Writing Lesson Plan 2

Class: 11th GL

Time (duration): 40 minutes

Materials /Equipment: Handout (see attached)

Books:

Objectives: Introduce students to basic essay structure; compare and contrast Greek essay standards with English essay standards; show students how English essays are distinct in form and function; begin teaching English writing conventions.

Prior knowledge: None

I. Journaling (10-15 minutes total). Respond to the following question (10 minutes): If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money and why? 

Share responses (5 minutes).

II. Introduction to English essay structure (30 minutes).

A. Review homework assignment: Find an old essay from a Modern Greek class. Read it and answer the following questions: If you were teaching foreign students how to write an essay properly in Modern Greek (Nea Hellinika), what instructions would you give them? How should they organize their essays? How should they answer and analyze questions? Write an outline for a successful GREEK essay.

1. As a class, discuss the Greek standards of essay writing.

2. Draw an outline of a Greek essay on the board, using the following prompt: «What benefits does art have for young people? How can schools bring art and young people together?»

B. How does this compare to the way one writes an English essay? (handout)

            1. Review the handout as a class.

2. Class assignment: take your Greek essay and rewrite your outline using the guidelines for an English essay.

3. As a class, redraw the outline on the board.

III. Homework: Using your new guidelines for writing an English essay (view the attached prompt)

a.       Write an outline

b.      Write an essay using your outline as a guide

Technology promises to make our lives easier, freeing up time for leisure pursuits. But the rapid pace of technological innovation and the split second processing capabilities of computers that can virtually work nonstop have made all of us feel rushed. We have adopted the relentless pace of the very machines that were supposed to simplify our lives, with the result that, whether at work or play, people do not feel like their lives have changed for the better.

Assignment: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations. 

(Source: College Board SAT Practice Test #2)