Research Writing Guideline

Complete guide and downloads at Progressive Lesson Plan.

Writing assignments datelines

Assignment 1: 13 Oct 2009

Assignment 2: 15 Oct 2009

Assignment 3: 20 Oct 2009

Books: Good Grammar + Briefest + Grammar Practice + For Everyone

Good Grammar for Students (2005) by Howard Jackson

Download preview copy here. (PDF, 1.18 MB) 
This is a preview version only. Buy original.

The Briefest English Grammar Ever (2005)
For English speakers who didn't learn English at school. by Ruth Colman

Download preview copy here. (PDF, 221 KB) 
This is a preview version only. Buy original.

Practice Makes Perfect:

English Grammar for ESL Learners (2005) by Ed Swick

Download preview copy here. (PDF, 2.15 MB) 

This is a preview version only. Buy original.

Grammar for Everybody: 
Practical Tools for Learning and Teaching Grammar (2007) by Barbara Dykes

Download preview copy here. (PDF, 3.55 MB) 
This is a preview version only. Buy original.

Chapter 1 – Getting Ready to Write

All the best ideas come from this source.

Prewriting

1. Mind Mapping is admittedly the best brainstorming method.

• How to make a Mind Map by Tony Buzan
• The Mind Mapping Site
• Maximise the Power of Your Brain
• How to Mind Map with Tony Buzan

2. Journal writing is personal & could be used to inspire the writer

• Blogging: the most popular method of journal writing
• "Collecting Stories by Jonathan Harris"

Chartbook - A Reference Grammar

Chartbook-A Reference Grammar (2000)

by Betty Schrampfer Azar

• Chapter 1 - Overview of Verb Tenses
• Chapter 2 - Present & Past, Simple & Progressive
• Chapter 3 - Perfect & Perfect Progressive Tenses
• Chapter 4 - Future Time
• Chapter 5 - Adverb Clauses of Time & Review of Verb Tenses
• Chapter 6 - Subj-Verb Agreement
• Chapter 7 - Nouns
• Chapter 8 - Pronouns
• Chapter 9 - Modals (Part 1)
• Chapter 10 - Modals (Part 2)
  
• Chapter 11 - The Passive
  
• Chapter 12 - Noun Clauses
  
• Chapter 13 - Adjective Clauses
  
• Chapter 14 - Gerunds and Infinitives (Part 1)
  
• Chapter 15 - Gerunds and Infinitives (Part 2)
  
• Chapter 16 - Coordinating Conjunctions
• Chapter 17 - Adverb Clauses
  
• Chapter 18 - Reduction of Adverb Clauses to Modifying Adverbial Phrases
  
• Chapter 19 - Connectives That Expresses Cause and Effect, Contrast, And Condition
  
• Chapter 20 - Conditional Sentences and Wishes
  

• Appendix
• Index

Or download and review the whole book. (PDF, 4.9 MB)

Paperback: 104 pages

Publisher: Longman Publishing Group; 3 edition (2000)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0139587039

Price (as of 2005): RM63.69

This is a preview version only. Buy original.

Ready to Write More - Chapter Summaries

Part 1: The Elements of Good Writing

• Chapter 1: Getting ready to write
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4

Part 2: Types of Essays

• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9

Part 3: Writing for Specific Purposes

• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12

• Answer Key
• The Fish Bone

Progressive Lesson Plan

Are you protesting over a subject matter and thinking of using a cow's head in your parade?

Have you adopted Maling, Malingsial, Indon or Indonesial as terms of endearment?

You might want to think your options over.

Perhaps your parents did not bring you up well. Perhaps you are just an angry angry child post-puberty. Teachers could not play parents but we could assist.

Help the teachers who want to change this distorted picture a little bit.

This group is not playing hero. However we need lesson plan ideas big or small, on how to propagate tolerance and progressive thinking in classroom. Our agenda is to allow progressive, pluralistic views to penetrate into students' psyche.

Yes, you can debate on pluralism and blatant agenda-pushing in classroom as biased, partial or committal. Help us make it discreet and subtle, ok? Sometimes, we are not very smart also.

If teachers have failed to help, then we could target leaders. Just, they're very very busy, mind you. Consider that a warning.

--

Join the Progressive Lesson Plan (PLP) Facebook group & blog, and start contributing!

