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Welcome to Navigate Powered by NIDES English 9! Please note that the First Assignment is a requirement to be registered in the course.

Instructions: This assignment is intended to take approximately 5 - 10 hours to complete. It is worth 10% of your final grade for the course, so complete it carefully:

1. Read each question carefully before answering2. Answer all questions to the best of your ability, and in your own words. Plagiarized

assignments will not be accepted, and you will not be registered in the course. 3. Take your time and explore all of the resources. You will receive a higher mark on your

First Assignment if you include your learning from the readings and resources provided. If you need help, contact the English 9 teacher. Teacher contact information can be found on the Navigate website

4. When you have completed this assignment, return it as an attachment to an email to: registrar@sd71.bc.ca or attach it to your registration form

Office Use Only Date: Part 1 Starting Points /18 Part 2 Grammar /70 Total /88Teacher feedback:

English 9 First Assignment

Learning Outcomes:

Transform ideas and information to create original texts

Use an increasing repertoire of conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world

Respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways

English 9 First Assignment Part 1: Starting Points

Starting Points Assignment /18 MARKS

This is an opportunity for your teacher to view some of your writing. The following pieces are to be written in a single Word document, you will save in your English 9 folder as Starting Points and will send in as your ‘First Assignment’ once you have completed.

For this activity, you will need to focus on the 3 types of writing below: persuasive, fiction/narrative and poetry.

Instructions

1. Persuasive Writing (6 MARKS): write a 300 - 500 word persuasive article on ONE of the following topics:

Instant Messaging through Texting or Facebook is a waste of life. 

OR

Instant Messaging through Texting or Facebook is one of the good things in life. 

OR

Internet use by teens should be completely monitored by adults. 

OR

Teens are not in danger when they have free access to the Internet without an adult present and should have freedom to roam.

INSERT PERSUASIVE WRITING ARTICLE HERE

2. Fiction Writing (6 MARKS) and write a 300 - 500 word scene from a story. Instructions are as follows:

1. Quickly think of a story, it can be one you make up or one you already know.2. Choose one scene from the story (it could be an action scene, or the very opening of the

story, or...)

INSERT FICTION WRITING HERE

3. Poetry Writing (6 MARKS), write a free style or rhyming poem. Instructions are as follows:

1. Look outside.2. Write a poem about what you see, hear, and feel.

INSERT POEM HERE

English 9 First Assignment Part 2: Grammar

Spelling

At the Grade Nine level, it is expected that you have an understanding of some basic spelling rules and are spelling fairly well. 

One of the most frequent errors that appear student’s writing is using the wrong form of a word - for example, using "there" when you should be using "their".

Lesson 1: Spelling

Being a good speller is a skill, and like any other skill, you can get better at it with pratice. It is important to improve your spelling because when you write something, no matter how great your ideas, if it is riddled with spelling errors, that's what your reader will focus on. Also, you get better marks for written assignments with few spelling mistakes. 

To practice your spelling, go to the website below, watch the videos, play the games and do the quizzes. You should spend about 35 minutes exploring the site by following the instructions below.

The link below will take you to an exceptional site to help you some grammar basics. 

BBC Videos and activities on spelling

1. Watch all of the videos - Plurals, Prefixes and Suffixes, Root Words, Common Letter Patterns, Memory Aids, and Words to Watch out for. They are only a minute each, but they will give you great tips for being a better speller. 

2. Pick 3 small quizzes and complete them.3. Play 2 games

Follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english to go to the BBC Spelling Activities for Confusing Words and other English writing skill building activities.

There is no marked activity for Lesson 1 – go on to Lesson 2

Lesson 2: Commonly Confused Words

English is a complicated language and there are always those words that will give you headaches. Is it their, there, or they’re? It’s or its? Affect vs. effect? All of the answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this assignment. Hopefully you will be able to correct those minor errors that need to be caught now that you are in Grade 9. So read over the explanations and examples provided here and complete the subsequent assignment for marks.

Affect vs. Effect

“Affect” is usually a verb, meaning “to influence”

            Ex. Jerry Seinfeld has affected the career plans of many young comedians. 

“Effect” is usually a noun, meaning “result”

            Ex. The effect of the cockroach invasion was a deserted café. 

“Effect” can also be used as a verb meaning “to cause”

            Ex. Michael Jordan’s injury effected a change in the NBA schedule.

