze example process paragraphs. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows a particle physics detector looking for the Higgs bosun particle. The Higgs bosun is a very small particle that gives mass to other things. Go over the objectives on the top of page 139. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 139. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. What is a Process Paragraph?, p. 140 After students have read the information, check comprehension by asking questions: What do you do in a process paragraph? (List or explain steps in chronological order) What is chronological order? (the order of events as they happen over time) What helps students understand order? (time words or phrases) How does the paragraph end? (with a specific result)

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Activity 1: Studying Example Process Paragraphs, pp. 140–145 Preview the series of process paragraphs that students will study and analyze. Have them work in pairs or small groups to discuss the pre-reading questions for each paragraph. After students have read the paragraph, have them answer the questions that follow in pairs or individually. Building Better Sentences, p. 145 For further practice, refer students to Practice 13 on page 293. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. . Grammar for Writing Using Sequence Words and Chronological Order, p. 145 As a class, study the list on page 145 together and ask students if they can come up with any additional words for this list. Be sure to emphasize how difficult it is for a reader to keep up with the steps if they are not clearly identified either by number or by transition words. Point out that when time clauses occur at the beginning of a sentence, they must be followed by a comma. Writer’s Note: Using Notecards to Help You Organize, p. 146 Point out that writing each step on an index card provides flexibility in ordering the cards and that a clear order of steps is key to a clear process paragraph. In addition, briefly brainstorm ways students can use index cards for other purposes in this class. Activity 2: Sequencing Sentences, p. 146 Guide students with the activity by modeling several strategies for sequencing sentences in the correct order. Have students share their sequencing with the whole class and compare any differences. Ask students to share the clues they used to sequence the sentences and point out how transition words help the reader follow the sequence (even when the sentences were out of sequence!). Activity 3: Sequencing Information in Paragraph Form, p. 147 Remind students to indent the first line. If needed, review how to write a good title for a paragraph. Activity 4: Analyzing and Understanding a Paragraph, pp. 147–148 Have students work in pairs or small groups to answer the questions as a way to analyze the content and organization of the paragraph. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 5: Using Commas and Sequence Expressions, pp. 148–149 Have students guess the content of the sentence based on the photo. Then have them read the sentences, number them in the correct order, and add the five missing commas. Point out how the sequence words and phrases helped the students follow the order of the steps. Activity 6: Writing a Paragraph with Sequence Expressions, p. 149 Remind students to indent the first line and discuss ideas for writing a title that is appropriate for the paragraph. If appropriate, have students identify the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence as a review. Building Better Sentences, p. 149 For further practice, refer students to Practice 14 on pages 293–294. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 7: Word Associations, p. 150 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 8: Using Collocations, p. 151 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement.

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Original Student Writing: Process Paragraph Activity 9: Original Writing Practice, pp. 151–152 Elicit from students the purpose of a process paragraph (to list or explain the steps of a process in chronological order). Ask students to keep this in mind as they write their paragraph. Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write an original analysis paragraph. Remind students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pages 244–250. Activity 10: Peer Editing, p. 134 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 7 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 152 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional process paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 153 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Have students find samples of process paragraphs (or even a list of the steps of a process) in books or on the Internet. Then instruct students to read only the even-numbered steps aloud to the class and to have the class guess what the process is. (The point here would be that without some of the steps, it is much harder to guess what the process is; hence, student writers should not assume that readers know some of the steps in the process that they have chosen to write about.) As needed, provide additional practice by scrambling sentences from a process paragraph and have students put the sentences in the logical order. Be sure to point out the transition words and other clues that might help students determine the sequence. It may be helpful to display the sentences on the board or on the screen. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Another option would be for student to take the paragraph that they wrote in Activity 9 and write each sentence/step on a strip of paper. Have students exchange strips with a partner and put the strips in the correct order. If a student’s partner has trouble with this task, encourage the student to add transition words to make the sequence clearer. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 52, p. 140 messy juicy taco specific embarrassing attack gently horizontal to raise corner angle bite Example Paragraph 53, pp. 143–144 complicated lined to assume translation synonym inviting Example Paragraph 54, p. 145 to guess Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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trick no matter greater multiply divide subtract original Example Paragraph 55, p. 147 to hit opposite to swing racket to reach peak to toss position shoulder racket elbow sky knee quite left-handed substitute preceding Example Paragraph 56, p. 149 jar oxygen stem sunlight tiny bubble room temperature science experiment to prove quart tight lid Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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tape goldfish tightly layer direct Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 138 and 139. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 8

