After the usual end-of-semester descent into grading hell, we are back with the promised Part Two of our series on thesis statements! One of my projects with my students this month has been to get them to write shorter introductions, so in the spirit of that exercise, let’s get to the point: 2. Ask questions … Continue reading Teaching the Strong Thesis Statement, Part Two
Tag: fun with students
Writing Exercise: Ruin Someone Else’s Work
Pictured: what you want your students to do. Metaphorically. (image credit: seton.co.uk) If you have not yet made acquaintance with Star War the Third Gather: Backstroke of the West, am I ever about to enrich your life. Here’s what happened: in 2005, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith landed in movie theaters, and … Continue reading Writing Exercise: Ruin Someone Else’s Work
The Thing *Is* the Idea, Or: Dogs in the Writing Classroom
Picture, if you will, a dog. No particular kind of dog. Just the first dog that pops into your head. I’ll wait. Got a dog in mind? Good. Which of these specimens would you say is most like the dog you have pictured? When I give my students this exercise, I ask a few volunteers … Continue reading The Thing *Is* the Idea, Or: Dogs in the Writing Classroom
Writing Exercise: The Bucket
Helps With: Imagery, concrete nouns, active verbs, symbolism. Great readers and writers must be great observers, and great observers hone their observational craft on people, places, and objects. In other words, they’re always looking at things (which in this case includes people), and watching what those things do. That’s what most writing is about: things … Continue reading Writing Exercise: The Bucket
Dr. Albert Teaches Writing 