1 ELT2, Teaching writing Presenter: Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA)

TEACHING WRITING
I. WRITING ACTIVITIES
A. Controlled writing
 writing as a means; writing as both means and end => to reduce students’ chances of making
mistakes
N.B. The activities may range from mechanical to meaningful

1. mechanical & uninteresting: (if ss’ own lang. is different from Eng.:
handwriting, copying letters, letter combinations, words & simple sentences.)

E.g. Copying
Copy these sentences in your notebooks.
There is a table and three chairs in the room.
…

1.2 meaningful & interesting

• Gap-filling
• Reordering words
• Substitution: T provides a model sentence, ss write similar true sent. about themselves.
• Correcting the facts
• Look at the picture & write whole sentence in words
• Sentence building: key words are given, ss write complete sentences.

Examples:
Sentence building
Write complete sentences using these prompts:
1- John/write/letter/moment/.
2- you/waiting /somebody/?
3- present/I/prepare/new project/.

Sentence completion
Complete these sentences using the present continuous tense.
1- At the moment, my mother -------
2- The teacher ---------------.
3- Mr. and Mrs. Brown -------------.

Write a summary based on prompts

Write the summary of the text using these cues.
Yesterday – Ali - home from school – way - saw – old man – lying – side –street – ill - took –hospital - …

Sentence transformation
Rewrite the following sentences keeping the meaning unchanged.
1. Mr. Smith decided to work for a foreign company.
Mr. Smith -----------------------.
2. They built this house a long time ago.
This house ------------------------.
3. “Don’t go out late.”, her Mum said.
Her mum -------------------.
2 ELT2, Teaching writing Presenter: Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA)

Substitution
e.g. Write similar sentences about yourself.
 Karen and her parents are living in Paris. Her father is working for a computer company, and her
mother is teaching English at a high school.
 My parents and I ____________________. My father __________________, and my mother
___________.

B. Free vs. Guided writing:

1. Book report
2. Narrative (based on pictures or students’ real experience / imagination)
3. Describing of a scene / view / person / object
4. Writing letters (answering a letter / writing a postcard / applying for a job …)
5. Describing a process / graph or chart (how to cook a dish) (English 10, Unit 5)
6. Writing an essay (argumentation, comparison – contrast, suggestions)
 Problems may arise from free writing
* no ideas
* too many ideas
*
*

 to solve problems arising from free writing (writing as an end)  Guided Writing

C. Guided writing:
Ss need to progress beyond very controlled writing exercise to freer paragraph writing. Help them
by:
* giving a short text as a model.
* doing oral preparation for the writing.

Short text as a model:

 How?
– Ss read a short text and study some features of it  T asks Qs to help Ss
– Ss base on the text to write similar paragraphs/ essays
 Comments? (Textbook)

Oral preparation: ss make suggestions & T. builds up an outline, a list of key expressions on board
=> a basis for writing.
Advantages:
+ flexible: can be done in different ways according to the interests & ability of class.
+ ideas come from ss themselves: activity more interesting and ss involved.
+ does not require specially-prepared texts or other materials.
How:
• Brainstorming for lg. & ideas :
Ss make suggestions, T. provides words/structures + builds up an outline
• Eliciting using list of Qs.

II. TEACHING STEPS

1. Stages of a guided writing lesson:
Pre-writing:
- Lead - in
- topic given with clear instructions
- presenting input (vocab./structures/ ideas) => giving cues/ brainstorming for ideas/ giving a
model/ doing oral prep., etc.)
While- writing: ss write in groups in class or individually at home
3 ELT2, Teaching writing Presenter: Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA)

Post-writing:
- T. marks papers and gives comments (pay attention to errors of competence and performance
and techniques of correction)
- T. gives feedback: pointing out good points and common mistakes for whole class to learn from
peers.

2. Stages of a controlled writing task

Pre-task:
• Task given with clear instructions
• Providing input (vocab./structures)
While- task: ss write in groups or individually in class
Post-task:
- T. gives feedback (orally + writing key on BB; pointing out focussed points and common
mistakes for whole class.)

