Lux Writing Center

Read Well to Write Well: Strategies for Reading Comprehension

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Lux Writing Center

For a man to write well, there are required three necessaries—to read the best authors, observe the best speakers, and much exercise of his own style…It is fit for the beginner and learner to study others and the best. For the mind and memory are more sharply exercised in comprehending another man’s things than our own.

~Ben Jonson

The English playwright and poet Ben Jonson knew what it takes to succeed in writing: read, observe, and exercise. In other words, it is important to observe the work of others and practice often. If you can understand what you read, then you will be able to:

Use the knowledge you have gained to support your own ideas
Apply the structure and style that others use to your own writing.

But understanding what you read, or reading comprehension, takes practice and intention. Before reading a text, it will help if you set a purpose. Take a look at the reading and ask yourself the following:

What is the topic of the text?
When was it written?
What issue(s) will be addressed?
What conclusion(s) might the author reach about the issue(s)?

Then, as you read the text, consider these questions:

What reasons does the author give for their statements or belief?
Is the author using facts or opinions?
Has the author used neutral or emotive words?
What seems to be the writer’s position?
What assumptions does the writer make?

Finally, when you have finished the reading, answer these questions:

What does the author leave out?
Whose perspectives, experiences, or attitudes are not considered?
Do you accept the arguments made by the author? Why or why not?

Setting a purpose will help you become a better reader, and being a better reader will improve your writing. By asking yourself the above questions, you improve your close reading skills. While speed is important when reading, comprehension is more essential to being a good reader. Strong reading comprehension requires close reading and a critical eye. Close-reading is a thoughtful, critical analysis of a text, which focuses on both structure and meaning to develop a deep, precise understanding.

To help you improve your engagement with a text, you might consider making a few notes as you read:

Notes to explain meaning
Synonyms for unfamiliar words
Challenges to opinions that are expressed
Examples to support points that are made
Connections of your own experiences or wider knowledge
Questions about the text

By enhancing your reading skills, you will also greatly improve your writing ability. So, if you aspire to be an excellent write, don’t forget to pick up a book!

Source: Pavich, Jill. Cambridge International AS Level: General Paper Coursebook

IGCSE First Language English Paper 2: Narrative Writing

Posted on May 7, 2022May 24, 2023 by Lux Writing Center

The Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Paper 2 is title Directed Writing and Composition. Section A tests both reading and writing skills. You can check out our previous post on genres to learn more about that. Section B, though, tests only the student’s writing skills.

Section B of Paper 2 gives the student four options to choose from: two descriptive prompts and two narrative prompts. Our last post covered descriptive writing. This post will give some suggestions for succeeding in the narrative writing.

If you would like individualized, daily instruction to help prepare for the IGCSE English or AS English exams, Mr. Lux is a trained Cambridge teacher who can help you. Visit the About and Enrollment pages for more information.

Below are sample narrative prompts:

Write a story that ends with the phrase ‘he couldn’t believe his eyes’.
Write a story where one of the characters becomes ill.
Write a story that involves solving a problem.
Write a story which includes the words, ‘… this could not be the present …’.
Write a story with the title, ‘Visitors’.
Write a story which involves a mistake in the sending or receiving of a message.

Mark Scheme

24 marks are given for style and accuracy: Precise, well-chosen vocabulary and varied sentence structures, chosen for effect; consistent well-chosen register suitable for the context; spelling, punctuation, and grammar almost always accurate.

16 marks are given for content and structure: The plot is well-defined and strongly developed with features of fiction writing such as description characterization and effective climax and convincing details.

Tips for the Narrative

Write from personal experience, and make it interesting.
- Makes it credible and engaging
- Avoid zombies, aliens, and monsters
- Make it believable
Time and length are short
- Structure and organize
- Develop a plot: Beginning, middle, end
- Allow to time to edit
- Have a realistic but interesting ending–don’t just start strong
Use narrative features
- Setting (imagery, sensory details)
- Characterization (2-3, and believable)
- Conflict (main issue)
- Dialogue (not too much)

Style and Accuracy
- Punctuation and grammar
- Tense consistency
- Spelling…proofread!
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
- Appropriate vocabulary
- Varied sentence structure (see next slide from descriptive writing)

IGCSE First Language English Paper 2: Descriptive Writing

Posted on May 6, 2022April 27, 2023 by Lux Writing Center

Section B of Paper 2 gives the student four options to choose from: two descriptive prompts and two narrative prompts. This post will give some suggestions for succeeding in the descriptive writing.

*Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com*

Below are sample descriptive prompts:

Write a description with the title ‘The playground.’
Write a description with the title, ‘The factory’.
Write a description of a place where animals are kept in captivity, such as a zoo, wildlife park or
sea-life centre.
Describe the inside of an interesting shop.
Describe waking up to find the scene around you has changed.
Describe a group of tourists outside an attraction.

Mark Scheme

16 marks are given for content and structure: Many well-defined and developed ideas and images create a convincing overall picture with varieties of focus.

Descriptive Skills

Metaphors: Compares two dissimilar things saying it is something else
- “He was a beaten dog.”
Similes: Directly compares two dissimilar things.
- “He looked the way a beaten dog might look.”
Sensory details: words that stir any of the five senses: touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight.
Personification: Speaks of concepts or objects as if they had life or human characteristics.
- “ I saw a crowd, / A host, of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” -“I Wandered Lonely….”, Wordsworth
- “April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land” -The Waste Land, by Eliot
- “Her heart was divided between concern for her sister, and resentment against all the others.” -Pride and Prejudice, Austen
Adjectives: words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns (enormous, silly, yellow, fun, fast).
Hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Juxtaposition: placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.

Varied Sentence Structure

Simple: has one independent clause.
- I read the novel.
Compound: has two independent clauses.
- I read the novel, but I did not like it.
- I read the novel because it was homework.
- I read the novel; it was amazing.
Complex: has one dependent clause joined to an independent clause.
- Because I was lucky, I did not get caught.
- Whenever I study, we don’t have a pop quiz.
Compound-Complex: has two independent clauses joined to one or more dependent clauses.
- While I was studying, Tom was gaming; however, he already knew the material.
Variety of sentence openings:
- The biggest coincidence that day happened when John and I ended up seeing each other.
- Coincidentally, John and I ended up seeing each other that day.
- In an amazing coincidence, John and I ended up seeing each other that day.
- Guided by some bizarre coincidence, John and I ended up seeing each other that day.
Short and long sentences

Some points to keep in mind

Show don’t tell.
Point of view movement; zoom in on different objects of focus.
Think of a photograph.
There will be some components of narration (action and movement), but avoid writing a narrative.
Complex and effective, but not difficult for your reader; instead, it shows thought-out organization and progression.
Engaging and interesting.

Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Text Types

Posted on May 5, 2022April 27, 2023 by Lux Writing Center

The Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Papers 1 and 2 require students to write in various genres, or text types. These include Newspaper report, Magazine article, Journal, Interview, Speech, and Formal letter. Below are some suggestions to help students improve their writing for these exams.

NEWSPAPER REPORT

Language features to keep in mind:

Five W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why
Third Person
Past tense (usually)
Direct Speech: speech reproduced exactly as it was spoken, in inverted commas
Reported Speech: He told us not to do that.

Format:

Unlike other accounts of events, which are usually chronological, news reports generally follow this order:

Summary of recent event
Background to event
Return to immediate situation
Response of those involved
Look ahead to near future

Some suggestions:

Include a headline, a summary of the report in note form
Make your headline short
The first sentence should sum up the story
Write in 3rd person, past tense
Break it up into short paragraphs
Use both direct and reported speech
Be objective and formal
Keep opinions and personal reactions out
- It is known, Was reportedly, It was reported, It is also believed, According to, It is thought

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Purpose: Discursive (asks you to investigate a topic; to gather, read and evaluate evidence; and to present a position on your topic based on the evidence gathered)
Structure: A balanced range of views on a topic; the writer’s opinion may be stated at the end, but no view is conclusive)
Style: Quotations and reported speech are often included to convey the views of relevant experts or interviewees
Voice: More colloquial and indicative of personality rather than other types of response, but still professional

Some suggestions:

Include a catchy title
Write a dramatic opening (hook)
Use sub-headings
Personal/anecdotal style
Repetition to keep the reader engaged
Humor and idioms
Rhetorical questions
Varied sentence structures

JOURNAL ENTRIES

Journal is a record of events that occurred in the writer’s life.
It may be their emotions, ideas, or beliefs.
The purpose of writing a journal is to reflect, it is a personal piece of writing and the response to a question should be subjective.

