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Классическое эссе содержит пять абзацев: исходный общепринятый тезис, три абзаца развития исходного тезиса, заключительнй самостоятельный тезис. Эссе может быть описательным, выражающим мнение, содержащим доказательства, основанным на рассуждениях, включающим контрастные точки зрения, комментирующим данные и др. Эссе с двумя полярными точками зрения (balanced essay) обычно состоит из четырех абзацев: исходный общепринятый тезис, абзац в поддержку исходного тезиса, абзац в опровржение общепринятого тезиса и заключительный самостоятельный вывод. Существует эссе, состоящее из трех абзацев. Обычно это - дескриптивное эссе, когда трудно разделить описание объекта или процесса на три абзаца. Научить формату эссе важно, но недостаточно. Необходимо сформировать "тезисное мышление", когда учащиеся в лаконичной и понятной форме развивают исходный тезис.

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Начальным этапом приобретения навыков тезисного письма, на мой взгляд, является обучение аналитическому чтению. именно тогда ученики учатся находить основные содержательные предложения. С их помощью мы обычно учим детей составлять пересказ. Если каждое задание на пересказ какого-то текста будет включать требование дать оценку прочитанному, мы уже с самого первого уровня обучения будем, по сути, готовить учеников к написанию эссе.

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Начальным этапом приобретения навыков тезисного письма, на мой взгляд, является обучение аналитическому чтению. именно тогда ученики учатся находить основные содержательные предложения. С их помощью мы обычно учим детей составлять пересказ. Если каждое задание на пересказ какого-то текста будет включать требование дать оценку прочитанному, мы уже с самого первого уровня обучения будем, по сути, готовить учеников к написанию эссе.

Учить писать эссе по готовому тексту - значит недостаточно формировать самостоятельное мышление. Весь "трюк" написания эссе заключается в том, чтобы в заданный формат уложить собственные мысли. Вот с собственными мыслями-то и возникают у учащихся и даже у некоторых учителей проблемы. Не привыкли. Другая проблема - тематическое соответствие содержания эссе заданному заголовку. Попробуйте дать учащимся задание написать следующее дескриптивные эссе: "Зима пришла", "Русская зима" и "Красоты зимы". Перемешайте эти эссе и попробуйте определить на какую тему написано каждое из них. Это будет трудно сделать, так как все эссе будут похожи друг на друга. А ведь строгое соответствие содержания эссе заданному заголовку - важный критерий оценки. Есть учащиеся, которые любят писать "покрасивее", но уклоняются от темы и не поймут, за что им снизили оценку. Ведь они добросовестно писали "о зиме"!

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Учить писать эссе по готовому тексту - значит недостаточно формировать самостоятельное мышление.

Я говорю о детях 8-11 лет, которые только начинают изучать язык, которые слабо владеют еще родной речью, которые никогда не слышали слова "эссе". Я не предлагаю обучать детей писать эссе по готовому тексту. Но не пройдя этапа аналитического чтения, выявления основного смысла каждого абзаца, наиболее содержательных предложений, не научив грамотно пересказывать - излагать своими словами основное содержание и давать оценку прочитанному, мы не можем надеяться, что в 8-9 классе дети легко поймут разность между пересказом и эссе.

Я всего лишь сказала

Начальным этапом приобретения навыков тезисного письма, на мой взгляд, является обучение аналитическому чтению. именно тогда ученики учатся находить основные содержательные предложения. С их помощью мы обычно учим детей составлять пересказ. Если каждое задание на пересказ какого-то текста будет включать требование дать оценку прочитанному, мы уже с самого первого уровня обучения будем, по сути, готовить учеников к написанию эссе.
:unsure:

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Greetings from Florida. I am an English teacher in Miami, and I have developed free grammar and usage worksheets. Please feel free to use them:

 

http://www.grammar-worksheets.com

 

Thank you for considering visiting my site!

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Greetings from Florida. I am an English teacher in Miami, and I have developed free grammar and usage worksheets. Please feel free to use them:

 

http://www.grammar-worksheets.com

 

Thank you for considering visiting my site!

Thank you very much! Your site is interesting and worksheets are useful for teachers of English.

