ECW, Week of Oct 29/30

Next week you need to submit the first draft of your second assignment - Opinion paragraph.
Remember when you are writing a paragraph it is important to do three steps in three phases:

Beginning - Introduce your idea.
Middle - Explain your idea.
End - Make your point again; summarize the major points from the middle, or restate the idea from the introduction

Here is your choice of topics:

1. Regular military service for men in Korea should be abolished / preserved
2. The two Koreas should/should not be united
3. Marriage is a must / Marriage is a choice

If you use external sources from the internet or books, you need to docuent them properly. For example: 'According to Korean Statistics Agency, there are...."

These time I'd like you to seperate your composition into three paragraphs:
a short [3-5 sentences] introductory paragraph, a longer body paragraph, and a short [3-5 sentences conclusion paragraph. See the section on Introductory and Concluding paragraphs below.

Your composition can be up to 1,5 page (double-space) long.

Here's an example of opinion paragraph (it is a short one, but more details may be added to make it longer)

Becoming a vegetarian is a good idea.

(topic sentence) Becoming a vegetarian is a wise decision because it has many benefits. [supporting argument 1] The first benefit you will see as a vegetarian is that you will save money. For example, compare the price of peanut butter to the price of meat. Meat and fish are more expensive than vegetables. [supporting argument 2] The second major benefit is that following a vegetarian diet is great for your health. Specifically, you will consume much less fat and cholesterol after you stop eating meat. Also, eating more vegetables helps prevent cancer. [suporting argument 3] The last great benefit you will see is social. By "social" benefit I meant that you will meet other vegetarians and exchange new recipes with them. Vegetarians often eat at the same restaurants and are a kind of community. [short conclusion sentence] To sum up, a variety of good things happen when you stop eating meat.

INTRODUCTORY

In the introduction you will try to catch your readers’ interest or give the general topic of the essay, perhaps some background information. Below are possible introductory paragraphs for the two sample essays you were given before,
1. “Smoking in public places should be banned”, and
2. “Becoming a vegetarian is beneficial.”

1.“Smoking in public places should be banned”

Possibilities of introduction paragraphs

a.background information

These days a popular word in Korea is “well-being.” What it means is trying to live a healthy, peaceful and stress free life. Because many people want to adopt a healthy ‘well-being’ lifestyle, smoking is considered very unhealthy. Smokers who quit smoking and non-smokers want smoking to be banned from all public places.

b.catches the readers interest

How many times have you come home from a night out at a pub or restaurant smelling like a piece of smoked meat? On top of it your eyes are itchy and watery and you are coughing and sneezing. Should you, a non-smoker, put your health in danger because of someone else’s nasty habit? Of course not!
[topic sentence of your body paragraph]……In my opinion, smoking in public places should be banned....

2. “Becoming a vegetarian is beneficial”

Possibilities of introduction paragraphs.

a.background information.

If you enjoy eating juicy steaks, barbecued chicken and sweet and sour pork, can you imagine becoming a vegetarian? Although vegetarianism in Korea is almost inexistent, because of the ‘well-being trend’ more and more people have been showing interest in the vegetarian lifestyle.

b. catches the readers’ interest.

Cows, pigs, lambs, chicken, ducks – we eat them all! However, the truth is that eating meat is an unnatural diet for humans. In the prehistoric times human diet consisted of plants, seeds and roots. Later, when development of tools and weapons allowed hunting, humans started eating meat and having all kinds of health and environmental problems because of that.


CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH

Only 2—4 sentences long, they should make a final comment on your topic or invite the reader to take a certain action connected with the topic.

“Smoking should be banned in all public places”

a) inviting the reader to take a certain action.

If you are a smoker, next time you want to light up at a restaurant where other people are still enjoying their food, think twice. Don’t think that it is your human right to endanger other people’s health. Although there are no laws yet that prohibit you to smoke, be considerate: go out and enjoy your nicotine kick. Non-smokers will admire your manners.

b) a final comment.

There are certainly many considerate smokers out there. They know that their smoking disturbs other people, so they choose not to smoke or delay their smoking a bit.
But for those who disregard others’ right to a healthy clean environment, there should be laws that would make them be considerate, even when they do not want to be.
“Becoming a vegetarian is beneficial.”

a.inviting the reader to take a certain action.

The next time you are about to indulge in that wonderful sizzling peace of meat, think about all the damage it can do you or the environment. Perhaps you should consider other dietary options – like a nice bowl of bean soup or delicious fried tofu. There is so much good food out there that does not come from animals. Try it – you may enjoy it.

b. a final comment.

The benefits of vegetarianism to human health and environment should be enough to convince anybody that vegetarianism is, indeed, a way to save our planet. Hopefully more and more people will decide to give up eating meat and live healthier, happier lives.
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PRACTICE ACTIVITY

Read the paragraph and write a 3-5 sentence Introduction and Conclusion paragraphs.

There are three reasons why I prefer power walking to other sports. One reason is that power walking is a cheap sport. I can practice it anywhere anytime. I don’t need a ball, racket, club, or any other equipment. All I need is a pair of shoes and some comfortable clothes. Another reason why I prefer power walking is that it is friendly to my heart and my joints. Unlike jogging that elevates the heart rate too much and puts a lot of strain on the joints, power walking is gentler but it still has the same benefits as jogging. The more you pump your hands the more benefits you get. Finally, I prefer this sport because it is practically injury free. While other sports may be more fun, they are also more dangerous. Think about gymnastics, horse back riding, skiing. While participating in these sports, you surely feel more excitement, but you can get seriously injured. For all the reasons I stated above, I find power walking the best sport of all for me.

POSSIBILITIES

INTRODUCTION
1.
What is your favourite physical activity or sport to do? Even if you hate all sports, the truth is you must be physically active if you want to maintain good health and a good shape. There are so many sports to choose from. Your choice depends on your personality and lifestyle.
2.
I am naturally a lazy person. If I am given a choice between reading a good book and a jog in a park, I would never choose the jog, even if they pay me. Alas, the truth is that when I don’t exercise, I feel tired and I start gaining weight. It took me a long time to find a form of exercise that I can enjoy and stick to. What is my sport? Power walking.

CONCLUSION

1.
If you like adventurous, hazardous sports, power walking is probably not for you. However, do not think that this form of exercise is a laughing matter just because it looks so easy. It will bring you all the benefits and make you feel and look better, just as any other more strenuous sport. Also, it will save you a lot of money on pricey equipment.
2.
Even someone as lazy as me has managed to stick to this form of exercise. I think the reason I do it is that I enjoy it so much. I like being outdoors.Walking in a nearby park with the while listening to my favourite music on the I-pod is when I feel very happy and free
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Next week NO JOURNAL!!!
Submit the 1st draft of your 2nd Assignment ONLY!!!