Using discourse capability to improve writing skill to grade 10 students

Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, p.113 From the definition we can see that discourse capability involves the following matters: - Coherence - Cohesion - N

CONTENTS

INTRODUTION

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CONTENT PART I

1 Discourse capability

2 Cohesion and coherence

3 Text

4 Genre

3 - 4

PART II WRITING SKILL IN ENGLISH 10

1 Course requirements

2 Suggested preparations

2.1 -> 2.15

4 - 11

PART III A MODEL LESSON PLAN

1 Writing lesson plan

2 The results of the lesson plan

11 -14

CONCLUSION PROPOSAL

14 15

Since 2006 the new set of English textbooks has been used on the national scale The aim of the teaching and learning of English in high schools in Vietnam is to enable students to use English as a means of communication at basic level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Since the application of new textbooks in tenth grade curriculum, many teachers have difficulties in conveying their knowledge to students

Among the four skills, productive skills speaking and writing, especially writing are regarded as the most difficult It is easily understood because to produce a perfect piece of writing, even in their mother tongue, learners meet with a number of challenges: ideas, word use, genre, register, format, spelling, etc Such difficulties or problems in writing could be solved if the writer owns a good textual or discourse capability Therefore, discourse capability is closely connected with writing lessons, and teaching writing is equivalent to developing discourse capability in learners The problem is: Can teachers develop such a capability in learners? The answer to this question involves two abilities in the teacher: the first is the teacher herself must own such discourse capability; the second is the teacher must know how to build such capability in her students

Being a teacher of English at a high school I find that teaching and learning how to write is of great importance and bears a numerous challenges to both teachers and learners Meanwhile, I am convinced that every teacher should create the aforementioned abilities for herself so as to improve her writing lessons During the school year 2015-2016 I have been trying to deal with this challenge in teaching writing I assume that this problem in teaching writing is not merely my own concern In fact, many teachers from other schools

in the province have come up against many difficulties in their writing lessons: What is the outline of a profile? What language should be used in this type of letter? Who can help me with the model writing to the description of this chart?

It seems clearly that it is advisable for every teacher of English to search for and have necessary materials to teach writing effectively

Given the aforesaid reasons I am writing this document to share my teaching experience in teaching writing with those who have the same concern

as mine The document discusses and deals with the matters of discourse capability and how to teach writing more effectively In the boundary of the school year 2015-2016, I only focus on writing lessons in textbook English 10 The scope of this document is, therefore, within the writing lessons in 16 units

of textbook English 10 Namely, the document has three parts:

- A brief review of discourse capability This part can be seen as theory as it deals with all the theoretical matters mentioned in the document

- A detailed examination of writing lessons in textbook English 10 and suggested preparation for the 16 writing lessons in the textbook

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- A model lesson plan and a detailed description of the result of two writing lessons conducted at classes 10C1 and 10C4 (experimental class), TRIEU SON

5 high School

PART I DISCOURSE CAPABILITY: DEFINITIONS AND

IMPORTANT PROBLEMS

1 Discourse capability

Textual or discourse capability is an aspect of communicative competence which describes the ability to produce unified written or spoken discourse that shows coherence and cohesion and which conforms to the norms of different genres (e.g a business letter, a scientific essay etc.) Apart from the ability to produce sentences which are grammatically correct and appropriate to the situation in which they are being used, learners must also be able to produce discourse in which successive sentences are linked through rules of discourse or discourse capability (Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, p.113)

From the definition we can see that discourse capability involves the following matters:

- Coherence

- Cohesion

- Norms of genres

- Grammatically correct sentences

- Discourse markers or discourse linkers

- Rules of discourse

All these matters will appear in each piece of writing whether it is short or long provided that it serves a communicative purpose Thus, in each writing lesson, the teacher must cover all these issues and help his students to produce such texts that do not miss any requirements Except for coherence and cohesion which are defined the same in every case, the other terms can only be defined in

a particular situation and in a specific lesson

2 Cohesion and Coherence

Cohesion is formal links which exist between sentences, the relationships that cause texts to cohere or stick together “A text has texture and this is what distinguishes it from something that is not a text” (Halliday, MA K & Hasan,

