Lesson 7

1. Teaching Writing Lesson 7

2. OVERVIEW • Demonstrate processes involved in writing for the young language learner. • Consider how to approach writing for YLs who are new to the skill of writing in their first language. • Consider approaches to take for our learners as they acquire more experience in writing in their first language and in the target language. • Demonstrate how to encourage young learners to develop their writing skills in a purposeful and enjoyable way through the presentation of a variety of writing tasks.

3. Selecting and Using Suitable Writing Tasks in the YL Classroom 1. Writing is a productive skill that is introduced into the language classroom in different ways, depending on the age and level of the language learners. 2. When planningwriting tasks for the language class, it is valuable to think first about what writing tasks our YLs actually do in their everyday lives and see if we can design similar tasks. 3. We need to be careful that we create meaningful and purposeful writing activities for our YLs. If we create writing tasks that are of no interest to them and largely keep them just copying words and doing handwriting practice, then learners will be acquiringvery little language through the activities.

5. Provide them with a model what you would like learners to write, such as a message on a postcard, labels for a picture, or instructions for a recipe. Provide clear examples, learners will understand what is required. Focus attention on spelling and punctuation. These two areas are particularly important in helping students become successful writers. Lots of models are needed for young learners to look at and emulate. Motivate learners by creating meaningful and purposeful reasons for their writing. For example, ask learners to write the instructions for a new game so that students in another class can understand how to play it. Help learners feel confident in their writing. Give examples and support so they do not feel confused or at sea when writing in English. Model the Type of Writing Needed Encourage Creative Aspects of Writing

6. Help learners recognize that their words are written for others and that they communicate meaning. Encourage students to think about who they are writing for and to try to express themselves in their writing for that particular audience. For example, their writing will be different if they are writing an invitation for friends to come to a party or if they are writing notes about how to do something. Give them many models and strategies for writing in different ways. Help learners realize why they are writing something. Language learners should never write just because they need to have writing practice. Writing should have a purpose. Show how writing is a stage by stage process and is rarely a write it once and it's finished activity. Explain that even experienced writers: plan structure draft review revise edit and rewrite until they are satisfied that their writing has achieved its objective. Demonstrate how to take notes, how to create structure for a piece of writing, and so on. Do examples together Have Students Think about the Audience for their Written Work Demonstrate the Actual Process of Writing

7. Consider What Young Learners Write at Different Ages and Stages of Language Learning Very YLLs who are not yet Writing in their First Language and Have Little Background Learning English YLs who are Beginning to Write in their First Language and Have Limited Background Learning English Young learners who are confident writers in their first language and have some background learning English

8. Prepare them (mentally and physically) to write. Help them hold their pencils correctly and developing hand-eye coordination through various activities: tracing lines, connecting the dots, looking for details by recognizing matching pictures, and so on. Familiarize them with letters of the alphabet and/or actual words (as they appear alongside pictures of the items on flashcards or in storybooks), although they would not necessarily be expected to read or write them. Alphabet work (identifying and eventually writing letters) will come after a lot of exposure to English through meaningful listening and speaking activities. Very YLs who are not yet Writing in their First Language and Have Little Background Learning English Emphasis on acquainting children with language through listening and speaking activities.

9. demonstrate an interest in writing if their activities have a purpose (to play a game, complete a chart, or conduct a survey) or if encouraged to express their ideas (through guided poetry writing or by writing for a classroom book) YLs who are Beginning to Write in their First Language and Have Limited Background Learning English show these characteristics: • need to know what they are writing about and have an interest in getting a message across (understanding of meaning is crucial) • are familiar with writing about things they know about in their first language • when writing, they need lots of guidance and modeling from the teacher to get results • have developed cognitive skills that allow them to recognize how letters and words can be put together to communicate messages • have developed physical skills that allow them to put those letters and words down on paper Remember: Listening and speaking activities precede reading and writing when planning activities in a class around a certain topic.

10. Young Learners who are Confident Writers in their First Language and Have some Background Learning English • Are experienced in different types of writing in their first language and will be able to transfer that knowledge to their understanding of the target language. • Depending on the level of the students (in learning the target language), the teacher needs to continue to provide students with lots of models to help structure their writing. • Should be encouraged to express their own thoughts in their writing by providing them with lots of brainstorming as a class. • This will help prepare them for tasks and encourage them to share ideas. The students' knowledge and ability to think more abstractly should be acknowledged. • Can communicate their thoughts to others (through writing cartoons, reviewing books or TV shows, and writing quizzes or competitions for their peers). • With the guidance of the teacher, they can also learn new things and write about their experiences (through planning and conducting surveys, carrying out experiments, and thinking about their own learning through diary entries).

11. Setting up the Classroom Label objects in the classroom - door, window, cupboard, drawer, board, desk, and chair (children are not yet reading or writing, but they will start to recognize shapes, letters and words). If flashcards are used, label them at the bottom of the pictures. Never ask learners at this level to 'read' or spell out the words, it is valuable for them to start associating the written words with the pictures of the things you are talking about. When they are more cognitively and linguistically developed, they can start to think about individual letters and, eventually, spell and write the words. If children create drawings, they can put together an attractive display of them on the bulletin board with their names clearly and neatly written next to their drawings. Pre-Writing Activities for Very Y Ls • Need a lot of support and scaffolding for their pre-writing and writing skills development • A lot of writing preparation can be carried out in the language class before the learners are actually at the cognitive stage of writing.

12. Create writing practice worksheets that can help children develop their pre-writing skills. Have them move their pencils from left to right on the page by connecting the dots between related items or by drawing a line. This activity is best for children approximately 3-6 years old who are just beginning to write in their first language and English. Have students find their way from one picture to another on a page by drawing a line through a simple kind of maze. Have students use pictures as guides for their own drawings. For example, create a picture of an empty classroom and then have pictures of a chair, desk, pencil and bag around the border of that picture. Have children draw these items in the most suitable places in the classroom. Complete Left to Right Patterns Look and Draw Draw new language introduced in class Activities in the Classroom • Introduce a topic in English to very YLs and then get them to draw a picture about it. • For example, if you are doing the topic of travel, ask learners to draw a car, a bicycle, a truck, a bus, or something amazing like a fire engine (you will be fascinated and surprised by how much attention to detail they will pay to aspects of these drawings.) • Display the pictures together on the wall or put them together in a book. Provide a label for each picture

13. Setting up the Classroom With your guidance, have students label the items that are around the classroom such as clock, door, window, map, and so on. Regularly model writing for your young learners. Use the blackboard as well as paper and pencil examples as often as you can to show how to physically write words and sentences. Take your time and make your handwriting clear, remembering to show how to form each letter. Do not use upper case (capital) letters. It requires them to be confident in two different types of scripts. The exception to this involves using upper case letters to write their own names. Provide each student with an example of how to write his or her name. Then have them make name cards that they can keep on their desks. Ensure students see lots of text in the classroom. Have them regularly complete charts, such as weather or birthday charts. For example, have students make word cards (like rain, sun, wind, snow, hot, and cool) and have them attach the appropriate words each day to the weatherchart. Through this routine, students can use written words to record information in a meaningful way. Writing Activities for Young Learners Beginning to Write in their First Language Learners who are beginning to write in their first language will need support and modeling of writing when learning to write in the target language.

14. Match pictures studied in class with the matching words. Have students ask and answer each other questions on a survey form. Use pictures to help guide them and have them respond through checks (√) and crosses (X). At this level, simple words can also be used. Activities in the class

15. Children can create a slogan related to the topic that is being studied in class. The slogan and accompanying art can be put on a T-shirt . For example, students could design logos about food choices. As you start a new topic, each child could start a new picture dictionary. They could draw the objects or actions and then label them with the new language being introduced. Create vocabulary books or picture dictionaries Create advertisement or T-shirt slogans

16. Acrostics (a poem made by writing the letters of a word vertically) and simple picture crosswords are good for the emerging writer in English as they deal with a word slowly, letter by letter, so that a student is writing at a comfortable pace. Have students write shape poems or calligrams (pictures made up of words that form the shape of that item). Depending on what is studied, the topic of words could be lexical sets, (such as types of food or furniture). Use these activities with children around the age of 7-9 that have been writing in English for some time and can be creative in English. Write shape poems or calligrams Complete acrostics and picture crosswords

17. Solve Coded Messages in English • YLs usually like cracking codes and solving puzzles that make them think about the language. • This is a simple code that involves assigning a number to each letter of the alphabet. • Let children write secret messages to each other in code. For example: • This focus on secret codes is a great way to get YLs thinking very carefully about spelling, even though they will not realize it. • They can also be encouraged to try to make up their own codes.

