Objectives At the end of the course, students should be able
to: use a variety of techniques to generate ideas for writing (P4)
write unified paragraphs with appropriate supporting points and
details(C5) compose coherent essays using different rhetorical
modes (A3) evaluate essays critically (A3), and 1 2 3 4
Slide 3
Synopsis This course involves experiencing the processes of
creating and criticising; content generation; organisation and
rhetorical ordering; sentential skills; proof reading and editing;
interaction of writer, text, and audience; and feedback in the
process of revision and evaluation. 3
Slide 4
Required Texts: Oshima, A and Hogue, A. (2006, 4 th ed.).
Writing Academic English. New York: Pearson Longman. To get the
book, you need to contact Mr Tan Yun Chun
(012-2808241/[email protected])012-2808241/[email protected]
Please take note that exercises for the course assignment are taken
from the prescribed textbook. 4
Format of Evaluation Mid-Semester Test: Structured Questions
and MCQs (Topics covered from Week 1- Week 7) - Identifying topic
sentences - Writing topic sentences - Writing supporting sentences
- Identifying Types of sentences - Coherence devices - Outlining
-Writing an extended paragraph 6
Slide 7
Assignments: Task Portfolio and Reflection Exercise
WeekAssignment: Task Portfolio (20 marks) 1 The Writing Process
Read pp. 265- 270 (Textbook) Do the following practices as found in
your textbook (pp.266-270). - practice 1 - practice 2 - practice 3
21) Think of a topic of your own interest and narrow it. 2) Use one
brainstorming technique that you learnt to generate your
ideas.
Slide 8
3 Paragraph Structure and Topic Sentence Read Chapter 1 (pp.2
-11) Work on the following exercises as found in your textbook.
Practices 1 A and 1B(p.6-8) Practice 2 (p.9) Practice 3 (p.10-11)
4Supporting Sentences and Concluding Sentence (pp. 11- 17) Practice
4 (p.11-12) Model (paragraph supported with examples: Language and
Perception (p.13) Practice 5 (15-16) Read The writing Process, Step
2: Planning (Outlining) (pp. 271-272) Based on a topic of your own
interest, write an extended paragraph outline. Your outline should
have a topic sentence, main supporting points, supporting details
and a concluding sentence.
Slide 9
5 Unity and Coherence Read Chapter 2 (pp. 18-19). Work on the
following practices as found in the textbook. - Practice 1 A, B
& C (pp. 19-20) - Practice 2 (p.23) - Practice 4 (p.25) -
Practice 6 (p.29-30) - Practice 7A, B & C (p.30-32) - Practice
9 (p.33) 6Types of Sentences Before you write your paragraph, it is
important to know that to make your paragraph interesting, you need
to use a variety of sentences. Read Chapter 10 (pp. 162-178) on
Types of Sentences and work on the following practices. - Practice
1 (pp.163-164) - Practice 3 (p.167) - Practice 4 A, B & C
(p.167-168) - Practice5 A, B, & C (pp. 170-171) - Practice 6
(p.171) - Practice 7 (p.171) - Practice 8 A & B(pp.172-173) -
Practice 9 (p. 174)
Slide 10
7Sentence Problems Work on the following practices as found in
the textbook. Practice 2 A & B (pp.184-185) Practice 3
(pp.186-187) Practice 4 A, B & C (pp. 189-190) Practice 5
(p.191) Writing an extended paragraph Based on the outline that you
have done on the topic of your interest, write an extended
paragraph. Make sure your sentences are correctly written. After
you have written your extended paragraph, look at Self-editing
Worksheet 2 (p. 319) and edit your work. Then, write your second
draft of your essay.
