Introduction
These three lessons give teachers ideas on how to use technology to promote good reading strategies. The lessons can be modified according to ability/grade level and content area.
The criteria sheet which accompanies the three lessons was designed to chart student progress and can be included in student portfolios. Teachers are able to use the data collected, in a class spread-sheet, to chart class progress. The last component of this unit includes a sample of a student's retelling on Hyperstudio, a versatile tool that can include video and is appropriate for students of all ages.
Lesson #1: Pre-Reading Strategies
Objective:
Prior to reading, students will be able to activate prior knowledge and generate predictions in order to comprehend text.
Materials:
Over-head projector, multi-media tools: video, books on tape, CD-ROMS, word processor, video disc, film strip, access to the internet (if available)
Procedures:
1. Teacher selects level-appropriate text
2. Briefly introduces the story/topic/concept
3. activates the student's prior knowledge through text and/or a multi-media approach (see materials above)
4. Teacher initiates discussion on topic and record students' responses on the over-head projector
5. Teacher asks students to predict what the text will be about
6. Students will record their predictions on word processors and/or tape recorders
Evaluation:
See criteria spreadsheet: Students will share connections between personal experiences and the story. Students will record adequate predictions.
Lesson #2: During Reading Strategies
Objective:
During reading, students will monitor and re-adjust their comprehension of text.
Materials:
Text, video camcorder, tape recorder, word processor
Procedures:
1. Teacher directs students to read the text (softly to themselves, to the teacher or into a tape recorder)
2. While they're reading, teacher will interact with students to assist with problem solving strategies
3. *Teacher will note and record problem-solving attempts and successes and any strategy used on criteria spreadsheet
4. *Students will record any new predictions on their word processor or into the tape recorder
Evaluation:
See spreadsheet criteria: Students will reread to check understanding and/or self-correct. Students will actively use information sources.
Lesson #3: After Reading Strategies
Objective:
After reading, students will revisit predictions and text to engage in problem-solving activities.
Materials:
Text, video camcorder, tape-recorder, CD-ROMS, word processor, over-head projector or LCD panel, Hyperstudio or Powerpoint
Procedures:
1. teacher talks about text/story and invites responses which can be recorded on overhead projector
2. teacher refers to text to discuss important features
3. teacher will ask students to compare and contrast predictions made throughout the reading of text
4. students will rework a final version of their story prediction on a tape recorder or word processor
5. students will do a retelling of the story or a summary of the text on tape, word-processor or videotape
6. students will create a storyboard; each card of the storyboard will list segments of the retelling, sequentially and any multi-media tool they will use
7. teacher and students will work together to produce a hyperstudio presentation
Evaluation:
See spreadsheet criteria: Students will able to read text with fluency. Students will be able to retell or summarize text.
Software and Internet
Extension Activities
• Multimedia Recommendations
• Links for Extension Activities on the Internet
Multimedia Recommendations
The following language arts multimedia programs been recommended by T.H.E (Technological Horizons in Education) Journal, vol. 25, number 9, April 1998.
JumpStart First Grade Reading for ages 5-7, is a game with activities that help students master critical skills of phonics, word recognition and story comprehension.
An Odyssey of Discovery: Writing for Readers and An Odyssey of Discovery: Writing for Readers for students age 9 and up both reinforce existing writing skills while encouraging budding writers to experiment with techniques such as brainstorming using visual prompts and editing. Both contain activities to enhance the creative thought process. Writing for Readers teaches plot, character and setting development.
Newskids- Learning Hot off the Press comes with teacher and student videos. Students learn how a newspaper story is written including the five who,what,where,when and why questions involved in writing a good story. The teacher 's video discusses how newspapers can can be incorporated into classroom content areas.
Reading Blaster for ages 9-12 is an engaging mystery game dealing with vocabulary, comprehension and sentence structure. There are three levels of difficulty for the reading material, which insures the software will remain challenging.
For those interested in a word game, Carmen Santiago Word Detective, for ages 8-14, teaches students to become proficient in puzzles that reinforce word definition, dictionary skills and speech recognition. Teachers are able to create their own word list for students to practice with.