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I got surprised by the contents of this worksheet!

http://www.grammar-worksheets.com/workshee...ice.Opinion.pdf

I 've always thought it was advisable not to use strong authorial voice in writing while the lesson says quite the contrary. At least it doesnt mention the types of essays where it is appropriate to use SAV (apart from "report about traffic problems"). I got the whole thing as whenever you ARE the author that is in opinion essays you should NOT use such "space-fillers which diminish your credibility as a writer and take away from the message" as "in my opinion, I believe... etc" Have I got it all wrong ?

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Greetings from Florida. I am an English teacher in Miami, and I have developed free grammar and usage worksheets. Please feel free to use them:

 

http://www.grammar-worksheets.com

 

Thank you for considering visiting my site!

 

You are correct, and thank you for reading the worksheet. I hope you can find use for it in the classes you teach. Expressions such as "in my opinion," "I believe that," and "it is my belief that" do not really advance the writer's argument. At least in American rhetoric, these expressions tend to create doubt about the credibility of the author. After all, an essay is, in a sense, an opinion -- the author's opinion. There is no need to overemphasize it.

 

Jose :-)

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I got surprised by the contents of this worksheet!

http://www.grammar-worksheets.com/workshee...ice.Opinion.pdf

I 've always thought it was advisable not to use strong authorial voice in writing while the lesson says quite the contrary. At least it doesnt mention the types of essays where it is appropriate to use SAV (apart from "report about traffic problems"). I got the whole thing as whenever you ARE the author that is in opinion essays you should NOT use such "space-fillers which diminish your credibility as a writer and take away from the message" as "in my opinion, I believe... etc" Have I got it all wrong ?

 

You are correct, and thank you for reading the worksheet. I hope you can find use for it in the classes you teach. Expressions such as "in my opinion," "I believe that," and "it is my belief that" do not really advance the writer's argument. At least in American rhetoric, these expressions tend to create doubt about the credibility of the author. After all, an essay is, in a sense, an opinion - the author's opinion. There is no need to overemphasize it.

 

Jose :-)

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Thank you very much! Your site is interesting and worksheets are useful for teachers of English.

 

Thank you Lyudmila. It is a work in progress and I hope to improve the quantity and quality of the worksheets, considering that I use them in my own classes! Some of the links help too. For advanced students, the worksheets on nominalizations and strong verbs provide a good challenge.

 

Thank you for your comment.

 

Jose

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You are correct, and thank you for reading the worksheet. I hope you can find use for it in the classes you teach. Expressions such as "in my opinion," "I believe that," and "it is my belief that" do not really advance the writer's argument. At least in American rhetoric, these expressions tend to create doubt about the credibility of the author. After all, an essay is, in a sense, an opinion -- the author's opinion. There is no need to overemphasize it.

 

Jose :-)

Well, you see, teachers of English in Russia have been working hard to teach Russian students (high school I mean) to write different types of essays. For Russian end-of-school exam our students are to write two types - either a "for and against"( argumentative essay) or an opinion essay. To get a good grade, students have to follow a certain plan and use certain expressions among which exactly the ones listed as undesirable in your worksheet :D That was the reason for my surprise)))

Here are two essays given as examples to follow to get the highest grade.What do you think of them considering American rhetoric?:

 

International tourism is often contrasted with domestic tourism, with the former meaning exciting adventure and the latter, boring leisure. Let’s examine some of the reasons for such differences of attitude and opinion.

As far as the advantages of international tourism are concerned, these are above all the rich cultural opportunities and an excellent service in hotels. Tourists could visit different museums, galleries, get acquainted with new traditions and customs, taste new food, practice a foreign language and learn something new.

Domestic tourism also has many advantages such as an opportunity to meet new friends, to admire the most beautiful places of our country, to learn more about our history. What is more, there are also a lot of sights and interesting museums to be seen in our own country.

As far as the disadvantages of international tourism one can name the need to have international passports, to get visas, currency. Besides not everyone can afford to pay big sums of money for travelling expenses and accommodation.

There are some disadvantages of domestic tourism as well. Firstly, service at hotels, shops is worse than abroad. Secondly, everything seems boring because there isn’t much change in the world around you. Moreover, a lot of domestic tours cost as much as the international ones.