R (1976) Cohesion in English, London: Longman)

Coherence is the familiar and expected relationships in experience which

we use to connect the meaning of utterances, even when those connections are not explicitly made It is content links, which are semantic or rhetorical relationships that underline texts Coherence is built upon semantic ties in discourse and can obtain on the basic of relevance, the common shared

knowledge between participants in a speech event, and how discourse is structured

3 Text

“Text is a piece of naturally occurring spoken, written, or signed discourse identified for purposes of analysis It is often a language unit with a definable communicative function, such as a conversation, a poster.” (Crystal, 1992,p 72) The duty of students is to produce texts to serve particular communicative purposes set in the textbook Therefore, the teacher in charge has to help students to create texts in accordance with the norms identified by the requirements of the particular lessons

4 Genre

In discourse analysis, genre is a particular class of speech events which are considered by the speech community as being of the same type Examples of genres are: prayers, sermons, conversations, songs, speeches, poems, letters, and novels They have particular and distinctive characteristics

PART II WRITING SKILL IN ENGLISH 10 TEXTBOOK

1 Course requirements

At grade 10, students are expected to use English to write a text of

100-120 words in length on a particular topic or to serve a communicative function basing on either model writing or suggestions Examining textbook English 10,

we can see that it requires students to produce 16 pieces of writing as follows:

Unit1 Writing a narrative (Narrative and the past simple, Stages of a

narrative)

- Students are expected to understand the content and the language (the past simple tense), the outline of the model narrative

Unit 2 Filling in a form

- Students are expected to understand and fill in a form with such essetial information about themselves as name, age, occupation, nationality, etc

Unit 3 Writing about people's background

- Students are expected to write about a person's background basing on curriculum vitae

Unit 4 Writing a letter of complaint

- Students are expected to write a letter of complaint

Unit 5 Writing a set of instructions (Sequence connectors, Imperative verbs

form)

- Students are expected to write a set of instructions on how to use a TV remote control using suggestions

Unit 6 Writing a confirmation letter

- Students are expected to write a confirmation letter using cues

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Unit 7 Writing about advantages and disadvantages of the mass media

- Students will be able to write short sentences about advantages and disadvantages of the mass media

- Students will be able to write a paragraph on advantages and disadvantages of

a type of the mass media

Unit 8 Writing an informal letter: giving directions

- Students are expected to write an informal letter giving directions to a friend

Unit 9 Describing information from a table

- Students will be able to interpret information given in a table and convey the information in a paragraph

Unit 10 Writing a letter of invitation

- Students are expected to write an informal letter of invitation basing on suggested situation

Unit 11 Witing a letter of acceptance or refusal

- Students will be able to write a letter of acceptance or refusal

Unit 12 Writing a profile

- Students are expected to write about biography of a famous musician

Unit 13 Describing a film

- Students are expected to write about basic content of a film basing on suggestions

Unit 14 Writing an announcement

- Students are expected to write a short announcement about an event related to sport

Unit 16 Describing a chart

-Students are expected to describe a simple chart

2 Suggested preparations

The textbook designs many tasks with the aim of helping students produce a final product However, teacher has to prepare more materials for their students And this is here the teacher's discourse competence acts The teacher should have the following:

- A perfect model product for each type of writing

- A detailed outline of each type of writing

- Ideas, vocabulary, grammar needed for that particular piece of writing

- Genre, register, style for that particular piece of writing

- Anticipation of matters and questions raised by students

- Clear stages for a particular writing lesson

During the school year of 2015-2016 I have prepared neccessary materials for each writing lesson The preparations are based on the course requirements and the suggestions of the textbook and the document on standard knowledge and skills Namely:

2.1 Unit 1 Writing a narrative

a Definition and outline:

-Narration is story writing When you write a narrative paragraph or essay, you write about events in the order that they happened In other words, you use time order to organize your sentences

-An outline of a narration would be like this:

+ Introduction: Introducing the experience

+ Body: background, events in sequence

+ Conclusion: author's opinion, evaluation of the experience

b Language: the past simple tense, the past continuous, time connectors

c Time order words and phrases:

Words: first, then, next, finally, afterward, meanwhile, etc

Phrases: at first, at exactly 4:00 p.m, after that, after a while, a few minutes later, etc

2.2 Unit 2: Filling in a form

a Definition: An official document containing questions and spaces for

answers

Forms do not usually ask questions, but they ask for information Thay also ask you to do certain things such as write in capital letters, block capitals, sign, delete, put a tick or a cross in a box, etc

b Delete where not applicable: We use a slash to delete the information

which is not applicable to you in a form

2.3 Unit 3 Writing about people's background

a Definitions:

- Background is the details of a person's family, education, experience, etc

- Curriculum vitae (CV): a written record of your education and the jobs you have done, that you send when you are applying for a job

b Language in CV: School attended (name of the school you went to) Exam

passed (name of the exam that you passed) Date from (from what date) Date to (to what date)

c Language in background: the past simple tense and the simple present tense

- Structures: work as a , pass exams in , go to/attend school

2.4 Unit 4 Writing a letter of complaint

a Definition:

A formal letter of complaint is written to complaint about a problem which has arisen (e.g faulty merchendise, rude staff, inaccurate information, etc) It should explain the reasons for the complaint and usually includes a suggestion/request/demand concerning what should be done (e.x: refund, compensation, etc)

b Language:

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Mild or strong language can be used depending on the writer's feelings and the seriouness of the complaint, but abusive language must never be used

e.x: Mild Complaint: I am writing to complaint about a factual error in yesterday's newspaper

Strong Complaint: I am writing to express my strong dispproval concerning the offensive behaviour of an employee at your company

c Outline

- Introduction: Paragraph 1: state reason(s) for writing

- Main body: Paragraph(s)2(-3): state complaint(s) with justification

Paragraph(s) 3-(4-5): suggest what should be done

- Conclusion

Final paragraph

Closing remarks

Full name

2.5 Unit 5 Writing a set of instructions (Sequence connectors, Imperative

verbs form)

a Definition:

- Detailed information on how to do or use something

b Language used in writing instructions

Sequence connectors: first, then, next, until, after that

Imperative verbs form: lift, press, wait

c Sample set of instructions on how to use a TV remote control

If you want to operate a TV with a remote control, you must make sure that the cord is plugged in and the main is turned on

To turn on the TV, press the POWER button

To select a programme, press the PROGRAMME button

To watch VTV1, press button number 1

To watch VTV2, press button number 2

To watch VTV3, press button number 3

To watch VTV4, press button number 4

To adjust the volume, press the VOLUME button up or down

If you do not want to hear the sound, press the MUTE button

To turn off the TV, press the POWER button again

2.6 Unit 6 Writing a confirmation letter

a Definition

A confirmation letter is correspondence that is sent to confirm an oral agreement It can be business or personally ralated It can also confirm a reservation, a response to an invitation, receipt of a various iterms or services or meeting and conference arrangements

b Outline

- Opening (Dear ,)

- Body

+ Restate the event (I'm glad to hear that you are going on a picnic with your classmates)

+ State the confirmation (Certainly, I will help you )

+ State the convenience (Luckily, I'm having a day off on Sunday, so I'm free in the afternoon)

+ Confirm time and place (I'll be waiting fou you at at )

- Closing (Love, yours sincerely )

c Language: informal, future tenses

2.7 Unit 7 Writing about advantages and disadvantages of the mass media

a Language used to talk about advantages and disadvantages of television

- help/encourage someone to do something (help us to learn, encourage us to buy )

- make someone/something +adjective (make things memorable, make us aware

of, make us passive, make people violent

b Paragraph

-A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea, which

is the topic of the paragraph

-A paragraph is made up of three kinds of sentences that develop the writer's main idea, opinion, or feeling about a subject These sentences are (1) the topic sentence, (2) supporting sentences, and (3) the concluding sentence The writer may add a final comment after the conclusion

c A sample paragraph about advantages and disadvantages of a type of the mass media

