Develop Writing Skills with Proven Techniques

DEVELOPING
WRITING
SKILLS

Arlenne M. Fernández

INDEX

 Approaches to
teaching writing...

 Process writing...

 Writing genres...

 Stages of writing...

 Teaching
framework

 Practice!


"Writing is like prostitution...First
you do it for love, and then for a
few close friends, and then for
money.”

(Molière, playwright)


APPROACHES TO TEACHING
WRITING


Why is writing such a
difficult skill to
achieve?
 Skilled writing requires mastery if the fine motors
skill to form the written shapes and orthographic
knowledge of how written symbols are combined
to represent words through spelling conventions.
 Curriculum material is broad and too grammatical.
 Writing process is time-consuming.
 Teacher´s correction can be overwhelming if the
class is too large.
 Students do not know how to do it by themselves.


The Controlled - To -
Free Approach
 Audiolingual method (50s & 60s),
 It is sequential
 Students are first given sentence exercises; then
paragraphs to copy or manipulate grammatically (e.g by
changing questions to statements, present to past, or
plural to singular)
 They might also change words to clauses or combine
sentences.
 With these controlled compositions, it is relatively easy
for students write and yet avoid errors, which makes
error correction easy.
 Students are allowed to try some free composition after
they have reached an intermediate level of proficiency.
 As such, this approach stress on grammar, syntax, and
mechanics. It emphasizes accuracy rather than fluency or
originality.

The Free - Writing
Approach
 This approach stresses writing quantity rather
than quality.
 Teachers who use this approach assign vast
amounts of free writing on given topics with only
minimal correction.
 The emphasis in this approach is on content and
fluency rather than on accuracy and form.
 Once ideas are down on the page, grammatical
accuracy and organization follow.
 Students write freely on any topic without
worrying about grammar and spelling. Teachers
do not correct these pieces of free writing. They
simply read them and may comment on the ideas
the writer expressed.

The Paragraph - Pattern
Approach
 Instead of accuracy of grammar or fluency of
content, the Paragraph-Pattern-Approach stresses on
organization.
 Students copy paragraphs and imitate model
passages. They put scrambled sentences into
paragraph order. They identify general and specific
statements and choose to invent an appropriate topic
sentence or insert or delete sentences.
 This approach is based on the principle that in
different cultures people construct and organize
communication with each other in different ways.


The Grammar - Syntax -
Organisation Approach
 This approach stresses on simultaneous work on
more than one composition feature.
 Teachers who follow this approach maintain that
writing can not be seen as composed of separate
skills which are learned sequentially. Therefore,
student should be trained to pay attention to
organization while they also work on the necessary
grammar and syntax.
 This approach links the purpose of writing to the
forms that are needed to convey message.


The Communicative
Approach
 This approach stresses the purpose of writing and the
audience for it.
 Student writers are encouraged to behave like
writers in real life and ask themselves the crucial
questions about purpose and audience (e.g Why am I
writing this?, Who will read it?)
 Traditionally, the teacher alone has been the
audience for student writing; howewer it´s assumed
that writers do their best when writing is truly a
communicative act, with a writer writing for a real
reader.
 So the readership may be extended to classmate and
pen pals.


LET`S CHECK...

Content Process Audience Word Organization Mechanics Grammar/
choice Syntax
Controlled- to
Free
Free-Writing
Paragraph-
Pattern
Grammar-
Syntax-
Organization
Communicative
Process
.


THE PROCESS APPROACH

 "Process writing is learning how to write by
writing” (Stone, 1995)
 In this approach current emphasis focuses on the
process of creating writing rather than the end
product (Tompkins, 1990).
 The initial focus is on creating quality content and
learning the genres of writing.
 When writing, students work through the stages of
the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising,
editing, and publishing).


 Teachers who use this approach provide students
time to brainstorm ideas and give them feedback on
the content of what they write in their drafts.

 Therefore, learning to write is seen as a
developmental process that helps students to
write as professional authors do, choosing their
own topics and genres.


A Comparison..

Process Writing Product Writing
Text as a resource for comparison Imitate model text
Ideas as starting point Organisation of ideas more important
More than one draft than ideas themselves
More global, focus on purpose, One draft
theme, text type (reader is emphasised) Features highlighted including
Collaborative controlled practice of those features
Emphasis on creative process Individual
Emphasis on end product


WRITING GENRES


Expository Writing
 It seeks to inform, 1) Select a topic.
explain, clarify, 2) Write a thesis statement
define or instruct with controlling idea
(writing that explains (s).
or shares 3) Organize it into
information) paragraphs.
 It includes thesis 4) Write topic sentences for
statement and the body paragraphs.
controlling ideas.
5) Furnish a paragraph of
 Six basic steps to introduction (state the
write an expository thesis, introduce
essay. divisions of paragraphs
and gain reader´s
interest)
6) Write a pragraph of
conclusion.