Descriptive Paragraphs

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to descriptive paragraphs, including the use of descriptive language. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to study, analyze, and write a descriptive paragraph. (pp. 155–179) 2. Examine the role of using the five senses in better descriptive writing. (pp. 158–163) 3. Examine the role of adjectives in better descriptive writing. (pp. 164–168) 4. Learn how to use denotation and connotation of adjectives in descriptive writing. (p. 166) 5. Learn how to use a bilingual dictionary to check the meanings of unfamiliar words. (p. 169) 6. Use prepositional phrases of location to add descriptive information when writing. (pp. 170–176) 7. Write an original descriptive paragraph that includes a variety of adjective usage. (p. 178) TEACHING NOTES Unit 8 teaches students about descriptive paragraphs and more generally about how to improve descriptive writing. Students work with simple adjectives, series of adjectives, adjective clauses, and prepositional phrases of location to describe information effectively. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Go over the objectives on the top of page 155. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 155. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. What Is a Descriptive Paragraph? p. 156 Check comprehension by asking questions: What does a descriptive paragraph do? (It describes how something or someone looks or feels.) Does it give definitions? (No, it gives impressions.) What does it do for the reader? (It shows the reader, creates a sensory image in the reader’s mind.)

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Activity 1: Studying a Descriptive Paragraph, pp. 156–157 First, go over the information about descriptive paragraphs on page 156. Then have students read the descriptive paragraph and examine the paragraph to see if it does the items listed in the box. Describing with the Five Senses, p. 158 Elicit from students the five senses (sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell). Emphasize that using language that describes the senses helps make descriptive writing more interesting. Review the examples of each sense in the chart at the top of page 158 and ask students to add a second example of each sense. Ask volunteers to share their answers. Activity 2: Using Adjectives to Describe Sensory Information, p. 158 Model for students how to take their examples from the previous exercise and expand upon them by identifying descriptive words for each one. Tell students that the use of a thesaurus may help them find appropriate words for this activity, as well as in descriptive writing. Activity 3: Writing Sentences Using Sensory Adjectives, p. 158–159 Remind students to use the descriptive words from Activity 2 to write their original sentences. Activity 4: Studying Example Descriptive Paragraphs, pp. 159–163 Tell students that they will study and analyze a series of descriptive paragraphs. Have students work individually, in pairs, or small groups for one or more of the paragraphs and questions that follow. Point out that these descriptive paragraphs still follow the basic structure of a good paragraph (topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence). Grammar for Writing Using Adjectives in Writing, p. 164 Be sure to point out to students the importance of using adjectives in good descriptive writing. Go over the explanations and examples as a class. If appropriate, share several examples of original writing from stories, newspapers, or the Internet that highlight the use of adjectives in descriptive writing. Activity 5: Correcting the Location of Descriptive Adjectives, p. 165 While many students may find this activity to be easy, remind them of the importance of placing adjectives correctly in order to communicate clearly in their writing.

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Activity 6: Adding Adjectives, pp. 165–166 This is a fun activity in which students produce interesting sentences. If appropriate, have students use a thesaurus or have them work in pairs or small groups. Encourage students to share and compare answers. Activity 7: Writing Descriptive Sentences Using Adjectives, p. 166 This activity is similar in nature to Activity 6, but it requires more thought. Students who found either Activity 5 or 6 easy will be more challenged here. Suggest that students think of a sentence first (context) and then add appropriate adjectives for that context. Building Better Sentences, p. 166 For further practice, refer students to Practice 15 on pages 294–295. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Using Positive and Negative Adjectives for More Precise Meanings, p. 166 Have students think of an item, idea, or action that has two or more names for it. Have students decide whether one name is considered “better,” “more polite,” or “more technical” than the other. In other words, even with the same denotation, or basic meaning, two words can have different connotations, or feelings associated with them. Emphasize the importance of using words not only with the exact denotation you want, but also with the exact connotation you want. Point out that using words with an unintended connotation will result in miscommunication. Activity 8: Recognizing Adjectives in Paragraphs, pp. 167–168 Point out that the two paragraphs are on the same topic (a description of a river scene) and have the same number of sentences, a similar number of words, and the same number of phrases or clauses, but that the differences are in the adjectives that describe the nouns. Have students notice the power of using adjectives and how the meaning of the paragraphs (illustrated also by the pictures) is affected by the use of certain adjectives. Writer’s Note: Using Bilingual and English Learner Dictionaries, p. 169 This note encourages students to crosscheck their findings in any bilingual dictionary to ensure that a found word is really the intended word/meaning that the writer was looking for. English Learner dictionaries can often be more helpful. If possible, have students practice the task with a word or two as instructed at the bottom of the Writer’s Note.

