DEVELOPING WRITING IN THE CLASSROOM
Let’s think about it
Activity 1.- What have you written in the last 24 hours apart from your academic
work? Go to https://www.menti.com/wh9oqyg3v8 and write your list there.
What are the implications of your list for the English language classroom?
What is writing?
Activity 2.- Below are some typical features of spoken language. Write an associated
corresponding feature of written language.
Spoken language Written language
It is mostly spontaneous and contains
redundancies.
The discourse is often untidy.
A higher likelihood of an informal style or
register.
The speaker is usually able to get instant
feedback on their message.
Often made up of a series of utterances
that are not complete sentences.
MONTSE IRUN – WRITING 1
Often a higher incidence of verb phrases
Conveys meaning through stress,
intonation and pauses.
The speaker can support their message
using gesture and facial expression.
Activity 3.- Can you specify at least three important differences between formal and
informal writing?
Implication in the classroom
Activity 4: These are a series of instructions introducing “writing” activities in textbooks:
* The sentences in the following paragraph have been jumbled. Write them out in the
correct order.
* Finish the following sentences in a way that makes the underlined word clear. For
example:
An expert is someone who ...
* The following story is written in the present tense. Rewrite it in the past.
* We have come to an exciting point in the story. Write down what you think will happen
next, and why.
* For a survey on child education in this country: could you please state your main
criticisms of the way you were brought up?
Where would you put each on the scale shown here?
WRITING AS A MEANS WRITING TO
OF COMMUNICATION IMPROVE LANGUAGE
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Process or Product Writing
Activity 5.-Which approach do you think the following descriptions of methodology are
talking about?
A process approach to writing A product approach to writing
1.- Learners express their ideas freely and fluently in writing without being overly concerned
with accuracy.
2.- Pieces of writing will go through two or three drafts.
3.- Learners start a piece of writing with a sentence, this being the basic unit of written language
on which to build.
4.- Learners analyse the key features of specific genre or text types so they can imitate them.
5.- Teachers encourage learners to share their written works and give each other feedback.
6.- There is a strong focus on grammatical accuracy and teachers mark most grammar mistakes
in learners’ written work.
7.- Learners will often begin writing something by brainstorming ideas with their class mates.
8.- Learners will often work on a piece of writing collaboratively.
9.- Written work is marked as “pass” or “fail” according to a specific standard.
10.- Learners are encouraged to work on writing alone, often outside the class time.
What do you see as the key difference between the two approaches?
Stages in the process of writing
Activity 6.-Watch “Pre-writing activities Part 1” till minute
1:05. You will find it in “Recursos” According to the trainer,
are the following statements true or false? If they are false, explain why.
i. Having been given a task, learners find it easy to start writing immediately. _____
ii. Pre-writing tasks should only help learners with content. _____
iii. Spelling and punctuation are important for writing. _____
iv. Teachers shouldn’t spend time focusing directly on spelling and punctuation. They
should be integrated into other activities. _____
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Activity 7.- Watch the rest of “Pre-writing activities Part 1” (01:25 to 12:30) and “Pre-
writing activities Part 2”. As you watch, answer the two questions.
a. What writing task are learners preparing for?
b. What pre-writing tasks are used?
Activity 8.- Watch “Writing Models and Frames” in Recursos till minute 1. According to
the trainer, how are writing frames and model texts used?
Watch the rest of the video. What are the stages of using the model text?
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