1. Developing Writing Skills
The writing process in
Over To You
Presented by :
Abdelaziz Adnani
Helena Butterfield IRS 2007

2. Introduction
In order to be able to select and use appropriate procedures & materials, as well assess their learners’ needs and progress, teachers need to be clear regarding the desirable outcomes of a writing programme and the processes involved in good writing.
Helena Butterfield IRS 2007

3. Anticipated problems when developing the writing skill
& possible solutions:

4. 1- Problems we expect to face when teaching writing:
Writing is a complex process and can lead to the learners' frustration.
Students may react negatively to rewriting the same material during a process writing session.
concerns about grammar & vocabulary can often get in the way of the natural flow of students' writing .
Students cannot express themselves
clearly and correctly.
Helena Butterfield IRS 2007

5. Students make different types of errors:
1- Lexical and semantic errors: The misuse of words & word collocation.
2- Discourse errors:
- Lack of unity.
- Coherence & cohesive
devices.
- Grammatical errors.
- Spelling & Punctuation
mistakes.

6. 2- Why should teachers be interested in a process to writing?
Focusing on language errors improves neither grammatical accuracy nor writing fluency.
Feedback is more useful between drafts, not when it is done at the end of the task.
The teacher needs to move away from being a marker to a reader; responding to the students' writing more than the form.

7. 1. Students should be encouraged to think about the audience and what the readers need to know.
2. Students need to realize that what they put down on paper
can be changed: Things can
be deleted, added,
reconstructed, organized etc.

9. 3- The different stages in a process approach to writing.
a- Pre-writing:
Stimulate the students creativity.
Get them to think about how to approach a writing topic.
In this stage, the most important thing is the flow of ideas.
Helena Butterfield IRS 2007

10. b- Drafting: Focusing ideas:
During this stage, students write without much attention to the accuracy of their work.

11. c- Editing: Structuring and evaluating:
1. At this level, the writing is adapted.
2. Students should focus more on form and on producing a finished piece of work.

12. 4- Classroom activities:
a- Pre-writing:
Brainstorming
planning
generating ideas
questioning
discussion
& Debate.

13. b- Drafting:
1- Students write quickly on a topic for five or ten minutes without worrying about correct language or punctuation.
2- Working in groups, sharing ideas.
3- Exchanging views: Different students choose different points of view and think about and discuss them.

14. c- Editing:
1- Ordering: organizing the notes written. What should come first? and why?
2- Self –editing: A good writer must learn how to evaluate his own
language to improve through checking his own text, looking for errors.

15. 3- Peer editing & proof reading:
- The texts are exchanged / interchanged and the evaluation is done by other students.
- The students are sometimes asked to reduce the texts & to edit them concentrating on the most important information.

18. The 6+1 Trait Writing Model
Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Presentation

19. Trait 1: Ideas
Simply stated, ideas make up the content of the writing piece.
Strong ideas = Clear overall message/content
Students struggle with ideas because writing is complex, they think faster than they can write, and they often don’t write for themselves.

20. Trait 1: Ideas As teachers, we must help our students…
Select an idea (the topic)
Narrow the idea (focus)
Elaborate on the idea (development)
Discover the best information to convey the main idea (details)

21. Trait 2: Organization
Organization is the internal structure of the piece, the thread of central meaning, the pattern of logic.
Students struggle with organization because rigid organization is often overvalued, organization is a difficult thing to achieve, and there is no single program to solve all of our organizational woes.

22. Trait 2: Organization As teachers, we must help our students with…
Writing an introduction—a lead that hooks the reader.
Developing the middle of the paper—a core that is logically organized and contains clearly linked details.
Writing the conclusion—an ending that leaves the reader satisfied.

23. Trait 3: Voice
Voice is the writer’s music coming out through words, the sense that a real person is speaking to you and cares about the message.
Students struggle with voice because it’s not as concrete as other traits, because there is a perception that “boring” is good, because it’s a bit too personal, and because many teachers still say that some forms of writing don’t require voice.

24. Trait 3: Voice As teachers, we must remember that voice emerges when the writer…
Speaks directly to the reader on an emotional level.
Experiments with style to match the purpose and audience.
Takes risks by revealing the person behind the words.

25. Trait 4: Word Choice
Word choice isn’t just about the use—or misuse—of words. It is about the use of rich, colorful, precise language that both communicates and inspires the reader.
Students struggle with word choice because too often, language is used to exclude, vocabulary is often taught in isolation, and students tend to get “word drunk.”

26. Trait 4: Word Choice As teachers, we must teach our students how to use…
Striking language: Sharpen students descriptive powers
Exact language: Using lively verbs, precise nouns, and accurate modifiers
Natural language: Making it sound authentic
Beautiful language: Choosing colorful words and phrases

27. Trait 5: Sentence Fluency
Strong sentence fluency is marked by logic, creative phrasing, parallel construction, alliteration, and word order that makes reading feel natural.
Students struggle with sentence fluency because of the overemphasis on correctness, because writing classrooms are too quiet, and because writing good sentences is harder than it looks.

28. Trait 5: Sentence Fluency As teachers, we must help our students with…
Establishing flow, rhythm, and cadence.
Varying sentence length and structure.
Constructing sentences that enhance meaning.

29. Trait 6: Conventions
Conventions guide the reader through the text, making ideas readable and understandable.
Conventions = spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, paragraphing, etc.
Students struggle with conventions because they don’t see the power of good writing mechanics, and because they aren’t encouraged to take enough risks with their writing.

30. Trait 6: Conventions As teachers we should…
Be sure students understand that editing and revising are different.
Expect correctness, but only according to appropriate developmental level and age.
Value experimentation right along with correctness. It’s a balancing act.
Be patient. Learning to use conventions well takes time.

31. Presentation (+1) How the writing looks to the reader.
Writing should have a finished look that shows care.

32. Presentation (+1) As teachers, we need to encourage the following in our students’ writing:
Uniform spacing
Legible handwriting; appropriate use of fonts and sizes
Appealing use of white space

35. Conclusion:
Tips:
Bring some energy and excitement to the process of writing.
Create a writing environment that is authentic and purposeful.
Resort to group work to help decrease the students' fear.
Make your tasks lively and enjoyable.

36. Implement in your students the idea that their writing is addressed to a person, for a reason and with an expected response.
Provide a real audience for your students by creating class magazines or by swapping letters with other classes.
Make your students know that, as their teacher and audience, you are interested in their ideas.

37. Train your students on the techniques of writing: listing, selecting and organizing.
Help develop your students grammar, syntax, punctuation by analyzing stylistic features of good reading texts.
Insist on responding to the content and how far the students have achieved their purpose for writing.

38. Thank you