 “a lot” not “allot”

It is two separate words, do not try to combine them into one. “Allot” is a word but it means to allocate or to divide up.

Ex. I was allotted a piece of land after my grandfather died.

It’s vs. Its

“its” is a possessive pronoun. It indicates that “it” has something.

            Ex. The dog wants its water dish filled.

 “it’s” is short for “it is”.

            Ex. It’s time to leave for school.

Loose vs. Lose

“Lose” means to misplace or not to win.

            Ex. Be careful not to lose your wallet.

            Ex. Mike hates to lose at poker.

 “Loose” means too large, not tightly fitting.

            Ex. That shirt is too loose, maybe try a smaller size.

 Past vs. Passed

“Past” is something that has already occurred; it is history.

            Ex. His work in the past has been very good.

“Passed” is the past tense of the verb to pass.

            Ex. The car passed me when I was at the corner of the road.

Principal vs. Principle

“Principal” is the person who is the head of a school.

            Ex. My teacher sent me to the principal’s office.

“Principal” can also mean first in importance.

            Ex. He is the principal investigator on this case.

“Principle” is a basic truth or law.

            Ex. Murphy’s Laws contain principles that never fail.

A good trick to follow is that a principal should be your pal and principle and rule both end in -le.

Than vs. Then

“Than” is a conjunction used for comparison between two clauses.

            Ex. Antonio is taller than Stefan is.

“Then” is an adverb that is used to show time.

            Ex. We went for a swim and then went home for a nap.

Their / There / They’re (this one is a very common mix up!)

“Their” is a possessive and shows plural ownership.

            Ex. They could not find their books.

“There” indicates a direction or location.

            Ex. I wouldn’t go there again.

 “There” is also a way to introduce a thought.

            Ex. There is a fly in my soup.

            Ex. There are two ways to approach this problem.

“They’re” is a contraction of “They are”. If you cannot substitute “they are” in the sentence then you should not use “they’re”.

            Ex. They’re the best tires money can buy.

 Threw vs. Through

“Threw” is the past tense of the verb to throw.

            Ex. He threw the ball.

“Through” means to go in one side and out the other.

            Ex. The ball went through the window.

You’re vs. Your

“Your” is a possessive that shows ownership.

            Ex. Your shoes look fabulous!

“You’re” is a contraction of “You are”. If you cannot substitute “you are” in the sentence then you should not use “you’re”.

            Ex. You’re a great friend.

Some of these confusing words are also called Homonyms. Homonyms are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Below is a list of the most commonly confused homonyms with brief reminders about their meanings.

accept (receive) except (leave out) 

brake (stop movement) break (split or smash) 

cite (quote) sight (vision) site (place, position) 

compliment (a flattering remark) complement (completes something else) 

desert (withdraw from or a geographical location) dessert (sweets) 

fairy (imaginary small person with special powers) ferry (boat for carrying people or vehicles on water) 

formally (customary) formerly (time past)   

hole (hollow place) whole (entire) 

lead (metal) led (past tense of lead) 

weather (atmosphere) whether (indicating choice) 

who's (who is) whose (possessive of who) 

to (toward) too (excessively) two (one plus one)

It would be a good idea to print out the above and keep it handy when you are writing to prevent those pesky commonly confused words mistakes.

There is no marked activity for Lesson 2. Go on to Lesson 3

 Apostrophe’s and “Quotation Marks” 

This section will take a look at a couple of punctuation tools that are frequently misused or not used at all: the apostrophe and quotation marks.

The apostrophe is used to indicate possession and is often confused with making something plural (multiple things instead of one) because both involve the addition of an “s”.

Quotation marks can be used in a variety of ways but for this assignment we will look at how to use quotation marks to indicate when someone is speaking or using dialogue.

Lesson 3: The Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used to form possessives of nouns (person/place/thing). To see if you need to make a possessive, turn the phrase around and make it an “of the…” phrase. 

            Ex. The boy’s hat = the hat of the boy

 If the noun after “of” is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed.

             Ex. Room of the hotel = hotel room

 Once you have determined whether you need to make a possessive, follow these easy rules to create one. 

 1. add ’s to the singular form of the word, even if it already ends in s

Ex. The owner’s hat 

Ex. James’s hat

 2.  Add ’s to the plural forms that do not end in s

 Ex. The children’s game

 Ex. The geese’s honking

 3.  Add ’ to the end of plural nouns that end in s

 Ex. The students’ tests

 Ex. Three friends’ letters

4. add ‘s to the end of compound words

Ex. My brother-in-law’s money

5. add ‘s to the last noun to show joint possession of an object

Ex. Todd and Anne’s apartment

Don’t use apostrophes for possessive pronouns or for noun plurals (more than one).

