Open World p 151. Volunteering. Blog entry. Written mediation task. Word formation

Read the instructions for the task. With the information given, produce a text using your own words. (approximately 200 words)

Task description: 

Write a blog entry for your website based on two texts that you have recently read and analyse the role of volunteers in our society as you inform your readers how the internet is making volunteering easier.

1) TEXT 1

Global Charity Work

Demands on volunteers are growing globally. More and more inner city communities around the world are plagued by social issues such as poverty, homelessness and unemployment and non-governmental organisations and volunteers are doing their upmost to campaign and fundraise in order to meet the growing need. Though authorities are reluctant to accept responsibility, by providing political and economic frameworks that support long-term solutions, volunteers' efforts are still worthwhile. Any help at all can make a difference.

2) TEXT 2

Virtual volunteering

The nature of volunteer work is changing. Nowadays people are actively searching for volunteering opportunities that they can carry out online such as writing emails and newsletters or designing websites for charitable organisations. This is because time constraints or personal obligations prevent them from providing assistance in person. It may not seem like much, but the accumulation of these small actions can have a significant effect, and moreover, can contribute towards creating a culture of community involvement in the future. 

Tips

- When you write a blog post remember to write a headline, an introduction that will catch the reader's eye, and a conclusion.

- READ the instructions well: What's my role? To whom do I need to write? What about? Why? To what effect? How? What is the context?...
- Identify and select the relevant information.
- Use your own words, paraphrase (do not just copy from the text you are given), expand the information (explain, comment, clarify), connect ideas (compare and contrast, exemplify, relate to what you know), talk about the intentions, nuances and connotations of the text.
- Take into account the audience you are writing to and the context and adapt the discourse appropriately: formal / informal

 

 

Sample answer:

The pleasures of (1)______________(VOLUNTARILY)

Are you thinking about stepping forward to help others but at the same time you feel that you are too (2)________________ (PRESSURE) for time? (3)______________(DOUBT), you are not alone.

By and large, most people would agree that charities and action groups play an important role in assisting communities affected by social and economic (4)______________ (HARD), especially now that we are dealing with the (5)____________ (AFTER) of a global pandemic. Without a doubt, most citizens support this notion and have (6)____________ (NUMBER) reasons for the (7)_____________ (IMPORTANT) of helping others.

As a general rule any (8)_______________ (CHARITY) efforts an individual can make are (9)_____________ (WHILE). As a matter of fact, there is a growing necessity of charity work at a (10)_________________ (GOVERN) and local community level.  

It is true that we need to (11)_______________ (KNOW) the difficulties that arise from a lack of (12)________________ (GOVERN) support. However, we are witnessing the rise of a growing movement of people who offer their talents online to support positive change.

(13)___________________ (REGRET), many people feel (14)___________ (HELP) in the face of not only the current health situation but also the difficult (15)___________ (POLITICS) and (16)_______________ (ECONOMY) conditions. (17)_____________ (SIMILAR), other people (18)____________ (SURE) feel vulnerable due to their own demanding circumstances. On the other hand, there are many volunteers eager to shoulder the responsibility of lending a helping hand and go to great (19)____________ (LONG) to contribute their time to charitable causes.  (20)_______________ (ADDITION),  there are ways to stay involved that suit our modern (21)_________________ (LIFE).  A (22)_______________ (FAR) point on this theme is that people with neither free time nor special digital skills can still do their part by donating money.

All in all, I believe that it is essential that the people working to improve our community do not lose heart and give up. Secondly, it is also crucial that they, and society in general, recognise the small (23)________________________ (ACCOMPLISH) and keep their eyes on the goal, however (24)_________________ (ATTAIN) it may seem. If we all do what we can, things can only improve.

KEY

1. volunteering

 

 

 

2. pressed

 

 

3. Undoubtedly

 

 

4. hardship

hardship: 

something that makes your life difficult or unpleasant, especially a lack of money, or the condition of having a difficult life. E.g. an economic policy that caused great hardship for many people. Many students are suffering severe financial hardship. 

 

 

5. aftermath

 

 

 

6. numerous, innumerable 

 

 

 

7. importance 

 

 

 

8. charitable 

 

 

 

9. worthwhile 

 

 

 

10. non-governmental 

 

 

 

11. acknowledge 

 

 

 

12. governmental  

 

 

 

13.Regrettably 

 

 

 

14. helpless 

 

 

 

15. political 

 

 

 

16. economic 

 

 

 

17. Similarly,

 

 

 

18. surely 

 

 

 

19. lengths 

 

 

 

20. Additionally 

 

 

 

21. lifestyles 

 

 

 

22. further 

 

 

 

23. accomplishments  

 

 

 

24. unattainable 

 

Useful language

To Engage the reader

Have you ever wondered what/how/why...
What would your life be like if...?
What would you do if...?