Narrative Writing
 It tells a story.  These are the elements
 Its purpose is to of a narrative style:
entertain. - Setting.
 Common sequence - Character.
includes: - Plot.
 -Beginning (characters - Conflict.
set) - Climax.
 -Problem - Resolution.
 - Minor resolution.
 - New problem.
 - Resolution.
 - Moral.
 Use of past tenses.


Descriptive Writing
 It´s like painting a picture with words.
 It describes places, people, feelings, events.
 Uses vivid language (adjectives) and figurative
language.


Argumentative Writing
 Writer tries to convince others to agree with our
facts, share our values; adopt our way of thinking.
 General characteristics of an argumentative essay:
- state position or belief,
- factual supports,
- persuasive technique,
- logical argument,
- call to action.


Academic Writing
 Academic writing is formal in style and there are a
number of conventions to follow such as avoid
abbreviations or contracted words, use passive
tenses or third person, use model verbs, avoid long
sentences and avoid multi-part verbs, instead use
formal language.
 Its basic layout is introduction, (and abstract) body,
conclusion, and bibliography.


Let`s compare...
Which one is academic
writing?
Today being fat is
totally bad for your The number of deaths
health. About 30,000 fat per year attributable to
people die every year in obesity is roughly 30,000
the UK and loads more fat in the UK and ten times
people die in the USA. By that in the USA, where
2005 more people will die obesity is set to overtake
of being fat than smoking smoking in 2005 as the
and it doesn’t have to be main preventable cause of
this way, this could easily illness and premature
be prevented, couldn't it? death.


Types of Academic Writing
 Technical / Lab / Book report.
 Literature review.
 Term paper.
 Research paper (short, argumentative)
 Opinion paper.
 Essay (expository, descriptive, argumentative).
 Senior thesis.
 Formal letters (application, complaint, etc)
 Email.
 Powerpoint presentation.
 Case study.


STAGES OF
WRITING


TEACHING FRAMEWORK
 If tasks are far beyond the immediate capacity of
learners, they will either lead to frustration
and/or resorting to L1-based experience and
knowledge (Qi, 1998). Therefore,
tasks should be progressive (Myles, 2002).
 Teacher should introduce one concept at a time,
model it extensively and give numerous examples
before requiring independence.
 Costas Gabrielatos suggests two types of activities
before the pre-writing: Focused global procedures
and Global practice procedures


Focused Practice Global Practice
Procedures procedure

 Ordering jumbled  Creating a text from
sentences to create a prompts (title, task,
paragraph/text. text, first/last
sentence, key
 Dividing a text into
words/expressions,
sections/paragraphs.
visuals, outline, tables
 Ordering jumbled etc.)
paragraphs to create a
 Re-writing a text
text.
following specific
 Inserting additional or guidelines
missing information into a (corrections, code,
text (linking & signposting comments etc.)
expressions, sentences,
paragraphs).


Strategies to encourage
writing
Create a literate
environment  Make collages with
 Stick posters or positive visual representations
messages and labels on of specific vocabulary.
the walls to familiarize  Sequence an
students with written experiment.
codes.  Copy songs, rhymes or
 Have a bulletin board poems.
with weird news, news  Paste labels with
from famous people, idioms.
horoscope, beauty tips,
fashion styles, etc.
 Have a mailbox.
 Make “word snakes” for
new vocabulary (HFW).

Strategies to encourage
writing
Encourage
creative pieces of
 Make them keep a
work:
journal with new
vocabulary.
 Have a graffitti wall  Make them re-write
as a sort of a fairy story.
“complaint wall”.  Make them write
 Make Sts fill in weather reports
soundless filmstrips. with pictures.
 Complete cartoon  Make them design
strips. new covers for
 Make them write books.
postcards for a  Copy shopping lists
special person. or restaurant
menus....

References
 Liv Jonassen & Elizabeth Tomchak. Academic Writing.
www.rgu.ac.uk/files/academic%20writing.ppt
 Gabrielatos, Costas (2002). ESL Writing Product and Process. ERIC,
ED476839.
 Cheu Ching Kiing, Jenny Kong & Wong Siew Jing. ELP Writing skills.
 Bruton, Anthony. Process Writing and Communicative-Task-Based
Instruction: Many Common Features, but More Common Limitations?
TESL-EJ Dec, 2005. Vol. 9 Number 3.
 Stone, S. (1995). The primary multiage classroom: Changing schools for
children.
 Tompkins, G. (1990). Teaching and writing: Balancing process and
product. Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Co.
 By Dr. Ghazi Ghaith. Writing. American University of Beirut in
http://www.nadasisland.com/ghaith-writing.html#approaches
 Vanessa Steele (2004). Product and process writing: A comparison.
British Council.

Let`s Exercise!!!


Develop Writing Skills with Proven Techniques

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