Thinking about structure

How to encourage students to structure writing effectively

Anxious about grammar? You are not alone.

Most younger teachers know very little grammar and are suspicious of explicit grammar teaching. Not surprisingly, therefore, new recruits entering teacher-training courses typically either know very little grammar (Williamson & Hardman 1995) or have no confidence in their knowledge, presumably because they have picked it up in an unsystematic way (Cajkler & Hislam 2002).

Thinking about structure - Aims:

• To consider what we mean by ‘structure’ in writing, and what it means in your subject

• To focus closely on one element of sentence and paragraph structure

• To gain strategies to aid students with the structure of their writing.

Structure

Discussion: What do we mean when we talk about ‘structure’ in writing?

What does ‘structure’ mean in your subject?

(A structural engineer talking about the Shard) “Good structural design is about placing material at optimum locations. Every shape has its own opportunities. You need to find those opportunities."

"placing words and phrases at optimum locations. Every text has its own opportunities. You need to find those opportunities."

Structure

Structure is a wide ranging topic and there are many elements we could focus our attention on.

• Structure of an essay or a whole text• Structure of a paragraph • Structure of a sentence• Structure of a phrase/clause

We felt to get the most out of this session we would focus on one element of structure, thinking specifically about the role of connectives.

“Remember to use a variety of connectives to make your paragraph interesting.”

What do we mean when we say ‘connectives’?

Discourse MarkersThey connect, organise and manage ideasThey are referred to more commonly as 'linking words' and 'linking phrases', or 'sentence connectors‘.

They act as signposts for the reader.

Connectives

Emphasis

Comparison Contrast

Sequencing

andalso

in additionfurther

furthermoreas well asand then

Conclusion

Opinion

Persuasion

Illustration

Cause and Effect

above allin particular

notablyspecifically

more importantly

indeedespecially

significantlymoreover

equallysimilarly

in comparisonlikewise

by the way of contrast

alternativelydespite this

as withunless

howeverneverthelessalternativelydespite this

on the contraryyet

whereasexcept

apart from

firstlysecondlyinitially

thennext

afterwardsfinally

subsequentlyeventuallypreviously

Addition

to concludein conclusion

finallyon the wholesummarising

overallto sum upevidently

it would seemit appearsobviouslypossibly

it seems likelypresumablyone might consider

of courseclearly

evidentlysurely

certainlydecidedly

indeedundoubtedly

for examplefor instance

in other wordsto show that

such asan instance

as revealed byto show that

becauseso

consequentlytherefore

thus

Despite their greater resources, the American army frequently found itself outmanoeuvred by the Viet Cong’s unpredictable and often intelligent tactics. For instance, American soldiers had Hershey’s chocolate bars as part of their rations while fighting, and they often left their wrappers on the ground for the Viet Cong to find. Moreover, the Americans’ boots made loud noises while they were walking and these inexperienced soldiers used deodorant that left behind a distinctive smell. Consequently the Viet Cong often found them, and being outsmarted in this way left the Americans frustrated and angry as they suffered casualties and loss of life as a result.

Comparison

Illustration

Addition

Emphasis

Cause and Effect

Addition

Firstly, I estimated the population of Concepción in 2010. To do this, I first looked up the population in 2009, which was 636,000. Then, because the population grows by 5% each year, I needed to find 5% of the 2009 population. I did this by dividing the 2009 population by 10 to discover 10% of the population, which is 63,600, and then divided this number by 2 to find 5% which gave me the total 31,800. Lastly, I added 31,800 (5% of the 2009 population) to 636,000 (the entire 2009 population) to give me an estimated population of 667,800 for 2010.

Discourse MarkerSequencing

Sequencing

Cause and Effect

Discourse Marker

Connectives for explaining method

Yearly population(2009 population – 636, 000)

+ 5% of previous year’s population(showing method)

Total

Firstly… Population of Concepción in 2010

10% = 63 600 / 2=31 800

636 000 + 31 800=667 800

Secondly… Population of Concepción in 2011

10% = 66 780 / 2=33 390

667 800 + 33 390=701 190

Thirdly… Population of Concepción in 2012

10% = 70 119 / 2=35 059.535 060 (rounded up)

701 190 + 35 060=736 250

Next… Population of Concepción in 2013

10% = 73 625 / 2=36 812.536 813 (rounded up)

736 250 + 36 813=773 063

Finally… Population of Concepción in 2014

10% = 77 306.3 / 2=38 653.1538 653 (rounded down)

773 063 + 38 653=811 716

Other useful connectives for explaining methods: To begin with… I did this by… To do this,… Then,… After I had… Lastly,…

Calculate the population of Concepción for 2014

Explanation of task: Calculate the population of Concepción for 2014

Firstly, I estimated the population of Concepción in 2010. To do this, I first looked up the population in 2009, which was 636,000. Then, because the population grows by 5% each year, I needed to find 5% of the 2009 population. I did this by dividing the 2009 population by 10 to discover 10% of the population, which is 63,600, and then divided this number by 2 to find 5% which gave me the total 31,800. Lastly, I added 31,800 (5% of the 2009 population) to 636,000 (the entire 2009 population) to give me an estimated population of 667,800 for 2010.

