WEEK 6 Techniques

WEEK 6
1

TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING
WRITING SKILLS
Techniques in using pictures
Techniques in using readings
Techniques in using all language skills
Techniques in teaching practical
writing
Techniques in using controlled writing

2

TECHNIQUES IN USING PICTURES
Pictures are valuable as they provide for the use of a
common vocabulary and common language forms.
A picture can be the basis for not just one task but many,
ranging from fairly mechanical controlled compositions,
sentence-combining exercises, or sequencing of sentences to the
writing of original dialogs, letters, reports, or essays.
A whole series of connected activities can be generated from
the source of one picture.
3

Everybody likes to look at
pictures, their use in classroom
provides a stimulating focus for
students attention.
Pictures bring the outside world
into the classroom in a vividly
concrete way.
4

A picture is a valuable resource as
it provides:
a shared experience in the classroom
a need for common language forms to use in
the classroom
a variety of tasks
a focus of interest for students
5

THE USE OF PICTURES IN THE
CLASSROOM
General strategies for using
any pictures:
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GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR USING ANY
PICTURES:

7

PICTURES:

8

PICTURES:

9

LETS TRY SOME
ACTIVITIES!
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PICTURE SERIES

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PICTURE SERIES
Look at the picture series and think of a
writing activity which you can develop to
teach Year 2 pupils.
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ONE PICTURE A SEQUENCE OF TASKS
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TECHNIQUES IN USING READINGS
Readings can be used to create an
information gap that leads to communicative
activities.
Readings provides subject matter for
discussion and for composition topics.
The more you read the more you become
familiar with the vocabulary, idiom, sentence
patterns, organizational flow etc.
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Two types of reading:
1. Extensive reading
2. Close reading
Extensive reading:
a lot of reading to get through
-- challenging for them
-- little above their level of lang
-- they have to read for content & meaning

Close reading:

-- read a short passage & give close attention to the writers work
Eg;- content, vocabulary and organization

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The activities ss can do in croom;-
- Either work with the text = when they copy n
when they examine the writers choices of
specific linguistic n logical features
(cohesive links, punctuation, grammar)

- Or work from the text = when they use it to
create a text of their own (summarize,
complete, speculate, or react)

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COPY
Copying is a technique used with elementary
level ss.
Gives all ss practice wth the mechanics of
punctuation, spelling, capitalization and
paragraph indentation.
Copying can be integrated with other croom
activities in a variety if ways.

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COPYING ACTIVITIES
Examples:-
1. Ss read a story at home and copy out the one
sentence they like best. Then, in class, all the ss
discuss the choice.
2. A good piece of writing by one student is written
on the board and then all the ss copy it down as a
model. Later the same copied passage can be used
for practice in dictation or summary writing.
3. During class discussion of a rdg. The tcr writes
new vocab words on the board. The ss keep a
vocabulary notebook or vocabulary notecards; they
copy any new words onto the cards, and write a
sentence for each new word.=compile personal
dictionary / vocabulary list
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EXAMINE COHESIVE LINKS
Learning how to use these links is an important
part of learning how to write a language .
Ss need to learn abt the devices that make a text
cohesive.
Words and phrases that we use to:-
-add an idea= also/ in addition/furtheremore
-show sequence= first/then / after that/ next
-show result= so/therefore /as a result/
-show contrast=but/however/ nevertheless
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Example:
Dear Ms Johnson,
Thank you for your letter applying for a job as a waitress at Waterside Camp.
It is important for you to know what your duties will be. First, you will have to set the
tables. Second you will have to carry the food from the kitchen to the table and serve it
to the campers. Third, you will have to clear the tables and take the dishes back to the
kitchen. Finally, you should know that we serve breakfast at 7a.m., so youll have to
be on duty every day at 6 a.m.
Please let me know if you would like to arrange for an interview.
Sincerely yours,
Karen Greene
Karen Greene

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Example:
Dear Ms Johnson,
Thank you for your letter applying for a job as a waitress at
Waterside Camp. It is important for you to know what your duties
will be. ______, you will have to set the tables. _______ you will have
to carry the food from the kitchen to the table and serve it to the
campers. _______, you will have to clear the tables and take the
dishes back to the kitchen. ________, you should know that we serve
breakfast at 7a.m., so youll have to be on duty every day at 6 a.m.
Please let me know if you would like to arrange for an
interview.
Sincerely yours,
Karen Greene
Karen Greene

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EXAMINE PUNCTUATION & GRAMMAR
When you read a text you discover the
cohesive devices used and also the rules of
punctuation and grammar the writer employs.
Punctuation is a feature only of the written
language.
EXAMPLES
1. Give ss a short passage, ask them, in
groups, to discuss and explain why each
punctuation mark is used.
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EXAMINE SENTENCE ARRANGEMENT
Very often, ss will write series of sentences
that are accurate grammatically if we look at
each sentence in isolation; however the
sentences do not seem to hang together
very well.
EXAMPLE;- A student wrote:-
(1) Our house had four bedrooms and two
sitting rooms. (2) A large garden was in front of
the house. (3) My father had planted a lot of
flowers in the garden.
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EXAMINE SENTENCE ARRANGEMENT
(1) Our house had four bedrooms and two sitting rooms. (2) A
large garden was in front of the house. (3) My father had
planted a lot of flowers in the garden.