To sum it up, both international and domestic tours have its advantages and disadvantages. An English proverb says ”Many men, many minds”. So, one should choose what is better for himself.

 

 

 

A lot of people, especially of older age, claim that life in their youth was much quieter and they were more sure of tomorrow than young people nowadays. But there are many things I do appreciate today. Among them is a great variety of opportunities we have in life.

 

Firstly, the life has cardinally changed and at present young people, using Internet and traveling abroad, are more and more informed about the world and other cultures. Secondly, there is a wide choice of activities in which we can take part now, starting from leisure clubs up to political and volunteer programmes. Another thing to mention is a different range of job vacancies offered to young people to earn their own money. This gives us more independence from our family but, on the other hand, it teaches us to be responsible for decisions we make.

 

However, our society now faces some serious problems such as high crime rate, drug, game and smoking addictions, AIDS, poor environment, etc. They say the society was kinder, the tempo of life was slower.  They were not afraid of unemployment. These are the reasons for the parents’ concern about our future. And though I share their worries, I would rather risk than have uneventful, monotonous, predictable life.  

 

To sum up, I believe, modern life gives more opportunities and challenges to the youth. There is more freedom, life is more exciting. That is why I hold an opinion that the way of life of today is more satisfying.

 

 

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You are correct, and thank you for reading the worksheet. I hope you can find use for it in the classes you teach. Expressions such as "in my opinion," "I believe that," and "it is my belief that" do not really advance the writer's argument. At least in American rhetoric, these expressions tend to create doubt about the credibility of the author. After all, an essay is, in a sense, an opinion - the author's opinion. There is no need to overemphasize it.

 

Jose :-)

The same can be said about numerous "besides", "in addition to", "also" and other connectives that Russian students were encouraged to use in their "for-and-against" balanced essays. The reason was that without such markers the examiners would sometimes miss argumentations in the essay and the score would go down for this reason. I once had an uneasy debate about it saying that you can't have as many paragraphs in the essay as there are arguments in it and you can't open every argument with a text mechanics device. All in vain. LEA always know better and thus the local rhetoric norms were born. The examiners simply counted the linking devices and that was enough for deciding on the essay scoring.

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...All in vain. LEA always know better and thus the local rhetoric norms were born. The examiners simply counted the linking devices and that was enough for deciding on the essay scoring...

 

A newly-bred type - Russian opinion))) in English. Where are we going to use this in life? Seemingly for our own pleasure and satisfaction.

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I just wonder to what extent American rhetoric differs from that of British writing tradition. I know that using modals and tentative expressions is highly recomended in discussions, for example. And then, probably using Strong Authorial Voice is apt in different kinds of regulations, isn't it? :D

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I just wonder to what extent American rhetoric differs from that of British writing tradition. I know that using modals and tentative expression is highly recomended in disccussions, for example. And then, probably using Strong Authorial Voice is apt in different kinds of regulations, isn't it? :D

I don't think writing an essay is an art for art's sake. Expressing one's opinion or giving arguments in writing is the way towards developing this very important communicative skill in learners. There are at least 4 maxims of good communication - speak (write) clearly, speak (write) to the point, do not abuse time and space, structure your ideas. Another thing is the knowledge of the subject. And finally, powerful presentation. I don't think British and American rhetoric differs in this matter. What brings them further together is unambiguous expression of ideas - say what you mean! Yet another one - tact and respect to the audience. Well, as you see discourse markers such as "I believe" count least in this hierarchy. They come to the arena as a formality that can be neglected because the real value of the essay is its message.

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I don't think writing an essay is an art for art's sake. Expressing one's opinion or giving arguments in writing is the way towards developing this very important communicative skill in learners. There are at least 4 maxims of good communication - speak (write) clearly, speak (write) to the point, do not abuse time and space, structure your ideas. Another thing is the knowledge of the subject. And finally, powerful presentation. I don't think British and American rhetoric differs in this matter. What brings them further together is unambiguous expression of ideas - say what you mean! Yet another one - tact and respect to the audience. Well, as you see discourse markers such as "I believe" count least in this hierarchy. They come to the arena as a formality that can be neglected because the real value of the essay is its message.