Slide 11
8Essay Writing Read Chapter 4 on the structure of an essay
(Introduction, Body and Conclusion) Introductory paragraph Practice
1 A (p.62-63) Types of Introductory paragraphs Practice 2 B (p.64:
A and B ) Thesis statements Body Paragraphs Read pp. 64-66 Practice
3 (p.66-67: A, B, C) Thesis statements for logical Division of
Ideas Practice 4 (p.68) Concluding Paragraph (p.72) Practice 6
(p.73-74) Concluding paragraph Practice (p.74-75) Writing
concluding paragraphs
Slide 12
9 Outlining an Essay Practice 8 (p.76-77) Essay outlining
Writing an Argumentative Essay Read p: 142 on Argumentative Essays
Practice 2 (pp.148-149) Practice 3 (p. 149)
Slide 13
10 Writing an Argumentative Essay Choose a topic of your
interest for the writing of an argumentative/persuasive essay.
Then, select a brainstorming technique to explore your ideas. Write
an outline of the essay. 11Writing an Argumentative Essay Write
your first draft of your essay. Next, use Self-Editing Worksheet 9
(p.329) to edit your work. Then, write your second draft of your
essay.
Slide 14
12 Reflection Exercise (10 marks) Write your reflection on your
process of learning how to write an essay. Look at the handout on
Reflection Exercise and use the questions as a guide on how to
write your reflection. *Submit your Assignment to PPL together with
your two reflection exercises 13Revision 14Revision
Slide 15
Reflection Exercise (10 marks) In about 150 words, write your
reflection on your learning experience of writing an essay. You can
use the questions below to guide you in writing your reflection.
How is your experience of writing an essay different from that of
writing an extended paragraph? Now that you have completed writing
your essay, did you face any challenges while writing it? Explain
the challenges that you had faced. While writing your essay, did
you consciously follow the steps of the writing process? Did you
consciously use some of the coherent devices to make your essay
coherent? If yes, what were they?
Slide 16
In writing your essay, did you consciously use varied sentence
patterns? What types of sentence patterns did you use most of the
time? When editing your own work, what aspects of writing did you
normally edit? Ideas? Sentence constructions? Grammar? How do you
feel about your edited piece of work? You may begin your reflection
by writing: Dear .., I find writing... Yours sincerely, .
Slide 17
Final Examination: MCQ and Structured Questions (All topics but
pay particular attention to topics covered from Week 8-Week 13)
Identifying sentence problems Identifying and/or writing thesis
statement Identifying and/or writing topic sentence Write selected
paragraphs (Introductory, body paragraphs or concluding paragraphs)
Cohesive devices
Slide 18
Send your Task Portfolio and Reflection Exercise to PPL. For
any enquiries, contact: Pn Helen Tan Jabatan Bahasa Inggeris
Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400
Serdang ([email protected])[email protected] Tel:
03-89468711 18
Slide 19
What is writing? a complicated cognitive process recursive
involves several activities; setting goals, generating ideas,
organising information, selecting appropriate language, making a
draft, reading and reviewing it, then revising and editing. Hedge,
T. (2003) Teaching and learning in the classroom. 19
Slide 20
What good writers do? They consider purpose and audience. They
consult their own background knowledge. They let ideas incubate.
They plan. As they write, they read back over what they have
written. Contrary to what many textbooks advise, writers do not
follow a neat sequence of planning, organising, writing and then
revising. For a while a writers product the finished essay, story
or novel is presented in lines, the process that produces it is not
linear at all. (Raimes 1985:229) 20
Slide 21
Audience Awareness successful writers are aware of their
readers and seek to produce reader-based prose (Flower and Hayes
1980). Successful writers think about what the reader needs to
know, how to make information clear and accessible and what is an
appropriate style (for example, formal, friendly, or persuasive).
21
Slide 22
How to begin writing? Meyer,A. (2005) 6 stages Explore ideas -
Consider subject, purpose, audience Prewrite - Brainstorming,
clustering, freewriting Organise - Select, Outline 22
Slide 23
Write a first draft - Write quickly to record your thoughts -
Put notes and new ideas in the margins Revise the draft - Read
aloud - Add or omit material, and move materials around Produce
final copy - Edit - Copy over, or print a clean copy - Read
carefully for errors, and then print another clean copy 23
Slide 24
Stage 1:Exploration of ideas - Consider subject, purpose,
audience Subject - What do I know about the subject? - What do I
want to say about the subject? Purpose - Why am I saying about the
subject? - Is it to persuade, to inform, etc. 24
Slide 25
Choosing and Narrowing a Topic Environment Pollution Air
pollution Effects on peoples health 25
Listing - Write down the general topic at the top of your
paper. - Make a list of every idea that comes into your mind about
the topic. Keep the ideas flowing. - If you write down information
that is completely off the topic, dont worry about it because you
can cross it out later. - Use words, phrases, or sentences, and
dont worry about spelling or grammar 27
Slide 28
Freewriting - Write the topic at the top of your paper - Simply
write about the subject without worrying about sentence structure,
spelling, logic, and grammar. - Write as if you are speaking so
that you can get your ideas down fast. 28
Slide 29
Clustering - Write your subject in the middle of the page and
then circle it. - Write related ideas around the circle as they
occur to you. - Circle the ideas and connect them to you subject
circle. 29
Slide 30
Stage 3: Organize/ Outline From your brainstorming notes:
Identify relevant point Communication Problems 1. Poor verbal
skills 2. Americans difficult to understand lack vocabulary use
incomplete sentences new language unclear expressions poor
pronunciation Americans talk too fast lack confidence use slang and
idioms 30
Slide 31
Categorize your ideas into sub categories. For example: 1. poor
verbal skills - lack vocabulary - poor pronunciation 2. Americans
difficult to understand - use incomplete sentences - use unclear
expressions - talk too fast - use slang and idioms 31
Slide 32
Stage 4: Write your draft A Paragraph : What is it? A basic
unit of organization in writing Consists of a group of related
sentences that develop one main idea 32
Slide 33
An Extended Paragraph: What does it contain? Introduction
-Topic sentence Body -Main Supporting Sentences -Supporting details
Conclusion Summary Additional Elements Unity Coherence 33
Slide 34
What is a Topic Sentence? Presents the main idea Suggests how
the remaining sentences will develop that idea Gives the paragraph
a direction Is the most general statement Makes a claim about the
topic Expresses an opinion/judgement Position of topic sentence in
a paragraph - usually but not always at or near the beginning of
paragraph 34
Slide 35
How to write a Topic Sentence? Topic + controlling idea Eg:
Learning to outline will improve your writing for three reasons.
Topic: Learning to outline Controlling idea: will improve your
writing for three reasons 35
Slide 36
Examples of a Good Topic Sentence 1. People can avoid
burglaries by taking certain precautions. (The precautions for) 2.
There are several advantages to growing up in a small town. (The
advantages of) 3. Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL
score for a number of reasons. (The reasons for) 4. Fixing a flat
tire on a bicycle is easy if you follow these steps. (The steps
for) 5. Effective leadership requires specific qualities that
anyone can develop. (The qualities (or characteristics or traits)
of)
Slide 37
Functions of Supporting Points Develop the topic sentence
through: giving explanations and providing examples 37
Slide 38
Examples of supporting points TS: Learning to outline will
improve your writing for three reasons. A. It will help you
organize your ideas. B. It will help you write more quickly. C. It
will help you improve your grammar Improved organization, speed,
and grammar make learning outline well worth the effort. 38
Slide 39
Examples of specific details TS: Learning to outline will
improve your writing for three reasons. A. It will help you
organize your ideas. 1. you will not include irrelevant ideas. 2.
You will not leave out important points. 3. Your supporting
sentences will be in logical order. B. It will help you write more
quickly. 1. Seventy-five percent of the work is done. 2. You do not
worry about what you are going to say. C. It will help you improve
your grammar 1.You will be able to concentrate on writing
appropriately. 2. You will have time to self-correct any wrong
grammar used Improved organization, speed, and grammar make
learning outline well worth the effort. 39
Slide 40
Functions of a Concluding Sentence It signals the end of the
paragraph. It summarizes the main points of the paragraph. It gives
a final comment on the topic and leaves the reader with the most
important ideas to think about. Eg: In conclusion, improved
organization, speed, and grammar make learning outline well worth
the effort. 40
Slide 41
41
Slide 42
Cohere (Latin): hold together Repetition of key nouns Use of
Consistent Pronouns Transition Signals Logical arrangement 42
Slide 43
Repetition of key nouns Gold Gold, a precious metal, is prized
for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a
lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is
suitable for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never
needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For
example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day
it was minted twenty- three centuries ago. Another important
characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science.
