Descriptive Text? - Schoolwires · academic writing. It is descriptive, creative, and expository, but the format is different and the standards are higher. Technical writing requires

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Before We Begin… Get out your notebooks. For the next

3-minutes, go way back in time – to the 1st

semester – and find your notes on Text Structures. It will be under: Non-Fiction

Analysis. You are specifically looking for:

- Descriptive Text,

- Cause & Effect Text,

- Chronological /Sequential Text

- Compare/Contrast Text

Pickles Will Kill You!

Is there…

…a Descriptive

Text?

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Is there…

…a Cause /

Effect Text?

What…

… are the effects of pickle

usage?

Is There…

…a Chronological or Sequential

Text?

Is There…

…a Compare

/ Contrast Text?*

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There is no direct

comparison in this text, but there is a

comparison. What is it?

Can…

… a person recover from

pickle poisoning?*

What…

… is the

antidote?

If…

… you are researching pickles

in history, does this text help?

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If…

… you were researching unusual

cultural customs, does this text help?

Unusual HolidaysThis assignment will

require that you use

two things to the

highest level…

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Your Imagination!

And…Credit: http://pics-editing.org

Your Writing Skills!

Credit: c2educate.com

AssignmentUsing the list of Unusual Holidays found on my website, choose ONE and write a

detailed brochure informing the reader of

everything about that holiday.

Credit: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

Massive Hint:Everything that you write about will be

COMPLETELY MADE UP!

But, everything you write must sound like a

real, legitimate holiday; like a holiday that

someone would actually celebrate.

Credit: presidiacreative.com

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Rules:• You CANNOT use a standard holiday,

i.e., Christmas or Halloween.

• You CANNOT make up your own holiday, i.e., no Purge Day!

• You MUST choose a holiday from the list provided.

Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org

And…You cannot use

April 2 & May 6

(those are mine!)

Credit: http://holidaydoodles.com

SpecificsThe Big Picture: How it will look in the end.

Your brochure must:

• Be at least seven (7) pages long.

• Have at least five (5) pictures.

• Be made on publishing software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Google Slides, Macintosh Pages, Google Docs or on any other software that you can make a newsletter).

• Be saved as a PDF. (I’ll show you how).

Specifics

The Writing: How it will be written.

With this assignment, you will practice your

technical (informational) writing skills while

creating something completely original.

Credit: http://mamanyc.net

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Credit: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

This just in…

We’re Taking

Notes!!!

This just in…

We’re Taking

Notes!!!

Credit: http://static.guim.co.uk

Taking notes

is sexy!

Taking notes

is sexy!

Credit: http://img.gawkerassets.com

Don’t I

know it!

Don’t I

know it!

Technical WritingIs the type of everyday writing that surrounds us from the time we wake until we climb in bed at night.

• Directions on the toothpaste tube.• Nutrition benefits on the cereal box.• Business letters and catalogs that come in

the mail.

• Written instructions for assembling a new product.

• Tax receipts and notices.• Product safety information.

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How is it different?• The information is organized, presented and

communicated in a specific format.

• The writing is concise, clear and accurate.

• The writing takes into account the audience’s needs, biases and prior understanding.

• The writing presents information to help readers

solve a problem or gain a better understanding

of a topic.

• The writing presents technical, complex, or specialized information in a way that is easy for

a non-technical reader to understand.

ImportantTechnical writing is a natural partner to

academic writing. It is descriptive,

creative, and expository, but the format is different and the standards are

higher.

Technical writing requires

100% accuracy.

ImportantUse Present Tense, Active

Voice:

For Example:

• Passive: Dolphins were taught by

researchers in Hawaii to learn new

behavior.

• Active: Researchers in Hawaii taught

dolphins to learn new behavior.

ImportantUse Simple Sentences:

For Example:

• Fancy: The corporation deemed it necessary to terminate Joseph

Anderson.

• Simple: Joseph Anderson was fired.

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ImportantUse Gender-Neutral Words.

No “he” or “she” pronouns. Try to

rewrite the sentence in the plural to avoid the issue of gender. For example:

• Instead of: “A programmer would see the flaw in this logic. He

would correct it immediately.”

Use: “Programmers would see the flaw in this logic. They

would correct it immediately.”

• Use gender-neutral nouns and pronouns, such as chair

instead of chairman, and their, they, or them rather than he,

she, her, or him.

3 Key Points to Technical Writing

1st Key Point

Understand the Content

If you don’t know what you are writing about, no one else will, either.

The information has to be concise, correct,

easy to understand, and easy to find.

2nd Key Point

Write Well

You must understand what’s going on and then be able to explain it in such a way that

the reader – the audience – can understand

it too.

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3rd Key Point

Make it Look Pretty!

So once you’ve figured out how the thing works and how to describe how it works, you

have to make the document look good.

Credit: pointsincase.com

I swear, if

you don’t

stop with

these notes,

I’m gonna

drop a

kidney!

I swear, if

you don’t

stop with

these notes,

I’m gonna

drop a

kidney!

The WritingsWhen you have chosen your Unusual

Holiday, you will write using four different

genres or formats:

• Description

• Sequential

• Comparison/Contrast

• Cause & Effect

Credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

DescriptionIn this genre, you will write a history of your

holiday.

• How it started.

• What it celebrates.

• What the holiday means.

This genre must be a minimum of five (5)

paragraphs.

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SequentialIn this genre, you will describe the process

of how to celebrate your holiday.

• What things are needed.

• What do we exactly do to celebrate.

This genre must have a minimum of eight

(8) items that demonstrate how to celebrate.(…and don’t just list things!)

Compare/ContrastIn this genre, you will describe how your

holiday is the same as or different to another

holiday.

This genre must be a minimum of five (5) paragraphs, and must include at least three

(3) ways your holiday is the same or

different.

Cause & EffectIn this genre, you will create a GRAPH showing some cause or effect of celebrating this holiday.

• There must be a legend explaining the parts of the graph.

• The graph should clearly explain your cause

or effect.

This genre will NOT be written. It must be a

GRAPH that explains your information.

The following are examples of

holiday write-ups taken from

Fact Monster <www.factmonster.com>

They are not examples of the

work you’ll be doing. They just

show about how some holidays

have been written.

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Groundhog Day,by Holly Hartman

February 2 brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and the only one led by a rodent. Legend has it that on this morning, if a groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.

Why the Groundhog? Since a groundhog (or woodchuck or "whistle pig") hibernates for the winter, its coming out of the ground is a natural sign of spring. In Europe centuries ago, people watched for other hibernating animals, including badgers, bears, and hedgehogs, as signs of winter's end. Germans who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog. The widespread population of the rodent made it a handy agent for this particular weather superstition.

And a superstition it is. But there's a grain of truth: the winter days when you can see your shadow clearly are often especially cold, because there are no clouds overhead to insulate the earth.


Why now? Early February is midway between the winter solstice and

the spring equinox. Throughout history numerous holidays have

marked this seasonal crossroads. Among these is Candlemas Day, February 2, a Christian holiday that celebrates Mary's ritual purification.

Early Christians believed that if the sun came out on Candlemas Day,

winter would last for six weeks more.

The ancient Romans observed a mid-season festival on February 5,

and the pagan Irish celebrated one around February 1. In many parts of Europe early February might herald the start of spring, when crops

could be planted.


Punxsutawney Phil and Friends In the 1880s some friends in

Punxsutawney, Penn., went into the woods on Candlemas Day to look

for groundhogs. This outing became a tradition, and a local newspaper editor nicknamed the seekers "the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club."

Starting in 1887 the search became an official event centered on a

groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil. A ceremony still takes place every year.

Today, Punxsutawney Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat adjoining the Punxsutawney Library. A local celebrity, he gained national fame in

the 1993 movie Groundhog Day (which was shot in scenic Woodstock,

Illinois). The weather-watching rodent's predictions are recorded in the Congressional Records of our National Archive. So far, Phil has seen

his shadow about 85% of the time.


Canada's Groundhog Day relies on the predictions of an albino

groundhog named Warton Willie. Although Punxsutawney Phil gets the

most attention, various American cities have their own special groundhogs; New York City's official groundhog is called "Pothole

Pete."

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Christmas,by David Johnson

From its modest beginnings, Christmas has evolved into the biggest celebration in the world.

Christmas is the fourth most important Christian date after Easter, Pentecost, and Epiphany, a feast held January 6 to commemorate the manifestation of the divinity of Jesus. Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. Many Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar, which places Christmas around January 6.

Early Christians, however, did not celebrate Christmas. There was disagreement about when Jesus was born and some early Christians opposed celebrating his birthday. In the fourth century Christmas was added to the Church calendar as a feast day.


A Common Date. December 25 was a significant date for various early cultures. The ancient Babylonians believed the son of the queen of heaven was born on December 25. The Egyptians celebrated the birth of the son of the fertility goddess Isis on the same date, while ancient Arabs contended that the moon was born on December 24.

The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a feast named for Saturn, god of agriculture, on December 21, the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. They believed the shortest day of the year was the birthday of the sun. The Roman emperor Constantine was a member of the sun-cult before converting to Christianity in 312.

Some scholars suspect that Christians chose to celebrate Christ's birth on December 25 to make it easier to convert the pagan tribes. Referring to Jesus as the "light of the world" also fit with existing pagan beliefs about the birth of the sun. The ancient "return of the sun" philosophy had been replaced by the "coming of the son" message of Christianity.


Joyful and Religious. Gradually, Christmas celebrations began to adopt the joyful, often boisterous, holiday traditions of pagan cultures. The story of the nativity was told through music, art, and dance.

Some Medieval Christians objected, however, maintaining that Christmas should be a somber religious day, not a secular festival. After the Reformation, certain Protestant groups opposed Christmas celebrations. Oliver Cromwell banned them in England. King Charles II restored Christmas when he ascended the throne.

In the American colonies, Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and Presbyterians opposed the festivities, while Catholics, Anglicans (Episcopalians), Dutch Reformed, and Lutherans approved.


Christmas celebrations became more common in America during the

mid-1800s. The introduction of Christmas services in Sunday schools

reduced religious opposition, while the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol popularized the holiday as a family event.

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New Year,by Borgna Brunner

The celebration of the new year on January 1st is a relatively new phenomenon. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. A variety of other dates tied to the seasons were also used by various ancient cultures. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the winter solstice.

Early Roman Calendar: March 1st Rings in the New Year. The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the new year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March. That the new year once began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through December, our ninth through twelfth months, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months (septem is Latin for "seven," octo is "eight," novem is "nine," and decemis "ten."


January Joins the Calendar. The first time the new year was

celebrated on January 1st was in Rome in 153 B.C. (In fact, the month

of January did not even exist until around 700 B.C., when the second king of Rome, Numa Pontilius, added the months of January and

February.) The new year was moved from March to January because

that was the beginning of the civil year, the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls—the highest officials in the Roman republic—

began their one-year tenure. But this new year date was not always

strictly and widely observed, and the new year was still sometimes celebrated on March 1.


Julian Calendar: January 1st Officially Instituted as the New Year.In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar that was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar, which was a lunar system that had become wildly inaccurate over the years. The Julian calendar decreed that the new year would occur with January 1, and within the Roman world, January 1 became the consistently observed start of the new year.

Middle Ages: January 1st Abolished. In medieval Europe, however, the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan and unchristian like, and in 567 the Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. At various times and in various places throughout medieval Christian Europe, the new year was celebrated on Dec. 25, the birth of Jesus; March 1; March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation; and Easter.


Gregorian Calendar: January 1st Restored

In 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as new year's day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, it was only gradually adopted among Protestant countries. The British, for example, did not adopt the reformed calendar until 1752. Until then, the British Empire —and their American colonies— still celebrated the new year in March.

Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.

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A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John—black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

Another American tradition is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Tournament of Roses parade that precedes the football game on New Year's day is made up of elaborate and inventive floats. The first parade was held in 1886.

April Fools Day,by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross

April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most

light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as

a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

New Year's Day Moves. Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1.

It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In

medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.


In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian

Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called

for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According

to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new

date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists,

sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing

something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.


Problems With This Explanation. There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.

Constantine and Kugel. Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

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"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."

This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.

Spring Fever. It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.


Observances Around the World. April Fools' Day is observed

throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a

"fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.

The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates,

crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.

Checklist• The Brochure must be in digital newsletter format.

• The Brochure must be in PDF format.

• The Brochure must be a minimum of seven (7) pages.

✓ A cover page

✓ Internal pages

✓ A Back cover page

• The Brochure must have a minimum of five (5) pictures or illustrations.

• You can place your writing anyway you’d like in the brochure, but you must have all the writing present.

✓ Description

✓ Sequential

✓ Comparison / Contrast

✓ Cause & Effect (graph)

• Your writing must:

✓ Be written in present, active voice

✓ Use simple sentences

✓ Use Gender-neutral words

✓ Be concise, clear and accurate

✓ 100% “accurate”

Finally…

… for this assignment, you DO

NOT have to cite your images.

In other words, you do not have

to tell us from which web site

you got the images.

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Grading

Your Unusual Holiday will be

assessed using the

Publishing Rubric

Credit: http://mamanyc.net

Just Sayin’…

If you want the option of a higher

grade, don’t do what everyone else

will do!

• Bubble Bath Day (Jan. 11)

• Flex Your Muscles Day (May 1)

• Do-Something-Real-Dumb Day (Dec. 2)

DeadlineThe Due Date for this project is:

Friday, Feb. 16(by 11:59 p.m.)

Important!Write this down:

[email protected](Subject Line: Unusual Holiday)

Using any email other than this will be considered missing your deadline.

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Bonus!!!If you want to see an Unusual Holiday, for

real, check out:

Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

March 9, 10, & 11

Official Website:

http://frozendeadguydays.org/

Documents

Descriptive Text? - Schoolwires · academic writing. It is descriptive, creative, and expository, but the format is different and the standards are higher. Technical writing requires