**Title:** Enhancing Writing Skills: Topic Sentences, Modal Verbs, and Process Paragraphs
**Attendance:**
– No students were mentioned as absent.
**Topics Covered:**
1. Midterm Preparations:
– Announcement and details about the upcoming midterm.
– Introduction of the ‘Midterm Madness’ game for fast paragraph writing.
2. Writing Techniques:
– Practice of writing an outline for a paragraph on a given topic.
– Importance of a clear, focused topic in writing.
– Examination and practice of the structure of a topic sentence, specifically about social media.
– Significance of choosing one side in an argumentative question.
– Role of supporting details in strengthening an argument.
3. Peer Review:
– Introduction to the concept of peer review.
– Setting up of peer review partners.
– Students paired off to review each other’s writing.
4. Grammar Focus:
– Discussion on modal verbs, specifically the difference between “should” and “must”.
– Exercise on identifying and correcting mistakes with modal verbs in a paragraph.
– Use of imperative sentences.
5. Process Paragraphs:
– Process of writing a process paragraph.
– Use of time order words in organizing sentences.
– Creating a bonsai: steps and techniques involved.
**Actionable Items:**
1. Writing Improvement:
– Continue with ‘Midterm Madness’ exercises in the coming classes.
– Address the common mistake of starting a paragraph with a pronoun.
– Further clarify the need for a clear stance in a topic sentence.
– Reinforce the necessity of the topic being mentioned in the topic sentence.
– Practice writing a process paragraph.
– Check and provide feedback on students’ drafts of their process paragraphs.
2. Grammar Enhancement:
– Continue with exercises on modal verbs in the next class.
– Review and practice the use of modal verbs and imperative sentences.
– Improve understanding of the difference between modal verbs and imperative form.
– Practice converting sentences from modal verb form to imperative form.
**Homework:**
– Review partner’s answers about your outline.
– Apply these ideas to your draft.
– Read your process paragraph once again, correct any mistakes.
– Submit the final version of the process paragraph by Friday.