Trick or Treat...

Hello students!

In today's lab you will be free to express your most devilish thoughts to write a Halloween story.


But, before starting,

Did you know that...?

The word Halloween dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin. The word "Halloween" means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening". It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day). According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan roots.

Have you ever gone trick-or-treating?

Have you ever worn a halloween costume?

Activity 1

Read the ending below:

But that is not the worst. The worst is that sometimes I am  convinced she is still out there, and I will see her again: the little girl in the bunny costume,  Amelie. I cannot get rid of the idea that some Halloween night when  I look out past the little witches and princesses and firemen on our porch, she will  be there too: standing halfway down the path in her  greyish-black raincoat under a pale old umbrella, waiting for me.

THE END

Activity 2

Based on the given ending and the pictures, brainstorm ideas for :

• Setting
• Characters
• Plot --> Go over the chart below to help you

Do not change the given ending!

LabWork

Using all your notes taken previously, write the beginning of the story together with 4 or 5 other classmates.

- Write this horror story following the next structure:

• Beginning of your story: 1 paragraph
• Raising action and conflict: 1 paragraph
• Climax: 1 paragraph
• Falling action: 1 paragraph
• End: 1 paragraph

Group Project: Writing Opinion Paragraphs

Dear students,

You are about to finish unit 2 and as a final task you are going to work with some of your classmates to write a set of opinion paragraphs.

Discussion

Before you get started, have a look at the following picture.

• What do you think about what Malala declares?
• Do you agree or disagree with her?
• What are your main reasons of why you agree or disagree with her?
• What would be your final thought regarding this topic?

Project

Education has always been a controversial topic to write about, but it is not the only one. Below, there is a list of questions. Choose the one that most calls your attention.

• Should students have part-time jobs?
• Should education be free?
• Should marihuana be legalized?
• Should homosexuals have the right to adopt children?
• Should books be tax free?
• Should fast-food restaurants be banned from operating in Chile?
• Should parents teach children about sexuality?
• Should the show biz be banned from Chilean TV?
• Should people be banned from smoking in public areas?

For this project you will need to work in groups of 3-4. Then, follow the next steps to write your opinion paragraphs. You'll find some useful expression to write your paragraphs at the end of this entry.

1. Read the title of the composition and think about what your opinion is.
2. Brainstorm: think about what you want to say and write down all your ideas.
3. Choose the most interesting or relevant ideas to support your opinion.
4. Organize the ideas into paragraphs and put the paragraphs in order: 
• Opening paragraph: state the topic and give your opinion. Introduce 3 ideas that support your opinion.
• Body paragraphs (3 paragraphs): each paragraph develops one idea that supports your opinion
• Conclusion paragraph: summarize your opinion and give a final recommendation
5. Write a draft.
6. Edit your draft: check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
7. Have your draft edited by the whole group.
8. Share your final composition with your teacher.

Useful expressions you can use in your text to…

Introduce your opinion:

In my opinion…                                                     

I(personally) think/I believe/                               

I feel/I don’t feel that…                                         

In my view/ In my point of view ….                     

As I see it…                                                            

As far as I’m concerned …                                    

It’s clear to me that…                                           

I agree/I don’t agree that…

Sequence ideas:

To begin with…                                                      

The first point is…                                                

First of all …/First/Firstly,...                               

Secondly/ Thirdly…                                               

Finally…/Lastly…                                                 

Add information

Furthermore,  …                                                    

Moreover,  ….                                                         

In addition, …                                                        

Besides, …                                                              

What is more, …                                                    

Also…/...too                                                            

As well as…                                                            

Apart from (that)…            

Give a reason

Due to(+noun)/Due to the fact that(+sentence)     

Owing to(+noun)/Owing to the fact that(+sentence)   

Because……(+sentence)                                       

Because of………(+noun e.g.: the rain)               

Since…/As……(+sentence e.g.: he is the boss)  

That’s why ...                                                          

For this/that reason                                                          

                                  

Express a consequence

Cosequently…                                                        

Therefore…                                                            

So…                                                                         

As a result of…                                                      

This means that…                                                             

Introduce the conclusion

In short…                                                                

In brief…                                                                 

In summary…                                                        

To sum up                                                                           

In conclusion…                                                      

To conclude…                                                         

Fixing things up!

Dear students,

It's time to stop and review the quality of your writing. In today's lab sessión, you'll work on puctuation and types of sentences. To finish, you'll review some aspect of giving opinion.

