Producing a written text, whether in
an exam context or not, is a task which requires a good command of written
language as well as the presence of skills specific to writing (including, for
example, the ability to organize ideas coherently or to follow the conventions
of the genre). In an exam preparation context, things are a bit more demanding
since there is a time and word limit.
The
main reason why writing is different from, and perhaps more demanding than,
spoken production is that there is no feedback or interaction during the
writing process so we have to rely exclusively on our choices of sentences and
words to make sure that the right message is put across: we produce a text
which needs to be understood by a reader who is not present or, in some cases,
a reader who is not even known to us.
Students
therefore have to be taught how to produce written texts representative of
different genres in such a way as to make sure that the message is put across
correctly and appropriately. We cannot assume that if a learner can convey a
message in the spoken medium they can do so in writing as well. The process
that most teachers, as well as published teaching materials, follow when
teaching writing, can be divided into the following stages:
Stage
I: Generation of ideas
This
first stage includes the generation of ideas on which the students will base
their own text. You should get the learners to think about what to include in
the text, i.e. what kind of information the topic requires as well as how much
information is required. Ask students to read the rubric carefully and think of
the target audience, the style and the actual genre they will have to produce.
Here are some sample activities that could serve these purposes:
Activity 1 – focus on understanding the topic, genre and
target audience (Level C1-C2)
You
have been asked to write a report for your boss regarding an event that your
company organised. You have to use at least 4 of the figures/percentages given
in the data. Think about this topic and decide if the following statements are
True or False:
·
The report is about everyday events
at work.
·
The language you use should be
conversational.
·
You should not use more than 4
percentages.
·
Your text should include 3
paragraphs, i.e. introduction, main body, conclusion.
·
You must not use subheadings for the
paragraphs.
Activity 2 – focus on ideas (Level A2)
You
have been asked to write a letter to a friend describing your room. In pairs,
make a list of as many different things as you can that you can find in a
house, for example fridge, sofa, television, computer….
Which
of these things does each of you have in your rooms? Tell your partner which of
these things you have in your room, what they look like and where are they.
For
example, I
have a computer in my room. It is white and it is on my desk.
Stage
II: Working with a model
This
stage involves giving students a model text followed by a set of activities.
The text should be one that could presumably have been produced by a learner
and the activities should focus on different aspects of writing such as the
generic structure, the language and register used, the purpose and the target
reader as well as the cohesive devices used and the way the text is organised.
Below you have two activities that can be used in this stage:
Activity 3 – focus on the language used (Level B2)
Read
the short extract below taken from a letter of a student to his/her teacher.
The students were asked to explain which aspects of the English language they
find most difficult and to say what they think the teacher should do to help
them overcome these difficulties.
Some
of the words and phrases the student has used are not appropriate: they are too
formal or too conversational. Work in pairs: underline the words and phrases
that are not appropriate and suggest ways of changing them.
Dear Mrs Vijaya
I am writing to tell you what you wanted. Well, I think for
the first question you asked me about your class I think that grammar is the
most difficult part. I don’t like it and I find it hard. Explain it better all
the next times so that all students understand what you say. Now, you asked
about suggestions. I don’t understand what do you want? I cannot make
suggestions because I am a student and you are the teacher so it is your job to
find the solutions.
Activity 4 – focus on task achievement (Level B2-C1)
Your
friend has been asked to do the following task. “Write an article about the
positive and negative aspects of mobile phones. In what ways can we limit the
problems of using mobile phones? The article will be published in a scientific
journal.” Read what he/she has written and answer the following questions:
·
Has your friend covered all content
points?
·
Has he/she used the correct format
and layout?
Dear
Editor
I
am writing to you to tell you about the good and bad points of mobile phones.
First
of all, mobile phones are very useful because you can reach anyone you want
especially when you are in an emergency. Moreover, you can keep in touch with
your friends very easily because they can call you anytime and ask you where
you are. The only problem is that you need to charge your phone all the time
because if your battery dies out, nobody will know where you are. Also, mobile
phones allow you to do things that in the past you only did them at home. For
example, with the new phones you can now access the internet even while you are
walking on the street!