Apostrophes should not be used with possessive pronouns because possessive pronouns already show possession so they don’t need an apostrophe. His, her, its, my, yours, ours are all possessive pronouns.

Ex. His’ book wrong

                        His book  correct

Proofreading for apostrophes:

A good time to proofread is when you have finished writing the paper. Try the following strategies:

• If you tend to leave out apostrophes, check every word that ends in -s or -es to see if it needs an apostrophe.

• If you put in too many apostrophes, check every apostrophe to see if you can justify it with a rule for using apostrophes.

Apostrophes can also be used to show that letters or figures have been taken out of a word. This is most commonly used in the form of contractions.

              Ex. Did not = didn’t

                    Is not = isn’t

                    He is = he’s

                    Who is = who’s

                    1961 Mustang = ’61 Mustang

                    Summer of 1969 = summer of ‘69

The one contraction that seems to cause the most problems is “it’s”. “It’s” is short for “it is” while the possessive form of “it” becomes “its” without the apostrophe. So if you ever use the word “it’s”, make sure that you could replace it with “it is”.

Lesson 3 marked activity – Apostrophes /15 MARKS

Put the apostrophes in the correct places. If apostrophes are not needed, write ‘correct’ next to the sentence 

1. Who is the partys candidate for vice president this year?

2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.

3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and it’s just about to fall apart.

4. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and

Snow Whites wicked stepmother.

5. We claimed the picnic table, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed that we found

another spot.

6. It’s important that the kitten learns to find its way home.

7. She did not hear her childrens cries.

8. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.

9. Didn’t he say when he would arrive at Arnies house?

10. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldn’t identify the manufacturers name

on it.

11. Little girls clothing is on the first floor, and the mens department is on the second.

12. The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.

13. The moons rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects chirpings and whistlings.

14. I cant believe that its time to go back to school.

15. The summer of 05 didnt last as long as Cam thought it would.

Lesson 4: Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used to show when you record someone’s exact words.

             Ex. Rutger said, “My dog is my best friend.”

Notice the proper format for using the quotation marks. There is a comma that separates the rest of the sentence from what was said and the period is inside the quotation marks. Here is another example of how to use quotation marks:

             Ex. “I’ll go to the store with you,” Jamie said.

This time the quote did not end the sentence so there is a comma at the end, followed by the rest of the sentence. At the end of each quote there should be either a comma if you want to write more, or punctuation to end the sentence like a period or question mark. You can also add in more dialogue by:

             Ex. “I’ll go to the store with you,” Jamie said, “I feel like buying some candy.”

So whenever you add in a quote you need to put a comma before the dialogue. Another important thing to notice is that the first letter of any quote should be capitalized.

           Ex. He turned to me and declared, “The world is ending!”

"The” is capitalized because it starts the quote. The exception to this is if you are continuing one quote but it has been split up.

          Ex. “Why don’t you just leave,” I muttered, “and never come back.”

Now sometimes in a story you write dialogue between two characters as they speak to one another. Each time the speaker changes, you should begin a new paragraph.

            “Does it end happily ever after?” asked Sue, sitting up suddenly. Her eyes were wide open now.            “You know,” said her father.            “No, I don’t,” she protested.            “She was a princess,” he asked, “wasn’t she?”            “Of course.”            “Well then,” he replied, “it has to end happily ever after, doesn’t it?”

But there are instances where you are writing something someone said but it is not a direct quote. In this case you don’t need to use quotation marks. Take a look at the difference.

            Ex. Bill promised, “I won’t do it again.”            Bill promised he wouldn’t do it again. 

Lesson 4 marked activity - Quotation Marks /10 MARKS

Put the quotation marks in the correct place

1.  I know you can do it said Carol.

2. The driver told us that we were on the wrong bus.

3. Let’s go to the park for a bike ride she offered.

4. Do you think that he left because he was mad she asked me.

5. Laurie looked at us and said it was your fault.

6. No the child screamed I don’t want to go!

7. Fall is coming he said.

8. Sally said I practice every Saturday afternoon.

9. Are you crazy I replied when do you play outside?

10. I admitted that I broke the stapler.

Sentence Structure – The Building Blocks

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought and has a subject (noun) and a predicate (action/verb).   Begin a sentence with a capital letter, and end it with a punctuation mark. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well writing a good sentence is a little more difficult than that. This assignment will teach you how to avoid sentence structure problems such as sentence fragments and run-on sentences and teach you how to combine sentences in order to create more interesting and cohesive paragraphs.

