0% found this document useful (0 votes)

97 views114 pages

Great - Writing - Foundations Teacher Note

Uploaded by

Chat Legaspi

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

97 views114 pages

Great - Writing - Foundations Teacher Note

Uploaded by

Chat Legaspi

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 114

Teacher’s Notes

for
Great Writing: Foundations

Keith S. Folse

Teacher’s Notes written by Kristin Sherman

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Great Writing: Foundations

Overview

The Great Writing series is a six-level series that uses clear explanations and a large
number of practical activities to help students write great sentences, paragraphs, and
essays. The new Foundations level meets the needs of low-level learners through basic
vocabulary development and spelling practice, and all levels feature clear explanations
applied directly to appropriate practice opportunities. The Great Writing series is ideal
for beginning to advanced learners, helping them develop and master academic writing
skills.

Great Writing: Foundations focuses on basic sentence construction, emphasizing

grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and composition.
Great Writing 1 focuses on sentences as they appear in paragraphs.
Great Writing 2 teaches paragraph development.
Great Writing 3 transitions from paragraphs to essays.
Great Writing 4 focuses on essays.
Great Writing 5 practices more advanced essays.

These teacher’s notes will provide you with an overview of Great Writing:
Foundations, an overview of teaching writing to English language learners, ideas for how
best to use the activities in your class, and unit-by-unit teaching suggestions. There is
also an Audio Program, separate Answer Key available on the website, additional Online
Workbook activities, an assessment CD-ROM, and a Presentation Tool for presenting the
grammar and editing as whole-class activities.

Great Writing: Foundations

Great Writing: Foundations has 14 units; each one includes approximately 20

activities. Each unit opens with a stunning photo to engage students in the writing topic
and a list of the unit objectives. Each unit has three distinct sections: Grammar for
Writing, Building Vocabulary and Spelling, and Original Student Writing.

Grammar for Writing

Each unit has a specific grammatical focus that helps beginning writers build
better sentences. Examples of sentence structure covered in this section of each unit
include parts of speech (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction,
preposition), verb tenses (simple present, simple past, present progressive, future),
punctuation (periods, commas for items in a series, commas with certain conjunctions),
capitalization, and sentence types (simple, compound, complex).
Grammar is explained in language that is appropriate for beginning-level writers.
Simple charts of grammatical forms give learners easy-to-understand access to the
structures they will be using in their writing. Numerous examples are given of both
correct language and incorrect language, and learners are encouraged to notice the gap
between the two.
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
2

frenglish.ru
Grammar for Writing consists of 10 to 15 activities. The following features
always appear in this section of a unit:
• grammar lessons with multiple examples
• rules written in student-accessible language
• identification of key grammar items in sentences
• selection of correct grammatical forms
• writing sentences using the grammar focus
• scrambled sentences
• correcting mistakes in sentences
• practicing grammar and vocabulary in model writing
• guided writing: making changes from a model writing

Building Vocabulary and Spelling

This section of each unit is built around one of the fourteen vowel sounds in
English. These fourteen sounds are represented in these example words: cat, bed, fish,
hot, cup, cake, eat, rice, hello, school, straw, wood, flower, and boy. While certain
consonants present spelling problems (e.g., b/v for Spanish speakers, b/p for Arabic
speakers, and s/sh for Japanese speakers), vowel spelling errors are made by almost all
language groups learning English. Therefore, this section focuses on one vowel sound per
unit, but difficult consonants are routinely practiced in all units.
Each unit has a list of approximately 40 words that represent the targeted vowel
sound. These words are arranged in groups according to the variant spellings and include
the most frequent or most useful words selected from the ESL Vocabulary Spelling List
(Folse, 2013). For example, Unit 2 focuses on three spellings of the /ɛ/ sound as in the
words bed, ready, and many.
A list of words can be a very useful tool (Folse, 2004), but a list is not enough for
our students to learn words well enough to use them freely. Therefore, Building
Vocabulary and Spelling always consists of these nine supporting activities:
• common words with target vowel sound
• matching words and pictures
• completing words with the targeted vowel sound
• writing sentences with spelling vocabulary in context
• unscrambling letters
• practicing vocabulary in context
• spelling practice
• identifying the targeted sound next to a confusing spelling (e.g., many / meny)
• cumulative spelling review of all spellings (e.g., many / meny / mainy / miny)

In addition, students should be encouraged to get a separate notebook and to write

all of their new vocabulary words in it. This Vocabulary Notebook will be an important
tool for them to learn and review new English words and phrases that will help them
become better writers. See page 289 for more information on keeping a Vocabulary
Notebook.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Original Student Writing
The last section of each unit provides a writing prompt and writing guidelines to
guide and inform original student writing. The topic of the prompt is related to one or
two writing activities in Part 1 of the same unit.
Original Student Writing always consists of these two activities:
• Writing Your Ideas in Sentences
• Peer Editing (A specific Peer Editing Sheet relevant to the language and writing
prompt in each unit is available online at NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. You can also
see a sample in Appendix 3 on pages 294 and 295.)

Teaching Writing to English Language Learners

When teaching writing to English language learners, especially those at the beginning
levels, you want to teach them about the writing process, as well as about mechanics and
the organization of ideas. Students need to learn how to generate ideas, plan how they
will express their ideas in writing, and then actually write sentences or paragraphs in an
organized fashion. Students at the beginning levels will need more scaffolding to help
them develop confidence and proficiency.

The Writing Process

These Teacher’s Notes suggest ways you can help students generate ideas for the
Original Student Writing tasks. However, you may want to provide even more
scaffolding for the writing process. The writing process consists of a series of stages:
1. pre-writing, or generating ideas; 2. planning; 3. writing; and 4. editing/revising.

1. Pre-Writing or Generating Ideas

If students begin writing before they have time to generate and consider ideas, they may
not do their best work. One way to help students generate ideas is to have them talk in
pairs or small groups first. Another way is to use graphic organizers such as the
following:

• Mind map, sometimes called a cluster diagram. Students write the topic in a circle
in the center of the page and then jot down ideas related to the topic around it. For
example, if students want to write about a holiday, they can put the name of the
holiday in the center circle, and maybe outlying circles for “Food,” “Activities,”
and “People.”
• Venn diagram. The two overlapping circles of a Venn diagram allow students to
compare and contrast two or more things.
• Time line. When students write about a series of events, either in their own lives
or someone else’s, they can use a timeline to put the information in sequence.
• T-chart. If students are writing a paragraph about a topic with positive and
negative aspects (e.g., a job, as on page 201), they can use a T-chart to list good
points and bad points about the topic.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
2. Planning
Once students have generated ideas, in pairs, as a group, or on their own, they should
plan their writing. At this stage, they may want to add supporting details, and decide on
the order of ideas. As they plan, they may realize that their first topic won’t work as well
as another. They can always go back to the first step and generate new ideas if necessary.
At higher levels, when students are writing multiple paragraphs, they can create outlines
at this stage.

3. Writing
You can have students write in class or at home. If they write in class, you can move
around the classroom and provide guidance as needed. Another advantage of in-class
writing assignments is that you can observe areas of difficulty. However, with longer
writing assignments, you may not always have time in class. If you are assigning the
writing for out of class, provide students with clear instructions and, ideally, time to
generate ideas and plan in class first. Encourage students to review grammar, spelling and
vocabulary as needed.

4. Editing/Revising
For many students, editing and revising their work is the hardest thing to do. Once they
have written a first draft, they may think the task is complete. Great Writing provides
peer-editing sheets to facilitate the editing process and to show students what to look for.
In peer editing students read each other’s writing and provide helpful feedback and
corrections. Encourage students to ask questions about the writing they are peer editing
and point out any ideas that aren’t clear. You may want to model the editing and revising
process with the examples found in the Presentation Tool CD-ROM.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Sentences
Great Writing: Foundations provides students with tools they need to produce good
writing, focusing on the mechanics of grammar and spelling. In this level students master
the building blocks of sentences—the vocabulary and structures that will enable them to
express ideas coherently and accurately. In addition, they are provided with multiple
models of sentences that are organized in such a way that they can be rewritten as
effective paragraphs.

Analyzing Paragraphs
In Great Writing: Foundations, the sentence exercises with titles, when taken as a whole,
form paragraphs. One way to move students from sentence-level writing to writing
paragraphs is to analyze these activities as paragraphs. Discuss and point out these
aspects of paragraphs (see Appendix 4) with your students:
• Title (with single paragraphs that are not part of a longer piece of text)
• Paragraph form (indented first line; subsequent sentences do not start on a new
line)
• One topic per paragraph
• A topic sentence that introduces the topic and covers the information in the
paragraph. It is often the first or second sentence of the paragraph, but may
occasionally be in a different position
• The body with supporting sentences that give details, reasons, or examples
• A concluding sentence

To learn more about paragraph structure, have students rewrite the sentence activities as
paragraphs, or use the activities in Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model
Writing. Have students identify the topic (the title) and the topic sentence. Then ask
comprehension questions about the supporting sentences. Have students note the kind of
supporting information provided (examples, details, reasons, etc.).

Once students have analyzed a paragraph, you may want to suggest they use the
paragraph as a model for their own ideas. For example, if the sentences form a paragraph
about New Year’s in Mexico (page 46), have students write about a holiday in their
countries.

In Class vs. Out of Class Assignments

Great Writing: Foundations has a predictable sequence of activities, which facilitates

lesson planning and independent learning. Once you have covered a unit or two, you will
be able to estimate how quickly your students will move through a given activity or series
of activities. Because activity types are repeated from one unit to the next, they will
require much less setup. This means that students can do the activities more easily on
their own, without teacher mediation. Many can be done as homework and you can check
their work when they arrive in class the next day. You can have students write the
answers on the board or use the Classroom Presentation Tool to project the answers onto
a SmartBoard or screen. See specific suggestions below.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Grammar for Writing

You will probably want to cover the grammar presentations in Grammar for Writing, the
Common Student Mistakes, and the first few activities in class because they vary and the
students’ knowledge of the grammar point may vary. Use these activities to assess
students’ understanding of the grammar. Any difficulty with the early activities will
allow you to pinpoint grammar points you need to review or provide additional examples
for. Generally, after the first four to six activities, the unit follows a consistent format:

Common Student Mistakes. You will see Common Student Mistakes after every
grammar presentation. These are mistakes that your students are likely to make. The
center column identifies the problem. This can give you and your students the language
you need to correct the errors. The words in bold help students notice where the mistake
occurs. You may want to have students refer to these examples when they make mistakes
later in the unit.

Scrambled Sentences. Students can do these as homework, but you may want them to
work on this activity in pairs. This will allow students to review and teach each other as
they explain the reason for a particular order. Because capitalization, word order and end
punctuation are all involved, you may want to correct this activity by having students
write them on the board, or by projecting them for the class to see.

Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes. This activity helps students learn to edit, not only
student book activities, but their own work. As such, it is a good individual activity and
can be completed out of class. This is a good activity to project if you want to
demonstrate the use of editing symbols. These activities are available on the Presentation
Tool CD-ROM.

Dictation. This activity type must be done in class. Correct by having students write the
sentences on the board. You may want them to compare in pairs before correcting as a
class. The audio and answers are also available on the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-
ROM.

Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing. This activity is often

accompanied by a map or photo. You can help students activate background knowledge
and improve comprehension by drawing their attention to the visual and asking questions.
However, the activity itself can easily be completed as homework, and then corrected in
the next class.

Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing. For the first few units, students
will most likely need monitoring as they complete this activity. They make multiple
changes and may require additional guidance. In later units, you may want to assign this
as homework. Students can work in pairs to compare their sentences before correcting
them as a class on the board or projected on a screen.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Building Vocabulary and Spelling You will probably want to present the target sound
in class, especially if you want students to see how the sound is formed. However, all of
the subsequent activities, except for Spelling Practice, which requires audio, could be
completed as homework and corrected in class.

Single word activities such as Spelling Words With the Sound of…, Scrambled Letters,
Spelling Review, and Cumulative Spelling can be corrected either by having students
write the words on the board, or simply spelling aloud from their seats.

You should correct the activity Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context by having
students write on the board or by projecting on a screen, so students can check their
punctuation and capitalization.

Original Student Writing

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph. The writing task can be completed
in class or at home (see notes on The Writing Process above for more information). You
can use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to see a student sample (with errors),
the teacher comments, and the revised final draft. This is an ideal way to model the
editing process as a whole-class activity.

Peer Editing. This activity should be completed in class. Alternatively, you can pair
students in class and have them take their partner’s work home to complete the editing
sheet.

Making Writing Original. Students are often intimidated about writing in a second or
third language. Great Writing: Foundations provides models for student writing as a
scaffold for developing writing skills. This increases students’ confidence as they acquire
the tools necessary to produce good writing. However, you may want to point out that
these models are like the training wheels on a bicycle—once students have attained some
writing proficiency, they should rely less on the models and more on their own ideas. At
higher levels and as they progress through Great Writing: Foundations, students should
use writing models for organization and flow, but not for specific content. Even at the
Foundations level, you can encourage students to make their writing significantly
different from the model. The activity called Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model
Writing helps students with this process. For a greater challenge, have students make
additional changes in topic, sentence order, and details.

Additional Information
If you would like to assess their progress after each unit or after every few units, you can
create custom tests using the Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes
on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is covered in this unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 1 Sentences

OVERVIEW
This unit introduces students to the simple sentence and its basic features, namely
capitalization; end punctuation; and subjects, verbs and objects. Some students may
already be familiar with simple sentence writing, but students’ familiarity with the
various elements of a good simple sentence may vary greatly.
In Unit 1, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing simple sentences through activities that include all of the key elements.
These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are with sentence structure
from the very beginning of the course. In addition, Unit 1 introduces students to
Grammar for Writing, Building Vocabulary and Spelling, Original Student Writing, and
Peer Editing.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about word order in a sentence
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of a in cat
Writing: To write about you and your family

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 1 introduces students to the basics of writing a simple sentence. The unit
introduces the main features that every good simple sentence has, namely: (1)
capitalization, (2) punctuation, and (3) subjects, verbs, (and many times) objects.
If students are already familiar with the basics of writing simple sentences, then
start at a point in Unit 1 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does
not complete can be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students
will also learn and review many words with the sound of a in cat.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows a family at Lake Louise Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Write the
words students say on the board (e.g., family, lake, park, mother, father, child/boy,
mountain, water, rocks).
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 2. Explain that students will do these
things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 2. Tell them
you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about sentences, capitalization and ending punctuation, and subjects and verbs. First,
have students look at the photos. Elicit what they see (students, man, woman). Read the
sentences below each photo aloud, and explain that they are examples of sentences.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or, if your students are at a high enough level, you
can call on students to read a sentence aloud. Check comprehension by asking questions
about the information: What is a sentence? What is a subject? What do we call an action
word? Is the verb before or after the subject in a statement? What punctuation is at the
end of a statement? Write a sentence on the board (e.g., My family is in New York.) and
have students identify the subject, verb, capital letter and ending punctuation.
Provide students with a quick review about the names of two kinds of letters in
English—capital (or uppercase) letters and lowercase letters. Review uppercase and
lowercase letters with students, if necessary. Display a capital and lowercase letter on the
board or on chart paper and point to each one as you say the name: capital A, lowercase
a, etc. Have students repeat after you several times. Say the names of specific letters such
as capital R and lowercase p, and have students write them down on a sheet of paper.
Remind students that sentences always begin with a capital letter. Point out that
additional capitalization rules can be found in the Brief Writer’s Handbook on page 283.
If time allows, have students turn to those pages in the Handbook.
Review the other words that are capitalized: I, proper names of people and places,
titles, organizations.
Provide an overview of how punctuation gives a reader direction—similar to a
traffic light—about when to go, stop, or slow down. First, draw a traffic light on the
board or chart paper, and ask students to explain what each color tells the driver to do.
Explain that a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence tells the reader to begin. Then
ask: What tells a reader to slow down? (commas and semi-colons—which will be
discussed at a later); and finally, What makes a reader stop? (periods, question marks,
and exclamation points). After each answer, write an example of the punctuation mark
you review on the board.

Expansion
Write My name is ____. on the board. Tell the students your name, then follow
the model of the sentences under the photos and tell students what language or languages
you can speak. Have students take turns saying their names and the languages they speak
to a partner.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Common Student Mistakes
You will see Common Student Mistakes after every grammar presentation. These
are mistakes that your students are likely to make. The center column identifies the
problem. This can give you and your students the language you need to correct the errors.
The words in bold help students notice where the mistake occurs. You may want to have
students refer to these examples when they make mistakes later in the unit.

Activity 1, Identifying Capital Letters and Final Punctuation, p. 5

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Elicit the words they know. Teach or
review colors by pointing to the fruit. In this activity, students will use yellow, red, white,
green, orange, purple, black. The nouns that are not pictured are carrot, rice, cabbage,
eggplant, watermelon, and blackberry. To help students learn any of these words that are
unfamiliar, or review them, bring in photos, or have students take a look at page 6.
Have students circle the capital letters and underline the periods and questions
marks. To check answers, call on students to read out sentences and say the capital letter
and punctuation (e.g., Capital B, bananas are yellow, period).

Activity 2, Writing Sentences, p. 6

A photo for each food in each sentence from activity 1 is pictured in activity 2 in
a different order. Have students look at photo 1. Elicit what food it is (watermelon). Point
out that the sentence from Activity 1 with watermelon is written in the box. Have
students write the sentences in the correct place and then compare their answers with a
partner. Call on students to read out the sentences, saying the capital letters and
punctuation.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns pointing to a photo in random order as
their partner says the sentence.

Activity 3, Writing Sentences about Your Information, p. 7

There are 10 sentences in this activity. The title is About Me. In this book, if an
activity has a title, it can also be rewritten as a paragraph. All of the sentences in this
activity are about the student and can be written in the form of a paragraph.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, proper names—names of people
and places). Copy the first sentence stem on the board. Demonstrate how to write your
name on the dotted line. Then rewrite the complete and corrected sentence below.
Emphasize the capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and the period at the end by
underlining the capital M and circling the period at the end of the sentence. Underline the
capital letters at the beginning of your first name. Circulate around the room to provide

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
help as needed. When students have completed the activity, have them take turns reading
their sentences to a partner. Ask volunteers to write sentences on the board.
If you want your students to rewrite the sentences as a paragraph, review the
characteristics of a paragraph: sentences on one topic, the first sentence is indented, and
the sentences that follow begin on the same line. Then have students rewrite in paragraph
form.

Expansion
Have students write sentences 5–10 on a separate piece of paper. Collect and
redistribute. Call on students to read the sentences aloud. Have the class guess who it is.

Activity 4, Finding Subjects and Verbs, p. 8

Post the definitions of subject and verb, along with sample sentences that identify
the subject and verb of a sentence, on chart paper as reinforcement and quick reference
for students. Go over the example. Review what a noun is (a person, place or thing).
Have students look at the first sentence and identify the nouns (name, letters). Remind
students that the subject can be a noun or a pronoun. Elicit the subject pronouns (I, you,
he, she, it, we, they). Point out that pronouns are often subjects of sentences.
When the class has finished the task, call on students to name the subject and verb
in each sentence. If additional practice is needed, write a list of words on chart paper, on
the board, or display it on the screen, that includes both subjects and verbs, in no specific
order or categories. Then have students categorize the list of words under two headings,
Subject and Verb, on their own piece of paper. Circulate around the room and check
student responses or have several students volunteer to read their lists aloud to the class.

Activity 5, Writing Sentences with Correct Word Order, p. 8

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Ask students to name the colors. Elicit or
explain that the bird is a parrot. Parrot has an a sound that students will learn and practice
in the next section. Other words in the activity with the a sound are animal and can. Pre-
teach any unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., beautiful, head, smart).
Write the first item on the board and have students put the words in order. Provide
cues if helpful (How do you know which word is first? Which words are nouns? What is
the verb?). Another possible sentence is This bird is an animal. However, a can only
come before a consonant, as in bird. Remind students that articles (a/an, the) come before
nouns. This often is the subject, either as a pronoun or as a demonstrative before a noun.
You may want to have students do this activity in pairs to make it more interactive and
provide an opportunity for them to review what they know about a sentence.
Ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.
For practice with paragraph writing, have students rewrite the sentences as a
paragraph.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
For more information about writing a paragraph, you may also want to review
Appendix 4, The Parts of a Paragraph, on page 296.

Activity 6, Scrambled Sentences, p. 9

This activity asks students to perform the same task. It has a different title,
Scrambled Sentences, which will be used for activities throughout the book. Explain that
scrambled means mixed up, or in the wrong order. Unlike Activity 5, these sentences do
NOT form a paragraph. Remind students to capitalize proper nouns (names of people,
places, languages, etc.). Students can compare sentences with a partner before you ask
them to write sentences on the board.

Activity 7, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 10

Introduce students to this kind of activity. Point out that they will first identify, by
circling, the mistakes. Then they will rewrite the sentences correctly. Elicit or point out
that mistakes can be in spelling, word order, placement in a sentence, capitalization,
punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections.

Activity 8, Dictation, p. 10
In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 9, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 11

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Elicit what they see. Write any unfamiliar
vocabulary on the board: balloon, hat, present, candle, laugh, birthday. Go over the
words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board.

Activity 10, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 12

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
sentences. In the last sentence, they can choose from multiple options. When you check
their work, the last sentence will be more variable.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

The second section of the unit focuses on a single sound that is present in
common vocabulary and has implications for spelling. Students at a beginning level often
struggle with spelling correctly in English. Sometimes, as with Arabic speakers, this is
because vowel sounds in the native language are not as distinct or distinguished in written
form. Other times, it is because in English, a single letter can have multiple sounds,
which is not true in languages such as Spanish. The words in this section are all common
words that students should know.

Learning Words with the Sound of a in cat, p. 13

Point to the pictures and say the words. Exaggerate the vowel sound slightly so
students can see the position of your mouth. Point out that your mouth is open and
stretched wide side to side. Write a and au on the board.

Activity 11, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 13–14

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 13 and 14. Say that all the
words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter a in bold is the one with the sound of a in cat. Say each
word and have students repeat. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you
can (photos, objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word.

Activity 12, Matching Common Words and Pictures, p. 14

Tell students to use each word only one time. Point out that item 5 is an action
word, not an adjective. Have students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 13, Spelling Words with the Sound of a in cat, p. 15

Students fill in the missing letter (all are a) and then copy the completed word on
the line. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than simply
reading the word.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 14, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, pp. 15–16
Students use the words from Activity 15 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.
Then call on other students to read the sentences, identifying the capital letters and
punctuation.

Activity 15, Scrambled Letters, p. 16

Remind students that scrambled means the letters are in the wrong order. Do the
first item as an example. Have students compare answers in pairs. Then call on students
to read the words aloud with the sound of a in cat.

Activity 16, Spelling Practice, p. 16

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 17, Spelling Review: Which Word Is correct? p. 17

This activity will help students with spelling and editing skills. At this point,
students should be able to recognize which word is correct. These review lists will always
present students with one correct word in each pair and one word that has a common
student misspelling.

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of a in cat.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences, p. 17

The model in Activity 3 provides sentences about the writer whereas as the one in
Activity 9 has more content about families. Encourage students to write sentences about
both. This will help students rely less on the model and move toward expressing their
own ideas. Encourage more advanced students to write at least eight sentences.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 17
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. There is a sample for Unit 1 in Appendix 3. Have

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
students to turn pages 294 and 295, and go over the sheet. Emphasize to students that
peer editing is a process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from
classmates and can help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 2 and 3. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about the opening spread, or about the photo on
page 11. You may want to brainstorm vocabulary for the photo before students write their
sentences.
Also, there is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on
page 290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one
of them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 2 Nouns

OVERVIEW
This unit defines nouns, and presents singular and plural spelling rules for nouns,
count and noncount nouns, and proper nouns. Some students may already be familiar
with nouns, but students’ familiarity with the various elements of using nouns in a
sentence may vary greatly.
In Unit 2, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences with correct noun forms through activities that include all of
the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are with
nouns from the very beginning of the course.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate noun forms to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling practice. For further
support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment CD-ROM with
ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or writing that is
covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about nouns
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of e in bed
Writing: To write about your classmates or friends

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 2 introduces students to the basics of nouns. The unit identifies what a noun
is (the name of a person, place or thing), distinguishes between singular and plural
nouns, and defines proper nouns.
If students are already familiar with the basics of nouns, then start at a point in
Unit 2 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can
be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and
review many words with the sound of e in bed.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows students walking near Villafranca del Bierzo, Castilla y León in Spain.
Write the words students say on the board (e.g., students, male, female, street, buildings,
backpacks, cell phone, lamp, door).

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 19. Explain that students will do these
things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 19. Tell them
you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

What is a Noun?, p. 20
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about nouns, including singular and plural and proper vs. common nouns. First, have
students look at the photos. Elicit what they see (person, place, thing). Elicit the names of
things in the classroom (e.g., map, desk, chair, book), persons (students, teacher, John),
and places (classroom, hall, closet).

Present the grammar information. You may want to read the words aloud and have
students follow along silently. Or, if your students are at a high enough level, you can call
on students to read the words in each row of the chart. Check comprehension by asking
questions about the information: What is an example of a person? Name a place you
know? Is Italy a place or thing?

Point out that most of the nouns in the chart have something in front of them (a, my, our).
These words do not come before names. Words such as articles and possessives can help
students find nouns in a sentence. Elicit which nouns are names in the chart. Ask students
how they know (capital letters).

Activity 1, Finding Nouns in Sentences, p. 20

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see (chocolate cake). To
help students learn and review any of these words that are unfamiliar, bring in photos.
Most of the sentences have adjectives before nouns, so students need to be careful to
circle the noun after the adjective and not look only for the article or possessive.

Singular or Plural?, p. 21
After you go over the information, check comprehension by asking questions.
Then call on students and say a singular noun. Elicit the plural form. For added practice,
have students spell the plural. Make sure to include irregular plurals.
Point out that mass nouns, or nouns that refer to a group or category (furniture,
food, meat) are often non-count.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to list the number of things in the classroom (e.g., 20
students, one map, one teacher, 23 chairs). Encourage students to add at least one non-
count word to their lists. Call students to the board to write one item on their lists.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 2, Writing Sentences with Correct Plurals, p. 21
Write the first item on the board. Ask: Which nouns have more than one? (week,
day). Elicit how to make them plural. Write the correct sentence on the board. Remind
students to think about the number as they write their sentences. Check answers by
having volunteers write the sentences on the board.

Proper Nouns, p. 22
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What is a
proper noun? What does a proper noun begin with? Is city a proper noun? Is Mr. Nelson
a proper noun? Then ask about other examples (e.g., desk, classroom, the name of your
school).

Common Student Mistakes, p. 22

If students make mistakes with capital letters, review capital and lowercase
letters. Students whose first language uses a different alphabet may need to practice
capital and lowercase forms more thoroughly.

Activity 3, Finding Capital Letters in Nouns, p. 22

This activity should help students begin to notice patterns. After students have
completed the task, ask questions about what kinds of words are proper nouns: Are the
names of months proper nouns? Are the words for food proper nouns? Are colors
capitalized? Are languages capitalized?

Activity 4, Capitalizing Proper Nouns, p. 23

Point out that all of the nouns in this activity are proper nouns, so all first letters
should be capitalized.

Activity 5, Writing Answers with Nouns, p. 23

Say each question aloud and have students repeat. When students have finished
the task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then have students take turns
asking and answering the questions in pairs.

Activity 6, Scrambled Letters, p. 24

Review what scrambled means (in the wrong order). Direct students’ attention to
the middle column. Ask What is the last month of the year? Write the answer on the
board, saying each letter as you go, and have students cross out the letters in their books.
Have volunteers write the words on the boards or spell them from their seats, making sure
to say which letters are capitalized.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 7, Writing Definition Sentences with is, p. 24
Point out that students can begin the sentence with the word from the right
column in Activity 6, followed by is and then the information from the middle column in
Activity 6. Have volunteers write the sentences on the board.

Activity 8, Scrambled Sentences, p. 24

Remind students that scrambled means in the wrong order.
There are seven sentences in this activity. The title is My Story. In this book, if an
activity has a title, it can also be rewritten as a paragraph. All of the sentences in this
activity are about the student and can be written in the form of a paragraph.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board.
If you want your students to rewrite the sentences as a paragraph, review the
characteristics of a paragraph: sentences on one topic, the first sentence is indented, and
the sentences that follow begin on the same line. Then have students rewrite in paragraph
form.

Activity 9, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, pp. 25–26

Activity 10, Dictation, p. 26

In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 11, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, pp. 26–27
Direct students’ attention to the photo. Elicit what they see. Write any unfamiliar
vocabulary on the board: pitcher, glass, presentation. Go over the words in the word
bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the
sentences on the board. Make sure they have 22 capital letters.

Activity 12, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 27

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of e as in bed, p. 28

Point to the pictures and say the words. Exaggerate the vowel sound slightly so
students can see the position of your mouth. Point out that your mouth is slightly open.

Activity 13, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 28–29

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 28 and 29. Say that all the
words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of e in bed.
Say each word and have students repeat. Option: bring in as many examples of the words
as you can (photos, objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 14, Matching Common Words and Pictures, p. 29
Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Point out
that item 4 is a greeting, not a person. Have students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 15, Spelling Words with the Sound of e in bed, p. 30

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of e in bed has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 16, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 30

Students use the words from Activity 15 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.
Then call on other students to read the sentences, identifying the capital letters and
punctuation.

Activity 17, Scrambled Letters, p. 31

Activity 18, Spelling Practice, p. 32

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 19, Spelling Review: Which Word Is Correct? p. 32

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of e in bed.

Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 32

This activity reviews the target words from this unit and the previous unit. This
cumulative review will help students remember all the words they have studied so far.
Note that students will practice spelling the a and e sounds here.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 10 words from the list
in Activity 20, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 33

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4, page
296.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 33
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 2
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 18 and 19. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about the opening spread, or about the photo on
page 26. You may want to brainstorm vocabulary for the photo before students write their
sentences.
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 3 Verbs: Simple Present Tense

OVERVIEW
This unit introduces students to the simple present tense. Some students may
already be familiar with this tense, but students’ familiarity with and skill in the simple
present may vary greatly.
In Unit 3, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use the simple present tense through activities that include
all of the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are
with using verbs in the simple present. In addition, Unit 3 presents words with the sound
of i in fish.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about simple present tense
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of i in fish
Writing: To write about things people usually do

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 3 introduces students to the basics of the simple present tense. The unit
reviews what a verb is (a word that shows action or existence), identifies important verbs
to know, and presents the two forms, including spelling rules for the 3rd person -s ending.
If students are already familiar with the basics of the simple present tense of
verbs, then start at a point in Unit 3 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the
class does not complete can be used as review work for students who need extra practice.
Students will also learn and review many words with the sound of i in fish.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows three monks holding a lantern at the Yi Peng sky lantern festival in Chiang
Mai, Thailand. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., monk, lantern, candle, festival). Write
the words students say on the board.
Note: in this festival, thousands of paper lanterns, each with a burning flame, are
sent up into the air as a way to bring good luck.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 35. Explain that students will do these
things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 35. Tell them
you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

What is a Verb?
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about the simple present tense of verbs, including be and other common verbs. They will
also learn about and practice the 3rd person -s ending, and negative forms. They will also
use expressions of frequency.
First, have students look at the photos. Elicit what they see in each picture: the
boy or student, and each action. Say the sentences aloud. Ask students to identify the verb
or action in each.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or, if your students are at a high enough level, you
can call on students to read the sentences. Check comprehension by asking questions
about the information: What is a verb? When do we use the simple present tense? What
are some common time expressions we use with simple present?
Call on students read the verbs and sentences in the chart aloud. Have students
circle the verbs that end in -s. Review the meaning of the verbs.

Expansion
Divide the class into teams. Have a member of each team come to the board to
draw a picture that shows the meaning of a verb. Whisper the verb to each student at the
board. The first team to guess the verb earns a point.

Activity 1, Finding Verbs in Sentences, p. 37

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see (e.g., a student/young
woman, window, looking out, coffee). When students have finished the task, call on
students to act out the action in each sentence.

Expansion
Have students rewrite the sentences to make them true for them. Read each
sentence aloud and have students raise their hands if it is true for them. If students do not
raise their hands, ask what is different (e.g., I take a shower at 7 a.m.). Walk around the
room as students are working to provide help as needed. Have students read their
sentences to a partner. Note: the sentences can also be written as a paragraph for
paragraph practice.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 2, Writing Sentences about Actions, p. 38
Do the first item with the class as an example. When students have finished the
task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.

Two Verb Forms of Simple Present Tense: -s and no -s

Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What
pronouns are singular? (I, you, he, she, it) Which are plural? (we, you, they) When do we
add an -s ending? (with he, she and it) When do we add -es? (with verbs ending in -o, -ch,
-sh, -ss, -x.

Activity 3, Spelling Verbs with -es, p. 40

When students have finished the task, call on students to spell the form aloud.

Activity 4, Spelling verbs with -s or -ies, p. 40

Go over the rules in the chart. Then do the first item as an example with the class.
When students have finished, ask them to spell the form aloud.

Irregular Verbs in Simple Past Tense, p. 40

Have students look at the chart. Call on students and say the verb and the
pronoun, eliciting the correct form.

Common Student Mistakes

You will see Common Student Mistakes after every grammar presentation. These
are mistakes that your students are likely to make. The center column identifies the
problem. This can give you and your students the language you need to correct the errors.
The words in bold help students notice where the mistake occurs. You may want to have
students refer to these examples when they make mistakes later in the unit.

Activity 5, Writing Verbs in Sentences, p. 41

Say each verb in word bank (the box) aloud and have students repeat. When
students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. For
more paragraph practice, students could write these sentences in paragraph form.

Activity 6, Writing Complete Sentences, p. 42

When students have finished the task, have them compare sentences with a
partner. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students
capitalize proper nouns. These sentences can also be written in paragraph form.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Negative of Verbs in Simple Present Tense, p. 43
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions (e.g., What is
the negative form of take after the pronoun you?). Call on students and say an affirmative
sentence and elicit the negative, both full form and contraction.

Activity 7, Writing Negative Sentences, p. 44

Ask volunteers to write the correct sentences on the board.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to write affirmative sentences with the correct
information (e.g., People in Brazil speak Portuguese.).

Activity 8, Scrambled Sentences, p. 45

There are nine sentences in this activity. Remind students that scrambled
sentences have words in the wrong order. All of the sentences in this activity are about
Jason Thompson’s job and can be written in the form of a paragraph.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board.
If you want your students to rewrite the sentences as a paragraph, review the
characteristics of a paragraph: sentences on one topic, the first sentence is indented, and
the sentences that follow begin on the same line. Then have students rewrite in paragraph
form.

Activity 9, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 46

Point out that they will first identify, by circling, the mistakes. Then they will
rewrite the sentences correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes can be in spelling, word
order, placement in a sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 10, Dictation, p. 47

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 11, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 47

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Elicit what they see. Elicit or explain what
twins are. Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers
in pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students
have 14 capital letters.

Activity 12, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 48

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. In Activity 12, students make simple replacements or additions in the five
sentences. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of i in fish, p. 49

Point to the pictures and say the words. Say these two words aloud: fish, bridge.
Make sure students can see your mouth. Point out or elicit that the mouth is very wide
and taut with the a sound, sort of wide but looser with the e sound, and only slightly open
and loose with the sound of i in fish.

Activity 13, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 49–50

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 49 and 50. Say that all the
words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with sound of i in fish.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Say each word and have students repeat. Option: bring in as many examples of the words
as you can (photos, objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word.

Activity 14, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 50

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 15, Spelling Words with the Sound of i in fish, p. 51

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of i in fish has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 16, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 52

Activity 17, Scrambled Letters, p. 52

Activity 18, Spelling Practice, p. 53

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 19, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 53

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of i in fish.

Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 54

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 10 words from the list
in Activity 20, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 55

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4,
page 296.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 55
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 2
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 34 and 35. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about a photo in this unit. You may want to
brainstorm vocabulary for the photos before students write their sentences.
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
30

frenglish.ru
UNIT 4 Adjectives

OVERVIEW
This unit introduces students to adjectives. Some students may already be familiar
with adjectives, but students’ familiarity with and skill in the simple present may vary
greatly.
In Unit 4, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use adjectives through activities that include all of the key
elements. These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are with using
verbs in the simple present. In addition, Unit 4 presents words with the o sound in hot.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about adjectives
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of o in hot
Writing: To write about places around the world

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 4 introduces students to the basics of adjectives. The unit reviews what an
adjective is (a word that describes a noun or a pronoun), identifies different types of
adjectives, important descriptive adjectives to know, possessive adjectives,
demonstratives and nouns working as adjectives.
If students are already familiar with the basics of adjectives, then start at a point in
Unit 4 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can
be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and
review many words with the sound of o in hot.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows fishermen on Inle Lake in Myanmar taking their boats out on a beautiful
morning. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., fishermen, boats, trap, sunrise). Write the
words students say on the board.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Note: Introduce the objectives on the top of page 57. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 57. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

What Is an Adjective?, p. 58
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about adjectives, including various types: descriptive, possessive, demonstrative, and
nouns working as adjectives.
First, have students look at the photos. Elicit what they see in each picture. Say
the sentences aloud. Ask students to identify the adjective in each.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or, if your students are at a high enough level, you
can call on students to read the items. Check comprehension by asking questions about
the information: What is an adjective? What is an example of a descriptive adjective?
What are the possessive adjectives? What are the demonstrative adjectives? Call on
students and say a pronoun, eliciting the possessive.
Call on students to read the adjectives and sentences in the chart aloud.

Descriptive Adjectives, pp. 58–59

Go over the information. Like many of the charts in this book, page 59 provides a
useful reference for students not only as they work through this unit, but also for their
later writing.

Expansion
Have students circle the noun or pronoun that the adjective in each sentence on
page 59 describes, then compare answers with a partner.

Common Endings for Descriptive Adjectives, p. 59

Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions.

Common Student Mistakes

You will see Common Student Mistakes after every grammar presentation. These
are mistakes that your students are very likely to make. The center column identifies the
problem. This can give you and your students the language you need to correct the errors.
The words in bold help students notice where the mistake occurs. You may want to have
students refer to these examples when they make mistakes later in the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 1, Finding Descriptive Adjectives, p. 60
When students have finished the task, call on students to say the sentences and
identify the adjectives.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to list pairs of adjectives that are opposites. They can
use the list on page 59, or their dictionaries for help. Then have them choose five
sentences in Activity 1 to rewrite using adjectives with opposite meaning. They may have
to use the negative forms of verbs also.

Activity 2, Writing Two Sentences with Descriptive Adjectives, p. 60

You may want to have students work in pairs to complete this activity. If your
students have a lot of difficulty, you can go over the information about possessive
adjectives on page 61 first. When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write
the sentences on the board. If your students are at a higher level, they can simply read out
their sentences.

Possessive Adjectives
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions (e.g., What is
the possessive adjective for the pronoun you?). Say a sentence with the verb have (I have
a desk.). Elicit a sentence with the possessive (It is my desk.).

Common Student Mistakes

Activity 3, Using Possessive Adjectives in Connected Sentences, p. 62

When students have finished the task, call on students to read the completed
sentences aloud.

Activity 4, Using Subjects and Possessive Adjectives in Longer Writing, p. 62

Do the first item as an example with the class. When students have finished, call
on students to read the sentences aloud.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Demonstrative Adjectives, p. 63
Go over the information. Provide more examples by talking about objects in the
room and using gestures to communicate the meaning of near and far (e.g., This book is
my book. That book is not my book.)

Common Student Mistakes, p. 63

Activity 5, Using this, that, these, and those in Sentences, p. 63

When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the
board. Then call on students to read the sentences aloud. Check pronunciation of this,
these, and those. Point out that poor pronunciation can result in mistakes or confusion.

Nouns Working as Adjectives, p. 64

Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What is
another kind of test? (an English test) What is another kind of store? (a grocery store)

Activity 6, Practicing Writing Nouns as Adjectives, pp. 64–65

Point that in most of the items the singular form of the new noun in the second
sentence will be the adjective in front of the noun in the first sentence. Items 4, 10, 11, 12
are exceptions. In those items, the noun in first sentence becomes the adjective. Remind
students that the adjective form is always singular (Items 6 and 7).

Activity 7, Scrambled Sentences, p. 65

Remind students that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Do the
first item with the class as an example. Put students in pairs to work through this task.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board.

Activity 8, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 66

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Ask them to describe it. Point out that they
will first identify, by circling, the mistakes. Then they will rewrite the sentences

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes can be in spelling, word order, placement in a
sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 9, Dictation, p. 67
In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 10, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 68

Direct students’ attention to the map. Elicit what they see. Ask questions (e.g.,
What is one country in North America?) Go over the words in the word bank (the box).
Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on
the board. Make sure students have 27 capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph
on a separate piece of paper, then exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct
any mistakes.

Activity 11, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 69

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. In Activity 11, students make simple replacements or additions in most of the
sentences. They also combine sentences. Point out that this changes the subject from
singular to plural, and they will have to change the verb form. Walk around the room as
students are working and provide help as needed.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Learning Words with the Sound of o as in hot
Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced (cat, bed, fish). Make sure students can see your mouth. Remind students the
mouth is very wide and taut with the a sound, sort of wide but looser with the e sound,
and only slightly open and loose with the i sound. Now say hot so students can see that
your mouth is open wide top to bottom rather than side to side. It makes a big circle.
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students repeat.

Activity 12, Which Words Do You Know? p. 70

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on page 70. Say that all the words
have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your students
probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check the ones
they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write new words
and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289 in the book
and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure students
understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of o in hot. Say
each word and have students repeat. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as
you can (photos, objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word.

Activity 13, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 71

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 14, Spelling Words with the Sound of o in hot, p. 72

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of o in hot has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 15, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 72

Students use the words from Activity 14 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 16, Scrambled Letters, p. 73
Remind students that scrambled means the letters are in the wrong order. Do the
first item as an example. Have students compare answers in pairs. Then call on students
to read the words aloud with the sound of o in hot.

Activity 17, Spelling Practice, p. 73

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 18, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 73

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of o in hot.

Activity 19, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 74

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 10 words from the list
in Activity 19, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 75

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4,
page 296.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Peer Editing, p. 75
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 2
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 56 and 57. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 5 Verbs: Simple Present Tense of be

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the simple present tense of be. Students have already written
sentences with be in previous units. This verb is unique, especially in the formation of
questions and negatives.
In Unit 5, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use the simple present of be through activities that include
all of the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are
with using verbs in the simple present. In addition, Unit 5 presents words with the sound
of u in cup.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about the simple present tense of be
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of u in cup
Writing: To write about two cities in the same country

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 5 focuses the basics of the simple present tense of be. The unit reviews the
three forms of be in the simple present tense, negative forms, and how be is used.
If students are already familiar with the simple present of be, then start at a point
in Unit 5 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete
can be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn
and review many words with the sound of u in cup.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow. The vowel sounds they
have already practiced are reflected in this content (cathedral -a, Red -e, Basil -i, Moscow
-o). Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., cathedral, dome, square). Write the words
students say on the board.
Note: Introduce the objectives on the top of page 77. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 77. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
39

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
The Verb be
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
more about the verb be, especially its negative forms and the ways it can be used in
sentences.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see (e.g., St. Basil’s, a
young woman). Say the sentence aloud. Make sure students know the word cousin.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Check comprehension by asking questions about the
information: What is the form of be we use with I? With you?, etc.

Activity 1, Writing Sentences with be: Where Are They from?, pp. 78–79
Direct students’ attention to the photos. Call on students to say a sentence about
each person. When students have finished writing sentences, call on students to say the
sentences. Have them identify the words with capital letters.

Activity 2, Writing Sentences with be: Where Are You From?, p 79

Go over the example. Point out or elicit that each “writer” will use either the first
person singular or the first person plural. Review what these pronouns are. When students
have completed the task, have volunteers write sentences on the board.

Expansion
Have students write sentences about where they are from. Call on students to say
a sentence about themselves.

Negative of be in Simple Present Tense, p. 80

Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions (e.g., What is
the contraction of is not?). Say an affirmative sentence, and call on a student to say the
sentence in the negative.
Note: English Language Learners are often reluctant to use contractions, even in
speech. Assure them that native speakers use them all the time. Provide opportunities for
them to make contractions.

Activity 3, Writing Sentences with Correct Information, pp. 80–81

When students have finished the task, have students compare sentences with a
partner. Then ask volunteers to write sentences on the board.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Simple Present Tense Sentences with be, p. 81
Go over the information. Have students read the sentences aloud. Provide other
examples of sentences with the present of be and ask students to identify the type of
information.

Activity 4, Scrambled Sentences, p. 82

Remind students that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Point
out that all of these are affirmative sentences with the simple present of be. Do the first
item with the class as an example. Put students in pairs to work through this task.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 82

Students frequently make mistakes with be, especially with negatives. Students
who speak Spanish as a first language often put no in front of be to make a negative
because of first language interference. Other languages such as Arabic, Turkish, Russian
and Bengali don’t have a verb such as be that links the subject to the predicate. Speakers
of these languages may drop the verb.

Activity 5, Scrambled Sentences with be, pp. 82–83

This activity is similar to Activity 4, but includes negatives.

Activity 6, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 83

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Ask them to describe it. Explain the
meaning of turtle or tortoise. Point out that they will first identify, by circling, the
mistakes. Then they will rewrite the sentences correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes
can be in spelling, word order, placement in a sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or
verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 7, Dictation, p. 84
In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 8, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 85

Direct students’ attention to the map. Elicit what they see. Ask questions (e.g.,
Where is Saudi Arabia?) Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students
compare answers in pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make
sure students have 22 capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate
piece of paper, then exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Activity 9, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 86

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. By changing the location from Saudi Arabia to the United States, students are
changing the topic. Students may write different information in the last sentence (e.g.,
cold, snowy, chilly). Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as
needed.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of u in cup

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced (cat, bed, fish, hot). Make sure students can see your mouth. Now say cup so
students can see that your mouth is more open than with the i sound, but not as open as
with the o sound. The mouth is relaxed. Direct students’ attention to the photos and say
each word, and have students repeat.

Activity 10, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 87–88

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 87 and 88. Say that all the
words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of u in cup.
Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more spelling
possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos, objects,
etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 11, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 89

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary (e.g., Item 6
is a question word). Have students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 12, Spelling Words with the Sound of u in cup, p. 90

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of u in cup has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 13, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 90

Students use the words from Activity 12 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Activity 14, Scrambled Letters, p. 91

Activity 15, Spelling Practice, p. 91

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 16, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 91
This activity will help students with spelling and editing skills. At this point,
students should be able to recognize which word is correct. These review lists will always
present students with one correct word in each pair and one word that has a common
student misspelling.

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of u in cup.

Activity 17, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 92

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 10 words from the list
in Activity 17, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 93

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 93
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 5
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 76 and 77. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
44

frenglish.ru
Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about a photo in this unit. You may want to
brainstorm vocabulary for the photos before students write their sentences.
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 6 Pronouns

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on subject and object pronouns, including their forms and their
placement in the sentence.
In Unit 6, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use subject and object personal pronouns through
activities that include all of the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how
familiar students are with using subject and object pronouns. In addition, Unit 6 presents
words with the sound of a in cake.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about pronouns
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of a in cake
Writing: To write about people and their jobs

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 6 focuses the basics of the pronouns, specifically personal pronouns. The
unit reviews subject and object personal pronouns and their placement and use in
sentences.
If students are already familiar with personal pronouns, then start at a point in
Unit 6 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can
be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and
review many words with the sound of a in cake.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows a veterinarian cleaning the teeth of a hippopotamus at a zoo in Medellin,
Colombia. Most of the vowel sounds they have already practiced are reflected in the
photo (e.g., hippopotamus). Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., veterinarian,
hippopotamus, mask, gloves). Write the words students say on the board.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion:
Have students work in pairs to list as many words as they can in the photo that use
each of the vowel sounds they have learned. Award a point for each correct word/vowel.
A veterinarian cleans the teeth of a hippopotamus at
Go over the objectives on the top of page 95. Explain that students will do these
things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 95. Tell them
you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

What Is a Pronoun?
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about subject and object pronouns, and their placement and use is sentences.
First, have students look at the photos. Elicit what they see (e.g., a family, mother,
grandmother, sisters, daughters, house, trees, smiling). Say the sentences aloud.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions about the information: What is the object
pronoun for I? What is the subject pronoun for the object us? Call on students and say a
pronoun, eliciting the other pronoun (e.g., he/him).

Activity 1, Finding Pronouns in Sentences, p. 96

Have students circle the pronouns and then compare answers with a partner. This
activity allows students to notice the grammar in context. When students have completed
the task, check comprehension by asking questions (e.g., What does it refer to/replace in
number 3? – the name Bob).

What Is the Difference between Subject and Object Pronouns?, p. 97

Go over the information. Placement in the sentence can help students distinguish
between subject and object pronouns. So can the role of the pronoun in the sentence.
Point out that the subject performs, or does, the action. When an object pronoun is after a
verb, it received the action. If helpful, demonstrate the difference by performing various
actions or calling on students to perform them (draw a cat on the board, take a book from
a student). Emphasize the pronouns (I draw a cat; I draw it; He draws a cat. John draws
it).

Expansion
Write actions on slips of paper. Call students to the front of the class to choose a
slip and perform the action. Have other students make sentences with pronouns about
what they see.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 2, Choosing the Correct Pronoun, p. 98
Do the first one as an example. When students have completed the task, have
students read out sentences. When appropriate, check for understanding by asking what
pronouns refer to. For example in 2, ask: What is they? Answer: tests.

Activity 3, Writing Sentences with Subject and Object Pronouns, p. 98

When students have finished the task, have students compare sentences with a
partner. Then ask volunteers to write sentences on the board.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 99

Go over the information. If students made mistakes in Activity 3, ask them what
kind of mistake they made.

Activity 4, Practicing Pronouns, Capital Letters, and Periods, p. 99

This activity will help students recognize sentences. Review the basics of a
sentence (has a subject and verb, often an object, begins with a capital letter, ends with
ending punctuation). Direct students’ attention to the first item. Ask them how they know
where to divide the sentences. Elicit that she is a subject pronoun. You may want to have
students work in pairs to decide where to divide the sentences.
When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the
board. Then have other students identify the subject and object pronouns.

Activity 5, Scrambled Sentences, p. 100

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see. Remind students
that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Do the first item with the class
as an example. Put students in pairs to work through this task.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board. These sentences can be rewritten as a
paragraph.

Activity 6, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 101

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 7, Dictation, p. 102

Activity 8, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 102

Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in
pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have
14 capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then
exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Activity 9, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 103

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. Because students are changing the topic of the paragraph from singular to
plural (cousin to cousins), multiple changes will have to be made throughout the
paragraph. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of a in cake, p. 104

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. Now say cake so students can see that
your mouth is stretched wide from side to side and is very taut. When speakers make this
sound, their mouths actually start off more open (top to bottom) and then stretch tighter

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
and become more narrow. Point out that the spelling variation of a + consonant + e is
very common, and that the e is not pronounced (the silent e).
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 10, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 104–105

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 104 and 105. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of a in
cake and the silent e. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound
has many more spelling possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as
you can (photos, objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the
spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 11, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 105–106

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary (e.g. Item 4
is a number word). Have students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 12, Spelling Words with the Sound of a in cake, p. 106

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the a sound has multiple
spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than simply
reading the word.

Activity 13, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 107

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 14, Scrambled Letters, p. 108
Remind students that scrambled means the letters are in the wrong order. Do the
first item as an example. Have students compare answers in pairs. Then call on students
to read the words aloud with the sound of a in cake.

Activity 15, Spelling Practice, p. 108

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 16, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 109

Expansion: In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words
with the sound of a in cake.

Activity 17, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 110

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 10 words from the list
in Activity 17, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 111

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. Before students begin writing their paragraphs, you may want to brainstorm a
list of jobs and write them on the board. Then have students talk in pairs about the job.
They can take notes on their ideas.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Peer Editing, p. 11
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 6
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 94 and 95. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 7 The Conjunction and

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the conjunction and, including how it is used to combine two
or more subjects, objects, verbs, and adjective.
In Unit 6, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use the conjunction and to combine ideas through
activities that include all of the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how
familiar students are with using the conjunction and. In addition, Unit 7 presents words
with the sound of e in eat.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about and
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of e in eat
Writing: To write about your schedule for next week

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 7 focuses the conjunction and, and the ways it is used to combine the same
parts of speech.
If students are already familiar with using and, then start at a point in Unit 7 that
matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can be used as
review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and review
many words with the sound of e in eat.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows cyclists in Chamonix, France. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., mountain
bike, helmet, peak). Write the words students say on the board.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to name as many things as they can that both bikers
have in common.
A veterinarian cleans the teeth of a hippopotamus at

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Go over the objectives on the top of page 113. Explain that students will do these
things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 113. Tell them
you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

And with Two Words, p. 114
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about using and to connect two words or phrases, and also to connect three or more
words or phrases.
First, have students look at the photos. Elicit what they see. Say the sentences
aloud. Ask students how the two sentences are different (the first has two adjectives, the
second three. In the second sentence, there are commas after the first two adjectives,
before and).
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Call on students to give other examples that use and to combine subjects, objects, verbs,
and adjectives.

Activity 1, Telling What and Connects, p. 114

In this activity, students locate and then they identify what type of words the
conjunction connects. Have students compare answers with a partner. Call on students to
read a sentence aloud and identify the type of words that are connected.

Expansion
Have students rewrite the sentences and change the words that are connected, but
keep the same part of speech. For example, in item 1, a new sentence might be My
grandfather eats and sleeps in London. Have students read their sentences to a partner.

Activity 2, Sentence Combining: Connecting Ideas with and, p. 115

Point out that good writing uses sentence variety. One way to write different kinds
of sentences is to combine ideas. Suggest students underline the words that are repeating
in the pairs of sentences. This will help them notice the words they should connect with
and.
When students have completed the task, ask volunteers to write sentences on the
board.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
And with Three (or More) Words, p. 116
Go over the information. Explain the third point more fully—the and goes after
the second to the last word. This means in sentences that combine four words, you use
three commas, then an and (red, white, blue, and green).

Activity 3, Writing Sentences with More than One Subject, p. 116

Point out that when a sentence as more than one subject, it is plural, so the verb
needs to agree. Suggest students cross out the words in the first sentence that are repeated
in the second. Remind students to check for agreement with the verb, remove singular
articles and make other words plural where necessary. When students have finished the
task, have students compare sentences with a partner. Then ask volunteers to write
sentences on the board.

Activity 4, Writing Sentences with More than One Object, p. 117

Students can also cross out the repeated words in the first sentence(s). They will
not have to change the verb to make it agree.
When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write the sentences on the
board.

Activity 5, Writing Sentences with More than One Adjective, p. 118

Although this activity appears more open-ended as students are producing their
own sentences rather than combining existing sentences, they are following a clear
model.
Ask volunteers to write sentences on the board. Have the class correct the
sentences when necessary.

Activity 6, Writing Sentences with More than One Verb, p. 119

Again, students can use the strategy of crossing out repeated words. Point out that
they will not have to change the verb form or any of the other words. They will have to
add commas where necessary.

Activity 7, Correcting Sentences with and, p. 120

Have students look at the map and tell you what they see. Encourage them to
connect words and phrases with and. Students correct capitalization and punctuation in
the sentences. They do not have to correct word order or form.

Expansion
Have students write sentences about the map using and, then compare sentences
with a partner.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 8, Scrambled Sentences, p. 121
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see. Remind students
that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Do the first item with the class
as an example. Put students in pairs to work through this task. There are two correct ways
to write the first sentence. Tell students to use the first city first in the sentence (e.g.,
Flight number 228 goes from New York to Paris.)
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask
volunteers to write sentences on the board. These sentences can be rewritten as a
paragraph.

Activity 9, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 122

Direct students’ attention to the photo. Ask them to describe it. Point out that they
will first identify, by circling, the mistakes. Then they will rewrite the sentences
correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes can be in spelling, word order, placement in a
sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 10, Dictation, p. 123

Activity 11, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 123

Direct students’ attention to the schedule and ask questions. Go over the words in
the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask volunteers to
write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have 18 capital letters. Have
students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then exchange paragraphs
with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 12, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 124
In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
The changes indicated here may take students some extra time, and require that they edit
their work. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.
Have students compare their sentences with a partner and make changes as needed before
you go over the paragraph with the class.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of e in eat

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. Now say eat so students can see that
your mouth is stretched wide from side to side and is very taut. Point out that there are
many spelling variations that produce this sound.
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 10, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 125–126

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 125 and 126. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of e in eat.
Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more spelling
possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos, objects,
etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the word.
Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 14, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 127

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary (e.g., Item 2
is the general action of the woman, not the action she is doing in the photo). Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 15, Spelling Words with the Sound of e in eat, p. 128

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of e in eat has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 16, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, pp. 128–129

Students use the words from Activity 15 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Activity 17, Scrambled Letters, p. 129

Activity 18, Spelling Practice, p. 129

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 19, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 130

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of e in eat.

Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 130

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 15 words from the list
in Activity 20, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 131

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. Before students begin writing their paragraphs, you may want to brainstorm a
list of activities and write them on the board. Then have students make a schedule and
share their ideas in pairs before they write.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 131

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 7
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 8 Articles: a, an, the, ---

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the articles a, an, and the, as well as when an article isn’t
needed. It also covers count and non-count nouns, the use of articles with singular and
plural count nouns, and the specific uses of a, an and the.
In Unit 8, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to
practice writing sentences that use articles before nouns through activities that include all
of the key elements. These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are
with using articles. In addition, Unit 8 presents words with the sound of i in rice.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about articles
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of i in rice
Writing: To write about how to make a kind of food

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 8 focuses on the articles a, an and the, as well as when an article is not
needed. It also covers count and non-count (mass) nouns, and the specific uses of the.
If students are already familiar with using articles, then start at a point in Unit 8
that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can be
used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and
review many words with the sound of i in rice.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This
photo shows student chefs preparing vegetables in woks in Hefei, in Anhui Province, the
People’s Republic of China. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., chef, wok, ladle, apron).
Write the words students say on the board.
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 133. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 133. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
61

frenglish.ru
What Is an Article?, p. 134
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about using articles, and count and non-count nouns.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentences
aloud. Ask students which words are articles.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: What words are articles? (Answer: a, an, the)
When do we use articles (Answer: with nouns) Do all nouns need articles? (Answer: no)
Which nouns don’t need an article? (Possible answer: plural, names)

Activity 1, Finding Articles in Sentences, p. 135

In this activity, students locate nouns, and then articles. It will help them notice
patterns of article use. Have students compare answers with a partner. Call on students to
read a sentence aloud and identify the nouns and articles.

Count and Non-Count (Mass) Nouns, p. 135

Read the sentences aloud and have students follow along silently. Check
comprehension by asking questions.

Expansion
Give students two minutes to review the information. Model the activity. Say a
noun (man) and elicit if it needs an article or not, and why (yes, it is a singular count
noun). Have students work in pairs to take turns saying nouns. Their partner says whether
it needs an article or not and why.

Activity 2, Recognizing Count and Non-Count Nouns, p. 136

Review ways to tell if a noun is count (you can count it—one letter, two letters,
you can make it plural, it has an article). Do the first item as an example with the class.

