August 20, 2014

 Write the following paragraph in cursive. ◦ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way— in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

 I can identify and write effective sentences using parallel structure.

 Equal ideas are expressed in words, phrases, clauses, or sentences of similar types.  Examples: ◦ Reading a book, taking a nap, and baking a cake are my favorite things to do when it rains. ◦ Julie likes to hike in the mountains, to swim in the ocean, and to jog in the park. ◦ The bell-ringer paragraph (go back to that slide and underline the parallel items).

 NOT OK ◦ The scientist was asked to prepare his lab report quickly, efficiently, and with a lot of details.  OK ◦ The scientist was asked to prepare his lab report quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly.  NOT OK ◦ The coach told the players to get a lot of sleep, not to eat too much, and that they should exercise.  OK ◦ The coach told the players to get a lot of sleep, not to eat too much, and to exercise.

 Read the essay “How to Open a CD Box.”  As you read, highlight (with a highlighter), underline, or circle examples of parallel structure.  We will check this tomorrow.

 Choose something that annoys you (like the author of “How to Open a CD Box” is annoyed by the complexity of a simple task).  Create a list of 5 instructions for how to overcome this annoyance (like the author of “How to Open a CD Box” supplied instructions for that simple task.) Include at least one Unit 1 vocabulary work in this (circle it).

 Tomorrow, bring the following to class with you: ◦ Your annotated copy of “How to Open a CD Box” showing examples of parallel structure. ◦ Your in-class writing that provides instructions for overcoming something that annoys you. Remember to use parallel structure when you write.