How the Writing Tutor Series Develops Writing Skills

Transcription

1 How the Writing Tutor Series Develops Writing Skills Writing Tutor is a three-level series designed for developing students academic writing skills. The series provides extensive lessons from sentence writing to essay writing. It can be used independently as an individual textbook. However, it will be best used in combination with the e-tutor online writing program. Narrative Informative Informative Persuasive Sentence Writing Level 1 Write sentences within the context Paragraph Writing Level 2 Write logical paragraphs Essay Writing Level 3 Write essays Introduction to Writing Tutor 3A Writing Tutor 3A aims at developing students skills for essay writing. In this book, students can understand different forms of essays and learn to write them. They can also develop their vocabulary and background knowledge on each topic, and incorporate it in their writing. 6

2 Students will study four parts pertaining to one topic every unit. Part 1 Prewriting Learn about the essay form Gather ideas, listen, and take notes Practice the key sentence structure Part 2 Making an Outline Understand the essay topic and brainstorm Make a guided outline Part 3 Making a Draft Practice writing the key part of an essay Write the 1 st draft Part 4 Revising & Proofreading Revise the essay sample Revise and proofread the draft * Each part is designed for the class of 45~60 minutes. Possible Ways of Using the Book Option 1 Independently from e-tutor online lesson General suggestions It is important to understand the writing process and how an essay is organized. As each unit consists of four parts based on the writing process, the students should complete their final draft after they go through all the parts. 7

3 Classroom learning guide 1) Introduce the topic of the essay and talk about the questions and the brainstorming map. Guide the students to take notes on information from the listening materials and use the information for their writing. 2) Guide the students to understand the organization of the essay. Also, make sure the students understand the essay question correctly in order to write a relevant response. 3) Use the grammar parts in each unit to get the students to utilize the grammar knowledge they already have in their actual writing. 4) Provide enough time to brainstorm on the topic since many students have difficulty gathering ideas and organizing them. 5) Encourage the students to give peer evaluation or self-evaluation using the checklist in the book. Option 2 Together with e-tutor online lesson General suggestions If students do the e-tutor online lesson first, and then do the book afterward, they can complete each lesson on their own. However, it can also be possible and effective to do the book first and e-tutor afterward, depending on the level of the students, school curriculum, or students motivation. Classroom learning guide 1) Do a general review of the e-tutor online lesson or lessons which the students have completed. 2) Review the writing form with the sample writing. The sample is in the book as well as in the e-tutor online lesson. 3) Talk about the parts the students have difficulty with, such as the grammar. Guide the students to complete the parts they can do on their own and check the answers. 4) Use the quiz and the exercises in the book to review and reinforce what the students have practiced online. 8

4 About the Book Prewriting Warm-Up A Talk about the topic. What kinds of places do you like going to on vacation? What is a good place to go on vacation? What do you want to do in this place? B Idea sketch: Write anything that occurs to you on the topic. What do you want to write about? Warm-Up Talk about the students experiences or information in relation to the topic. They can use the questions in the box as a prompt. It is important to get the students interested in and to want to write about the topic. 14 to take a break Why When Vacation What Where learn history Why? overseas The students exchange ideas on the topic freely. They can then use the ideas later when they write on their own, as well as when they write the given essay in the book. It is important for the students to think actively to be a good writer. Learn About Essay Writing Have the students read the explanation about parts of an essay. Help them understand and give a few examples. Talk about the sample essay parts and answer the questions. Ask the students in pairs or groups to come up with some examples of the essay parts on any topic. Have them present their writing to their classmates and get feedback. The students write their own answers individually and exchange feedback with their partners. The question types vary throughout the book. Learn About Essay Writing 1 An introduction is the very beginning of the essay. It has three parts. Attention Grabber Introduction It is the first part of the introduction. Attention grabber It captures the reader s interest. General statements It can be: Thesis statement a question that makes the reader think. an interesting fact that can get the reader s attention. a quotation: a group of words or sentences that someone said. A Match the attention grabber with the right sentence. 1. A question Over 74 million people visit France every year. It s the most popular tourist destination in the world. 2. A fact Life is either a daring adventure or nothing, according to the famous American Helen Keller. Like Helen Keller, I think adventure is important, especially when I go on vacation. 3. A quotation Have you ever considered a cold weather destination for your vacation? Although most people think of warm places for vacation, places like Alaska offer many unique experiences. B Write an attention grabber on your topic. Then, have a classmate guess what your essay will be about. Attention grabber: 15 9

5 Track 16 Listen and Gather Ideas 1 A Listen to the lecture and answer the questions. 1. Which places does the teacher talk about for a vacation? 2. What can you do if you go on a nature vacation? B Fill in the outline with the key points of the lecture. nature museums beaches - lifestyles of the past - go swimming art galleries - go windsurfing - pictures, sculptures Vacations mountains - - souvenirs - meet people write postcards Listen and Gather Ideas The students listen to a lecture and talk about it in general: what it is about, what happened, how it ended. Then, they can find the key information to answer the questions and fill in the graphic organizer. The audio file and the transcript of the lecture is provided on Compass Publishing website ( Have the students fill in the chart with the information they have taken notes on. Discuss what information may be helpful when they write their own essay on the same topic. Grammar Practice 1 Most grammar points in the book are what most students at this level already know well, so it is important not to explain the grammar points in detail. The teacher can start by showing some example sentences and talk about whether the sentences are correct or not. Discuss what the students should be careful about when they use the grammar in their writing. (There are three Grammar Practice sections in a unit.) Grammar Practice 1 Verb Form and Use 1. last week two years ago 2. The subject is who/what that does the action. Example: Many people visit the US each year. The subject is who/what that receives the action. Example: The US is visited by many people each year. A Choose the correct form of the verb to complete the sentence. 1. You will how beautiful Mount Halla is. a. seeing b. saw c. see 2. I to France three years ago. a. went b. go c. will go 3. Mount Kilimanjaro with beautiful nature. a. filling b. was filled c. is filled 4. There a nice coffee shop when I visited the town. a. is b. was c. will be 5. Brad Jones that travel book. a. was written b. wrote c. writing This exercise is for checking the basic understanding 17 of the grammar point. The students will use the grammar points when they proofread their writing. The other exercises in the unit are for applying their grammar knowledge to their writing. Past - was/were - visited every day on Fridays Facts/Routine - am/are/is - visit(s) tomorrow next week Future - will be - will visit 10

6 Making an Outline Make Your Outline A Understand the topic: Read the question carefully and underline the key words or phrases. Think about your dream vacation. What place would you like to go? Why do you want to go there? B Brainstorm: Write down your ideas about the topic. A Place I Would Like to Go Where Why Examples Where Why Beijing (the name of a city) go swimming the Rocky Mountains (the name of a go hiking in the mountains scenic outdoor place) go sightseeing Jeju Island (the name of a popular visit historic places/museums beach area) go to a local market Banff National Park (the name of a eat great food popular nature spot) England (the name of a country) Make Your Outline The students read the essay question and understand how to answer it properly. Have the students underline the phrases that indicate the key information they should include in their essay. The students brainstorm and write their ideas about the essay question. They can use the ideas and words in the box. 18 The students decide the title of their essay and the thesis statement. Have them look at the question again and make sure they respond to the question properly. Then, have them fill in the blanks with their ideas. The students write the outline of their essay using the information they get from the lecture and the ideas in the brainstorming section. Remind them of the key parts of a paragraph. Guide them to decide which is the key point and which supports the key point or gives examples of it. The teacher can demonstrate how to organize ideas with one student s topic. They can compare their outlines with the sample essay on the next page. C The title and the main point: Think about your essay title and the points you want to make in your essay. Think about your dream vacation. What place would you like to go? Why do you want to go there? The title of the essay A Place I Your point There are two main reasons why I would like to go to : first, for and, second, for. D Complete the outline: Write about the place you want to visit, your reasons, and details. Use your notes and ideas on p. 8 and p. 10. Thesis Statement: Title: Your Outline There are two main reasons why I would like to go to : first, for and, second, for. Reason 1: Example(s): * The thesis statement tells the reader what your essay is going to be about. It gives the main idea of your essay. Reason 2: Example(s): 19 11

7 22 Making a Draft Complete the 1 st Draft A Write your 1 st draft. Use the sample when you write the draft. Introduction Attention Grabber: General Statement: Thesis Statement: London is calling me, and I can t wait to reply. London is one of the most famous cities in the world. I would like to visit London for two reasons: the city is full of historic buildings, and it is known for its arts and culture. Body 1 Topic Sentence 1: First, I am going to visit London s historic buildings. Examples 1: Westminster Abbey, which was built in the 13 th century, is where all the kings and queens of England have been crowned. Buckingham Palace is the name of the Queen s home. This famous building is over 300 years old. Big Ben, a 150-year-old clock tower, is another must on my list. The clock is known as one of the symbols of London. Complete the 1 st Draft The students write their first drafts. Ask the students what information they may add to make each paragraph clear and interesting. They can use the sample paragraph or write their own. Each unit has a focus, which is presented in Learn About Essay Writing. For example, Unit 1 focuses on writing a good attention grabber in the introduction. Get the students to spend more time and effort on it and exchange ideas in groups. Revise the Sample The students practice revising with a sample essay. Guide the students to find out what kinds of problems the underlined sentences have and how to change the underlined parts. The focus is not on grammar errors but on the content and the organization of the essay. The alternative sentence choices are given on the next page. The students can talk about anything in the essay while comparing it with their own. Have the students read their drafts again and check whether there is any information they want to add or change. 26 Revising and Proofreading Revise the Sample A Read the sample essay and talk about how to change the underlined sentences. Sample Writing Essay A Place I Would Like to Go 1 I like vacations. b I like to visit a new country every year. Switzerland is a beautiful country with many attractions. You can both relax and experience new things in this country. 2 I will tell you why Switzerland is so beautiful. First, I can relax in Switzerland. Switzerland has a lot of natural attractions. I can refresh myself by walking in the Alps or I can lie on a beach by Lake Geneva. 3 It has perfect nature. Second, I can experience many new things in this country. Switzerland is famous for outdoor sports. I can try skiing, snowshoeing, or winter hiking. Switzerland also is well known for chocolate and wine. 4 My best friend loves candy better. In conclusion, I think Switzerland would be a great place to visit this year. Whether I want to relax at a beach or try a new kind of chocolate, I can do it all in Switzerland! After they revise their first drafts, have the students proofread them using the checklist on the next page. Encourage the students to switch their essays and give feedback on each other s essays. The reason for this is that the students cannot often see their mistakes for themselves. 12