Lesson 5: Sentence Fragments

One of the problems with written English is that we think and converse in fragments; we don’t use complete sentences when we are thinking internally or talking with our friends. Unfortunately, when you create written work you are not always there to clarify these partial thoughts or comments, so you need to make sure that your writing is clear and easy to understand. So what is a sentence fragment you say? Let’s take a look at some examples of fragments and complete sentences. 

Fragment                                        Complete

Few rainy days for Max Keebler.       There are few rainy days for Max Keebler.

Max, living in his own world of wonders           

Max always seems to be living in his own world of wonders.

Reading or making up his own games.           

He enjoys reading or making up his own games.

The fragments are incomplete thoughts that are missing a key part of the sentence such as the subject or the action. Do not assume that sentence fragments are always shorter because that is not the case. 

Sentence fragments can be corrected in another way. By attaching them to other sentences.

Take a look at the second sentence in italics. Is it a complete sentence? No, it is a sentence fragment. In this case you don’t have to rework that sentence, instead you can replace that comma with a period and combine it with the previous sentence. So the final sentence would be:

Sentence fragments can be corrected in another way, by attaching them to other sentences.

Watch this BrainPop video and do the quiz on Sentence Fragments (usename: nides password: school)

Lesson 5 marked activity – Sentence Fragments /10 MARKS

Decide if the following are fragments or complete sentences. Write S for sentence and F for fragment

1. Hard for most of us to understand. (     ) 

2. Someone like Max Keebler is hard for us to understand. (     ) 

3. Nothing upsetting to Max. (     ) 

4. Not even bullies, tests, or big brothers? (     ) 

5. Max always seems to see the fun side of things. (     ) 

6. A boring day for him is a wild adventure. (     ) 

7. Even when it is full of school, homework and chores. (     ) 

8. Washing the dishes, putting away the knives and forks. (     ) 

9. How can Max always be so positive and happy? (     ) 

10. Maybe because he was just born that way. (     ) 

 Lesson 6: Run-On Sentences

You can correct a sentence fragment by combining it with another sentence but you cannot combine two complete sentences with a comma. If you connect two complete sentences together then you get a run-on sentence. Run-on sentences do not have to be long, they just have to combine two complete sentences or ideas. For example, “Come inside, its raining” is a run-on sentence because those are two complete sentences.   There are a few ways to fix or avoid run-on sentences, which will be discussed in this lesson, but first let’s look at some examples.

Run-On Sentence                                                     Corrected

My room wins the prize for messiness to                   My room wins the prize for

get to my bed I have to dig a tunnel.                         messiness. To get to my bed…

He can’t remember anything, he has to be                He can’t remember anything. He

reminded to take the wrapper off a stick of              has to be reminded…

chewing gum.

Those last two sentences contain exaggerations,      Those last two sentences contain

they could be part of a tall tale.                             exaggerations; they could be part…

 

So these examples demonstrate two ways of correcting run-on sentences. The first model has no punctuation between the complete thoughts. The second and third models illustrate a more common run-on error – the dreaded comma splice. A comma splice is when you use a comma to connect two complete ideas/sentences. The way to correct this is to either place a period between the two ideas or, if the ideas are closely related, to place a semi-colon (;) as demonstrated in the third model.

Another way of correcting run-on sentences is by making one of the two complete ideas an incomplete idea. You can do this by adding what is called a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that joins one part of a sentence to another. Some commonly used conjunctions are: although, because, and, as, but, for, however, if, nor, or, since, than, that, though, unless, when, whereas, whether, while and yet. Here are a couple of examples of how to use conjunctions to correct run-on sentences.

 Ex.      Windsurfing is fun, many people consider it more difficult than sailing.

           Windsurfing is fun, but many people consider it more difficult than sailing.

 Ex.      Brad will bring snacks, Sarah will bring videos.

           Brad will bring snacks, and Sarah will bring videos. 

 There are two types of conjunctions: coordinating and subordinating. Both can be used to connect the two complete thoughts of a run-on sentence, but they work a little differently.  