Links for Extension Activities on the Internet
Internet activities can include doing research, e-mailing a classmate or an author, joining a mailing list to discuss books with other teens, publishing individual or class web pages and/or contributing own book reviews or poems to existing students' reviews and poetry databases.
ERIC/REC - Effective Strategies to Enhance Education for All Learners
Learning about the Author and Illustrator
YALSA-BK Join this mailing list to discuss books with other teens and adults. Send an e-mail message to listproc@ala1.ALA.org.
YALSA Booklists
Inkspot - For Young Writers
- Find out what I'm doing, Follow Me :)
Teaching Reading Using technologies
Community Language Learning
Community language learning (CLL) is an approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn. The teacher acts as a counsellor and a paraphraser, while the learner acts as a collaborator, although sometimes this role can be changed.
Examples of these types of communities have recently arisen with the explosion of educational resources for language learning on the Web.
Introduction :
1) It takes its principles from the “Counseling Learning Approach” developed
by Charles A. Curran.
2) It was created especially for Adult Learners who might fear to appear foolish ;
so the teacher becomes a Language Counselor , he understands them and leads
them to overcome their fears .
3) It follows Krashen’s Monitor Theory (Affective Filter Hypothesis) and the
Cognitive Theory where the human mind is active .
TECHNIQUES
1) Build relationship
2) Explain procedure
3) Set time limit
4) Language for communication
5) Human Computer
a- teacher stands behind students
b- teacher repeats , doesn’t correct
c- interaction among students
d- students feel in control /
responsible
6) Native language + translation
7) Reflect on experience , talk about
feelings
8) Teacher = counselor =>
he understands, he listens
9) Accepting , non-threatening
atmosphere, Non-defensive
learning => security, involvement,
attention, reflection, retention,
discrimination
10) One task at a time
11) Cooperation , no competition
12) Language Experience Approach :
create a story after an experience ,
feelings are the main focus
13) Teacher-student centered : both
are decision-makers
14) Syllabus designed by students at
the beginning
15) Creative thinking + self-evaluation
16) Integrative Test : Paragraph writing
or oral interview
PRINCIPLES
1) Tape Recording
2) Transcription
3) Reflection on Experience
4) Reflective Listening
5) Human Computer
a- teacher stands behind students
b- teacher repeats , doesn’t correct
c- interaction among students
d- students feel in control / responsible
6) Small Group Tasks
Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Community Language Learning
Focus of Lesson: To encourage and promote real conversations in English with beginning language learners.
Objectives:
* To hear the correct pronunciation of English words
* To repeat and re-create the pronunciation
* To foster a relaxed atmosphere for English language learning
* To promote student-student interaction
* To practice grammatical structures of the English Language
Level of Students: Beginning Level
Applicable Learning Standards: ELA 1: read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. ELA 4: read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction
Preparation Time: The teacher should be familiar with the philosophy and techniques of
The Counseling Approach (Community Language Learning).
Implementation Time: approximately one hour (flexible)
Materials and Supplies:
* Portable tape recorder
* Classroom board with chalk or markers
Room Arrangement: Students sit in a circle, preferably around a table. (I didn’t have access to a round table and had the students put their chairs in a circle).
Introduction to Teachers: Many beginning ESOL Students are afraid to speak English for fear that they will be speaking incorrectly and perhaps laughed at. This approach provides a very relaxing and supportive atmosphere and actually gets the students to engage in real conversation. They hear the correct pronunciation from the teacher who stands behind the students and coaches them. The students are amazed to hear their conversations on the tape recorder.
Procedure:
Introduction to Activity:
Ask the students to move the tables back and form a circle with the chairs. Explain to the students that they will speak about whatever they wish (the weather, feelings, the class etc.) in correct English into a tape recorder. Tell the students that you will help them with their English and translate from Spanish (or the student’s L1) if necessary. Have one student who understands translate your introduction into Spanish, if possible.
Show the students that they will only speak into the tape recorder when they are speaking correctly.
