Tips for better teaching

Critique of The National's "A day on the red line"

2010-10-05T02:49:00.000-07:00

This is a critique of the National's "A Day on the Red Line" multi-media presentation.

WRITE YOUR CRITIQUE.

Marietta Church

2008-12-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

Unity North Atlanta Church -- Spiritual, not religious church serving east Cobb, Roswell, Marietta

A dynamic spiritual community where The Kingdom of Heaven is a here-and-now present experience. We anchor Heaven here on earth through what we think and how we act.

As we open our hearts and love one another, we begin to live in the Kingdom of Love. At Unity North, we teach from many of the world's sacred scriptures and we believe there are many paths, but only One Presence.

2008-08-08T21:50:00.001-07:00

Dr. Horrible

Academic Editing

2007-11-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

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Great cleaning service

2007-11-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Cleaning Service serving east Cobb, Roswell, Marietta, North Fulton, Georgia

Resouces for better teaching

2007-10-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Link to the Faculty Day slideshow

Source article for all the "Change-Up" information.

Think-Pair-Share: Great overview of that teaching technique.

Good NPR report for class discussion or essay topic. It's on teen sex and hip-hop music -- that'll get them talking!

Great show from Frontline called "Merchants of Cool" on how marketers mercilessly target teens. Very eye-opening. (You can watch it online.)

Link to best book on writing ever written: "Strunk & White's Elements of Style"

dna 12 strands, dna activation, dna healing, dna reconnection, cindy bentley, genetic healing, dna 12 strand healing, pastlife healing

2007-08-31T05:33:00.000-07:00

dna 12 strands
dna activation
dna healing
dna reconnection
cindy bentley
genetic healing
dna 12 strand healing
pastlife healing

2007-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

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English grammar rules practical tips academic audience.

2007-04-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

Duffy's Crash Course on Writing
Matt J. Duffy
Georgia Perimeter College
(c) 2007 All Rights Reserved

Self-edit: No writer can sit down and type up an error-free document. Write your piece, and then leave it for some period of time. When you come back, you’ll see mistakes that you overlooked before.

Be clear: When you read over what you wrote, does it make sense – or do you stumble over a phrase? If it’s not clear, then rewrite it. Above all, writing should make sense – just say what you’re trying to say, don’t worry about it sounding grandiose.

Don’t be fancy: Don’t use longer words because you think they sound better.
> Utilize --> use
> Resides --> live

Omit needless words: Constantly search for passages that can be shortened. Always reread first drafts with an eye on deleting fluff.
> “The fact that the project was behind schedule” --> “Because the project was behind schedule.”
>“This is a subject that” --> “This subject”
> “the reason why is that” --> “because”
> “as well as” --> “and”

Use active voice: The “doer” should always start your sentences. “I made a mistake” rather than “a mistake was made by me.”

Avoid pronouns: Sentences should rarely start with “it was” or “there are.” These constructs can easily be rewritten:
> “There are several key elements in Japanese cinema” --> “Japanese cinema consists of several key elements.”

Avoid weak verbs: Try to avoid forms of “to be” (“is,” “was,” “are,” “were,” etc.) as your main verb. Readers find active verbs much more engaging.
> “He was known for being obtuse” --> “He gained fame for his obtuse nature.”
> “She is often found in the cafeteria alone” --> “She often dines by herself in the cafeteria.”

Don’t be vague: Avoid sentences with “this,” “it,” “these.” Don’t assume the reader can follow your pronoun usage – they often cannot. Just be specific.
> “Because of this, the government decided to…” --> “Because of Thompson’s objections, the government decided to…”

Understand basic grammar: An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone – i.e., contains both a subject and a verb. Writers must understand clauses to avoid comma mistakes and run-on sentences. Two independent clauses must be separated by a comma and a conjunction. Only independent clauses can be separated with a semicolon.
> “He jumped over the fence, and then he ran to the school.” <-- both clauses could stand alone, so you need the comma and then conjunction “then.” The following examples show wrong versions of the same sentence: > “He jumped over the fence, and then ran into the school.” <-- no comma needed because second clause can’t stand alone. > “He jumped over the fence, then he ran into the school.” <-- need a conjunction > “He jumped over the fence, and ran into the school.” <-- no comma needed Understand basic pronoun use: Subjective pronouns “I,” “we,” “they” are used as subjects. Objective pronouns “me,” “us,” “them” are used as objects (of sentences and of prepositions.)When in doubt, change the sentence around to see how it sounds.
> “Between you and I, we should…” --> “Between I and you, we should” <-- doesn’t sound right. > “Who” is subjective, “whom” is objective --> insert different pronouns to figure it out
> “He gave the bag to who?” --> “He gave the bag to he?” <-- doesn’t sound right, so it must be whom. Don’t be redundant: Say what you’re saying once and assume the reader got it. Try not to use the same word twice in a sentence or in consecutive sentences.
> “The author of the article said he writes three articles a day” --> “The author of the piece said he writes three articles a day.”

Its and it’s: “Its” shows possession, whereas “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.”

Avoid short, choppy sentences: Combine them with another sentence; that’s what conjunctions are for. If you use them sparingly their effect will be powerful when you do use them. I swear.

Click here for the easy-to-print PDF version.
Click here for a link to Duffy's editing company, Oxford Editing.

Oxford Editing

2007-04-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

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2005-06-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sharpen your Writing.

Manuscripts, business documents, term papers, master's theses, doctoral dissertations

Veteran editors with academic and publishing experience

Experts in APA, MLA, AP styles
Affordable rates, quick turnaround

oxfordediting.com

Visit our Web site or send email .

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2004-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

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