In order to continue our essay writing development , I today distributed an exercise that required Joshua to edit and rewrite a paragraph that contained fragments, improper diction, and superfluous words and sentences. Through this exercise, I provided additional instruction on the use of commas and colons. After Joshua made the needed revisions , we discussed what would constitute a proper topic sentence for the paragraph and why. As Joshua encountered some challenges with this aspect of the exercise, I provided models and examples and explained how to construct a topic sentence inductively ie. how to draw a general statement from the specific examples in the paragraph itself. Last, I reviewed the distributed material on our next book, "Of Mice and Men" . I addressed the historical context of the novel, and some biographical information about the author.