1. Teaching writing

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. 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….”

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. Poetry?

9. 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.

10. 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