Development of Activity:
Allow the students to be silent for a while until one of them feels ready to speak. (If the silence persists, encourage them to begin and remind them that they can speak in their L1, and that you will help them).
When a student is ready to speak stand behind him or her. Listen to the student’s statement or question. Slowly say the statement (or question) in correct English in repeatable chunks (3 to 4 word phrases) and allow the student to repeat after you until his or her pronunciation and intonation is clear. When the student is able to say their phrase clearly allow him or her to record the phrase. When the student has finished recording he or she should press the "pause" button on the tape recorder. The next student to speak follows the same procedure: practicing their pronunciation with the teacher standing behind them until you feel that student is ready to speak into the tape recorder.
A Conversation from my ESOL 1 Class:
Eduvina: Narda, how are you today?
Narda: Good
Eduvina: Did you like your new job?
Narda: Yes, I liked it.
Rosa: Do they need another person at the job?
Narda: Yes, but I have to ask the supervisor.
Rosa: Narda, please speak to the supervisor for me.
Narda: Okay, Rosa, tomorrow.
Do you know where I work and what I do?
Rosa: Yes, you work in housing.
Ruth: What are we going to do next week?
Eduvina: I’m going to my job on Tuesday.
Gricelda: Why is there no class on Tuesday?
Narda:Narda: Because the teacher has a meeting.
Rosa: I’m staying home.
Luisa: Why?
Rosa: I don’t have a job.
Ruth: Why don’t you have a job?
Rosa: I couldn’t get my fingerprints done.
After the Conversation:
Ask the students how they felt during the conversation and taping? Play the tape for the students. Ask them how it sounded to them. What and who sounded better? Why?
Play the tape again this time, pausing the tape to write each sentence on the board.
Have the students repeat the conversation and read from the board, either chorally or individually. Point to the words, but don’t speak. If their pronunciation is incorrect, then correct it (you’ll have to speak for that) and have the students repeat.
Have different students take on different roles of the conversation. Try to promote natural speaking instead of a prepared reading.
Ask the students which words they found difficult to pronounce and underline these words. Also ask them which words are new to them and underline these as well.
You can choose any focus you wish. I focused on pronunciation and vocabulary, but as a follow up I decided to focus on the formation of questions.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed by their participation in this exercise. This can be done visually by the teacher: are the students speaking, listening, repeating chorally and practicing the dialogue? Do the students seem engaged? If the focus is on pronunciation the teacher needs to circulate among the groups to listen for and correct pronunciation difficulties.
Reflection on Lesson:
The lesson was well received by the students, although they were a little frightened at first. They smiled and laughed as they listened to the tape. They were able to recognize who sounded more natural. They also told me that they thought they needed to speak more English and pronounce better. I decided to incorporate this lesson into my teaching routine.
COMMUNITY LANGUAGE DIALOGUE AND WORKSHEET ESOL 1 TILLA ELAHI, TEACHER
Luisa: Ruth, why didn’t you come to school Tuesday?
Ruth: I had an appointment.
Rosa: What kind of appointment?
Ruth: I had a doctor’s appointment.
Militza: Alberta, how many children do you have?
Alberta: I have 3 children.
Luisa: Did you resolve the problem with your son?
Alberta: No.
Luisa: Is the problem serious?
Alberta: No, it’s not serious.
Militza: What’s the problem?
Alberta: I want to transfer my son out of his school.
Militza: How old is your son?
Alberta: My son is 15 years old.
Rosa: What’s wrong with his school?
Alberta: The students disrupt the class too much. They tease my son.
Ruth: What school does he go to? Alberta: John Jay
VOCABULARY WORDS
kind wrong disrupt tease
GRAMMAR
1. Question Words
Did-does-do Examples: Ruth, why didn’t you come to school? Did you resolve the problem with your son? What school does he go to? With the verb- Be (is, are, am)- DON’T USE DO-DOES-DO! Examples: How old is your son? What is the problem? Is the problem serious?
