Writing

Writing

1. Helping students to write

   • Writing in the classroom
     • Copying
       • Students practise forming letter shapes in a handwriting book, note down substitution tables from the board, copy examples from a textbook, etc.
     • Doing exercises
       • Students write single words phrases, sentences, etc. in response to very tightly focused tasks with limited options and limited opportunities for creativity or getting things wrong
     • Guided writing
       • You guide students to write longer texts in quite restricted or controlled tasks by offering samples, models, possibly useful language items, advice, organisational frameworks,etc.
     • Process writing
       • Students write what they want to, with help, encouragement and feedback from you and others throughout the process of choosing a topic, gathering ideas, organising thoughts, drafting, etc.
     • Unguided writing
       • Students write freely without overt guidance, assistance or feedback during the writing process, though a title or task may be set, and work may be 'marked' later.
   • Teaching the skill of writing
     • Choose the topic and genre
     • Get, discuss, select and sequence ideas
     • Make notes, diagrams, etc. to help organize ideas
     • Find grammar and lexis suitable for the text
     • Study sample and model texts similar to what they want to write
     • Plan an organization of their text and draft a rough text
     • Get feedback on content and language use
     • Co - write sections of text in groups
     • Make alterations and rewrites
     • Write a final version and find appropriate readers
   • Planning classroom writing work
     • Writing Route Map
       • Introduce the topic
         • Get students interested
       • Introduce and summarize the main writing task
         • Make sure that students have clear what they have to do
       • Brainstorm ideas
         • Whole class
           • Use the board to collect as many ideas as possible
         • Small groups
           • Speak and take notes
       • Fast Write
         • Overcomming 'blank page' terror and get ideas flowing is to 'fast-write'
       • Select and reject ideas
         • What's worth leaving out?
       • Sort and order ideas
         • Start to plan structure of text by arranging ideas
       • Decide on specific equirements: Style, information, layout, etc.
         • How is the text to be laid out, paragraphed, organized?
         • Are there any special rules?
         • Are there things that must be included or stated in a certain way?
       • Focus on useful models
         • Help students to study one or more samples of written text similar to the one they are writing.
       • Plan the text
         • Use notes, sketches or cut-up cards to start organizing a possible shape for the text
       • Get feedback
         • Make successful comments of a text
       • Prepare drafts
         • Students first prepare a draft version before the final one
       • Edit
         • Students carefully go through their own text, checking and editing it properly
       • Prepare final text
         • Based on feedback, students write a finished text
       • Readers!
         • Rather than simply 'mark' a text, it's great when students can respond to it in some more realistic ways

2. Writing in class

   • Ideas for generating ideas
     • Brainstorming
       • Ideas creation engine
         • Topic or title in a circle in the middle of the board
         • Students have to call out anything that comes to mind connected with the topic
         • Write everything on the board
         • No discussion or comments-just ideas
     • Text-starts
       • Real - Life writing
         • Support for the writer
         • From this resources we can make the writing task
     • Fast - writing
       • Start writing about the topic
         • Not stop writing
         • Not put their pen down at all
         • Not worry about spelling, grammar, etc.
         • Not stop to go back and read what they have written
         • Keep writing till you say stop
   • Ideas for helping writing
     • Structuring and organizing
       • Card Planning
         • Involves learners writing down the main themes
       • Sketch diagram
         • It shows how their text will be put together
     • Sample texts
       • Layout
       • Overall message
       • Organized items
       • Usage of phrases and sentences
       • Grammatical features
       • Style and tone
       • The effect on the reader
     • Getting Feedback on drafts
       • The most useful comments are those that will have an impact as the writing is evolving

3. Responses to writing

   • Audience and Purpose
     • The fact that writing can achieve such things is part of what motivates us to put care into our writing
     • We may need to be particularly careful in rereading and editing a text before we send it to another reader
   • Marking
     • Variations on traditional teacher marking
       • Use a green or a blue pen
       • Discuss marking criteria with students
       • Write correct answers in the margin
       • Use correction codes
         • V=Verb Problem WO=Word Order WW=Wrong Word SP=Spelling
       • Write a comment about the meaning and message
       • Use errors from students to devise an exercise