TA #3 Dana

   This particular class began with a Bell Ringer, as usual. The Bell Ringer read, “With a partner, answer the following questions. What is a topic sentence? What is a thesis statement?” I like how Felicia reiterates what the students are learning by allowing them to refresh their minds right when they walk in. It prepares them for the rest of the class and gives them a hint into what they will be working on.

   We had moved on from topic sentences and thesis statements and began working on paragraphs. She reminded the students of important information to pay attention to while writing, such as capitalization, punctuation, and word order. Felicia wrote the topic, “Weather,” on the board, and the students brainstormed. Next, they chose two topics and wrote two paragraphs. The paragraphs included one topic sentence and at least three sentences.

    While the students wrote, I walked around the class and corrected errors. They were getting better, however they were still having some difficulty staying on topic. The next step was for the students to write a thesis statement that connected the two paragraphs. I thought it was interesting how Felicia had ordered this learning process, having the students work backwards. Soon, the students were writing out an introduction with help from a model written by Felicia.

    After the paragraphs were written, the students switched papers with their partners. Through peer correction, the students underlined the thesis statement, topic sentences, and discussed with their partner whether or not they thought the paragraphs made sense.

     I thought that this activity definitely helped. Locating the main points in another individual’s work cemented ideas and allowed the students to practice using their newly acquired writing knowledge.