What is process writing?

The process approach treats all writing as a creative act which requires time and positive feedback to be done well. In process writing, the teacher moves away from being someone who sets students a writing topic and receives the finished product for correction without any intervention in the writing process itself. The importance of feedback It takes a lot of time and effort to write, and so it is only fair that student writing is responded to suitably. Positive comments can help build student confidence and create good feeling for the next writing class. It also helps if the reader is more than just the teacher. Class magazines, swapping letters with other classes, etc. can provide an easy solution to providing a real audience. Writing as communication Process writing is a move away from students writing to test their language towards the communication of ideas, feelings and experiences. It requires that more classroom time is spent on writing, but as the previously outlined activities show, there is more than just writing happening during a session dedicated to process writing. Its wrong for teachers to dictate to students what they write. Writing should match students needs and interests. Process of writing highly individualistic and writers need to draw upon a variety of techniques which they find useful to themselves.

The Writing Process Elementary There are many different ways to write. Sometimes we just sit down and write until we run out of steam. Other times we need to generate ideas first. In school, we may be asked to outline our writing first in some way. All of these are great ways to write and are appropriate in different situations. In the elementary grades, students need to learn how to take their writing through the writing process. This starts with ideas and ends with a finished product that is ready to be published. 1. Prewriting: This is the planning stage. Students might brainstorm ideas, use a graphic organizer, use an outline, or even use a writing prompt to get them started. 2. Drafting: This is what is commonly called the first draft or the rough draft. Students write their stories or nonfiction pieces while using their plans as guidance. 3. Revising and Editing: Its important that students understand the difference between revising and editing. Revising is changing your writing to make it better. It might mean using better word choice, taking things out, or moving

sentences and ideas around. Editing is correcting errors such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. Peer conferencing or conferencing with a teacher should happen before or during this stage. 4. Rewriting: This may be the final copy or it might require another trip through the revising, editing, and conferencing stage of the process. At a minimum, it should be edited again, since much of it may have been rewritten. When the writing is complete and has been checked for errors, it is ready for the last stage. 5. Publishing: Publishing doesnt have to be formal. It just means that it is presented in a way that it is complete and that others can now read it. In a classroom, it can mean typing it on the computer, posting it to a blog, adding it to a class book, or displaying it on the wall. One of the most important requirements for designing effective writing tasks is to think of coherent, connected activity sets, which include pre-writing, duringwriting and post-writing activities. Connected activity sets help students complete the writing task successfully and foster the process of writing. Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted. Writing is and isnt an easy thing to do in the classroom. Especially nowadays when students dont have long attention spans and are more and more digital and visual learners. However, it is a vital skill that opens up a world of possibilities for any student. Written communication in whatever language, even with the advent of the internet, is still a necessity. Writing allows communication, controlled and deliberate POWERFUL, communication. So we have to get our students writing more and better. Listen Write 1. Dictation There are many ways to spice up the standard dictation. The simplest is to have the students fold a blank piece of paper hamburger style (Up/down) 4 times. Unfold and they have a nice 8 line piece of paper. Speak 8 sentences , repeating each several times as the students write. Get the students to record their answers on the board and correct. Collect and keep in a portfolio! Story Rewriting The teacher reads a story or the class listens to an audio story. After, students make a story board (just fold a blank page so you have 8 squares) and draw pictures. Then, they write the story based on those pictures. Very simple and powerful! Visualization

The students close their eyes and the teacher describes a scene. Play some nice background music. The students then write and describe the scene they imagined, sharing their scene afterwards with the class or a classmate. Newscasts / Weather reports Watch the daily news or weather report. Students write in groups or individually, their own version of the news for that week/day. Then perform for the class like a real news report! Pictures / Slideshows Show a picture and get students to write a story or use it as background for a writing prompt. For example, Show a picture of a happy lottery winner. Ask students to write in their journal If I won a million dollars I would This is a much better way to prompt writing than simple script! Rewrite Read a short story and then give students a copy of the story with some text missing. The students can fill it in with the correct version OR fill it in and make the story their own. Giving Advice Students read a problem provided by the teacher (even better, get students to provide the problem by having them write down what they need advice on). This can often be an Ann Landers style request for advice from a newspaper. Students write their own response, giving advice. Teaching Grammar Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well. Goals and Techniques for Teaching Grammar The goal of grammar instruction is to enable students to carry out their communication purposes. This goal has three implications:

Students need overt instruction that connects grammar points with larger communication contexts. Students do not need to master every aspect of each grammar point, only those that are relevant to the immediate communication task. Error correction is not always the instructor's first responsibility.

Overt Grammar Instruction Adult students appreciate and benefit from direct instruction that allows them to apply critical thinking skills to language learning. Instructors can take advantage of this by providing explanations that give students a descriptive understanding (declarative knowledge) of each point of grammar.

Teach the grammar point in the target language or the students' first language or both. The goal is to facilitate understanding. Limit the time you devote to grammar explanations to 10 minutes, especially for lower level students whose ability to sustain attention can be limited. Present grammar points in written and oral ways to address the needs of students with different learning styles.

