Students were reminded of what expository writing is. Students were reminded to keep reading their novel. Their final novel test is tentatively scheduled for this Wednesday.
The character paragraph is due for tomorrow's class.
Paragraph examples:
Poor Paragraph
Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is nice, strong, and generous. She’s strong because she stops the crime from happening. She’s nice because she offers Roger something to eat. She’s generous because she gives up her own time to talk to him. Mrs. Jones is nice, strong, and generous.
An Effective Paragraph
In the short story “Thank you Ma’am” the main character, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is strong, nice, and generous. At the beginning of the story Mrs. Jones finds herself face to face with a young man who tries to steal her purse. Rather than let this happen, she uses her strength to hold on tight to her handbag and even grabs the criminal before he can run off. As well as being physically strong, Mrs. Jones also reveals another important trait -- she is a rather nice lady. Rather than turn the thief into the police, she takes him to her apartment and cleans him up. For example, she says, “I got a right mind to wash your face.” Here, Mrs. Jones shows how nice she is. Usually, one doesn’t show such care to a person who was trying to rob you. Finally, Mrs. Jones, the protagonist, shows that not only she strong and nice, but that she also has a very generous side to her. After discovering why Roger was trying to steal her purse, Mrs. Jones says, “Here,” to Roger as she gives him ten dollars to buy the blue suede shoes that he so desperately wanted. Being generous isn’t that unusual, but to be that giving to a young man who just tried to steal your money is quite rare. Mrs. Jones is a multi-dimensional character who is not only strong and nice, but she also shows a level of generosity that is truly extraordinary.