Sounds simple when reading and in practice :D "...do not abuse time and space", "..tact and respect to the audience" and above all "powerful presentation" Personally I tend to use impersonal constructions as "It is believed..there is a tendency....it is intended" etc but as you say "a formality that can be neglected because the real value of the essay is its message" opposes to our opinion essay plan. On the other hand, we could have misunderstood something. Have a look at this

http://eng.1september.ru/view_article.php?ID=200901010

There are not many "opinion words" in sample essays. The same in the opinion sample I posted above from ФИПИ site.

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Well, you see, teachers of English in Russia have been working hard to teach Russian students (high school I mean) to write different types of essays. For Russian end-of-school exam our students are to write two types - either a "for and against"( argumentative essay) or an opinion essay. To get a good grade, students have to follow a certain plan and use certain expressions among which exactly the ones listed as undesirable in your worksheet :D That was the reason for my surprise)))

Here are two essays given as examples to follow to get the highest grade.What do you think of them considering American rhetoric?:

 

International tourism is often contrasted with domestic tourism, with the former meaning exciting adventure and the latter, boring leisure. Let’s examine some of the reasons for such differences of attitude and opinion.

As far as the advantages of international tourism are concerned, these are above all the rich cultural opportunities and an excellent service in hotels. Tourists could visit different museums, galleries, get acquainted with new traditions and customs, taste new food, practice a foreign language and learn something new.

Domestic tourism also has many advantages such as an opportunity to meet new friends, to admire the most beautiful places of our country, to learn more about our history. What is more, there are also a lot of sights and interesting museums to be seen in our own country.

As far as the disadvantages of international tourism one can name the need to have international passports, to get visas, currency. Besides not everyone can afford to pay big sums of money for travelling expenses and accommodation.

There are some disadvantages of domestic tourism as well. Firstly, service at hotels, shops is worse than abroad. Secondly, everything seems boring because there isn’t much change in the world around you. Moreover, a lot of domestic tours cost as much as the international ones.

To sum it up, both international and domestic tours have its advantages and disadvantages. An English proverb says ”Many men, many minds”. So, one should choose what is better for himself.

 

 

 

A lot of people, especially of older age, claim that life in their youth was much quieter and they were more sure of tomorrow than young people nowadays. But there are many things I do appreciate today. Among them is a great variety of opportunities we have in life.

 

Firstly, the life has cardinally changed and at present young people, using Internet and traveling abroad, are more and more informed about the world and other cultures. Secondly, there is a wide choice of activities in which we can take part now, starting from leisure clubs up to political and volunteer programmes. Another thing to mention is a different range of job vacancies offered to young people to earn their own money. This gives us more independence from our family but, on the other hand, it teaches us to be responsible for decisions we make.

 

However, our society now faces some serious problems such as high crime rate, drug, game and smoking addictions, AIDS, poor environment, etc. They say the society was kinder, the tempo of life was slower.  They were not afraid of unemployment. These are the reasons for the parents’ concern about our future. And though I share their worries, I would rather risk than have uneventful, monotonous, predictable life.  

 

To sum up, I believe, modern life gives more opportunities and challenges to the youth. There is more freedom, life is more exciting. That is why I hold an opinion that the way of life of today is more satisfying.

 

 

 

In terms of American rhetoric, the essays are solid. They are organized and the writing is clear. I would encourage the students to use real examples. For example, when one student writes that the service for domestic tourists is bad, I wold ask that student to use a specific instance, in a specific locale, with real names and prices. That is the kind of specif examples that make essays meaningful, at least to instructors trained in at American Universities :-)

 

Jose

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In terms of American rhetoric, the essays are solid. They are organized and the writing is clear. I would encourage the students to use real examples. For example, when one student writes that the service for domestic tourists is bad, I wold ask that student to use a specific instance, in a specific locale, with real names and prices. That is the kind of specif examples that make essays meaningful, at least to instructors trained in at American Universities :-)

 

Jose

Jose, your comments are really valuable. In the long run, all our efforts are pressing towards better understaning of the English academic (essays) and interpersonal (letters, e-mails etc) writing. That is to say we are in bad need of a competent and objective assessment of what we do.Thanks again!

