integrating skills in process writing

María Alicia Maldonadomarilimaldonado@gmail.com

www.marilimaldonado.blogspot.com

Time-consumingWork harder thanlearnersDifficult to evaluate

Don’t usually write.Isolated work.Time-consumingGenerally as homework

“I haven’t opened it yet,” saidthe White Rabbit, “but it seemsto be a letter, written by theprisoner to somebody.”“It must have been that,” saidthe King, “unless it was writtento nobody, which isn’t usual, youknow”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

•Imitate model text•Organization of ideas ismore important thanideas themselves•One draft•Features highlightedincluding controlledpractice of thosefeatures•Individual•Emphasis on endproduct

•Text as a resource•Ideas as a startingpoint

•More than one draft•More global, focus onpurpose, theme, texttype, i.e. reader isemphasised•Collaborative•Emphasis on creativeprocess

Product writing Process writing

Alex is an ordinary man. He’s neither tall nor short, his hair is brown, short and curly. He has a full time job in a department store.

His life, as you can imagine, is quite monotonous. He gets up very early, has breakfast, kisses his wife goodbye, takes the lift to the garage and drives to work.

A month ago, Alex had an unusual experience. He was driving back home after a hard day work, when he saw his old friend Fred standing at the bus stop. They hadn’t seen each other for ages and he was really glad to meet him. Alex doubted whether to stop or not. He was really tired… But he immediately made up his mind and blew the horn to call Fred’s attention.

Fred saw him and his face lighted up. What a wonderful surprise! They hugged and went to a bar to have a cup of coffee together.

While they were taking the first sip, Fred said “I really needed to talk to you. I’m in big trouble. I’ve lost my job and I can’t find another one. I just needed to share this with someone who really cared.”

Alex recalled his boss telling him that morning that they needed another clerk at the store. He told Fred to go there the following day. So did Fred, and now they meet every day at work. Alex is happy to see his friend smiling again.

A month ago, Alex had an unusual experience. He was driving back home after a hard day work, when he saw his old friend Fred standing at the bus stop. They hadn’t seen each other for ages and he was really glad to meet him. Alex doubted whether to stop or not. He was really tired… But he immediately made up his mind and blew the horn to call Fred’s attention.

While they were taking the first sip, Fred said “I really needed to talk to you. I’m in big trouble. I’ve lost my job and I can’t find another one. I just needed to share this with someone who really cared.”

Fred saw him and his face lighted up. What a wonderful surprise! They hugged and went to a bar to have a cup of coffee together.

Alex is an ordinary man. He’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ nor short, his hair is brown, short _ _ _curly. He has a full time _ _ _in a department store.

His life, as you can imagine, is quite monotonous. He _ _ _ _ _ _very early, has breakfast, kisses his wife goodbye, takes the lift to the garage and drives to _ _ _ _.

A month _ _ _, Alex had an unusual experience. He was driving back home _ _ _ _ _ a hard day work, when he saw his old friend Fred standing at the bus _ _ _ _. They hadn’t seen each _ _ _ _ _for ages and he was really glad to meet him. Alex doubted whether to stop _ _ not. He was really tired… But he immediately made up his _ _ _ _ and blew the horn to call Fred’s attention.

Fred saw him and his face lighted up. What a wonderful surprise! They hugged and went to a _ _ _ to have a cup of coffee together.

While they were taking the first sip, Fred said “I really needed to talk to you. I’m in big trouble. I’ve _ _ _ _ my job and I can’t find another one. I just needed to share this with someone _ _ _ really cared.”

Alex recalled his boss telling him that morning that they needed another clerk at the store. He told Fred to go there the following day. So did Fred, and now they meet every day at work. Alex is happy to see his friend smiling again.

Ask questions which will help you tofind out relevant information aboutthis story.

How would this story change if:•Fred wrote it?•Alex’s wife wrote it?•Alex wrote it?

Choose a character.Describe him/her.Describe what he/she usually does.Describe what happened on a specialmoment/day.Give it an ending.

Editing guide:

Is the text neatly written?Do all sentences begin with CAPITAL letters?Do they all have an end mark (. ! or ?)?Are all words spelled correctly? (Use a dictionary, if necessary)Is there a topic sentence?Is there a closing sentence?

Haiku5 syllables7 syllables5 syllables

Ordinary manMeets old friend at the bus stopHelps him with new job

Diamond poems

WordWord word

Word word wordWord word

word

Young

Ordinary man

Meets old friend

At the bus stop

Go to café for coffee

Friend has lost job

Young man helps

Now work

Together

Young man with ordinary life kisses wife and drives to work. He works in a department store. One day sees a friend at the bus stop. Doubts, but calls him. His friend has lost his job. Young man’s boss is looking for a clerk. Now both friends are working together.

Mini Saga:Write the story in 50 words.

1 Was this piece easy or difficult to write? Why?

2 How many times did I revise it before handing it in?

3 Did I receive any responses or suggestions from the

teacher or peer editor? Did he/she like my work?

4 Did I try something new such as an expression, a

lexical item, a verb pattern?

5 What should I change or improve to make my writing

more appealing to the reader?

6 How does it compare to other pieces I have written?

7 What did I learn from this composition?