Spring 1998
by Mary Hogan
Perkins Community Center, Dorchester, MA
What is the Difference between a "House" and a "Home"?
No one in our class had ever owned a home, so when I first mentioned that we were going to be reading and learning about the process involved in becoming a first-time homeowner, many students panicked and the questions came flooding in. Immediately, one student from Haiti asked what the difference was between a "house" and a "home." His question opened up a free-flowing discussion which proved to be not only fun, but an interesting writing experience as well. They wrote paragraphs describing their homes in their native countries or in the neighborhood where they grew up. Below is Marie's description of her home in Haiti:
I come from Haiti, the town of Jeremie, where I grew up with my mother, my father, my sisters and brothers. When I was a child, I lived in a small town. I had a large house in my country. In the town where I grew up I had many trees of different quality. The land was solid and good for trees to grow on. In Haiti the houses never had basements. Our house only had one floor. I miss my old house because it is the only one I know and my family lives nearby. The houses in America are different than in Haiti. In Haiti, we don't need heat, the doors are always open so the cool air can come in! I am not certain if I want to buy a house in this country, I haven't decided yet.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning a Home
For the first couple of weeks we worked in Unit 1, "Do You Want to Buy a House?" in the FannieMae Foundation's publication, How to Buy a House in the United States. We brainstormed and listed all the advantages and disadvantages there would be to owning a house. Quite a few students felt that the responsibility and upkeep would be too much of a headache and too expensive, while others felt that owning a home would be advantageous because they could make whatever changes they desired and/or could afford.
Writing a Letter
Just as the workbook suggested, we wrote a letter to a fictional couple telling them of the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home. This was a great way to introduce to the students the proper way of composing a letter, as well as explaining the different types of letters, the components of letters and the addressing of envelopes. Darlene wrote the following letter:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Castilla,
I am writing to you to tell you of the advantages and disadvantages of owning your own home. When you own your own home it can make you feel good because you can fix it any way you would like it to look; because when you are renting an apartment, you cannot fix it the way you would like.
A disadvantage about owning your own home is if something goes wrong and needs repair, you, the homeowner, are the one who has to spend the money to get it fixed. Also, if you don't pay your mortgage on time, the bank can come and take your home away from you. So think long and hard before you buy a home.
Good luck,
Writing an Ad to Sell Your Dream House
The following weeks we worked with the real estate section of the newspaper. We had a great time looking through all the real estate advertisements. The students became very curious as to what all the abbreviated words stood for, and why they were asking such high prices for the homes. It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce new vocabulary words, new spelling words and to review the parts of speech. Eventually, we all wrote real estate advertisements selling or renting a dream house or condo. They used the word processor to type their advertisements, using their newly acquired computer skills such as how to bold, underline, indent and italicize. Students created the following eye-catching advertisements:
CONDO for RENT: $550. a month
1 1/2 bathrooms!! with a master bedroom. 1 guest room and LARGE front room! WALL to WALL carpeting in each room. FRESHLY PAINTED WALLS!! also a nice round kitchen with a DISHWASHER and GARBAGE DISPOSAL!!! Plus a good location: NEAR THE BUS AND TRAIN LINE. For an appt. to see it- CALL_______________
by Michael
BLUE HILL AVE. HOUSE FOR SALE
Nice big frpl. four bdrms. and two full baths, a HUGE window in the den which overlooks the swimming pool in the spacious backyd., a LARGE eat-in kitchen, gleaming hardwood floors throughout the house, a finished basement ready for parties!! Also a two-car garage!! Please get in touch with Patricia B. at 235-3736 if you are interested.