The first step to improve this piece of writing is to make
sentences fit together better.

(1) Our house had four bedrooms and two sitting rooms. (2) In
front of the house was a large garden. (3) In the garden
my father had planted a lot of flowers.
-Need to examine if sentences hang together according to the
basic principles that old info comes b4 new info in a sentence.

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SUMMARIZE
Summarizing provides ss with valuable practice in searching
for meaning and communicating that meaning. With a reading
passage given, the ss have to:-
find out what the main ideas are
Be able to express them in their own words

Example
Ss read a passage. (pg 58 59) Then they turn the page over,
and write a one-sentence summary of the page. They choose
which of the following sentences best summarizes the
passage and compare it with the sentence they wrote.

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COMPLETE
When ss examine a reading passage with parts missing, they
have to consider a great many features of writing if they are to
complete it.
They have to consider meaning and the grammatical and
the syntactical fit of the part they add.

They have to put themselves in the position of the writer
and then tone, style, and organization become important.

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COMPLETE
.
Give the ss a pasage to read which stops at words like
however, and so, or and then:

The sun was shining and there were no clouds in the sky
when Jane left her house to go to the beach. However,

The ss discuss what might come next in the story and then
they complete the story.
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SPECULATE
- Speculation involves thinking beyond the given text.
- Speculative questions open up opportunities for both
discussion and writing.

- Speculation beyond the given text, ss can be given tasks
that encourage them to speculate abt the text itself, abt its
content, context, organization, and the writers choice of
words and syntax. (pg 58 59)

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REACT
- Readings help expand the world of the croom by bringing
subj matter into it.
- We can use this power of readings to generate reactions in
2 ways in our writing lesson:-
1. We can provide readings that stimulate the need for written
communication
2. We can ask our ss to write (opinions, instructions, and the
like) so that other ss in the class have subject matter to
react to.
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TECHNIQUES IN USING ALL LANGUAGE SKILLS
Real life communicative situations
- Organize activities that let ss use all of the
language skills.
The techniques are prewriting techniques that gives
ss opportunity to use all their linguistic skills to help
them to explore and get started with their ideas on a
given topic or to allow the topic for a piece of writing
to emerge out of communicative croom activities.
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BRAINSTORMING
- Lets ss work together in the classroom in small
groups to say as much as they can abt a topic.
- After brainstorming orally together , ss can then do
the same on paper, writing down as many ideas as
they can without worrying abt grammar, spelling,
organization, or the quality of the ideas. Then they
will have something to work with, instead of a blank
page.

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BRAINSTORMING
Observe and talk abt the picture.
* She is probably abt 4 years old.
I wonder whos winning?
Where is her mother?
Does her mother know shes
playing with the old man?
Hes her grandfather.
What time of day do you think it is?
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BRAINSTORMING

A brainstorming session can also address a specific
question, such as: Why is the little girl playing
checkers with the old man?
The ss write down as much as they can as quickly as
they can. Then they compare their ideas and develop
them into a list.
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GUIDED DISCUSSION
Provide guidelines for group or whole-class discussion.
Give specific directions that will guide the group in
preparation for writing;
Example:- Discuss and write down the conversation
between the old man and the little girl. Include:
Greetings
A request to play checkers
Acceptance with pleasure
Questions abt age
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INTERVIEWS
A useful technique to try with a new class so that ss
and tcr can get to know each other.
When the ss write the record of an interview, they
convey to others genuine info transmitted to them by
other ss.
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SKITS
Ss act in an assigned role.
Writing then follow as an outside report or summary
of what was said and done or it can be a continuation
of the skit, with the writers assuming the voice of
personalities in the skit.
Example:
-Discuss and write the dialog btwn gfather n
gdaughter
-Dialog between strangers who have just met
- You can also add elements from outside the picture
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DICTATION
The tcr reads a passage through once, then reads it
slowly, broken down into short, meaningful segments,
which the ss write down, and then the tcr reads it
through once more.
Example:-The tcr pretends to be telephoning and
giving directions to get from one place to another,
perhaps from a students home to the school. As
would be the case in a real telephone call of this kind,
he does not give punctuation or capitals. The
students write, an then compare results.
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NOTE-TAKING
not always possible to write down every word we hear.
People just do not talk at dictation speed. On the
telephone, in the classroom, in everyday conversation, we
write down a summary of what the speaker says, picking
out the important info.
Elementary-level: give skeleton outline to work with and
expand, so that their listening is more directed.
Advance ss: can listen tp longer passages and make
notes as they listen.