Silent Way Teaching
The Silent Way is an approach to language teaching designed to enable students to become independent, autonomous and responsible learners. It is part of a more general pedagogical approach to teaching and learning created by Caleb Gattegno. It is constructivist in nature, leading students to develop their own conceptual models of all the aspects of the language. The best way of achieving this is to help students to be experimental learners. The Silent Way allows this.
The main objective of a teacher using the Silent Way is to optimize the way students exchange their time for experience. This Gattegno considered to be the basic principle behind all education: "Living a life is changing time into experience."
The students are guided into using their inherent sense of what is coherent to develop their own "inner criteria" of what is right in the new language. They are encouraged to use all their mental powers to make connections between sounds and meanings in the target language. In a Silent Way class, the students express their thoughts and feelings about concrete situations created in the classroom by themselves or the teacher.
Procedures
This method begins by using a set of colored rods and verbal commands in order to achieve the following:
To avoid the use of the vernacular. To create simple linguistic situations that remain under the complete control of the teacher To pass on to the learners the responsibility for the utterances of the descriptions of the objects shown or the actions performed. To let the teacher concentrate on what the students say and how they are saying it, drawing their attention to the differences in pronunciation and the flow of words. To generate a serious game-like situation in which the rules are implicitly agreed upon by giving meaning to the gestures of the teacher and his mime. To permit almost from the start a switch from the lone voice of the teacher using the foreign language to a number of voices using it. This introduces components of pitch, timbre and intensity that will constantly reduce the impact of one voice and hence reduce imitation and encourage personal production of one's own brand of the sounds.
To provide the support of perception and action to the intellectual guess of what the noises mean, thus bring in the arsenal of the usual criteria of experience already developed and automatic in one's use of the mother tongue. To provide a duration of spontaneous speech upon which the teacher and the students can work to obtain a similarity of melody to the one heard, thus providing melodic integrative schemata from the start.
Materials
The complete set of materials utilized as the language learning progresses include:
A set of colored wooden rods A set of wall charts containing words of a "functional" vocabulary and some additional ones; a pointer for use with the charts in Visual Dictation A color coded phonic chart(s) Tapes or discs, as required; films Drawings and pictures, and a set of accompanying worksheets Transparencies, three texts, a Book of Stories, worksheets
How to make a blog in blogger
Visit this to view the VIDEO!
Blogs are another kind of website. The content is usually organized by date and category with the most recent post/content displaying first.
Blogs are also easier to setup than websites, and because of this reason people are often lured into thinking blogs are a better option than websites.
But don't be fooled.
That doesn't mean they are easier to promote, build traffic and generate a profit (if that's your goal).
Both websites and blogs require work, patience, an understanding of Internet marketing and search engine optimization (the process of getting ranked high in Google, Yahoo, etc.)
So please don't go into this thinking that creating a blog is an easier way to make money online. Even bloggers making a lot of money have put in their share of time and effort.
Another thing you should know is that blogs can be somewhat limiting compared to a website (in terms of design and data manipulation) until you learn more about how blogs are coded.
However, if you use WordPress, you'll have the flexibility to do so much with your blog's content and layout. (More on that in a sec.)
Blog or Website? Can't Decide?
A lot of people get confused and wonder if they should create a blog, website or both?
Watch the video below to get my take on the subject.
Click here to watch the video!
WordPress? Blogger? Which is Best?
WordPress and Blogger are hands down the two most popular blogging platforms. I honestly see no reason to consider any of the others.
I started with Blogger, but when I started learning about the flexibility WordPress provided, I switched over in December 2007 and I'm so glad I did.
Blogger is great because it's super easy to use. However, WordPress has a lot more features and plug-ins that will allow you to enhance your blog.
And even though setting up a WordPress blog is slightly more involved, it's well worth it in the long run.
Remotely Hosted Blog or Self Hosted Blog?
Remotely Hosted
There are two ways to host a blog. The first way is to remotely host it-- which means your content/files literally sit on the server of the blogging platform (WordPress.com, Blogger.com, etc.)
There's always a risk involved with doing it this way because if Blogger or WordPress decide to shut your blog down (for whatever reason), you would lose all your content.
It also doesn't look as professional to have a blog address like http://yourblog.blogspot.com or http://yourblog.wordpress.com. And if you want to make money, first impressions mean a lot.
For the record, I don't endorse remotely hosted blogs. I think hosting is so cheap these days that it's worth spending a few extra dollars to own your content and have a real blog address like http://yourblog.com -- especially if you want to make money.
Self Hosted
With a self hosted blog, all your content sits on the hosting account that you own. Your blog address is more professional and easy to remember because you can have a true domain like http://yourblog.com.
My blog is a self hosted WordPress blog. What that means is my blog's content is published to my own domain, 2CreateAWebSite.com and I even got to create a subdirectory called "blog" so my blog address is http://blog.2createawebsite.com.
Why a Blog and a Website?
Even though I already have a successful website, I decided to create a blog too.
Here on my site, you'll find more static/unchanging tutorials, and my blog is more like a journal where I talk about current topics in the world of website creation, blogging and making money.
As I mentioned in the video above, whether you use a blog, a website or both is up to you. There is no rule of thumb. You really have to feel your way around and see what's best for your needs. But if you're just starting, I'd definitely only focus on one or the other.
Serious About Making Money From a Blog?
If your goal is to make money from a blog, you might want to consider Yaro Starak's Blog Coaching Service. This guy is no amateur and makes 6 figures per year from blogging alone.
In his free report, Blog Profits Blueprint, he lays the groundwork for creating a successful blog and helps you keep your expectations in check when it comes to making money. Very solid advice here.
Also, Yaro wrote a very good piece that explains why so many blogs fail. I've published a copy of the report here so make sure you read it.
In Conclusion...
Whether you plan to create a stand-alone blog or use it to compliment your existing Web site, they can be a great asset to your online business.
Some of the keys to success include...
Blog with a purpose
Just like a website, a blog should have a focus and target audience. Don't just blog to sell products. Give your audience useful information that will entice them to subscribe. Blogs with too many ads and no useful content are a turn-off.
Keep it relevant
Remember, people want to know what's in it for them, so your blog's info should be relevant to your audience's needs and desires.
Blog often when you have good info to share
More is not better when you are putting out junk or recycled material. One of the top reasons people unsubscribe to blogs is lack of originality or the "heard it all before" syndrome.
Add personality
Display a photo. Crack a joke once and while. Let your audience know there's a human behind the words. Don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun and develop your unique blog voice.
To Get a Better view, click the FULL SCREEN button on the bottom of the video!
How To Add “Read More” Expandable Posts Link
This is a pretty popular Blogger hack that lots of people have asked me about. Instead of answering to each email individually, I thought it would make more sense to write an article about it.
With this hack, you can choose to display a select amount of text from the beginning of each post as a teaser instead of showing the entire post on the front page of your blog. Then when people want to read the rest of the post, they can click a “read more” link to see the full post. This is very handy if you have lots of long articles all on one page. (Note that you’ll need to have post pages enabled in order to make this feature work.)
For further information please download the tutorial file bellow:
Freddy's How to add Read More in Blogger/BLogspot
Cause and Effect Paragraph
A cause makes a thing happen; an effect is what results when that thing happens. If you brush your teeth and your teeth get whiter, then brushing is the cause and whitening is the effect. A cause-and-effect paragraph helps a reader understand why things happen: the weakening of the ozone layer, the war in Vietnam, the spike in teenage obesity.
While cause-and-effect paragraphs may be indispensable to writers who explain politics, human behavior, or the hard sciences, they can also be misleading. If a school, for example, has high reading scores, it may have nothing to do with the quality of teaching and everything to do with students the school has recruited. If I happen to be an honest fellow with good study habits and the ability to make friends, it may have nothing to do with how my parents raised me and everything to do with my genes.