18. Create a story • After new language has been introduced and practiced with learners through speaking and listening activities, encourage them to draw a picture of something linked to the topic or have them draw three pictures to illustrate a simple three-stage story (beginning, middle and end). • Help them label their pictures. • After reading a story together, children also can be encouraged to write their own class book.

19. Writing Activities for YLs who are Confident Writers in their First Language • Setting up the classroomWriters at this level are able to label the items in the classroom themselves. • You could turn this activity into a sort of game by having groups label different areas of the classroom with your guidance. • You can also take labels off some of the items and see if the learners can tell you which labels are missing.

20. Have students write strip stories (cartoons) in which each stage of the story is in a picture. They can write simple descriptions of what is happening underneath each picture or write speech bubbles for the characters. Give students lots of different story models to follow. You could have them draw strip stories at home and then bring them to class to work on (with your help and their classmates’). Set up a special display space or book so that others can read their work. Students will be motivated to write more stories if they know their work is being enjoyed by others. Activities in the class Write stories based on the language topic Provide guided structure while also encouraging them to take chances with the language

21. Haikus are well-structured poems They are made of three lines with a 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern. Here is an example of a haiku about an elephant: It is big and grey.Its home is in the jungle.It likes to eat nuts. After students have written their haikus, have them write them out very neatly and perhaps, provide an illustration. Display their writing on the wall or in a display book. Have YLs keep their Learner Diary. Encourage them to write in their diary once a week, responding to sentences such as: To help them comment in English, brainstorm possible answers to the questions as a class, so they can learn the vocabulary involved in possible responses and express their feelings in words. Keep a Learner Diary Write Haikus in the Target Language I learn best when I feel …. I learn new English words by ….I remember new English words by …. VI “The more we can encourage learners to be aware of how they are learning, the more successful they will be as language learners and learners in general.”

22. Have students write reviews about books they have read or TV shows or movies they have watched. Create a review sheet for students to complete. This activity is best suited for those children who are comfortable writing, probably around the ages of 8-12. Students can complete these reviews regularly and keep them available for other children to read. This type of writing encourages students to extend their vocabulary to include topics that are of specific interest to them. If possible, set up a class or school newsletter so their writing can reach a definite audience. Book Review First of all, read the book, think about it and talk about it to someone. Sample questions & tasks: What is the story about?  What type of story is it?  What sort of characters did it have in it?  Write a few sentences answering these questions Who do you think this book was written for?  Was it a boy, a girl or both? Put the title of the book and the author's name at the top of the review. Write Reviews Book Review Worksheet

23. Students can use these books to support their learning. If possible, have each child bring a small notebook to class. Have them cut the pages so that it looks like an address book and put the letters of the alphabet on different pages. As they come across new English words, they can write these in their books. There are lots of resource books with crosswords that you can adapt and use in the classroom. Students can also be encouraged to write their own. Complete English Crosswords Create a Vocabulary Book

24. Create simple worksheet competitions or quizzes for children to complete each week and hand in. Present these in a positive way that will encourage and motivate the students by demonstrating to them what they have learned. Have a winner's ceremony at the end of the week for those who have successfully completed the quiz or competition. Consider having an award for someone who has shown great improvement in quiz results. Complete Written Quizzes and Have Competitions

25. Have students participate in experiments that are easy to create in the language class, such as How quickly does sugar dissolve in water? Pre-teach the vocabulary that is needed. Carry out the experiment and narrate what is happening, providing a model for the language that students will need. Have them practice descriptive writing by writing about the experiment following the model you have set up Carry out Simple Experiments and Write about them