Writing skills

* How are they taught?

•How are they learnt?

Main focus on weaker pupils

• ”Some of my pupils can only write words on a picture. They can’t make sentences.”

• Is this enough to pass the written exam?

• No

Where do we start?

• How do we build confidence?

• How do we remove fear?

Nothing succeeds

…like success!

So how can we give weak writers more belief in themselves?

Jumbled sentences

• Give the pupil short, jumbled sentences. Let them put the words in the right places.

• Use only familiar words.

• Point out that the pupil knows the words and ”made” the sentence.

• Example: live we that house in.

Unfinished sentences

• Ask pupils to add adjectives and adverbs to sentences.

• Let them suggest words that could fill gaps

• Get them to finish off sentences.

Describing pictures

You can start by giving some sentences to complete:

• There is a…

• There are some…

• The xxx is xxxing

• The xxx are xxxing

Cartoons

• Translate

• Fill in words

• Fill in parts of sentences

• Fill in sentences

• Draw and write

• Can pupils find and prepare some strips?

From cartoon strip

• To story

Log

No formal demands for

• Structure

• Topic

• Language

• Length

• Genre

Words, words, words

• Give the pupils some words that they have to use in a short text.

• The words could be from just one word class, or a mix.

• Alternatively: let pupils make short lists of words which they swap.

Topic sentences

• Ask them to write three or four sentences to a topic sentence you provide.

Examples:

• I want to get a moped next year.

• Everyone can do more for the planet.

• Dogs are great pets for people of all ages.

• Other ideas?

Five-paragraph essay

A realistic aim?

• Introduction: 1 p

• Body: 3 p

• Conclusion: 1 p

Five-line Poems

• Demystify poems

• Help the pupils write a text

Format

• My bike

• Old and rusty

• Lying in the garage

• Shall I repair it or buy a new one?

• My bike

Opening Sentences

• The policeman smiled/grinned/scowled and said: ”Now tell me what you saw.”

• I knew I had seen her face before! Yes, it was on the TV news yesterday…

• When I got in, there was a surprise waiting for me.

• Other ideas?

Closing Sentences

• I never told anyone.

• It was a relief that it ended so well.

• Was it the right decision? I hope so.

Write about

• A difficult decision

• A disappointment

• A happy memory

• A time you were afraid

• Other ideas?

• If you had a time machine – where would you go, and why?

• A person you would like to meet.

• If I won the lottery…

For abler pupils

Sentences

Let them write two Simple Sentences

Then they make them Compound

Finally they make them Complex

Example

• I enjoyed the film. I decided to read the book.

• I enjoyed the film and decided to read the book.

• As (Since/Because) I had enjoyed the film, I decided to read the book.

• OR: Having enjoyed the film…• etc

Write and swap

• Ask pupils to write a short text composed of just simple sentences with no adjectives or adverbs.

• They swap and improve each other’s text.

• Then compare orally

Practise new structures

• When we had visited…

• After visiting…

• When I looked out of the window, I noticed

• Looking out of the window…

Working with a rough draft

• There are still many pupils that seem to copy their rough draft without revising it.

They need to think about:• Variety (sentences, vocabulary)• Adding (or removing) adjectives and

adverbs• Paragraphs• Linking words

Teaching genres

• First, a confession…

• I have always relied on the Norwegian teacher.

• Is this normal?

But how do we work with genres?

• Read

• Discuss

• Change

• Write

• Ask pupils to change a text from one genre to another

• Poem – story

• Report – dialogue

• Story – report

• Etc, etc

• Let them write different types of texts based on the same stimulus (picture/text/news item etc)

• Write a parody or pastiche?

Useful expressions

• It goes without saying

• On the other hand

• In my opinion

• As a matter of fact

• Etc etc…

Readymades

• Unprofessional or acceptable?• First of all it is important to point out that…• On the other hand it is also true that…• Admittedly, many people would disagree and

say…• A very good example of this is….• Most people would no doubt agree that…• Let me conclude by …

Pros and cons

• Two minutes to think about them

CONS

• Can be surrealistic if the second half of the sentence is really bad

• May not be used appropriately

• Can result in examiner overdose

PROS

• Can give pupils confidence to write

• Help with structure and cohesion

• Function as padding ;)