Category Archives: The Weekly Text

Here is the ninth lesson plan of the Styling Sentences Unit. This one, as heralded above, aims to assist students in writing a sentence with a single modifier out of place for emphasis.

I use this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the oxymoron as a rhetorical device as the opener for this lesson; this is half-page worksheet with a reading of one sentence that is two clauses separated by a colon. On one side of the colon is the explanation of oxymorons, on the other an example of an oxymoron in quotes. Finally, here is the worksheet with explanatory and mentor texts that is the work of this lesson. This is largely unsupported instruction: the worksheet presents only mentor texts, after which students will model their own sentences in this form. I’ve developed no sentence stems or cloze exercises for this material. If you do, could you let me know?

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023, which continues to 15 October. With considerable chagrin, I now report that I have nothing substantial to post as Weekly Texts in observance this month: I understand (and this has a great deal to do with Hispanic students at my school reporting that they often feel unnoticed) that I need to develop more materials for my students and this blog. Last year, while developing and teaching a sociology course, I began a unit on the Zoot Suit Riots, a race riot in Los Angeles provoked by the Sleepy Lagoon murder and perpetrated by U.S. servicemen. I do have a sizeable inventory of short exercises–Cultural Literacy worksheets–that I can and will post during the month, as well as plenty of quotes to publish.

So, this week’s Text is the eighth lesson plan of the Styling Sentences Unit, this one on sentence forms featuring an introductory or concluding participle. This lesson opens with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on irregular verbs. Finally, here is the worksheet with explanatory and mentor texts that is the primary work of this lesson. Please take note that this document contains no supported content, i.e. no sentence stems or cloze exercises. Students use mentor texts to model their own sentences in this form.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

This week’s Text is the sixth lesson plan of the Styling Sentences unit. This one deals, as headlined above, with the rhetorical device of the repetition of a key term.

This lesson opens with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on understatement. It’s a half-page worksheet with a reading of one-sentence reading–a longish compound with a colon separating the explanation of understatement with an example of its use. Finally, here is the worksheet with explanatory and mentor texts that stands as the principal work of this lesson. Nota bene, please, that as with most of the documents in this unit, this worksheet contains no sentence stems, cloze exercises, or other supporting apparatus. Students review mentor texts then set out to reproduce their structure by composing several sentences.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

It’s Friday again, and the school year starts soon. Let’s continue with fifth lesson plan in the Styling Sentences unit, this one on dealing with dependent clauses in a pair or a series at the beginning or end of a sentence.

This lesson opens with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the direct object of the verb. You know, that thing that a transitive verb requires to complete its meaning: Omar buys a cup of coffee at the bodega every morning. And here is the worksheet with explanatory and mentor texts to guide students through developing their understanding of this relatively complicated sentence form.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.