THE WRITING INSTRUCTION Introduction The road from novice to competent writer is paved by changes in students writing knowledge,

motivation for writing, strategic writing behaviors and basic writing skills. Alexander (1997) & Graham (2006) I. Breaking the Initial Barrier Writing Anxiety (where does it come from) Fear of failure Not being able to think of what to write about Not knowing how to express it properly Not being able to compose successfully

Result: Feeling incompetent

Most important Barrier to break: The feeling that I have nothing to write about. There is no better way to break the barriers to writing than writing itself. Encourage students to write about anything at all. Personal writing is a good starting point to writing.

L2 Writing Teachers are faced with two problems: Writing anxiety in general Challenge of writing in a second or foreign language How do we alleviate these barriers? 1. Introduce them with Sources of Inspiration: magazines/newspapers/periodicals/CD-ROM, conduct an interview , media - radio, tv, internet, experiences, film - movies and documentaries, music, visual art observing or creating, dreams, memories, discussion and brainstorming, responding to literature, role playing, research, imagination, personal interest inventories, class interest inventory 2. Encourage them to think positively towards the new language, emphasizing that if they can write in their L1, so can they in using L2, reduce their intimidation to L2 writing by making them understand that all it takes is a lot of writing practice. II. Choosing the Topic and Choosing the Genre The Writing Teacher must develop writing tasks that suit the students needs and interests. Writing in a second language or foreign language has to be motivated. Engage students in a special situation that provides challenge and the need to write becomes natural and relevant. Ex. Laryngitis day in class (see book for info. on how to facilitate act.) Once the topic had been identified, the next step is deciding whom the audience will be. Students should select topics from genres, which are most likely to help them improve as writers. In deciding for the topic and genre of writing, students must know their purpose. PURPOSE OF WRITING SUGGESTED WRITING ACTIVITIES Communicating with others writing letters, notes, cards, e-mails writing reports; explaining how to do something; describing Informing others an event expressing an opinion about a controversial topic Persuading others Learning content material summarizing, learning logs, journal entries writing stories, plays, poems Entertaining others writing about personal events, autobiography Reflecting about self book evaluations, reviews Responding to literature Demonstrating Knowledge traditional classroom tests, high-stakes tests involving writing

III.

Tactics for Planning the Writing Process Writing Process- method of helping student writers; the how of writing, initially conceived w/ two stages: drafting & revising; then became the five-stage process we are all familiar with, but with the incredible popularity of criteria-based assessment & the recognition of the power of criteria-based instructionthe traditional process has been expanded. THE CONTEMPORARY WRITING PROCESS (CRITERIA BASED) Stage This is where we Pre-Writing Explore the topic Put it down on paper Drafting Sharing Revising Editing Publishing Get some advice Take another look Make corrections Description Helps students find something good to write about The goal is to get everything down on paper as quickly and as easily as possible The most valuable and enjoyable stage in the writing process Time to M.A.R.C (Move , Add, Remove and Change) Correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, choice of words, grammar, and sentence structure Can be on school papers, websites or portfolios

Polish for presentation Reflect on work Get students involved as fully as possible Assessing Additional information: Ways to pre-write: free writing, journaling, image streaming, lists, visualization, brainstorming, webbing/mapping/clustering, graphic organizers, topic/word chart

COMMON PROBLEMS SOLVED BY USING THE WRITING PROCESS 1. Students dont know how to get started. 2. Students dont write because they are afraid of making errors. 3. Low productivity; students dont write very much. 4. No effort in revision; no ability to rethink earlier drafts. 5. Sloppy work; no attention to detail in final drafts. IV. Reading As A Model for Writing There is a close connection between analysing and understanding texts and writing an appropriate response. Learners can draw upon the models they have read and used in order to follow the conventions and construct their own. Why? Reading provides content people want to react to Both Content (by gaining information about certain things) and formal schemata (additional knowledge on discourse and writing conventions)

Summarizing- ability to select main points from a text and present them in a concise and organized manner, an important writing task in the academic world, involves collecting information, sorting & classifying, and sequencing. A summary is used chiefly as a study aid. It may have at least two audiences: the instructor and fellow students who share their readings through summaries of the article they have read. V. The Portfolio An on-going collection of different writing assignments kept by the student in folder or workbook. An important concept in developing writing skill. All drafts and versions of students work are kept here. Useful in preparing long writing projects. Ex. Research papers (where students experience writing down notes, summaries, internet research, lists, plans of action, and letters to key people in the community) Students should be involved in making choices about which of their written pieces will become part of their portfolios.

VI. Writing and Rewriting One of the most important things a writing class should aim at is bringing the students to the point where they are willing to revise and feel comfortable about revising what they have written. TWO MAJOR TECHNIQUES: A. Peer review feedback or Peer Writing Conference Respect each others work Learn how to offer constructive criticism Learn how to identify problematic features of text. When peers are conferencing 1. The writer decides how the written work will be shared. Will it be: read silently by the conference partner(s)? read aloud by the writer? read aloud by the conference partner(s)? 2. The writer identifies what aspects of the written work will be the focus of the conference (e.g., the beginning paragraph, figurative language). 3. The conference partner states at least: one thing he/she considers that the writer has done well, one thing he/she especially likes, one suggestion which addresses the focus of the conference as identified by the writer. (It is useful to have students complete a written conference sheet to guide their responses, especially when the process is new to them.) 4. The writer retains the right to the written work and is responsible for making the final decision about any changes. B. Self-questioning or Self-Conference As students write ... They should ask themselves some of these questions: - How do I feel about what I've written so far? - What is good that I can enhance? - Is there anything about it that concerns me, does not fit, or seems wrong? - What am I discovering as I write this piece? - What surprises me? Where is it leading? - What is my purpose? - What is the one most important thing that I am trying to convey? - How can I build this idea? Are there places that I wander away from my key idea? - Who is my audience? C. Teacher-Student Conference (ADDED) The teacher may ask questions such as - What is the part that you like best? - Does it say what you want it to say? - What do you mean by...? - Where/when does your story take place? - Are you satisfied with the beginning/ending? Why or why not? - Does this sentence/word/phrase make sense to you? - What reaction do you want your reader to have? - How do you see your ideas being rearranged or changed? Why?

WRITING WITH COMPUTERS Computers have enabled teachers of writing to develop new ways of training students in writing tasks and have allowed ESL students to practice and develop writing skills. Main Advantage: Students can work on their texts individually or in pairs, and rewrite or readjust the texts easily. Feedback and evaluation can be on-going and students progress can be monitored on-line. Note: Teachers of writing should also stress the limitations of editing tools in word processing applications. Students should learn the importance of revising and editing their works using the power of their eyes and not fully depending on automatic corrections. THE SPELL CHEQUER POEM

I have a spelling chequer It came with my pea see It plainly marks four my revue Miss steaks eye cannot see. Each thyme when eye have struck the quays I weight for it to say If watt I rote is wrong or rite It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two late And eye can put the error write Yes, I shall find it grate. Ive run this poem threw it Im sure yore pleased to no Its letter perfect in its weigh My chequer tolled me sew.

For more information on Teaching Writing and Creative Writing Activities Suggested sites: www.basic-skills.co.uk. www.standards.dfes.gov.uk www.key-line.org.uk www.keyskillssupport.net http://nadabs.tripod.com/writing/ http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy056.shtml http://www.enchantedlearning.com/essay/writing.shtml http://www.ifayed.net/Main_Folders/Resources/SPEER_02/TEASCH18.PDF http://www.creativeteaching.com/ctp/freeactivities/7186-EB-vocab-cooties.pdf http://ditreading.wordpress.com/ On-line Modules Resources to support the pilot of functional skills : Teaching and learning functional English Effective Writing Instruction for All Students (Steve Graham, Vanderbilt University) The Notebook: Through The Writing Process by Steve Peha Writing and more writing and then more writing teaches writing Lewitt, 1990 THE WRITING INSTRUCTION (REPORT VERSION) By: Quennie N. Quiobe BSED 3A