For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial
applications. The most recent use of gold is in astronauts suits.
Astronauts wear gold- plated heat shields for protection outside
spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its
beauty but also for its utility. 43
Slide 44
Use of Consistent Pronouns Help establish a clear connection
between ideas. Pronouns replaces nouns and refer back to them. Eg:
First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to
corrosion. Therefore, they are suitable for jewelry, coins, and
ornamental purposes. (X) First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty
that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for
jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. (/) 44
Slide 45
Exercise 1: Correct the pronouns used to make the use of
pronouns consistent Olympic Athletes Olympic athletes must be
strong both physically and mentally. First, if you hope to compete
in an Olympic sport, you must be physically strong. Furthermore, an
aspiring Olympian must train rigorously for many years. For the
most demanding sports, they train several hours a day, five or six
days a week, for ten or more years. In addition to being physically
strong, he or she must also be mentally tough. This means that you
have to be totally dedicated to your sport, often giving up a
normal school, family, and social life. Being mentally strong also
means that he or she must be able to withstand the intense pressure
of international competition with its attendant media coverage.
Finally, not everyone can win a medal, so they must possess the
inner strength to live with defeat. 45
Slide 46
Important Use of Transition Signals Explains relationships
between ideas. (See p. 297-299, Oshima & Hogue) Transition
Signals and other Connecting Words Helps to make your prose
engaging to the readers 46
Slide 47
Compare paragraph 1 and 2 Which is easier to understand?
Britain withdrew from Singapore in 1971,the tiny island nation at
the tip of the Malay Peninsula had no way to support itself. Its
resources was people. From the start, the Singapore government
determined that the countrys survival would depend on foreign
investment and expertise. The government itself would need to play
an active role in guiding economic development. Singapore developed
one of the most productive economies in the world. 47
Slide 48
Paragraph 2 When Britain withdrew from Singapore in 1971,the
tiny island nation at the tip of the Malay Peninsula had no way to
support itself. Its resources was people. From the start, the
Singapore government determined that the countrys survival would
depend on foreign investment and expertise. Furthermore, the
government itself would need to play an active role in guiding
economic development. As a result of these strategies, Singapore
developed one of the most productive economies in the world.
48
Slide 49
Logical arrangement Arrange your ideas in logical sequence
Types of logical order: Chronological order eg: first, next, after
that, finally, before, etc. Logical division eg: The most
important, Another important, etc. Comparison/contrast eg: in
contrast, unlike, different from/ similarly, as expensive as, just
like, etc. 49
Slide 50
A Sample of a Unified Paragraph (TS) A carefully thought out
topic sentence will serve two important functions. First, it will
provide you, the author, the means to stay focused on your
objective. It is a lot easier to write if you know what you are
going to write about! Second, a clearly stated topic sentence will
provide readers with the tools they need to clearly understand what
you have to say. These are important reasons to carefully consider
topic sentences before beginning writing (CS).
Slide 51
Summary of Writing an Extended Paragraph What have you learnt?
structure of an extended paragraph process of writing (choosing and
narrowing a topic, idea generation, outlining, drafting, editing,
redrafting, proof reading) how to write a good topic sentence,
supporting details and concluding sentence outlining coherence in
writing
Slide 52
Exercise Choose a topic from the list given. In pairs/or groups
of three, brainstorm for ideas. Write one topic sentence. From the
topic sentence, outline the paragraph. List of topics:
customcelebrationfriends television familycomputers 52
