The topic explained
Period 6 / Writing skills; Period 7 / Writing
Period 6 / Writing skills
- the history and effects of globalisation
- arguments for and against globalisation
- positive and negative connotations
- combining opposite ideas in sentences and paragraphs
- the use of topic sentences in paragraphs
- joining sentences into paragraphs
Grouping opposite ideas in paragraphs
A long list of sentences like these would be boring to read, so it is better to group the ideas in paragraphs.
- Opposite ideas can be joined using However and On the other hand.
- Group the ideas in paragraphs.
- The sentence that gives the main idea of the paragraph is sometimes called the topic sentence.
Read the paragraph and answer the questions below.
Which sentence gives the main idea of the paragraph, sometimes called the topic sentence?
Which sentence gives a second idea that is connected to the main one?
Do the other two sentences in the paragraph:
add more ideas?
give opposite arguments?
give examples of each idea?
Use some of the ideas from Period 5 to write a second paragraph.
Follow the same structure as the first paragraph, but give the other side of the argument.
Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.
When opposite ideas are presented in two paragraphs, which one is likely to have the strongest effect on the reader, the first or the second?
Imagine you have been asked to write an essay in answer to this question:
In what ways has globalisation affected life in Palestine? Have these effects been mostly positive or negative?
What is the best order for the four paragraphs in the plan?
A Description of the economic situation in Palestine
B Examples of negative effects of globalisation in Palestine
C Definition of globalisation
D Examples of positive effects of globalisation in Palestine
What examples of positive and negative effects could you include? Refer back to the list you made in Period 3.
Period 7 / Writing
Writing the globalisation essay
Look at the sentences that make up the first paragraph of the essay you talked about in Period 6.
Then answer the questions below.
Which sentence introduces the whole essay?
Which sentence is the topic sentence of the paragraph?
What is the right order for the other sentences?
Write the sentences in the right order.
Look at the topic sentence for the second paragraph of the essay and discuss how it could continue.
Then add two or three points to complete the paragraph.
Complete the essay.
Look again at the list you made in Period 3 and your discussion in Period 6.
Choose two or three points on each side (positive and negative) and decide on the best order for the last two paragraphs.