In our modern life, the Internet has a number of advantages and disadvantages First, it provides quick access to information and entertainment Second, it enlarges people's knowledge and understanding Finally, it makes life easier and more enjoyable to all of us As for disadvantages, the Internet makes people lazy because we do not have to do anything Next, some websites on the Internet contain too much violence Worst of all, the Internet harms people's eyes and costs their time and money The fact is the Internet is neither good nor bad The question whether the Internet is useful or harmful depends on the way we use it

2.8 Unit 8 Writing an informal letter: giving directions

a Language used in giving directions

-get out of, -turn right/left, -keep walking, -go over (a bridge), -walk past (a medical centre), -take the first/second turning on the right/left

- It's the one with

b Sample letter

Dear David,

I'm very pleased to hear that you have decided to come here for the holiday I'm writing to tell you how to get to my house from Roston Railway Station

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Now, when you come out of the station, turn right Keep walking for about 5 minutes; you will see a small bridge ahead Go over the bridge, walk past a medical centre and a car-park Then take the first turning on the left Keep on until you see a shoe shop Mine is the first house after the shoe shop, opposite a souvenir shop It's the one with a red gate You can't miss it I have enclosed a map so that you can follow my directions easily

I look forward to seeing you soon

Love,

Nga

2.9 Unit 9 Describing information from a table

a Outline of the description

- Introducing sentence giving general idea about the animal

- Details (range and habitat, size, feeding habits, offspring, life span, conservation concern)

b Sample writing

Dolphins are not fish They are mammals that live in the water Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on Earth Although they can be found in all oceans worldwide, dolphins prefer coastal waters and bays The size of dolphins varies greatly The smallest dolphin is just about 50 kg in weight and 1, 2 metres

in length while the largest one can weigh up to 8,200 kg and is 10 metres long Dolphins are carnivoes and they eat mostly fish A female dolphin gives birth to one calf every 2 years after a gestation period of 11 to 12 months A dolphin can normally live from 25 to 65 years and some species of dolphins can even live longer Dolphin populations are at risk due to the pollution of their habitat and accidental entrapment in fishing nets

2.10 Unit 10 Writing a letter of invitation

a Outline of an informal letter of invitation

- Opening (Dear ,)

- Body:

+ Thanks/previous experience/interesting information

+ Present situation/event

+ Invitation (including time, places, activities, people involved)

+extend the invitation (bring along family memebers, directions to house ) + remind about confirmation

+ show enthusiasm, expectation, anticipation

- Closing (Love,)

b Language

- Let's + V, - Why don't you + V ?, -Would you like +V ? - Do you feel like + Ving ?, - Can you + V ?, - How about + Ving ?

- Shall we + V ?, - Are you free ?

2.11 Unit 11 Witing a letter of acceptance or refusal

a Outline of a letter of refusal

- Opening: (Dear ,)

- Body

+ Apologies for any dalay in replying (and an excuse)

+ News of yourself (what you have been doing recently)

+ Thanks for the invitation

+ Polite refusal (and reason)

+ Alternative suggestions

- Closing

+ signing off phrase

b Outline of a letter of acceptance

- Opening: (Dear ,)

- Body

+ Apologies for any dalay in replying (and an excuse)

+ News of yourself (what you have been doing recently)

+ Thanks for the invitation

+ Polite and sincere acceptance

+ Arrangements if any

- Closing

+ signing off phrase

c Language

- refusal: + I'm afraid I can't come because , + I'd love to, but , + I'm sorry

I can't (come) because

- Acceptance: +Yes I'd like/love to, +Yes, that's a great idea, + Yes, I'd be delighted to

- making arragements: + I was wondering if

+ Would it be possible for me to ?

2.12 Unit 12 Writing a profile

a Definition

A description of sb/sth that gives useful information

b Language: The past simple tense

c Sample profile of Van Cao

Van Cao was born on 19 November, 1923 in Nam Dinh into a poor worker family He started composing music when he was very young His first song was written in 1939 and he quickly became famous In 1944 he wrote Tien Quan Ca and it was chosen to become the Vietnam National Anthem Van Cao's artistic works include songs, poems, and paintings Van Cao died on 10 July,

1995 in Hanoi Van Cao is known as a very talented musician and highly appreciated by the Vietnamese people

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