2017-01-12 TOEFL: ind writing & practice

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: spend 15-20 seconds briefly preparing responses to the other questions on p. 194-195 and 200-201.
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http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-language-of-lying-noah-zandan/review_open
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DELTA p. 281 had descriptions of independent speaking task score levels. (Speaking is out of 4 points.)
A well-organized independent response (speaking or writing) with good content will usually make it clear what question you were asked, without repeating the question.
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For choice questions (in speaking or writing) you can choose a “middle” option or a third option, as long as you can still give good reasons to support it.
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Independent writing - last thing on the test (after integrated writing)
DELTA p. 396 - Examples of the two types of independent prompt (agree/disagree and choice)
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This is basically a 5-paragraph essay, which is the typical first style of essay American students learn.
1 Introduction: Background on the topic and a thesis statement that gives your opinion, it can also include a lead-in telling how many reasons you’ll give for your opinion.
2 Body - reason 1: Explain the reason and give details or examples to support it.
3 Body - reason 2: Explain the reason and give details or examples to support it.
4 Body - reason 3: Explain the reason and give details or examples to support it.
5 Conclusion: Restate/summarize your opinion and reasons, maybe add a generalization like a prediction or recommendation for the future.
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The basic “intro-body-conclusion” format can be found at every level of academic English writing, from single paragraphs to full books.
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Transition signals to use in the independent response:
- Introduction
Some people believe…
Other people, however, think that…
In my opinion,...
I have three reasons for this belief.
- Body
The first reason is… / The second reason is… / The third/final/last reason is…
First,... / Second,... / Third/Finally,...
One reason is… / Another reason is… / A final reason is…
For example,...
Another example is…
However, / On the other hand, / In contrast,
- Conclusion
For these three reasons,... / Because of… / In summary, I think ___ because…
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You can start by writing some transition signals for your whole response before you worry about making notes and choosing a specific answer.
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p. 404 - Take 5 minutes to brainstorm and write an outline for 1 and
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In your introductory paragraph, you should not say “I agree” or “I disagree”. Instead, just state your opinion clearly.
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BREAK
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Independent writing practice - Respond to the two independent writing prompts in 30 minutes, then email me your responses at [email protected]