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Writing Dialogue: ‘The Missing Piece Son’

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Writing Dialogue: ‘The Missing Piece Son’

For instance:

“We should think about this,” I said.

“I’ve been thinking about it, Mom,” he said. “And I really want to.”

Don’t go! I thought.

“Well, then you should do it,” I said.

“Really, Mom? I can?”

Please don’t!

“Absolutely.”

  • How does the writer help the reader keep track of who is talking? Does every line need what’s known as a dialogue tag — like “he said” and “she shouted” — after a character has spoken? What dialogue tags does this writer use? How does she help the reader understand what she’s thinking versus what is being said?

  • What do you learn about the son solely through what he says and how he says it? Imagine that this piece was told from the son’s point of view instead, and we had access to his thoughts as he spoke. How might this piece change? What do you imagine some of those thoughts might be?

  • What else do you notice about how dialogue works in this story? Does it help address any of the questions you had after you tried writing your own?

Now, take your study a bit further, and contrast what you just read with the related Lives essay, “I Was 18 and Pregnant,” also by Randa Jarrar.

  • What do you notice about how dialogue is used here? Why do you think the writer might have made different choices about its use in this piece? (Hint: How is “talk” — or lack thereof — a theme?)

  • What can you take away from the two essays together about when and how to include dialogue in a piece and when not to? Why?

Take a fresh look at a narrative you’re working on, and see what you might borrow from this writer.

  • Are there places where you could tell your story more effectively through dialogue? Why? What can dialogue do in your piece that narration alone might not?

  • Are there places where a conversation is best simply described, or where only a line or two is needed? Why? How can you make the dialogue you add have the most impact?

  • Are there places where it might be useful to borrow the technique in “The Missing-Piece Son” and vary dialogue with the thoughts of a narrator? What could that add to the story?

Below each title is an excerpt from the piece.

“The Other Talk,” a 2019 essay from the Rites of Passage column, by Shaquille Heath

In an earnest voice, he looked at me and said, “You’re black.” He said it so sternly that I thought that this remark may have been the end of the talk.

“I’m sure you’ve already had encounters in life that tell you what this means,” he said, “but I want to talk to you about it.”

“Arguing With God,” a 2006 essay from a Times Magazine column called True-Life Tales, by Samantha M. Shapiro

“Forget about going to Boston next month,” my mother called to report. “The rabbi canceled Michael’s bar mitzvah.”

“How is that possible?” I asked.

“You know Michael’s a wild kid,” my mother said.

“We Found Our Son in the Subway,” a 2013 essay from the Opinion section’s Townies column, by Peter Mercurio

Danny called me that day, frantic. “I found a baby!” he shouted. “I called 911, but I don’t think they believed me. No one’s coming. I don’t want to leave the baby alone. Get down here and flag down a police car or something.”

“The Man on Death Row Who Changed Me,” a 2014 essay from the Lives column, by Bryan Stevenson

“I’m very sorry,” I blurted out. “I’m really sorry, I’m really sorry, uh, O.K., I don’t really know, uh, I’m just a law student, I’m not a real lawyer.”

“When a Dating Dare Leads to Months of Soul Searching,” a 2019 essay from the Modern Love column, by Andrew Lee

“If things don’t work out,” she said, “would it hurt your confidence?”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ve got enough confidence for both of us. When my friends ask what happened, I’ll say, ‘She had everything going for her, but sometimes things get between people.’” I smiled. “‘Like racism.’”

  • Where is dialogue used in this piece? Where is dialogue implied but not actually written out? (For example, “They talked about what happened in class that day and decided …”) Who speaks and who doesn’t?

  • What do you notice about the places where the writer chooses to use dialogue? How does it advance the plot, deepen your understanding of a character, or emphasize a theme or idea? What do you learn through it? How would it be different if the writer did not use dialogue here, but just described a conversation instead?

  • Do the voices of each character sound distinct? How so? What do they tell you about those characters?

Put the books down for a breather this RUOK? Day

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Put the books down for a breather this RUOK? Day

Today is RUOK? Day, a chance for us all to consider the mental wellbeing of those around us. Doing so, is as simple as asking: Are you OK?  

The beauty of RUOK? Day is its simplicity. A question is all it takes to show others you’re there for them. But, as students, it’s also an important time to check-in with ourselves. After all, studying comes with challenges.  

