The experiences of teaching the grare 8 students in quang ngoc secondary school how to write a para graph

I would like to present “The experiences of teaching the grade 8 students in Quang Ngoc secondary school how to write a paragraph” to help my students to write a paragraph easily.. I hop

PHONG GIAO DUC VA DAO TAO QUANG XUONG

TRUONG THCS QUANG NGOC

SANG KIEN KINH NGHIEM

TEN DE TAI

“THE EXPERIENCES OF TEACHING THE GRADE 8 STUDENTS IN QUANG NGOC SECONDARY SCHOOL

HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH”

Người thực hiện: Hoang Thi Thao Chức vụ : Giao vien

Đơn vị công tác : Truong THCS Quang Ngoc SKKN thuộc lĩnh vực (môn): Tieng Anh

Quang Xuong, nam 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii

PART I: INTRODUCTION 3

1 Rationales: 3

2 Aims of the study 3

- Improving the students’ writing skill and understanding through practical writing 3

- Reducing the difficulties for the average and under average students in practicing writings by creating a combination in the paragraphs and using simple words and structure 3

3 Scope of the study: 3

- Practising writing the paragraphs basing on English 8 and other paragraphs 3

4 Foundation of the study: 3

5 The participants: 3

- The grade 8 students in Quang Ngoc secondary school 3

2.While - writing stage 10

3.Post - writing stage 10

1 Conclusion 19

2 Suggestion 19

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationales:

With the changes of Ministry of Education and training about the national examination this year, There will be Part Wrtiting in exam paper that makes students worry a lot because it is a new point they always concern which form is

it, How is its structure and organization in a writing paragraph to have effect It

is an anxious problem of students this year

Writing is considered as one of the four important skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) stressed in each of unit in textbook It is a difficult skill and most of the students are not good at it and not to practice perfectly during learning it due to years ago they had to only take part in a test not have part writing but this year it is compulsory in the exam paper

However, during teaching some of the teachers still ignore teaching writing skill, especially, difficult writing lessons and they often focus on grammar excercises for the test exams Therefore, to reduce students’ pressure and

worrying I would like to present “The experiences of teaching the grade 8

students in Quang Ngoc secondary school how to write a paragraph” to help

my students to write a paragraph easily Besides, writing skill is one of important skills of communication A good writing skill will help students to communicate their message with clarity Therefore, the teachers who are directly teaching, always think what they should do to make students’ motivation in writing lessons

I hope that these experiences could help students to have a good writing and help develop their writing skill, motivate them in writing a paragraph Moreover, this theme would be shared with colleagues who have the same problem or anyone who is interested in this theme

2 Aims of the study.

- Improving the students’ writing skill and understanding through practical writing

- Reducing the difficulties for the average and under average students in practicing writings by creating a combination in the paragraphs and using simple words and structure

3 Scope of the study:

- Practising writing the paragraphs basing on English 8 and other paragraphs.

4 Foundation of the study:

- Basing on students’ result of writing is very low

- Students’writing skills is very bad

5 The participants:

- The grade 8 students in Quang Ngoc secondary school

PART II: CONTENTS

In the current education curriculum, writing skill is a combination of other skills to enrich students’ knowledge as well as help improve their writing skill and use writing activities to gain other specific purposes

The stages of teaching writing skill are very important and they also have significant effectiveness on the students’ writing performance If students do not prepare well enough, they can not write well, they can not even write anything

in their notebooks.The key to successful writing lessons is that the teachers should carry out well the following stages:

1 Pre-writing stage

Pre - writing activities is considered to be the most important stages in teaching writing skill and they will help students to get ready to perform the tasks of a writing Additionally, students’ writing performance can be affected by teachers’ teaching methods and instructions in this stage If the teacher conducts this stage successfully, the students’ result of performance will be much better Firstly, I have helped students to understand these proplems well: “How is

a paragraph” and “how is its organization and structure”, “how to do to have a good writing paragraph”

1.1: Writing a paragraph

A paragraph is a range of sentences which support, explain, define, clarify and illustrate to the topic sentence of the paragraph Its length is about from

100 to 150 words and is written unceasingly not to begin a new line There are three main parts in a paragraph ( introduction, body, conclusion)

- Introduction is the topic sentence It is an opening sentence of

paragraph which can be put in different positions in the paragraph But to be safe, students should be put it the first position.

- Body is the supporting sentences which support, explain, define, clarify

and illustrate to topic sentence of the paragraph.

- Conclusion is the sentence affirming the topic sentence and summary the

main ideas of the paragraph again.

