Week 8: April 25

Writing workshop...

Straight line reasoning
Tell them what you are going to tell them. 
Tell them. 
Tell them what you told them.

Topic Sentences = Topic + Controlling Idea

Before writing any essay or even a paragraph, it is important to think, first about the topic and then what you want to say about the topic. Most often, the topic is easy, but the question then turns to what you want to say about the topic which is the controlling idea. topic sentences should always contain both (1) a topic and (2) a controlling idea.  www.eslbee.com accessed 04/25/14


In order to completely understand the sinking of the Sewol ferry, the government must examine many factors.

The topic is the sinking of the Sewol ferry. The controlling idea is the examination of many factors. What factors contributed to the sinking of the Sewol ferry? They might include; a poor;ly trained crew, a sleeping captain, the overloading of cargo, an unbalanced cargo, a sharp turn in fast moving water, an inexperienced person at the helm, etc.

By thinking through your own topic and controlling statement before starting to write, the writing itself becomes extremely easy because you already know what you are going to write.


Visit eslbee.com and use this resource to help write better between weekly classes.

Next week: Midterm Presentations!!

We have a great line up of informative and entertaining presentations...

Group 1: About the Pope
Group 2: 'Look around. Pay attention. Share your time.'
Group 3: Lessons from Death

Week 7: April 18

This was a good week for getting your midterm presentation thoughts and words organized.... and if they weren't organized yet, .... well, we have one more class before midterm presentations. Good luck!


We looked at 'The Spark, the Change and the Takeway' as aspects of a memorable presentation for listeners.

In a Nutshell

• Your story should contain the spark - the idea, process, or wisdom - that allowed your character to overcome the conflict or obstacle.
• Your story should show the change in your character. What is different about them, the situation, or the environment?
• Your story should leave the listener with a key takeaway message.

Next week: April 25

This will be flat out working on your presentations. I may take some time to introduce you to www.eslbee.com as a resource for your writing.

Then ... May 2 is midterm presentations!

Final Draft - Script

• IF THE FIRST TWO DRAFTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED ON TIME AND HAVE BEEN CORRECTED, this script is graded as part of the participation grade.
• turn in 2 copies on the May 2 when you make your presentation.

Week 6: April 11

What was consistently effective in today's (April 11) presentations?

You said: preparation, confidence, personal story, effective picture and object, short (simple), using accent, stress, change the voice tone, and gesture  


Every story you present from now on should have a key take away - the message you want people to remember. It is often a short and memorable summary phrase that listeners will remember and hopefully repeat when they talk about your awesome presentation to others! 

"Tell a story, make a point." Bill Gove



Next week: April 18
- someone (I suggest the note taker...) in your group MUST email your formal draft (2nd script) to me before April 18. (gslewi@gmail.com). 
- For more info refer to the post in this blog: 
Introduction to MCE / Scripts / Formal draft

- Also next week, I will talk about The spark, the change and the take away.

Now, please answer the following questions in the comment section below;

1/ What was the take away from your presentation today?
2/ How will you make your next presentation more effective?

Week 5; April 04

Writing workshop day!
It looked like you were successful in gathering information on your topics and putting it into a framework. Good work!

Now.... you need to refine that framework into the story you will be presenting on May 02. This will be your second draft. Each group must email their second draft to Greg before April 18.
...and... prepare and practice your Show and Tell presentation.


For April 11:

• Present your show and tell presentation using the best tools to 'WOW' your audience.
• We will also talk about 'The Power of Stories' (or 'The Spark, the change, and the take away')

Week 4; March 28

Nice presentations this week, everyone!

This week we did S&T presentations using a Pechakucha 10X10 format. It seemed to work very well. The next S& T presentations are on April 11. For April 11, students can use any style of presentation .... 5X5, 10X10, 20X20, no ppt, realia, .... anything. The only limitation is time; you must keep your presentation under 6 minutes and 41 seconds (that's a 20X20).

We looked at Power Poses; 2 minute power positions that affect hormone levels in people to help them become more confident people. Remember, practice a power pose before your present!

For April 4

We will focus on writing a script for the mid-term group presentation. So, this will be a workshop class with very little of me, and lots and lots of you! Come prepared with ideas and notebooks. Be prepared to research, write, collect and re-write ideas for your mid-term presentation topic.

Note: 

1. There is no time limit on the mid-term presentations.
2. Scripts are to be done in 3 stages;
3. Info for writing can be found at eslbee.com