English 189/ Spring 2005

Angela Morales

Notes

Friday, March 11, 2005

Class Overview:

Today in computer lab students began composing their second paragraph on the topic “My Happiest Place.” At the beginning of class, they completed a quiz, turned in homework (that some of them did not have because they said they forgot to check the website), and then began composing their paragraphs. Chris showed them a model of a student outline. He reiterated the fact that a topic sentence must be supported with three reasons and specific and well-developed details to support these reasons. He also showed them three examples of topic sentences of increasing complexity. Finally, the class looked at an example of how they can begin to develop their first reason.

Observations:

Today students appeared eager to begin writing. The PowerPoint demonstration consisted of three slides, and overall, it was brief. Many students seemed eager to begin—the three boys I observed had already begun to type, but Chris asked the class to look at the screen and review the organization of the sample paragraphs. Once the students began to write, many of them appeared to write quickly and easily, consulting their outlines as they moved forward.

By now I think students are both comfortable and familiar with the slide formatting in the PowerPoint demonstrations. The bright colors, the bold text, and the secondary details highlighted in white create a familiar and simple format. I’ve noticed that the students can now glance at the screen and quickly make sense of the material.

The brief demonstration today consisted of three slides, and the fact that it was brief helped to make a strong impact. I would not recommend using a fourth slide, since students were already eager to get started writing. (Chris had mentioned that he was considering adding a fourth slide to remind the class of the difference between abstract and specific details.) To emphasize the difference between general and specific examples, I would probably just remind students (verbally) as students are composing their paragraphs.