DISCURSIVE ESSAYS

Hello there everyone. As promised, I'm posting this information, but you should already have it from class. I won't post your homework on the blog instead of having you take notes properly in class. This is only as a reminder, and for those of you who may have been ill. I posted printed copies of these in your classrooms last Thursday as well. If you've got a problem, remember you can always e-mail me. Even on a Sunday.

Write a 250 word discursive essay about the following topic.

Your work should include the steps you took to come up with your thesis statement, an outline and the essay itself.

The debate about retiring has been a hot-topic in the news lately. Many feel that people should have to work until they are sixty-seven.

Class example:

·       How to come up with a thesis statement

o   Make a question on the announced information.

Should people have to work until they are sixty-seven before they retire?

·       Answer the question to get the thesis statement.

o   Note that in a discursive essay we want to know about positive and negative aspects or why people are for or against something.

Answer:

It is debatable whether people should work until they are sixty-seven.

Now you need an Opening Statement

1. (first sentence of your introduction)

·       The government in Spain has established a new age for retirement.

2. Background information:

(second sentence of the introduction)

·       There are people who have different opinions about this hot-topic.

3. Thesis statement:

·       It is debatable whether people should work until they are sixty-seven.

So a possible introduction to this essay could be:

The government in Spain has established a new age for retirement. There are people who have different opinions about this hot-topic. It is debatable whether people should work until they are sixty-seven.

10A+B: This assignment must be turned in to me on Tuesday, February 1^st (10A) and Monday, January 31, (10B) at the BEGINNING of class or you will receive 1 full mark lower (formative). You may type this on a Word or Open Office document if you wish. Please use 12pt. Calibri, and space at 1,5. You may send these to me by e-mail as well, but I must have them by the specified time

Narrative Homework: 4TH ESO A+B

Write a 250 word story on something frightening that you or someone you know has experienced.

Use vocabulary from unit 5 (fear and loathing).
Write in the narrative form.

This assignment is due for 4th B on Thursday and for 4th A on Tuesday January 11.

The Narrative

Hi there and I hope you all had a good holiday.

Now that we're getting back in the saddle again, I'll be posting things you should have in order to help you through the material we will learn this term. The first is the narrative, which you worked on before the holiday. I'm still trying to figure out how to post the powerpoints I've made to this blog, until then, I can either e-mail them to you, or you can bring a pen-drive to school and I'll transfer them onto your drive. Please remember to use the link to the Cambridge website for your book's vocabulary. I will only touch on some of the vocabulary in class, but you will be responsible for knowing what all of the new vocabulary, and any new use of these terms, mean.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN NARRATIVES

Narratives are stories. They tell what happened to someone, to oneself, to others, what one dreams had happened, or what one wished would happen. 

Essentially, all narrative writing is concerned with what happened.

In telling this, the storyteller concentrates on: setting, characterization, action, climax and outcome.

The setting: The story takes place somewhere at some time (place and time of story).

The Characters: The hero or heroine of a story, or the main character is the protagonist. Often there is another character who opposes the protagonist; this is the antagonist.

The Situation or Conflict: The part of the story where things happen is the plot of a story. It is the scheme or sequence of events that take place in the story. This involves telling a problem, conflict or situation in the story.

The Action: The situation sets events in motion, and then the action begins. This is where “ the plot thickens”. An antagonist may enter the story here and add to the initial idea of the story. This keeps your story moving.

The Climax: The action arising out of the situation continues until it reaches the point of highest interest. This high point is called the climax.

The Outcome: After the climax has been reached, the situation or conflict is resolved. This resolution is the outcome of the story.