Let me show you one more example. It was posted on the forum as a perfect example of an opinion essay which aroused heated discussion. What do you think of it?

 

Topic:"A modern teenager is considered to be completely different from representatives of all previous generations. Are young people nowadays only interested in cheap forms of entertainment or do they hold the future prospects of our society in their hands? Let us examine some of the differences of such attitude to a modern teenager’s lifestyle."

 

In my opinion, young people nowadays are the most active part of our society. According to statistics, most of schoolchildren are motivated to continue their education. As a result, they must become prospective business people who, in turn, will build and improve the country’s well-being. Furthermore, students are open-minded mixers. In fact, their features let them shorten the distances between countries and establish relationships with other cultures. Thus, in future we may have a friendly multi-national and multi-cultured world, free of wars and famine. Finally, most of young people are environmentally conscious, therefore, who but the young will be able to take care of the Earth, our common home?

 

Various critics of the way of life of a modern teenager argue that their main interests do not exceed the limits of computer games, the Internet and discotheques. However, the pace of our life is so stressful that relaxation activities are absolutely necessary in relieving the pressure of it. Moreover, modern entertainment activities develop useful physical and mental skills and, as a result, do not only help relax but go on working hard as well.

 

To sum it up, all the above listed arguments prove the mode of life of a young individual to be prospective from the point of view of a better future of our world.

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One more note. An essay has a word limit of 175 - 275. What do you think about the best word-meaning ratio?

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One more thing that would perhaps cast some light on the difference between the Russian and "Western" rhetoric in essays without the least attempt to discriminate against any. Russians tend to philosophize while westerners are trained to draw on factual experience. Just a small example with me as the target for criticism. I was taking one of my courses in the UK and the task was to write an essay "Good fences make good neighbors". That was the time when the Berlin wall collapsed and I was very much impressed by the event. Many of us were still very much under the influence of the mass media discourse at the time and I wrote an essay trying to draw a parallel between a good fence that had been making good neighbors in Europe for fifty years without a war and the Berlin wall. The teacher later said to me that the essay was truly philosophical, but what she had in mind was giving some live examples of how good neighbors whom I might have known lived happily enjoying their privacy because they had a good fence dividing their garden. Since then I have always been telling my students to write down-to-earth ideas without losing touch with the solid ground.

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One more note. An essay has a word limit of 175 - 275. What do you think about the best word-meaning ratio?

 

Hmm.... Valentina, the topic itself lends itself to generalities, and with a word limit of 175 - 275 words, the best one can hope for is for a competent essay written at a very general level. If the students can handle the extra writing, I would recommend increasing the word limit to 400 - 500 words. This increased word limit allows a student to supply one or two specific examples.

 

The essay itself is competent, especially the long paragraph. But really, do the words "In my opinion" advance the writer's argument. A teacher, or any reader, knows that the opinions expressed are those of the writer, unless the writer attributes his or her idea to someone else.

 

All the best,

 

Jose

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One more thing that would perhaps cast some light on the difference between the Russian and "Western" rhetoric in essays without the least attempt to discriminate against any. Russians tend to philosophize while westerners are trained to draw on factual experience. Just a small example with me as the target for criticism. I was taking one of my courses in the UK and the task was to write an essay "Good fences make good neighbors". That was the time when the Berlin wall collapsed and I was very much impressed by the event. Many of us were still very much under the influence of the mass media discourse at the time and I wrote an essay trying to draw a parallel between a good fence that had been making good neighbors in Europe for fifty years without a war and the Berlin wall. The teacher later said to me that the essay was truly philosophical, but what she had in mind was giving some live examples of how good neighbors whom I might have known lived happily enjoying their privacy because they had a good fence dividing their garden. Since then I have always been telling my students to write down-to-earth ideas without losing touch with the solid ground.

 

Radislav, what an EXCELLENT example you provide of the way American (and British) teachers of compostion try to impress on students. However, if I had been the instructor, I would have been impressed that you used the very real example of the Berlin Wall and its fall. It seems that you gave her Doestoyevsky, where she (or he) wanted Tolstoy (in an abbreviated manner!).

 

Jose

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