Lesson Report:
**Title: Finalizing Essays: Structuring and Enhancing Arguments**
**Synopsis:**
In this session, the class focused on the final stages of writing essays, emphasizing the importance of introductions, argument development, and evidence integration. The objective was to ensure that all students completed their essays by the end of the session due to changes in assignment submission policies. The instructor also addressed common questions about essay structure and offered personalized feedback.
**Attendance:**
– One student mentioned as absent: Amita
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Icebreaker and Class Introduction:**
– The session began with an informal discussion about students’ backgrounds and experiences. The instructor appreciated the diverse international mix within the class.
2. **Essay Writing Continuation:**
– Discussion on essay progression since the last class session (Friday).
– Issue highlighted: Varied levels of completion among students.
– Due to the new AI regulations, a decision was made to allocate more class time to complete essays, affecting the course content planned for later lessons.
3. **Essay Structuring:**
– Introduction:
– Explained the purpose of the introduction—briefly outlining the topic and its relevance.
– Strategy: Connecting essay themes to broader impacts or personal experiences to enhance engagement.
4. **Development and Argumentation:**
– Evidence Incorporation:
– Recommendations to use direct quotations from texts as evidence.
– Encouraged balancing textual evidence with personal reasoning.
– Emphasized integrating assumptions and sources into arguments.
5. **Logistics and Fairness Assurance:**
– To maintain fairness, students’ notebooks were checked to ensure that essays were being completed within the designated timeframe and not over the weekend.
– Instructor encouraged students who had done extra work to self-decide their next course of action.
6. **Final Instructions:**
– Clarified remaining class time allocation for essay completion.
– Option for additional support on paragraph writing was offered, though most students felt confident in this area.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Immediate Adjustments:**
– Grant an extension if necessary: Use part of the next session if more time is needed to complete essays.
– Ensure communication with absent student (Amita) to provide necessary instructions and materials.
– **Ongoing Support:**
– Offer one-on-one assistance for students needing help with essay structures and outlines, as mentioned in class.
– Remind students to include reasoning and evidence in their essays and ensure clear thesis connections in their introductory paragraphs.
– **For Next Class:**
– If unused, plan review activities for the first half of the next session.
– Consider providing a brief workshop or resource guide on effective paragraph writing, if there is later revealed to be a need.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
The transcript indicates that students were given class time to complete their essays and no additional homework was assigned; the essay was due by the end of the current day (“this essay is due at the end of today”).