Friday 3 February 2012

MASTERY WRITING FROM WORLD HISTORY (1)


Discovery The World’s Great Explorers Their Triumphs and Tragedies Readers Digest Sydney 1978 ISBN 0909486 64 6
The students will write the story of the discovery of Greenland and the coast of North America by Leif Ericksson and other Vikings. This is an exercise for high school students and will be one of many from this book.

The Readers Digest books are excellent for this purpose as the prose is always elegant, simple and non-technical.

These exercises are to be done by Mastery Learning. The work is completed one exercise at a time with the teacher helping students with each pattern. The teacher is not to set the work and go for a smoke under a tree.

Once the story is completed, the students can read out the edited story aloud. They can complete the story individually on a new blank sheet in lessons to come. They can read this and other stories regularly to practise structures, rhythm and modulation.

Students will also be shown the colour diagrams and pictures that illustrate the book. They are learning to write English and coming to know world history.

The next will include the voyages of Christopher Columbus and conquest of the Aztecs by the Spaniards. There is a massive amount of writing material to become available to students from this book.

Skill in preparing these exercises lies in the ability of the designer to select passages with patterns that can be edited in ways known to the students and combined into one polished sentence.

Over a twelve month school year, these exercises will have a profound effect on student writing skill. Please click:




Discovery of Greenland, Newfoundland and the Coast of America by Vikings 

(24 exercises)


The carved Viking stone dates from the eighth century.
It is one of the several found in Gottland.
This is an island near Sweden.

The carved Viking stone dates from the eighth century,
one of the several found in Gottland, an island near Sweden.

The scenes include battles and Viking warriors.
These are from Norse mythology
Their meaning is yet unknown.

The scenes include battles and Viking warriors from Norse
mythology, their meaning yet unknown.

Gunnjorn had been returning to Norway.
A terrific storm blew him past Iceland.
It blew him out into the western sea.

Gunnjorn had been returning to Norway when a terrific
storm blew him past Iceland and  out into the western sea.

He came upon a group of rocky islands.
He saw a white blur.
It may have been new land.

He came upon a group of rocky islands and saw
a white blur that may have been new land.

He married.
He settled among his wife’s family.
He became involved in a blood feud.
He was expelled by the Vikings.

He married and settled among his wife’s family
but became involved in a blood feud and  was
expelled by the Vikings.

He moved to Breidafiord.
Here he killed two of his neighbour’s sons.
He was exiled from Iceland

He moved to Breidafiord where he killed two of
his neighbour’s sons and was exiled from Iceland.

He did not dare return to Norway.
He made good use of his time.
He decided to seek out the white land.
He wanted to start a new life there.

He did not dare return to Norway but  made good
use of his time by seeking out the white land and
starting a new life there.

In 982, he headed west.
He took with him 30 people.
They included his own family and neighbours.
He took a number of farm animals.

In 982, he headed west, taking with him 30 people
who included his own family and neighbours with
a number of farm animals.

In 982, he headed west taking 30 people with him
including his own family and neighbours together
with a number of farm animals.

He sailed due west.
He crossed 450 miles of cold water.
He then sighted the coast of a large island.

He sailed due west, crossing 450 miles of cold water
before sighting the coast of a large island.

He landed.
He set up a base camp.
It was near the entrance to Eriksford.
He spent the next 3 years there hunting and fishing.

He landed and set up a base camp near the entrance
to Eriksford where he spent the next 3 years hunting
and fishing.

He went exploring.
He found peaceful fiords.
Each fiord was surrounded by pasture land.
It was thick with flowers.

He went exploring and found peaceful  fiords,
each surrounded by pasture land that was thick
with flowers.

He decided to form a colony there.
He called the country Greenland.
He wanted to attract settlers to the new land.

He decided to form a colony there and called the
country Greenland.to attract settlers to the new land.

Deciding to form a colony there, he called the country
Greenland to attract settlers to the new land.

He had no difficulty in recruiting settlers.
Times were bad in Iceland.
There was not enough land for everyone.
There had been a cruel famine.

He had no difficulty in recruiting settlers as
times were bad in Iceland with not enough
land for everyone and a cruel famine.

He settled on an inlet.
It is still known as Eriksford.
He presided over the colonists.
Their farms lined the fiord.

He settled on an inlet that is still known as
Eriksford and presided over the colonists
whose farms lined the fiord.

Settlers found life harder than they expected.
The winters were cold.
The winds killed the animals.

Settlers found life harder than they expected as the
winters were cold and the winds killed the animals.

Another explorer discovered flat country.
It was covered in forests.
The climate was not as cold.

Another explorer discovered flat country that was
covered in forests where climate was not as cold.

He realized this was not Greenland.
He turned to the north-east.
He sailed back.
He wanted to report the news.

He realized this was not Greenland and turned to
the north-east to sail back and report the news.

Realizing this was not Greenland, he turned to
the north-east to sail back and report the news.

Leif Eriksson was a strong young man.
He was a skilled sailor.
He was a natural leader.
He went out to find the new land.

Leif Eriksson was a strong young man, a skilled
sailor and a natural leader who went out to find
the new land.

He made a mark of respect.
He invited his father to take command.

As a mark of respect, he invited his father to
take command.

He made a mark of respect by inviting his father
to take command.

The old man agreed.
He fell off his horse on the way to the ship.
He was unable to come.

The old man agreed but fell off his horse on
the way to the ship and was unable to come.

The North American continent came into view.
It was a land of immense size.
It promised great wealth.

The North American continent came into view,
a land of immense size that promised great wealth.

They sailed to land.
They cast anchor.
They put off a boat.
They went ashore.

They sailed to land, cast anchor, put off a boat
and went ashore.

Leif Erikson sailed out to sea again.
He set a course south.
He discovered an island.
It was covered with dewy grass.

Leif Erikson sailed out to sea again
and  set a course south, discovering an
island covered with dewy grass.

Leif Erikson sailed out to sea again,
setting a course south and discovering
an island covered with dewy grass.

To the south lay Newfoundland.
It was an island.
It had low rolling hills.
It had lush green pastures.

To the south lay Newfoundland, an island
with low rolling hills and lush green pastures

WRITING SKILLS FOR HIGHER GRADES - FAMILY POSITIVE ...

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24 Jan 2012 – Exercises for such writing skills can be taken from all kinds of
reference books. The teacher selects the best sentences in a description and ...

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