Language features to keep in mind:

Rhetorical questions: asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Emotive language: language evoking an emotional reaction
Anecdotes: short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
Humor: amusing or comic
Idioms: group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (Under the weather, Spill the beans, Break a leg, It’s the best thing since sliced bread).
Colloquial language: informal, everyday spoken language, usually with emphasis on geographic region (Wicked good, soccer vs football, truck vs lorry, bloke)

What to include:

Date of entry
First person writing
Use of the past tense when recounting events that have happened before writing about them
Recounting events that have happened and references to time
Focusing on key moments
Personal feelings
Thoughts/ feelings/actions for the future

How to write a journal entry

Write the date and day at the left hand side of the page.
Write from a first person point of view; use of the word ‘I’ in your writing.
Self-reflective tone. It should be a recollection of memory; thinking back on something you’ve done or seen.
Your journal should only reflect on incidents or observations that happened recently.
Your thoughts and viewpoints should be expressed with emotive language, giving the reader more insight into feelings.
Past or future tense, depending on whether writing about recent events or anticipating future events or situations.
Rhetorical questions increase the reader’s curiosity and improve your work.

INTERVIEW

Genre Features:

Purpose: Informative
Structure: The interviewer asks three questions (the question bullet points given) and each is answered relatively in about half a page of full sentences; paragraphs not necessary.
Style: As this is a spoken genre, the interviewee can speak somewhat informally, using contractions, but must use full and linked sentences for fluency and a range of vocabulary for interest.
Voice: The personality of the interviewee, as inferred from the passage, should be evident from their responses to the questions.

Language features to keep in mind:

Rhetorical questions: asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Emotive language: language evoking an emotional reaction
Anecdotes: short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
Humor: amusing or comic
Idioms: group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (Under the weather, Spill the beans, Break a leg, It’s the best thing since sliced bread).
Colloquial language: informal, everyday spoken language, usually with emphasis on geographic region (Wicked good, soccer vs football, truck vs lorry, bloke)

SPEECH

Language features to keep in mind:

Rhetorical questions: asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
- ‘And ain’t I a woman?’
Hypophora: raising and answering a question.
- ‘There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.’ -MLK
Direct address: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” -Mark Antony, Julius Caesar
Emotive language: language evoking an emotional reaction
- I have a dream that…one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers…” -MLK
Imperatives: verb form used to give a command
- “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” -JFK
Anecdotes: short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
- “Standing on the coastal plain, I was saddened to think of the tragedy that might occur if this great wilderness was consumed by a web of roads and pipelines.” -Carter, Arctic Refuge

Some suggestions:

In the first person point of view.
Address the audience
Use “we” to refer to the audience at times during your speech: evokes a sense of unity rather than division. It unites the crowd and creates a sense of oneness in them.
Clear topic sentences with separate ideas for each paragraph. This helps your speech be coherent.
Informal language is OK to connect with the audience.
Keep the sentences short so you don’t deviate from the topic. Helps the listener follow you. It also ensures your sentence structure is perfect.
End appropriately (thank the listeners).

*Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi on Pexels.com*

FORMAL LETTER

Genre Features:

Purpose: Persuasive or argumentative
Structure: Begins with “Dear…” Then, 3-4 paragraphs:
- 1. Explain why you are writing with appropriate references.
- 2-3. Give the details of the complaint, request or case being presented.
- 4. Ask for the desired response (e.g. for an issue to be reconsidered, or for a refund).
End with “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully.”
For the exam, you do not need an address or date (which normally do on formal letters).
Style: Formal in terms of sentence structure and vocabulary, in order to sound impressive and authoritative.
Voice: Impersonal and polite, even when expressing strong demands or opinions.

Home for the Summer–now what do you do?

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Lux Writing Center

The summer is quickly approaching. The break is certainly something to look forward to, but let’s be honest: the pandemic continues and we have already spent a lot of time at home over the last year. Though watching television and playing video games are fun, there are so many things students could and should be doing to get a little variety in their day and to stay healthy.

