Reading and Writing Newspaper Articles ESL Lesson Plan

Reading and Writing Newspaper Articles ESL Lesson Plan Students often read newspapers for a wide variety of reasons, not least of which is to keep informed in English. As you know, newspaper writing style tends to have three levels: Headlines, leading phrases, and article content. Each of these has its own style. This lesson focuses on calling students attention to this type of writing style on a deeper, grammatical level. It ends with students writing up their own short articles with a follow-up listening comprehension opportunity. The Lesson Aim: Improved writing skills and understanding newspaper writing style Activity: Writing short newspaper articles Level: Intermediate to upper intermediate Outline: Use the provided example newspaper article, or take a newspaper into the class.Ask students to read the newspaper article and summarize the contents.Have students analyze the difference between the headline, leading sentence and article content in terms of tense usage and vocabulary in small groups (3 to 4 students).As a class, check that the differences between headline, leading sentence and article content are clear. Here is a short guideline to the main differences:Headline: Simple tenses, idiomatic, flashy vocabulary, no use of function wordsLeading sentence: Present perfect tense often used to give general overview.Article content: Proper tense usage, including a change from present perfect to past tenses to give detailed, specific information about what, where and when something happened.Once the differences have been understood, have students split up into pairs or small groups (3 to 4 students)Using the worksheet, small groups should write their own newspaper articles using t he headlines provided or come up with their own stories. Have students read their newspaper articles aloud allowing you to incorporate some listening comprehension into the lesson. FAKE VAN GOGH SELLS FOR $35 MILLION A fake painting supposedly by Vincent Van Gogh has been sold for $35 million in Paris. Paris June 9, 2004 Imagine this: Its the chance of a lifetime. You have the necessary cash and you have the opportunity to buy a Van Gogh. After purchasing the painting and placing it on your living room wall to show to all your friends, you discover that the painting is a forgery! Thats what happened to an anonymous telephone bidder who purchased Sunflowers in the Wind at the Peinture Company in Paris, France. The first (supposed) Van Gogh painting to have been auctioned since last years record sale of $40 million, the forgery was sold for $35 million. The painting had also been reported to be the last ever offered for sale, Britains Daily Times reported Thursday. Unfortunately, shortly after the masterpiece had been transferred to the buyers home, the Academy of Fine Arts released a statement saying that Sunflowers in the Wind was a fake. Upon further investigation, the report proved to be true. The unlucky buyer was forced to recognize that he or she had indeed purchased a forgery. Choose a Headline and Write Your Own Newspaper Article Newspaper Article 1 TRUCK CRASHES INTO LIVING ROOM Leading sentence: Provide your leading sentence. Article content: ​Write at least three short paragraphs about the incident. Newspaper Article 2 LOCAL COUNCIL: ACTION NOT PROMISES Leading sentence: Provide your leading sentence. Article content: Write at least three short paragraphs about the incident. Newspaper Article 3 LOCAL FOOTBALL PLAYER WINS BIG Leading sentence: Provide your leading sentence. Article content: Write at least three short paragraphs about the incident.

Exordium - Definition and Examples

Exordium s In classical rhetoric, the introductory part of an argument in which a speaker or writer establishes credibility (ethos) and announces the subject and purpose of the discourse. Plural: exordia. Etymology: From the Latin, beginning Observations and Examples: Ancient rhetoricians gave elaborate advice for exordia, since rhetors use this first part of a discourse to establish their ethos as intelligent, reliable, and trustworthy people. Indeed, Quintilian wrote that the sole purpose of the exordium is to prepare our audience in such a way that they will be disposed to lend a ready ear to the rest of our speech (IV i 5). However, in Book II of the Rhetoric, Aristotle contended that the main purpose of the introduction was to make clear what is the end (telos) of the discourse (1515a). Other functions of introductions, according to Aristotle, include making the audience well disposed toward the rhetor and the issue and grabbing their attention.(S. Crowley and D. Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Pearson, 2004) Analysis of the Exordium of Dr. Kings I Have a Dream Speech The exordium [paragraphs 2-5] breaks down into two parts, both of which make a similar syllogistic argument while shifting its major premise. The syllogism takes the form of (a) America consists of a promise of freedom, (b) the Negro in America still is not free, therefore, (c) America has defaulted on its promise. The major premise of the first argument is that the Emancipation Proclamation constituted a promise of freedom for Afro-Americans. The major premise of the second argument is that the American Founding as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution constituted such a promise. In both cases, King argues, the promise has not be fulfilled.Kings exordium is essentially moderate. This is necessary because he must win the attention and trust of his audience before he can make his more militant plea. Having established his ethos, King is now ready for confrontation.(Nathan W. Schlueter, One Dream or Two? Lexington Books, 2002) Exordium of John Miltons Address to His Classmates (An Academic Exercise) The noblest masters of rhetoric have left behind them in various screeds a maxim which can hardly have escaped you, my academic friends, and which says that in every type of speechdemonstrative, deliberative, or judicialthe opening should be designed to win the goodwill of the audience. On those terms only can the minds of the auditors be made responsive and the cause that the speaker has at heart be won. If this be true (andnot to disguise the truthI know that it is a principle established by the vote of the entire learned world), how unlucky I am! What a plight I am in today! In the very first words of my speech, I am afraid that I am going to say something unbecoming to a speaker, and that I shall be obliged to neglect the first and most important duty of an orator. And in fact, what good will can I expect from you when in as great an assembly as this I recognize almost every face within eyeshot as unfriendly to me? I seem to have come to play an orators part before an utterly uns ympathetic audience.(John Milton, Whether Day or Night Is the More Excellent. Prolusions, 1674. Complete Poems and Major Prose, ed. by Merritt Y. Hughes. Prentice Hall, 1957) Cicero on the Exordium The exordium ought always to be accurate and judicious, replete with matter, appropriate in expression, and strictly adapted to the cause. For the commencement, constituting the introduction and recommendation of the subject, should tend immediately to mollify the hearer and conciliate his favor. . . .Every exordium ought either to have reference to the entire subject under consideration, or to form an introduction and support, or a graceful and ornamental approach to it, bearing, however, the same architectural proportion to the speech as the vestibule and avenue to the edifice and temple to which they lead. In trifling and unimportant causes, therefore, it is often better to commence with a simple statement without any preamble. . . .Let the exordium also be so connected with the succeeding parts of the discourse that it may not appear artificially attached, like the prelude of the musician, but a coherent member of the same body. It is the practice of some speakers, after having p ut forth a most elaborately finished exordium, to make such a transition to what follows, that they seem solely intent upon drawing attention to themselves.(Cicero, De Oratore, 55 BC) Pronunciation: egg-ZOR-dee-yum Also Known As: entrance, prooemium, prooimion

Great Depression Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Great Depression - Thesis Example It led to lower production of staple and cash crop food like wheat, which led to low income2. Misuse of land by farmers caused soil erosion by wind storms; plagues of grasshoppers invaded their wheat and caused massive losses. It caused migration of civilians in other parts of the country, which had not been hit hard (Atlantic and southern parts). Production industries and companies: they had to reduce production, especially farm inputs, this led to dropping off of employees hence rising unemployment, few people considered luxury items therefore affecting industries producing such appliances for example cars3. Other parts of Ontario and Quebec went through unemployment since mining and forest tourists had dropped. For British Columbia province, which majors in horticulture encountered an economic downfall due to low demand hence workers were laid off. The Newfoundland province had to ask for government help for the crisis (Wiegand, 254). Very few wealthy citizens benefited from the depression since they acquired property due to the low value and cheap prices and later sold it at higher rates. In addition, few big industries capitalized on the chance of depression since they didn’t have to pay wages as many workers were dismissed. Political instability: A lot of pressure from the economy and citizens, the whole country faced to politics to try to save the situation, they overthrew the past political parties and brought in liberals lawyer Richard Bennett hoping to bring a

