Contextualization

Introduction to Clauses

Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. They are groups of words that contain a subject and a verb and can form a complete thought. They are the main components of any sentence structure. There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent.

• Independent clauses express a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. For example, "She went to the store."
• Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence. They must be connected to an independent clause to make sense. For example, "Because she was out of milk."

Importance of Clauses

Clauses are crucial in writing and speaking as they help to create cohesion in a text. They provide necessary details, explain relationships between ideas, and give context to the main points. Understanding how to use clauses correctly can greatly enhance one's ability to communicate effectively.

In addition, a thorough understanding of clauses is essential for mastering more advanced grammatical concepts, such as complex and compound-complex sentences. It also forms the foundation for understanding other grammatical elements like phrases and sentence structures.

Clauses and Cohesion

Cohesion refers to the way different parts of a text are linked together. In this project, we will focus on how clauses can be used to create cohesion in a text. By using dependent clauses to provide additional information or explain ideas, and independent clauses to present the main points, a writer can create a well-connected, cohesive piece of writing.

The ability to use clauses effectively to create cohesion is an important skill in both academic and professional writing. It helps to make your writing more clear, concise, and logical, and ensures that your ideas flow smoothly and are easy for the reader to follow.

Resources

To delve deeper into this topic, you may find these resources helpful:

1. "The Writer's Toolbox: Clauses" - A comprehensive guide to understanding and using clauses in your writing. Available here.
2. "English Grammar: The Secret to Using Clauses Correctly" - A video tutorial explaining the different types of clauses and how to use them. Available here.
3. "Writing with Clauses: How to Use Clauses for Sentence Variety" - A blog post that provides tips and examples for using clauses in your writing. Available here.
4. "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White - A classic English grammar book that covers the basics of clauses and much more.
5. "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy - A comprehensive guide to English grammar, with a section dedicated to clauses.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "Creating Cohesion with Clauses: A Cooperative Writing Project"

Objective of the Project:

To understand the role of clauses in creating cohesion in a text and to demonstrate this understanding by creating an original piece of writing (story, informative article, etc.) that effectively uses different types of clauses to provide context, detail, and explanation.

Detailed Description of the Project:

In groups of 3 to 5, students will work collaboratively to create an original piece of writing (a story, informative article, etc.) that effectively uses different types of clauses to provide context, detail, and explanation. Each group will be given a theme for their piece, but they will have the freedom to choose the type of writing and the content within that theme.

The project will be divided into two main parts:

1. Planning and Drafting Phase: In this phase, students will brainstorm ideas, develop an outline, and write a first draft of their piece. They will pay special attention to how they can use different types of clauses to create cohesion in their writing.

2. Revision and Final Draft Phase: After completing the first draft, students will revise their piece, paying attention to how effectively they have used clauses to create cohesion. They will then write a final draft, incorporating their revisions.

Necessary Materials:

• Writing materials (pens, pencils, markers, etc.)
• Paper or notebooks for brainstorming and drafting
• Access to a word processing software for the final draft
• Internet access for research

Detailed Step-by-Step for Carrying Out the Activity:

1. Forming Groups and Assigning Themes: Form groups of 3 to 5 students. Each group will be assigned a theme for their writing piece. Themes can be broad (such as "The Environment" or "Friendship") or more specific (such as "The Importance of Recycling in Your Community" or "A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger").

2. Brainstorming: In your groups, start by brainstorming ideas related to your assigned theme. Consider different angles or perspectives you could take, and think about what kind of writing (story, informative article, etc.) would be best suited to your ideas.

3. Developing an Outline: Once you have some ideas, work together to develop an outline for your piece. Your outline should include an introduction, body, and conclusion, and should detail the main points you want to cover and how you plan to use clauses to provide context, detail, and explanation.

4. Writing the First Draft: Based on your outline, write a first draft of your piece. Don't worry too much about grammar or spelling at this stage - the focus is on getting your ideas down on paper and starting to use clauses to create cohesion.

5. Revision: After completing your first draft, review it as a group. How effectively have you used clauses to create cohesion? Are there any areas where you could add more detail or explanation using clauses? Make notes of any changes you want to make.

6. Final Draft: Using your revision notes, write a final draft of your piece. Make sure to incorporate your changes and pay attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Project Deliverables:

Each group will submit:

1. A Written Document: This document should include your final piece of writing and a detailed account of your project. The report should be divided into four main sections:

• Introduction: Contextualize the theme of your writing piece, explain the importance of using clauses to create cohesion, and state the objective of your project.

• Development: Detail the theory of clauses, describe the activity in detail (including the methodology used and the results obtained), and discuss the main points of your written piece, highlighting how you have used clauses to create cohesion.

• Conclusion: Revisit the main points of your project, explicitly stating what you have learned about using clauses to create cohesion, and draw conclusions about the project.

• Bibliography: List all the resources you used to work on the project, including books, web pages, videos, etc.

2. Presentation: Each group will also give a short presentation (10 - 15 minutes) about their project. The presentation should include an overview of the theme, a discussion of how you used clauses to create cohesion in your writing, and a reading of your final piece.

The report and the presentation should complement each other and provide a comprehensive view of your understanding and application of the topic. The report should be submitted in electronic format, and the presentation can be given using any digital presentation software (like PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.).