Coordinating conjunctions make each complete thought in a sentence equal with the others. The list of coordinating conjunctions includes: and, but, or, nor, for, yet.

 Ex.       Abby has a vivid imagination, she is also very creative.

             Abby has a vivid imagination, and she is also very creative.  

Subordinate conjunctions connect two ideas together by making one dependent upon the other. Subordinating conjunctions include: although, because, while, before, if, after, since, unless, when, as, though, until. Here are two complete thoughts:

o I like pizza. I rarely eat it.o Although I like pizza, I rarely eat it. o I like pizza, although I rarely eat it. 

Notice the subordinate conjunction although in the second sentence. The subordinate conjunction makes the first sentence dependent; it cannot stand on its own. So it has become subordinate to the second idea. 

Watch this BrainPop video and do the quiz on Run-on Sentences (username: nides password: school)

Lesson 6 marked activity: Run-On Sentences /15 MARKS

Part 1

Take a look at these example pairs of run-on sentences and highlight the letter of the one that is correctly punctuated.

 

1. (a) Henry Whopper was a teller of tall tales, he even told them to his teachers.

    (b) Henry Whopper was a teller of tall tales. He even told them to his teachers.

 

2. (a) One day Ms. Nesbit, the history teacher, asked Henry where his homework was, she should have known better than to ask!

    (b) One day Ms. Nesbit, the history teacher, asked Henry where his homework was. She should have known better than to ask!

  

3. (a) Henry sighed and dropped his eyes. In fact, he seemed almost ready to cry.

    (b) Henry sighed and dropped his eyes, in fact, he seemed almost ready to cry.

 

4. (a) He began, “Well, Ms. Nesbit, I did do my homework, actually, I did it three times.” 

    (b) He began, “Well, Ms. Nesbit, I did do my homework. Actually, I did it three times.”

 

5. (a) “My pet gerbil Godzilla chewed my first copy in tiny pellets. My little sister used the second one to practice her finger painting.”

    (b) “My pet gerbil Godzilla chewed my first copy in tiny pellets, my little sister used the second one to practice her finger painting.”

 

Part 2 – Coordinating Conjunctions

In the following sentences, use a coordinating conjunction to connect the two parts of the run-on sentence. Remember the list of coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet)

  Ex. Abby’s inventions often fail, (but) she never gets discouraged. 

1. One of Abby Armstrong’s failures was fortunate, it led to a future success.

 

 2. The failure was an invention she first called a page-turner, she later called it a page- ripper.

 

 3. It was made of paper clips attached to a strong spring, it was supposed to turn the page of a book when you pressed it.

 

 4. The spring was so strong that it tore the page in half, the book slammed shut.

 

 5. Abby was not upset, the accident had, in fact, given her a new idea.

Part 3 – Subordinate Conjunctions

Fill in the blanks with a subordinate conjunction that best completes the sentence.

1.  __________ one of her ideas got her into trouble, Abby still did not get discouraged.

 

2. One such unfortunate idea came to her one day __________ she was taking a shower.

 

3. __________ she closed the bathtub drain as she took a shower, then she could save the water and wash her dog Fluffy in it.

 

4. __________ the bathtub was still not full enough to wash Fluffy, Abby let the shower continue to run as she got dressed.

 

5. __________ she was downstairs looking for Fluffy, Abby noticed water dripping through the ceiling.

Lesson 7: Unity

 There are two aspects to unity: Coherence and Organization 

Coherence - Transitions Between Ideas

The most convincing arguments in the world, expressed in the most beautiful sentences, will still cause your reader to find something else to read or turn on the television if your writing doesn't make the proper connections between your ideas!

Providing transitions between ideas is largely a matter of attitude. You must never assume that your readers know what you know. In fact, it's a good idea to assume not only that your readers need all the information that you have and need to know how you arrived at the point you're at, but also that they are not quite as quick as you are.

There are two basic ways of creating coherence: The first is using transitional expressions, and the second involves a combo of repeating key words and phrases, using pronoun reference, and using parallel form.

1. Using Transitional Expressions

Transitional expressions can be simple — the little conjunctions: and, but, nor, for, yet, or, (and sometimes) so — or complex — adverbs and conjunctions like however, moreover, nevertheless, on the other hand.