An important part of grammar instruction is providing examples. Teachers need to plan their examples carefully around two basic principles:

Be sure the examples are accurate and appropriate. They must present the language appropriately, be culturally appropriate for the setting in which they are used, and be to the point of the lesson. Use the examples as teaching tools. Focus examples on a particular theme or topic so that students have more contact with specific information and vocabulary.

In the communicative competence model, the purpose of learning grammar is to learn the language of which the grammar is a part. Instructors therefore teach grammar forms and structures in relation to meaning and use for the specific communication tasks that students need to complete. To use textbook grammar exercises effectively, instructors need to recognize which type they are, devote the appropriate amount of time to them, and supplement them as needed. In order to provide authentic assessment of students grammar proficiency, an evaluation must reflect real-life uses of grammar in context. This means that the activity must have a purpose other than assessment and require students to demonstrate their level of grammar proficiency by completing some task. Mechanical tests do serve one purpose: They motivate students to memorize. They can therefore serve as prompts to encourage memorization of irregular forms and vocabulary items. Because they test only memory capacity, not language ability, they are best used as quizzes and given relatively little weight in evaluating student performance and progress.

Start by giving examples of present perfect: Last week, I watched three movies.//////This week, I have watched only one. Introduce the Present Perfect Regular verbs Give examples in past simple: Yesterday, I had a busy day. I received lots of emails. Lead in to present perfect: I have received only a few today. Show students how the present perfect is formed: have/has plus the past participle. Tell them that the past participle of regular verbs ends in ed, just as in simple past. Remind students that the past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb

play = played//////visit = visited/////receive = received However, the past participle of irregular verbs have special forms and have to be learned by heart: be = been////come = come/////do = done 3. Help students make a distinction between finished and unfinished actions: One of the best ways to ensure that students understand when the present perfect is used is to contrast finished and unfinished time. Ask students: Is yesterday finished? (They should say its finished.) Ask them: Is today finished? (They should say it isnt.)

On the board, draw two columns. On the left column write examples of phrases that go with finished time: yesterday, last week, last month, last year, 1990, etc...On the right column, write those that go with unfinished time: today, this week, this month, this year, etc Finished Last week Yesterday Unfinished This week Today

Make sure they notice the differences, then, give examples (only with regular verbs) with both tenses:Last month, I visited my grandmother twice. This month, I have only visited her once. But this month is not finished so I may visit her again before the month is over. Provide as many examples as necessary, in all persons, and then ask students to do the same with other regular verbs. Ask students to give you examples of finished actions and unfinished ones.

I visited my uncle twice last week. But, I have visited him only once this week. I wrote three poems last month. But this month I have written only one poem.

I called my girlfriend five times yesterday. But today, I have called her six times. Introduce the Present Perfect Negative forms Say, I saw my grandmother last week. I havent seen her this week. Give more examples alternating between an affirmative in simple past and a negative statement in present perfect: I went to Rome last year, but I havent been there this year. Now, give each of your students just the affirmative statement in simple past and ask them to supply an example in present perfect negative: T: I was at the bank earlier today. S: I haven't been to the bank this week. In this worksheet, students practice the present perfect negative, and you may also introduce the use of yet. Introduce the Present Perfect Interrogative forms Model questions with have or has: T: Have you seen Twilight? S: Yes./No. T: Ask me! S: Have you seen Twilight? Continue with more questions from students. Model questions with where and what, but make sure students understand that if they ask questions with when, where and why, they need to use the simple past because they are referring to a specific moment in the past. Write examples on the board. Make sure they ask questions in all persons, both singular and plural. If they are unsure as to how to ask a question, model it for them first. Introduce the Present Perfect Short answers Ask yes or no questions and teach students to give short answers: T: Have you seen my pen? S: Yes, I have./No, I havent.

Students ask classmates yes or no questions, and classmates reply with short answers. Provide extended practice Tell your students that the best way to remember the past participle of irregular verbs is through practice, in both written and oral exercises. 4. Once students grasp the contrast between finished and unfinished actions, you can proceed to present new uses of the present perfect. A. Have you ever? Use personal experience to teach this structure.

Have you ever seen an Indian movie? Have you ever played golf? Have you ever met a world champion? Have you ever written a poem? B. Actions that happened in the past but whose effect is still in the present. Why dont want to eat lunch with us? - Because, Ive already eaten it. Why dont you want to read that book? Because Ive read it before. Why is he sad? Because he has lost his purse. C. Present Perfect with since and for The best way to teach the present perfect with since and for is to use a time line. 1990 Nancy moved to New York. 1992 She was appointed as a teacher in Jesse Jackson high school. 1994 She married Alan. Then Students may come up with examples like:

Nancy has lived in New York since 1990 / for years. She has been a teacher since 1992 / for.years. She has been married to Alan since 1994 / for.. years.