Social Organization of Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Social Organization of Religion - Essay Example What does it mean to be religious nowadays? Why do we need to go to church, or in what other ways is it possible to confirm one’s aspiration to be a religious person? From the perspective of sociologists all answers to these questions can be found in the ordinary behavior of people in their daily lives. For example, it is ordinary for people to follow behaviors of others. Thus, they follow other people’s beliefs and religious is a favorable basis for unification of people. Moreover, it performs a pacifying function in the society; it instills hope in people’s hearts and exerts much more positive influence on individuals. Nevertheless, there are negative outcomes of religion, when people are involved in different sectarian developments or when they are ready to give all their money to churches for charity. Religion has exceeded its limits as of a spiritual basis for people’s development. It turned into a global machine, which requires people’s money for fake hopes and beliefs. A sociological root of religion is presented to people on TV or in the magazines, online or broadcast on radio. Still, no one knows where to find the truth and what is the real essence of the modern religion. Group spirit of religion can be interpreted from the perspective of humanity’s desire to be together with other people and follow a so-called spirit of herd. Sociological aspect of religion can clarify numerous aspects of this global phenomenon. For example, religion is often correlated with supernatural phenomena and people are often afraid of unknown. Thus, their belief in God is often considered to be a strong power, which helps them living their lives. Moreover, there is an evident blending of real phenomena and imaginative divinities. A real life of humans is compared with the lives in the Heaven or Hell. Social events and phenomena are correlated with religious practices and religious followers explicate their

On Arabian Culture Essay Example for Free

On Arabian Culture Essay The literature on social diversity and cleavages in Arab society and the Middle East as a whole suffers from several fallacies, two of which are most pertinent here. One is the tendency, particularly among Orientalists, to speak both of the mosaic nature of Arab society and of the existence of a unified mentality, or one Arab mind, without any awareness of the contradiction between these two abstractions. The other is the emphasis either on communal cleavages or on class conflicts, with the result that one becomes explanatory while the other is ignored. The interplay and coincidence of these two cleavages are rarely examined in their historical and social contexts. How can an individual define the diversity of Arab society? The diversity that characterizes Arab society needs to be analyzed within a three-dimensional framework: (a) a homogeneity-heterogeneity continuum; (b) the processes of conflict-accommodation-assimilation; and (c) social class cleavages. The continuum that covers the range from a completely homogeneous society to one of great heterogeneity encompasses a complex system of vertical loyalties and communal differentiations (ethnic, linguistic, sectarian, tribal, local, regional, and the like) that coincides as well as conflicts with social class cleavages. Arab society has historically been highly heterogeneous. Certainly, one may argue that there has recently been a resurgence of communal loyalties and mobilization, confirming the mosaic and segmentary structures of society. What cannot be granted is the static conception of these loyalties and cleavage as permanent, unchanging forms of differentiation. What is Arab society in general? The characterization of Arab society as heterogeneous, however, needs to be accompanied by an explicit clarification that not all Arab countries are similar in this respect. In fact, they differ widely in regard to their positions on the homogeneity-heterogeneity continuum. Compared to other Arab countries, Egypt and Tunisia, for instance, may be described as rather homogeneous as far as communal cleavages are concerned. These two countries tend to have fewer ethnic, religious, and tribal differences (and, hence, conflicts) than other Arab societies, and are characterized more by social complexity and social class cleavages. A second group of Arab countries, such as Lebanon and Sudan, occupy a position close to the opposite end of the continuum, each being more of a mosaic in structure and social composition. A third set, such as Syria, Algeria, Arabia, and Morocco, tend to occupy positions more in the middle of the continuum. Conventional Western literature on Arab and other Middle Eastern societies has persistently avoided any serious discussion of social class structure. Instead, it has conceived of Arab societies simply as a mosaic. At the margin of this mainstream discourse, however, there has been some occasional speculation on problems of social stratification. Whenever a discussion of this nature has taken place, it has evolved into a heated exchange. One point of view reaffirms the conclusions of the mosaic model and questions the relevance of class analysis. For instance, C. A. O. van Niewenhuijze and James Bill, in separate works, dismiss class analysis in economic terms and instead use Weberian concepts of status and power. Similarly, Iliya Harik has more recently dismissed the thesis put forward by some writers that the Lebanese civil war is actually a class struggle and expressed his â€Å"belief that class distinctions in Lebanon are too obscure to sustain the class struggle argument†. Bryan S. Turner, by contrast, has pointed out that anyone â€Å"who wants to develop a Marxist analysis of North Africa and the Middle East must start with a critique of the mosaic theory and all its related assumptions†. Such a critique, he explains, is required because mosaic analysts believe â€Å"that traditional Middle Eastern societies were not class dominated and that in the modern Middle East social class is only in the process of emerging alongside other forms of social stratification†. Nicholas S. Hopkins has applied ideas of class derived from the Marxist tradition to changes in the social structure of an agricultural town in Tunisia, concluding that essential changes in the mechanization of agriculture and in the improvement of communications â€Å"led to a shift in the organization of work away from a pattern based on mobilization of labor within the household or the extended kindred . . . and toward a pattern of labor determined by wage labor†. Consequently, this Tunisian agricultural town has shifted from a society in which rank was based â€Å"on vertical rather than on horizontal links† to one â€Å"based on class†. Hopkins argues further that not only is there class in the objective sense, â€Å"there is also class consciousness, at least in embryonic, symbolic form†. My own view is that the persistence of communal cleavages complicates rather than nullifies social class consciousness and struggle. This persistence of communal cleavages and vertical loyalties in some Arab countries is owing to the perpetuation of traditional systems in which communities are linked to their local zaims (traditional leaders) through patron-client relationships. To the extent that constructive change can be introduced in these areas, such traditional systems will give way, increasingly, to other social and class relationships. Reference: Gutas, D. (1998). Greek Thought, Arab Culture : The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early Abbasid Society (2nd-4th 8th-10th C. ): Routledge. Rejwan, N. (1998). Arabs Face the Modern World: Religious, Cultural, and Political Responses to the West: Gainesville University Press of Florida. Szarmach, P. E. (1979). Aspects of Jewish Culture in the Middle Ages: Albany State University of New York Press