III. TEACHING WRITING AT HIGH SCHOOLS:

The steps above are quite general and can be used in the written exam or end of course test. In the real
teaching situation, the pre-writing stage, however, is much more detailed.

Below are suggested steps of a writing lesson. Put them in the logical order.

STEPS IN A WRITING LESSON ORDER

a. Students brainstorm ideas for their own text.

b. The teacher checks understanding of the model text using some kind of comprehension
task.
c. Students write their final draft of the text.

d. Students do an activity that aims to practise the highlighted written feature.

e. The teacher provides a lead in to the topic of the model text.

f. Students get feedback on the first draft from their peers or from the teacher.
g. The teacher hands out the model text.
h. Students write the first draft of their text.

i. The teacher highlights one or two features of the model text (e.g. paragraphing, linking
devices) by means of a discovery task.
 Pre-writing:
– T leads into the lesson.
– T introduces the topic and guides the Ss to the organization of the writing genre.
(T can do it by using the model text: T asks Ss to read the text and answer some questions that help
highlight the outline of the writing genre. The task accompanied the model text can be questions-
answers or re-arranging sentences. The teacher can pre-teach some key words in the model text.
However, it is important to remember that the task for model text is not treated as a reading
comprehension one. Presenting vocab, therefore, should not last very long and should not focus on too
many aspects of meanings or word families and collocations)
– T presents language inputs (vocab./structures/ ideas) => from the model text and contributions of
Ss and T (present quickly in groups/ use the technique of enumeration)
– T conducts some controlled writing tasks for Ss to practice the inputs
– T sets the guided task => conducts oral preparation (to minimize the chances of making mistakes)
 While- writing:
– Ss write in groups in class or individually at home. (T may give each group
 Post-writing:
– T marks students’ papers and gives comments
4 ELT2, Teaching writing Presenter: Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA)

IV. CORRECTION:
 Problems for T:
*
*
 Solutions:
*
*
*
*
 What to correct:
1. Content =>
2. Format =>
e.g. Introduction > hook, connecting information, thesis statement
3. Language use => Accuracy
- , e.g. “Although I very like him, but I can’t support him this time.”
- , e.g. “I couldn’t contact with him.”
- , e.g. “He dropped down from the tree.”
 How to correct (T’s correction):
1.
=> focus on one aspect at a certain stage, e.g. Fragment sentences
2. Using
e.g. ww / wo / coh / frag / vf / vt / wf / pc, …
3. Reformulation
=> Ss compare their sentence with T’s correct one
e.g. + My mother is sick last weak.
 My mother was sick last week.
4. Remedial teaching
=> when a lot of ss make the same mistake

 Self-correct (S’s correction):

1. Locate mistakes =>
e.g. She can not speak chinese.
2. Understand
3. T. removes symbols gradually – 5 stages ***
4. Make corrections
=> correct sections with T’s symbols
=> rewrite the material correctly
5. Discuss with teachers

V. CLIP WATCHING & DISCUSSION:

Video clip (E.10, Unit 15 – CITIES, Describing a city)

1. What teaching aids are used?

2. List the pre-writing activities.

3. What is the purpose of each activity?

5 ELT2, Teaching writing Presenter: Bui Tri Vu Nam (MA)

QUESTIONS

Task 1: List any 2 types of controlled writing exercise for low-level students. Then work out 3 illustrative
examples of each type for Ss to practise the structure in this sentence: “We have been living here for over 20
years”.

Task 2: Here are four teachers’ techniques for correcting controlled written work. Read them and then
answer the question below.

Task 3
Work in pairs. Discuss the ways the errors in this learner writing have been indicated and answer the questions.
1. Which of the three ways do you think is the most effective?
2. The writer of this text is an intermediate learner. Do you think the approach to correction would be the same
for all levels?
3. What do the symbols mean? Complete the key.

Task 4: - Work out a 30-minute writing task as a follow-up for the reading text.
- Describe what you would do to help the Ss in this task.