Of course, this English teacher’s first suggestion is for you to write. That writing does not need to be more essays, though. You could write about what’s going on during this pandemic. What’s going on in the world, in your country, in your city, in your social circle, in your family, and within yourself.

In a podcast last year, author George Saunders asks, “Are you keeping records of the emails and texts you’re getting? The thoughts you’re having? The way your hearts and minds are reacting to this strange new way of life?” Students could use their downtime to keep up with such things through writing.

Saunders says, “It’s all important. Fifty years from now, people the age you are now won’t believe this ever happened. Or will do the sort of eye roll we all do when someone tells us about something crazy that happened in 1960.”

Writing is also a way to make sense of things that are scary, sad, difficult, or boring. In that same podcast, the host Cheryl Strayed says, “Writing is the way I make sense of almost everything in my life.” Through keeping a journal or emailing a friend or family member, young people can both keep “records” and “make sense” of all that is going on and how they are feeling.

But students can also take this time to read. Read something fun. Read something easy. Read blogs, magazines, history books, science articles, anything! Ebooks, digital magazines, and audiobooks are available online. Many books can be found online through sites like Project Gutenberg. Read something your teacher isn’t “making” you read.

Watch documentaries about topics that interest you. Plant some seeds in a pot and leave that pot in a place where you’ll see it often so you can really watch the plants grow. Draw or paint. Have a video call with a friend or group of friends to play a game “together.” Use an online program or a YouTube channel to learn a language.

Exercise. You don’t have to be at a soccer field, gym, or track to exercise. Do some stretches in the morning when you wake up. Do exercises that don’t require a lot of space, like pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. A simple online search will provide you with yoga and martial arts instructors who provide free video lessons.

And, don’t forget to breathe! It’s great to take 3-5 minutes to sit quietly, relax, and breathe. You can do this by sitting in a quiet place with your eyes closed, focusing on each breath you take–in and out. Or search for free guided relaxation videos online.

Whatever you do, though, try hard to get along with those you live with. It’s easy to get irritable and frustrated with people we are with for long periods of time. Try to find your own space, give others their space, respect each other’s needs, and help out wherever you can to create a peaceful living situation.

Ideas for Writing in Nature

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Lux Writing Center

I sometimes suggest that young writers spend time sitting outside in a comfortable spot. While out there, I ask that they write down all that they experience: the smell of fallen leaves, the chirping of a bird, an ant crawling on the ground, or the feeling of the cool breeze. In itself, it is a productive activity for exploring sensory imagery and leisurely writing. Later, these notes might even evolve into a descriptive essay, a poem, or a short story.

The activity is fruitful, I believe, because of the depth and beauty the natural world offers us. When we, our students, or our children are facing writer’s block, boredom with the usual prompts, or simply a tiredness of being at the desk, outside is a good place to be.

Connecting our lives to the natural world around us is not a new concept. It is for good reason that we plant trees in street medians, spend Saturday afternoons at parks, stare out at the vastness of the ocean, and are overwhelmed when we look up at a starry night.

It’s an ancient connection that gets to our core of being. I see this connection in the readings I teach—creation stories, the Psalms, Indian animal fables, Jesus’ parables, and poetry from all over the world.

Thomas Merton, a writer and monk who lived in a hermitage in the woods of Kentucky, believed that creation must be experienced and observed. He began many of his journal entries by writing what he was observing in the forest around him. He wrote descriptions like this one:

Mists of damp heat rise up out of the fields around the sleeping abbey. The whole valley is flooded with moonlight and I count the southern hills, and almost number the trees of the forest to the north. Now the huge chorus of living beings rise up out of the world beneath my feet: life singing in the watercourses, throbbing in the creeks and the fields and the trees, choirs of millions of jumping and flying and creeping things. And far above me the cool sky opens upon the frozen distance of the stars.

He did this as if he had to—as if these things had such an influence on his contemplative life and writing that he had to acknowledge them first.

Nature is a good place for a writer—young or experienced—to begin. To get you started on your outdoor writing adventure, here are some ideas:

Keep a nature journal.
Sit outside away from people and do nothing. Write anything that comes to mind.
Describe the smallest thing you can see outside. Do it with great detail.
While on a hike, imagine a story that might take place in that setting.
Personify an aspect of nature that you see.
Spend 15 minutes outside observing the world around you. Write about what you notice most.
Go out on a very cold or very hot day. You might be uncomfortable. Try to find the good in what you feel and experience.
When you are outside, which of your senses are you most thankful to have?
If you don’t like to be outside, write while you are outside and tell what you don’t like about it.
Write about the element of nature that speaks to you most.
Write a story or poem about a leaf falling.
Describe what a bird might see.
Read outside. Remember, the key to being good writer is to read.
While inside, read about nature and look at pictures of nature. Let these images and readings inspire your writing. For example, browse through the bird images of Alexander Wilson, American Ornithologist. Tell what you see. Describe how the birds might feel if you touched them. Think of any movement the pictures might suggest.

The options are plentiful and nature is ready for you to experience it—so get outside and write!

NASA Inspired Writing

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Lux Writing Center

NASA’s entire collection of images, sounds, and video is available and publicly searchable online. You can use the media any way you like, for free.

Students and writers might look at pictures and videos just for fun, or the resources can inspire short descriptive writings, creative works of fiction, or poems.

Imagine you are describing how a constellation looks up close.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 4845, located over 65 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin). The galaxy’s orientation clearly reveals the galaxy’s striking spiral structure: a flat and dust-mottled disc surrounding a bright galactic bulge. NGC 4845’s glowing centre hosts a gigantic version of a black hole, known as a supermassive black hole. The presence of a black hole in a distant galaxy like NGC 4845 can be inferred from its effect on the galaxy’s innermost stars; these stars experience a strong gravitational pull from the black hole and whizz around the galaxy’s centre much faster than otherwise. From investigating the motion of these central stars, astronomers can estimate the mass of the central black hole — for NGC 4845 this is estimated to be hundreds of thousands times heavier than the Sun. This same technique was also used to discover the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way — Sagittarius A* — which hits some four million times the mass of the Sun (potw1340a). The galactic core of NGC 4845 is not just supermassive, but also super-hungry. In 2013 researchers were observing another galaxy when they noticed a violent flare at the centre of NGC 4845. The flare came from the central black hole tearing up and feeding off an object many times more massive than Jupiter. A brown dwarf or a large planet simply strayed too close and was devoured by the hungry core of NGC 4845.

Or you’re writing a fictional memoir of watching a launch based on a short video.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 19, 2020, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft on the company’s uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test. The flight test demonstrated the spacecraft’s escape capabilities in preparation for crewed flights to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Maybe you are writing a poem about a galaxy.

This image is from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer is an observation of the large galaxy in Andromeda, Messier 31. The Andromeda galaxy is the most massive in the local group of galaxies that includes our Milky Way.

Or you’re writing a work of fiction set on another planet.

Imagine standing on the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f. This artist concept is one interpretation of what it could look like.

Perhaps a picture or video can help you describe what it feels like and sounds like to be on the moon.

AS16-113-18339 (21 April 1972) --- Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, took this picture. The Lunar Module (LM) "Orion" is on the left. The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is parked beside the LM. The object behind Young (in the shade of the LM) is the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph (FUC/S). Stone Mountain dominates the background in this lunar scene. While astronauts Young and Duke descended in the LM to explore the Descartes highlands landing site on the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Casper" in lunar orbit.

Even audio clips can enhance your descriptive writings and fiction. The site also provides potentially valuable resources for reports. The opportunities are vast, so check it out!

Compare and Contrast the News

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Lux Writing Center

Learning composition types doesn’t always have to be about writing essay after essay or filling out worksheets. Turning picture-based IKEA pictures into written instructions is a way to explore process writing, for example. When dealing with compare and contrast writing, thinking outside of the box can open the door to many possibilities that go beyond writing an essay.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-177557.jpeg

In this post, we’ll go over the components of compare and contrast writing, then we’ll look at different ways to organize a compare and contrast project. In this case, the project can be comparing news articles from different news agencies.

A comparison shows how two or more things are similar. Contrast shows how they are different. All kinds of subjects are regularly compared and contrasted: political candidates, raising versus lowering taxes, deciding which college to attend, weighing possibilities for the weekend, or trying to choose which car to buy.

In essay or presentation form, the compare and contrast can be structured Subject-by-Subject or Point-by-Point.

A Subject-by-Subject approach looks at the political candidates, the colleges, or the cars separately:

I. Introduction with thesis that introduces the subjects of “truck” and “SUV”

II. Truck

A. Uses

B. Price

C. Gas mileage

D. Tow capacity

E. Interior and exterior spaces

III. SUV

A. Uses

B. Price

C. Gas mileage

D. Tow capacity

E. Interior and exterior spaces

IV. Conclusion: restatement of thesis and review of key points

The Point-by-Point approach looks at the features, stances, qualities one-by-one:

I. Introduction with thesis that present the two political candidates being compared and contrasted.

II. Taxes

A. Candidate Y

B. Candidate Z

III. Capital punishment

A. Candidate Y

B. Candidate Z

IV. Drugs

A. Candidate Y

B. Candidate Z

V. Driving age

A. Candidate Y

B. Candidate Z

VI. Marriage

A. Candidate Y

B. Candidate Z

VII. Conclusion

When doing Compare-Contrast, there are some transitions that are specific to the type that help move things along coherently:

For Comparison

In comparison
In the same way
Just as…so
Like
Likewise
Similarly

For Contrast

Although
But
Unlike
Despite
Even though
However

One project I like to have students do is “Comparing and Contrasting the News.” Coverage in the news always has some biased. This could be for various reasons, and it is not always noticeable at first. News writers choose certain things to include first, headlines are written differently, certain photos are chosen, and some things are left out. The biased could be related to sports, politics, opinions about celebrities, or emotional attachments.

A project that looks at these differences will help students learn to organize their Compare and Contrast writing. However, it will also force them to consider the importance of paying attention to their word choice, sentence structure, and phrasing when writing an essay, talking to a friend, or presenting their case.

The first step is for the student to search online for “news bias chart.” Many charts like this one will come up:

Of course, even news bias charts could have bias! But the goal here is for the students just to pick one and not dwell on which one to pick–I always have to push students along here and keep focused on the purpose of the project.

Then, the student chooses a news agency from the right side of the chart and another from the left side. Whether they are choosing from the top, middle or bottom, they should choose two agencies that are at about the same latitude.

Next, from each news agency picked, the student chooses an article that covers the same topic. The topic could be about anything: a business closing, a football game outcome, a big storm, the marriage of a celebrity, the death of a famous singer, or a political candidates decision to drop out of a race. As long as the articles are specifically about the same thing, this will work!

After reading both articles, the student uses visualizations to clearly present the similarities and differences of the two articles. This can be done on a posterboard or by using a digital slideshow like PowerPoint or Keynote. The important thing is that the presentation is organized subject-by-subject or point-by-point.

Subject-by-Subject Example

I. Article Y

A. Headline information

B. Lead information

C. Who is quoted

D. What information is at the top of the article; what’s at the bottom

E. The picture(s) that was chosen

II. Article Z

A. Headline information

B. Lead information

C. Who is quoted

D. What information is at the top of the article; what’s at the bottom

E. The picture(s) that was chosen

Point-by-Point Example

I. Headline information

A. Article Y

B. Article Z

II. Lead information

A. Article Y

B. Article Z

III. Who is quoted

A. Article Y

B. Article Z

IV. What information is at the top of the article; what’s at the bottom

A. Article Y

B. Article Z

V. The picture(s) that was chosen

A. Article Y

B. Article Z

An ideal student presentation will begin with an introduction. The introduction should tell what the topic is, what the articles are, and what they agencies are. It should also make some sort of thesis statement. Finally, the student’s presentation should conclude in a way that answers, “What’s the point?” What’s the overall conclusion and takeaway here?

This presentation project can also be turned into an essay format. By considering different ways to approach writing style, we can make composition seem not-so-boring and connect it to everyday experiences.

Process Writing: IKEA Instructions

Posted on January 4, 2020April 22, 2020 by Lux Writing Center

Process writing can be broken down into “Instruction” and “Process Explanation.” In this post, I explain process writing and how it is used. Then, I present an activity that involves writing out those picture-based IKEA instructions.

Instructions enable readers to perform a process. Instructions use the imperative form of verbs (also known as the command form); this form implies “you”: “(You) disconnect the system, and (you) check the electrical source.” This type of writing is found in the products you buy, showing you how to put something together or use it.

Process explanation helps the reader understand how something is carried out. Sometimes, you cannot even do the process that is explained in this type of writing. For example, the explanation of ‘How a black hole is formed’ is not meant for the reader to follow–it’s not a set of instructions for making your own black hole! This type of writing is common in science when processes are explained.

IKEA instructions are an example of process writing–but there are no words! In order to easily carry their products in many countries, the company includes instructions in picture format.

For this activity, the student must first go to the IKEA site and find a product (a bed, for example). Then, the student gets the instructions for the assembly of the product. Those instructions the student will need are in the individual product details under “Assembly & documents.”

The task is to then put the picture instructions into words. This can be a step-by-step list of instructions that are numbered:

1. Take out all the materials from the box.

2. Open the plastic bag with screws 4578.

3. Connect part 3267 with part 1490 using the screws.

4. ………

5. ……….

Since there aren’t words in the IKEA instructions, it will be a challenge! To add a twist, the student should avoid saying what the product is. When the instructions are complete, they can be presented to a parent, teacher, or class; then, the audience will need to guess what the product is based on the instructions.

Having complete instruction writing, another layer could be added next. The students challenge is to take those instructions and turn them into process explanation. In this case, the first person (I, me, we, us) and the second person (you, your) will not be used. Rather the focus goes from the person doing the action to the action being done. Heres’ an example:

To begin, all material are removed from the box. Then, the plastic bag with screws 4578 is opened. Next, part 3267 is connected with part 1490 using the screws. Once that is completed…

It is important to use transition words and phrases when putting together the process explanation. Here are some examples: first, next, then, later, once that it is completed, finally.

For more ideas and guidance with writing projects, please contact Lux Writing Center. With Lux Writing Center, students receive daily personalized writing instruction online.

Reading and Teaching Flannery O’Connor

Posted on January 1, 2020January 2, 2020 by Lux Writing Center

Flannery O’Connor was a Southern writer whose works are often set in the rural American South. Her stories are popular examples of Southern Gothic literature, and they explore Southern life, manners, alienation, the grotesque, and religion.

In this post, I lay out some background for reading Flannery O’Connor’s stories. I also give a few questions for a handful of O’Connor’s stories that can lead to reflection, discussion, and essays.

Not only could this information serve as fruitful instruction for your student(s), I recommend her stories to anyone looking for literature that is packed with dark humor and thought-provoking themes.

Some of her most well-known stories are “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” “Revelation,” “Parker’s Back,” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” Warning: The questions below might contain some spoilers to these stories! I suggest reading the stories one at a time, and then check out the questions in the second half of this post.

The Grotesque

The natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature
The grotesque fits in between the real and the fantastic (non-real)
The grotesque simultaneously fits between being funny and being frightening
Often linked with satire and tragic-comedy
Often contains fusion between human and animal
Dating back to the 1500’s the word itself is derived from the Italian “grotto,” for caves or hidden place
This is because it was around this time that cave paintings were discovered
These cave paintings mixed humans with animals

The Difference Between the Grotesque and the Disgusting

- Makes a character more than a monster, more than a villain.
- Though we may find the character disgusting—they too were once innocent.
- Example: Beauty and the Beast. We want the monster to change and to become more human.
- Example: Gollum in Lord of the Rings
- Grotesque is the pairing of disgust with empathy

Gothic Literature

Gothic: Combines fiction, horror, and romanticism (emotion, individualism, and glorification of past and nature)
Examples: Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Frankenstein, and Dracula

Southern Gothic Literature

A style of writing practiced by writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are categorized as grotesque, disturbing (involvement or depiction of death), or fantastic incidents to examine the values of the American South.
It differs from the Gothic genre:
- The Southern Gothic uses tools not just for suspense but to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South
One of the best known writers of the Southern Gothic genre is Flannery O’Connor

Southern Gothic Literature Often Includes…

Innocence: pure; free of guilt
Grotesque: ugly or distorted
Outsider: doesn’t belong
Sense of Place: a clear description of a geographic place and time
Violence: physical or emotional abuse
Imprisonment: literal or figurative

Flannery O’Connor

Lived from 1925-1964
A devout Catholic living in the “Bible Belt” of the Protestant South (socially conservative evangelical Protestantism)
Religion plays a large part in her writing
Often involves questions of morality and ethics—elements of a parable
Had a dark sense of humor
Loved birds, especially peacocks
She passed away at 39 from complications from lupus

“The Life You Save May Be Your Own”

In complete sentences and using details from the story, identify the following traits of Southern Gothic Literature:
- Innocence: pure; free of guilt
- Grotesque: ugly or distorted
- Outsider: doesn’t belong
- Sense of Place: a clear description of a geographic place and time
- Violence: physical or emotional abuse
- Imprisonment: literal or figurative

What do we know about Lucynell Crater? What do we know about her daughter?

What do we know about Tom Shiftlet? Did you trust Tom at the beginning of the story? Explain why or why not.

What criticisms does Tom make about ‘men’ and ‘the world’?

How does Tom serve the Crater family? How does the Crater family serve Tom? Does it appear to be an equal relationship?

Is it enough to view Mr. Shiftlet as an anti-Christ, as some critics have argued? In what sense could we call his betrayal of these women a kind of salvation? From what does he save them?

How should we view Mr. Shiftlet’s actions in the final paragraphs of the story? Why does he give the boy a sermon on the sweetness of a mother’s love? What motivates his prayer for a cleansing of the world? Does he lack any sense of culpability for his own actions?

“Revelation”

In complete sentences and using details from the story, identify the following traits of Southern Gothic Literature:
- Innocence: pure; free of guilt
- Grotesque: ugly or distorted
- Outsider: doesn’t belong
- Sense of Place: a clear description of a geographic place and time
- Violence: physical or emotional abuse
- Imprisonment: literal or figurative

What do Mrs. Turpin and the “white trash” lady in the waiting room say about hogs? How does Mrs. Turpin feel about being called a hog?

What does Mrs. Turpin say she values in life? Why does this make Mary Grace mad? Why would Mary Grace consider Mrs. Turpin an “old wart hog from hell?”

Mrs. Turpin stands in her pasture alone and asks, “What do you send me a message like that for?” To whom is she speaking? What is she asking? What realization(s) do(es) she come to?

At the end of the story, Mrs. Turpin says, “Put that bottom rail on top. There’ll still be a top and bottom!” How does this relate to the vision that Mrs. Turpin sees at the end of the story? What significance does her vision have on her understanding of the way different types of people ought to be ordered in society?

“Parker’s Back”

In complete sentences and using details from the story, identify the following traits of Southern Gothic Literature:
- Innocence: pure; free of guilt
- Grotesque: ugly or distorted
- Outsider: doesn’t belong
- Sense of Place: a clear description of a geographic place and time
- Violence: physical or emotional abuse
- Imprisonment: literal or figurative

How is the story structured chronologically ?

The story’s point of view is somewhat “unreliable” in that it is biased. In what ways is the narrator’s voice biased?

Look online for the stories of the following and give a brief explanation in list form: Moses and the burning bush (Book of Exodus), Obadiah (Book of Obadiah), Elihue (Book of Job), Jonah (Book of Jonah), Paul’s conversion (Acts of the Apostles).

All of the above Biblical references are alluded to in “Parker’s Back.” In list form, tell how these references show up in “Parker’s Back.”

Write a paragraph in which you discuss the significance of these references.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find”

In complete sentences and using details from the story, identify the following traits of Southern Gothic Literature:
- Innocence: pure; free of guilt
- Grotesque: ugly or distorted
- Outsider: doesn’t belong
- Sense of Place: a clear description of a geographic place and time
- Violence: physical or emotional abuse
- Imprisonment: literal or figurative

Describe the grandmother.

Describe The Misfit.

What was something ironic that happens in the story?

Identify two events in the story that foreshadow events later in the story.

The grandmother thinks of herself as a lady, and a good Christian woman. Is she?

The misfit says, “She would have been a good woman…if it had been somebody

there to shoot her everyday of her life.” What does he mean?

Describe the causes of the car accident. Is it totally an accident or can you blame it

on bad choices made?

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Author: Lux Writing Center

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Reading and Teaching Flannery O’Connor