WRITING IN A FOREIGN

LANGUAGE
 WRITING IN A
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
• The process of learning to write in
a foreign language should be
started in Primary Education and
really never ends.
2. WHAT DO WE MEAN
WHEN WE REFER TO
WRITING?

• Academic: Writing is the production

of a sequence of sentences
arranged in a particular order and
linked together to form a coherent
whole called text.
• From a communicative
perspective, we could understand
writing as “the ability to
communicate with each other and
express our own ideas in written
form”.
 3. SPECIFIC SKILLS
ATTACHED TO WRITING

• Writing is clearly a complex,

multifaceted process requiring the
ability to manipulate many sub-skills
simultaneously:
– “involves being creative, spelling,
grammar, punctuation, choice of
appropriate words, sentences
linking and text construction”.
 3.1. Graphic or Visual
Skills
• Spelling: Difference between
pronunciation and spelling in the
English language.
• How can our students improve their
spelling?
• We advise them to
– a) select priority words to learn,
– b) get plentiful, regular practice,
– c) know about the language,
– d) learn techniques,
– e) develop an interest in words,
– f) check their work,
– g) have confidence in themselves.
 3.1. Graphic or Visual
Skills
• Punctuation: Learning how to use
punctuation correctly is a slow and
laborious process. It should be
started from the very beginning.
• Layout: There are certain
conventions on how to write a
letter, construct a paragraph,
organise a written text and so on
that are culturally determined.
3.2. Grammatical Skills
• This refers to the students' skill in
making efficient use of
grammatical structures and
constructions.
 Expressive or Stylistic
Skills

• This includes the learners’

capacity to select the most
appropriate meaning in a range of
styles and registers: Sociolinguistic
competence
 3.4.Rhetorical Skills

• This refers to the ability to use

linguistic cohesive devices –what
we call “connectors” and
“modifiers”– in order to link parts
of a text into logically related
sequences: discourse competence
 3.5. Organisational
Skills

• The organisation of pieces of

information into paragraphs and
texts.
 4. THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE FOUR
SKILLS

• It is an obvious fact that

languages are spoken before they
are written, and there are people
who communicate perfectly in the
spoken language without being
able to express themselves in
writing.
 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE FOUR
SKILLS

• When introducing the skills we should

know
– what stage the learners are at in the
acquisition of their first language skills,
– to ensure that we do not interfere with the
learning process of their own language.
 PASSIVE/ RECEPTIVE ACTIVE/PRODUCTIVE

ORAL/AURAL LISTENING SPEAKING

VISUAL READING WRITING

 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE FOUR
SKILLS
• At beginner levels in particular,
writing practice should be aimed at
– reinforcing the learning of linguistic
elements which have been practised
orally,
– without forgetting to introduce our
pupils to vocabulary practice and the
structures of written language itself.
 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE FOUR SKILLS

• Integrated Skills: It means

that we can create activities,
tasks where the four basic
skills are integrated.
 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE FOUR SKILLS
• Integrating Reading and
Writing. Reading and Writing
are closely related:
– a) reading is a source of input and
model for written language
– b) there is a continual process of
feedback between the two skills.
a) Reading as a source of input
and model for written language:

• Students need to receive

language, a comprehensible input,
by means of reading a sufficient
amount in order to develop their
capacity.
• Beginners should be given models
adapted to their level.
 b) Continual process of
feedback between the two skills

• We constantly read what we have

written to revise content and
grammar, organise the text, etc.
So there is a continous feedback.
 Integrating Speaking and
Writing

• When we are writing something

we usually “try it out” by
pronouncing it internally in what is
known as “inner speech”
 4.5 Integrating Listening
and Writing

• To get used to English spelling, it is

better first to only hear the word, get to
know its “acoustic shape” before
writing it down.
– Traditional activities: Dictations or
listening comprehensions
– Communicative writing activities:
Information gaps and task
dependency
 5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
WRITTEN AND SPOKEN
DISCOURSE
SPOKEN LANGUAGE WRITTEN LANGUAGE
* More informal: we sometimes * Formal and polished
express ourselves by means of
short, incomplete sentences, using
contractions and fillers.
* Spoken discourse is ephemeral, it * It is permanent, it leaves a record.
leaves no record unless it is
intentionally taped or transcribed.
* A spontaneous and improvised * A deliberate and conscious
activity. process, subject to continuous
revision, which must be planned
and organised.
* The situational context helps * Only the linguistic context is
understanding available
 5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
WRITTEN AND SPOKEN
DISCOURSE
SPOKEN LANGUAGE WRITTEN LANGUAGE

* An immediate response is obtained * No immediate feedback

from the audience, who confirm
whether or not the message has been
understood.
* The context and knowledge shared by * The written text is explicit and
the speaker and the listener mean concrete.
that certain information is assumed
without needing to be made explicit.
* Proxemic, kinesic or paralinguistic * There are no expressive resources
elements may be used to clarify, although this is partially remedied by
complete or reinforce the message. the use of punctuation.
* The natural unit of expression is the * The natural unit of expression is the
sentence paragraph.
* Speech may contain a regional or * Standard language is usually used in
dialectal variant writing.
 HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
WRITING ENGLISH?

• Teacher’s perspective:
– lack of a well-defined model of “teaching how to write”
– reduced to exercises known as composition or essays.
– Time-consuming activity.
– this skill requires a lot of time to obtain an acceptable
product and relegates it to homework.
– Focus on Listening and Speaking.
– Our educational system pays more attention to oral
skills.
– The teacher is usually the only audience for the pupils’
work.
 HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
WRITING ENGLISH?
• Pupil’s perspective:
• Pupils tend to see writing as an academic activity imposed
by the teacher.
• It is the only skill whose final product is “fixed” and
recorded for posterity.
• There is no immediate feedback.
• Need for a real audience and real communication to give
authenticity to this exercise and encourage the pupil’s
implication in the process.
• Choice of subject matter.
• the themes proposed are often repetitive, unimaginative
and unattractive.
• Solitary work:
7.THE WRITING PROCESS

• Before beginning:

– The content: what you are writing for.

– The addressee or reader: who you
are writing to or for.
– The purpose: why you are writing.
 7.1.What do people
write?
• Distinction between personal writing
and public/professional or institutional
writing
 What do people write?
• PERSONAL & PUBLIC WRITING

a) Study writing: b) Creative Writing:

- Lecture notes Poems, songs, stories, rhymes,
- Reviews autobiographies, tales, drama, chants.
- Summaries These are text types which are created for
- Synopses an aesthetic reason and for personal
- New Vocabulary satisfaction although they may be
- Copying from the board shared with others.
- Written exercises In TEFL these texts are widely used to
For others: practice language and promote the
Essays, Reports and exams, imagination and creativity of the
Composition, Dictation pupil.
 What do people write?
• PUBLIC OR INSTITUTIONAL WRITING

a) Public Writing: b) Social Writing: c)Professional Writing:

Intended for These help us to establish and Specialised texts related to
organisations or maintain social relations with professional tasks
institutions. those around us. (Legal, commercial,
-Letters of Enquiry, - Letters educational, advertising,
complaint and - Invitations medical, journalism)
request. -Notes of thanks, congratulations, of which have clearly
- Form Filling condolence defined characteristics.
- Applications - Telephone messages - Agendas
- Faxes - Instructions to friends and family. - Minutes
- Curriculum Vitae - E-mails - Memoranda
- SMS - Articles
- Online chats - Public Notices
- Contracts
- Advertisements
- Business Letters
- Market research
- Specifications
 7.1. Who for? The
audience
• Pupil needs to write with either a
Classmates:
Exchanging written work with classmates for them
real or imaginary reader in mind.
to make suggestions or corrections, using the
• The choice
principle of appropriate style
of Peer Teaching.
Reading
and work out loud
content fordepend
will the rest ofon
thethe
class to
hear.
audience
Anonymous we unsigned
letters: are writing for.
or unaddressed
• The- the
letters teacher
sender or should not become
the receiver have to be
guessed: e.g. Be my Valentine!
the only reader of their work.
Home-made Books: we refer here to an easy-to-
make low-cost book that is made by the pupils
themselves. The teacher explains to the pupils how
to make the books (Cancelas 1997).
 7.1. Who for? The
audience

• Other students in the school: make

a newspaper, magazine or other
mini projects (exhibitions) to share
with pupils from other classes.
• The student himself, writing a
poem, a few notes, or a draft for
his eyes only.
 7.1. Who for? The
audience
• A real outside audience:
– Pen friends
– Pen pals, Key pals or cyberpals
– Internet chats
– SMS messages
– Writing for information:
– Parents:
– Friends
– Fictional characters
 7.1. Who for? The
audience
• An imaginary outside audience.
• We can create displays of their
work: class surveys.
• “Royal Mail” post box will
encourage pupils to write letters
to their teacher
 7.1. Who for? The
audience
• “Royal Mail” post box will
encourage pupils to write letters
to their teacher, headmaster, or
other pupils to express their
complaints, opinions, suggestions
or congratulations.
• English Notice Board where they
can write news that interests them
and that they want to share with
the rest of the class.
 7.1. Who for? The
audience

• The clothes-line allows us to carry

out many activities in the English
classroom.
 7.1. Who for? The
audience
• We can provide a Book of
Envelopes where they can put
their letters written to the person
whose address is on the front of
each envelope.
 7.1. Why? The purpose

• Writing always has a purpose

which will determine the
expressions, vocabulary, style,
format, etc. that should be used.
• The writer should have a reason
for writing and this will depend on
age, interests and needs.
 7.1. Why? The purpose

• We could propose exercises that fulfil

some of the following requirements:
– They make you think in order to solve a
problem.
– They are entertaining.
– They communicate something, such as
letters or notes.
– They have a specific use for the pupils: the
words of a song, a recipe, facts and figures,
etc.
 8.1. The Controlled-to-
Free Approach
• 8.2. The Free-Writing
Approach
– Intermediate-level students.
– Quantity rather than quality.
– Content and fluency rather than
form.
 The Paragraph-Pattern
Approach
• The focus here is on text
organisation.
• Students copy, analyse and imitate
model paragraphs and passages.
 The Grammar-Syntax-
Organisation
Approach
• Teach students to connect the purpose
of a written text to the most
appropriate forms required to convey
the message.
• Attention is paid to grammar and
syntax, as well as to appropriate choice
of vocabulary and the structure of the
piece of writing
 The Communicative
Approach
• The purpose and addressee of a
piece of writing are the focal
points of this approach.
• Addressees other than the
teacher.
• It is believed that writers work
better when writing for a real
reader.
 The Communicative
Approach
• “Describe yourself”, but “Your
penpal from England is coming to
stay with you for the first time.
Write a letter describing yourself
so that he/she will recognise you
when you go to meet him/her at the
station.”
The Process Approach
to Writing
• Composing processes writers
make use of in writing, such as
• planning (also called pre-writing)
• drafting
• Composing
• creating and developing
• and revising (or editing).
The Process Approach
to Writing
• The aim of this approach is to help
the student answer the question
“How do I write this?” by
developing their use of composing
processes.
 Pre-writing activities
• Class discussion of the topic,
brainstorming or list making).
• Think about what they are going to
write.
• Who they are writing for.
• organise their work, etc
• Students then respond to these ideas in
writing (the drafting stage).
 Writing
• Drafting improved upon with the
help of feedback from the teacher
and/or other students:
• Creating
• The final stage is Revising
The Eclectic Approach
• Teachers use what they consider
to be the most useful techniques
from each approach, according to
the teaching context they are
working in, the stage their pupils
are at, etc.
 9. IMPORTANCE OF
WRITING IN TEFL
• It is above all a useful learning tool
• It helps to consolidate and
reinforce the learning of other
knowledge (grammar, vocabulary,
etc.).
• It is a useful communication
channel.
• It adds another physical dimension
to the learning process.
 TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE
TEACHING OF WRITING:
FAMILIARIZATION, CONTROLLED
WRITING, GUIDED WRITING AND FREE
WRITING

• A series of stages has been

established where the activities
become increasingly more
complex.
– Familiarisation with written texts:
writing words, simple grammatical
phrases, routines or prefabricated
language is the first step before
pupils can produce their first written
sentences.
 TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE
TEACHING OF WRITING:
FAMILIARIZATION, CONTROLLED
WRITING, GUIDED WRITING AND FREE
WRITING

• copying, tracing and handling

language, focused mainly on
spelling and vocabulary. Possible
activities: crosswords, anagrams,
jumbled letters, put the words in
one sentence, labelling objects and
pictures, hangman, etc.
 TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE
TEACHING OF WRITING:
FAMILIARIZATION, CONTROLLED
WRITING, GUIDED WRITING AND FREE
WRITING

• Controlled Writing: Controlling

the pupil’s production and
reducing the possibility of
mistakes.
– very little communicative function
 TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE
TEACHING OF WRITING:
FAMILIARIZATION, CONTROLLED
WRITING, GUIDED WRITING AND FREE
WRITING

• Guided Writing: Here the learner

begins to produce written
sentences following very precise
guidelines provided by the teacher
or the textbook, which usually lead
to predictable results.
 TOWARDS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE
TEACHING OF WRITING:
FAMILIARIZATION, CONTROLLED
WRITING, GUIDED WRITING AND FREE
WRITING

• Free Writing: Also known as

Creative, Expressive writing or
Writing for Fluency.
 11.3. Teaching Aids:
• Slotboard: large board with a row of
pockets along the bottom.
– The pupil inserts cards with words on
them in the pockets to create
sentences.
• Flashcards:
11.3. Teaching Aids:
• Displaying
Charts:
11.3. Teaching Aids:
• Word displays:
• Sentence markers:
11.3. Teaching Aids:

• Games: from scrabble to help

with spelling, or snap.
• Dominoes
• Puzzles
• Visual Material (Pictures,
drawings, photographs,
wallcharts, etc.)
 11.3. Teaching Aids:

• Roll Sentences: the children write sentences

in strips which can be rotated around a
cardboard tube to make new sentences.

• Frames: Big Books to initiate children in

writing.

• Activity Books. Workbooks and

worksheets are widely used in our
Education System
 11.3. Teaching Aids:
• Computers: Use of emails and
correspondence with penpals (
http://www.ks-connection.org/penpal
/
penpal.html) as a way of giving
authenticity to written
communication. Chats are another
form of communication written in
real time
 11.3. Teaching Aids:

• We should not forget the existence of

specific computer programmes
designed for different levels and age-
groups to practise this skill.
• Hot Potatoes, available at:
http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked/ is a
good example.
 11.4. The Use of
Individual, Pair and
Group Techniques.
• Although the aim is for each pupil
to develop writing techniques, it
does not have to be an individual
task relegated to homework
assignments.
 11.4. The Use of
Individual, Pair and
Group Techniques:
• Techniques for pair work.
– games such as “Back Writing” or “Palm Writing”.
The pupil writes a word on the back or palm of a
classmate, who has to guess the word.

• Techniques for Group work.

• Group work is very productive.
• pupils can benefit from the knowledge of their
classmates and overcome their fear of
expressing themselves as the work, and
therefore the mistakes, are collective
 11.4. The Use of
Individual, Pair and
Group Techniques:
• “Consequences” : Learners work in groups
of seven, and they have to write their
answers to a series of questions. The first
one writes his/her answer then folds the
piece of paper and passes it on to the next
person who writes the answer to the second
question. When they have all finished they
unfold the sheet of paper, read it aloud and
then write a text with the information.
 11.4. The Use of Individual,
Pair and Group Techniques:
• We can assign projects that
involve a collective writing
exercise such as a class
newspaper or magazine, making a
class dictionary or writing an
English diary.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Change teachers’ attitudes to
writing
• Learning to write is a gradual,
dynamic, progressive and
developmental process.
• Writing ability develops through
meaningful writing experiences.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• We will focus on meaning rather than
accuracy.
• Children should write about what they
have talked about or read about.
• The writing process should be planned
and established.
• Play with words, sentences and texts .
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Introduce motivating and funny
activities.
• Encouraging risk-taking.
• Acceptance of the mistakes.
• Be positive. Praise and respect all
efforts.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• For young children visual aids
(pictures, flashcards, cardwords)
are very important.
• Encourage children to be
autonomous (consult dictionaries,
spell-checkers, computers, books,
etc.)
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Our starting point is that the pupils
know how to write in their L1.
• We will move step by step,
starting with spelling, writing
words, forming phrases,
punctuation, paragraphs, and
ending with the creation of whole
texts.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• We will follow the classic stages
mentioned in section 11:
• Familiarisation,
• Controlled Writing,
• Guided writing and
• Free Writing.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Writing activities go from being tightly
controlled to being completely free.
• We should familiarise the pupil with
writing and most activities will be
aimed at learning the alphabet,
presenting techniques for learning how
to spell, and writing words.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
Complete these words with
oe ue oo u oa o
1. A c____ and a l___ rry on the road.
2. The sky is bl___ and the s___n is yellow.
3. P___t on your sh___s, cr___ss the w___d and go
to sch___l!
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Learning spelling is a difficult process
due to the complexity of the English
language, which has 44 phonemes
represented by only 26 letters.
• Strategies used to improve spelling:
– Traditional and
– multisensorial techniques
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Traditional strategies are
• a) learn individual words off by
heart.
• b) Apply spelling rules (such as ‘i
before e except after “c” and
teach Letter Patterns.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Games such as:
• Hangman.
• Complete the word.
• Start at the end or Start with the
letter.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Guided Writing
– Use copying in a way which
encourages pupils to think: using
crosswords, or anagrams, and
matching, sequencing or classifying
activities.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
ANAGRAMS: Name of animals
- OESMU............. -TRA…… -LULB…….. –ERITG.............. – EYNDOK..........

dice, foggy, mountain, punky, butcher, bike, warden, rucksack, freezing,

face, cinema, cool, tent, surfboard, path, path, warm
WEATHER PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENTS HIKING
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Dictation
• The runner and the scribe: two pupils sit
one in front of the other at a distance
from the board, where there is a text
written in small letters. One of the
students, the “runner”, goes up to the
board, reads a sentence, then goes back
and dictates the sentence from memory
to the “scribe”, who writes it down. When
they reach a mark in the text, they swap
roles. The exercise is then corrected by
means of a listening exercise.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• A text is placed outside the
classroom.
• A pupil goes out to the text,
reads a sentence, then comes
back into the room and dictates
the sentence from memory to the
rest of the class.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels.
• Dictogloss. The teacher dictates
a story and at certain stages asks
learners to write, within a time
limit, part of the text as a creative
writing exercise.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Controlled writing at Sentence Level.
• To develop students' awareness of
organising thoughts into a logical
sequence.
• Use media such as slotboards and
displaying boards.
• Pupils manipulate the language on
cards and the whole class practises,
plays and produces sentences before
moving on to a more abstract plane.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• The resulting phrases are then corrected
or improved by the whole class.
PUT THE WORDS INTO 1 SENTENCE
eats cat a fish lot my of
_____________________________________

MARK WORD BOUNDARIES:

Theangrywomanwalkedintotheforest.
Tworedbusesstoppedatthetrafficlights
Thehensonmyfarmlayalotofeggs
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Copy and rearrange exercises:
In Primary Education pupils should
be given a variety of written texts
adapted to their level and
interests (letters, postcards,
adverts, comics, tales, nursery
rhymes, etc.) to become familiar
with them.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• “Fill-in Exercises”,
• “Picture Gaps” and
• “Opposites"

OPPOSITES:
It was a very hot day and Susan was very happy. Her mother had
given her a big bag of delicious sweets and she wanted to share
them with her friends. The bag was quite heavy and she was
walking quickly so she soon got tired. She sat down and went to
sleep. When she woke up the bag was empty!
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Pupils are given a basic text with
no adjectives or adverbs. They
have to rewrite the text including
a list of words provided by the
teacher, or, for higher ability
groups, complete the text with
their own words.
 11.5. Writing at
Elementary Levels:
• Information transfer activities:
information presented in tables
provides material to write simple
phrases and paragraphs. I
• Guided compositions: we can show
them picture storyboards with vignettes
for them to describe and write a
composition following the given
storyline.
 12. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON
MARKING WRITING
• Marking is a vital part of the
writing process.
• As guidance is fundamental for the
pupils to learn from their mistakes,
and make the necessary progress
in the acquisition of this skill.
12. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON
MARKING WRITING
• There is a tendency to mark written
work by looking for grammatical errors,
incorrect use of punctuation or
misspelling.
• Before picking up our red pens: Read
the pupils’ work from beginning to end,
looking for strengths as well as
weaknesses.
 correction/Peer
correction/Self
correction.
• Teacher correction.
– It is preferable to mark work during class with
the learner present in order to get more
immediate feedback.
– Written comments can be effective and
should be personal and encouraging.
– “Super work, (student’s name)!; Well done,
(student’s name)!;I like this picture very
much, (student’s name); This is not your best
work, (student’s name); Oh dear, (student’s
name)!”
12. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON
MARKING WRITING
• Peer correction.
• Pupils often learn from each other’s
mistakes.
• Pupils become more involved in the
teaching-learning process
• The teacher’s marking load is
lightened.
• Pupils often find it less traumatic to
write if they know their work will be
marked by one of their peers.
 12. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON
MARKING WRITING
• Self correction.
• More useful when marking
controlled or guided writing
exercises and fairly limited in the
case of free writing
• They need to develop the ability to
read their own work critically
12.3 Checklists and lists of
symbols.

yes no
Spelling
Punctuation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Ideas
Organisation
Handwriting
12.3 Checklists and lists
of symbols.
P: punctuation error S: spelling error ^: something is missing
WW: wrong word WO: wrong word order //: new paragraph needed
used
R-O: run-on-sentence V: verb tense error ?: I don’t understand this
Agr: agreement
(subject-verb, : good; well done; I
adjective-noun or like this
noun-pronoun)
http://www.powershow.com/view/2aaba3-YTZiM/
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