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Activity 9: Writing Positive and Negative Adjectives, p. 169 If possible, have students use a dictionary or thesaurus to complete this activity. Depending on the level of support needed, have students work individually, in pairs, or in groups. Activity 10: Changing Meaning with Descriptive Adjectives, p. 170 If time allows, read the paragraph aloud (before adding adjectives) to illustrate how dull a description is without adjectives. Have students fill in the missing adjectives to form a coherent descriptive paragraph and then read the paragraph again (to illustrate how much more vivid the writing is with adjectives). Depending on the needs of the students, you may choose to skip the copying task at the end. The most important point is to be sure that students understand how the adjectives affect the paragraphs. Grammar for Writing Using Prepositions of Location to Describe, pp. 170–171 Tell students that although they are familiar with simple prepositions, this list includes other adjectives (common prepositions of location), including ahead of, on top of, throughout, and among. Point out how adding the location of the action or the noun with a prepositional phrase can actually add vividness to the sentence. Encourage students to flag this page and reference it as needed. Activity 11: Using Prepositions of Location to Describe a Place, p. 171 Have students share their five original sentences describing their classroom with a partner or with the class. Activity 12: Studying Example Paragraphs with Prepositions of Location, pp. 172–175 Have students use the illustration and photo provided to help them better understand the paragraph and to reference the illustration and photo as they read. Because the questions are very detailed, you might want to use this exercise as an informal assessment. Grammar for Writing Using Correct Word Order with Prepositions of Location, p. 175 Review word order with prepositional phrases of location and the use of commas as a follow-up to this note by having students take notes on the most important parts on index cards. Activity 13: Identifying Objects of Prepositions, p. 176 Remind students to correct the two comma errors after they have circled the 20 prepositions and underlined the object of each preposition.

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Building Better Sentences, p. 176 For further practice refer students to Practice 16 on page 295. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 14: Word Associations, p. 177 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 15: Using Collocations, pp. 177–178 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing: Descriptive Paragraph Activity 15: Original Writing Practice, p. 178 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write an original descriptive paragraph. Remind students to refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pp. 244–250. Activity 17: Peer Editing, p. 179 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 8 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Additional Topics for Writing, p. 179 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional descriptive paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 179 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Learning to write a good descriptive paragraph requires the ability to include varied descriptive words and phrases in one’s writing. Have students look at different paragraphs to identify why one author’s work is more colorful or descriptive than others’. Have students bring in paragraphs from short stories on the Internet that are descriptive. These could typically be paragraphs in a dramatic story in which the author is trying to “paint” the scene in detail. Bring a paragraph to class that you have gone through ahead of time and cut out all the descriptive adjectives. Have students add logical adjectives. Share examples of students’ descriptive paragraphs. Then share with students the original paragraph (with the original adjectives) and have students compare it with their own versions. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 57, p. 157 principal crowded Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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local overfill breeze scenery massive skyscrapers in spite of destination recommend Example Paragraph 58, p. 159 underground subway attack smelly platform syrup farther to argue increase noise poster palm tree sapphire Example Paragraph 59, p. 161 slender tornado to descend to spin horrible destruction to rip contents neighborhood to toss victim to roar wild wind Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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delicate Example Paragraph 60, pp. 162–163 constantly to tease to ignore would (+ verb) bush remove weed to threaten delicate to trim to make room bright replacement pest smile armful fragrant to enjoy Example Paragraph 61, p. 167 forest quality environment fresh trout to compete abundant supply healthy shadow grassy bank Example Paragraph 62, p. 167 to contain to struggle leafless Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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adequate to be polluted Example Paragraph 63, p. 172 living room tidy wooden bookcase shelf base lampshade faded sofa coffee table leg striking peaceful sailboat Example Paragraph 64, p. 174 symbol freedom impressive structure flowing robe crown spike continent pedestal torch tablet chain to symbolize amazing monument Example Paragraph 65, p. 176 independence method Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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rights soul shooter eager Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 154 and 155. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 9

Opinion Paragraphs

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to opinion paragraphs. Students will learn how to distinguish facts from opinions. The main grammar focus that is emphasized here is the accurate use of word forms. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to study, analyze, and write an opinion paragraph. (pp. 182 –197) 2. Understand the role of counterargument and refutation in an opinion paragraph. (p. 187) 3. Separate facts from opinions. (pp. 188–189) 4. Learn how to choose good topic sentences for opinion paragraphs. (pp. 189–190) 5. Sequence material in an opinion paragraph in a logical way. (p. 190) 6. Learn how to use word forms for various parts of speech of the same base vocabulary. (pp. 192–193) 7. Write an original opinion paragraph. (p. 196) TEACHING NOTES Unit 9 teaches students about the opinion paragraph. This writing style is connected to persuasive writing or argumentative as well. When expressing an opinion, a writer must defend it and even promote it. An opinion paragraph should influence the reader, which means an opinion paragraph is persuasive or argumentative. Most of the activities in this unit require students to study and analyze example opinion paragraphs. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows the giant panda Wei Wei walking around a birthday cake made of fruits and bamboo at the Wuhan Zoo in Wuhan, China. Go over the objectives on the top of page 181. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 181. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

