寫作樂趣：穿裸段落

In this two-session class, students will learn techniques to make writing come to life with detail and description. We will do this through an exercise I call "clothing a naked paragraph," which entails starting with a bland (naked) paragraph of about six sentences and expanding it into a fully decked-out mini-story. We will discuss techniques that make writing engage the reader, such as personification, simile, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. We will also examine the power of strong adjectives and verbs in writing. Next, we will work to transform the bland paragraph into a fully decked-out mini story using the techniques discussed. All learners will be invited to share their 'dressed' paragraphs aloud. This exercise is lots of fun and great for avid and reluctant writers alike. 
The breakdown of the two class series is as follows:

Class 1: Discussion of writing techniques, which will include personification, alliteration, simile, metaphor and onomatopoeia as well as use of proper nouns, strong verbs and adjectives. At the end of class 1, I will provide learners with the "naked paragraph" and a sheet with definitions and examples of all of the techniques we learned. 

Class 2: In the second session, we will read the "naked paragraph" together and talk about why it is so dull. We will then spend 20-25 minutes writing, using all the writing techniques we learned to dress up the paragraph, using the reference sheet as a guide. I will check in with writers and answer questions through the writing process. For the final part of this class, students will be invited to share their work aloud.