Articles with Singular and Plural Count Nouns, p. 137

Go over the information. In some languages, articles are always used, even with
plurals. That is not the case with English.

Activity 3, Correcting Mistakes with Count Nouns, pp. 137–138

When students have finished the task, have students compare sentences with a
partner. Then ask volunteers to write sentences on the board. This activity can be
rewritten as a paragraph. In the next activity, students will practice the use of a and an.
You may want to quickly review that an is used before nouns beginning with a vowel.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
A or An?, p. 138
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions. Call on
students and say a noun (e.g., bed); elicit a or an.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 138

Point out that some words begin with vowels, but do not start with a vowel sound
(for example, university begins with a y sound). Some words beginning with h do begin
with a vowel sound (for example, hour). Suggest students make a note of these words in
their Vocabulary Notebooks.

Activity 4, Using Correct Articles in Noun Phrases, p. 139

Remind students that a dashed line indicates that no article is necessary.

Expansion
To recycle the use of the conjunction and, have students write five sentences each
of which uses at least two of the noun phrases in Activity 4. Have students exchange
sentences with a partner to correct as necessary. Call on students to read sentences aloud.

Activity 5, Writing Simple Definition Sentences, pp. 139–140

Make sure students know the words in the columns. Have students match the
noun to the definition and then compare answers with a partner. Ask volunteers to write
sentences on the board, or call on students to read their sentences aloud to the class.

The, p. 140
Call on students to read the sentences in the presentation aloud. Point out that we
also use the when there is only one (the sun, the best singer, the same class). Provide
other examples (see samples below) and ask students why the is used.
I have a new book. The book is about cats.
Go to the board and write two sentences.
She likes movies. The movies at the local theater are cheap.
I eat a lot of chicken. The leg is my favorite part.

Activity 6, Using the in Context, p. 141

Point out that the word bank (the box) consists of words with no article and the
same word with the. Students must choose when the article is appropriate. This is good
practice especially for students from languages that use articles in more contexts, such as
Spanish. When you correct the sentences as a class, ask students to explain their answers.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 7, Using Articles in Context, pp. 141–142
Remind students that some items will not need an article. Call on students to read
out the sentences when the class has completed the task.

The with Places, p. 142

Go over the explanations and examples in the chart. Check comprehension by
asking questions: Do you use the with lakes? What bodies of water use the? What are
some other geography words that take the? What are some countries that we use the
with?

Activity 8, Using the for Places, p. 143

First students decide if the noun needs the, then they decide if the fact is true or
false. Have students compare answers with a partner, then call on students to read out the
sentences to the class.

Activity 9, Writing Sentences with the for Places, p. 143

Item 1 in Activity 8 is the first false statement. Correct the sentence with the class
as an example. When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to write the correct
sentences on the board.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 144

When you go over the mistakes, ask students why the middle sentence needs the
(The speaker is referring to apples that both the speaker and the listener know about, not
apples in general.).

Activity 10, Correcting Sentences with Articles, pp. 144–145

Direct students’ attention to the photo on p. 145. Ask them to describe what they
see. When students have completed the task, have them compare sentences with a
partner. Then ask volunteers to write sentences on the board. Have the class correct any
mistakes. These sentences can be rewritten as a paragraph.

Activity 11, Scrambled Sentences, pp. 145–146

Remind students that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Do the
first item with the class as an example. Put students in pairs to work through this task.
Note that today can be first or last in the sentence.
Remind students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a
period. Ask students what other words are capitalized (I, Proper names—names of people
and places). Circulate around the room to provide help as needed. When students have
completed the activity, have them take turns reading their sentences to a partner. Ask

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
volunteers to write sentences on the board. These sentences can be rewritten as a
paragraph.

Activity 12, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 146

Activity 13, Dictation, p. 147

Activity 14, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 148

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see. Go over the words
in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask volunteers
to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have ten capital letters. Have
students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then exchange paragraphs
with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Activity 15, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 149

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
The changes indicated here may take students some extra time, and require that they edit
their work. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.
Have students compare their sentences with a partner and make changes as needed before
you go over the paragraph with the class.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

The second section of the unit focuses on a single sound that is present in
common vocabulary and has implications for spelling. Students at a beginning level often

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
struggle with spelling correctly in English. Sometimes, as with Arabic speakers, this is
because vowel sounds in the native language are not as distinct or distinguished in written
form. Other times, it is because in English, a single letter can have multiple sounds,
which is not true in languages such as Spanish. The words in this section are all common
words that students should know.

Learning Words with the Sound of i in rice, p. 150

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. Now say rice so students can see that
your mouth is open wide top to bottom, then closes somewhat, and is rather relaxed
throughout. Point out that there are a number of spelling variations that produce this
sound.
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 16, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 150–151

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 150 and 151. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of i in rice.
Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more spelling
possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos, objects,
etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 17, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 151–152

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 18, Spelling Words with the Sound of i in rice, p. 152

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of i in rice has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 19, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 153
Students use the words from Activity 18 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Activity 20, Scrambled Letters, p. 153

Activity 21, Spelling Practice, p. 154

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 22, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 154

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of i in rice.

Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, pp. 154–155

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 15 words from the list
in Activity 20, then exchange them with a partner to check.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 155

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. Before students begin writing their paragraphs, you may want to brainstorm a
list of food words and write them on the board.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 155

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 8
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 132 and 133. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 9 Prepositions

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on prepositions, including prepositions of place and of time. In
Unit 9, students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to practice
writing sentences that use prepositions of place and time. These activities help the teacher
assess how familiar students are with using articles. In addition, Unit 9 presents words
with the sound of o in hello.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to Peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about prepositions
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of o in hello
Writing: To write about things to see and do in your city

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 9 focuses on prepositions, particularly in, on and at used as prepositions of
time and place, word order of prepositional phrases in sentences, and common
preposition combinations after verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
If students are already familiar with using prepositions, then start at a point in
Unit 9 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can
be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and
review many words with the sound of o in hello.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows a gargoyle
looking down over the city and the Seine river in Paris. Present unfamiliar vocabulary
(e.g., gargoyle, bridge, cathedral, skyscraper). Write the words students say on the board.
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 157. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 157. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
What Is a Preposition?, p. 158
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about using articles, and count and non-count nouns.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentence aloud.
Ask students which words are prepositions.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: What is a preposition? What are some
common prepositions? What is a prepositional phrase? What questions do prepositional
phrases answer?
Call on students to read the 20 sentences that feature the prepositions they need to
know.

Activity 1, Finding Prepositional Phrases in Sentences, p. 160

In this activity, students first locate prepositional phrases and then identify the
prepositions. It will help them notice patterns in prepositional phrases. Some sentences
have more than one prepositional phrase. Have students compare answers with a partner.
Call on students to read a sentence aloud and identify the phrase and preposition.

at, on, in: Three Common Prepositions of Time, p. 160

Go over the information and examples. Explain the chart.

Activity 2, Prepositional Phrases of Time with at, on, in, p. 161

In Part A of this activity there is one correct answer for each item. For Part B, the
sentences students write will be highly variable. When students have finished writing
sentences, have them share the sentences with a small group. Ask volunteers from each
group to write a sentence on the board.

Activity 3, at, on, in: Scrambled Sentences with Prepositional Phrases of Time, p.
161
Remind students that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Later
in the unit, students will practice writing sentences with the prepositional phrase first.
Although students could write correct sentences with that order here, tell them to write
their sentences with the prepositional phrase last. That is the default, or more typical
position, and does not use a comma.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
at, on, in: Three Common Prepositions of Place, p. 162
The three common prepositions of time are also common prepositions of place.
Go over the information and the chart. Provide other examples (e.g., 1325 South Road)
and elicit the correct preposition.

Activity 4, Prepositional Phrases of Place with at, on, in, p. 162

This follows the same format as Activity 2, with two parts, and Part B is highly
variable. Have students exchange sentences with a partner to correct as necessary, then
ask volunteers to write example sentences on the board.

Activity 5, Writing Two Related Sentences, p. 163

Go over the directions and the example sentences. Remind students to follow the
example. By practicing the same structures over and over, students will learn them as
chunks. This will make it easier from them to write about cities more fluently.

Activity 6, Writing about the Locations of Places on a Map, pp. 164–165

Direct students’ attention to the map and ask questions (e.g., Where is the post
office?). This will help orient students before the complete the activity. Point out that
some subjects will be plural. Ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.

Word Order: Place and Time in the Same Sentence, p. 165

Go over the information. Speakers of other languages often make mistakes in
word order in English sentences. Point out that remembering these guidelines will help
them write more like native speakers.

Activity 7, Scrambled Sentences with Prepositional Phrases of Place and Time, p.

165
Students are familiar with this activity type. Remind them to focus on the position
of the two prepositional phrases. They will also practice using the correct preposition in
each situation: an, on, or in.

Expansion
Create other sentences that use prepositional phrases of both time and place.
Write each word of the sentence on a separate card or slip of paper. Then give each slip
to a student. Have the group of students form a sentence by standing in the correct order.

Word Order: Beginning a Sentence with a Prepositional Phrase, p. 166

Go over the explanations and examples in the chart. Check comprehension by
asking questions: Why do writers sometimes begin a sentence with a prepositional
phrase? What kind of punctuation do writers need to use and where?

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 8, Writing Sentences that Start with Prepositional Phrases, p. 166
This activity asks students to vary the order of elements in the sentence by
moving the prepositional phrase to the front of the sentence. When students have
completed the task, ask volunteers to write sentences on the board so the class can check
changes in capitalization and punctuation in particular.

Common Preposition Combinations after Verbs, Adjectives, and Nouns, p. 167

Like many of the charts in this book, page 167 provides a useful reference for
students not only as they work through this unit, but also for their later writing. Go
through the chart now, but suggest students learn the combinations as chunks or
collocations, so their writing (and speaking) will be more fluent.

Activity 9, Practicing Prepositions after Verbs, Adjectives, and Nouns, p. 168

Give students a few minutes to review the chart on p. 167. Then suggest they do
this activity first without looking back at the chart. Then they can check their answers.

Common Student Mistakes, 168

After you go over the mistakes, have students work in pairs to write a sentence
with one mistake. Then they exchange sentences with another pair and identify the
mistake and correct it.

Activity 10, Scrambled Sentences, p. 169

Remind students that scrambled sentences have words in the wrong order. Do the
first item with the class as an example. Circulate around the room to provide help as
needed. When students have completed the activity, have them take turns reading their
sentences to a partner. Ask volunteers to write sentences on the board. These sentences
can be rewritten as a paragraph.

Activity 11, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 169

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 12, Dictation, p. 170
In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 13, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 171

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see (the Louvre in Paris).
Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs.
Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have 24
capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then
exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Activity 14, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 172

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
In this unit, students are involved in much more open production than in previous units.
The changes indicated here may take students some extra time, and require that they edit
their work. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.
Have students compare their sentences with a partner and make changes as needed before
you go over the paragraph with the class.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of o as in hello, p. 173

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. The mouth starts as a larger O and
then becomes smaller and more rounded. Point out that there are a number of spelling
variations that produce this sound.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 15, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 173–174

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 173 and 174. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of o in
hello. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more
spelling possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos,
objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 16, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 174–175

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 17, Spelling Words with the Sound of o in hello, p. 175

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of o in hello has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 18, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 176

Students use the words from Activity 17 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Activity 19, Scrambled Letters, p. 177

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 20, Spelling Practice, p. 177
Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 21, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 177

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of o in hello.

Activity 22, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 178

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 15 words from the list
in Activity 22, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 179

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. Point out that students can use their own cities, or another city that they know
about for this assignment.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 179

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 9
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 156 and 157. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about a photo in this unit. You may want to
brainstorm vocabulary for the photos before students write their sentences. The opening
photo in particular has a lot of details that students can write about.
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 10 Building Bigger Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but,
so

OVERVIEW
This unit helps students write more complex sentences by combining independent
clauses. Students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to practice
writing sentences that use prepositions of place and time. These activities help the teacher
assess how familiar students are with using coordinating conjunctions. In addition, Unit
10 presents words with the sound of u in school.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about coordinating conjunctions and, but, so
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of u in school
Writing: To write about a job or hobby

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 10 focuses on using the coordinating conjunctions and, but and so to produce
longer and more complex sentences.
If students are already familiar with using the coordinating conjunctions and, but
and so, then start at a point in Unit 10 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that
the class does not complete can be used as review work for students who need extra
practice. Students will also learn and review many words with the sound of u in school.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows elephant
orphans and their caregivers in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Present unfamiliar
vocabulary (e.g., orphan, caregiver, trunk). Write the words students say on the board.
cleans theIntroduce the objectives on the top of page 181. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 181. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, so, p. 182
Using and in Your Writing, p. 182
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about using coordinating conjunctions to write more complex sentences and the correct
use of punctuation.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit the colors they see. Say the sentence
aloud. Ask students which word is a coordinating conjunction.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: What do coordinating conjunctions do? Why
are they called coordinating conjunctions? When do we use the conjunction and? When
do we use a comma with and?

Activity 1, Using Commas with and, p. 183

This activity helps students understand when commas are necessary with the
conjunction and. It reviews some information from Unit 7. Suggest students locate
subjects and verbs to identify clauses. Go over the answers by having students read out
each sentence and then say yes or no, and explain why.

Activity 2, Writing Compound Sentences with and, p. 183

Remind students that when they combined sentences in Unit 7, they were able to
cross out repeated words. In these sentences they will not do that, although they may
replace a noun with a pronoun rather than repeat it. Have students compare sentences
with a partner, and then ask volunteers to write them on the board.

Using but in Your Writing, p. 184

Go over the information. Emphasize the differences between and and but. Point
out that the use of commas is similar to how they are used with and.

Activity 3, Writing Compound Sentences with but, p. 184

Have students read the sentences in each item. Elicit the information that is
different or opposite in each pair. For example, in the first pair of sentences the two
languages have different numbers of letters. In the second sentence, the two people like
different kinds of food. When the class has finished the task, call on students to read out
the sentences saying comma where it comes in the sentence.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Using so in Your Writing, p. 185
It’s important that students understand the difference in the two meanings of so,
because this will determine comma use. It’s tricky because the two meanings are almost
opposites.
Activity 4, Writing Compound Sentences with so (Meaning 1), pp. 185–186
Have students read the pairs of sentences. Before the second sentence, they should
say The result is or Therefore. The sentences should make sense. This is a way they can
check which meaning of so they are using in their writing later on. Either have students
write the combined sentences on the board or read them out saying comma at the
appropriate place.

Activity 5, Writing Compound Sentences with so (Meaning 2), p. 187

Go over the directions and the example sentences. Suggest students read the two
sentences in each item and insert in order to before the second. This is another way to
check which meaning of so they are using in their writing later on. Call on students to
read out the completed sentences.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 187

When native speakers of English are talking, they often use coordinating
conjunctions at the beginning of a statement. Students, especially those who are very
communicative, may have trouble with the distinction between conversation, and the
more formal standards of writing. Emphasize that conjunctions should not begin
sentences in writing.

Activity 6, Unscrambling Clauses to Make Compound Sentences with and, but, so,
p. 188
Point out that this activity is a variation on the Scrambled Sentences activity that
they know. In this activity, they unscramble each clause and then join the clauses with a
conjunction. Suggest students write the unscrambled clauses next to A and B, and then
combine with the conjunction on the lines below. Have students check their sentences in
pairs before you ask volunteers to put them on the board.

Activity 7, Scrambled Sentences, p. 189

Students are familiar with this activity type. Remind them to focus on the
meaning of the clauses, the relationship between ideas. Some sentences, but not all, use
coordinating conjunctions. Others combine nouns with and.

Activity 8, Scrambled Sentences with and, but, so, pp. 190–191

This is a challenging activity that reviews and practices multiple points. Suggest
students identify nouns and verbs first. This can help them structure clauses and then

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
place the coordinating conjunctions. You may want students to work in pairs to complete
this task.

Activity 9, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, pp. 191–192

Have students look at the photo on page 192 and ask questions: Where do you
think this is? What do you see? What do you think people do on Children’s Day in
Japan? Point out that they will first identify, by circling, the mistakes. Then they will
rewrite the sentences correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes can be in spelling, word
order, placement in a sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. Ask students why they made each correction. This activity can also be
written as a paragraph.

Activity 10, Dictation, pp. 192–193

Activity 11, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 193

Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in
pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have
12 capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then
exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.

Activity 12, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 194

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING
The second section of the unit focuses on a single sound that is present in
common vocabulary and has implications for spelling. Students at a beginning level often
struggle with spelling correctly in English. Sometimes, as with Arabic speakers, this is
because vowel sounds in the native language are not as distinct or distinguished in written
form. Other times, it is because in English, a single letter can have multiple sounds,
which is not true in languages such as Spanish. The words in this section are all common
words that students should know.

Learning Words with the Sound of u in school, p. 195

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. The mouth starts as a small o and
becomes even smaller. Point out that there are a number of spelling variations that
produce this sound.
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 13, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 195–196

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 195 and 196. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of u in
school. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more
spelling possibilities. (photos, objects, etc.) bring in as many examples of the words as
you can. Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 14, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 196–197

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary (e.g., in
Item 6, how many are there?). Have students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 15, Spelling Words with the Sound of u in school, p. 197

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of u in school

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
has multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better
than simply reading the word.

Activity 16, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 198

Activity 17, Scrambled Letters, p. 198

Activity 18, Spelling Practice, p. 199

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 19, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 199

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of u in school.

Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 200

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 15 words from the list
in Activity 19, then exchange them with a partner to check.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 201

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. With the class, brainstorm a list of words they might need to describe a job or
hobby. Have students describe the job or hobby to a partner before they write their
sentences.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 201

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 10
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 180 and 181. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 11 Verbs: Simple Past Tense

OVERVIEW
This unit focuses on the simple past tense of both regular and irregular verbs in
affirmative and negative statements. Students have a variety of both guided and
independent opportunities to practice writing sentences that use the simple past. These
activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are with using the simple past
tense of verbs. In addition, Unit 11 presents words with the sound of aw in straw.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about simple past tense
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of aw in straw
Writing: To write about one important event that happened in the past

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 11 focuses on using the simple past tense in affirmative and negative
statements. Students will practice applying the spelling rules for the past tense forms of
regular verbs as well as learn the forms of irregular verbs.
If students are already familiar with using the simple past tense, then start at a
point in Unit 11 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not
complete can be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will
also learn and review many words with the sound of aw in straw.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows an Indian
bride and groom holding hands on their wedding day. Present unfamiliar vocabulary
(e.g., bride, groom, wedding gown, henna, beads, sari, embroidery). Write the words
students say on the board. The bride has henna decorations on her hands in honor of the
special day. teeth of a hippopotamus at
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 203. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 203. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
Simple Past Tense, p. 204
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about the simple past tense forms of regular and irregular verbs, as well as how to make
negative statements.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentence aloud.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is in Washington, DC. It lists the names of all the
soldiers who died in the order of their deaths. Ask students how they know the verb is in
the past tense.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: What kind of ending to regular verbs have in
the simple past? Does the form change with different subjects? What are some common
time phrases for the simple past tense?

Regular Verbs in Simple Past Tense, p. 204

Go over the information. Provide other examples and have students spell the past
tense form.

Single or Double Consonant? p. 205

Go over the information. Provide other examples and have students spell the past
tense form.

Activity 1, Practicing the 29 Most Common Regular Past Tense Verbs in Writing,
p. 205
This activity helps students practice regular past tense verbs that they will use
most frequently. Encourage students to refer to the spelling rules as they complete the
task. Go over the answers by having students write the words on the board, or by spelling
the past forms aloud.

Activity 2, Writing Sentences with Regular Past Tense Verbs, p. 206

Direct students’ attention to the chart with the four sentence elements (subject,
verb, object and time expression). Go over the example. Point out that the sentence uses
words and phrases from different rows of the chart. Students can combine the words in
phrases in any order they want. This will result in variety in the students’ sentences. Ask
volunteers to write a sentence on the board.

Activity 3, PAIR WORK: Who Has the Most Sentences that Are Different?, p. 206
Although your students have probably worked with partners on earlier activities,
this is the first activity in the book that requires pair work. This activity encourages

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
creativity. Many students will probably write sentences that move straight across the
rows (e.g., He watched a football game last night.). Only the sentences that their partners
do not have will earn a point. Make sure students find new partners in the second round.
Ask students to report their totals to the class.

Irregular Verbs in Simple Past Tense, p. 207

Go over the information. Explain to students that there is no shortcut with
irregular verb forms—they have to learn each one. Suggest they make flashcards with the
base form on one side and the past form on the other to practice. Make sure students
understand that the verb be is the only one that has different forms in the past tense for
different subjects.

Activity 4, Practicing the 30 Most Common Irregular Past Tense Verbs in Writing,
pp. 207–208
This activity is similar to Activity 2, but here students look at the past form and
write the present tense form.

Activity 5, Writing Sentences with Irregular Past Tense Verbs, p. 208

Read each question aloud and have students repeat. Point out or elicit that did is
the past form of do and is used to make questions in the simple past tense for all subjects
and all verbs except be. Focus on the example. Ask students to identify the verb (come).
Elicit the past form (came). Do the same thing with question 1. Review prepositional
phrases briefly as students will use them in several answers. When students compare
answers in pairs, suggest they take turns asking and answering the questions.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 209

Have students tally the mistakes they made in Activity 5 according to the problem
in the chart. Students often have “favorite” mistakes, meaning they make the same kind
over and over again. If the tally marks show they make one kind of mistake more often
than others, suggest they really focus on avoiding that particular mistake in their writing.

Activity 6, Correcting Mistakes with Past Tense Verbs in Context, pp. 209–210
Have students look at the first sentence and identify the time expression (two or
three days ago). The time expressions signal what tense they should use for each verb.
Remind students that mistakes could be in tense, the form of be, or the spelling of the
word. When students have completed the task, ask volunteers to write the correct
sentences on the board, or display them on a projector. This activity can be rewritten as a
paragraph.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Negative of Verbs in Simple Past Tense, p. 210
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What do we
use with most verbs to make a statement negative? What is the contraction of did not?
Do we use contractions in formal writing?

Common Student Mistakes, p. 211

Go over the types of mistakes now. When students correct their writing later in
the unit, suggest they return to this chart and tally their mistakes with negative
statements.

Activity 7, Scrambled Sentences, p. 211

Students are familiar with this activity type, but the sentences are becoming more
complex. Some of the sentences use coordinating conjunctions. You may want to have
students work in pairs on this activity. This activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 8, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, pp. 213–214

Have students look at the photo and ask questions: Where do you think this is?
What do you see? Point out that they will first identify, by circling, the mistakes. Then
they will rewrite the sentences correctly. Elicit or point out that mistakes can be in
spelling, word order, placement in a sentence, capitalization, punctuation, or verb form.
Engage students in this editing activity by displaying the sentences on the board,
on chart paper, or on a screen. Have students work in partners or small groups and correct
the displayed sentences as a team. Or pass the chart around to individual groups and have
them make the corrections at their seats. Then display the chart and discuss the various
corrections. Ask students why they made each correction. This activity can also be
written as a paragraph.

Activity 9, Dictation, p. 213

Activity 10, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 214

Have students look at the photo. Ask them to describe what they see. Go over the
words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have 19 capital letters.
Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then exchange
paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes.
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
87

frenglish.ru
Activity 11, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 215
In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
In this unit, students will change the verb tense throughout and also combine some
sentences. Walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed.
Have students compare their sentences with a partner and make changes as needed before
you go over the paragraph with the class. This is an opportunity for students to note the
type of mistake they make most often with the simple past tense.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of aw as in straw, p. 216

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. The mouth is open wide from top to
bottom, but more taut than it is with the hot sound. Point out that there are a number of
spelling variations that produce this sound. One of the variations—ough—can have a
number of different sounds.
Direct students’ attention to the photos and say each word, and have students
repeat.

Activity 12, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 216–217

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 216 and 217. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of aw in
straw. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more
spelling possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos,
objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 13, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 217–218

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 14, Spelling Words with the Sound of aw in straw, p. 218

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the u sound has multiple
spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than simply
reading the word.

Activity 15, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, pp. 218–219

Activity 16, Scrambled Letters, p. 219

Activity 17, Spelling Practice, p. 219

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 18, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 220

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of aw in straw.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 20, Cumulative Spelling Review, pp. 220–221
This activity reviews the target words from this unit and the previous unit. This
cumulative review will help students remember all the words they have studied so far.
Note that students will practice spelling words with the vowel sounds they have learned
here.

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 15 words from the list
in Activity 20, then exchange them with a partner to check.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 221

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. With the class, brainstorm a list of words they might need to describe a past
event. Have students share their ideas in pairs before they start writing.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 221

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 11
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 202 and 203. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 12 Building Bigger Sentences with Subordinating Conjunctions: because,
after, before, when, if

OVERVIEW
In this unit students will learn and practice making more complex sentences using
subordinating conjunctions (because, after, before, when, and if). As in Unit 10,
students will work with two clauses in a sentence, but in this unit, one of the clauses is a
dependent clause. Students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities
to practice writing sentences that use the simple past. These activities help the teacher
assess how familiar students are with using the simple past tense of verbs. In addition,
Unit 12 presents words with the sound of u in wood.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about subordinating conjunctions
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of u in wood
Writing: To write about an important day or time in your life

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 12 focuses on subordinating conjunctions. Students will practice building
more complex sentences by connecting a main, or independent, clause to a dependent
clause using because, after, before, when, and if. Three of these subordinating
conjunctions (after, before, when) introduce dependent clauses of time. Because
introduces a reason, and if introduces a condition.
If students are already familiar with using these subordinating conjunctions, then
start at a point in Unit 12 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does
not complete can be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students
will also learn and review many words with the sound of u in wood.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows base
jumpers jumping from the Jim Mao Tower in Shanghai, China. Present unfamiliar
vocabulary (e.g., base jumper, parachute, helmet, free fall). Write the words students say
on the board. Base jumpers parachute from fixed objects (buildings, antennas, bridge
Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations
Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning. Permission granted to photocopy for use in class.
92

frenglish.ru
spans, and cliffs) and use parachutes to break their falls.
A veterinarian cleans the teeth of a hippopotamus at
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 223. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 223. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

GRAMMAR FOR WRITING

Subordinating Conjunctions: because, after, before, when, if, p. 224
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about the creating longer and more complex sentences with common subordinating
conjunctions.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentence aloud.
Ask students to identify the subjects and verbs in the sentence.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: What is the difference between a main clause
and a dependent clause? How can you identify the dependent clause in each sentence?
Does before introduce the first or second action in time? What kind of information does
because introduce (or what question does it answer)?

Activity 1, Identifying Main (Independent) and Dependent Clauses, p. 225

Have students compare answers with a partner, then call on students to say the
main and depending clauses in each sentence. This activity can be rewritten as a
paragraph.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to ask and answer questions about the information in
Activity 1 (e.g., Why is she going to bake a cake for Lim?).

Word Order in Your Sentences, p. 225

Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: Which
clause usually comes first? When do you need to use a comma? Does the noun or the
pronoun come first in the sentence?

Activity 2, Using Commas with Main and Dependent Clauses, p. 226

In this activity, students practice identifying main and dependent clauses again,
but this time some of the sentences begin with dependent clauses so they have to add
commas. When students have completed the task and corrected their work, ask them to
compare the two versions of this paragraph (Activities 1 and 2) in terms of flow. Point
out that varying the order of the clause types can create a more interesting paragraph.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Using because in Your Writing, p. 226
Go over the information. Point out that all of the dependent clauses are similar
grammatically, but they have different meanings.

Activity 3, Using Commas with because, p. 227

In this activity, students recognize the order of clauses and use commas where
necessary.

Expansion
Find an article in English online from an American magazine or newspaper. Make
copies or display it with a projector. Have students perform two tasks: First, identify any
clauses with the subordinating conjunctions in this unit; and second, note how many such
clauses come before and after the main clause.

Activity 4, Writing Longer Sentences with because, pp. 227–228

Have students focus on the first item. Ask them to identify the reason (she has a
test tomorrow). Point out the two ways the clauses can be combined using because. Have
students work individually to combine the clauses in two ways, then compare sentences
in pairs. Ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board.

Using after, before, when in Your Writing, p. 228

Go over the information. Point out that when can have more than one meaning. It
can mean whenever as in I play computer games when I have free time. It can also mean
just after as in I answered the phone when it rang. Or it can mean at the same time as in I
was in Japan when you got married. Check comprehension by asking questions.

Activity 5, Using Commas with after, before, when, p. 229

Students perform the same task as they did in Activity 3, but this time with time
clauses rather than clauses of reason.

Activity 6, Writing Two Longer Sentences with after, before, when, p. 229
Students perform the same task as they did in Activity 4, but this time with time
clauses rather than clauses of reason. Have students write the sentences on the board.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to write three pairs of clauses that have a time
relationship. Then have them exchange their clauses with another pair to combine into
sentences using after, before and when. Call on students to read their sentences to the
class.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Using if in Your Writing, p. 230
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions.
If can be used in other situations. This unit only presents and practices one type of
conditional sentence—one that is used to discuss possible real situations. Point out that
we use the present tense in the main clause if we’re talking about a general situation,
something that is happening in the general present. We use the future with will in the
main clause when we are talking about the future. We always use the present tense in the
if clause.

Activity 7, Using Commas with if, pp. 230–231

Students perform the same task as they did in Activities 3 and 5, but this time
with if clauses.

Expansion
Write other sentences using if clauses on strips of paper, putting one clause on one
strip, and the other on a second strip. Shuffle the strips. Give a strip to each student and
have them walk around the class saying their clause to find the matching strip. When
students are all matched, have them read out their strips.