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What Is an Opinion Paragraph?, p. 182 Go over the information on opinion paragraphs. Put students in pairs to take turns retelling the information without looking at the book as their partners check their details against the text. Activity 1: Studying Example Opinion Paragraphs, pp. 182–187 Preview for students the topics of the opinion paragraphs that they will study and analyze (driving and cell phones, the best way to communicate, and the pros and cons of wearing school uniforms). Point out that although the purpose of these paragraphs is to express an opinion, they all follow the basic format of a good paragraph (topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence). Have students record their answers to the questions following each paragraph and share their analysis with the class. Writer’s Note: Advanced Opinion Writing, p. 187 Emphasize to students that including a counterargument and refutation can be an effective technique in opinion paragraphs because it shows that the writer has considered the opposing view but has a logical reason for not agreeing with it. Facts and Opinions, p. 188 Point out that in an opinion paragraph (and many other types of paragraphs), the topic sentence is an opinion but using facts (and other opinions) to support the topic sentence can be very effective. Activity 2: Identifying Facts and Opinions, p. 188 Go over the first two items and their answers with the class. Elicit from the class why the first item is an opinion and why the second is a fact. Depending on students’ needs, have them complete the activity individually or in pairs. Activity 3: Identifying Facts and Opinions in a Paragraph, p. 189 When reviewing the answers as a class, have students share how they came to decide which statements were facts and which were opinions. If time allows, it may be beneficial to go back to the paragraph and briefly examine the role that the facts and opinions play in the paragraph. Building Better Sentences, p. 189 For further practice, refer students to Practice 17 on page 296. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student

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combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Topic Sentences for Opinion Paragraphs, p. 189 Remind students to choose topic sentences that are opinions not facts. The paragraph will present arguments in support of an opinion. If there is no controversy, or difference in opinion, it will not make a good opinion paragraph. Activity 4: Recognizing Good Topic Sentences for Opinion Paragraphs, p. 190 As a class, brainstorm a list of criteria that makes a topic sentence appropriate for opinion paragraphs. Be sure to review the basic principle that a topic sentence has a good controlling idea. Display the list in the classroom and encourage students to use it as reference as they complete Activity 4. Activity 5: Sequencing Sentences in a Paragraph, p. 190 Clarify that students must complete two tasks: (1) put the sentences in the correct order and (2) determine whether each sentence is an opinion or a fact. Activity 6: Copying a Paragraph, p. 191 If appropriate, explain to students that while this activity does not require them to edit, it does reinforce what they learned by having them copy the sentences that they sequenced and labeled in the previous activity in correct paragraph format. Remind students to indent the first line and to add an appropriate title. If time allows, briefly discuss the role that the facts and opinions play within the paragraph. Grammar for Writing Recognizing Word Forms and Common Suffixes, p. 192 Using the correct word form may be challenging for learners at this level. However, stress to students the importance of moving beyond the traditional listing of word forms. Encourage them to use many different words to make their writing more accurate and interesting, reminding them what they learned in Unit 8 about adjectives making descriptive writing more interesting. Activity 7: Identifying Word Forms, p. 193 Write Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb on the board or on the screen and ask students to give several examples of each. Review the definition of each term and model for students how to identify each word form. Make dictionaries available to students if necessary. Direct students to the part of speech that is given in each dictionary entry.

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Activity 8: Correcting Word Forms, p. 193 Write several sentences on the board or on the screen that contain word form errors. As a class, discuss how to correct the errors. Model strategies for identifying and correcting word form errors. Leave the practice sentences displayed and encourage students to refer to them as needed while they complete Activity 8 independently. Make dictionaries available to students if necessary. Choosing a Topic for an Opinion Paragraph, p. 194 If possible, bring in a newspaper and show students the editorial section. Point out that students can also view many newspapers online. Review the clustering brainstorming method from Unit 2 (pages 34–35). Then introduce the negative-positive brainstorming technique presented here. Create a similar chart on the board or screen and model for students how to use this brainstorming method. Building Better Sentences, p. 194 For further practice, refer students to Practice 18 on pages 296–297. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 9: Word Associations, pp. 194–195 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 10: Using Collocations, p. 195 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a

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list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing: Opinion Paragraph Activity 11: Original Writing Practice, p. 196 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to create an original opinion paragraph. Remind students that they can use the clustering or negativepositive brainstorming techniques to generate ideas for their topic. Have students refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pp. 244–250. Activity 12: Peer Editing, p. 196 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 9 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 196 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional opinion paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 197 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Expose students to a variety of original opinion essays by having them search the Internet or in the library for more essay samples that are of real interest to them and contain appropriate language and vocabulary. Have students identify the topic sentence/thesis statement, opinions and facts, counterargument and refutation, etc., in the essay. Ask volunteers to share what they found and any observations they made with the class.

