Martin sketchley

12. Is it writing? Yes, it is!
Is it writing?
Putting writing in the context of an adventure can make all the difference to younger learners. If you have a student who doesn’t enjoy writing, don’t tell them that this is a writing activity – frame it as a chance to make their own adventure story…
13. The perfect writing formula: analyse, mind-map, plan, write, and edit
From my experience – though it’s tough to generalise in this fast ELT world – even though we’re teaching English as a second language, this is the first time students have learnt about the style and structure of a writing assignment. So there’s a LOT to teach. So the writing process is a key part of teaching. Bit of a warning here – this takes time. There are five parts to this, a bit like a Shakespeare play. But if you get it right it will really pay off. I’ll explain every part here, and then give you a free booklet to try it out with your own students.
Part one: analyse. Give your students a standard to aim for and make sure they’re aiming high. If you have time, analyse an example text. Analyse the loveliness out of that text – style and structure. What makes it great? If your students already have a good idea about the type of text they’re being asked to produce, still take the time to analyse the question. For example, if it’s an essay question ‘Are cats better than dogs?’, how many possible answers are there to this question? What structure might you have to use? What would not constitute a good answer to the question? If there’s a marking rubric, make sure students know what’s in it.
Part two: mind map. This is where all ideas come in. All of them. And that one. Yup, that too. Ask students to be as creative as possible. So if your question is ‘Are cats better than dogs?’, ask students to think of as many ways as possible in which cats are better, and in which dogs are better. No idea is too silly. Get it all down on paper.
Part three: plan. Your students will have lots of ideas – now ask them to be ruthless and cut them down. Select only the four best ones (if this is an essay). Then put those ideas into a rough plan. And – this is the trick – plan language too. What tenses would they like to include? What linking words? What adjectives or adverbs? Again, it’s all about helping students aim high and be conscious of their language use.