Teaching Writing: Strategies
The most important factor in writing exercises is that students need to be personally involved in order to make the learning experience of lasting value. Encouraging student participation in the exercise, while at the same time refining and expanding writing skills, requires a certain pragmatic approach. The teacher should be clear on what skills he/she is trying to develop. Next, the teacher needs to decide on which means (or type of exercise) can facilitate learning of the target area. Once the target skill areas and means of implmentation are defined, the teacher can then proceed to focus on what topic can be employed to ensure student participation. By pragmatically combing these objectives, the teacher can expect both enthusiasm and effective learning.
Choosing the target area depends on many factors; What level are the students?, What is the average age of the students, Why are the students learning English, Are there any specific future intentions for the writing (i.e school tests or job application letters etc.). Other important questions to ask oneself are: What should the students be able to produce at the end of this exercise? (a well written letter, basic communication of ideas, etc.) What is the focus of the exercise? (structure, tense usage, creative writing). Once these factors are clear in the mind of the teacher, the teacher can begin to focus on how to involve the students in the activity thus promoting a positive, long-term learning experience.
Having decided on the target area, the teacher can focus on the means to achieve this type of learning. As in correction, the teacher must choose the most appropriate manner for the specified writing area. If formal business letter English is required, it is of little use to employ a free expression type of exercise. Likewise, when working on descriptive language writing skills, a formal letter is equally out of place.
With both the target area and means of production, clear in the teachers mind, the teacher can begin to consider how to involve the students by considering what type of activities are interesting to the students; Are they preparing for something specific such as a holiday or test?, Will they need any of the skills pragmatically? What has been effective in the past? A good way to approach this is by class feedback, or brainstorming sessions. By choosing a topic that involves the students the teacher is providing a context within which effective learning on the target area can be understaken.
Finally, the question of which type of correction will facilitate a useful writing exercise is of utmost importance. Here the teacher needs to once again think about the overall target area of the exercise. If there is an immediate task at hand, such as taking a test, perhaps teacher guided correction is the most effective solution. However, if the task is more general (for example developing informal letter writing skills), maybe the best approach would be to have the students work in groups thereby learning from each other. Most importantly, by choosing the correct means of correction the teacher can encourage rather discourage students.
Choosing the target area depends on many factors; What level are the students?, What is the average age of the students, Why are the students learning English, Are there any specific future intentions for the writing (i.e school tests or job application letters etc.). Other important questions to ask oneself are: What should the students be able to produce at the end of this exercise? (a well written letter, basic communication of ideas, etc.) What is the focus of the exercise? (structure, tense usage, creative writing). Once these factors are clear in the mind of the teacher, the teacher can begin to focus on how to involve the students in the activity thus promoting a positive, long-term learning experience.
Having decided on the target area, the teacher can focus on the means to achieve this type of learning. As in correction, the teacher must choose the most appropriate manner for the specified writing area. If formal business letter English is required, it is of little use to employ a free expression type of exercise. Likewise, when working on descriptive language writing skills, a formal letter is equally out of place.
With both the target area and means of production, clear in the teachers mind, the teacher can begin to consider how to involve the students by considering what type of activities are interesting to the students; Are they preparing for something specific such as a holiday or test?, Will they need any of the skills pragmatically? What has been effective in the past? A good way to approach this is by class feedback, or brainstorming sessions. By choosing a topic that involves the students the teacher is providing a context within which effective learning on the target area can be understaken.
Finally, the question of which type of correction will facilitate a useful writing exercise is of utmost importance. Here the teacher needs to once again think about the overall target area of the exercise. If there is an immediate task at hand, such as taking a test, perhaps teacher guided correction is the most effective solution. However, if the task is more general (for example developing informal letter writing skills), maybe the best approach would be to have the students work in groups thereby learning from each other. Most importantly, by choosing the correct means of correction the teacher can encourage rather discourage students.
Strategies to Teach Writing of English for Upper Primary Pupils
By Evelyn Trimborn, eHow Contributor
updated February 08, 2011
Students should be given writing tasks according to their age and ability.Writing is one of the main areas of student achievement tested in the upper primary grades to determine whether a student can advance to high school. Writing is assessed according to specific standards within each state. State examination boards require evidence of accomplishment in both imaginative writing and structured composition. There are a number of effective strategies teachers can adopt to help upper primary students become familiar with the different types of writing that will be required of them.
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1. Creative Writing
o Teachers should give pupils experience in writing short stories, plays and poems. Scripts can be created for radio, stage or television, and students should be aware of the specific differences for each as well as the difference between a script and written dialogue. Encourage the writing of dialogue to give students ample practice in punctuating dialogue correctly. Encourage weaker students to concentrate on expressing their ideas freely and then editing their work afterward rather than letting fear of compositional errors impede their ability to express themselves.
Writing Stories with and without Dialogue
o Assign titles or themes according to the interests and abilities of the students. Stories can be by genre, such as a ghost story or mystery, or on a theme, such as friendship or the first Thanksgiving. Stories should be written in both the first and third person. Students should show a clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of each narrative structure. Students can also experiment with stories that do and or don't include dialogue to see what is gained and lost by each approach. Allow time for planning, writing, editing and revising. Collaborative writing tasks can help maintain interest for students who are not fond of writing.
Transactional Writing
o Assign students tasks that allow them to create a balanced portfolio of writing for a variety of purposes. Both formal and informal letters are essential, as are letters of complaint and requests for assistance. Instruct students to use the appropriate style and tone for each assignment. Assign memos, science experiment notes and recipes to develop their ability to write in the correct format for each task, and also to help support their writing skills in other subjects. Give weaker students clear examples of what they are expected to accomplish, and give supportive feedback as they work on the task.
Factual Writing
o An historical timeline of important events, brief biographies, newspaper reports and other types of factual writing will help students learn to report facts accurately and practice organizing their writing into logical sequences of events.
Expository Writing
o Students should be able to express their own opinions and handle increasingly complex information as they advance through primary school. Essays giving them the opportunity to debate different sides of a question are ideal. Pupils should also be able to integrate a variety of sources into their discussion in a smooth way, with correct punctuation. Book reports, music reviews and literary analysis are all appropriate assignments that allow students to develop an increasingly confident and sophisticated level of writing skills. Offer struggling students specific guidelines for improvement.
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