In fact, feeling overwhelmed can often coincide with beginning study for the first time, or returning to study. What’s more, the demands of study often mean that you’re cutting down on social events and family time – the very activities that can alleviate feelings of stress, anxiety and loneliness. 

The good news is, checking in on yourself this RUOK? Day is just as simple as checking in on others. It just takes a little practice. Here are our top tips: 

1. Join an Open Universities Australia Facebook group 

Studying online doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Did you know that there are loads of OUA support groups on Facebook? Most are categorised according to discipline, so you can swap stories of frustration and worry, and even make some new friends. Just search ‘OUA’ under ‘Groups’.  

2. Reward yourself with fresh air 

Serotonin, the chemical in your brain connected to happiness and mood, is directly affected by the amount of oxygen you inhale. Break up your study with a step outside and you’ll not only feel refreshed, but more relaxed.  

3. Remind yourself of your end goal 

When you’re busy focusing on each assessment, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. Lift your mood by taking a moment to think about why you’re working so hard. Why not place a reminder in your study area to help? It could be a picture of the destination you plan to holiday at once you graduate, or a business card from your dream employer.  

4. Try a meditation playlist on Spotify 

There’s no doubt about it. There are times when the sounds of Beyoncé are exactly what you need to smash out that essay. But never underestimate the effects of calming music. Jump onto Spotify, and you’ll find entire categories dedicated to unwinding, boosting your mood and being mindful. 

5. Spend time with a furry friend 

Sure, animals are cute. But they’re also beneficial in reducing stress. (Yes, really).  In fact, patting an animal has been shown to reduce blood pressure. If you’re allergic, it’s not all bad news. Even watching fish in a tank can have a calming effect.  

If you need more ideas, ReachOut is a great place for inspiration. It’s a mental health site designed just for students. They offer a range of practical articles, as well as hilarious relatable comics, that are guaranteed to clear at least one cloud from the stormiest of days.  

Of course, if you’re doing OK yourself, today is the ideal time to ask others RUOK? The RUOK? website has a range of tips and tools for students to help you feel empowered when it comes to mental health.  

New research: What teachers want from online learning

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New research: What teachers want from online learning

To understand more about teaching professionals, earlier this year, we undertook a large scale piece of research. We received 1,410 responses from our learners across the world who have completed teaching-focused professional development courses. They came from all discipline areas (most however are teachers of English as a Foreign Language), taught in both private and state-owned schools, and many were self-employed as private tutors. 

Looking at the surveyed teachers’ professional experience, we expected that they would be in need of training particularly in the early phases of their career. On the contrary, what we have found was that only 22% of teachers had 5 or less years of experience, and 27% claimed that they have been teachers for more than 20 years. This approach to life-long learning is driven by the constant change in our world, which is reflected not only in the curriculum (eg. leading code clubs or teaching about sustainability), but also in new teaching methods (eg. teaching through Skype or using ICT in the classroom).

The full statistical results of the survey research are below. 

Research methodology and key findings: 

Methodology:

FutureLearn looked at 1410 responses from learners who said they work in teaching & education and have done at least 2 teaching courses on FutureLearn.

Key findings:

Teachers engage with learning continuously, but less so during busy school periods

When asked how often they did CPD training:

  • 57% said ‘continuously, whenever I have the time’
  • 30% said ‘a few times a year’
  • 7% said ‘once a year’
  • 4% said ‘less frequently than once a year’

When asked when they engage in CPD training:

  • 17% said ‘mostly in school holidays, such as Summer or Spring Break’
  • 37% said ‘anytime, except busy periods such as the start and the end of the school year’
  • 43% said ‘anytime, I am not limited by the time of the year’

Teachers mostly fund their professional development themselves

  • 64% said ‘I fund it myself’
  • 18% said ‘costs are shared between me and my employer’
  • 10% said ‘my school/ employer funds all of it’
  • 8% said ‘other’ (most of these respondents find free resources) 

Teachers want practical CPD content with downloadable materials 

When asked what matters for a CPD course:

