Communicative Writing April 27,2002

Housekeeping:

1. If you have an e-mail account and have never e-mailed me, please send me a short e-mail so I can make a class list of e-mail addresses.
2. Remember to give me your tape today if you want me to respond to your composition verbally this week.
3. If you have forgotten you tape, tell me and I will provide one.

Overview of the class home page:

1. I have changed the home page to try to make it easier to navigate.
2. If you have trouble navigating, and get stuck somewhere, please tell me.
3. Journal: If you are having trouble thinking of topics for your journal, look at the Journal Topics page where there are more than 350 suggestions.

Developing pre-writing skills:

1. Today we will look at ways of developing pre-writing skills and then apply them to writing an independent paragraph.
2. Returning students can do the exercises with us today or choose something else that you would like to write about.

Brainstorming.

1. Go to the brainstorming page and choose a topic for the teacher to brainstorm.
2. Choose one of the topics and brainstorm for yourself.
3. Go to the paragraphing page and look at topic sentences and paragraphing.
4. Give me a paragraph that includes what you did when you brainstormed the topic.
5. Underline the sentence in your paragraph that is your topic sentence.

Remember to give me your tape today.

Cultural Expectations:

• Both teachers and students come to a new class with cultural expectations of how a class will be.
• In your head you have a number of ideas about what I should do in class and what you should do in class. In your journal this week, write your ideas about the following questions and complete the sentences.
• How many of you have ever taken a writing class from a foreigner? Was it different from that of a Japanese teacher? How?
• A composition teacher will...
• A composition student will...

We will talk more about cultural expectations during the term. Don't be afraid to say to me in your journal, "Why do you do . . .?" or "Why don't you do . . .? or "Could we try . . .?"