Symbols, Symbolism and Feminism in Ibsens Hedda Gabler Essay example -

Symbolism and Feminism in Hedda Gabler  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House painted the picture of a strong and independent woman standing up to an oppressive and dominating society; the lead character, Nora, abandons not only her husband, but her entire family, in an effort to discover herself and become a liberated woman.   The play is known for its universal appeal, and the strong blow it dealt to a male-dominated society, by showing not only that a woman could break free from the restraints which society placed upon her, but that men were actually quite powerless in the face of a strong woman; Nora's husband, Torvald, is left weeping as she leaves him at the close of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The strong feminist themes which were the defining elements of A Doll's House are equally evident in the play Hedda Gabler, though the latter seems to be lacking the directness, clarity, and strength of the former, in regards to its feminist ideals.   Hedda and Thea, the two female leads, posses within them both admirable and detestable female traits, and only in combination with each other can the characters reveal the true feminist message of the play.   In order to assist the reader in understanding these concepts, and to illustrate the distinct differences between the two characters, Ibsen uses symbolism.   The symbolic nature of hair, Lovborg's manuscript, and General Gabler's pistols, often seem to strip Hedda of her feminine characteristics, and emphasize the femininity of Thea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the time in which this play was written, and as is very true in modern times, a mark of feminine beauty was long, abundant, flowing hair.   Even today, short hair is often considered to be a mark of a more liberated female, and it has been used to charact... ...ety." Thesis. Brigham Young U, 1990. Dyhouse, Carol. "Mothers and Daughters in the Middle-Class Home: c. 1870-1914." Labor and Love: Women's Experience of Home and Family 1850-1940. Ed. Jane Lewis. New York: Blackwell, 1986. 27-45. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. Ibsen, Henrik.   Hedda Gabler.   New York:   Dover, 1990. Lewis, Jane. "Introduction: Reconstructing Women's Experience of Home and Family." Labor and Love: Women's Experience of Home and Family 1850-1940. Ed. Jane Lewis. New York: Blackwell, 1986. 1-26. Lyons, Charles R. Hedda Gabler, Role and World. 1990. Twayne's Masterwork Studies 62. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Salomà ©, Lou. Ibsen's Heroines. Ed. and trans. Siegfried Mandel. Redding Ridge: Black Swan, 1985.   

