Construction

Sentence basics: Here is a link to this week's Khan academy sentence exercises. You can go to previous weeks' pages in the menu for a link to previous exercises.

Composition

It's important to begin your essays by planning what you will write. This can take different forms, but an easy and useful way is to do a mind map. This is a simple visual way to plan what you want to write so that by the time you finish your introduction, you know exactly what to write next. A mind map can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, but it should start with the main topic or question that you are addressing. Look at the example below. Can you figure out what the essay prompt was?

If you guessed something along the lines of "What can people do to be happier?", you are right on track.

You can be creative with a mind map: it's really just a tool for you to get your ideas organized. In fact, you don't even need to use words. Here's another example of the same map using only drawings. Remember, as long as you know what the drawings mean, you don't have to be an artist!

Essay sample: Below is the essay based on the mind maps. The first paragraph is in the correct location, but the other paragraphs are out of order. Read and decide what order they should go in.

Health and happiness are constantly on people’s minds, maybe because we don’t feel like we have them. We’re always worried: “Maybe that pain means I have elbow cancer! I can’t afford to see a doctor! This is the end!” Of course, we’re all going to die eventually, but there are some things in our control that we can do to enhance our lives. These include establishing healthy physical habits, developing our positive relationships, and slowing down.

It’s also important for people to have positive relationships in their lives. These may be with people who are supportive and encouraging. They may be with close friends who make you laugh and help you relieve stress. Just remember that people you build those relationships with look for the same kinds of benefits in return. So a “bitch session” with a friend can be a really healthy thing to let stress go—as long as that’s not the only thing you do with your friends. That person may be the one who gets you to take a walk or eat healthy, after all.

Yes, it is true! You have the power to make your life better and happier—not perfect, perhaps, but something with more to look forward to than you realize now. Make some good simple choices about your physical health habits. Cultivate the relationships you have with the good people in your life. Finally, breathe deep and notice all the things around you—not just the stuff on that little screen you’re holding in your hand.

As far as I’m concerned, the single best thing you can do for yourself is SLOW DOWN! We’re always in such a panic to get places, to get things done, to move onto the next big thing, that we end up wishing our lives away. Don’t do that. We’re already on the way to our graves. There’s no need to rush it. So even though on Monday morning we may think “I wish it was Friday,” we’d miss a lot of good stuff along the way if we could make that happen. That means time with our friends, stopping to notice the way the evergreens sway in a cool breeze, or having a friendly conversation with someone we just met. You may never get the chance again.

Everybody knows that having a good diet, exercising, and avoiding unhealthy things like smoking and drinking excessively are important for optimal health. But just because you smoke or don’t have time to cook gourmet meals doesn’t mean you can’t make some positive changes. It’s easy to spend 15 or 20 minutes a day walking—just take a break from cigarettes while you do it. Maybe walk faster than normal and put off the smoke a bit longer. Before I quit smoking I reduced my intake by waiting until after noon to light up. And if you find yourself eating fast food, opt for the carrots instead of the fries, or add an apple at the end of your meal. You can get a big health impact from small steps, and when you feel better physically, you feel better emotionally.

Literature

Elements of a story. Virtually all fiction shares certain types of characteristics or features. They include:

characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Read the description of each below:

American author Ernest Hemingway was incorrectly credited with writing the following extremely short story. Read it for yourself and decide: does it qualify as a short story? Can you identify any of the literary elements in it? What is it about? How did it make you feel? Leave your comments and observations on the bulletin board below: