Festivals & Celebrations (cont)
UNIT 2
Critical thinking: Describe a festival logically
Writing: Descriptive paragraph
WHAT ARE THE FESTIVALS?
Holi festival in India
Carnival in Brazil
Oktoberfest in Germany
Tomatina in Spain
WHY THESE EVENTS/ACTIVITIES?
Floating lanterns
Freeing fish
Eating red bean sweet soup
Offering gifts to wandering spirits
Activity
Discuss and make a list:
Popular festivals in Vietnam
Celebrations that Vietnam has adopted from abroad
Critical thinking – Mind map
1
2
4
3
Groupwork: Choose a festival/celebration from your list and make a mind map.
PRESENTATION
Nominate a presenter from your group.
Present the festival/celebration, using the mind map for a logical description.
WRITING A PARAGRAPH
PART 2
What is a paragraph?
Top bun
Lettuce
Tomato
Sauce
Bottom bun
Meat
Topic sentence
Concluding sentence
Supporting details
Reason
Detail
Example
Four features of a paragraph
Topic sentence
Supporting sentences
Concluding sentence
Unity
A simple paragraph
Contains a topic and a controlling idea
Helps readers know what to expect in the paragraph
Is specific, but not too specific
Does not give a true fact everybody knows
1. Topic Sentence
A variety of learning programs
IU offers a variety of learning programs that suit social demands.
Not a complete sentence
1. Topic Sentence
complete sentence
Topic and Controlling Idea
Topic Sentence

One of the reasons for my bad marks is computer games.
Topic: names the main idea or general subject of the paragraph
Controlling Idea: makes a specific comment about the subject. Tells the reader what the paragraph will say about the main topic.
1. Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence: Our school should start a dance club to encourage students’ interpersonal skills.
Example
No controlling idea
Controlling Idea: limits the ideas in the paragraph and makes the sentence more specific.
Topic Sentence: Our school should start another program.
Topic: names the main idea
1. Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence: The invention of smart TV gives viewers better quality.
too many controlling ideas
Most topic sentences contain only ONE controlling idea.
Topic Sentence: The invention of smart TV gives viewers better quality, saves energy, and reduces health risks.
→ Make sure that your topic sentence does not contain too many controlling ideas.
Example
1. Topic Sentence
Select the best topic sentences and modify the weak ones.
Zoom and MS. Teams are online meeting platforms.
People from different cultures choose to live in HCMC.
Covid-19 is a pandemic.
My writing teacher is a female.
Online learning requires students’ self-discipline.
2. Supporting Sentences
Relate to the ideas in the topic sentence to make them clearer, easier to understand
Give information that supports and explains the topic
Answer questions – Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

The family moved from the village to the capital for economic reasons.
She lived in a lovely, three-storey castle surrounded by a forest.
Firstly, Larry finally quits his jobs because of the stressful working conditions.
More than 10% of the university’s student population is international.
College students learn study skills like academic writing.
I took an inactivated vaccine, which means its virus particles are killed to destroy disease producing capacity.
An apartment is larger, but a house is more independent.
Explain:

Describe:

Give specific reason(s)

Give facts(statistics)

Give example(s)

Define

Compare/contrast
2. Supporting Sentences
Topic Sentence

An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with the concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.
When we do something for the “fun of it” or because we enjoy it, that is called intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation, in contrast, is when we do something for the purpose of receiving some kind of external reward such as money, time off from work, etc.
2. Supporting Sentences
define
define
For example, when we learn English because we want to use it for our social communication, we have intrinsic motivation.
We are learning IE courses just to start our majors; this is called extrinsic motivation.
3. Concluding Sentence
is the last sentence in a paragraph
can remind the reader of the main points of a paragraph
leaves the reader with something to think about in relation to the topic.
Useful Expressions
It is helpful to have a concluding expression in your last
sentence to signal the end of your paragraph.
As we can see,
These examples show that…
As a result,
Thus,
Finally,
Consequently,
3. Concluding Sentence
Kinds of concluding sentences
1. Restate the topic:
- Topic sentence: At some point, most parents have to decide whether to allow their children to have pets.
-> Concluding sentence: In brief, although most children want a pet, their parents are not always determined about this issue.
2. Make a prediction:
- Topic sentence: Swimming pools are beautiful, but they need to be maintained carefully.
-> Concluding sentence: By doing these things, you can be sure that your pool will last long.
3. Give a result:
- Topic sentence: When I entered college, I was surprised at all the study I had to do.
-> Concluding sentence : As a result, my night out with friends became limited.