Ready to Read More - Chapter Summaries

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8

• Answer Key
• The Fish Bone

Ready to Read More: Answer Key

Ready to Read More - Answer Key (2006)

CHAPTER 5 – Analyse the Text

One of the many Sunflowers series painting by Vincent van Gogh

Significant points from Chapter 5 include:

1. Listing

• Details listed to explain main idea
• Series of reasons, examples, facts (refer: details in print-ads)

2. Sequence / time order (refer: Lee Yan's Best Friend tv-ad)

3. Cause and effect

4. Compare and contrast

Note:

• Refer to list of signal words to familiarize yourself with all the skills mentioned

Related questions:

1. What is the main idea of "Tan Hong Ming in Love"?
2. What makes the choice of sequence (plot) in "Tan Hong Ming in Love" work?
3. What is the main idea of "Lee Yan’s Best Friend"?
4. What makes the choice of sequence (plot) in "Lee Yan’s Best Friend" work?
5. What are the supporting ideas of Lee Yan’s Best Friend?

The Fish Bone (Essay skeletal diagram)

Basic diagram of an Essay

As far as I know, no reference book has labelled this diagram 'The Fish Bone' as we do in class. This has actually been derived from the diagram of an essay by Joy Reid.

Reference

Reid, J. (1988) The Process of Composition (2nd Ed.) Prentice Hall Regents: New Jersey, pp. 42-43

CHAPTER 4 – Understand *Supporting Details

Philips V900 Advertisement

Significant points from Chapter 4 include:

1. SD support the main idea by telling how, when, where, why, how much, how many.

2. SD provide examples, facts, descriptions, explanations, or reasons.

3. What additional information does the author provide to help me understand the main idea?

4. Look for signal words: first, second, next, also, in addition, moreover.

5. Scan

• Have a question in mind, specific kind of info
• Use headings, boldfaced words, italics, numbers, charts, quotation marks
• Ignore unimportant info
• Move eyes rapidly across the text

*Refer to the Fish Bone

Related questions:

1. What do you see in these advertisements?
2. What makes the “story” in these advertisements understandable?
3. How do they make you feel when you “read” these advertisements?

• Philips: snake bite, bear trap
• Betadine: bike accident, scissor cut, wood cut
• WWF Earth: shark, crocodile

Note:

• Ads of the World: Creative Advertising Archive and Community

CHAPTER 3 – Use Vocabulary Strategies

"Cosmetic Surgery" by Dave Parker

Significant points from Chapter 3 include:

Most of the time, we do not know the meaning of certain words. Without using thesaurus or dictionary, we can use the context to guess meaning. There are 5 strategies.

In the sentence, look for:

1. Definition of the word

2. Examples explaining the word

3. Word or phrase in another part of the sentence with similar meaning

4. Word or phrase in another part of the sentence with opposite meaning

5. Use general sense of the sentence to make conclusions

Other strategy includes breaking the word to its prefix, suffix, or circumfix to get the root word.

Note:

• Dave Parker (English cartoonist)

CHAPTER 2 – Identify Main Ideas

"The Flower Carrier" by Diego Rivera

Significant points from Chapter 2 include:

1. Identifying Main Idea - most important reading strategies used by good readers

2. Speed up reading, help understanding & remember what you read

• Who or what is the reading about? – The topic
• What does the author want me to know about the topic? – The main idea

3. *Main idea in introductory paragraph is called “Thesis Statement”

4. *Main idea in body paragraph (content) is called “Topic Sentence”

*Refer to the Fish Bone

Note:

• The Flower Carrier by Diego Rivera
• Frida Kahlo (Mexican artist, Rivera's ex-wife)
• Frida (2002 American Movie)
• Yo-Yo Ma (French-American cellist)

CHAPTER 1 – Think Before You Read

"I and the Village" by Marc Chagall

Significant points from Chapter 1 include:

1. Preview

• Title, subtitle, section headings, introductions
• words in bold print or italics
• pictures, graphics

2. Activate your background knowledge

• Information you already know
• Background knowledge

3. Predict

• Guess what you are going to read

4. Set a purpose

• Gives reason for you to read
• Ask yourself questions that you would like to have answered (Wh-Question tags)
• KWL Chart

Note:

• Overall, reading skills presented in this chapter are meant to strengthen understanding and content memorization of the reading materials.
• I and the Village by Marc Chagall

I seek your deepest apologies

To all my Hindu brothers, sisters, friends and family, with great respect and love, I am as intensely outraged, enraged and humiliated. I seek your deepest apologies.

Humanity of all walks of life should condemn the act of hatred and intolerance against nature.

• Urge Najib To Act NOW Against Cow-Head Protestors
• The Cow-Head Lesson for Merdeka: Delegitimize Violence and Hatred

Classes on both Tues & Thurs

Welcome back everyone!

I'm all well and healthy... I hope so do you! From now on, classes will be on full gear, god-willing.

Please be informed that both groups 103 & 115 need to attend this week Tuesday & Thursday classes:

Tuesday & Thursday | 24 & 26 Aug 2009 | *7.30PM | Podium F

Ramadan Mubarak to all!

Mr. M

*Only for Ramadan

KML Quarantined

Hello Group 103 & 115,

Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan has been quarantined due to the A(H1N1) influenza for a week (10-16 Aug).

It is highly unlikely that I could go to UMS campus for classes. All KML students and staff are NOT allowed to get out of the compound. Coincidentally you will have a mid-term break (17-23 Aug). This means we will only be able to see each other on the next 25 & 27 Aug.

Watch this space to keep yourself updated on reading and writing assignments.

Mr. M

Pronunciation Lesson

Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to

1. be aware of RP
2. attempt RP in daily communication
3. neutralize accent

Personal accents are beautiful as it reflects speaker's culture and background. Hence, all of us must be aware that the teaching of RP/Queen's English is not to eliminate that  originality and beauty altogether. Rather, through practice it is to reduce heavy accents to increase effective communication in English. - Mr M

Pronunciation Lessons of Received Pronunciation (RP). More on RP in:

• Wikipedia: English
• Wikipedia: Simple English
• BBC

Video links to , narrated by Alison Pitman

1. RP British Accent Training (Part 1)
2. RP British Accent Training (Part 2) 
3. Beyoncé tries British accent

Photo taken from Aspen Baker's Blog

Classes will start on these dates

Dear UMS students,

For some health reasons, I have not been well lately.
Please be notified that classes will definitely start as usual for

Group 115 on 23 July (Thursday)
Group 103 on 28 July (Tuesday)

It could be the haze? You take care too.
Thank you.

Mr. M

MUET Workshop

Quite a number of students have been asking about the new MUET format as well as the tips and advice on how to prepare for the exams. To be honest I cannot answer all of that in one email or two.

The best is to buy a book on MUET new format or attend a briefing or a workshop for it. You can refer here and here for the new format.

I am also considering, if the number is sizable, to organize a workshop. Let me know if you are interested by emailing me your name and your contact no.

The best is to have 8 to 12 students so we could have a good number for the Speaking Exam practice. I don't need a big class. Minimal number of students for this workshop to run is 8.

You could also suggest the best time to do this. Ideally it will be carried out in 4 classes, less than 2 hours each, depending on how much help you need. Fees will be minimal.

UPDATE:
Mr M's MUET Workshop
Minimum no. of participant: 8
Maximum no. of participant: 16
Fee: RM80 per person (About RM10 per hour, including workshop materials)

Workshop synopsis
This workshop will be carried out in four 2-hour sessions. Materials of the workshop will be provided to participants which contain all tips and tricks in answering all four newly-formatted papers: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking. All participants will have a chance to not only grasp the theories but will also put what they have learned into practice in the workshop.

Skills objectives
By the end of the workshop, students will . . .
Reading*: be aware of the new nature of reading questions and the best way to answer them
Writing*: be writing according to the MUET marking scheme
Listening*: be aware of the new nature of listening questions and the best way to answer them
Speaking: definitely be able to prepare in 2 minutes & speak in the 2-minute allocated time.

(*) indicates new format

Stunted Growth - Visual Aids in Classroom

Upcoming action research: Stunted Growth - Visual Aids in Classroom

Synopsis
With or without motivation, students would typically give cold shoulders to any kind of presentation tasks thrown at their feet. Forum is one of the most effective forms of presentation. However at most times, teachers and audience would mostly be uninspired, jaded and occasionally snubbed listening to daunting presentations, one after another.

Poor preparation is definitely the main cause. Through an action research using excerpts from The Oprah Winfrey Show and MTV’s Chat The Planet, students are introduced to analyse the mechanics of forum presentation in both TV shows. This expectantly helps students to prepare and present a better forum presentation, consequently motivates them to explore it further. This action research also investigates the perception of students on these selected visual aid materials and its relevance to their task.

Video excerpts of Chat The Planet is gathered from archive.org

Zero tolerance for Plagiarism

We have learnt what Natasha Hudson have been accused of doing, locally. On the other side of the world, we have Kaavya Viswanathan.

If you have not noticed, I have a ZERO tolerance policy for plagiarism.

Zero/kosong/zilch. One tiny bit of plagiarism is enough to pursue zero/kosong/zilch.

Am I serious? Try me.

Graphic taken from KK.org

Report Writing Guide for KML Students

Chapter 1 - Introduction
Report Writing Guide - Chapter 1 (Introduction)

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-To Guides & DIY writing report

More chapters coming soon.

Best-Practices Workshop

Event: Bengkel Kerja Dokumentasi Amalan Terbaik dalam P&P dengan Rakaman Video
Venue: Hotel Impiana Casuarina, Ipoh
Dates: 11-13 March 2009

To participants of the workshop, watch this space for some editable softcopy handouts of my presentation.

As promised, Matriculation Report Writing Kit will also be available soon. And oh, nice meeting you!