Conversation And Composition Through Unifying Strategies

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THEME 1 CAREERSUnifying Strategy: Introducing People

An Author 14

A photographer 18

A Biologist 22

A Game Designer 26

A. Making Connections to Your Experience When you arrive in a new class or school, you meet new people. Often someone asks you, “Can you tell us about yourself?”

In response, your eyes widen and you feel confusion rush in. You know who you are and what you like to do, but sometimes introducing yourself to others is difficult. You might think, “Where should I start?”

B. Introducing Myself and OthersWhen you meet new people, you need to tell them who you are. You may also need to introduce your friends to others. Introducing someone is like any other types of speaking and writing you’ve done in the past. The only difference is that the subject is a person!

When you introduce people, look for points that help to describe them. If you are introducing yourself, you should describe things about yourself that are interesting. This will give your listeners a good impression of you.

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Introducing PeopleIntroducing PeopleUnifying Strategy:

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C. Giving a Good ImpressionWhen you talk about yourself or someone that you know, follow these basic rules.

(1) Provide central information. This information can include the person’s name, age, where the person lives, and the person’s job.

(2) Provide background information. This can be a story about how the person grew up and where the person came from.

(3) Share your personal beliefs. In an introduction, a person’s personal beliefs can be shared. This can be information about experiences or feelings.

These three elements are great for introducing people. If you want to introduce yourself or a friend to other people, remember to share your central information, background information, and some personal beliefs. 30 to 60 seconds is about the right amount of time for an introduction, but in some situations you can take a few minutes.

D. Applying the New StrategyThere are many times when you will have to introduce yourself, a family member, or a friend. As long as you are meeting new people, you will get plenty of opportunities. As you get older, you will have more stories to share and your self-introductions will change.

This theme has four passages in which real people introduce themselves to you. See how they share their central information, background information, and personal beliefs.

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The graphic organizer shows how Ryan’s self-introduction has included some central information, some background information and some personal beliefs.

E. Using the Strategy in a Graphic OrganizerAfter reading the following passage, see how the graphic organizer is used.

My name is Ryan Brown. I am 34 years old, and I am a pilot in the army. I fly a Blackhawk helicopter, and I usually move people from one place to another. The passengers and I talk to each other using a radio because it’s really loud in my helicopter. In my job, I have to be really careful, but flying is always fun. Looking from above, the world looks so small and beautiful. It makes me forget the problems in my life.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to fly. I dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot. When I first joined the army, I was an ordinary soldier, and I didn’t think I would have the chance to become a

pilot. Later, I was given an opportunity, so I studied hard and attended flight school. I believe it is important that people plan for their future.

Ryan Brown

*name is Ryan Brown*34 years old*helicopter pilot in the army

*when he was a kid, he wanted to fly*he was an ordinary soldier before

*flying is fun and makes him happy*he thinks that people must plan for their future

Name

CentralInformation

BackgroundInformation

Personal Beliefs

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A. Expanding BackgroundAnswer the questions below. Gather and share your opinions.

1. What is an artist? Is there an artist that you like? Who is it?

B. Connecting WordsFill in the blanks with the correct word from the box.

2. What is an author? Who is your favorite author?

1. My grandfather had a very interesting ________________________.

2. The dog _______________ the cat.

3. One day, I will ___________________ a book about my adventures.

4. Jane loves to draw. One day she will be an _________________________.

5. I am going to be a comedian, so I can _______________________ people.

6. Is it _______________________ for you to come to my house tomorrow?

illustrator career entertain publish chased possible

An Author

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What do you think? What do you want to be when you grow up?

Making Books for Children

My name is Georgia Graham. I’m an author of children’s books. I’ve written more than ten of them. I’m also an illustrator. That means that I draw the pictures in the books too. Today my career is really great but it wasn’t always like that. When I was a child, my father gave me paper every day. He brought the paper home from work, and I was always happy to get it. To me, paper was my toy. I made drawings and wrote stories on it. My first drawings were pictures of Bible stories. I went to sunday school at that time, and I wanted to make pictures to entertain the other kids. When I got older, I went to art school... I learned a lot there, but a career as an artist is not always easy...

For many years, my career was going nowhere. I wanted my books to be published, but nobody wanted them. Sometimes, I wanted to throw in the towel, but then my life changed. My books were published. Some people really liked my art!

These days, I’m very busy. I make two books every year. Sometimes, I write them. Other times, I only draw the pictures, but it is always fun.

As I get older, my career gets better, and I’m really happy that I decided to chase my dream. These days, I go to

schools and meet thousands of students. I tell them about my job. I like to tell them that being an artist IS possible.

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■go nowhere: to not be successful

■throw in the towel: to stop trying, to give up

■chase a dream: to try to get something that you really want

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C. Checking ComprehensionAnswer the following questions.

1. What is Georgia Graham’s job? a. teacher b. actor and singerc. author and illustrator d. publisher

2. What did Georgia’s father give her? a. pencils b. paperc. a towel d. a pet dog

3. What does Georgia like to tell students? a. Being an artist is difficult. b. Being an entertainer is good.c. Being an artist is possible. d. Being an artist is fun.

D. Using the Graphic OrganizerRead the passage again and look for the three elements. Then, fill in the graphic organizer the way you were shown on the strategy page.

Name

CentralInformation

BackgroundInformation

Personal Beliefs

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A. Expressing IdeasChoose a question that you want to talk about. Also, create your own question for the class! (Note, some of the strategies come from other themes.)

B. Jotting Down InformationWrite the question you chose in the blank space below. As you are having a conversation with the class, write down your ideas. When you hear good ideas from your classmates, write down their ideas too.

C. Preparing to Write Your ideas gathered from the discussion will help you write a paragraph. Continue to the composition on page 2 of your workbook.

My ideas and supporting ideas My classmates’ ideas

Topic 1 An Author

Fatima Miguel

Henri

Yoko

Introduction

Introduce yourself. Don’t forget your personal beliefs!

Apply the theme’s unifying strategy Five WsTalk about an adult

you know who has a job. What do they to?

Introduction

What is your talent? What can you do better

than other people?

Your Question

Personal Response

What is your plan to achieve your dream?