Ganem TP-5

On June 10^th I had a tutoring session with Dongsoek. We met at the Strozier library and checked out one of the group study rooms so we could write on the board. He had recently taken the TOEFL writing exam. He brought his TOEFL book with him and we looked for different prompts he would be interested in outlining. We found one prompt on whether it was better for a person to take a job far away from his or her friends and family to make more money, or it was better to take a job that keeps the person near friends and family but pays less.

I asked Dongsoek which side he liked. He liked the side advocating getting a job far away from home. I wrote on the dry erase wall that this was his thesis statement. I then asked him to give me three major reasons why this was good. The first reason was that it allowed the worker to travel. The second reason was that money would allow the worker to do and buy more things. The final reason was that it was unnecessary to be in the same location as family to stay in contact with them, thanks to modern communication technology.

I then told him he needed to come up with three other supporting details for each of the main points of his argument. This at first seemed a little daunting to Dongsoek, but he didn’t give up. I told him not to worry too much and just think of things off the top of his head. He was able to come up with supporting details for each of his body paragraphs.

I then asked him how he would start the introduction. He told me he didn’t know what would be the best way. I told him the best way would be to restate the prompt for the essay in his own words. After that he will make the argument his thesis statement. Then the main points that make up the body would be introduced. He understood this and we practiced writing it out on the board.

It was almost time for him to catch his bus but he wanted to practice writing a persuasive essay at home. We looked through the TEFL practice book and Dongsoek found a prompt he thought was interesting. It was about whether the death penalty was a good or bad thing. He said he practice outlining and writing the essay at home and would bring it back for me to correct. I said it was a good idea and I looked forward to meeting again at Strozier next Monday.