Experience Albania: Travel, Pictures, History, Culture

After reading through my 3rd year students’ latest writing assignment, I quickly saw that I’d made a mistake.  I didn’t give them a written example of the assignment before sending them off to write their own.  This was an impromptu assignment, and due to the nature of my going in and out of various classes throughout the day it wasn’t really an option to give them an example on the spot.  And so it goes, as I learn how to teach writing to ESL students assignment by assignment, lesson by lesson, hour by hour. 

The assignment I gave them: Interview someone you know (your mother, father, sister, grandfather, teacher etc.) to find out what a day is like in his or her life. Ask them about their routines during the morning, afternoon, and evening.  As them about their jobs, school, chores at home, sports, and time they spend with friends and family. Write in paragraph form, use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation, and describe their day in details. Remember to give examples! 

Now you can check on the teacher’s writing (my writing) by reading the following example.  I’ll present it to them tomorrow and the writing process will go on with them re-writing their first drafts to create a second.

My Mother’s Very Busy Day
(Introduction: Who am I writing about?  What are they like? Details!)
            My mother is a very busy woman.  She is always going somewhere and doing something. She rarely slows down or takes a rest.  My mother is fifty-seven years old, but she seems to be about thirty – she has a lot of energy!
(Main Paragraph 1: What does the person do in the morning? Details!)
            My mother starts her day at about six o’clock.  She wakes up early to let out our dog, Winnie, so she can play in the yard.  Some days she takes Winnie for a walk around the neighborhood so she can get some exercise.  She then turns on the computer and checks her email.  My mother often uses the Internet, to write emails (her youngest daughter lives in Albania and she communicates with her by email), read the news and check the weather, and to buy things from online shops.  She drinks her first cup of coffee while she sits at the computer… throughout the morning she drinks three cups of coffee!  At about eight o’clock, my mother cleans up the kitchen from dinner the night before, pays bills that are due, and completes other items on her ‘to do’ list.  It’s then time for her to take a shower and get ready for the rest of her day.
(Main Paragraph 2: What does the person do in the afternoon? Details!)
            At ten o’clock, my mother arrives at work.  It’s only a ten-minute drive from our home.  She works at our city’s municipality and answers citizen’s questions and concerns.  She helps them complete different documents and permits so they can build a new house or fix the one they already have.  My mother usually drives home at lunchtime (around one thirty) to let out Winnie and to eat a quick lunch.
(Main Paragraph 3: What does the person do in the evening? Details!)
            She returns to work and stays until five o’clock. She usually goes home directly after work, but sometimes she’ll run a few errands, like buy groceries or have coffee with a friend.  In the winter she takes a yoga class at the Community Center in our city, which is from six o’clock to seven o’clock.  When she gets home, she starts to make dinner together with my father.  My father cooks part of the dinner and my mother cooks the other part.  They sit down to eat and watch the news and talk about their days.  After dinner they usually read books and magazines, watch a television program, or make phone calls to their family and friends.  Sometimes they go out to dinner together with a group of their friends.  Around ten o’clock they go to bed so they are well rested for the next day.
(Conclusion: What are your final remarks about the person’s life and the way they live it?)
            My mother is a very well organized and motivated person.  She lives a very balanced life and accomplishes many things throughout a day.  She works hard at her job and keeps in touch with her family and friends.  She is a wonderful wife, mother and friend.