4. Unity
All supporting details must be relevant to the topic sentence.
All supporting details are logically connected by cohesive devices.
Coherence:
Cohesion:
Coherence: Pick two sentences that damages unity.
(1) The deforestation of tropical jungles in the southern hemisphere continues, causing catastrophic effects. (2) The amount of deforestation that goes on in Central America puts the people who live there in constant danger. (3) Each year, a million acres of woodland are cut down and burned. (4) If this type of destruction continues, the region will be depleted of trees that help keep the carbon dioxide levels down. (5) Scientists in Central America do horrible experiments on animals in the jungles. (6) Also, the eventual destruction of the rain forests will stop any type of tourism in these countries. (7) This would be a great financial disaster for the governments of these tropical nations, since tourism brings in millions of dollars to Latin America. (8) Finally, the jungles of Central America contain very poisonous snakes. 
Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the lunar calendar.
Together, they prepare for Tết by decorating the house and cooking special foods.
Tết is the most important occasion in Vietnamese culture.
These foods include bánh chưng, bánh tét (sticky rice cake), giò (Vietnamsese sausages), and many others.
During Tết, many customs are practiced, like worshiping ancestors, firstfooting a house on the first day, exchanging New Year’s greetings, giving lucky money to children, etc.
To be specific, it takes place from the first day of the first lunar month until at least the third day.
Tết is also an occasion for spiritual festivals.
In the heart of every Vietnamese, Tết has a place that no other event can replace.
First of all, Tết is the most meaningful occasion for family reunions.
All Vietnamese wish to come home if they live or work far away so that they can enjoy wonderful time with their loved ones.
These cultural events are held in the hope of a better upcoming year.
Cohesion: Rearrange the sentences to make a paragraph.
1
2
3
6
7
8
9
10
4
5
11
Tết is the most important occasion in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the lunar calendar. To be specific, it takes place from the first day of the first lunar month until at least the third day. First of all, Tết is the most meaningful occasion for family reunions. All Vietnamese wish to come home if they live or work far away so that they can enjoy wonderful time with their loved ones. Together, they prepare for Tết by decorating the house and cooking special foods. These foods include bánh chưng, bánh tét (sticky rice cake), giò (Vietnamsese sausages), and many others. During Tết, many customs are practiced, like worshiping ancestors, firstfooting a house on the first day, exchanging New Year’s greetings, giving lucky money to children, etc. Tết is also an occasion for spiritual festivals. These cultural events are held in the hope of a better upcoming year. In the heart of every Vietnamese, Tết has a place that no other event can replace.
A complate paragraph
Topic sentence
1. When
3. Activities:
- Pre
- While
- Post
2. Who
Concluding sentence
Structure of a paragraph
TOPIC SENTENCE
Point 1
Example/Detail 1
Point 2
Example/Detail 2
Point 3
Example/Detail 3
Concluding sentence
Transition 1
Transition 2
Transition 3
Group work: Describe a celebration/festival
Make a mind map about: 1) Vietnamese wedding, 2) one-year old birthday celebration or 3) a popular festival in Vietnam:
Topic sentence
Supporting sentences:
When it is
What people do
How people feel
Concluding sentence (your comment)
Write a complete descriptive paragraph. Make sure to use descriptive adjectives to make the paragraph interesting.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17FkHXYSLhwyg4X_HtAqAWQ9SU2IzYret?usp=sharing