Submitted by TE Editor on 27 April, 2011 - 13:13
Writing, unlike speaking, is not an ability we acquire
naturally, even in our first language - it has to be taught. Unless L2 learners
are explicitly taught how to write in the new language, their writing skills
are likely to get left behind as their speaking progresses.
But teaching writing is not just about grammar, spelling, or
the mechanics of the Roman alphabet. Learners also need to be aware of and use
the conventions of the genre in the new language.
- Stages
of a writing lesson
- Generating
ideas
- Focusing
ideas
- Focus
on a model text
- Organising
ideas
- Writing
- Peer
evaluation
- Reviewing
What is genre?
A genre can be anything from a menu to a wedding invitation, from a newspaper
article to an estate agent's description of a house. Pieces of writing of the
same genre share some features, in terms of layout, level of formality, and
language. These features are more fixed in formal genre, for example letters of
complaint and essays, than in more 'creative' writing, such as poems or
descriptions. The more formal genre often feature in exams, and may also be
relevant to learners' present or future 'real-world' needs, such as university
study or business. However, genre vary considerably between cultures, and even
adult learners familiar with a range of genre in their L1 need to learn to use
the conventions of those genre in English.
Stages of a writing lesson
I don't necessarily include all these stages in every writing lesson, and the
emphasis given to each stage may differ according to the genre of the writing
and / or the time available. Learners work in pairs or groups as much as
possible, to share ideas and knowledge, and because this provides a good
opportunity for practising the speaking, listening and reading skills.
Generating ideas
This is often the first stage of a process approach to writing. Even when
producing a piece of writing of a highly conventional genre, such as a letter
of complaint, using learners' own ideas can make the writing more memorable and
meaningful.
- Before
writing a letter of complaint, learners think about a situation when they
have complained about faulty goods or bad service (or have felt like
complaining), and tell a partner.
- As
the first stage of preparing to write an essay, I give learners the essay
title and pieces of scrap paper. They have 3 minutes to work alone,
writing one idea on each piece of paper, before comparing in groups. Each
group can then present their 3 best ideas to the class. It doesn't matter
if the ideas aren't used in the final piece of writing, the important
thing is to break through the barrier of ' I can't think of
anything to write.'
Focusing ideas
This is another stage taken from a process approach, and it involves thinking
about which of the many ideas generated are the most important or relevant, and
perhaps taking a particular point of view.
- As
part of the essay-writing process, students in groups put the ideas
generated in the previous stage onto a 'mind map'. The teacher then draws
a mind-map on the board, using ideas from the different groups. At this
stage he / she can also feed in some useful collocations - this gives the
learners the tools to better express their own ideas.
- I
tell my students to write individually for about 10 minutes, without
stopping and without worrying about grammar or punctuation. If they don't
know a particular word, they write it in their L1. This often helps
learners to further develop some of the ideas used during the'Generating
ideas' stage. Learners then compare together what they have
written, and use a dictionary, the teacher or each other to find in
English any words or phrases they wrote in their L1.
Focus on a model text
Once the students have generated their own ideas, and thought about which are
the most important or relevant, I try to give them the tools to express those
ideas in the most appropriate way. The examination of model texts is often
prominent in product or genre approaches to writing, and will help raise
learners' awareness of the conventions of typical texts of different genres in
English.
- I
give learners in groups several examples of a genre, and they use a genre
analysis form to identify the features and language they have in common.
This raises their awareness of the features of the genre and gives them
some language 'chunks' they can use in their own writing.
- Learners
identify the function of different paragraphs in a piece of writing. For
example, in a job application letter, the functions of the paragraphs
might be something like;
- reason
for writing
- how
I found out about the job
- relevant
experience, skills and abilities
- closing
paragraph asking for an interview
- Learners
are given an essay with the topic sentences taken out, and put them back
in the right place. This raises their awareness of the organisation of the
essay and the importance of topic sentences.
Organising ideas
Once learners have seen how the ideas are organised in typical examples of the
genre, they can go about organising their own ideas in a similar way.
- Students
in groups draft a plan of their work, including how many paragraphs and
the main points of each paragraph. These can then be pinned up around the
room for comment and comparison.
- When
preparing to write an essay, students group some of the ideas produced
earlier into main and supporting statements.
Writing
In a pure process approach, the writer goes through several drafts before
producing a final version. In practical terms, and as part of a general English
course, this is not always possible. Nevertheless, it may be helpful to let
students know beforehand if you are going to ask them to write a second draft.
Those with access to a word processor can then use it, to facilitate the
redrafting process. The writing itself can be done alone, at home or in class,
or collaboratively in pairs or groups.
Peer evaluation
Peer evaluation of writing helps learners to become aware of an audience other
then the teacher. If students are to write a second draft, I ask other learners
to comment on what they liked / didn't like about the piece of work, or what
they found unclear, so that these comments can be incorporated into the second
draft. The teacher can also respond at this stage by commenting on the content
and the organisation of ideas, without yet giving a grade or correcting details
of grammar and spelling.
Reviewing
When writing a final draft, students should be encouraged to check the details
of grammar and spelling, which may have taken a back seat to ideas and
organisation in the previous stages. Instead of correcting writing myself, I
use codes to help students correct their own writing and learn from their
mistakes.
Conclusion
By going through some or all of these stages, learners use their own ideas to
produce a piece of writing that uses the conventions of a genre appropriately
and in so doing, they are asked to think about the audience's expectations of a
piece of writing of a particular genre, and the impact of their writing on the
reader.
If you have any ideas that you feel have successfully helped
your students to develop their writing why not add them as a comment below and
share them.
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/planning-a-writing-lesson
___________________________________________________
I have read the article of
"Planning a writing lesson" which was submitted by Catherine Morley on the 27th of April in
2011. The article was devoted to the most important theme. So it is very useful
for every teachers. On teaches language certainly he must teach how to create
writings in this language. As the author mentioned this skill has to be tough
even in the native language. Catherine wrote her article absolutely great as
she could give the best plan how to conduct a writing lesson. I am entirely
agree with her viewpoints. I've learned some good things from her article. She
gave her lesson plan accurately. There are a number of examples which help us
to understand her points correctly. In the future I also want to use the
author's plan to teach my students. Thank you.
