WritingWhat is Writing?

• Two-way communication between the writer and the reader.• The ability to write a text on a topic and this text to be

understood by a perspective reader, to be able to decode the message of the writer and understand what he or she has read.

• A skill which one continues to use after school on his or her own, without anyone else’s help, depending on his or her interests and needs. The student must become familiar with the idea of writing different types of texts, so that in his future life he or she would feel confident to write any type of text with confidence and fluency.

WritingWhat is Writing related to?

• Writing is related to the knowledge of grammar. The student must know how to produce the writing form of the different text types and know how to use grammar and syntax correctly.

• Writing is related to the knowledge of language function. This is more the important when children learn two languages simultaneously. Writing helps recognizes similarities and differences between two languages.

• Writing is related with the knowledge of cultural elements. Written texts reflect peoples’ everyday life situations, traditions and culture.

WritingWhy does one write?

• For personal, social, educational, professional and other reasons.• Because he needs to transmit or communication information to be used

for a specific reason• Because he or she needs to give instructions for a specific reason, for

example for something related to his job, daily life (how an appliance works, a recipe, applications to be filled in, etc.)

• It is a way to keep in touch with relatives and friends through traditional or electronic correspondence, or for professional correspondence.

• To inform other people for the time and place an event will take place or where they can find something they need (programmes, announcements, menus, advertisements, timetables, etc.)

• To inform others about what happens or what has happened in the past (newspapers, magazines, reports, books, etc.)

• For pleasure: writing novels of different types, poems, song lyrics, and other forms of literary texts.

WritingAims of Writing

• What does it mean to be a fluent writer?• To know how to use the writing system• To know grammar and syntax• To have the ability to use various elements

such as words, sentences, paragraphs, punctuation marks, etc. in a meaningful way

• To be able to relate the text he or she writes with something he or she already knows in the target language

WritingConditions which help students write

1. The texts the student is asked to practice writing must interest him or her or be related to something he or she already knows about.

2. The texts the student is asked to practice writing must aim at the student’s level so that he or she car write without having to use the dictionary for every word he or she is going to use. The student however should be encouraged to use new elements in his writing which he has learned.

3. Students need to be given opportunities to practice writing different types of texts, for different purposes, etc.

4. Activities should be well planned, interesting and meaningful5. Activities should take into consideration the various student

ability levels.6. The whole writing process must include ways which help and

encourage students to learn and use new words, expressions, grammatical, syntactical, cultural and any other elements, related to the particular type of text.

WritingThe role of Writing in the process of

language learning• Text writing helps the development of human

thought.• Text writing helps the learning process.• Text writing offers a sense of security to the

student, something speaking does not.• It is a way of communicating or recording

thoughts, information, ideas, etc.

Writing

Skills related to Writing Every writer tries to use the appropriate

words, sentences and expressions, in the right form, number, etc. including the relevant cultural elements, idioms, proverbs, etc. aiming to make his message as clear as possible to the reader.

WritingReal-life text-writing situations and aims of

teaching writingThe activities that would help students develop the ability to

express themselves through writing must constitute a significant part of any language teaching programme.

The aim of teaching writing must be to give opportunities to students to practice writing in such a way and in such

communication situations so that they could function with success in everyday life real writing situations when they would

have to write something specific in order to communicate fluently with their perspective readers. In other words, the aim is

to help students become better writers of different text types, acquire the language as best as possible and feel comfortable

when they would need to write in the target language.For this reason, we firstly have to examine situations when writing

is used in every day life and the skills which need to be developed so that students would be able to write different types

of texts in different situations at a satisfactory level.

WritingTasks:

Write down a list of the following:(a)Real-life / every-day life text-writing

situations (b)Real-life / every-day life text-writing

situations in your field of studies / future profession

(c)Discuss similarities and differences: personal, professional

Writing

WRITINGWRITING

Different Text Different Text TypesTypes

Writing

Text Type Samples• Show examples from Word

Document

WritingWriting Conventions

• Letters• Words• Text formation: Handwriting, spelling, layout and punctuation

a) Handwriting: i. different from their native language – training and practice in the formation of individual lettersii. Problems: influence the reader against the writer; miscommunication of message

b) Spelling – bad spelling

i. Prevention of understanding of the written message ii. Affect reader’s judgment iii. Perceived as a lack of education or care

Difficulties: i. Sound & spelling correspondence: draw attention to common spelling of phonemes (see page 256); look at different ways of pronouncing the same letters or have them do exercises to discover spelling rules; ask them what other words they know with the same kind of spelling or sounds ii. Not all varieties of English have the same spelling: make them aware of it

Ways of improving spelling: i. through extensive readingii. Draw student attention to spelling problems and explain why they occuriii. Copying from written models: see and reflect on their copying mistakes

WritingTask: (a) Visit the following websites:

Chinese Handwriting

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chinese.htm

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chinese_types.htm

(b) Practice copying Chinese writing

(c) Discuss experience of learning a completely different writing system

WritingWriting Conventions

c) Layout

d) Punctuation

Are their conventions transferable from one language to another?What do we do?

e) Grammar

WritingApproaches to Writing

(a) Process and ProductThink of BENG and ENG writing courses:Pre-writing techniques: OutlineDraftReviewEditFinal

WritingApproaches to Writing

(b) Writing and GenreStudy texts in the genre they are going to be writing

before embarking on their own writing: business letters, newspaper articles, etc.

What to know: topic, conventions and style of genre(c) Creative WritingWriting poetry, stories and plays(d) Writing as a cooperative activity(e) Using the computer – reasons (word processingPoor handwriting; edit at greater speed and with great

facility; spellcheckers; facilitates group work; more objective view of own work on the screen; e-mail pals; chatting; blogs;

WritingApproaches to Writing

(c) Creative Writing Study texts in the genre they are going to be writing before embarking on their own writing: business letters, newspaper articles, etc.

