The Teaching of Writing, NCT Cultural Week. Copy 3

Teaching Omani Students
What to Write and How

Rosana C. Silva, NCT, ELC 2014
I. THE ART OF TEACHING WRITING
II. CREATIVE STRATEGIES
III. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
IV. ACADEMIC EXCHANGE

Engaging students
& Encouraging them to write
Why do students find difficulty in writing?
First language interference
Weak understanding of writing conventions:
spelling, punctuations, capitalization, grammar
Lack of intrinsic motivation
Weak level of grasping sentence structure, tenses,
s-v agreement
Poor ideas/ unsatisfactory critical thinking/
analytical skills
They think writing is irrelevant / difficult
College students come to NCT with very weak
background knowledge of basic language skills
Weak written language competence

The Art of
Teaching Writing


Put it before them briefly so they will read it,

concise
Proper organization
Use Vivid details
Correct usage
Clearly so they will appreciate it,

picturesquely so they will remember it, and

above all, accurately so they will be guided
by its light.

- J oseph Pulitzer
THE WRITING PROCESS
& STRATEGIES

Planning

Brainstorming
Graphic organizers
Outlining
Character charts
Topic sentence
Clustering
Sensory charts
Story map
Visuals/realias

Writing the
First Draft

Guide questions
Modeling
Prior knowledge
Authentic
experiences
Scaffolding
Build up activities
Controlled to free
Creative
activities-
photography,
reading, poetry,
rhymes, songs

Editing & Revising
Writing the
Final Draft

Language focus
Organization & content
Transitional devices
Use writing portfolio
Reading aloud
Computer assisted
Peer evaluation
Collaborative writing
Revision by modeling
Real time checking/
Individual Feedback
Assessment checklist

Positive
feedback

Encourage
students to
write more

LEARNING TASK:
Use the five senses to describe a particular person
BRAINSTORMING

HEIGHT
Medium
Short
Tall

BODY TYPE
Athletic
Heavy
Muscular
Plump
HAIR
Blonde
Curly
Dark
Red
FEATURES
Beard
Dimple
Freckles
Glasses
OUTLOOK
Sad
Happy
Cheerful
Introvert
Accessories
Oman Ring
Necklace
Scarf
Earrings
CLOTHES
Omani dress
Gethra
Disdasha
Abaya
SHOES
Sneakers
High-heels
Sandals
CHARACTER
Kind
Generous
Sociable
Organized
STATUS
Single
Married
Rich
Poor
Show dont tell technique - let the readers experience the story through
actions, words, senses

LEARNING TASK: Descriptive Writing
Use the five senses to describe a particular object /
food / person / place
SENSORY CHART

SEE HEAR FEEL/TOUCH SMELL TASTE
Color
Light green
Red orange
Soft Texture
Soft
Hard
Fruity
Smoky
Flowery
Salty
Sour
bitter
Size
Big / small
Loud Coarse
Rough
Pungent Ingredients
Shape
Oval / square
Pleasant Smooth
Fine
Fresh Preparation

Height
Short / tall
Unpleasant Foul
Clothes/
shoes/
accessories

Adapted from: Karen Blanchard & Khristine Root,
Ready to Write (NY: Pearson Educ., Inc., 2003)

GUIDE QUESTIONS


GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Describing a Person
FAKHRIYA
KHAMIS
Hair
Looks like
Clothes/
shoes
Physical
appearance
accessories
personality
behavior
Age
character
Job
status

Adapted from: Wang, Carolyn. Teaching and Grading
Descriptive Writing.

OUTLINING

SAMPLE OUTLINE description of a place

A. Topic Sentence
1. Attention getter / opening sentence
2. The place I am writing about
3. Brief feeling about the place
B. Supporting ideas
1. Factual details
2. Sensory details with vivid language
3. Description of things in the place
C. Conclusion
1.Restatement of feeling about the place

NIGHT
LEARNING TASK:
Compare & Contrast Item 1 & 2
DAY
SKY
SUN
Item 1
MOON
Item 2
Comparison & Contrast
LEARNING TASK:
Compare & Contrast Item 1 & 2
Graphic Organizer
Item 1 Item 2
similarities

Differences

Differences

Remember what a paragraph is
State your main idea clearly
Hook your reader
Keep it short and sweet
Writing a Good Topic Sentence
Laura Medina, et al.

Make your paragraph
easy to follow
It is not an invitation to
simply announce your
topic
Bring up questions in
their mind that you
intend to answer
Make your intention clear
Describe a character
Portray an emotion
Use details/memories
Talk about ones bravest or
most frightening moment
Present a summary/general
impression
Sample Topic Sentences

My best friend Abdullah is a good friend,
honest, and loyal.
I felt so happy when my father
bought me a brand new car.
I still remember the day I went
shopping in Dubai with my
mother.
I will never forget one day
in June, the day I had an
accident in Muscat.
As I enter my bedroom, I can see
a neat, clean, and well-organized
room.
Writing Proper

Straight Line of Development:

"Tell your readers what you are going to tell them;
then tell them;
then tell them what you told them."

Introduction
Supporting
details
Conclusion
Introduction:
Write a topic sentence summarizing your impression of your
best friend/father/mother/brother/sister

Supporting Details:
Who is he/she? What does he/she do? How does he/she
look like from head to toe? What are the distinguishing
features? Describe clothes/shoes/accessories.
Describe the personality or character. What kind of person is
he/she?
Conclusion:
End the description. What did you like most / least about
the person?
GUIDED WRITING
SPACE ORDER refers to space or layout
Describe the setting in some sort of order based on
location

*Clockwise direction
*Front to back
*Top to bottom

Imagine that you are
standing in the doorway
of your bedroom. How
would you describe the
room to someone who
has never seen it?

ORDER IN WRITING

Writing Without Order

Using Space Order

Rosana C. Silva, 3rd Semester 2013
Narrative Writing
Directions: Fill in the story organizer with the information about the
experience that you plan to write about.
EVENT:____When my family went to Masirah Island
WHEN:_____Last summer_
WHERE:_____Masirah Island
WHO WERE WITH YOU?_my father, mother, brothers, and sisters_
DETAILS:
What kind of day is it?______It was a bright day, the sun was up
How did you get to the place?__ My father drove the van,_then we took a ferry
What interesting events happened?
1._We camped by the beach in Masirah
2. We saw a lot of turtles
3. The turtles were nesting
How did it end? My father took us to some other places then we went back home
STORY ORGANIZER
The Voice of NCT Writing Teachers
Go down to the level of students
Use varied writing techniques
Use students background knowledge/prior knowledge, realia
Work with students and constantly encourage them to improve
Give positive feedback instead of negative
Always provide a reason or a specific audience for assigned
writing
Explain the writing task/learning areas covered
Involve the students in planning & evaluating
Help students become strategic writers - inspire them to write
Show great patience & perseverance dont get frustrated
Show students strengths and weaknesses
Insist on revising and editing
Integrate writing with other skills such as reading
Use creative materials such as poetry, painting, short stories,
rhymes, songs

From various scholars
Be creative with assignments and activities that address non
traditional ways of learning (Friesen, Helen Lepp. Photography and
Writing: Alternative ways of Learning for ESL Students. Sep. 2012)

Integrate reading and writing
students reacted positively to the course - Integrated reading and
writing course for first year Arab EFL students in Israel (Rass, Ruwaida
Abu. Integrating Reading and Writing for Effective Language
Learning. Jan.-Mar. 2001)

Provide explicit modeling particularly in teaching cognitive learning
strategies (Regan, Kelley and Berkeley, Sheri. Reading and Writing
Instruction: A Focus on Modeling. May 2012)

From various scholars
Collaborative writing (CW) had an overall significant effect on
students L2 writing particularly content, organization, and
vocabulary, but not for grammar or mechanics. In addition, student
participants found the experience enjoyable and felt that it
contributed to their L2 learning. (Shehadeh, Ali. Effects and Students
Perceptions of Collaborative Writing in L2. UAE. Dec. 2011)

The practice of reading aloud was regarded as helpful by the
participants particularly in the process of revision punctuation,
grammatical agreement, and missing verbs (esp. verb to be
frequently omitted by Arab students). At the end of the semester
most students read aloud their final drafts before submitting them to
the instructor (Golkowska, Krystyna. Voice and Dialogue in Teaching
Reading/Writing to Qatari Students. Weill Cornell Medical College.
Qatar, Qatar)

Portrait of an Effective Writing Teacher
Does the writing teacher need to be a writer?

Teachers perception of their own writing impacts their teaching
of writing, therefore, teachers must be cognizant of their self-
perception of writing and how writing instruction is
manifested in their classrooms. (G.W.Brooks Teachers as
Readers and Writers and as Teachers of Reading and
Writing.2007)

Effective teachers are active participants in the writing process.
Effective writing teachers model and share their writing,
connect reading and writing as essential literary
components, and provide students with options and ample
time for writing (Thornton, Areva, Teachers Self Perception of
Their Writing and Their Teaching of Writing. Ph.D. Dissertation,
Capella University)

Principle of Teaching
Tell me, Ill forget
Show me, Ill remember
Involve me, Ill understand

Sample Students Poems
10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

- Brian Clark
1. Write.
2. Write more.
3. Write even more.
7. Write when you have something to say.
5. Write when you dont want to.
6. Write when you do.
4. Write even more than that.
8. Write when you dont.
9. Write everyday.
10. Keep writing.
Bibliography

Blanchard, K., & Root, K. (2003) Ready to write. New York: Pearson Educ. Inc.
Cunningham, P.M., and Cunningham, J. W. (2000) What really matters in
writing. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Friesen, H.L. (2012, September). Photography and writing: alternative ways of
learning for ESL students. Teaching english in the two-year college. v40 n1.
Retrieved February10, 2014, from http://www.eric.ed.gov

G.W.Brooks (2007). Teachers as readers and writers and as teachers of
reading and writing.

Golkowska, K. Voice and dialogue in teaching reading/writing to
Qatari students. Weill Cornell Medical College. Qatar, Qatar. Retrieved
February 11, 2014, from http://www.eric.ed.gov

Laura, Medina, et. Al. (n.d.) How to Write a Good Topic Sentence. Retrieved
October 10, 2013, from http://www.wikihow.com

Rass, R.A. (2001,Jan.-Mar.). Integrating reading and writing for effective
language learning. Forum, v39 n1. Retrieved February 8, 2014, from
http://www.eric.ed.gov
Bibliography

Regan, K. and Berkeley, S. (2012, May). Reading and writing instruction: A
focus on modeling. Intervention in school and clinic. V47 n5. Retrieved
February 8, 2014, from http://www.eric.ed.gov

Shehadeh, A. (2011, December). Effects and student perceptions of
collaborative writing in L2. Journal of second language writing. UAE.v20 n4.
Retrieved February 8, 2014, fromhttp://www.eric.ed.gov

Thornton, A. Teachers self perception of their writing and their teaching
of writing. Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University. Retrieved February 5, 2014,
from http://www.eric.ed.gov

Acknowledgments

NCT Management for the opportunity
ELC Management for the trust
ELC Lecturers & friends for their valuable inputs
Writers and scholars for the literature bases

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Teaching Omani Students

What to Write and How

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