UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO PARAGRAPHS Lesson focuses: Definition of a paragraph Formatting a paragraph Overview of paragraph structure Time allocation table: periods Order 1.1 Contents Definition of a paragraph Paragraph format Paragraph Structure Time 1st and 2nd period 3rd and 4th period What is a paragraph?([1], p.16,[2], p.2 &[3], p.9) Activity 1: Read the following passage Identify its topic and then give it a title ………………………………………… My trip was terrible First of all, I woke up late On the way to the airport, we had a flat tire I almost missed my plane At the airport I had another problem I couldn‟t find my ticket and passport My trip didn‟t get better on the airplane Nobody talked to me on the plane When we arrived, there was a lot of fog The plane couldn‟t land To end my terrible experience, I couldn‟t find my bags What a nightmare! Activity 2: The passage above is an example of a paragraph Examine it carefully and then point out what you think are the features of a paragraph Activity 3: Among the following groups of sentences, find groups that make a strong paragraph and the other groups that make a weak paragraph Write their letters in the given spaces - Strong paragraphs:……………………………………………………………… - Weak paragraphs:……………………………………………………………… a When I need a good place to study, I go to the library It‟s always quiet there, so I can concentrate It‟s easy to find the books I need, and I can search for information on the internet because there are several computers there The other people in the library are also reading or working, so the mood is good for studying I study better and faster in the library than in other place b My family consists of members They are my parents, my elder brother, my younger sister and I We live together in a big which was built many years ago Though it is old, it looks very nice I love my family a lot c I need to buy a motorbike With a motorbike, I could get to my job more quickly It takes two hours to get to work by train That‟s very slow A motorbike is much faster If I had a motorbike, I could save a lot of time Taking the train is not faster for me d First, insert a blank CD into the computer Then, select the song list that you want to copy You will see the button that says,” Click here to burn.” Click on that button Then just wait a few minutes That‟s all e I will never forget my first day of secondary school I was very nervous because I didn‟t know any of the other students In my first class, I looked around for someone friendly I saw a girl at the front of the room who also looked nervous, so I decided to make friends with her Even though I was shy about talking to her, I went up to her and said, “Don‟t be nervous I will help you Do you want to sit with me?” She looked a little surprised and said, “Actually, I am the new teacher.” f Mobile phones are very popular They are really convenient They are small and light g Sports instructor is a good part-time job You can enjoy your favorite activity and earn money at the same time Some other jobs pay better You can also volunteer as an instructor I had a difficult time learning to swim because my instructor wasn‟t very good My tennis instructor was much better If you get a lot of experience as a sports instructor, you can get a job at a gym or as a coach in the future h When students attend class, they receive the benefit of the teacher‟s knowledge The best teachers more than just go over the material in the class textbook They draw their students into discussion of the material They present opposing points of view They provide additional information by inviting guest speakers or showing documentary films Activity 4: For each of those weak paragraphs, say why Choose one or more of these reasons: - The sentences are not all about the same topic - There are not enough sentences - There is no topic sentence - Some sentences say the same thing Activity 5: Make whatever changes in those weak paragraphs so as to make them become strong ones 1.2 Formatting a paragraph ([1], p.3&[3], p.2) Margins Align text to the left( flush-left style) Begin inch( 2.5 cm) from the edge of the paper Spacing Be double- spaced Indenting Be indented in the first sentence Connected Sentences Length At least sentences Title( optional) Activity 6: Read the paragraph Then label the formatting elements of the paragraph Use the word in the box a margin b double spacing c indent 1…… Red 2…… I love the color red No other color symbolizes so many d title different emotions and experiences Life would be very boring 3…… without the color red Fires would not burn in the same way The sunset would not be interesting, and blood would not be so surprisingly beautiful Red is powerful when it appears in nature, and 4… it is also powerful when it appears in our emotions Red is love Red is anger Red is beauty I like to live life in a strong way, so I think I will always admire the color red Activity 7: Look at these student papers Tick () the one that is better for an academic assignment Sate the reasons for your choice a Wearing Uniforms Wearing school uniforms is not welcoming to students Most of the uniforms are not attractive due to the color and style Moreover, students usually like to express their personalities by choosing their own clothes Those things make students feel bad when they are wearing the uniforms So it is advisable that schools get students‟ ideas on the uniform design before having it made b Wearing Uniforms Wearing school uniforms is not welcoming to students Most of the uniforms are not attractive due to the color and style Moreover, students usually like to express