Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Writing a Thesis Statement

This summer, I am teaching students to write the personal essay. Since they were my students in the previous writing class where we learned using the Beginning, Middle and End Framework as well as the book end paragraphs, introducing the structure of the personal essay has a foundation. 

I began with texts on traveling or travelog that has a quality or verisimilitude. We read texts in class paying attention to vocabulary on trips, traveling and taking vacations. We then broke down the parts of a travelog into paragraphs identifying the theme or main idea for each. This way, students have an experience of writing a thesis statement. For this particular lesson, I used the framework in writing a thesis statement from Diana Radcliff   

My next step was to model the framework to my students. Here is my work and one of my students'.

Teacher Zarah’s Trip to Malaysia 2023

Thesis Statment: My trip to Malaysia last year was a precious life event that I will keep in my core memory because it happened during my 49th birthday, the first trip abroad I had post pandemic, and I was a research presenter in BTS Conference at the University of Malaya.

Student 1: Trip to Caticlan

Thesis Statement: My trip to Caticlan was a memorable summer experience because it is my Moving On gift, a relaxing break, and an experience that begins my summer break. 

 After this, I showed my students how to use the reasons in the thesis statement as topic sentences and summarizing  them.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

My trip to Malaysia last year was a precious life event that I will keep in my core memory because it happened during my 49th birthday, the first trip abroad I had post pandemic, and I was a research presenter in BTS Conference at the University of Malaya.

TS 1: I am not one to party on my birthday, so celebrating my 49th orbit around the sun on a trip was meaningful.

TS 2: Taking on this first trip abroad was my way to treat myself after years of being locked-in during the pandemic years.

TS: As a presenter in the 4th BTS Conference, the trip to Malaysia was even more special because as a Bangtan Scholar, I was able to share my research to other academic fans.

Summary: Celebrating my 49th birthday on a flight from Manila to Malaysia was fascinating as well as being on board a plane for the first time since 2019. I arrived in Malaysia excited to share my research to fans and academics studying pop culture, especially about BTS.

Putting together my thesis statement and my summary, I now have an Introduction for my 5 Paragraph Essay.

My trip to Malaysia last year was a precious life event that I will keep in my core memory because it happened during my 49th birthday, the first trip abroad I had post pandemic, and I was a research presenter in BTS Conference at the University of Malaya. Celebrating my 49th birthday on a flight from Manila to Malaysia was fascinating as well as being on board a plane for the first time since 2019. I arrived in Malaysia excited to share my research to fans and academics studying pop culture, especially about BTS.

I will post our writing progress in the blog in coming days! 

Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Critical Thinking in Reading and Writing (2 of 2)

One of the things that excite me as a literacy skills teacher and reading interventionist is the engagement I have with students and the manner in which they provide knowledge and reason when we encounter new words. My recent session with my student a week ago led us to opportunities to talk about words in length.

The words we unlocked are argue and argument. Of course, the dictionary is a handy tool where he learned that argue is the root word of argument. The suffix "ment" is a noun suffix that when it is placed after a verb, the word becomes a noun. Argue is the verb; ment is the noun suffix. This makes argument a noun. I then asked him to verbally use the words argue and argument in a sentences - one for each.

In context, I asked him what he knows of the word argue. He said that he associates the word as a violent exchange between two people. To this I replied, that it is a common understanding because when we argue, we insist on the other/s our beliefs with no basis but our feelings and ego. When we argue, I added, it has to be based on facts, a pattern that follows a logical sequence, a truth that has been in existence for so long it is considered universal. 

The point of an argument is to make us think. People go violent when they argue because, one, they cannot hold their statements with pieces of evidence and two, their egos are bigger than the points they want others to consider.  

I will definitely go back to this experience with my student when we begin writing the persuasive essay.

Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Critical Thinking in Reading and Writing (1 of 2)

In my writing class this summer, I have asked my student to read a 7 paragraph essay on the benefits of reading. The article is from EReading Worksheets by Mr. Donzo Mortini, a public school teacher from Chicago. The author on the article on Reading is undisclosed. It can be assumed, however, that the author is Mr. Mortini. So, when my student came face to face with the article, I had to inform him where I got the article from and lead him to the "About this Site" page. This way, the analysis of the source takes place.

My decision to have my student read the article on Reading is to prepare him for writing the personal and persuasive essay. One is casual and conversational while the other rests on an argument supported by facts. Both essays follow a fundamental structure where the main point, the general idea, the theme or the thesis is fleshed out, provided evidence for clarity, presented with examples including citations when sources are used. It is a complex process where analytical and synthetic thinking are applied. Overall, the entire process is critical thinking.

Here is how I facilitated this specific session.

1. For pre-reading, I asked the student to make a word web or a mind map on reading. This way, his prior knowledge is activated. It prepares him for the reading exercise. Furthermore, his understanding of the topic connects with new ideas he will encounter from the text. 

2. During reading, my student and I read aloud together. We stop at points where a sentence or a word piques our curiosity or when we are confused. A notepad and a pen is close at hand to record thoughts, insights or unresolved questions we have of the text. For this reading exercise, there are none because, the ones that moved us to wonder and ask questions have answers we found in the text.