Activity 8, Writing Two Longer Sentences with if, p. 231

Students perform the same task as they did in Activities 4 and 6, but this time
with if clauses. Have students write the sentences on the board.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 232

As the chart makes clear, students often forget when they need a comma, or they
neglect to combine a dependent clause with a main clause. Point out that in conversation,
people will often answer a question with a dependent clause only (e.g., Why are you
wearing a coat? Because it’s cold out.), but it is never done in writing.

Activity 9, Correcting Fragments, pp. 232–233

You may want to help students prepare for this activity. Call on students to read
each item and ask a guiding question (e.g., When I turned on the computer. What
happened?). Have students compare sentences with a partner. Their sentences may be
highly variable because they are using their own ideas. Ask volunteers to write sentences
on the board, or call on every student to read out one of their sentences.

Activity 10, Scrambled Sentences, p. 233

Students are familiar with this activity type, but the sentences are becoming more
complex. Point out that because the comma must stay with the word, this will dictate the

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
order of the sentence. You may want to have students work in pairs on this activity. It can
also be rewritten as a paragraph.

Activity 11, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, pp. 234–235

Activity 12, Dictation, p. 235

Activity 13, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 236

Have students look at the photo. Ask them to describe what they see. Go over the
words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have 33 capital letters.
Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then exchange
paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes. Suggest students note the type
of mistakes they are making. This can help them to avoid the mistakes in the future.

Activity 14, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 237

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

Learning Words with the Sound of u in wood, p. 238

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. Point out that there are a number of
spelling variations that produce this sound. Direct students’ attention to the photos and
say each word, and have students repeat.

Activity 15, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 238–239

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 238 and 239. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of u in
wood. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more
spelling possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos,
objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the word.
Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 16, Matching Words and Pictures, pp. 239–240

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 17, Spelling Words with the Sound of u in wood, p. 240

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of u in wood has
multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 18, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 241
Students use the words from Activity 17 to complete the sentence, and then copy
the entire sentence on the line below. Do the first item with the class as an example. Ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Then call on other students to read the
sentences, identifying the capital letters and punctuation.

Activity 19, Scrambled Letters, p. 241

Activity 20, Spelling Practice, p. 242

Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 21, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 242

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of u in wood.

Activity 22, Cumulative Spelling Review, pp. 242–243

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 20 words from the list
in Activity 22, then exchange them with a partner to check. They will probably have to
use coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to make long enough sentences to use 20
words.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 243

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. With the class, brainstorm a list of words they might need to describe an
important day or time in their lives. Have students share their ideas in pairs before they
start writing.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 243

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 12
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 222 and 223. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Expansion
Suggest students write sentences about a photo in this unit. You may want to
brainstorm vocabulary for the photos before students write their sentences. Then students
can exchange sentences with a partner, and rewrite their partners’ sentences using the
simple past tense.
There is a list of 10 Additional Topics for Writing per unit in Appendix 2 on page
290. You may select a different assignment for each day, or let students choose one of
them for homework.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 13 Adverbs

OVERVIEW
In this unit students will learn about and practice using adverbs, including adverbs
of place and time, manner, frequency and degree. Students have a variety of both guided
and independent opportunities to practice writing sentences that use the simple past.
These activities help the teacher assess how familiar students are with using the simple
past tense of verbs. In addition, Unit 13 presents words with the sound of ow in flower.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about adverbs
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of ow in flower
Writing: To write about a person you know

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 13 focuses on adverbs, including adverbs of time and place, manner,
frequency and degree. If students are already familiar with using adverbs, then start at a
point in Unit 13 that matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not
complete can be used as review work for students who need extra practice. Students will
also learn and review many words with the sound of ow in flower.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows a boy
blowing bubbles at an iguana in Peru. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., bubbles,
iguana, gently, wetlands). Write the words students say on the board.
A veterinarian cleans the teeth of a hippopotamus at
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 245. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 245. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
What Is an Adverb? p. 246
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about different kinds of adverbs.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentence aloud.
Ask students what kinds of information the words in bold provide (when, where, how
much, how often, how).
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on individual students to read a sentence
aloud. Check comprehension by asking students to give other examples of each type of
adverb (e.g., in Peru, last night, gently, sometimes, rather). Point out that an adverb is a
part of speech, like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, but adverbs have a greater variety of
forms. Students studied prepositional phrases in Unit 9, and they have already used
adverbs of frequency, so they are familiar with those kinds of adverbs.

Activity 1, Finding Adverbs in Sentences, p. 247

Have students check the adverbs they know in the box. Elicit or explain any
unfamiliar words or phrases. To check answers, call on students to identify the adverbs in
each sentence. This activity can be rewritten as a paragraph.

Expansion
Have students rewrite the sentences as a paragraph, substituting different adverbs.
Then have students read their paragraphs to a partner.

Adverbs of Place and Time, p. 248

Go over the information. Remind students that they learned about prepositional
phrases in Unit 9. They have also used single word adverbs of place and time; for
example, they used yesterday in Unit 11 with the simple past tense.

Activity 2, Writing Two Sentences with Adverbs of Place and Time, pp. 248–249
In this activity, students practice using different word order in their sentences.
Point out that this will give their writing more interest. Paragraphs with the same
structure in every sentence are not as interesting, and do not flow as well. When students
have completed the task, have them compare sentences with a partner. Then call on
students to read out their sentences. Or, if students need more practice with punctuation
and capitalization, ask volunteers to write sentences on the board.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Adverbs of Manner, p. 249
Go over the information. Check comprehension by asking questions: What
question do adverbs of manner answer? What ending do most adverbs of manner have?
What are some exceptions? Where do adverbs of manner usually go in the sentence?

Activity 3, Writing Adjectives and Adverbs of Manner in Three Sentences, p. 250

In this activity, students need to distinguish between adjectives and adverbs.
Remind them that adjectives come before and modify nouns, whereas adverbs of manner
come after and modify verbs. The blank line shows students where the adjective or
adverb is needed. Again, if your students need more help with capitalization and
punctuation, ask volunteers to write sentences on the board. Otherwise, call on students to
read out the sentences.

Adverbs of Frequency, p. 250

Students have already used these adverbs in previous units. This focus reviews
use, and also focuses on placement in the sentence. Go over the information and check
comprehension by asking questions. Students tend to understand the meaning of these
adverbs, but may make mistakes with word order.

Activity 4, Writing Answers in Sentences with Adverbs of Frequency, p. 251

This activity will help students practice the position of the adverb of frequency in
the sentence. When students have completed the task, ask volunteers to write the
sentences on the board.

Expansion
Have students rewrite the questions using a different adverb of frequency, then
exchange with a partner to write answers. Call on students to read their sentences to the
class.

Activity 5, Writing Interview Sentences Using Adverbs of Manner, p. 251

Model the activity with a student. Ask him/her the questions from Activity 4 and
write sentences on the board to reflect the student’s answers. Have students interview a
partner to complete the task, and then find a new partner to check their sentences.

Adverbs of Degree, p. 251

Go over the information. Make sure students understand the examples of common
adverbs of degree. All of these adverbs suggest a great degree. Some adverbs that suggest
a lesser degree include rather, pretty, quite. Pretty is used often in speech but is too
informal for writing. Check comprehension by asking questions: What question do

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
adverbs of degree answer? What are some common adverbs of degree? Where are
adverbs of degree usually in a sentence?

Activity 6, Writing Adverbs of Degree in Two Sentences, p. 252

In this activity, students need to identify the proper location for the adverb in one
of two sentences. In addition, the activity allows students to see the relationship between
ideas across pairs of sentences. The second sentence in each pair adds a detail that further
explains the first.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 252

In some languages, the word for too is also the word for very. Students frequently
mix these adverbs up. Remind students that too almost always indicates a problem in
writing. In speaking, we sometimes use too in a different way, to mean it is almost too
much for us to describe or bear (e.g., She was too cute in that dress.). Placement and
punctuation are the other common mistakes. As in previous units, you can use this chart
as a way for students to identify their own “favorite” mistakes when they write.

Activity 7, Scrambled Sentences, pp. 253–254

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask what they see. This can help them
understand the content of the sentences. Students are familiar with this activity type, but
the sentences are becoming more complex. You may want to have students work in pairs
on this activity. It can also be rewritten as a paragraph.

Activity 8, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, pp. 254–255

Activity 9, Dictation, p. 255

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 10, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 256

Have students look at the photo. Ask them to describe what they see. Go over the
words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in pairs. Then ask
volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have 11 capital letters.
Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then exchange
paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes. Suggest students note the type
of mistakes they are making. This can help them to avoid the mistakes in the future. This
activity can also be written as a paragraph.

Activity 11, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 257

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
In this unit, the photos on each page emphasize the changes students will make. Before
students begin the task, direct their attention to the photo, and elicit differences between it
and the one on the previous page. As students complete the task, walk around the room as
students are working and provide help as needed. Have students compare their sentences
with a partner and make changes as needed before you go over the paragraph with the
class. This is an opportunity for students to note the type of mistake they make most often
with these dependent clauses.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of ow in flower, 258

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. To make this sound, the mouth starts
out very wide in all directions and taut, then becomes a small circle. Point out that there
are only two spelling variations that produce this sound. Direct students’ attention to the
photos and say each word, and have students repeat.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 12, Which Words Do You Know? pp. 258–259
Direct students’ attention to the list of words on pages 258 and 259. Say that all
the words have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your
students probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check
the ones they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write
new words and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to p. 289
in the book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure
students understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of ow in
flower. Say each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more
spelling possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos,
objects, etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the word.
Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 13, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 259

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 14, Spelling Words with the Sound of ow in flower, p. 260

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of ow in flower
has multiple spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better
than simply reading the word.

Activity 15, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, pp. 260–261

Activity 16, Scrambled Letters, p. 261

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 17, Spelling Practice, p. 261
Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 18, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct? p. 262

Expansion: In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words
with the sound of ow in flower.

Activity 19, Cumulative Spelling Review, pp. 262–263

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 20 words from the list
in Activity 19, then exchange them with a partner to check. They will probably have to
use coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to make long enough sentences to use 20
words.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 263

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. With the class, brainstorm a list of adverbs they might need to describe a
person they know. You may want to write some questions on the board to guide their
writing:
• What does the person do every day?
• When and how often does he/she do these things?
• What is his/her job? What specific tasks does he/she do?
• What adverbs describe the way he or she does something?

Have students share their ideas in pairs before they start writing.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Peer Editing, p. 263

Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 13
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 244 and 245. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
UNIT 14 Verbs: Present Progressive Tense

OVERVIEW
In this unit students will learn about and practice using the present progressive
tense. Students have a variety of both guided and independent opportunities to practice
writing sentences that use the simple past. These activities help the teacher assess how
familiar students are with using the simple past tense of verbs. In addition, Unit 14
presents words with the sound of oy in boy.
The activities in this unit range from guided sentence activities in which students
manipulate the parts of a simple sentence to peer editing, and vocabulary and spelling
practice. For further support, you may use the Great Writing: Foundations Assessment
CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary, editing, or
writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
Grammar: To learn about present progressive tense
Vocabulary and Spelling: To study common words with the sound of oy in boy
Writing: To write about people who are doing different things right now

TEACHING NOTES
Unit 14 focuses on present progressive tense in both affirmative and negative
statements, and includes spelling rules for adding the ending -ing. If students are already
familiar with using the present progressive tense, then start at a point in Unit 14 that
matches your students’ needs. Any pages that the class does not complete can be used as
review work for students who need extra practice. Students will also learn and review
many words with the sound of oy in boy.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of
objectives, and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see.
Encourage students to describe as many things as they can. This photo shows scientists
measuring giant sequoia trees Sequoia National Park. Present unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g.,
giant, harness, helmet, hanging). Write the words students say on the board.
A veterinarian cleans the teeth of a hippopotamus at
Introduce the objectives on the top of page 265. Explain that students will do
these things in the unit. Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 265. Tell
them you will come back to this question at the end of the unit.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
GRAMMAR FOR WRITING
Present Progressive Tense pp. 266–267
The first section of the unit focuses on grammar. In this unit, students will learn
about present progressive tense.
First, have students look at the photo. Elicit what they see. Say the sentence aloud.
Ask students to identify the verbs.
Present the grammar information. You may want to read the sentences aloud and
have students follow along silently. Or call on students to each read a sentence aloud.
Check comprehension by asking questions: How many parts are there to the verb? What
do we add to the verb in present progressive? How is present progressive different from
simple present in the way we use it? How do we make it negative? What is an example of
a non-action verb?
Direct students’ attention to the chart and ask questions: What happens to the verb
take when we add -ing? What do we do with the verb plan? Point out that the rules are
similar for adding the simple past ending and the progressive ending, except for verbs
ending in ie.

Single or Double Consonant? p. 267

Go over the information. Point out the similarity to the spelling rules for simple
past endings of regular verbs.

Activity 1, Identifying Verbs in Present Progressive Tense, p. 268

Do the first item as an example (He is flying.). When students have finished the
task, call on students to read out the examples.

Expansion
To recycle the simple past, have students rewrite the sentences, substituting
simple past. Then have students read their paragraphs to a partner.

Activity 2, Practicing -ing Forms of 30 Common Verbs in Writing, p. 269

In this activity, students practice writing common verbs with the -ing ending.
Students can use this page as a handy reference list for later writing.

Activity 3, Writing Sentences with Present Progressive Tense, p. 270

Students practiced this activity type in Unit 11. Remind students to be creative in
the way they combine the elements of the sentences. Do one example with the class.

Activity 4, PAIR WORK: Who Has the Most Sentences that Are Different? p. 270
Only the sentences that their partners do not have will earn a point. Although your
students have probably worked with partners on earlier activities, this is the second

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
activity in the book that requires pair work. This activity encourages creativity. Many
students will probably write sentences that move straight across the rows (e.g., She lives
in Canada right now.) Only the sentences that their partners do not have will earn a point.
Make sure students find new partners in the second round. Ask students to report their
totals to the class. Make sure students find new partners in the second round. Ask
students to report their totals to the class.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to write sentences using five of the words from
Activity 2.

Common Student Mistakes, p. 270

Provide other examples of these types of mistakes in sentence on the board. Ask
students to identify the problem with each sentence. As in previous units, you can use this
chart as a way for students to identify their own “favorite” mistakes when they write.

Activity 5, Correcting Mistakes with Present Progressive Verbs in Context, p. 271

Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them what they see. Do the first
item as an example with the class. Copy the sentence on the board and elicit the problem
(is is missing). Rewrite the sentence with the correction and the appropriate use of
capitalization and punctuation. When students have finished the task, ask volunteers to
write the sentences on the board. These sentences can be rewritten in paragraph form.

Activity 6, Scrambled Sentences, p. 272

Activity 7, Finding and Correcting 10 Mistakes, p. 273

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 8, Dictation, p. 274
In every unit, students will do a dictation activity. Here, students will write six
sentences. They will listen three times. Sometimes, it is easier to hear key words on the
first listen. Key, or important, words are said with more emphasis. They are often nouns
and verbs. Suggest students focus on key words the first time they listen. This will help
them understand the sentences better. Then they can listen for smaller words, such as
articles on their second listen. On the third listen, they should check their answers.

Activity 9, Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Model Writing, p. 275

Go over the words in the word bank (the box). Have students compare answers in
pairs. Then ask volunteers to write the sentences on the board. Make sure students have
23 capital letters. Have students rewrite the paragraph on a separate piece of paper, then
exchange paragraphs with a partner to find and correct any mistakes. Suggest students
note the type of mistakes they are making. This can help them to avoid the mistakes in
the future.

Activity 10, Guided Writing: Making Changes in Model Writing, p. 276

In this activity type, students will make certain changes in sentences. This allows
them to move from more controlled practice to slightly more open practice of key
structures. This activity type becomes more complex as students move through the book.
In this unit, students are changing the tense throughout. As students complete the task,
walk around the room as students are working and provide help as needed. Have students
compare their sentences with a partner and make changes as needed before you go over
the paragraph with the class. This is an opportunity for students to note the type of
mistake they make most often with present progressive tense.

BUILDING VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Learning Words with the Sound of oy in boy, p. 276

Point to the pictures and say the words. Review the vowel sounds students have
practiced. Make sure students can see your mouth. To make this sound, the mouth starts
out as a small o and then draws back to make an e sound. Point out that there are only

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
two spelling variations that produce this sound. Direct students’ attention to the photos
and say each word, and have students repeat.

Activity 11, Which Words Do You Know?, p. 276

Direct students’ attention to the list of words on page 276. Say that all the words
have the same vowel sound. These words are commonly used in English. Your students
probably know many of them already. Have students read the words and check the ones
they know, then look up new words in a dictionary. Remind students to write new words
and definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook. You may want to turn to page 289 in the
book and go over the information about the Vocabulary Notebook. Make sure students
understand that the letter (or letters) in bold is the one with the sound of oy in boy. Say
each word and have students repeat. Point out that this sound has many more spelling
possibilities. Option: bring in as many examples of the words as you can (photos, objects,
etc.). Hold them up in random order and elicit the word and the spelling.

Expansion
Have students work in pairs to take turns saying a number as their partner says the
word. Then have students work in pairs to say a word as their partner spells it.

Activity 12, Matching Words and Pictures, p. 277

Tell students to use each word only one time. Give clues if necessary. Have
students work in pairs to identify the words.

Activity 13, Spelling Words with the Sound of oy in boy, p. 278

Students fill in the missing letter and then copy the completed word on the line.
Remind students to double-check the word lists again because the sound of oy in boy has
two spellings. Copying the words will help them remember the spelling better than
simply reading the word.

Activity 14, Writing Sentences with Vocabulary in Context, p. 278

Activity 15, Scrambled Letters, p. 279

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Activity 16, Spelling Practice, p. 279
Give students a couple of minutes to review the words before you play the audio.
When students have finished, allow them to check their word lists and correct their
spelling if necessary.

Activity 17, Spelling Review: Which Word is Correct?, p. 279

Expansion
In the next class, you may want to give students a quick quiz on the words with
the sound of oy in boy.

Activity 18, Cumulative Spelling Review, p. 280

Expansion
Suggest students write five sentences, which use a total of 20 words from the list
in Activity 18, then exchange them with a partner to check. They will probably have to
use coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to make long enough sentences to use 20
words.

ORIGINAL STUDENT WRITING

Writing Your Ideas in Sentences or a Paragraph, p. 281

Have students read the information about writing a paragraph in Appendix 4 on
page 296. Suggest students do this activity as an out-of-class assignment. They can go to
a public place and write about what they see there. Or, bring in photos for students to use
as a writing prompt. Choose photos with a lot of activity going on.
You may want to use the Classroom Presentation Tool CD-ROM to review a
student model for this activity. As a whole-class activity, you can demonstrate the
editing and revision process.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru
Peer Editing, p. 281
Point out that this series provides peer editing sheets online that students can use
for each original writing assignment. Have students download the Peer Editing Sheet 14
from the website NGL.Cengage.com/GWF. Emphasize to students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from classmates and can
help the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.

Self-Assessment
Have students refer back to the opening spread on pages 264 and 265. Direct their
attention to the objectives. Ask them to put a check mark by the objectives they achieved.
Then ask students the question at the bottom of the page. Students can raise hands to
show if they can answer yes to the question.

Teacher’s Notes for Great Writing: Foundations

frenglish.ru

[Ebooks PDF] download Great Writing Foundations 1st Edition Keith S. Folse full chapters
No ratings yet
[Ebooks PDF] download Great Writing Foundations 1st Edition Keith S. Folse full chapters
32 pages
Split_185304
No ratings yet
Split_185304
2 pages
Subskills For Teaching Writing
No ratings yet
Subskills For Teaching Writing
1 page
Introduction To Statistics
No ratings yet
Introduction To Statistics
130 pages
Elements of Success 2 With Answers
83% (6)
Elements of Success 2 With Answers
626 pages
Planning A Writing Lesson: by Catherine Morley
No ratings yet
Planning A Writing Lesson: by Catherine Morley
15 pages
Reading Techniques: 1. Preview
No ratings yet
Reading Techniques: 1. Preview
5 pages
Byrne D. 1988. Teaching Writing Skills
100% (3)
Byrne D. 1988. Teaching Writing Skills
160 pages
Writing To Learn
No ratings yet
Writing To Learn
7 pages
YEAR 7 TERM 1 SCHEME OF WORK 2024-2025 SESSION-1 (1)eheh
No ratings yet
YEAR 7 TERM 1 SCHEME OF WORK 2024-2025 SESSION-1 (1)eheh
95 pages
Ip TD Ip English NC PDF
No ratings yet
Ip TD Ip English NC PDF
6 pages
Types of writing
No ratings yet
Types of writing
3 pages
33en
No ratings yet
33en
109 pages
Yulistia Rahmi Putri 19040001 - Reading Report Writing For Young Learners
No ratings yet
Yulistia Rahmi Putri 19040001 - Reading Report Writing For Young Learners
4 pages
Chapter 1
No ratings yet
Chapter 1
26 pages
Unit 1 Lesson 2.3 - Pronunciation - Speaking
No ratings yet
Unit 1 Lesson 2.3 - Pronunciation - Speaking
24 pages
Teaching-writing-and-speaking
No ratings yet
Teaching-writing-and-speaking
22 pages
Turkish Grammar
No ratings yet
Turkish Grammar
57 pages
teaching writing
No ratings yet
teaching writing
20 pages
2025 Form 1 English Language Term 1 Schemes of Work
No ratings yet
2025 Form 1 English Language Term 1 Schemes of Work
6 pages
WRITING PRESENTATION - Compressed
No ratings yet
WRITING PRESENTATION - Compressed
21 pages
50 Hour Foundation Course Complete English Tenses Class 5 1
No ratings yet
50 Hour Foundation Course Complete English Tenses Class 5 1
13 pages
Modal Verb Presentation
No ratings yet
Modal Verb Presentation
14 pages
Module 8 Elt 222 Writing
No ratings yet
Module 8 Elt 222 Writing
15 pages
Present Simple
No ratings yet
Present Simple
6 pages
Teaching Writing: We Teach English
No ratings yet
Teaching Writing: We Teach English
34 pages
Methodology 8writing
No ratings yet
Methodology 8writing
17 pages
Greatwriting Teachingwithgw
No ratings yet
Greatwriting Teachingwithgw
8 pages
Writing B2 All Documents
100% (1)
Writing B2 All Documents
18 pages
key-PRACTICE TEST 11
No ratings yet
key-PRACTICE TEST 11
2 pages
Arta Syllabus
No ratings yet
Arta Syllabus
8 pages
Unit II Teaching Writing
No ratings yet
Unit II Teaching Writing
9 pages
Group 4 by Ira Lestari, 17018081
No ratings yet
Group 4 by Ira Lestari, 17018081
49 pages
English Writing
No ratings yet
English Writing
175 pages
Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition: Ch. 3-1 Ch. 3-1
No ratings yet
Essentials of Business Communication, Second Edition: Ch. 3-1 Ch. 3-1
59 pages
Teaching Writing - Mechanics of Writing
No ratings yet
Teaching Writing - Mechanics of Writing
57 pages
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6: English
No ratings yet
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6: English
10 pages
Teoria Ingles
No ratings yet
Teoria Ingles
2 pages
English File Advanced UNIT 1 P. 7 Havea
No ratings yet
English File Advanced UNIT 1 P. 7 Havea
2 pages
Writing
No ratings yet
Writing
9 pages
Teaching Writing To Young Learners
100% (1)
Teaching Writing To Young Learners
27 pages
S14-Trabajo Práctico Experimental - 2
No ratings yet
S14-Trabajo Práctico Experimental - 2
8 pages
Vocabulary/ Listening/ Speaking Class: As and Like
No ratings yet
Vocabulary/ Listening/ Speaking Class: As and Like
5 pages
UNIT ONE Simple Present Tense
No ratings yet
UNIT ONE Simple Present Tense
5 pages
Dothrakhi Dictionary
No ratings yet
Dothrakhi Dictionary
29 pages
TIẾNG ANH 1- VIẾT 1
No ratings yet
TIẾNG ANH 1- VIẾT 1
107 pages
GR Passive - Constraints 1
No ratings yet
GR Passive - Constraints 1
2 pages
Teaching Writing
No ratings yet
Teaching Writing
12 pages
Oxford Primary Skills 1-Book
100% (1)
Oxford Primary Skills 1-Book
52 pages
Writing Bright 2 Tips Ideas
No ratings yet
Writing Bright 2 Tips Ideas
48 pages
ELE3104 (Real)
No ratings yet
ELE3104 (Real)
26 pages
Learning Activity Sheet in English
No ratings yet
Learning Activity Sheet in English
4 pages
Soal Mid Semester Bahasa Dan Sastra Inggris
No ratings yet
Soal Mid Semester Bahasa Dan Sastra Inggris
2 pages
7d - Present Perfect Continuous
No ratings yet
7d - Present Perfect Continuous
2 pages
Teaching Writing Writing
No ratings yet
Teaching Writing Writing
33 pages
Lesson 2off
No ratings yet
Lesson 2off
3 pages
Teacher's Notes For Great Writing Foundations
No ratings yet
Teacher's Notes For Great Writing Foundations
114 pages
K t4 Writing Unit
No ratings yet
K t4 Writing Unit
5 pages
Be Able To
No ratings yet
Be Able To
5 pages
The Kite Runner-Syntax Evaluation
No ratings yet
The Kite Runner-Syntax Evaluation
1 page
Writing - Penny Ur-Harmer-Scrivener Resumen
No ratings yet
Writing - Penny Ur-Harmer-Scrivener Resumen
18 pages
Writing (B1+ Intermediate) : English For Life
No ratings yet
Writing (B1+ Intermediate) : English For Life
13 pages
Writing Tutor
No ratings yet
Writing Tutor
52 pages
s3 English Grammar
0% (1)
s3 English Grammar
13 pages
Teaching Writing To A1 and A2 Level Learners
No ratings yet
Teaching Writing To A1 and A2 Level Learners
30 pages
Reading and Writing Oxford 2 PDF
100% (1)
Reading and Writing Oxford 2 PDF
50 pages
Bahasa Inggris 8 (Comparative Degree) 1,2 BLM
No ratings yet
Bahasa Inggris 8 (Comparative Degree) 1,2 BLM
1 page
Teaching Writing
100% (2)
Teaching Writing
30 pages
Vocabulary: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Learn More Vocabulary
From Everand
Vocabulary: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Learn More Vocabulary
Adel Alharbi
5/5 (1)
Writing Sentences, Paragraphs, And Compositions, Level C -- Alvin Granowsky; John Dawkins; Modern Curriculum Press; -- MCP Writing Mastery Program, -- 9780813614021 -- 01790e8530ce1a12933876ca94f7eecb
100% (1)
Writing Sentences, Paragraphs, And Compositions, Level C -- Alvin Granowsky; John Dawkins; Modern Curriculum Press; -- MCP Writing Mastery Program, -- 9780813614021 -- 01790e8530ce1a12933876ca94f7eecb
100 pages
Focus On Writing1 - TM - AK
No ratings yet
Focus On Writing1 - TM - AK
70 pages
Understanding Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers: A Comprehensive Guide for Teachers
From Everand
Understanding Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers: A Comprehensive Guide for Teachers
Pasquale De Marco
No ratings yet
Accelerated Language Learning (ALL) with the Lit Six: Comprehensive ELD units to ensure student language acquisition, grades 6-8
From Everand
Accelerated Language Learning (ALL) with the Lit Six: Comprehensive ELD units to ensure student language acquisition, grades 6-8
Nancy Akhavan
No ratings yet
How To Plan A Book
From Everand
How To Plan A Book
Lindsay Clandfield
No ratings yet
Accelerated Language Learning (ALL) with The Lit Six: Comprehensive ELD units to ensure student language acquisition, grades 4-5
From Everand
Accelerated Language Learning (ALL) with The Lit Six: Comprehensive ELD units to ensure student language acquisition, grades 4-5
Nancy Akhavan
No ratings yet
How To Write Pronunciation Activities
From Everand
How To Write Pronunciation Activities
Laura Patsko
No ratings yet
Foundation Skills Writing 6 PDF
100% (4)
Foundation Skills Writing 6 PDF
63 pages
A Detailed Lesson Plan in English
No ratings yet
A Detailed Lesson Plan in English
5 pages
Great Writing Foundations Teacher's Notes
No ratings yet
Great Writing Foundations Teacher's Notes
69 pages
Real Life Writing
100% (2)
Real Life Writing
92 pages
English 1st Summative Test With Tos
No ratings yet
English 1st Summative Test With Tos
3 pages
How To Write Reading And Listening Activities
From Everand
How To Write Reading And Listening Activities
Caroline Krantz
5/5 (2)
Grade 6 DLL ENGLISH 6 Q1 Week 1
0% (1)
Grade 6 DLL ENGLISH 6 Q1 Week 1
7 pages
Real Life Writing
100% (2)
Real Life Writing
92 pages
Movers Vocabulary Worksheet PDF
100% (1)
Movers Vocabulary Worksheet PDF
5 pages
Folse Keith S Muchmore Vokoun April Great Writing 2 Great Pa PDF
100% (3)
Folse Keith S Muchmore Vokoun April Great Writing 2 Great Pa PDF
321 pages
High Frequency Sight Words Gr. PK-2
From Everand
High Frequency Sight Words Gr. PK-2
Staci Marck
No ratings yet
The CELTA Teaching Compendium
From Everand
The CELTA Teaching Compendium
Rachael Roberts
4.5/5 (7)
Scholastic English - L2 - Grammar - Vocabulary
100% (7)
Scholastic English - L2 - Grammar - Vocabulary
78 pages
Final Exam AG2 - Virtual 202312 Avanzado 5 12 - 30-14 - 00
No ratings yet
Final Exam AG2 - Virtual 202312 Avanzado 5 12 - 30-14 - 00
20 pages

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.