2018-01-18 TOEFL: writing practice

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-your-digestive-system-works-emma-bryce
---
Independent Writing: answer a choice question with an opinion and at least 2-3 reasons to support your opinion.
---
If you’re writing about people in general, stick with “they” or “you”. Don’t switch from one to the other within the same sentence.
If you choose “it depends” or something else besides the two options of the prompt, you have to be very clear about this in your introduction and thesis statement.
Try to avoid thesis statements like “I disagree with [prompt].”
---
The general format for independent writing is a typical five-paragraph essay (as we are taught in American middle and high schools).
1: Introduction
2-4: Body paragraphs = supporting reasons
5: Conclusion
---
The Introduction should answer these questions:
- Why is it an interesting topic? (hook/background)
- What options are you choosing between?
- What is your opinion? (thesis statement)
- How will you support that opinion? (lead-in)
Body Paragraphs should answer these questions:
	- What is one reason for your opinion? (topic sentence of the supporting paragraph)
	- Why should the reader believe this reason is true?
	- How does this reason support your thesis?
The Conclusion should answer these questions:
	- What was your opinion and how did you support it? (summarize your opinion and reasons)
	- What does this mean for the reader? (plan/prediction/advice for the future)
---
If time is an issue, it can be a good idea to write at least a topic sentence for each paragraph before you go back and add details and examples.
---
https://www.typingtest.com/ - You can practice here to improve your typing speed if that is part of your time management problem.
---
DELTA p. 378 - Take 3 minutes to read the text. Then listen to the lecture about the same topic.
In this example, the more specific topic of the lecture (small work groups) supported each of the three general points in the text about what motivates workers.
---
BREAK
---
Writing practice (otters and happiness).
When you are finished, email your response to me at [email protected]
---
For this independent writing, your supporting points could either be different reasons why the one thing you chose makes you happy, or different things that make you happy and why.
---
Tomorrow we will NOT need books. You will look at sample responses to today’s independent writing and predict the scores they should get, and then work on speaking task 3.