I
couldn’t live without a mobile phone!
I
hope that my article will be published. If you have any further questions,
please do not hesitate to contact me, of course, on my mobile phone that you
will find on top of this letter.
Thanks.
STAGE
III: Guided reproduction
After
the previous stage has been completed you could ask students to start producing
parts of the text focusing again on one aspect. In this stage students will
still need a lot of support and guidance; an example of a guided reproduction
task would be to ask students to rewrite sentences using specific words and/or
expressions found in the text or to change a few details in a paragraph to
produce a parallel text. Here are some more ideas:
Activity 5 – focus on style and organisation (Level A1)
Read
the short text below. Correct the text so that it looks like a letter. Do not
correct grammar or vocabulary mistakes.
Hello!
Mrs
vijaya! How are you? All ok? I hope your family is ok, too.
I
am writing to apply for the job of the shop assistant.
I
saw it in the sakshi paper.
I
like this job.
I
have many good characteristics:
1.
I am kind
2.
I am
honest
3.
I never
lie
Please
tell me if you need me.
Yours
sincerely
Surya
prakash
Activity
6 – focus on content and coherence (Level B1)
Your
friend has written about the things he does every morning but he has put them
in the wrong order. Read the sentences below and put them in the right order.
·
My mum
waits with me for the school bus.
·
When I
wake up I go to the bathroom and wash my face.
·
After that
I go to my room to get dressed.
·
Every
morning my mum wakes me up.
·
Then I
brush my teeth and go to the kitchen to drink milk.
·
Then I put
the books in my bag and go out to wait for the school bus.
Stage
IV: Production of text
In
this stage students should be asked to produce their own text with limited
support on the part of the teacher. This can be done initially in class where
you could make sure that the students understand the topic, have something to
write and get the chance to work o planning. In most cases, the students will
complete their draft at home, due to time constraints. In the following lesson,
they will (hopefully!) hand in their draft so that they can get some feedback
and, if necessary, rewrite (parts of) their text. To help students produce
their own texts, you can use activities like the ones below:
Activity 7 – focus on language (Any level)
Read
your topic carefully. Then spend 1 minute and write down as many words/phrases
you can think of related to your topic. Then compare with your partner.
Activity
8 – focus on content (Level B1+)
Read
your topic carefully. Make a plan before you start writing in which you say:
·
how many paragraphs there will be
·
what ideas you will include in each
paragraph
Then
give your plan to your partner. Your partner will make any changes he/she
thinks are necessary. You will need to do the same for his/her plan.
Stage
V: Evaluation
In
this final stage you will need to provide feedback on all relevant aspects of
the writing skill such as organisation, accuracy and range of grammar and
vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, use of linking words and expressions, level
of formality etc. The feedback should be clear and it can include the use of a
code to indicate what types of mistakes there are. You should then ask students
to work on their own or their partners’ errors and produce a second draft. You
may need to provide feedback on more than one draft before the student produces
his/her final text. Below there are three activities that you could use in this
stage:
Activity 9 – focus on grammar and vocabulary (Level B1 and
above)
Read
your partner’s text. Using the correction code provided, correct all the
grammar and vocabulary errors your partner has made.
Gr
Grammar
Voc
Vocabulary
Pr
Preposition
S
Style
Sp
Spelling
Org
Organisation
?
Not clear
Activity
10 – focus on content (Any Level)
For
this activity, the teacher should first read all scripts and put a question
mark in the margin whenever a student has not expressed themselves clearly and/or
accurately. Then students are asked to work in pairs and given the following
instruction:
Read
your partner’s text. When you see ?, ask him/her questions to try and
understand what he/she means. Then suggest ways of rewriting the sentences so
that the message is clear.
Activity
11 – focus on self-evaluation (Level B1 and above)
Read
your partner’s text. Underline any errors you find. Then hand the underlined
text to your teacher. Then compare the errors you have found with the ones your
teacher has.
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