This is a weekly activity in which students each search for one useful sentence they feel they can learn from, post it in on the class Facebook page, and practice creating new sentences based on these “good sentences.”
Objectives
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Materials
Internet-enabled computer with Facebook access |
Levels
Time Needed
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Preparation
1. Create a class Facebook group. (Here's how.) The privacy setting called “Closed Group” protects any content posted inside the group to be seen only by the members of the group. (Information on Facebook’s group privacy options is here.) A suitable group name may be something like Grammar 2A’s Good Sentences – Spring 2014.
2. Include activity instructions on the group description page. You may wish to include instructions on what days the initial post and responses are due. (For instance, an initial post might be due every Tuesday and responses might be due every Thursday.) Following is an example of student instructions you might post for the class:
1. Create a class Facebook group. (Here's how.) The privacy setting called “Closed Group” protects any content posted inside the group to be seen only by the members of the group. (Information on Facebook’s group privacy options is here.) A suitable group name may be something like Grammar 2A’s Good Sentences – Spring 2014.
2. Include activity instructions on the group description page. You may wish to include instructions on what days the initial post and responses are due. (For instance, an initial post might be due every Tuesday and responses might be due every Thursday.) Following is an example of student instructions you might post for the class:
Activity Instructions
A good way to improve your reading and writing is to notice how good writers have constructed their sentences. The more you practice, the more you will develop your own style. Please select one sentence that you liked from your free reading time this week. Create a NEW post on the wall with the following information. INITIAL POST (due every Tuesday by midnight) 1. Write the full sentence. Please use quotation marks so that it is clear that this is a quote and not your own sentence. 2. Why is it a good sentence? What do you like about it? 3. Using APA style, cite your source as you would in the reference list of an essay. You can find guidelines here https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ . RESPONSES (due every Thursday by midnight) 1. Read the sentences that your classmates have written. Choose two sentences that you like and respond to your classmates’ posts by looking at the original sentence as a model and writing your own new sentence. 3. Now that the page is set up, you can show the page to the class when you first explain the activity to them at the beginning of the semester. 4. To invite students to join the group, copy the group’s web address. Email the link to the class. Students with the link simply click “Join Group.” 5. The instructor can monitor the activity and use the Facebook “like” feature to show approval. Per the instructor’s teaching philosophy, he or she would need to decide whether to correct sentences. |
Note
This activity may need to be modeled a few times at the beginning of the semester until students "get the hang of it." Some students may not be accustomed to participating in this type of self-directed activity.
This activity may need to be modeled a few times at the beginning of the semester until students "get the hang of it." Some students may not be accustomed to participating in this type of self-directed activity.