  • 85% said ‘practical content that I can apply with my students right away’
  • 81% said ‘downloadable materials that I can use continuously’
  • 70% said ‘taught by leading experts in a field’
  • 54% said ‘accredited by a professional body/ academic institution’
  • 53% said ‘a short duration that fits with my schedule’ 
  • 51% said ‘provide a certificate that proves my learning to employer/ students’
  • 49% said ‘provides an opportunity to assess my learning with tests or assignments’
  • 48% said ‘theoretical, helps me understand key concepts’
  • 38% said ‘provided by a prestigious academic institution’
  • 3% said ‘other’

Category
Research insights

Tributes

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Tributes

“Even the tiniest of tributes can express so much,” writes The Times in an article about “What Happens to Those Heartbreaking Tributes at the 9/11 Memorial,” like letters, teddy bears and flowers.

Have you ever left a tribute like this somewhere — whether on a grave, at the site of a tragedy, or near a memorial? What did you leave, and why?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about how all artifacts left at the 9/11 memorial “are considered valuable expressions of mourning that continue the narrative of Sept. 11.”

Related: Teaching and Learning About 9/11 With The New York Times

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Word + Quiz: garret

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Word + Quiz: garret

: floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof, often used for storage

_________

The word garret has appeared in 31 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 28 in the book review “A New Biography Takes On Edward Gorey, a Stubborn Enigma and Master of the Comic Macabre” by Jennifer Szalai:

Gorey, however, isn’t the easiest target for a biographer, as Dery himself admits. Part of this has to do with what seems to be the enormous gap — or the yawning crevasse, to put it in high-flown Goreyland terms — between art and artist. Even some of Gorey’s most ardent fans assumed he had to be British and long deceased. Such intricate, gothic scenes were supposed to unfurl from the pen of a wan, wraithlike neurasthenic holed up in a garret — not some towering Midwesterner partial to floor-length fur coats and busy days attending the New York City Ballet. There’s only so much biographical material Dery can wrest from the work.

_________

Weekly News Quiz For Students: Hurricane Dorian, Brexit, U.S. Open

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Weekly News Quiz For Students: Hurricane Dorian, Brexit, U.S. Open

defeated Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open on Sept 8. It was his 19th Grand Slam title, one shy of Roger Federer’s record. In the women’s tournament, , 19, beat Serena Williams on Sept. 7, giving Canada its first Grand Slam singles title.

When Have You Either Forgiven Someone or Been Forgiven Yourself?

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When Have You Either Forgiven Someone or Been Forgiven Yourself?

Think back to the last time you felt wronged by someone. What happened? Have you forgiven that person? Do you think he or she deserves forgiveness? Why or why not?

Or, think back to the last time you mistreated someone. What did you do? Did that person forgive you? Do you think you deserve forgiveness? Why or why not?

Taylor Swift is on fire. She just dropped her seventh album, “Lover,” and it’s already the top seller of 2019. She also dropped some wisdom that deserves to be as widely appreciated as her music.

In an interview on Aug. 25 on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Ms. Swift spoke up about our culture’s obsession with forgiveness. “People go on and on about you have to forgive and forget to move past something,” she said. “No, you don’t.”

She’s right. You don’t have to forgive and forget to move on. And sometimes, you shouldn’t forgive or forget. You should resent.

To see why, imagine that you’ve been wronged. Let’s say Kanye West just busted up your big moment onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards. So what? Why not be Jay-Z and brush the dirt off your shoulder? The reason — as many philosophers will tell you — is that wrongdoing sends a demeaning message that shouldn’t go unchallenged.

As the philosopher Jeffrie Murphy explains, that message is typically something like “I count, but you don’t.” Or “I am here up high, and you are there down below.” Or “I can use you for my purposes.”

Another philosopher, Pamela Hieronymi, teaches that the message implicit in wrongdoing poses a threat. The threat is that the message is true, that it’s O.K. for Kanye West to ruin your big moment, because you don’t matter as much as he does.

When you resent, Professor Hieronymi says, you protest that message. You insist, if only to yourself, that you do matter. The alternative is to acquiesce in your own mistreatment, to see yourself as less than Mr. West, as someone he can push offstage. And if you see yourself that way, other people might, too. Resentment is about self-respect — and self-protection.

