Transcript First language acquisition

Teaching writing
Introduction
Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin:
the more children read, the better writers they
are likely to become (true for L1 as well as L2).
Writing activities help to consolidate learning in
the other skill areas and reinforces oral
vocabulary and grammar work.
Controlled writing activities
= the concentration is on the language itself, designed to
avoid serious mistakes
 air/palm/back writing
 tracing, copying from clear and consistent models
- e.g. familiar words, phrases of personal importance,
rhymes, songs
- often illustrated
- mechanical basics of writing
- can be varied (e.g. delayed copying, copy and classify)
- gradually learners can begin to add their own ideas
(choosing from a range of options, filling in a phrase)
Guided writing activities
 word level writing: mixed up letters, simple
puzzles, creating word snakes/puzzles for
classmates
 fill-in exercises –require understanding but not
much active production of language (replacing
pictures with words, completing invitations,
cards, etc.)
 dictation – dynamic alternatives to the classic
form:
1) dictate only half the sentence, pupils finish
themselves
“One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen is… .”
Guided writing activities
2) running dictation – in groups, short text
displayed, pupils read/remember a part and
dictate it to the group
3) reconstructing from prompts:
Jack – fishing
friend’s house - bus – river
tree – fishing
a few minutes – Jack – small fish
Reconstructed text
Jack decided to spend the day fishing. He went
to his friend’s house and they took a bus to the
river. There, they sat down under the tree and
began fishing. After a few minutes, Jack
caught a small fish.
Moving to free writing activities
= the language is the pupils’ own, they have an
opportunity to try out their language skills in a freer
way; should be enjoyable; ideally each pupil should
have his/her own folder to keep all written work in
-
can start with filling in speech bubbles, shopping lists,
instructions (variety of genres)
collaborative/shared writing: teacher creates a text on
the basis of the pupils’ prompts (e.g. a description of an
animal)
email communication within the class
Poetry?
Poetry!
I can see blue sea and grey sky
I can hear the wind and the waves
I can smell the sea
I can taste the salt
And I can touch the soft yellow sand.
Common problems and ways of
addressing them
„No idea what to write about.“
→ pre-writing tasks:
talking about the subject
word stars: brainstorm words related to the main theme
(picture) dictionaries
„Writing incorrectly, with lots of mistakes!
→ provide a model of what the pupils are to write (a letter, a
description…)
→ give feedback during the process of writing, not only at the end
→ shift your focus – sometimes accuracy, sometimes fluency; take into
account both content and language
→ write your comments at the end of the student’s work
→ promote self- and peer-correction