MAKING STUDENTS WRITE Edison Santacruz, PUCE Quito

(with Stephanie Hanson Senior English Language Fellow)

Input/ Output TheoryO Input L2 data learner receivesO Intake L2 data learner

comprehendsO Output what learner produces

2

MY TEN IMPORTANT WORDS

Your firsts

When was the first time you … O kissed somebody

of the opposite sex?

O rode a bike?O smoked?

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONSWhere?Who with?What color?How?

And lasts

When was the last time you …O got angry?O cooked?O fell in love?O swam in the ocean?

FOLLOW - UP QUESTIONS

FAMILYO What are the talents in your family?O What does your family enjoy doing

together?O What is the best way to punish a

child?O …

Offering adviceO I am 15 and I want to have cosmetic

surgery on my nose.O I’m an only child and I’d like my

parents to stop overprotecting me.O I am 14 and my sister is always

taking my things.

Use imagesO My favorite family reunion

Photo Album Remembrances

Look at your photo album and remember:

O What games did you use to play?O Where did you use to spend your

afternoons?O Who were your best friends?O Which event would you like to relive? O INTERVIEW

COMPARE THEM

Look at the photograph and remember some facts

MUSIC, HUMOR, NATURE

Using Poetry / Imagery

Choose an option in each question and be ready to explain your selection.

1. Which provokes more thought? a. A window b. A door

2. Which takes more space? a. A frownb. A smile

3. Which costs more? a. Popularityb. Aloneness

4. Which is heavier? a. A mountainb. A mistake

5. Which is weaker? a. A spider webb. A promise

Mind food

HOW WOULD YOU COMPLETE THIS POEM?

O Do more than belong:_______________ Do more than care: _______________Do more than believe: _______________Do more than be fair: _______________Do more than forgive: _______________Do more than dream: _______________

O By William Arthur Ward

DO MOREO  Do more than belong: participate.

Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.

O By William Arthur Ward

CROSSOVER

How would you answer these questions?

O What is the sound of war?O What is the flavor of happiness?O What is the texture of fear?O What is the smell of laughter?O What is the fabric of wishes? Why?

No more boring adjectives

O Write about a possession of yours or a place you find unique. Tell why. Do not use the adjectives INTERESTING, GOOD, or NICE.

Hi5

OChoose 5 people you know well

ODescribe each one using five words

OVariation: use one syllable-words only.

Where does it come from?

Read and discuss

A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. Coming to think about it, if we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl.

O ~ Stephan Hoeller

What does it taste like?

O Do you know something that tastes the same as tamarind?

O Write a paragraph about a bittersweet thing, feeling, or moment in your life.

Useful WebsitesO http://

grammar.about.com/od/topicsuggestions/a/causeff07topics.htm

O http://grammar.about.com/od/topicsuggestion1/a/250-Topics-For-Familiar-Essays.htm

O http://esldiscussions.com/index.html O http://www.amazon.com/501-Grammar-Writin

g-Questions-Edition/dp/1576854000

O http://thelyricwriter.hubpages.com/hub/100-Great-Ideas-To-Write-About

O http://www.thewritesource.com/writing_topics/

Questions or Comments?

Edison Santacruz PUCE Quito

esantacruzd@puce.edu.ec

Stephanie HansonSenior English Language Fellow

S_L_Hanson@yahoo.com