Teaching Writing Writing as one of the communication forms that people use in daily life is as equally important to be developed

as speaking. However due to its complexity and difficulty in mastering as well as teaching, language teacher, regardless of foreign or native, tends to ignore writing skill in their teaching and learning activity. Sometimes when a language learner is asked to write a foreign language the purpose of the writing activity is Principle, the expressions of ideas, the conveying of a message to the reader, so the ideas themselves should arguably be seen as the most important aspect of writing. The writer needs to have neat handwriting, correct spelling and punctuation as well as acceptable grammar and careful selection of vocabulary. Writing needs much higher standards of language are demanded. In this case the only writing that a learner does is to write out grammar exercises. Of course this does not say that grammatical competence is only a means to improve ones communicative competence. Thus, if we want to use writing as a communication form, we need regard it as a communicative act. That means that writing activity that we give to students should have a purpose and meaning; students need to know why they write. Nevertheless, students learning English as a foreign language often begin writing in English by copying down spoken words and simple expressions. The purpose of writing in English should progress from writing down words to writing as a way of communicating WHY WE TEACH WRITING? The reason for teaching writing to students of English as a foreign language include reinforcement, language development, learning style and, most important, writing as a skill in its own right (Harmer, 1998) Reinforcement: Some students acquire a language in a purely oral/ aural way, but others benefit greatly from seeing the language written down. The visual demonstration of language construction is invaluable for both their understanding of how it all fits together and as an aid to committing the new language shortly after they have studied it. In other words, writing reinforces the grammatical structures, idioms and vocabulary that students have learned. Language Development: the actual process of writing helps students in acquiring a language because the process demands them to think and choose the sentences as well as words that they will use to express the ideas. This mental activity that students go through in order to construct proper written texts is all part of ongoing learning experience. Thus, the relationship between writing and thinking makes writing a valuable part of any language courses.

Learning Style: some students are good at picking up language just by looking and listening. Others need time to think and to produce a language in a slower way to reflect what they have learned. Writing is a skill: the most important reason for teaching writing is that it is a basic language skill, just as important as speaking, listening and reading. Students need to know how to write letter, how to put written reports together, they need to know some of writings special convention such as punctuation, paragraph construction, etc just as the need to know how to pronounce spoken English appropriately. It could be said that writing is an important language skill. It is a productive skill that shows how skillful the student is in writing and discovers the talented students in this field. In addition, writing is a way that a student can express his ideas or thoughts on the paper. In conclusion, writing is an activity that supports students to analyze and synthesize their discrete knowledge about language items into a text that is acceptable in an English writing convention by using the appropriate paragraph structure. Hence to be able to write students must write.

Next activities: Report your understanding on the text to your partner Share your comprehension in teachers cluster

1. Comparing teaching writing objectives based on experiences and the text above. 2. Make conclusion on teaching writing objectives a. Principles of teaching writing Indicator: Describing the principles of teaching writing Activities: 1. Sharing knowledge on principles of teaching writing in groups Sit in group of three. Share knowledge and idea on the principles of teaching writing in group. Write the group idea in a flip chart. Telling the principles of teaching writing in a class. Moreover, Bryne (1988) suggests the principles for teaching writing with the following points: Teach students to write Provide adequate and relevant experience of the written language

 Show students how the written language function as a system of communication Teach students how to write texts Teach students different kinds of texts Make writing tasks realistic and relevant Integrate writing with other skills Use a variety of techniques and practice formats Provide appropriate support

3.Make summary of the text above. 4.Compare your discussion on the principles of teaching writing and the texts above. b. Process of writing Indicator: Describing the process of writing The writing process: Summary and implications for teaching 1. Individuals vary Different writers produce good result of writing trough widely different process. No one has the same process of writing 2. Writing is a messy business. Most people progress through a draft before reaching a final version. 3. Writing is a potentially satisfying. 4. You learn to write trough writing It shows us that the process of writing will differ one from another, but for the primary stage one will starts with drafts, continued to editing and final stage. Activities; a. Analyzing the process of writing through texts given. b. In group of three or four, discuss the process of writing text. The discussion should be focused on the following points; Do you think that writing a text is easy? If Yes,why? If No, why? What should the writers do before, whilst-, and after writing a text?

c. Tell your opinion based on the result of group discussion in a cluster or class. d. Give comments or responds, if necessary, to other groups idea. e. In a cluster or class, complete the following table;

Steps Before writing Whilst-writing After writing

What should writers do ?