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VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 66, p. 182–183 deadly obvious to endanger injury damage to ban common sense a (wide) range of Example Paragraph 67, p. 184 no matter to text old-fashioned without a doubt mode Example Paragraph 68, p. 186 uniform mandatory reason equal to choose study to perform individuality Example Paragraph 69, p. 191 ray Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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chance to develop disease deadly to treat harmful ultraviolet evidence to persuade severe Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 180 and 181. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 10

Narrative Paragraphs

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to narrative paragraphs. Students will learn the important features of good narrative paragraphs and better understand what topics support this important kind of writing. Students will also learn how to develop these topics into a good narrative paragraph with a solid beginning, middle, and end. Students will continue with Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Learn how to study, analyze, and write a narrative paragraph. (pp. 200 –221) 2. Identify the parts of narrative paragraphs. (pp. 200–207) 3. Understand the role and placement of background information. (p. 203) 4. Use verb tenses consistently. (pp. 212–219) 5. Write an original narrative paragraph. (p. 220) TEACHING NOTES Unit 10 teaches students about narrative paragraphs, the last rhetorical mode of paragraph writing that is covered in this book. Explain that many people write in a daily journal in order to record their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Be sure to stress the similarities as well as the differences between journal writing and a narrative paragraph. Point out that journals are narrative accounts that can provide the basis or an organized and structured narrative paragraph. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows a photographer with two trained grizzly bears. Go over the objectives on the top of page 199. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 199. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit. What Is a Narrative Paragraph?, p. 200 To present the information, you may want to read it aloud, or put students in small groups to each take a part to read and present to the others in their groups.

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Beginning, Middle, and End, pp. 200–201 Point out that narrative paragraphs have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Go over the example paragraph with students, pointing out the three parts of the paragraph, as well as the topic sentence/background information within the beginning. Another idea would be to have students close their books and to present the paragraph without the parts labeled. Then have students try to identify the parts of the paragraph. Depending in your students’ needs, review the information about the parts before or after presenting the example paragraph. Activity 1: Analyzing Example Narrative Paragraphs, pp. 202–207 Tell students that they will read and analyze three different example narrative paragraphs. Have students share their answers to the questions following each of the three paragraphs with the class and compare responses. Writer’s Note: Including Background Information, p. 203 Explain that the writer must always keep the audience in mind. Explain that in narrative paragraphs, the reader may not know the background of the story, so it is important to provide any information the reader might need (background information) to fully understand the story. Working with Ideas for Narrative Paragraphs, p. 208 Tell students to read the paragraph. Highlight the use of memories and experiences as sources of stories by providing sentence stems and having students complete them. Some example stems are: 1. The most interesting thing I did on vacation was___. 2. My most embarrassing moment happened when ___. 3. My favorite memory from grade school is ___. Activity 2: Recognizing Topics for Narrative Paragraphs, p. 208 After students have compared answers with a partner, ask pairs to share any answers they did not agree on and discuss those items as a class. Using Descriptive Language to Help Readers See Your Story, p. 208 Explain to students that much like a painter, a writer paints an image in a reader’s mind with the language they choose. Remind students that they learned about this in Unit 8 (using adjectives and prepositional phrases to make their descriptive writing more vivid and to connect with their readers). Explain that a similar principle applies here, particularly with their description of the story’s setting. Activity 3: Describing a Moment, p. 209 Model the activity by telling a story about something that happened in your life. Touch on the same points that are covered in the outline. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 4: Sequencing Sentences in a Paragraph, p. 210 Preview this activity with students by explaining that they must read seven sentences that narrate one person’s experiences during a big earthquake and then put the sentences in the correct sequence. Activity 5: Copying a Paragraph, p. 211 Have students copy the sentences from Activity 4 in correct paragraph format (including indentation) and add a suitable title. Remind students that they must also identify the topic sentence (background information), beginning of story, middle of story, and end of story. Clarify that the topic sentence/background information is part of the beginning of the story. Building Better Sentences, p. 211 For further practice, refer students to Practice 19 on pages 297–298. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Grammar for Writing Maintaining Verb Tense Consistency, p. 212 Review verb tenses together as a whole class, by writing simple past tense and past progressive tense on the board or screen and including several examples of each. Remind students of the importance of using verb tenses consistently and ask them compare the information to the verb tenses they find in Example Paragraph 73. Activity 6: Identifying Verb Tenses, pp. 212–213 After students have completed the activity, go over the answers as a class. For item #2, point out that not all the verbs need to be in the same tense but that there should be a specific reason for using a different tense when writing about an event that happened in the past. If time allows, have students briefly identify the parts of the example paragraph. Activity 7: Using Correct Verb Tenses, p. 214 If necessary, review how to correctly form the simple past tense (for regular verbs) and the past progressive tense before students begin the activity. Activity 8: Editing Narrative Paragraphs, pp. 215–219 Review the Teacher Comments as a whole class and discuss why the teacher might make these comments. Complete Example Paragraph 77 as a class and model strategies for identifying