3. The worksheet has two sets of questions to assess literal comprehension (set 1) and inferencing. He scored 7/10 on set 1. The second set allowed us to discuss his answers since a variety of responses can manifest. This is the exciting part. 

By engaging my student into a conversion of his answers, I was informed of his ability to analyze, pick out details and use them to support his answers. His short essays are a gauge of his skill level on critical thinking. I am happy to discover that he is ready to learn text structures and use them for writing the personal and persuasive essay. 

I asked him to write a summary of the article's main idea or theme with enough details to support it. This is where a graphic organizer comes into play.

Step by Step with Teacher Zee: 10 Things I Learned With Teacher Zarah

This is a flex post.

I had a four day intensive workshop with a promising senior high school student who is applying for college in the US. Part of the college application requirement is for him to respond to a "prompt" in the form of a 500-600 word essay. On the last day of our session, I asked him to make a list on what he learned from the workshop which he can take with him in college and university studies.

Below is his Top Ten Things Learned from the essay writing workshop.

10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM TEACHER ZARAH!

-       The process of writing is essential.

-       The introduction and conclusion should “sandwich” the body.

-       Always remember to prewrite.

-       It is better to braindump then revise later on.

-       Make graphs and tables to guide the flow of the essay.

-       The introduction should include what the prompt is asking.

-       Writing is a form of art.

-       It takes time to write a good essay.

-       The focus must be seen throughout the whole essay.

-       Sentence structure is KEY (to being understood by an audience).

Before I met with my student, I talked to his parent and the direction they want to go on the college application. I also asked for samples of written work that served as an initial assessment for me. 

I enjoyed working with him on the essay as he is perceptive, driven and willing to be mentored and coached. I do hope he passes the entrance exams and requirements for his college of choice.

Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Read. Write. Grow!

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young student who is smart, perceptive and diligent. She drew me a portrait on our last day. This summer, we met again and, oh my... She has grown!

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A post shared by Zarah Gagatiga (@zarahgeeh)

Step by Step With Teacher Zee: Poster: I should love myself

 

What I shared with my grade 12 student on our first meeting today.

Canva is heaven sent! Now, for my methods.

1. After greeting each other, tell student of the 3 things to accomplish for the 1st meeting: a. get to know each other; b. set goals and agreements; and c. map the topics and skills to cover for the next three months.

2. T presents the digital poster and its contents. Like show and tell and storytelling, engage S in significant human experiences. The poster becomes a tool for conversation drawing relevance from a T's example and modeling.

3. S makes his/her own digital poster on Canva. T gives instructions and asks S to repeat them.

4. S presents the digital poster while T listens. T gives feedback on content, design and layout segueing into a Design principle: Form follows function. This is important in the use of rubrics later on.

5. S and T takes a HEALTH BREAK.

6. S reflects on poster making activity. Questions are focused on process and what is learned from the process.

7. S and T continue to discuss goals, objectives and mapping of topics, skills and socio-emotional responses.

Kim Namjoon, be with me!

Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Learning Vocabulary

 I have been teaching literacy skills and language acquisition for students in the middle grades upto college levels for a while now. One of the many hats I wear. My one-on-one sessions and tutorials are areas where I gather experiences that enrich my instruction and pedagogy. Most importantly, I learn from my students. Their responses and engagement with the materials I plan and design fuel my desire to become a better literacy skills teacher.

Allow me to share a teaching practice I apply with my students in learning new words or vocabulary.

First, I select words that I deem important in comprehending the selected article or text. My student and I read the words individually and then, together. At times when a student has difficulty pronouncing the words, I help him/her syllabicate. We chunk the word as to how it is pronounced, for example: bio/mi/mi/cry (bio-me-meek-ree).

Second, I ask the student if the words are familiar to him or her. Where has he/she heard or read the words? We connect them to bigger subject or branches of knowledge. I then emphasize that the words we are encountering are often used in a specirfic subject or area of knowledge. 

In the example above, our main area of knowledge of Science and its sub-areas are biology and nature, engineering, robotics and technology. My student identified these branches of Science.

The third step is to introduce the article or the text, its author and the source from where I took it from.

The fourth step is for us to understand the meaning of the words used in context. So, we read.

We look for clues in the text that inform us of the meaning of the word. We do not go to the dictionary right away. I use the dictionary as a reference tool to verify the author's use of the words in context and to validate our guesses and our own understanding of the words. 

This is another activity for learning the use of reference materials, such as the dictionary. Also, it is a way of planting curiosity, cross checking and documentation. These are habits and traits necessary for research skills in the upper gardes or in high school.

Along the way, we meet important information about the topic we are reading. We take note of it and rewrite the information in our own words. In a way we are paraphrasing without the in-text citation yet. What is important here is our responses to the text and the way we express or communicate them in writing. Then, I tell him/her to review his/her writing for errors or mistakes.

Taking notes is a strategy I teach my students at the beginning of our unit or sessions.

What I enjoy about this strategy in teaching new words is the modeling and explicit instruction happening simultaneously. The brain is a network and it can think fast and slow. An awareness of thinking processes and monitoring the steps to reach a goal are valuable in reading comprehension. 

Watch out for the next Step by Step with me, Teacher Zee!