He finally wrote something today. I may have used a series of passive aggressive bribes. 😇 "It would be really sad if I went to OfficeMax and you couldn't come in and pick new notebooks because your writing assignment wasn't done."
"I cannot pick five plants to take to a different planet because there are too many assumptions involved. Earth is the only known planet with an atmosphere that isn't made of gases which are toxic to humans. If a planet has either a toxic atmosphere or no atmosphere at all, then I cannot go there and therefore I cannot take plants with me. Even if there is a suitable atmosphere, the climate might not be favorable for plants. This would result in my crops dying and I would eventually die of starvation. If I could find a planet with an appropriate atmosphere and climate, I would still have the problem of pollinating plants. On Earth, birds and insects pollinate plants. But on a different planet, where there is no life yet, my crops won't get pollinated and produce food. I cannot pick five plants because no matter what they are, it won't work to bring them to a new planet."
THERE! He FINALLY wrote a paragraph. 😂😂😂 I'm pleased - he organized his thoughts well, referenced the question, and wrote a full paragraph, thus meeting his tutor's criteria. He struggled at times with a preoccupation with "supporting facts" rather than explaining his reasoning. I'm very thankful that he had the experience of listening to my college English writing class discussing Glenn Beck. I pulled from that today to give an example of a writer using false facts and unsubstantiated claims to write a very convincing argument or explanation of his opinion. After recalling that example, DS10 was much less stuck.
Last edited by sanne; 05/23/17 04:44 PM.
