Tracy Said:

Is it weird to compare a nude breast to a hard-boiled egg?

We Answered:

You're sick. I've had a look at your questions. You're not certainly not a TA at UCSD!

Clarence Said:

Is it weird to compare a nude, white breast to a hard-boiled egg?

We Answered:

A prepubescent female, tall and thin, just developing will often have very small breasts, and may appear to be like hard-boiled eggs, i guess.
maybe she is just starting to develop, and that is how her breasts look to her.
I think it makes sense.
BUT, what screams out to me is not that part so much.
The task was to write a description of a human being, including facial features and body parts.

Well it is very sexual, suggestive and the **** part, is inappropriate in my opinion. They aren't permitted to write about genitalia--then why is she writing about intercourse--and in the vernacular (so that you had to put *****).
Just not right.
I think the analogy of breasts to glossy eggs makes sense--the size, shape and number is correct- plus this is 'her' analogy.
How old is this student--and why is she writing as a male?

Lori Said:

How should I start my essay?

We Answered:

introduce yourself, then go on to talk about stuff that may be unique to you and how you being in yearbook would bring something different to the class. Why you want to take the class in the first place, your interests that make you the ideal person to be in yearbook. Don't just focus on academic achievement, describe things that would make you stand out.

Marion Said:

... summer job! HELP?

We Answered:

It would be nice to have a job that is in line with a career you would like to pursue but definitely not that important. Any job will give you valuable experience and could enrich your writing in the future. My career choice was education but I have worked as a secretary, a house cleaner, a salesperson in model homes, a hostess at a restaurant, worked in day care, worked in a senior citizen center, a counselor in a drug rehab and an intake worker at a crisis center. A job reference should show that you are responsible enough to show up for work on time, you are are honest, conscientious, know how to deal with people and a variety of situations. Working in a clothing store will offer a treasure chest of writing material. Where do the clothes come from, who buys them, what happens to all the clothes that don't sell and you can be sure that you will see and meet some unusual people. Your creative talents could be put to use setting up displays. I'd avoid the cash register too but I suppose it would be like anything else, you'd get better at it the more you do it.

Andre Said:

do you have any creative idea to teach students to write instructions to do something like clean their teeth?

We Answered:

You're talking about expository writing in the category How to Do Something.

I taught a lesson on that topic. It went like this:

I put 4 students to a table. I gave them two slices of bread, a plastic knife, one little cup of peanut butter and one little cup of jelly, and some napkins. Their task was to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and divide it into equal parts so that everyone received the same amount. Theywere not to eat the sandwich until we had talked about it. After they made it, they were to write down the instructions to share with the class.

First they were to discuss it as a group and then do it. They were very good at discussing it and seemed to work together well. When most were finished, we had a sharing time. It was very interesting all the different ways they did that one simple task. Some cut the bread into sections before spreading the filling on it, A bit messy, I'd say.
They divided the bread into 4 parts, but used different strategies.

When they explained how they did it, some left out steps. So we debriefed about how it is not easy to explain a simple task to another person if you are not careful.

The follow-up assignment was to go home and think of something they each did well whether it was setting the table or doing a magic trick. They reported back the next day on their ideas. They could not work collaboratively this time, but they were given 3 days to work on their expository writing about their topic before they brought them to school to share.

The students did better the second time. They were all enthusiastic about the project, because they got to choose the topic and do it the way they thought best. They said they learned better because they actually experienced the act.

We did more of this type of writing as the year went on and they got better and better at itl