Note the signals that speakers use:- pause, raising the
head and the voice to make an important point, or using
words like first, finally to signal separation and priority
of the points made.
38
STORY-TELLING
When we hear or read a good story, we cant wait to
find out what happens next. This natural curiosity to
find out what happens in a story can be put to good
use in a language classroom.

Activity: Read aloud a story and this can also be
used as a dictation- but stop at the point where the
reader is likely to want to know how it continues. The
ss continue the story-telling.
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Example:- re:pg 79 of Techniques in Teaching
writing.
One hot Tuesday in the middle of August, Sally didnt
go to work. She wanted to be alone . She took a
train to the seashore. She walked slowly along the
beach until she was far away from the crowds, the
ice-cream sellers, and the lifeguards. Then she
changed her clothes and ran into the cool water. She
swam out a long way, enjoying the hot sun and the
cool water. Then she saw.
.
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The students read each others continuations, and
some read theirs aloud to the whole class. The tcr
writes one, too, and reads it aloud. Or, the ss in small
groups listen to and then summarize each others
continuations. They read the summaries aloud to the
whole class while the other ss guess which student
wrote each story. The last part of this activity is
correction of what the ss have written.
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Techniques in teaching practical
writing

Techniques in using controlled
writing

42
TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING PRACTICAL WRITING
The best Way for students to grasp the
importance of writing as a means of
communication is for them to produce the
kind of practical writing that many people do
in their everyday life.
This kind of writing has a clear purpose and
specific audience.

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writing to get things done.
Messages, forms, invitations, letters,
instructions.
Forms: immigration and customs declaration
forms.
Students will learn not only writing in new
language but learning about conventions of a
new culture.
44
FORMS
Useful to be able to fill out form in another
language.
Provide opportunity for students to transfer
information from one format to another when
doing this classroom activity .
Practice in forming and reforming concepts in
the new language.
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FORMS & INTERVIEWS
Students can interview each other ,
transfer the info onto a form. Role-play if
needed.
Get students to devise the form before the
interview.

Give them task of interviewing someone
they know and complete the form.
46
FORMS & READINGS
GIVE A SHORT READING PASSAGE FOR SS
TO EXTRACT INFO TO FILL OUT A FORM.
Julia roberts , a tall ,brown-haired woman was born
in 1966 in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. She is married,
with twin daughters and twin sons. She works as a
doctor in University Hospital in the city. She was
educated in University of Malaya. She graduated in
1992.

Ss work in pairs, only 1 has the info and presents
the info to the partner. The partner has to present
the info on a form as he listens to the passage.
Another ss constructs a descriptive paragraph from
this info .
47
SURVEY FORMS
Ss can discuss & draw up a questionnaire
that aims at discovering attitudes of other
ss might have towards certain issues.

Ss then move about interviewing others to
gather info for the questionnaire . Once
collected, organize info and present it to the
class either in narrative / statistical form .
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LETTERS
Most widespread form of written
communication & most useful.
Teaching letter writing gives trs a chance to
deal with a variety of forms and functions
that are an essential part of langauge
mastery.
Write letters to invite, explain, apologize,
commiserate, congratulate,complain, inquire,
order,apply, acknowledge & thank.

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Each language functions has its own
associated vocabulary, connatations,
sentence structures and appropriate choice
of words, tone to fit the audience.

Various levels of formality within each
function.

Ss focus on audience as well as accuracy.
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Letters and forms ( re: Raimes, A. pg 86 &
87)
Informal letters : among students in class. (
re : Raimes, A. p.g 88)
Business letters : (pg 88)
Pen pals ( pg 89)

51
LISTS
Much neglected part of writing .
List-making
People write lists to help them remember
what to do.
Shopping lists, lists of people to invite to
party , weddings, to- do list.
Lists are basis for conceptual activity;
people alphabetize , group and classify.

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EG : PLANNING A CAMPING TRIP : MAKE A
LIST OF ITEMS TO BRING, AND
CATEGORIZE : COOKING, CLOTHING,
NECESSITIES,ETC.

