Module 1 Paragraph Practice –University Life

Goals for this Module:

l        express ideas using complete sentences

l        organize topics into categories

l        learn how to organize sentences into paragraphs

l        practice revising weak paragraphs

l        write definitions

l        write an informal letter

 

Part I.  Idea Generating – University Life

 

 

Exercise 1 (pair work) – Make a list of activities and events in the life of a university student. Your list should have 20 to 30 items.

 

Example:          homework

                           eating lunch with friends (part of a student’s social life)

                           internship

                           playing soccer

                          

 

Exercise 2 (pair work) – Use the chart below and separate the items on the list into topics.  Write the topic name at the top of the column.

Example: Social Life

Social Life

 

 

 

1) eating lunch with friends

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

4)

 

 

5)

 

 

6)

 

 

 

1)

 

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

4)

 

 

5)

 

 

6)

1)

 

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

4)

 

 

5)

 

 

6)

1)

 

 

2)

 

 

3)

 

 

4)

 

 

5)

 

 

6)

 

 

Exercise 3 – Compare your list with other students’ lists.

For additional practice repeat exercises 1 and 2 using other general topics such as, summer vacation activities, items in a house, food, places to go in Seoul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part II. Analyzing a paragraph

Reading 1—Read the following paragraph and answers the questions.                                                                                                           

     1University students should join a social group or club to enhance their experience during the years of undergraduate study. 2University life should be more than just academics, study and grades for a student. 3Although learning is essential preparation for a career, university life should also involve growing as a person and developing social networks. 4Students often have a rigorous schedule of classes and countless assignments to complete outside of class time.  5This can cause stress and pressure. 6Therefore, students need a healthy outlet to relieve the stress and recharge their mental batteries.  7Some students join a club such as a drama club, cooking club or art club to fill their leisure time with pleasurable activities. 8Joining a club is one way students can meet new friends and join in activities that will add to their university experience.  9Other students may choose to take part in sporting events such as cycling, hiking, playing soccer or playing badminton as a diversion from the academic pressures of university life. 10These extra-curricular activities can provide a balance to create a happy and memorable university experience for students.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Exercise 1 – Questions

1)      What is the main idea of this paragraph?  Which sentence states the main idea?

 

2)      What do sentences 7 and 9 do?

 

3)      Which sentence contrasts aspects of university life?

 

4)      What does sentence 10 do?

 

5)      What does the term “mental batteries” mean?

 

Exercise 2 – Write a paragraph on one of the topics from Part 1, Exercise 2.

 

 

Part III.  Writing Word Definitions

1)      State the word

2)      State the part of speech

3)      Provide clear and basic information

4)      Provide facts or examples

Example:

Cocker Spaniel (noun) = A Cocker spaniel is a medium-size dog with curly black, brown or light brown fur.  Cocker Spaniels have long furry ears and big eyes. Although Cocker Spaniels are often glamorous show dogs, they also make excellent family pets.

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph….

Note: In academic writing a paragraph usually has 6 – 12 sentences.  However, the number of sentences can vary depending on the writing style.  For example, newspaper articles often have paragraphs that are 1 – 5 sentences and some novels or short stories may have very long paragraphs.

Exercise 1 –Write a definition for a paragraph.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2 – Write definitions for the bold words in Reading 1.

enhance

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

undergraduate

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

essential

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

networks

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

rigorous

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

pleasurable

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

extra-curricular

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Exercise 3 – Compare your definitions with your partner’s definitions.

 

Part IV. Organizing Ideas for a Paragraph

 

Exercise 1 – Which of the following paragraphs are strong?  Which are weak? Why? List all the reasons.

     My first day at my university was scary.  I didn’t know anybody.  But I knew when I would finish in four years I could get a job.  My parents wanted me to do that.  After my first day I joined the drama club.  It was there that I met many friends. The drama club had many great activities and I learned a lot about communication with other people.  I also made some friends in my English class.  However, joining the drama club helped me have a wonderful time my freshman year at school.
 
1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)

     Going to Dong Hae was the best summer vacation of my life because I met many new friends and had some very interesting experiences. On the first day in Dong Hae, my friends and I went deep-sea fishing on with some local fisherman. We left at 5:30 am in the morning to get an early start. It was a long but exciting day since we caught some large fish.  That evening the fishermen invited us for a beach bar-b-cue ad we grilled the fish we had caught.  We met some students from Seoul at the bar-b-cue and immediately became friends with them. In the following days, we camped on the beach, went swimming, tried jet skiing, and ate delicious food with our new friends. It was difficult to come home after such a wonderful time.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


3)

     There are many factors a high school student should consider before applying to a university. First, a prospective student should research the types of courses a university offers.  In addition to the curriculum, it is important to find out if the university has a high rank for the student’s major. For example, one university may have a great reputation for producing excellent engineers, but the same university may have a low rank for their fashion design department. In addition to academics, a high school student has to consider tuition costs and location of a school.  It is important to apply for schools that are affordable for the student’s family and in a desirable location. Finally, a student should consider whether or not a university offers ample leisure activities such as clubs and sporting events. After careful consideration of these factors a high school student should be able to make an informed choice about applying to universities.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


     It is difficult to study hard if a student has a part-time job.  Many students always worry about money because there are many expenses while attending university.  Extra-curricular activities are important because it is through participation in clubs and sports that students form life-long friendships and social networks.  After graduation most students will enter the work force and work most of their lives so the university years should be devoted to study and personal growth. University students should not have part-time jobs because a job can infringe on their academic performance and leisure time. And if a student has a part-time job, they may get lower grades because they won’t have enough time and energy to devote to their academic work. In addition, many university students take part in extra-curricular activities. 

 
4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)

     A university student can make extra money from a part-time job that will help pay for some of the expenses associated with university life. A lack of money can cause unnecessary stress for a student and adversely affect the student’s academic performance. A part-time job is a great opportunity to make new friends. There are many advantages to having a part-time job for a university student. A part-time job can provide valuable training and experience that will help a student enter the work force after graduation.  Interacting with coworkers helps a part-time employee develop workplace social skills. 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Exercise 2 – Rewrite the weak paragraphs organizing the ideas. Make sure each revision has a strong topic sentence and ample support.

 

Part V.  Writing a letter