Secondly, I estimated the population of Conception in ____. To do this, I first looked up the population in ____, which was _______. Then, because the population grows by __ each year, I needed to find __ of the ____ population. I did this by _______ the ____ population by __ to discover ___ of the population, which is _______, and then _______ this number by _ to find __ which gave me the total ______. Lastly, I _____ _______ (__ of the ____ population) to ______ (the entire ____ population) to give me an estimated population of _______ for ____.

Thirdly…

It’s beyond doubt that teenagers are spending more and more time in the company of damaging influences like social media, advertising and reality TV. All of them work to make young people feel insecure and to give them unrealistic impressions about what life can offer. These impressions range from the idea that happiness is a constant that we can all expect, that material wealth is the only indicator of a person’s worth, and that the pursuit of beauty should be prized before the pursuit of education and understanding. These distorted beliefs sadly creep into the way many individuals think and behave.

What is happening in this image?

Writing is like a football team working through a set piece, each sentence has a role to play……so the writer can reach their goal.

Rothery’s teaching and learning cycle

Based on M.A.K. Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics

Rules:1. Double space. Wow, this was harder to explain than I'd imagined! It's really important for the editing process, though, so hammer it in.2. If it's italicised it gets written, no matter what.3. If there's a number then students use that exact amount of words. 4. If there's a 'max' then students are allowed to use up to that number of words.5. Read ahead - this is key. There might be five sentences on the same topic, so students need to ensure they don't write something too soon.

http://staffrm.io/@mrhistoire/4bgJI0hkwB

Why bother varying sentence structure ( focusing specifically on descriptive & narrative writing)?

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The

sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music.

Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage

him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll

of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.”

Examples of varied sentences

Three adjectives at the start sentence Serene, hopeful, determined the girl glided through the garden.

Two similes sentence The sun slipped over her like butter, clinging to her like a dress made of silk, whilst her hand trailed through the delicate petals.

The girl felt serene as she glided through the garden.

The sun slipped over her like butter and her hand trailed through the delicate petals.

Examples of varied sentences

It was taller and more straight than the others.

Comma sandwich: a sentence with an embedded clause (which is surrounded by commas). In the distance, right in the very middle of the meadow, stood a lone, white iris.

So, so, so sentence This white iris was so tall, so bright and so straight that it caught her attention.

In the distance stood a lone, white iris.

Both Paragraphs

Serene, hopeful, determined the girl glided through the garden. The sun slipped over her like butter, clinging to her like a dress made of silk, whilst her hand trailed through the delicate petals. Stretching out in front of her was a sea of cobalt blue and lemon yellow, a sea that appeared to go on forever. In the distance, right in the very middle of the meadow, stood a lone, white iris. This white iris was so tall, so bright and so straight that it caught her attention. It drew the focus of her eye and she began to march towards it.

The girl felt serene as she glided through the garden. The sun slipped over her like butter and her hand trailed through the delicate petals. Stretching out in front of her was a sea of cobalt blue and lemon yellow. In the distance stood a lone, white iris. It was taller and more straight than the others. It drew the focus of her eye and she began to amble towards it.

GROUP TASK

1. Read the through the suggested sentence options on the handout.

2. Read the paragraph again.

3. Working with your tables redraft at least 4 of the sentences.

4. Everybody must write out the new paragraph on their own piece of paper AND make a note of the changes you have decided upon.

Be prepared to share with the class. You have 15 minutes to complete

Extension: Adapt all 5 sentences in paragraph and add 2 more using a different structure (7 different sentences in total)

LO: Can I examine structure, characters and themes for understanding? ‘As authors write a text to communicate an idea, they will use a

structure that goes along with the idea.’ Meyer 1985

What is structure? (This is taken from the AQA exam board, please keep as it is important for both GCSE’s).

How writers organise a text• Sequence through a passage• Movement from big to small – ideas or perspectives• Taking an outside to inward perspective, or vice versa• Introductions and developments• Reiterations• Repetitions, threads, patterns and motifs• Summaries and conclusions• Shifts of focus• Narrative perspective• Connections and links across paragraphs• Internal cohesion and topic sentences

Kadiza’s choices

Firstly, I estimated the population of Concepción in 2010. To do this, first I examined the population in 2009, which turned out to be 636,000. Each year the population increased by 5%, so I had to find 5% of the population in 2009. I did this by dividing the population from 2009 by 10 to discover that 10% of the population, was 63,600, and then I divided this number by 2 to find 5% which then gave me the total 31,800. Finally, I added 31,800, (5% of the 2009 population) to 636,000, (the entire 2009 population) which gave me an estimated population of 667,800 for 2010.

Writing is a discussion and on occasion an argument.

Writing is a process.

Writing can always be improved.