Checking the punctuation

As well as spelling correctly, you are expected to use correct punctuation. You must use capital letters in the correct places and use punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and question marks correctly. It is also important to indent each paragraph.

Indent	This is done at the beginning of each paragraph.
Capital letters	These are used at the beginning of each sentence and for proper nouns.
Period, question mark, exclamation point	One of this is always used at the end of a sentence.
Commas	In a list of three or more things. i.e. Home-cooked food is nutritious, tasty, and inexpensive.
	To separate transition words from the rest of the sentence. i.e. Additionally, physical education teaches children important skills such as teamwork.
	Between two independent clauses. i.e. Art and music classes are important, but academic classes are even more important.
	To separate a non-restrictive clause i.e. Maple syrup, which is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree, is an expensive treat.
	After a subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence. i.e. If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have lost the watch.

Time for Practice!

(Check your Google Docs)

Sentence Types

Using variety in your sentences keeps your writing lively and interesting. It also shows the range of your writing ability. One way you can vary your sentences is by using a variety of sentence types. There are four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.

Simple sentence	A simple sentence has one subject and one verb. i.e. Television offers a variety of programs.
Compound sentence	A compound sentence has two or more simple sentences linked by the conjunctions and, or, and but. i.e. Some people are not bothered by violent TV programs, but others avoid them.
Complex sentence	A complex sentence is made up of a simple sentence (an independent clause) and one or more subordinate clauses. i.e. I we don’t like a particular TV program, we can easily change the channel.
Compound-complex sentence	A compound-complex sentence has two or more simple sentences and one or more subordinate clauses. i.e. While many people avoid watching violent TV programs, others don’t mind them and they watch them frequently.

Time for Practice!

(Check your Google Docs)

Stating your opinion

The introduction to your piece of writing should tell the reader what your opinion is. There Is no right or wrong opinion. Whatever your opinion is, the reader will look to see how you express it. You can use certain set phrases, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to express your opinion.

Set phrases	Verbs	Adjectives	Adverbs
In my opinion From my point of view In my view To my way of thinking To my mind It seems to me that To me It is my opinion that	Agree Believe Think Understand Suppose Guess Hope Imagine	Certain Positive Convinced Sure Persuaded Confident	Definitely Doubtless Certainly Probably Conceivably Maybe Perhaps Possibly Seemingly

Examples:

1. It seems to me that fathers can take care of children just as well as mothers can.
2. I suppose that some children could benefit from art and music education.
3. I am certain that over-reliance on cars has led to many problems in our society.
4. Parents should definitely put limits on their children’s television viewing.
5. People are probably less polite now than they used to be. 

Time for Practice!

(Check your Google Docs)

LabWork

Choose one of the topics from the section ‘Stating your opinion’ and write two solid paragraphs supporting your opinion and beliefs. Write the assignment using a wide variety of sentences and check your punctuation before submitting your file.

Mystery Story

Hello students,

Today's lab session will be about writing mystery stories. Please read the following information before getting started.

The unknown plays an important role in every mystery story. Who did it? What was that strange noise in the night? Will the detective find the scoundrel? Who (or what) has been pursuing our hero so relentlessly—and why?

As you might guess, mystery writers know the answers to such questions before they begin writing. As they write, they drop clues to the reader.

An observant reader can sometimes figure out the mystery before finishing the story.

In fact, if the ending is a complete surprise, the writer has not done a good job! After finishing a mystery, the reader should be able to go back through the story and find clues that hinted at the solution.

Read the following beginning of a mystery story.

Now think about how you would solve the mystery. Remember to give the reader a few hints along the way, so the ending isn’t a complete surprise.

Answer these questions before you actually write the rest of the story.

1. Who is the old woman?

2. What does she tell Sylvia about the origins of the ring?

3. Is she telling the truth about the ring?

4. Will Sylvia give the ring to her? 

If so, what happens next? 

If not, what happens next?

5. Will Sylvia’s friend Marcy have anything to do with the rest of the story?

If not, why not?

If so, what will Marcy do?

LabWork

Work in small groups of 2-4 and now write the rest of the story.

When you are finished, make up a catchy title for your story.

Remember to share your work with your teacher. Please share it by the end of this class.

“That is a very unusual ring,” the woman went on. “Why, that ring came from…”

(Activities taken from Hutchinson, E. (2005). Narrative Writing. Saddleback Educational Publishing)