Author:
Linda Patterson
Subject:
Language Education (ESL), Composition and Rhetoric
Material Type:
Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
Level:
High School, Community College / Lower Division, Adult Education
Tags:
  • Adding Details
  • Descriptive Writing
  • Editing and Revising
  • Listening for Details
  • Narrative Writing
  • Using Strong Verbs
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Text/HTML

    Revising Narratives with Details and Strong Verbs

    Overview

    This assignment is geared toward helping students improve their narrative essays but can be used with any writing assignment. 

    Narrative Assignment - The importance of Details

    Purpose - This is an revising activity for all students but is especially applicable to ESL students. It gives students practice not only in editing for details in their writing, but practice in reading and listening for details.  This assignment can be used in a classroom, a hybrid class, or adapted to an on-line environment. 

    Before the Assignment: Students review reporter's questions. (This is also helpful to students who have writer's block or have trouble with paragraph development.) Example sentence - I was driving my car.  Questions: What kind of car? What color of car? Where were you driving? When did this happen? Who was in the car? etc.) How were you driving? 

    Directions:  Students are to bring their narrative writing to class. (This assignment can be adapted to any writing assignment but works especially well with narrative and descriptive narrative assignments.) Students are placed in groups of two to four students.  Student one reads his narrative aloud while other students in the group listen carefully. While the student reads, each student listens for details and jots down five to ten questions. If only working with partners, students should listen for ten questions. The students are not to interrupt the reader, but simply listen and write. At the end of the reading, if students do not have five or so questions each, the reader reads his essay again and students continue to listen for places where details can be added. When the student finishes reading the students ask a question one at a time. Student 2 will ask a question and reader will answer it. The reader can then mark on his paper where to add the detail if needed. Then student three asks a question until all students have asked the questions. Once a question has been asked it cannot be asked by another student. 

    After the Assignment - The students  revise their papers adding details where needed. 

     

    Narrative Writing Using strong verbs

    Purpose  This assignment shows students how to change to be verbs to active verbs and lets them see the difference strong verbs make it their writing.  

    Before the Assignment: Student review to be verbs and action verbs. 

    Directions: Students work with the first draft of the assignment. They are asked to read each sentence of the assignment and mark the main verbs. They the keep a tally of to be verbs in their writing and action verbs. Students then work with a partner or in groups to rewrite some of the sentences with to be verbs so that strong action verbs are used. 

    After the Assignment: Students make changes in their esays as needed.