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which Teacher Comment belongs to the paragraph. Share with students how you determined which comment reflected the errors in the paragraph. Have students complete this process with the remaining example paragraphs independently or, depending on the level of support students may need, continue this activity as a class. Building Better Sentences, p. 219 For further practice, refer students to Practice 20 on page 298. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages 283–284. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 9: Word Associations, p. 219 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know. Activity 10: Using Collocations, p. 220 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Writing Practice: Narrative Paragraph Activity 11: Original Writing Practice, p. 220 Have students complete this activity by following the bulleted list of guidelines to write an original narrative. Encourage students to use a brief outline that has the beginning (including the topic sentence with background information), middle, and end of the story. Remind students

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to use vivid language to describe the setting of the story. Have students refer to the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pp. 244–250. Activity 12: Peer Editing, p. 221 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 10 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. The sheets can be detached from the book and exchanged, or students can exchange books with their partner without tearing out the sheet. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 221 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional narrative paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 221 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Provide students with additional narrative material from books, newspapers, magazines, or the Internet. Have students work independently or in small groups to identify the beginning (including the topic sentence), the middle, and the end of each sample. Have students keep a list of descriptive language that they find in each sample and share it with another group or with the whole class. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course.

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Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 70, p. 201 to conquer a fear public speaking to assign mirror podium audience to take a deep breath to flow to applaud Example Paragraph 71, p. 202 to turn around at the top of my lungs public address system to notify cap to be lost toward to hug to be terrified Example Paragraph 72, p. 204 talent show disaster embarrassing stage curtain all of a sudden lyrics chorus audience in tears

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Example Paragraph 73, p. 206 track team schedule casually uniform funny lonely courage classmate to develop relationship valuable Example Paragraph 74, p. 211 earthquake measure Richter scale violent rumble to shake to collapse uneventful unforgettable peaceful tragedy unexpected disaster doorway Example Paragraph 75, pp. 212–213 to gather paperwork document bank statement landscape embassy patiently guard personnel to frighten Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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baby-faced to glance to be shocked Example Paragraph 76, p. 214 job advertising firm downtown executive assistant business card administrative Example Paragraph 77, p. 216 vase oven clay to not think twice about something popping bubbles to explode to apologize Example Paragraph 78, p. 216 comfortable banner sports team dresser knob novel closet to get wrinkled Example Paragraph 79, p. 217 nightmare backpack to be missing headquarter station Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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to be surprised to steal purse valuable to suggest garbage robber Example Paragraph 80, p. 218 trick to fail twin to cheat to excel standardized restroom to switch meanwhile furious right-handed check mark valuable Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 198 and 199. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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UNIT 11

Paragraphs in an Essay: Putting It All Together

OVERVIEW This unit introduces students to the structure of an essay. Overall, Unit 11 helps students analyze the similarities between writing paragraphs and essays and helps students understand how paragraphs function in a longer essay. The essay is presented as a continuation or elaboration of a paragraph, an approach that is intended to help students retain the strategizing and organizing skills that they have developed in Units 1–10. Students will continue with Building Better Vocabulary and Building Better Sentences. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 2 Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit. OBJECTIVES 1. Understand what an essay is and why people write essays, and compare and contrast the structure of a paragraph and an essay. (pp. 224–225) 2. Differentiate paragraph topics from essay topics. (pp. 225–226) 3. Analyze examples of different kinds of essays. (pp. 227–228) 4. Learn about how essays are organized and the steps in writing an essay. (pp. 229–234) 5. Write a guided essay draft about why living in a big city is better than living in a small town. (pp. 235–238) 6. Write an original narrative, comparison, cause-effect, or argumentative essay. (p. 240) TEACHING NOTES The material in this unit can serve as a bridge for students making the transition from writing paragraphs to writing essays. It is important to convey to students that while they are learning to write a single well-developed paragraph, they must eventually be able to transfer their organizing skills from paragraph writing to essay writing. At this point, students need continued support and practice with choosing a good topic. Unit Opener Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives, and a culminating writing task. Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo shows two Mongolian men talking on cell phones in Mongolia, China. Go over the objectives on the top of page 223. Explain that students will do these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 223. Tell them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

