Lola's Blog

PublicDomainPictures.net Has technology ruined childhood? That is the title of the opinion essay you were asked to write in class last Monday. The topic generates a lot of debate and can be viewed from different angles. You can now download the handout with some tips on how to improve your writing.  I hope you find it useful.

Watts Riots 1965 Reading John Ball's novel In the heat of the night provided students with an opportunity to research a topic and present it in class. Congratulations to all the participants. I would like to thank you for putting so much work into it. Now it's time for you to write about the novel. You have four choices. Choose one of the following and write about 250-280 words: 1) Write a book review of In the heat of the night 2) Compare the book and the film 3) Sam Wood is the real hero in In the heat of the night . Discuss. 4) Racial prejudice and injustice: In the heat of the night . Writing a book or film review We discussed this in class . A review is not just a summary of the plot but also a commentary of the book or film. There are different ways in which you can write your review . You can follow the basic four-paragraph essay (introduction, main characters, plot or storyline, personal opinion)  or a more complex three-paragr...

Photo by Foreign and Commonwealth Office. CC-BY How much do you know about Angelina Jolie? Has she ever had any surgery done? What kind? Why? Have you read her two articles published in the New York Times ? You may want to read first her article titled "My medical choice" to learn why she underwent preventive surgery. Most recently, she wrote in The New York Times newspaper an article titled "Diary of a Surgery" . How do you think people reacted to this article? Well, some people wrote to the Editor of The New York Times to express their opinion. You can read some letters here . Now it's your turn You can choose one of the topics we have discussed in class, for example, cosmetic surgery, preventive surgery or you can choose a topic you are interested in. Follow the instructions in your handout about how to write a letter to the editor. Write about 230 words.

Eric Allix Rogers. Flickr.com CC NC SA This post is about how to write an advantages and disadvantages article or essay. The main purpose of this type of essay is to present information objectively. Read the article about one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in Unit 3 of your book Global . How many paragraphs is the article divided into? Can you identify the information in each paragraph? Structure This kind of essay has a clear structure: Introduction : mention the topic you are going to present and say why it is one of the greatest achievements. Advantages : list at least two advantages and benefits of your chosen topic. Disadvantages : list at least two disadvantages. Conclusion : end your essay with a conclusion. You can briefly summarise the advantages, without forgetting about the disadvantages (a word or two) and perhaps you can advance what the future holds. Connectors Read the article in Unit 3. Can you identify how ideas are linked? That's...