English Companion Ning Group

“Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.”

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following (written on the board prior to class): “Imagine that you are a college admissions counselor. What would you want to know about each of your potential applicants to decide whether or not you should accept them to your college? Create a list of questions.” Students then share their responses. The teacher should write students’ questions on the board under the categories “Academics,” “Extracurricular,” “Career Goals,” “Talents,” “Personal Qualities,” and “Other.”

3. Tell students that they will be writing letters to college admissions counselors to introduce themselves and to persuade the college to admit them. Students refer to the categories and questions from the initial brainstorming exercise and answer each question for themselves. This procedure will serve as pre-writing for the actual letter.

–If you were a college admissions officer, what would you want to know about each of your potential applicants to decide whether or not you should accept them to your college?