Pre-Writing Techniques

A lot of students don’t appreciate the importance of pre-writing or brainstorming or warming up to write. Often they want to sit down and start putting pen to paper immediately. However taking a few minutes to think and plan and get your brain working is an important part of writing a good essay. If you know what you are going to say, you can concentrate more on grammar and style while you write.

So here are a couple of good exercises to give students in order to help their brain warm up before they get to writing. Some of these techniques are more appropriate for thinking about fiction writing or personal writing and others are better for preparing an academic essay, but generally any kind of pre-writing will be useful.

1) Pre-writing - the technique used are:

• Brain-storming (brainstorm for an idea and point)
• Mind-maping (generate and classify the idea)
• Free writing (pre-writing technique for a set period of time without regard to spelling and grammar)
• Quick writing (involve creative and critical thinking)

2) Planning and organizing

• Essay outline to write a clear well-focused piece of with sensible ideas and meaningful.

3) Drafting

• The process of writing down ideas, organizing them into a sequences, and providing the reader with a frame for understanding these ideas.

4) Revising & editing

• Re-check the essay

5) Conclusion

• Final essay

Contextual Clues

CONTEXTUAL CLUES are words, phrases or sentences within the article that can help readers to deduce meaning without referring to the dictionary. Text book writers usually know when they must use a word that will be new to their student readers. So they often include other words or phrases to help with the understanding of the new word.

These words or phrases are referred to as context clues. They are built into the sentences around the difficult word. If you become more aware of the words around the difficult words you encounter in your reading, you will save yourself many trips to the dictionary. You will be able to make logical guesses about the meanings of many words.

As the introduction of this topic, Miss Zu has shown us a poem that we were never heard before. The meanings of some certain words used in this poem are difficult to understand. Hence we need to identify it using contextual clues. The title of the poem is “Jabberwocky”.

"Jabberwocky" is a poem of nonsense verse written by Lewis Carroll, originally featured as a part of his novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1872). The book tells of Alice's travels within the back-to-front world through a looking glass.

While talking with the White King and White Queen (chess pieces), she finds a book written in a strange language that she can't read. Understanding that she is travelling in an inverted world, she sees it is mirror-writing. She finds a mirror and holds it up to a poem on one of the pages, to read out the reflection of "Jabberwocky". She finds it as puzzling as the odd land she has walked into, which we later discover is a dreamscape.

It is considered to be one of the greatest nonsense poems written in the English language. The playful, whimsical poem became a source of nonsense words and neologisms such as "galumphing", "chortle", and "Jabberwocky" itself.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Name Poem

I am shocked when I heard that Miss Zu asked each of everyone in the class to write a poem. In my mind I was thinking that we need to write some sort like a Shakespeare's poem and if I am not mistaken, on that time, we were learning about Adjective. What's on earth do you think that learning adjective relates with poem writing. After she gave the explanation about the purpose of doing that, then I am completely understood. She asked us to write a Name Poem. Name poems are simple poems in which each the first letter of each line forms a word or phrase vertically. It uses each letter of the name to begin an inspiring phrase and usually we used an adjective to describe a person. This type of poem is easy to write because it gives you a concrete format in which to write. As usual, Khalis will be my partners. I wrote him and he wrote me (seriously, it do sound gay.. =_='). Below is Khalis's name poem that I wrote special for him (again, it do sound gay x_x').

p/s: In order to avoid from someone accusing me that I'm a gay, I gave this poem to this girl (anonymous) who has crushed on Khalis...hehehe..sori Khalis.. :p...I think she do likes you..

Ice Breaking Session

Hey there! For your info, I have been through a lot of ice breaking sessions before and this time, it’s totally different. As mentioned before, we have been asked by Miss Zu to introduce our partner and in additional, we need to describe him/her with any object that we might think possessed the similar characteristics by literally. So Khalis will be my partners in this 

session.

In my opinion, I try to describe Khalis as a ‘Polo Shirt’. You guys want to know why? First, let me tell you all about Polo Shirt. It is not just a typical type of shirt. It is an exclusive collared T-Shirt that has many kind of cool design. A man who wears it looks smart, style and has the high level of confidence. As far as I am concern, Khalis has that kind of characteristics and I am sure, he knows it to.

(p/s): Khalis, please do not be too cocky..I’m just follow the   procedure..hahahaha..just kidding :p

Learning Outcomes (MOHE-LO)

I'm still remember on the first week of class, Miss Zu had told us about 9 MOHE attributes which is something new and I never heard it before. She did explain about it briefly in our class. The following details as below:

Learning Outcomes (MOHE-LO)

Are observable indicators or evidence of actual student learning (with direct measures –   through student knowledge and performance [test papers, projects, demonstrations etc] or indirect measures – student behaviour, attitudes or values [alumni, interviews, focus groups etc.]) The learning outcomes are

1. Knowledge

2. Practical Skills

3. Thinking and scientific skills

4. Communication skills

5. Social skills, teamwork and responsibility

6. Values, ethics, moral and professionalism

7. Information management and lifelong learning skills

8. Managerial and entrepreneurial skills

9. Leadership skills

Hello there!

From the early semester, the students are asked to stand up in front of the class and talk about 'Myself'. It is a simple name given for 'Self -introduction'. Through this talk, one is expected to explain all about themselves- about their own character, family background, members of the family, and all the other details that are related. So I did briefly talk about myself, but I try to make it short and simple. Hence, in my blog, I try to write it in details. I am the youngest member in the family. Though my real name is JOHORI (but people do correct it as JOHARI), I am called 'Joe' by all the members in the family and also among my friends. My eldest brother open up a business, provide a pest control services. My second brother also run a business, act as an entrepreneur and motivator. My third brother is working in Malaysia Integrated Shipping Company (MISC) as an Oiler. My mother, being a house wife, stays close to the family and is ready to respond to each and every call made by the others in the family. My father past away since I’m 2 years old. So If you guys do want to know further about me, just add my FACEBOOK (Johori Johan Cheah) and please do not hesitate to contact me at +6019-375 2267. Cheers!!! ;-)