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From Paragraphs to Essays, p. 224 Use this section to review the basics about paragraph writing. This will prepare students for the paragraph/essay comparison on the following pages. Activity 1: What Do You Know about Essays?, p. 224 Have students complete this very short exercise as a warm up for the unit. After students have completed the activity, discuss items #1 and #3 as a class. Getting to Know Essays, pp. 225–226 Go over this section as a class, using the chart to illustrate the similarities between paragraphs and essays. Be sure to review the information below the chart on how paragraphs and essays are different. Activity 2: Topics for Paragraphs and Essay, p. 226 Before students begin the activity, elicit the difference between topic sentences and thesis statements (thesis statements cover more information). Note that both should have a good controlling idea. What Does an Essay Look Like? pp. 227–230 Before students read the example essay, point out the role of the parts that are underlined (topic sentences, or restated thesis), in italics (transition words/phrases), or highlighted (thesis statement). Use this sample essay, as well as the essay outline at the top of p. 204, to show the similarities in parts or features of paragraphs and essays. An Essay Outline, The Hook, The Thesis Statement, Supporting Ideas, and Different Kinds of Essay Organization, pp. 229–230 Go over the explanations and examples as a class. Connect the information presented on essays with the information students already know about paragraphs as needed. Note the differences as well, such as the broader scope that a thesis statement covers and that supporting ideas are presented in body paragraphs (rather than sentences as is done in a paragraph). Activity 3: Working with Essay Organization, pp. 230–231 Preview and read aloud the four thesis statements provided in this activity. Clarify the meaning of any unfamiliar words. Have students complete original Roman numeral level outlines for items #3 and #4 using the first two that have been done for them as models. If necessary, review Roman numerals with the class. Activity 4: Comparing Outlines, p. 231 Divide students into groups to compare their answers from Activity 3. Assign each group a specific outline to share with the whole class. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Activity 5: Working with a Sample Essay, pp. 231–233 Review the Cultural Note at the end of the essay and explain the context as needed. Ask pairs to share their responses to the questions with the class. Activity 6: Working with an Outline, p. 234 As needed, have students complete the outline for Example Essay 2 in pairs, small groups, or independently. Remind students that rereading and grasping the content of the essay can help to determine the missing sections. Model a few items as needed. Putting an Essay Together Activity 7: Brainstorming, pp. 235–236 This activity leads the student writers through the process of brainstorming for an essay topic. Point out that they are brainstorming ideas for an essay that they will write in the next activity. Review each step carefully with students before beginning the activity. Once students have read the topic and then followed the directions, discuss as a class what the process was like and have them share any parts that were particularly challenging. Activity 8: Writing an Essay Draft, pp. 236–238 Tell students that they will practice original essay writing by filling in the body paragraphs of an essay on the advantages of city life. Preview vocabulary that may be helpful for their writing and write it on the board or screen for reference as they complete the activity. Make sure students read the guided structure of the essay and clarify any vocabulary or terms that students are unfamiliar with before students begin writing the body paragraphs. Activity 9: Peer Editing, p. 238 Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 11 from NGL.Cengage.com/GW2. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s work. If necessary, remind students to make helpful and positive comments and suggestions. Building Better Vocabulary Activity 10: Word Associations, pp. 238–239 If necessary, remind students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns looking up the meaning of the words they do not know.

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Activity 11: Using Collocations, p. 239 If necessary, review what collocations are (words or groups of words that naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Remind students that learning collocations will help them build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced. Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for reinforcement. Original Student Writing: Essay Activity 12: Essay Writing Practice, p. 240 Review the essay prompts (and clarify that an argumentative essay is similar to an opinion paragraph) before students begin this assignment. This activity may be challenging for some students to complete independently. Provide additional support as needed, including a checklist of items, a series of discrete steps students should follow (based on the seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities, pages 244–250), and so on. Another option would be to have students work in pairs or groups. Additional Topics for Writing, p. 240 Included in this section is a list of writing prompts that are tailored to fit the content of this particular unit. Point out to students that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to assign these additional paragraph writing tasks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Timed Writing, p. 241 Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately. Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt provided. EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Expose students to a variety of additional essays by having them search the Internet or in the library for more essay samples that are of real interest to them and contain appropriate language and vocabulary. Have students write outlines of essays as a class by brainstorming specific essay themes and titles based on a generic topic. Have students work in small groups to select an essay theme and title, and then write a simple outline consisting of four to six items. Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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For extra practice, cut up the paragraphs of an essay and have students put them in the correct order. For extended discussion, give everyone a copy of the same essay but remove one paragraph in advance. Have students brainstorm to figure out the content of the missing paragraph. After students share their answers, present them with the missing paragraph and have them compare its content with their answers. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the essays in the unit. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Essay 1, pp. 227–228 invention mass-produced relatively antibiotic plague rat flea to contract trivial amputation to be infected ailment suffer to promote Example Essay 2, pp. 232–233 bilingual to communicate relative to immigrate advantage to rely Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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automatically impact role widespread behavior conversely potential suspicion tragedy Example Essay 3, p. 237–238 population resident routine approximately culturally diverse exhibit obvious rural benefit to afford metropolitan Self-Assessment Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 222 and 223. Direct their attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objective(s) they achieved. Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to show if they can answer yes to the question.

