Brainstorming Techniques

Previously, I published a post on "Brainstorming and Mind Mapping" with a link to a very helpful site. This post contains a video that shows and explains different techniques that can be used when brainstorming, either individually or in a group.

Brainstorming and Mind Mapping

Brainstorming is one of the most effective tools used in writing. In order to gather up all the ideas in your mind and lay them out in a way that could help you create a great piece of writing is through using the tool of brainstorming, or another term for it, mind mapping. The link  provided below shows what is the concept or tool of brainstorming, and how it could help in many other aspects besides essay writing ( a video will be posted later on showing different techniques that can help with this process).

Link: https://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html

Articles in Grammar

This link is for a grammar lesson on "Articles" and how they should be placed in a sentence.

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/article.htm

Scratch: Web 2.0 Tool!

A creative and full of imagination Web 2.0 tool. With scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations- and share your creations with the others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively- essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It's provided FREE OF CHARGE!

Human Adjective Bingo

Here is a fun and entertaining activity for a grammar lesson on adjectives. Students will be paired with a partner in this activity, the object of this activity is to see how students identify adjectives. They must follow the following steps in order to accomplish the "Adjective Bingo Board":

Step 1: take a bingo board and some old magazines.

Step 2: cut out pictures of people from the magazines and stick each picture, using glue, in a blank square on the                board.

Step 3: once the glue dries, its time to play human adjective bingo! 

How to Play: this is how the game works, each student will say an adjective, if the adjective matches a person on the bingo board then the student covers that square; and when someone yells out "BINGO!", their board has to be checked to see if they correct or not. At the end, the teacher will have to go over the adjectives and see if they really match the picture or not.

For more fun activities, visit: http://busyteacher.org/17367-practicing-adjectives-10-fun-activities.html

Grammar Games for All

Here is  a page full of MANY games for all students of all ages to help them with their grammar. Just visit the link below and get started.

http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la-grammar.html

Katy Perry- I'm Wide Awake and Progressive Tenses

 Well we all listen to music, and probably most of us have heard the song "Wide Awake" for Katy Perry; So here is a a grammar lesson found within this song and that can explain grammar tenses in a a fun and musical way.

Tenses

Tenses are very important in the English language. Students must be able to recognize a sentence's tense when they are reading, also they should be able to form a sentence in the correct tense using the words in the correct tense form. In order to help these students know the tenses, here is a link that will help them learn them easily. 

https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/tenses

"Funnel Method" in Writing an Introduction

Writing an introduction is the most important part in writing an essay. The introduction is what introduces the topic that will be discussed, So, in order to write a well organized introduction, students must follow the "Funnel Method", as displayed below:

Using Transition Words and Phrases

Of the most important elements in an essay is transitional words. These words help tie the essay together through the usage of words that link each paragraph to the other. So, here is a fun video showing how to use transitional words and phrases when writing an essay.

Peer Review Response Sheet

Sometimes its best to let students respond to each others writings. For that, this peer response sheet was created, so that students rate each other writings, or respond to them, in a way that will let them see what their peers learned from the sessions in class. In addition to, showing how good the student is at writing an effective essay.

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~eleni/images/PEER%20REVIEW%20RESPONSE%20SHEET.pdf

Having Fun With Vocabulary!

http://www.spellingcity.com/middle-school-vocabulary.html

When students access this link, they will find different types of worksheets, games and other amusing things that will help them in learning new vocabulary.

How to Increase Your Vocabulary

Many students have poor vocabulary when it comes to essay writing. In order to have a well structured essay without the repetition of similar words, here is a video that shows students how to increase their vocabulary by being introduced to new words that they can easily use in their essays.

5 Tips to Improve you Writing

Some students face problems when writing an essay. so in order for them to improve their writing skills, especially  in the filed of writing an essay, here is a video that helps students improve their writing through 5 tips.

How to Write an Effective Essay

This video is a How-to video concerning writing an effective essay. Students should watch this in order to see how an essay is formed and what are the main contents that should be present in an essay. Students should be able to follow the guidelines presented in the video in order for them to achieve the skill of writing an effective essay.

The 4 Major Types of Essays

Four Major Types of Essays
Distinguishing between types of essays is simply a matter of determining the writer’s goal. Does the writer want to tell about a personal experience, describe something, explain an issue, or convince the reader to accept a certain viewpoint? The four major types of essays address these purposes:

1. Narrative Essays: Telling a Story

In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. While telling a story may sound easy to do, the narrative essay challenges students to think and write about themselves. When writing a narrative essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible. The fact that narrative essays are usually written in the first person helps engage the reader. “I” sentences give readers a feeling of being part of the story. A well-crafted narrative essay will also build towards drawing a conclusion or making a personal statement.

2. Descriptive Essays: Painting a Picture

A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptive essay paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. However, this type of essay is not description for description’s sake. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through the description. In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not tell, through the use of colorful words and sensory details. The best descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s emotions, with a result that is highly evocative.

3. Expository Essays: Just the Facts

The expository essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In an expository essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, such as the comparison and contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how to” or process essay. Because expository essays are based on facts and not personal feelings, writers don’t reveal their emotions or write in the first person.

4. Persuasive Essays: Convince Me

While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer must build a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct.

For more information please visit this link: 

https://blog.udemy.com/types-of-essays/

Why English?

English, one of the main subjects found in almost every school around the world. In the English language, there are many things to be taken into consideration when teaching such a subject. The English language has different aspects, such as grammar, reading, writing...