Did you know…? 
Are you one of those people who ...

Isn't it extraordinary how/that...? 
Imagine if/ what...
Suppose that ...

Let us suppose, for example, that..

 

To Sequence

Firstly, .../In the first place, ... / To begin with, …To start with,...
Secondly,.../A second area to consider is …
Another point to remember is ...
Last but not least, I would like to add that...

 

Addition
In addition...
What is more...
Besides...
Moreover...
Furthermore...
In addition to being...

 

To Paraphrase

 
In other words,
Or, to put it another way, ...
What I mean by that is that ...

To emphasise a point

Clearly,...

Especially,

Indeed,

As a matter of fact,

In (actual) fact,

 

To express similar ideas

Similarly/ Likewise/ In the same way,...

 

To express contrast

However/ On the other hand/ Nevertheless,...

Despite 

In spite of

Although

Even though

 

To express result

By doing this/ In this way/ As a result/ Consequently,..

 

To express generalisations

As a (general) rule/ Mainly/ Generally speaking/ By and large,...

 

To express agreement

Without a doubt/ Undoubtedly,...

I'm convinced that...

I'm inclined to agree that ...

I tend to feel that ...

 

To express disagreement

It's doubtful that...

I'm not convinced that...

It's highly unlikely that...

I'm strongly opposed to

 

To give your opinion

As far as I am aware,...

In my experience,...

To my mind, ...

Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why.
As I see it, … The reason is ...
It seems to me that… This is because ...

I would argue that for the following reasons:...

I feel very strongly that ...

I am convinced that ...

I am inclined to believe that...

I am of the opinion that ...

The reasons why I believe that prisons should be more about rehabilitation are as follows...

I think it is true that ...
I shudder to think...

• shudder: to shake because you are cold or frightened, or because of a strong feeling. E.g. Just thinking about the accident makes me shudder. Shudder to do something: I shudder to think how much this is all going to cost (= I don't want to think about it because it is too unpleasant).

In my view, ...

It is questionable whether …
It beggars belief how a person can ever learn to be more humane without any models of good behaviour.
It is true that ... On the other hand, ...

While nobody can deny that ... , I would like to point out that …
At first sight ....,but in fact ...

Although it is true that... , we must  take into account that...

It could be argued that … However, I would like to point out that ...

Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ...

It may be true that ... . However, ...

In no way would I agree that...

Surely it is completely unacceptable that...Nevertheless,...

I am sure you will agree that…

My take on this issue is that...

Surely you must agree that…

I was extremely impressed by…

What is particularly spectacular/interesting is…

I would like to stress that...

It should be noted that...

It is worth bearing in mind that... 

I was rather disappointed by…

My overall impression was that …

On the whole, it appears/seems that ...

In general,…

Generally speaking,…  Broadly speaking,  

Strangely,… 

Surprisingly,… 

Evidently,…

Indeed,…  In fact,… 

Admittedly, 

Admittedly: /ədˈmɪtɪdli/ used when you are accepting that something is true. Sp. cierto es que, ciertamente.

Presumably,...
Presumably: /prɪˈzjuːməbli/ used to say that you think that something is probably true. Sp. Supuestamente

 

While some prisoners ... , others may....

A major problem is that ...

We must take into account the fact that ....

It goes without saying that ...

Needless to say,

Without a shadow of a doubt...

I can speak from experience when I say that  

The government should take action to prevent and resolve

The action taken to deal with these issues leaves a lot to be desired.

A prison system that focus on rehabilitation can make a difference.

It is also up to politicians to tackle these issues

 

To conclude

To conclude,

All things considered, I believe that ...

All in all, I think that ...

On balance, it seems to me that...

To finish with, I would like to say that...

Finally, ...

To sum up, I believe that ...

In conclusion, her actions suggest that ...

 

Assessment List

 
When you write a blog entry make sure:      

1. APPROPRIACY                                                           

a. The content is dealt with appropriately.
b. It contains an attention-grabbing headline.
c. The introduction clearly introduces the main ideas.
d. Each paragraph has appropriate and accurate details to support each main idea.
e. All of the main ideas are clearly related to the topic.
f. The conclusion sums up the points made in an interesting, thoughtful, and unique manner.
g. Register and format are consistently appropriate to the task and target audience.
h. The writing fully achieves the desired effect on the target reader. The writer communicates well with its intended audience.
i. The writing is neat and presentable.
j. It has approximately the right number of words.