Nevertheless, a cause-and-effect paragraph can be a valuable tool for explaining outcomes and trends, and an excellent way to predict future trends
Sample Cause-And-Effect Paragraph
Sample #1:
In New York City, fifty percent of all public school teachers leave the profession within their first five years on the job. While the teachers union and some politicos have charged that the high attrition rate is due to the salary gap between city teachers and their brethren in the suburbs, the real problem is student behavior. There are approximately 1.1 million public school students, and many of them, especially those in poor neighborhoods, have family problems that make it hard for them to sit still for five hours a day. These students may come from homes with no books, where TV sets blare all day, where no parent or older sibling has a college degree, where generations of kids have found the world of academics foreign, frustrating, and fruitless. Because many of these students cannot read a menu or calculate two-digit addition problems, they find long hours in the classroom tortuous. And while classrooms can absorb one or two of these kids—that is, the teacher can teach with a minimum of disruption—classrooms with four or more problem students reach a critical mass. The bad kids tip the good kids, and the simplest lesson becomes a test of wills between teacher and student. Only the most patient, most gifted teacher can endure more than a couple of years of these daily battles. If she wants to keep teaching, she flees for greener pastures —schools like Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, Midwood—or a school in Westchester. The result is alarming: perhaps half of the city’s 1000 schools have green-horn teachers with only a few years experience. Many of these novices don’t know their subjects and don’t know how to control a room filled with difficult kids. Many soon find non-teaching jobs. As a result, the teaching profession, at least the way it’s practiced in New York City, becomes a form of slumming, or something to do until you grow up—like the Peace Corps or the army.
Sample #2:
In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth's population lives in urban areas. There are several reasons for this occurrence. First, the increasing industrialization of the nineteenth century resulted in the creation of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities. These jobs, with their promise of a better material life, attracted many people from rural areas. Second, there were many schools established to educate the children of the new factory laborers. The promise of a better education persuaded many families to leave farming communities and move to the cities. Finally, as the cities grew, people established places of leisure, entertainment, and culture, such as sports stadiums, theaters, and museums. For many people, these facilities made city life appear more interesting than life on the farm, and therefore drew them away from rural communities.
Sample #3:
Smoking
Smoking has many serious effects. The most obvious effect is the deterioration of a smoker's health. Smoking increases the risk of lung disease, increases blood pressure, increases the risk of heart attacks, and reduces the flow of oxygen to the brain. Smoking creates respiratory problems. A smoker's cough expels phlegm, a thick mucus in the nose and the throat that wants to escape the body. Prolonged use may lead to emphysema and the need to hook up to a machine to pump enough oxygen into the lungs. Another effect of this habit is that smoking breeds halitosis; a smoker's breath always smells foul and repulsive. Smoking frequently results in social isolation because fewer people smoke or want to be in the presence of asecond-hand smoke. Friends and acquaintances often bluntly tell their smoking friends that they don't want the smell in their cars or in their homes. The strong, offensive odor of smoke clings to smokers' clothing, hair, and skin. The final effect of smoking is that is depletes the pocketbook. Smoking is now an expensive habit, and the price of cigarettes continues to rise. The effects of smoking are many, which leaves one wondering why intelligent people do not find a way to break their harmful addition.
Choose one of the following topics and write a cause and effect paragraph
Why is Paris Hilton, someone with minimal talent and iffy looks, so popular?
What is one cause of weight gain?
Why has President Bush, despite his frat-boy persona and mangled syntax, won so many elections?
Why do women, despite their frequent denials, love macho men?
Why is it preferable (or silly) to marry someone of your own ethnicity or religion?
Why hasn’t soccer, the world’s most popular sport, caught on in America?
How does smoking marijuana affect your mental or physical health?
Why does flattery work, even when the person being flattered knows you are a lying liar?
Why do men and women cheat?
What is the effect of high interest rates on the stock market?
Although it is fake, why is professional wrestling so popular?
Choose your own topic.
Argumentative Essay
Writing An Argumentative Essay
Why do people argue? Because it makes us explore different opinions thoroughly. It teaches us to ponder on opposing statements, to present only distinct and precise information. The art of arguing is to treat your opponent with respect and at the same time rebate his claims. This is what you have to do when writing an argumentative essay. The purpose of an argumentative essay is to win the debate with your point of view and support your point with facts or relevant ideas.
