The Teaching and Learning of EFL Writing at High School

By Liu Yun-hsiang / English Teacher of HSNU

Introduction

Part I: concepts of writing Part II: a demo of writing Part III: students' works

Four questions－ overview of Part I

1.          Where does the teaching take place? (language settings)

2.          How come we write? (motivations)

3.          What should be taught? (writing expertise)

4. How could we write a well-organized essay? (writing process)

Language settings

• TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language)• TESL (teaching English as a second language)• TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages)

Motivations for writing—reasons

To communicate. To pass tests. To seek jobs

Writing formats—purposes

academic writing formats practical writing formats personal writing formats

Writing forms—techniques

Descriptive writing (describing an object) （ CEE 1991 My Favorite Clock; CEE 2002 The Most Precious Thing in My Room ）

Narrative writing (telling a story) （ CEE 1983 A Taxi Ride; CEE 1984 How I Spent Yesterday Evening; CEE 1986 A Shopping Experience; CEE 1989 On the Way to School; CEE 1998 Being Caught in the Rain ; CEE 2000 The Difficulties I Have with Learning English; CEE 2003 The Most Unforgettable Exam ）

Informative writing (informing the reader) （ CEE 1988 The Importance of Trees; CEE 1989 On the Way to School; CEE 1990 Saving Wild Animals; CEE 1995 Making Decisions; CEE 2003 The Importance of Music ）

Persuasive writing (persuading the reader) （ CEE 1996 You Win Some, You Lose Some; CEE 1998 Saying “Thank You” and “I’m Sorry”; CEE 2002 If I Won Two Million Dollars in the Lottery ）

Writing tools— 3-D writing skills

• Horizontal skills: the usages of grammatical items • Vertical skills: the choice of lexical units • Outlining skills: association of ideas and organization of paragraphs • Outlining skills• (association and organization)

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• Grammatical skills Lexical skills• (rules and patterns) (words, phrases, and idioms)• Diagram 1. 3-D writing skills

Writing process—four stages (a flowchart)

Flowchart:

associating→outlining→drafting → revising→finished work

Notes on the flowchart: Associating Outlining Drafting Revising

Outlining—a sample outline

Introduction Body I. main idea (topic sentence) A. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) B. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) C. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) II. main idea (topic sentence) A. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) B. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) C. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) III. main idea (topic sentence) A. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) B. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) C. supporting points (Some elaboration is needed.) Conclusion

Drafting－ the body paragraphs 1. Clearly state each main idea. 2. Present sufficient supporting evidence to back up the main idea. 3. Provide necessary elaboration of each supporting point.

Conclusion－ roles a teacher plays An instructor A writer

PowerPoint

• Go to HSNU. • Go to Mr. Liu’s.• View a sample basic essay. • Go to thank-you note.• Go to No Smoking.

         

Thank-you Note

Dear Aunt Laura,

Thank you so much for the slippers. It gets very chilly here in the winter, so they will get a lot of use when winter comes. What a beautiful and practical Christmas gift! It is sweet of you to remember me. Thanks again for your gift.

Love,

Jessica

Format for writing a Thank-you Note

Greet the Giver Dear Aunt Laura, Express Your Gratitude Thank you so much for the slippers. Discuss Use It gets very chilly here in the winter, so they will get a lot of use when winter c

omes. What a beautiful and practical Christmas gift! Grace It is sweet of you to remember me. Thanks again for your gift. Regards Love,

Jessica