c. The four steps of the writing process are: prewriting, writing, revising, and proofreading. Prewriting - Whatever type of writing a student is attempting, the prewriting stage can be the most important. This is when students gather their information, and begin to organize it into a cohesive unit. This process can include reading, taking notes, brainstorming, and categorizing information. Prewriting is the most creative step and most students develop a preferred way to organize their thoughts. Stream of consciousness writing, graphic organizers, outlines, or note cards are popular techniques. Many of these tools are already accommodated through Time4Learnings Odyssey Writer program. Often this stage is best taught by a parent modeling the different methods, perhaps a different one each week until the student finds which one works best for him. Writing -The actual writing stage is essentially just an extension of the prewriting process. The student transfers the information they have gathered and organized into a traditional format. This may take the shape of a simple paragraph, a one-page essay, or a multi-page report. Up until this stage, they may not be exactly certain which direction their ideas will go, but this stage allows them to settle on the course the paper will take. Teaching about writing can sometimes be as simple as evaluation good literature together, and exploring what makes the piece enjoyable or effective. It also involves helping a student choose topics for writing based on their personal interests. Modeling the writing process in front of your child also helps them see that even adults struggle for words and have to work at putting ideas together. Revising or editing is usually the least favorite stage of the writing process, especially for beginning writers. Critiquing ones own writing can easily create tension and frustration. But as you support your young writers, remind them that even the most celebrated authors spend the majority of their time on this stage of the writing process. Revising can include adding, deleting, rearranging and substituting words, sentences, and even entire paragraphs to make their writing more accurately represent their ideas. It is often not a one-time event, but a continual process as the paper progresses. When teaching revision, be sure to allow your child time to voice aloud the problems they see in their writing. This may be very difficult for

some children, especially sensitive ones, so allow them to start with something small, such as replacing some passive verbs in their paper with more active ones. Proofreading - This is a chance for the writer to scan his or her paper for mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Although it can be tempting for parents to perform this stage of the writing process for the child, it is important that they gain proofreading skills for themselves as this improves a students writing over time. And because children want their writing to be effective, this can actually be the most opportune to teach some of the standard rules of grammar and punctuation. When students learn the rules of mechanics during the writing process they are much more likely to remember to use them in the future. Odyssey Writers built in spelling checker and self-assessment rubric are wonderful tools to aid in strengthening a students revision and proof-reading skills. d. What should be taken into account in teaching and assessing various types of texts. When teaching these different text types, teachers should: use them in the context of a particular subject or unit of work; provide various examples of the types being taught, for example, different kinds of stories, discuss the purpose of the text and the relationship between the writer and the reader; discuss the content of what is being written about and why the text is being written; look at how the text is organized, particularly at how information is organized in the beginning, middle and end stages of the text; look at how paragraphs and sentences are organized and the linking words and phrases used, explore the writers choice of words and expressions

When teachers have a piece of written work to assess, they should take into account the following points: Content To see whether or not the writing relates to the given topic, task or genre. Organization

To see whether or not the writing follows patterns or stages of text structure genre and use of transitional signals. Language Grammatical points Sentence pattents Choice of words Expressions

of certain

Comment (optimal).Tteachers give comment as an interest reader to the writing piece.

3. Doing task : Writing texts Write a kind of text individually Use the concept of writing that has been discussed in the previous section in doing the task. Teachers put their writing on the wall in a class of teachers cluster All teachers in cluster look at and read written texts hanging on the wall. While reading those texts, teachers pay attention to any aspects of texts that could be developed and make a note. Teachers give their comments on their colleagues writing.

4. Assessing texts produced in groups It is suggested to read the module of Language Assessment before doing this activity. Sit in group of three or four Choose one of texts written by your colleagues Discuss the text produced more deeply and based your discussion on the points that should be taken into account in assessing written text as stated in previous section and language assessment. e. Model of Teaching Writing Indicator: Describing teaching writing procedures Performing model of teaching writing Teaching writing procedures Activities; 1. Reflection Reflect your teaching writing experiences and write it in a piece of paper.

Share experiences with your partner or neighbors in a cluster on how you taught writing. Tell idea on how to teach writing in teachers cluster. Discuss or share idea on how to improve teachers performance in teaching writing.

2. Designing lesson plan on teaching writing. It would be better if you read the module of Designing Lesson Plan before doing the following activities:

Look at English syllabus that you have designed in teachers cluster. Design a lesson plan to teach writing skill. Discuss lesson plan designed with colleagues in teachers cluster. Make any changes, if it is necessary, in order to make the lesson plan better.

Performing model of teaching writing Activities; 1. Performing teaching writing in teachers cluster (Peer Teaching) Use lesson plan designed to do this activity. Teachers performance on teaching writing is observed by colleagues in a cluster by using observation sheets prepared (attachment). After teaching and learning process, teachers do reflection in the form of written text. Reflection and observation are discussed in the cluster forum in order to improve teacher performance. Teacher, observers, and colleagues write, steps, teaching procedures, or any aspects dealing with teacher performance on teaching writing which needed to be developed in gaining the quality of teaching which could be presented in a class as a school visit activity in a cluster. 2. Teaching writing in a class. Use the lesson plan that you have revised in the previous activity. Teach students in your class. Teaching and learning process are suggested to be observed by teacher colleagues in a cluster. Ask observers comments and do reflection. Note any cases that you have experience before, whilst-, and after teaching writing.

Based on reflection, choose a certain problem that should be solved soon in teaching writing. Give reasons why you think that it is crucial problem in teaching writing. Predict any factors that might be influenced the problem arisen.

3. Reading attachment on a good teaching writing 4.Make conclusion on improving the quality of teaching writing performance