2. COHESION AND COHERENCE                                      

 a. Information and ideas are skilfully organised through a range of linking devices.
b. The main ideas are organized into a logical sequence.
c. The transitions from one main idea to the next are smooth.
d. The text is a pleasure to read and poses no difficulty to the reader.

3. RANGE OF VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURES       

a. The choice of words and grammatical structures is appropriate, varied, and creates a natural voice.
b. There is a wide range of vocabulary and structures.
b. Good use of idiomatic expressions.
c. Good command of collocations.
d. Good command of grammatical structures.

4. ACCURACY                                                                      
a. Contains correct spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.

 

WRITTEN MEDIATION: Marking criteria

To correct a piece of writing in which you have to mediate your teacher will give you a mark (from 0 to 10) for each of the following criteria. Each criterion has the same value, that is, they are all equally important.

To pass you need to get a mark of 20 out of 40, that is, a 5 out of 10.


1- SOURCE COMPREHENSION → Let’s show how well we understand and select the information we are given! - 10 points


The message from the input (the source text or infographic) is correctly understood.


The relevant information for the task is identified (what contents, details, explicit intentions in the input are important?).


The significant information from the input is included in the output.


2- CONTENT MANAGEMENT → Let’s show how well we process the information! - 10 points


The message from the input is correctly processed by using the appropriate mediation strategy-/ies depending on the task:


Expanding the information by explaining, commenting, clarifying, giving examples...


Reducing the information by summarizing, synthesising


Connecting, relating ideas or data by comparing and linking with previous or new knowledge


Reformulating by rewording, translating or adapting the language to the reader


The text produced is “fresh”, it departs from a literal quote of the source.


3- ADAPTATION TO SITUATION AND CONTEXT→ Let’s show how well we can communicate in a given situation! 10 points


The text produced is effectively adapted to the context or situation.


The text produced is effectively adapted to the reason why it is written.


The text produced is effectively adapted to the reader/s.


The reader’s needs are taken into account (age, background, origin, culture…)


The text produced solves the problem in communication.


4- ORGANIZATION AND ACCURACY → Let’s show we control the language! 10 points


The text produced is well organized.


The information is coherent.


The message is clear, unambiguous.


The grammatical and lexical items used are correct.



TOTAL MARK: 40 points. Pass mark: 20 points.

 

Writing: Christmas Scrapbook.

I am so happy you've decided to learn how to make a scrapbook! I know you must be thinking, "Where do I start?" Trust me, most of us have been there at one point or another.

What is a scrapbook?
An album where you can stick pictures, newspaper articles, memorabilia, journaling...

Step One
Organize your photos, maps, theatre tickets, lottery tickets, cards, shopping lists, ...

"Ingredients"
Descriptions, narratives, lists, poems, quotes, songs, letters...

Tips
1. Treat your journaling as you would write a letter to somebody. Write down what you would say to somebody if they asked you what was happening in your photos.
2. Write page titles
3. Capture special holiday memories: cutting down the tree, trimming the tree, cooking, family dinners, parties with friends, trips...
4. Traditions: we all have our own Christmas traditions such as baking cookies, going caroling, or hosting the neighborhood party. Make sure to capture these special traditions with photos. Keep in mind that journaling is especially important when it comes to traditions. For example, include your family’s favourite recipe, some of the words from a favourite Christmas carol and write something personal.


Models

Cover:


Sample pages:

More models and tips here

Another sample scrapbook page:

Jamie Keddie's contribution (adapted):
 

On this scrapbook page, I would like to let you in on a little secret... Any predictions?

let sb in on a secret: to allow someone to know something that you have not told anyone else. E.g. Can I let you in on a little secret? 

 

First and foremost, I made a very special Christmas card for you. I hope you like it because I went the extra mile to make it. 

go the extra mile (for somebody/something): to make a special effort to achieve something, help somebody, etc.

bend/lean over backwards (to do something) to make a great effort, especially in order to be helpful or fair. E.g. I've bent over backwards to help him. 

go to great, extraordinary, etc. lengths (to do something) to put a lot of effort into doing something, especially when this seems extreme. E.g. She goes to extraordinary lengths to keep her private life private.

I wonder if it will be given pride of place on your mantelpiece.

pride of place: the position in which something is most easily seen, that is given to the most important thing in a particular group. E.g. The photo was given pride of place on the mantelpiece. 

mantelpiece: a shelf above a fireplace. E.g. There was a clock on the mantelpiece. 