Forgiveness is often understood as the release of resentment. That’s the source of the idea that you can’t move on without forgiveness. Resentment may be protective, the argument goes, but it can also be destructive. It eats you from the inside. So forgive and forget, some say. It’s the only way forward.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘6 Google Tricks That Will Turn You Into an Internet Detective’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘6 Google Tricks That Will Turn You Into an Internet Detective’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “6 Google Tricks That Will Turn You Into an Internet Detective” (available here as a PDF)

We chose this article, from The New York Times’s Smarter Living section, not only because it offers practical tips anyone can use, but also because understanding how to search the internet for information is an essential media literacy skill.

The questions and activities below aim to help students understand why and how to do better Google searches, but also weave in ways to apply the information and practice on their own.

What tricks do you already know for using Google, or any search engine, efficiently?

For example, how would you find the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “Shake It Off” as quickly as possible? Share strategies with your classmates.

Read the related article and answer the questions below. As you read you might highlight or note the Google search tips that are new to you.

1. How can using quotation marks help make searches more targeted? How can using an asterisk help even more? Did the Taylor Swift example here match the advice you gave in the warm up?

2. How can adding a minus sign to searches help? What examples, beyond the ones given here, can you think of where adding a minus sign to a search might help?

3. How do you put a date restriction on results? What example can you think of for a search where you might want to do that?

4. What can adding the “site:” operator to a search do? If you were doing a search for information about a musician or musical group you were interested in, what site might you put in to get what you wanted?

5. How do you add search shortcuts to your browser’s address bar, and why would you want to do that? Explain both in your own words.

6. As this article notes, you probably already know how to use Google image search, but how do you do a reverse image search?

In a time when fake and manipulated images are all over the web, how could this be a good tool for understanding the reliability of a source? (For more information, this quick video from PBS LearningMedia can help.)

For homework or in a future class, choose something you want to learn more about, and try at least three of the pieces of advice in this article to search for more information.

Then, trace the story of your search and what you learned from it by either writing a reflection with examples, or creating a sketch of some kind showing what happened and listing what you’ll take away from the experience.

The top 3 industries to tap into in the 2020s

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The top 3 industries to tap into in the 2020s

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution well and truly upon us, industries across the board are set to change – affecting job and growth opportunities. While this may strike fear in the hearts of many, it’s not all scary robots and grey skies. In fact, some industries are set to grow from the advent of new technology.  

So, what are the industries predicted to peak? And, most importantly, how can you steer your career in the right direction? Keep reading to find out.  

1. Health care and social assistance  

IBIS World’s industry research shows that new technology is going to be a big cost-saver across the care industry. But the savings won’t be made by cutting humans out of the picture. In fact, it’s predicted that technology will create the need for new roles.  

Combine this with an ageing population, and a predicted growth rate of 18% is expected for care roles. Recruitment rates in the sector are also predicted to grow year-on-year for the next 5 years. 
 
So, which roles are predicted to boom? 

  • Health practitioners 
  • Childcare workers 
  • Social workers 
  • Emergency services 

If you’ve always had a penchant for caring for others, this might be a sign to finally take the leap and make it your career. With the flexibility of online study through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you could take up a Master of Social Work from Griffith University – just one of over 50 courses in health available with leading Australian universities.
 

2. IT and technology 

It probably comes as no surprise that one industry expected to grow from the rise of bots is technology itself. After all, the more technology we develop, the more creators (and up-takers) we need.  

According to the The Definitive Guide to Future-Proofing Your Career, developed by OUA, tech is expected to grow by a whopping 19%.  

Who will be in demand?  

  • Programmers 
  • Software engineers 
  • Web designers 
  • Database administrators 

For those who have a knack for the creative and analytical skills tech calls for, now is the time to gain a qualification in the field. With courses like the Bachelor of Information Technology from RMIT University you can make a start today. It’s just one of over 60 courses available through OUA in the field.

Two people with VR headsets.

3. History, geology and engineering 

Surprising, huh? But job growth for those who record and design the world around us should come as no surprise. Technology may be able to assist us in doing our more menial tasks, but it won’t be able to tell stories, or design with an empathetic lens.  

So, where will we need these human-centric skills? 

  • Historians  
  • Geologists 
  • Engineers 

Those in these roles are predicted to see growth of 13%. If you’re the type that revels in stories of the past, or structures of the future, studying in these fields now could pay off. A single subject in Interpreting History from Curtin University could give you a taste.  

