I know many of you, my students, are interested in writing about your “favorite things”. In other words, you want to write about your interests. Well, I would like to show you a way you can do that better. Just follow these steps:
Step 1: Follow this simple four-part structure:
- Introduction: Define your interest in a few sentences. What is it you are interested in?
- Short history: If possible, give a short history of your interest.
- How you became interested: Tell a brief story of when and how you became interested in this thing.
- Current activity: What are you doing these days regarding your interest?
Step 2: Read this model and follow it:
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a very popular winter sport. People who snowboard, called “snowboarders”, attach both feet to a single board and ride down the slopes at a ski area. There are two main types of snowboarding: freestyle, which focuses on jumping and doing tricks in the air, and freeriding, which is focused on finding and crusing on soft, powder snow.
According to the Wikipedia, snowboarding developed in the United States in the 1960s and ’70s out of surfing and skateboarding. Surfers and skateboarders wanted to do a similar activity on the snow, so the sport was born. It became an official Olympic sport in 1998.
I became interested in snowboarding in the late 1990s. I was introduced to the sport by my wife, who wanted me to join her in this exciting new sport. My first few times out were very stressful! I fell down a lot, and it took me a while before I learned how to turn, stop, and control my speed. Later on I found out that my first board was no good because it was too small for someone my size. This made my learning experience more difficult than it had to be. The following season I got a new board, and suddenly everything was much easier. I began to snowboard like crazy, often going to Ushidake, Hida Nagareha (in Gifu Prefecture), and Myoko Suginohara (in Niigata). I was hooked on freeriding- I LOVED the feeling of flying and floating on soft new snow.
These days I continue to snowboard each winter. Now my son is learning to ride. Last year my wife and I taught him how to snowboard at Ushidake. Here is a short video clip of that experience. My son had a hard time at first, but soon he was zooming down the slopes. He was six years old when this video was made, so let this be my message- snowboarding is VERY fun and quick to learn! Once you can turn, control your speed, and stop, that’s it! I hope you will give snowboarding a try.
Are you interested in music? I know many of you are blogging about your favorite songs and musicians. This is a very popular topic, so I would like to give you some tips on how to introduce a favorite song. First I will tell you about a basic three-paragraph structure you can follow. Then I will give you a model you can adapt to your own needs.
Basic three-paragraph structure
A good structural model to follow uses three paragraphs (you can have more if you want, of course):
- Basic background information: This includes the name of the song, the artist, what CD it is from, when it was released, etc. You could also add what genre of music it belongs to. Any information would be good. You can find good English info at the artist’s website, or you can also try searching Wikipedia.
- About the song: What is the song about? Is it a love song? If so, what kind of love song? Is it a happy tune, or sad? What is the basic message of the lyrics? You could also add some of the lyrics as a quote.
- Your impressions: What do you like about the song? Do you like the melody, harmony, or the singer’s voice? Perhaps the message of the song appeals to you. Write a few sentences about your impressions of the song. You can end by recommending some other good songs by this artist.
Add some hyperlinks, a photo, or a YouTube video clip
If possible, decorate your post with a photo or a
YouTube video clip. This is a great way to share your favorite music because the reader can experience it directly. Be sure to add a link to the artist’s website!
Model blog post
Here is a model blog post you can adapt in your own way. Just change the key words and you have an instant post!
Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry
Do you know about
reggae music? It comes from the island of
Jamaica, which is south of the United States, in the Caribbean Sea. One of my favorite reggae songs is “
No Woman, No Cry“, but the legendary singer
Bob Marley. This song became famous in 1975 and first appeared on Marley’s album, “
Natty Dread“. It became an instant hit around the world and is one of his best known and loved songs.
No Woman, No Cry is a very hopeful song. Like many reggae songs, the lyrics tell a story from the point of view of a poor person living in a poor country through tough times. Here is a quote from the song:
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we’ve lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you can’t forget your past;
So dry your tears, I say.
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
In this verse, the singer is remembering good friends that have come and gone, and thinking about how important it is to remember what happened in the past, even if it was painful. The chorus is a very hopeful and positive statement about the future.
I really love this song because the words and melody are a perfect match. The story is sad and hopeful at the same time. This is a powerful combination! The best version of this song can be found on Marley’s album,
Bob Marley: Live! If you like this song, I highly recommend checking out more of Bob Marley’s music. A great place to start is his greatest hits album,
Legend. Finally, here is a YouTube video clip of Bob Marley performing his hit song, “No Woman, No Cry:
