Writing Skill

 

WRITING SKILL:

The focus of language teaching has shifted from product to process:

Ø  In product, we are interested in learning outcomes. We identify what the students have to produce.

Ex: Grammatical accuracy, mechanics of writing

Ø  In Process, Students should learn how to go about the process of writing, rather than what the end process should be. Research shows that good writers go through certain process.

Ex: Plan in head, think about what to say, who they are writing for, draft out sections of writing, review, revise, edit….

 

Types of writing:

Narrative Writing:

Ø  Can be factual or fiction, commonly used in fiction,

Ø  Concerned with the sequence of events

Descriptive Writing:

Ø  Provides information about events, people, concepts.

Ø  Most common form of writing, It can also be attributed to diaries, letters

Persuasive Writing:

Ø  Writing for advertisements, brochures, political.

Ø  Usually meant for advanced learners, Required good care, precision and logicality

Expository Writing:

Ø  Includes illustrations, definitions, instructions, etc. Covers cause and effect

Composition(writing)

The basic meaning of composition is composing. It can be guided or free.

1. Guided practice

Ø  For pupils learning English as a second or third language in early stages

Ø  Allows some creativity from students. Students are restricted in their choice of language.

Ø  Ex: Teacher can use transcription (copying lines), fill in the blanks, substitution tables, simple exercises in conversation of sentences, answer to questions, conversion of paragraphs, parallel sentences, Gap fill task etc.,

2.Free practice

Ø  Guided composition must be replaced with free composition gradually

Ø  Its aim is to use the language independently.

Ø  Write on their own using look and say, writing about pictures, storytelling, dialogue writing etc

 

Note making vs note taking

Study skills (note taking and note making), Reference skills (using dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopaedia) are the supplementary skills in addition to LSRW

1.Note taking

Ø  Process of taking notes while listening a speech or lecture or TV or radio.

Ø  The students in higher class must be trained to take down notes while they hear important speeches lectures delivered in their schools are colleges

Steps involved

Ø  Listening à understanding à  try to extract the meanings of new words à write them all in a meaningful pattern

2.Note making

Ø  Easier than not taking

Ø  Process of making important notes from reports, newspapers, reference books and finally summarising them

Ø  Useful to higher class students

Ø  Is helps them to get important points for exam, to write essay, to participate in GD or to give a lecture

Steps involved

Ø  Reading at least twice à  decide title of textà reduce text à  structure text into main and subpointsà  put the ideas in sequential order

 

ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOCABULARY

Passive vocabulary

Ø  The vocabulary which can be recognised and understood is called recognition vocabulary/ passive vocabulary/ received vocabulary

Ø  -we may not use, but we recognise them

Ø  -in unconscious mind

Active vocabulary

Ø  The vocabulary which we use in a communication speech or writing

Ø  -we use in daily life, in communication, in speaking and writing.

Ø  -in conscious mind

Adhoc Vocabulary:

Ø  Some words are important in a text, but outside the text they do not have much value.

Ø  Ex: In Essay on Snakes, students learn various words like python, Russell’s viper, King cobra, black mamba, anaconda etc. but child simply use the word snakes.

Iceberg theory

Ø  The iceberg theory or theory of omission is a writing technique coined by American writer Ernest Hemingway based on less is more.

Ø  We can see only 20% of iceberg and water the remaining 80% is hidden in water.

Ø  Every time you use a word it will go up in the iceberg. If you don't use it will go down.