CLASSIFYING INFO IMPROTANT STEP IN
ORGANIZATION OF A PIECE OF WRITING .
WRITE : ADVICE TO A HIKER IN THE
MOUNTAINS .
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DAILY NOTES
Many people write daily notebooks /
journals.
They record events of the day / ideas
about those events.
People tend to write mor when thwy write
for themselves, fluency increases.
Worry less about correctness.
Get ss to keep notebook to write a few
minutes daily . reaction to something they
saw / read , a description / feeling ..Tr can
check periodically .
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INSTRUCTIONS
INSTRUCT FRIENDS TO OUR HOME, FOR
NEIGHBOUR, FOR A FRIEND, TO TEACHER / SCHOOL.

COMMON ACTIVITY. LEARNERS NEED TO LEARN
HOW TO DO IT .

WRITING REAL INSTRUCTIONS TAPS STUDENTS
SKILL. WHAT IS HE GOOD AT? WHAT CAN HE TELL
OTHERS WHAT TO DO ?
TEACH USE OF SIGNAL WORDS, SEQUENCE
CONNECTORS , LOGICAL CONNECTORS.
TREASURE HUNT.NOISY BUT USEFUL ?

55

TECHNIQUES IN USING
CONTROLLED WRITING

WRITING THAT STUDENTS DO FOR WHICH
A GREAT DEAL OF THE CONTENT AND /
FORM IS SUPPLIED.
OPPOSITE OF FREE WRITING : STUDENTS
GENERATE , ORGANIZE & EXPRESS OWN
IDEAS IN OWN SENTENCES .
CONTROLLED TASKS : MORE GIVEN TO
STUDENTS : OUTLINE TO COMPLETE,
PARAGRAPH TO MANIPULATE , MODEL TO
FOLLOW / PASSAGE TO CONTINUE .
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USEFUL TOOL AT ALL LEVELS OF
COMPOSITION TEACHING. NOT ONLY IN
EARLY STAGES.
SS NEED OPPORTUNITY TO GET
WORDS DOWN ON PAPER, TRY OUT THE
WRITTEN LANGUAGE .
THEN THEY WILL ACQUIRE ENOUGH
FAMILIARITY WITH WRITING AND ABLE
TO TRY MORE CHALLENGING TASKS.
57
CONTROLLED WRITING
Controlled writing gives ss foccused
practice in getting words down on paper
and able to concentrate on one / two
problem at a time.
Easier to mark for teacher. Less time
consuming.
Can devote attention to mastery of
certain language items : eg past tense
endings , rather than content as content
has been chosen / given by teacher.
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CONTROLLED WRITING CAN FIT IN 2
PLACES
BEFORE FREE WRITING : SS PRACTICE
GRAMMATICAL POINT/ STRUCTURE WITHIN
THE TEXT. USE TEXT AS SOURCE OF
VOCAB , IDEAS,,ETC..TO HELP THEM PLAN
THEIR OWN WRITING .
AFTER FREE WRITING : WHEN WE HAVE
IDENTIFIED PROBLEM , ASSIGN
CONTROLLED WRITING TO GIVE THEM
PRACTICE WITH THE PROBLEM AREAS .
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CONTROLLED WRITING
PROVIDE PUPILS PRACTICE IN WRITING
ERRORFREE SENTENCES /
PARAGRAPHS ON A GIVEN TOPIC .
PUPILS DO NOT HAVE TO BOTHER ABOUT
CONTENT , ORGANIZATION,FINDING IDEAS
& FORMING SENTENCES .
WRITE THE GIVEN PASSAGE, MAKING A
FEW SPECIFIED CHANGES: GRAMMAR /
STRUCTURE .
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CAN BE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED /
ALMOST CONTROLLED .
CHARACTERISED BY MAXIMAL TEACHER
INPUT & MINIMAL PUPIL INPUT .
USEFUL TECHNIQUE TO ENCOURAGE
WRITING AMONG BEGINNERS WITH
LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH
GRAMMAR & LIMITED VOCAB .
USE CONVENTIONS OF WRITTEN
WRITING. EG : INDENTATIONS,
PUNCTUATION, CONNECTING WORDS,
SPELLING .
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TASKS CAN BE DULL AND BORING .
NECESSARY TO HELP PUPILS TO
GAIN MASTERY OF SENTENCE
PATTERNS .
USE SUBJECT MATTER RELEVANT &
INTERESTING .
USE APPROPRIATE TEACHING AIDS .

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TECHNIQUES : SUBSTITUTION TABLES ,
PARALLEL WRITING , QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS, SENTENCE COMBINING ,
SENTENCE COMPLETION AND
DICTATION .
RE : NESAMALAR ( PGS : 157 162 )
RE : RAIMES, A. ( PGS : 101 112)
63
TUTORIAL TASK WEEK 6
Select a technique to teach writing skills
Design a suitable activity for average
learners
64

WEEK 6 Techniques

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