Difference between Branding and Brand Equity Essay

â€Å"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending†. (Bard qtd. in. ThinkExist. com) This quote shows one fact that the process of ‘branding’ is endless. Because, simply, when ‘brand equity’ is known or measured, the brand could be protected and managed properly. This essay aims at giving an overview of the ‘branding’ and ‘brand equity’ terms or concepts to show the difference between both of them. And due to the fact that â€Å"both terms are usually defined around the concept of adding value to a product (or service)† (Binnie 17), it could be hard for some people to differentiate between both of them. That’s why the best approach to realize the difference between ‘branding’ and ‘brand equity’ is to dig and search in the literature to define both terms to know what is meant by each one of them. However, before separating each term from the other -to know the difference between both of them-, let’s move to the real world to have an idea about a simple fact concerning a certain brand (Coca-Cola in this case). This interesting example –mentioned by Blackett- deserves to be mentioned here to realize how important a brand could be for a company. â€Å"By mid-2002, Coca-Cola Company’s stock market value reached $136 billion, while the business net asset value (the book value) was only $10. 5 billion†. (5) The interesting fact here is when we add this information to the fact that: â€Å"The value of Coca-Cola brand for the same period (mid-2002) was estimated by $70 billion (over half of the $136 intangible value mentioned above! . † (Blackett 5) Then, after realizing the importance of ‘branding’ to the company in the marketplace -in the previous example-, it’s time to know what is meant by both terms, ‘branding’ and ‘brand equity’. First of all, a ‘brand’ is defined by the Dictionary of Business and Management as â€Å"a name, sign or symbol used to identify items or services of the seller(s) and to differ entiate them from goods of competitors. † (qtd. in. BuildingBrands Ltd. ) However, a ‘brand’ is more than a name, a sign or a symbol. In another word, this definition is not sufficient to describe the term ‘brand’. Grimaldi gave a better definition for the term ‘brand’ as â€Å"a combination of attributes, communicated through a name, or a symbol, that influences a thought-process in the mind of an audience and creates value. † And this is what Blackett assured when he mentioned that â€Å"the visual distinctiveness of a brand may be a combination of any of the following: name, letters, numbers, a symbol, a signature, a shape, a slogan, a color, a particular typeface. (3) Also, Davis (2) defined the ‘brand’ term as â€Å"all the promises and perceptions that an organization ‘wants’ its customers to feel about its product(s) and service offerings. † (2) Now, moving to the ‘branding’ concept or term, according to Davis (1), ‘branding’ is a complex ‘process’, but its goal is simple: it is the creation and development of a specific identity for a company, product, commodity, group, or person. † (3) Grimaldi mentioned an interesting definition for ‘branding’: The blend of art and science that ‘manages associations’ between a brand and memories in the mind of the brand’s audience. † And this blend â€Å"involves focusing resources on selected tangible and intangible attributes to differentiate the brand in an attractive, meaningful and compelling way for the targeted audience. † Now, after understanding what is meant by both ‘bra nd’ and ‘branding’ terms, it’s time to know what is meant by ‘brand equity’ term or concept. The ‘brand equity’ concept â€Å"emerged in the early 1990s†, (Tuominen 96) and introduced in marketing literature in the 1980s† (Rajh 1) and before mentioning definitions of this term, it is necessary to realize that â€Å"brand equity is the key to understanding the net impact of marketing† (Reynolds and Philips qtd. in. Binnie 16) According to Hoeffler and Keller, â€Å"most definitions of brand equity rely on ‘brand knowledge’ structures in the minds of consumers –individuals or organizations-† (421 qtd. in. Binnie 17). And Pullig gave a simple definition to the term ‘brand equity’ as â€Å"consumer brand knowledge†. Keller also defined the ‘brand equity’ term as â€Å"the ‘differential consumer response’ from ‘knowing’ the brand†. (qtd. in. Binnie 17) According to Keller and Kevin, ‘brand equity’ is â€Å"the value of the brand in the marketplace† (qtd. in. Pullig). McDonald added another dimension when she defined it as â€Å"the stored value built up in a brand which can be used to gain ‘market advantage’† (2). So, after studying these definitions, it is obvious -as Tuominen mentioned- that â€Å"there are three key ingredients in the ‘brand equity’ definition and they are: (1) brand knowledge, (2) differential effect, and (3) consumer response to marketing. † (75) Finally, according to these definitions, it is obvious that (1) ‘branding’ is the process of creating, developing, protecting, and managing the special identity of the product, or the ‘brand’ (to differentiate it in the marketplace) and it is not only marketing effort, it includes all the companies efforts to build this differentiation; (2) the ‘brand’ is the end result of that process or the combination of all the tools used to create this special identity of the product; and (3) the ‘brand equity’ is the ‘feedback’ of the ‘branding’ process or the key to measure, assess, or weigh the end result ‘brand’ –as we saw previously in the Coca-Cola example- and compare it with what is desired or planned in the ‘branding’ process. In another word, ‘brand equity’ will show whether the ‘branding’ process and other marketing efforts (or even public relations) are on the right track or not.