Where do you put your Christmas cards? Do you write any?  Do you do the drawings yourself?

What do you think I drew on my Christmas card for you?

 

 

Do you think it is true? or do you think this is a hoax?

hoax: /həʊks/ an act intended to make somebody believe something that is not true, especially something unpleasant. Sp. engaño. E.g. a bomb hoax. Hoax calls. The emergency call turned out to be a hoax.

 

OK, that was a fib. 

fib: a statement that is not true; a lie about something that is not important. E.g. Stop telling fibs.

 

I didn't make the card. It was Jamie Keddy who actually made it in 1981. It was his entry for the annual school Christmas card contest.
At his primary school, this was a big deal. There were no age categories – it was every child for him/herself regardless of what year he/she was in.

every man for himself: (saying) people must take care of themselves and not give or expect any help. E.g. In business, it's every man for himself.

Competition was incredibly fierce and everyone got involved, driven by the prestige of winning and, of course, the stupendous prizes.

fierce: (especially of actions or emotions) showing strong feelings or a lot of activity, often in a way that is violent. E.g. fierce loyalty. The scene of fierce fighting. He launched a fierce attack on the Democrats. Competition from abroad became fiercer in the 1990s. His wife is his fiercest critic. The bill was passed despite fierce opposition.

stupendous: /stjuːˈpendəs/ extremely large or impressive, especially greater or better than you expect. E.g. stupendous achievements. Stupendous costs

What do you think the prizes were?

 

 And the prizes were:

• First prize: The winner would receive 150 prints of his/her winning Christmas card

What do you think the second prize was?

 

• Second prize: 100 prints

What do you think the third prize was?

• Third prize: 50 prints

Do you think these were tip-top prizes? Would children nowadays be thrilled to bits with these prizes? With what prizes would children be over the moon nowadays?

tip-top: excellent. E.g. The house is in tip-top condition.

thrilled to bits: extremely pleased. E.g. She was thrilled to bits  that he'd been offered the job.

Over the moon: extremely happy and excited. E.g. They’re over the moon about their trip to Japan. 

 

Prints were special back in those days – much more memorable than modern photocopies. Fresh off the press, they were warm and had a sweet chemical smell that will bring back nostalgic childhood memories to many of us. Rather than black and white, everything was dark purple or light pink. I've just spent a wee while researching this and apparently, they were produced by a process called spirit duplication. 

wee: small. E.g. Have a wee drink. You may have to wait a wee while (=a short time). A wee child.

Let's recap!

recap: to repeat or give a summary of what has already been said, decided, etc. E.g. Let me just recap on what we've decided so far.

So, imagine that – 150 warm and smelly spirit duplicates to take home and enjoy in the comfort of your own home!

 



So, perhaps you are wondering if he won. 

What's your guess?



Well, I am elated to report that he did. The "Santa's Here" illustration that you see above beat over 250 other entries. It featured in the school magazine and for a whole week before Christmas, he was the golden boy of the school.

feature (in something) to have an important part in something. E.g. Olive oil and garlic feature prominently in his recipes.

golden: special; wonderful. E.g. golden memories. Businesses have a golden opportunity to expand into new markets. Hollywood’s golden boy 


  He told me that he remembers the praise from his teacher and wowing his architect father: "Wow! Such a simple design. But what an incredible technicality for a 9-year-old boy. What an eye for form. Perhaps he too will grow up to be an architect one day."

praise: (N) words that show approval of or admiration for somebody/something. E.g. His teachers are full of praise for the progress he's making.

praise: (V) to express your approval or admiration for somebody/something. E.g. He praised his team for their performance. 

wow somebody (with something): (v) to impress somebody very much, especially with a performance. E.g. He wowed audiences around the country with his new show.


What do teachers say to praise their students?
 
 

He took the praise and he enjoyed his moment of glory. He genuinely felt that he had earned it.

 



I wonder if you can see where this is going... 
Any predictions?

 

Jamie: Well, it's time to come clean about a dirty secret that I have lived with for the last 35 years. 

What can it be?




Jamie: "It involves my favourite children's Christmas book – a picture book called Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs who is probably best known for The Snowman.
I loved Raymond Briggs's Father Christmas. Rather than being a jolly Christmas lover, he is a reclusive and overworked, grumpy old man who hates everything about the festive season, except perhaps the brandy.

jolly: happy and cheerful

reclusive: living alone and avoiding other people. E.g. a reclusive millionaire

grumpy: bad-tempered. E.g. Pay no attention to his moods—he’s just a grumpy old man.


So, what do you think Jamie did?