In this kind of essay, we not only give information but also present an argument with the PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an argumentative issue. We should clearly take our stand and write as if we are trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new beliefs or behavior. The primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do not want to change.
Your victory will depend much on the topic you choose for the essay. There are several rules for selecting a successful topic, if you follow these simple steps on how to write your argumentative essay you will be efficient from the start.
The following are some helpful tips to help you write your essay.
Choosing an argumentative topic is not an easy task. The topic should be such that
1. It should be narrowed down
X Marijuana should be considered illegal. (Not a good topic because it is too general. In some medical cases, marijuana is prescribed by the doctors and the patients are encouraged to use it in case of suffering from too much pain)
√ Selling and using marijuana in public places should be considered illegal.
2. It should contain an argument
X We should decide whether we want a bicycle or a car. (our stand is not clear: do we support having bicycles or cars?)
√ If we are under the age of 30 and want a healthy life, we should definitely get a bicycle instead of a car.
X Are you one of those who thinks cheating is not good for students? (a question cannot be an argument)
√ Cheating helps students learn.
X Considering its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU. (facts cannot be arguments)
√ Considering its geopolitical role, we can clearly say that the EU cannot be without Turkey.
3. It should be a topic that can be adequately supported (with statistics, outside source citations, etc.)
X I feel that writing an argumentative essay is definitely a challenging task. (feelings cannot be supported; we cannot persuade other people)
The argumentative essay starts with an introduction. The introduction is the gateway into your paper, and it serves two roles. The introduction should grab your reader's attention and let him or her know what your paper will be about. Your thesis must also let your reader know what your essay will be about. By the time he or she finishes your conclusion, the reader should know what you intend to write about, what you think of that subject, and what specific statement you intend to prove.
The body is where you stop talking about what you're going to do in your essay and you start actually doing it. In other words, the body is where you actually prove the assertion you made at the end of your introduction. Because the body is meant to do the heavy work of your essay, proving the point which you want to make, the language in your body will most likely be less engaging and more basic than the language in your introduction. Because the job of the body is to prove the thesis, it is both the easiest and the most dangerous part of your essay to write. It's easy because the body is the part of the essay where the words probably come to you easiest, but proving the thesis often turns out to be easier said than done.
Sample argumentative essay: A University in Every Town
The Turkish government is planning to open 15 new universities in developing provinces of Turkey. This is a response to pressure coming from local MPs who in turn voice the demands of their constituencies. However, while the already existing 85 universities are wrestling with financial and academic difficulties, it does not seem to be a good idea to add new universities to the system of higher education.
First of all, the new universities will experience staffing problems. That is, they will have difficulty finding faculty that is qualified to teach in these budding universities. In our country the number of academicians who meet the academic requirements is limited. New universities will have two choices: either to draw from the existing pool or to employ under qualified people. To attract those instructors from other universities they will have to offer attractive incentives . However, since these will be state universities they will not have the necessary funds and most academics will be unwilling to go to small town universities where academic and life standards are below par. The only venue open to these universities will be to employ local professionals or under qualified instructors. The inevitable result will follow: a drop in the quality of education.
In addition to recruitment problems, small town universities will have financial difficulties. The funds allocated to them by the state will not be enough to build from scratch all the facilities that make a university a "real university". A university is more than a few classrooms. Students will need dorms, gyms, cafeterias, sports facilities, labs and computers for their academic and social development. How many new universities can claim to have only a few of these facilities on their campuses? The result will be a small town "university" which consists of a sole building that houses classrooms and offices, and nothing more.
It is argued that the establishment of a university in a developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy. However, if a university is wrestling with staff recruitment problems, or if it cannot solve its financial difficulties it means that it cannot be of any help to the local community or economy either. It will only employ a few locals, provide substandard education to a few local youth, and it will not fulfill the the aim for which it was initially established.
Universities are institutions of higher education and they need to provide education to satisfy certain standards. In order to provide such quality education they need to have qualified teachers and must provide minimum social and academic facilities. Since funds are limited, we should raise the standard of our existing universities first. Only after that, should we invest in establishing new ones.
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