their personalities by choosing their own clothes Activity 8: Give each of the groups of sentences in Activity a title 1.3 Paragraph Structure([1], p.17, [2], p.5) Activity 9: Examine the paragraph organization Read the following paragraph and the following tasks: Part-time jobs and Secondary school Secondary school students should not have part-time jobs 2Secondary School is a very important time for a student, and students are very busy Students have to study hard to enter a good university Many secondary school students also play sports and they practice before and after school 5Secondary school students also spend time with friends of the same age 6Those friendship can be important for the rest of their lives 7A part-time job takes time away from studying, playing sports, and making friends People work for most of their adult lives When they are in school, it is important for them to just be students Circle which of the following that best describes the topic of the paragraph a Useful secondary school subjects b Working and studying at the same time c How much money a part-time job pays State the sentence that tells the writer‟s most important idea Decide which of the following is right to the function of the sentences 3, and a They show new ideas b They give examples c They show different opinions to explain the stated main idea Find the sentence in which the writer summarize his mentioned opinions and the sentence in which he gives his final thought Say how many parts a paragraph consists of Locate them in the paragraph by naming the numbers of the sentences belonging to each part Activity 10: Read this paragraph about a student’s first job State what is the paragraph about? a Working in a laboratory b Getting my first job c What my first job taught me Learning Responsibility My first job was a sales assistant in a small clothes shop It wasn‟t a difficult job, and it wasn‟t really a very interesting job My best friend had a more exciting job Every weekend I had to open the shop at 10.00 a.m I couldn‟t be late Now at weekends I like to sleep late I helped customers find clothes, and I kept the shop clean and tidy My parents‟ house was very clean, too I used the cash register and handled credit cards, so I had to be very careful These things all taught me responsibility Now, I work in a research laboratory I don‟t work with clothes anymore, but I still use that important skill I learnt in my first job The paragraph is not strong Find the reason for this fact Try making it strong with proper changes in the content Activity 11: Arrange the following sentences in a logical order so as to create a meaningful paragraph Part-time jobs in secondary school They can learn many things that are not usually taught in a classroom They also get experiences with the business world For example, they can learn how to work with older people Having a part-time job is a valuable experience for secondary school students Having a part-time job gives students a sense of independence because they can earn money to use for university Those experiences are equally necessary to their lives now and in future What is the difference between a group of sentences and a paragraph? What is the typical formatting feature of a paragraph? How many parts does a paragraph consist of? Name them HOME WORK Give each of the following passage a suitable title that can summarize its main idea NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Languages studies traditionally have emphasized verbal and written language, but recently have begun consider communication that takes place without words In some types of communication people express more nonverbally than verbally If you ask an obviously depressed person, ”What‟s wrong?”, and he answers, ” Nothing I am fine,” you probably won‟t believe him When an angry person says, “Let‟s forget this subject, I don‟t want to talk about it anymore!” you know that he hasn‟t stopped communicating His silence and withdrawal continue to convey emotional meaning One study done in the United States showed that in communication of attitudes, 93 percent of the message was transmitted by the tone of the voice and by facial expressions, whereas only percent of the speaker‟s attitude was transmitted by words Apparently, we express our emotions and attitudes more nonverbally than verbally (1)…………………………………………………………………………… Nonverbal communication expresses meaning or feeling without words Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness, are expressed in a similar nonverbal way throughout the world There are, however, nonverbal differences across cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners For example, feelings of friendship exist everywhere, but their expression varies It may be acceptable in some countries for men to embrace each other and for women to hold hands; in other countries these displays of affection may be shocking What is acceptable in one culture may be completely unacceptable in another One culture may determine that snapping fingers to call a waiter is appropriate; another may consider this gesture rude We are often not aware of how gestures, facial expressions, eye-contact, and the use of space affect communication In order to correctly interpret another culture‟s style of communication, it is necessary to study the “silent language” of that culture (2)…………………………………………………………………… Gestures refer to specific body movements that carry meaning Hands can convey many meanings: ”That‟s expensive,” ”Come here,” ”Go away,” and “It‟s OK” can be expressed nonverbally using only hands The gestures for these phrases may differ among languages As children we imitate and learn these nonverbal movements and often use them to accompany or replace words When travelling to another country, foreign visitors soon learn that not all gestures are universal The “OK” gesture in the American culture is a symbol for money in Japan The same gesture is obscene in come Latin American countries.(This is why the editors of a Latin American newspaper enjoyed publishing a picture of former President Nixon giving the OK symbol with both hands!) (3) ………………………………………………………………………… Facial expressions carry meaning determined by contexts and relationships For instance, the smile which is typically an expression of pleasure has many functions A man‟s smile at a policeman who is about to give him a ticket does not carry the same meaning as the smile he gives to a young child A smile may show affection, convey politeness, or disguise true feelings Pain is conveyed by a grimace, which also signifies disgust or disapproval Surprise, shock, or disbelief can be shown by raising the eyebrows A wink given to a friend may mean “You and I have a secret” or “I am just kidding.” Between a man and a woman, a wink can be flirtatious Our faces easily reveal emotions and attitudes (4) ……………………………………………………………………… The degree of facial expressiveness also varies among individuals and cultures The fact that members of one culture not express their emotions as openly as members of another does not mean they not experience emotions Rather, there are cultures restrains on the amount of nonverbal expressiveness permitted Given individuals differences, it is difficult to make generalizations about a cultural style of communication Americans express themselves facially in varying degrees People from certain ethnic backgrounds in the United States may use their hands, bodies, and faces more them other Americans There are no fixed rules, although it is considered negative or suspicious to have a “deadpan” expression or a “poker face.” Some people can be “read like a book”; others are difficult to read (5)……………………………………………………………………… Eye contact is important because insufficient or excessive eye contact may create communication barriers It is important in relationships because it serves to show intimacy, attention, and influence As with facial expressions, there are no specific rules governing eye behavior except that it is considered rude to stare, especially at strangers It is, however, common for two strangers to walk toward each other, make eye contact, smile, and perhaps even say “HI.” The strangers may immediately look away and forget that they even had any contact This type of glance does not mean much; it is simply a way of acknowledging another person„s presence In a conversation too little eye contact may be seen negatively because it conveys lack of interest, inattention, or even mistrust The relationship between mistrust and lack of eye contact is stated directly in the expression, “Never trust a person who cannot look you in the eyes.” (6)………………………………………………………………………… Unconsciously, we all carry with us what have been called” body bubbles.” These bubbles are like invisible walls which define our personal space The amount of space changes depending on the interpersonal relationship For example, we are usually more comfortable standing closer to family members than to strangers Personality also determines the size of this space Introverts often prefer to interact with others at a greater distance than extroverts Cultural styles are important too A Japanese employer and employee usually stand father apart while talking than their American counterparts Latin Americans and Arabs tend to stand closer together than Americans when talking For Americans, distance in social conversation is about an arm‟s length to four feet Less space in the American culture may be associated with greater intimacy or aggressive behavior The common practice of saying “Excuse me,” or “Pardon me” for the slightest accidental touching of another person reveals an American attitude about personal space Thus, when a person‟s “space” is intruded upon by someone, he or she may feel threatened and react defensively In cultures where close physical contact is acceptable and desirable, Americans may be perceived as cold and distant Culture does not always determine the messages that our body movements convey Contexts, personalities, and relationships also influence them Therefore, no two people in any one society have the same nonverbal behavior However, like verbal language, nonverbal communication cannot be completely separated from culture Whether we emphasize differences or similarities, the” silent language” is much louder than it first appears Deena R Levine Mara B Adelman References: [1]Oshima, A.&Hogue,A Introduction to Academic Writing.(2nded) Longman 1997 [2]Savage.A.& Shafield, M Effective Academic Writing 1: The Paragraph Oxford University Press 2007 [3] Zemach, D.E & Islam, C Writing in Paragraphs MacMillan 2006 ... Levine Mara B Adelman References: [1] Oshima, A.&Hogue,A Introduction to Academic Writing.(2nded) Longman 19 97 [2]Savage.A.& Shafield, M Effective Academic Writing 1: The Paragraph Oxford University... own clothes Activity 8: Give each of the groups of sentences in Activity a title 1. 3 Paragraph Structure( [1] , p .17 , [2], p.5) Activity 9: Examine the paragraph organization Read the following... NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Languages studies traditionally have emphasized verbal and written language, but recently have begun consider communication that takes place without words In some types of communication