And here is the Christmas confession: Raymond Briggs's book was the inspiration for my winning Christmas card. 

If you look very carefully at the following image, you might just see the similarity.

 So what do you reckon? Can you see any similarities or differences?



You can see that I struggled with the face. I seem to have given my Father Christmas an overgrown black beard in order to conceal my lack of artistry here.

overgrown: that has grown too large. E.g. an overgrown village

conceal: hide sth. E.g. Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.

artistry: /ˈɑːtɪstri/ the skill of an artist. E.g. He played the piece with effortless artistry. An appreciation of the beauty and artistry of the painting.

I was not a dab hand at drawing but you can't say I was cack-handed either. I hope you don't think I did a botched job or that I made a real dog's breakfast of it anyway.

dab hand: a person who is very good at doing something or using something. E.g. He's a dab hand at cooking spaghetti. She's a dab hand with a paintbrush.

a cack-handed person often drops or breaks things or does things badly. E.g. That's a cack-handed way of going about it!

botch something (up) (informal) to spoil something by doing it badly. E.g. He completely botched up the interview. The work they did on the house was a botched job. 

a dog’s breakfast/dinner a thing that has been done badly. Mess. E.g. He's made a real dog's breakfast of these accounts. 

What is your opinion? Do you think Jamie excelled at it? Was he hopeless at it? Or just middling? Is this drawing a curate's egg?

middling: of average size, quality, status, etc. Medium or average; neither very good nor very bad. E.g. a golfer of middling talent ‘Do you like your coffee weak or strong?’ ‘Oh, middling, please.’ A man of about middling height. A middling performance. He was middling at school, and put his energies elsewhere. He was middling at studying, but a voracious reader who devoured whatever books he came across.  He was middling in all the games he played.

a curate's egg: a thing that is partly good and partly bad. E.g. this book is a bit of a curate's egg. Origin: early 20th century: from a cartoon in Punch (1895) depicting a meek (= quiet, gentle, and always ready to do what other people want) curate who, given a stale (= no longer fresh and therefore unpleasant to eat) egg at the bishop's table, assures his host that ‘parts of it are excellent’.

There are two ways to look at this. As a matter of fact, I am in a quandary. I really can't decide which is the correct way. 

quandary: /ˈkwɒndəri/ the state of not being able to decide what to do in a difficult situation. Dilemma. E.g.  George was in a quandary—should he go or shouldn't he? This placed the government in something of a quandary.

First of all, was this dishonest? Was he a rogue? 

rogue: /rəʊɡ/ a man who is dishonest.

Would you say Jamie lifted the drawing from Raymond Briggs's book? 

lift something (from something) to use somebody’s ideas or words without asking permission or without saying where they come from. Plagiarize. E.g. She lifted most of the ideas from a book she had been reading.


I am really not sure. I'm in a predicament. 


predicament /prɪˈdɪkəmənt/ a difficult or an unpleasant situation, especially one where it is difficult to know what to do. Quandary. E.g. the club’s financial predicament. I'm in a terrible predicament.


On the one hand, he remembers having no feelings of guilt whatsoever.  

whatsoever: not at all. Not of any kind. E.g. ‘Is there any doubt about it?’ ‘None whatsoever.’
 
But on the other hand, he remembers that he didn't divulge the secret about copying the image to anyone. He took the praise in full knowledge that the truth would probably have invalidated it.

divulge: /daɪˈvʌldʒ/ to give somebody information that is supposed to be secret. E.g. She refused to divulge the information. The plans must not be divulged to anyone.



But I also think that copy, remix and mashup are essential for any individual to develop drawing skills or indeed, to develop any creative process. So perhaps there was something honest, or at least necessary and natural going here.


remix: a new version of a recorded piece of music made by using a machine to arrange the separate parts of the recording in a different way, add new parts, etc. E.g. a remix of their first single. An Elton John remix.

mashup: /ˈmæʃʌp/ a combination of elements from different sources used to create a new song, video, computer file, program, etc. E.g. a video mashup. Most mashups are simple remixes that DJs have been doing for decades. It’s a new web service that allows people to create mashups of movies, combining scenes from various films.

necessary: /ˈnesəsəri/ /ˈnesəseri/ 

Who am I trying to fool?

Do you consider remixes and mashups  acts of stealing, of unoriginal thought, of plagiarism, of laziness,...?

Or, do you consider them creative and original cultural acts? Do you think most things are mashups? Can you think of examples where multiple ideas, products, music, literature, you name it, were mashed-up, remixed and recontextualized to create something completely new and original?

 
Happy holidays


Another idea for your scrapbook: