We continued our discussion of synonyms and how they can inform our thinking about how we express ourselves in writing.  The class watched a movie clip from the movie We Are Marshall and received a hand out containing a paragraph written about the scene.  The paragraph expressed the general idea but had some underlined words and phrases for the students to consider editing with an eye toward more effectively communicating.

We Cannot Lose
We Are Marshall — MOVIECLIPS.com

Students met at first in teams to discuss and brainstorm ideas, and then returned to their desks to re-write the paragraph individually.

The class reviewed basic presentation procedure for written work to be handed in.  Identifying the front of a piece of paper, using both margin lines, skipping the first line, and selecting a descriptive title were all discussed.

The second introduction team challenge went swimmingly.  Students reflected on some key oral presentation elements (examples:  pacing, facing the audience, deciding for yourself whether or not your audience can probably hear you.) and most students showed marked improvement from the first introductions team challenge.  A couple even brought their classmates to applause.

We also practiced our evacuation procedures thoroughly, and by the third or fourth time the class did marvelously.

Some Vocabulary:
margin
indent
ellipse
elliptical
isosceles
scalene
drill