What to know: topic, conventions and style of genre

WritingThe roles of the teacher

(a) Motivator: right conditions for the generation of ideas; persuasion of usefulness of activity

(b) Resource: supply information and language where necessary; offer advice and suggestions

(c) Feedback provider

WritingPractise Punctuation

It was Friday, and it was Paul’s big business trip to New York in America. He got up at 5 am, got dressed, had a cup of coffee, and read the newspaper. At 6 am, a taxi arrived to take him to London airport. Paul locked the door and put his bags in the taxi, but he left his briefcase in the house. His business papers, his money, his credit cards, his plane ticket and his passport were all in his briefcase. Luckily, the taxi driver asked Paul if he had his ticket. Paul ran back into the house and got his briefcase, but this time he ran out of the house, and left his keys inside.

Discuss in pairs or as a whole group how to punctuate this text.

WritingWriting a Review

Go to• http://www.jdmfilmreviews.com/• http://www.timeout.com/film/• http://www.channel4.com/film/ and read 2 to 4 film reviews.

Then go to page 263 of your book and answer the questions of the Reviewers’ Genre-Analysing kit

What is the aim of this activity?Which skills does it involve?

CEF - Writing

CEF - Writing

CEF - Writing

Identify Rhetorical Paragraph type:Identify Rhetorical Paragraph type:Practice 1Practice 1Three kinds of newspapers are published in Rockland City: the dailies, the Three kinds of newspapers are published in Rockland City: the dailies, the

weeklies, and the monthlies. Published every day, the dailies devote most of weeklies, and the monthlies. Published every day, the dailies devote most of their space to local news and to advertisements for local merchants. On the their space to local news and to advertisements for local merchants. On the other hand, the weeklies, published only on Sundays, stress summaries of other hand, the weeklies, published only on Sundays, stress summaries of national and international news and also provide a great deal of material on national and international news and also provide a great deal of material on the business worlds, especially on what happened on Wall Street during the the business worlds, especially on what happened on Wall Street during the preceding week. A good example of a weekly is the Rockland Bugler, the preceding week. A good example of a weekly is the Rockland Bugler, the most popular and the most costly of this kind of paper. The last type are the most popular and the most costly of this kind of paper. The last type are the monthlies, which are published on the first Wednesday of each month. They monthlies, which are published on the first Wednesday of each month. They are really more like tabloids than anything else, with human-interest stories, are really more like tabloids than anything else, with human-interest stories, colour paragraphs, Hollywood gossip columnists, and sensational murder colour paragraphs, Hollywood gossip columnists, and sensational murder trials.trials.

(a) Process (a) Process (b) Classification(b) Classification(c) Persuasion(c) Persuasion(d) Cause and Effect(d) Cause and Effect

Identify Rhetorical Paragraph typeIdentify Rhetorical Paragraph type ::Practice 2Practice 2

In a number of ways, Northborough Community College is making it easier for older In a number of ways, Northborough Community College is making it easier for older students to attend college. For example, the college now offers courses on students to attend college. For example, the college now offers courses on Saturdays and Sundays. Classes on these days appeal to those students who, Saturdays and Sundays. Classes on these days appeal to those students who, because of work or family responsibilities, cannot enroll in courses during the because of work or family responsibilities, cannot enroll in courses during the week. The college is also starting to offer distance learning courses in certain week. The college is also starting to offer distance learning courses in certain departments, which is ideal for students who work full time and might not have departments, which is ideal for students who work full time and might not have the time to travel to school. In addition, many departments in the college have the time to travel to school. In addition, many departments in the college have begun to offer credits for life experience, so students with a good background in begun to offer credits for life experience, so students with a good background in the world of work can complete their degrees more quickly. Finally, Dean the world of work can complete their degrees more quickly. Finally, Dean Robertson announced last week that the college will soon open a daycare for the Robertson announced last week that the college will soon open a daycare for the children of students who would attend classes if they had a pleasant and safe children of students who would attend classes if they had a pleasant and safe place to leave their children.place to leave their children.

(a) Cause and Effect(a) Cause and Effect(b) Illustration(b) Illustration(c) Classification(c) Classification(d) Narration(d) Narration

Identify Rhetorical Paragraph typeIdentify Rhetorical Paragraph type ::Practice 3Practice 3

If you follow these directions carefully, you should have no trouble getting to the Central If you follow these directions carefully, you should have no trouble getting to the Central City Museum. Begin by catching the express bus on Heron Street and taking it to the City Museum. Begin by catching the express bus on Heron Street and taking it to the last stop, Royal Square. At the square, board the downtown bus, number 6, going to last stop, Royal Square. At the square, board the downtown bus, number 6, going to West 10th Street and get off at the corner of West 10th and Post Road. Walk ten blocks West 10th Street and get off at the corner of West 10th and Post Road. Walk ten blocks south on Port Road to the ferry slip. As soon as you disembark from the ferry, you will south on Port Road to the ferry slip. As soon as you disembark from the ferry, you will see a sign that says “The Central City Museum”.see a sign that says “The Central City Museum”.

(a) Definition(a) Definition(b) Illustration (b) Illustration (c) Process(c) Process(d) Description(d) Description

Marking / assessing writing sampleMarking / assessing writing sample

WritingHOMEWORK

1. Study writing task examples in chapter 18, pages 262 to 268.

2. Be prepared to discuss them (next lesson)

3. Find Writing activities from TEFL materials and bring them next time to share and discuss with the rest of the TEFL group