Start here 

With today’s technologies doubling in capacity every 18 months, there has never been a better time to make sure you have the skills needed for the growing industries of tomorrow.  

The Definitive Guide to Future-Proofing Your Career, developed by OUA, is your guide to navigating this change, and protecting your career.   

Considering honing your skills for the future? You’re in the right place. 

Through OUA, you can gain skills ahead of the changes the workforce is likely to see. With hundreds of courses available to study online from leading Australian universities, preparing for the future has never been easier. 

Xunjing Wu on a Mid-career Switch to Computer Science

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Xunjing Wu on a Mid-career Switch to Computer Science

Halfway through her first year in MCIT Online, Wu says she’s already considering applying for a product management role.

Xunjing Wu posing in front of Mt. Rainier.

Xunjing Wu was working as a GIS analyst in a global infrastructure company in 2015 when she signed up for her very first computer science course online. With a background in urban planning, she used spatial data and GIS software regularly, but thought that the Python programming language would help her be more efficient in her role.

“Working there and at a startup afterward reinforced the idea that I needed to have the skills and the tools to understand data better,” Wu said. “As a kid, I didn’t have access to a computer, but I remember that after I started working, I knew I needed and wanted to learn programming.”

Over time, this interest in a better understanding of data transformed into a plan to pursue a career in software engineering or product management, which is when Wu started researching her options. She methodically researched bootcamps, on-campus degrees and online degrees that are open to students without a computer science undergraduate degree. When she learned of the University of Pennsylvania’s Online Master of Computer and Information Technology degree, it became her first choice, and Wu eventually became part of the program’s first cohort. “I applied to Penn and only to Penn,” she said.

This unique degree designed for students without a computer science background meant that Wu could earn an advanced computer science degree without restarting her education from the beginning. She already had an undergraduate degree in English and Literature and a Master of City and Regional Planning. Plus, with a husband and life in New York City, a quality online degree was very attractive.

Before she decided to apply, she sat down with her husband and reached out to friends who worked in the tech industry. While the University of Pennsylvania’s Ivy League status was enticing, she said the most important consideration in her decision was that so many alumni of the MCIT on-campus program had gone on to become software engineers at top companies such as Facebook, Google and Bloomberg after graduation. With only one month before the application deadline, she immediately reached out to her professors and colleagues for reference letters and started drafting her personal statement.

As a current student enrolled in the MCIT Online program, Wu spends her week balancing coursework for two courses and pitching new ideas to friends and former colleagues. With an entrepreneurial mindset, Wu said she’s passionate about working on impactful products. In her first year in the program, she expects to complete six of the ten required courses and said she is considering pursuing an entry-level programming role already, even before she graduates.

“I took online courses before, which I actually quite liked. I enjoy learning at my own pace,” she said. Having little formal training in computer science, Wu appreciated that there is a strong support community among her peers that she can lean on. One of her biggest concerns with an online program was that she would need to study alone and that she wouldn’t have help if she got stuck. However, that’s not the case: “When someone posts a question on Slack, you can expect help or an answer very quickly from other students. You still have that sense of community even when you’re doing it online,” she said. She even sets up live Zoom calls with her peers to work through challenges sometimes.

Wu said her favorite courses so far have been Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science, Introduction to Computer Systems, and Data Structures and Software Design because of the detailed and well-organized professors and course content. “I was impressed by the promise that it would be the same quality as their on-campus program: the courses are very solid.”

Wu said she plans to graduate at the end of next year and looks forward to attending the graduation ceremony on campus to share her proud moment with her family and friends, and possibly even her parents who would travel from China. “I’m going to be so proud of myself once I get this degree because it’s definitely not easy,” she said.

Her advice to students considering the degree? Time management. “Make sure you allocate time well, especially if you’re working,” she said. “It is a lot of work and the assignments can be quite time-consuming. You won’t be daunted by the work if you allocate time well — start early and follow along every week.”

The University of Pennsylvania’s MCIT Online helps professionals in any field leverage data mining, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies to further their careers. Upon completion of the degree, MCIT alumni have gone on to earn jobs with competitive salaries at technology companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Bloomberg. Learn more about the degree and the application process on Coursera. The deadline to apply for the next cohort is October 1, 2019.

 

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