Details & Precise Language - Part 3

Aim: IWBAT revise my writing to develop the topic with supporting details and precise verbs, nouns, and adjectives, in order to create a mental movie in the mind of the reader.

Tasks:
1. Do Now: Practice revising for precise language.

2. Review what it means to write with precise language:

• Precise means specific, detailed, exact, and expressive
• Specific = giving details
• not vague (lacking in detail, too general)
• Concise = using few words to say a lot
• not verbose (using a lot of words to say a little)
• Precise language makes our writing clearer, so we can say exactly what we want to say. Plus, it can make our writing more interesting!
 

3. Precise Language Space Race: Practice selecting the most precise and accurate word for a given sentence and compete against the other table groups in a game on Socrative.

4. Character Sketch Taboo: You will receive a character card. Your task is to write precisely to describe the character without saying his/her name or using any of the words/phrases listed on the card. You will try to get your teammates to guess your character just based on your description.

5. Practice with Multiple-Choice Questions: You will read a passage about the oldest lighthouse in the country, and then answer some multiple-choice questions about how to revise the writing for precise language: Socrative

6. Practice Independently and Assess Your Skills: You will now read a passage about a student's volunteer job at an animal shelter and answer similar multiple-choice questions.

• When you finish, you will score your skills assessment using GradeCam.
• You will redo any questions you missed and provide a 1-2 sentence explanation of why your second answer is the best choice for the question.
• You will grade your skills assessment a second time, and this will be your final score.

7. Revise Your Own Writing: 

• Open your education essay in your Google Drive. (If you cannot find your education essay, you may use a different writing assignment in your Google Drive.)
• Revise your writing for precise language, using this procedure (same as last Thursday's lesson):

1. First, identify words and phrases that are overused, boring, or lack detail or precision--parts that do no give us a clear visual image of what is happening.
• You may use your Oh No You Don't thesaurus to help you.
2. Then, revise (write directly over) these parts to make language more specific and concise.
3. Finally, highlight your changes.
4. When you are finished, submit your work to Mr. T in the form below:

If you finish early: complete today's activity on TeenBiz3000.


Homework: Revising for Precise Language