The use of the little conjunctions — especially and and but — comes naturally for most writers. Often the use of an initial conjunction calls attention to the sentence in an effective way, and

that's just what you want.  Here is a chart of the transitional devices accompanied with a simplified definition of function:

Additionagain, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too

Comparison also, in the same way, likewise, similarlyConcession granted, naturally, of course

Contrast

although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, regardless, still, though, yet

Emphasis certainly, indeed, in fact, of course

example orillustration

after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance, in conclusion, indeed, in fact, in other words, in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is, to illustrate, thus, truly

Summaryall in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize

time sequence

after a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at that time, before, besides, earlier, eventually, finally, formerly, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now, presently, second, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently, then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when

A word of caution people…don't just use these words to the point of excess. Instead, make sure that you use them at the start of a paragraph, different topic, between ideas or even in compound/complex sentences. Otherwise, too many of these will stick out like a sore thumb!

2. Key Words and Phrases

These come in two handy, easy to use varieties!

1. Restated Words/Phrases: These can be based on the topic of your writing. If you are writing about mummification, use the word “mummification” or “mummies”…be specific!

2. Parallel Structure: This technique involves using is the repetition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. 

Example 

The ancient Egyptians were masters of preserving dead people's bodies by making mummies of them. Mummies several thousand years old have been discovered nearly intact. The skin, hair, teeth, fingernails and toenails, and facial features of the mummies were evident. It is possible to diagnose the disease they suffered in life, such as smallpox, arthritis, and nutritional deficiencies. The process was remarkably effective. Sometimes apparent were the fatal afflictions of the dead people: a middle-aged king died from a blow on the head, and polio killed a child king. Mummification consisted of removing the internal organs, applying natural preservatives inside and out, and then wrapping the body in layers of bandages.

Though weak, this paragraph is not a total washout. It starts with a topic sentence, and the sentences that follow are clearly related to the topic sentence. In the language of writing, the paragraph is unified (i.e., it contains no irrelevant details). However, the paragraph is not coherent, as in it is confusing. The sentences are disconnected from each other, making it difficult for the reader to follow the writer's train of thought. 

Below is the same paragraph revised for coherence. Italics indicates pronouns and repeated/restated key words, bold indicates transitional tag-words, and underlining indicates parallel structures.

The ancient Egyptians were masters of preserving dead people's bodies by making mummies of them. In short, mummification consisted of removing the internal organs, applying natural preservatives inside and out, and then wrapping the body in layers of bandages. And the process was remarkably effective. Indeed, mummies several thousand years old have been discovered nearly intact. Their skin, hair, teeth, fingernails and toenails, and facial features are   still   evident.  Their diseases in life, such as smallpox, arthritis, and nutritional deficiencies, are   still   diagnosable . Even their fatal afflictions are   still   apparent : a middle-aged king died from a blow on the head; a child king died from polio.

You see? Just a few of these devices make this paragraph waaaaay more readable and coherent….

So what is a paragraph? A bunch of sentences thrown together? A couple of graphs put beside each other? Actually a paragraph is a group of sentences which all talk about one topic or idea. If all of the sentences are focused on one idea then a paragraph has unity. This central idea/topic comes from your topic sentence, which is usually found at the beginning of your paragraph. This sentence tells the reader what your paragraph is all about. Writing a clear and focused topic sentence is the first step to creating unity.  

Lesson 7 marked activity – Unity /10 MARKS

Part 1

The topic sentence for a paragraph is given below, followed by a number of details. Decide which details could be included in a paragraph with that topic sentence and cross out the details which do not focus on the topic sentence.

Topic Sentence: On the bus next to me sat the strangest looking woman I had ever seen.

Details: 

1. She had a wart on her chin with hairs growing out of it.2. Her dog was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt3. She wore purple eye shadow and dark black lipstick4. Her hands were covered in jewelry that you would find in a cracker jack box5. Her breathing was raspy as though each breath might be her last6. On her forearm was a tattoo of a flaming skull7. She looked like she was enjoying the bus8. Her clothing was covered in paint and what appeared to be glitter.9. She smelled as though she had been hanging around the perfume counter too much.

So the key to this activity is making sure that the information you include in the main body of your paragraph relates directly back to your topic sentence. Remember, this is only a paragraph, not an essay, so you need to keep everything focused on the idea introduced in your topic sentence.

Part 2

Let’s flip this around and this time you will have all the details from the paragraph but you will have to provide the topic sentence. Hint: look for the key words that add specifics and focus the content of the essay. An example would be “northern town”.