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BRIEF WRITER’S HANDBOOK WITH ACTIVITIES The Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities can be used in any order, but it is important to preview the content in order to be aware of how to best utilize this resource throughout the course. Understanding the Writing Process: The Seven Steps, pp. 244–250 This section covers the seven basic steps of writing a paragraph. It shows how a student successfully follows the seven steps and produces a coherent, cohesive paragraph about a Louisiana dish called gumbo. We suggest you find some time to go through this section before students go about writing their first paragraph from scratch. Editing Your Writing, pp. 251–253 Learning to edit one’s own writing is one of the most important skills of a good writer. This section walks students through the three steps of revising a rough draft by helping them understand the process of how to identify and correct errors in their own writing. Capitalization Activities, pp. 254–256 This section focuses on capitalization and consists of two parts. The first part is a set of basic rules, and the second part is actual practice with capitalization. Punctuation Activities, pp. 257–263 This section focuses on punctuation. It provides instruction and pertinent practice in end punctuation, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, semicolons, and editing for errors. Additional Grammar Activities, pp. 264–272 This section provides additional grammar practice in three key areas: verb tenses, articles, and editing for errors. Citations and Plagiarism, pp. 273–274 This section explains and demonstrates how to cite borrowed information in order to avoid plagiarism. A special emphasis is placed on teaching English learners how to paraphrase, as they may not understand the original material or they may not know the necessary vocabulary to express the same idea in their own words. This may be a relatively new concept to some students, so it is important to emphasize the importance of avoiding plagiarism. APPENDICES Appendix 1 Building Better Sentences, pp. 283–298 Appendix 1 contains the Building Better Sentences exercises. Be sure to spend some time as a class reviewing the strategies for combining sentences presented on pages 283–284 before Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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students attempt the activities independently. Students are likely to have questions about word order and punctuation usage at this point. It may be helpful to review this section periodically. Appendix 2 Peer Editing Sheet Sample, pp. 299–300 Appendix 2 is a sample peer editing sheet that students will use when reading each other’s work and providing feedback. Students will need to go to NGL.Cengage.com/GW2 for the peer editing sheets that they will use with each unit. Students are much more likely to give relevant feedback if they are looking for specific elements within a paragraph. The questions are specifically designed to concentrate the students’ attention on specific points to enable them to provide helpful and constructive feedback. VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level, instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate. Whether or not this particular strategy is employed, it is imperative that students acquire a large amount of appropriate vocabulary in this course. Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the end matter. We suggest that students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary. Example Paragraph 81, p. 256 article issue Prime Minister economic ties reestablish sort cooperation development Example Paragraph 82, p. 256 directly certainly twice carrier

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Example Paragraph 83, p. 257 foreign to inspire abroad to prevent Example Paragraph 84, p. 263 globe to destroy area heavy damage amazingly reaction to broadcast Example Paragraph 85, p. 263 desert earth dry rainfall canyon sand Example Paragraph 86, p. 264 review to wish face greatest triumph to range well-written conflict talented independent character plot turn outcome story Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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to disappoint praise Example Paragraph 87, pp. 264–265 tuna salad can flake fork mayonnaise slice easy-to-make treat Example Paragraph 88, p. 265 infamous moment to assassinate theory fateful day bullet assassin Example Paragraph 89, p. 265 routine daily shower without fail Example Paragraph 90, p. 266 shortest term White House presidency brief to take office to catch pneumonia army

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Example Paragraph 91, p. 266 soldier battle rich soil to thrive agriculture farmer cotton citrus Example Paragraph 92, p. 267 brainteaser to amaze to multiply to square digit correctly Example Paragraph 93, p. 267–268 among geography recent survey globe capital educator to blame knowledge memorization material regardless unfortunate fact Example Paragraph 94, p. 268 free service monthly electricity bill advantage power company Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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analyst to inspect to identify potential energy-saving thermostat air conditioning efficiently Example Paragraph 95, p. 269 to convince to intrigue to improve success

Example Paragraph 96, p. 269–270 surprising statistics degree rather ratio Example Paragraph 97, p. 270 to imagine to tap brake pedal emergency gear to rub tire curb Example Paragraph 97, p. 271 aquarium salesclerk report card dime store fishbowl Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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Example Paragraph 98, p. 271 researcher upset concentration prone accident Example Paragraph 100, p. 272 coin denomination regularly penny monetary transaction Example Paragraph 101, p. 272 oasis silence campus hectic solitude shelf rare obscure uncomfortable wooden sociable turmoil Answer Key The answer key for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs can be accessed on the web by going to the instructor site at NGL.Cengage.com/GW2.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, 4th Edition Copyright © National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.

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