25th - 29th/09/23- Understanding the Writing Process

                In my LIT 102 class, one of the week's main focuses was the writing process. At first, I was not as enthused as my other colleagues were. I thought I already knew everything there was to know about the writing process. Boy, was I wrong!😲 It never occurred to me that within the prewriting stage, the focus is to generate different ideas, which include the topic, purpose, and audience. I already had an incite that one should focus on writing the content in the drafting stage and take another look at one's writing for refinement in the revising stage. However, regarding the editing stage, I had never given much thought until my classmates and I were informed that it may be wise to take a 'step back', meaning to leave one's writing for a while and come back to analyse the mechanics. 🤔 

             My colleagues and I were also informed that when the students finally publish their work, they can do it by reading to their classmates or the school assembly. This new knowledge of the writing process gives me a unique perspective as a teacher because I can now see myself being more cognizant of informing my students that in the prewriting stage, they should consider both the audience and the goal of their writing. When choosing a topic, a writer must also identify the writing piece they will produce, such as narrative, descriptive, persuasive, or expository. They should also consider writing everything that comes to mind on the chosen topic. Write continuously for several minutes. When finished, go through the freewriting and highlight words, phrases, and sentences useful in the writing.

               Overall, and upon reflection, I am now more mindful that the writing process is essential to take the ideas and information gathered during the prewriting process and organise it into a logical format, which makes one's writing more organised. This can take the form of an outline, but it could also be a story map, a series of pictures, or a list, and the information should be ordered to support the thesis statement in the best way. The images below illustrates the steps required in each stage of the writing process. 

(pictures retrieved from: www.buzzingwithmsb.com.;www.i.pinimg.com.)

11th – 15th /09/23 -The Fundamentals of Descriptive Writing (Showing and Telling Sentences)

                      Throughout the week, the focus in LIT 102: Promoting Writing in Primary Grades, was on the explanation of descriptive writing. My colleagues and I were exposed to various aspects of descriptive writing. We were informed that a good descriptive writing piece creates a mental image in one’s mind. Specifically, this form of writing shows the reader vivid events as they unfold rather than simply telling what is taking place. This is primarily done using the five (5) senses (the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing). We call these sentences showing sentences.

                         From the lessons taught throughout the week, what stood out the most to me was the activity that my lecturer Mrs. Lazarus gave my colleagues and I. We were given Three (3) sentences (John was angry, a storm was approaching, and it was a hot day.) and were asked to transform these sentences into showing sentences using a sensory approach. This activity stood out to me because it challenged me to think more creatively when writing simple descriptive sentences. Additionally, we were further tasked with identifying the dominant impressions in our peers’ sentences. For instance, the showing sentence that I created for a storm was approaching was, ‘dark grey clouds gathered, lightning raced across the sky, and heavy rain began to pound the roof.’  My classmates and I identified that this sentence portrayed an eerie, tumultuous feeling aligned with the impending storm that was approaching. The following video depicts my descriptive sentence. 

                        I would have liked, however, to be shown a descriptive paragraph where all 5 senses were used in vivid detail to give me a better understanding of how one can go about writing excellent sentences. Nevertheless, I thought this week was an informative week learning how one can go about differentiating showing and telling sentences as well as being able to write a good descriptive (showing) sentence. 

15/09/23- My First Expericne Setting Up My Blog

            My first experience creating this blog was very difficult. I suspect this was mainly due to an internet problem that my classmates and I were currently experiencing. It was daunting. However, my good friend Frances helped me to set up my blog and to her, I am forever grateful. After her guidance, I sat down and remembered her instructions. To my great happiness and surprise, I was successful in setting up my blog. 😀