Details:

1. The streets were narrow and covered with snow and ice for most of the year.2. There were really only about four or five streets in the little town and so in the winter

there was nowhere to drive the car except out of town.3. The houses were wooden and poorly insulated, obviously erected very cheaply for the

workers at the mill.4. Sulphur dioxide filled the air with the smell of rotten eggs that clung to your clothes, your

hair and your skin.5. This gas was produced as a by-product of the pulp and paper industry which controlled all

aspects of the town’s life.6. If anything good was to come of living in this little northern town it would not come from

the roads, the buildings, or even the air itself.

Topic Sentence: _________________________________________________________

When details are put in order they make up the main body of the paragraph. Think of the main body as the meat in the hamburger, sandwiched between the top bun (topic sentence) and the bottom bun (concluding sentence)...

   

So now you know about the first two parts of a paragraph (topic sentence and main body) and how they fit together. There is one more important part of a paragraph that you need to know, the concluding sentence. It is cliché but think of a paragraph like a hamburger. The topic sentence and conclusion are the two pieces of bun and they usually appear at the beginning and end of a paragraph. The “meat” is the main body of paragraph with all the details. It just wouldn’t taste the same without all three pieces just the same as a paragraph just isn’t the same without a conclusion. The goal of a conclusion is to sum up the main points in your paragraph and make sure they all connect back to your topic sentence.     

Here is a brief list of things that you might accomplish in your concluding sentence There are certainly other things that you can do, and you certainly don't want to do all these things. They're only suggestions:

include a brief summary of the paper's main points. ask a provocative question. use a quotation. evoke a vivid image. call for some sort of action. end with a warning. suggest results or consequences

Now go back to the previous activity on the northern town. Which one of these details would be considered the concluding sentence? Why?

Lesson 8 – Organization

Hopefully you have an understanding of the main parts of a paragraph (topic sentence, main body and conclusion) because now you are going to look at how the individual parts all fit together. This is where coherence comes into play. Coherence is the arrangement of sentences in an order that makes sense. When you write with coherence, your ideas will lead naturally from one to the next. You can’t jump around from idea to idea without any connections because it will rattle your reader’s brain and make your message less clear. The question is, how do you create organization? Here are some answers…

Arrangement of ideas

You need to arrange your ideas in a logical order before you write your paragraph. Outlines and graphic organizers will help you with this.

Some possible ways to order your ideas are: chronological order (time), physical order (place), order of importance, order of climax (build suspense leading to a climax).

Connections/Transitions

You can use transition words to connect your sentences together and create flow between your ideas.

A simple use of transition words at the beginning of sentences would be: firstly…secondly…thirdly… This is a very basic example of using transitions but it is a good place to start.

Remember, your transitions should reflect the arrangement of your ideas (see above). Here is a chart that might help you out. 

Type of Arrangement Transition words

Time then, presently next, before, later, afterwards during, now, eventually

Physical Order to the right, to the left, above, below, under, in the distance, straight ahead

Order of Importance more importantly to some degree to a lesser extent

Similar Ideas in addition also moreover in the same way likewise

Different Ideas on the other hand on the contrary however nevertheless otherwise

Conclusion therefore so for this reason thus hence

 Lesson 8 marked activity – Organization /10 MARKS

Part 1

Here is an example of a chronological paragraph with the sentences put in the wrong order. Read the sentences and put them in the logical order by writing the numbers 1-6 below. Also circle any transition words that add to the overall organization.

1. Rios, knowing that Pavano’s curve wasn’t working, looked for another fastball on the second pitch.

2. Meanwhile, the Yankee defense steadied itself for a play at sany base.3. So some lucky fan in the left field upper deck got a five-hundred-foot souvenir.4. Alex Rios came to bat with the bases loaded.5. He got it.6. The first pitch to Rios was a strike – a fastball right down the middle.

Order: ____________________________

Using order and transitions to create coherence is a very important part of engaging your reader and keeping your ideas clear. If you jump around too much or the order of your ideas is not effective then the reader will become confused and your message will not be heard, and that is the reason for writing a paragraph.

Part 2

Based on what you have learned in these lessons, in 2 or 3 sentences, write what your definition of a GOOD paragraph is.

INSERT DEFINITION HERE

When you have completed this assignment, return it as an attachment to an email to: registrar@sd71.bc.ca or attach it to your registration form