Depending on each of topic, students can organize supporting sentences in

a paragraph as follows:

- From the least important details to the most important ones

- From the most important details to the least ones

- Arrange the actions or events in chronological order

In order to have ideas for a paragraph, students should make questions such as: “what, where, when, why, how…” answer and connect them to complete a paragraph On the other hand, in the textbook English 8 Suggestions,vocabulary and content of writing inherent the topic of unit and before writing a paragraph, students should apply the outline below

* Topic sentence

• Introduces the topic in the paragraph

• It is the most general sentence in the paragraph

• Contains controlling ideas that the following sentences in the paragraph will explain, define, clarify, illustrate

* Supporting sentences

• develop the topic sentence by giving:

- reasons

- examples

- facts

- statistics

- quotations

* Concluding sentence

• Summarizes the main points of the paragraph, restates the topic sentence without copying exactly

• Gives a final comment on the topic

There fore, before writing a paragraph, besides depending on outline, students should notice the following stages

- Reading and understand the topic well

- Writing the topic sentence

- Listing all of ideas relating to the topic, connecting ideas in order, writing out all of explainations and reasons

- Writing the concluding sentence reasonablely and clearly

In order to have a associative paragraph, students should use the connectors which can’t be lack of in a paragraph and they makes the paragraph much more interesting if students know how to use them

Useful expressions

Sequencing/

Listing

First of all, First(ly), Initially, To begin with; Second(ly); Third(ly); Next; Then; After that (this); Following this (that); Finally; The first reason is…/ The second is…; Last but not least…

Adding to what

you have said

Also, Furthermore, In addition, Additionally, Moreover, Besides, As well as, Similarly, not only…but also…, even beside this/ that

Contrasting In contrast to this, On the contrary, In contrast, Conversely,

On the other hand, While, Whereas, However, Despite/ In

spite of, Although, Even though, Otherwise, Nonetheless Expressing

similarity

Similarly; Likewise, In the same way

Showing results As a result, As a consequence, Consequently, Hence, Thus,

Therefore, So Giving examples For example, For instance, In particular, Particularly,

Especially, Namely, Such as

Restating In other words, That is to say, To put it simply

Inferring In other words, In that case, or else, Otherwise

Summarizing In summary, To sum up, To conclude, In conclusion, In

short, In brief, In a nutshell, Lastly, Finally

Basing on units in Enghlish 8, I have composed many of the topics to students to practice such as:

Unit 1 Write a similar email to tell your friend about your freetime

Unit 3 Write a paragraph giving your opinion about life in the countryside Unit 4 Imagine that you are joining a writing contest about customs and traditions and have chosen to write about the Obon dance

Unit 5 Write an article about this festival for the school website

Unit 8 Write a passage describing the schedule for your visit

Unit 9 Write a news report about a natural disaster you experienced or you have read about

Unit 11 Writing to express agreement or disagreement

Topic 1: Suppose you were offered a job with one of international organizations, which one would you like to choose? Write a paragraph of about 120 to 150 words expressing the reasons why you choose the organization.

Everyone has his (her) own choice For me, supposed I were offered a job

to work for one of the international organizations, I’d like to work for the WHO for a number of reasons Firstly, I really like biology and I’m very good at it If I work for this organization, I will have a chance to do much medical reseach and help improve international health care, especially in poor countries Secondly, I will have an opportunity to live and work abroad.Thirdly, I can use English at work easily, travel all over the world, meet a lot of people from different countries Futhermore, I can know a lot of famous landscapes, customs as well

as cultures Therefore, my experiences and knowledge can be widened and impoved Last but not least, I can have high salary, as a result my life will be more comfortable and happier Finally, working for the WHO is an ideal dream which a lot of people desire

After students read the sample writing, Apart from taking notice of connectors, I asked students to show the topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence, and give remarks about the writing lesson

* The topic sentence: I’d like to work for the WHO

* Supporting sentences: Firstly, I really like biology and I’m very good at

it If I work for this organization, I will have a chance to do much medical reseach and help improve international health care, especially in poor countries Secondly, I will have an opportunity to live and work abroad.Thirdly, I can use English at work easily, travel all over the world, meet a lot of people from different countries Futhermore, I can know a lot of famous landscapes, customs

as well as cultures Therefore, my experiences and knowledge can be widened and impoved Last but not least, I can have high salary, as a result my life will be

more comfortable and happier

* Concluding sentence: Finally, working for the WHO is an ideal dream

whicha lot of people desire

* Connectors: Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Futhermore, as well as,

Therefore, Last but not least, as a result, Finally

- According to me, the good and excellent students are quick- witted to find out a topic sentence or have ideas for a paragraph after reading the topic while some of the average and under average students feel it difficult because their vocabulary and grammatical structure are limited Therefore, I helped them create a combination in some of the paragraphs and I suggested that they should use simple words, easy to remember, easy to find and avoid consuming time with difficult ones.They can copy ideas of the first topic for another paragraph, only change a bit the topic sentence

* Combining ideas in the topics.

Example:

Topic 1: Write a paragraph about an international organization you would like to work for (the sample example 1)

Topic 2: Write a paragraph about a job you would like to do after graduating

- If students have already read or written the topic 1, they only change a bit about topic sentence to have topic 2 without changing content They don’t have

to consume a lot of time to think and look up vocabulary It is an easy way to remember and practice the writing lessons scientifically

•Every has his (her) own dream Becoming a member of the WHO is my great dream for a number of reasons First……… …

-Students can copy the whole the rest of part of topic 1 to complete topic 2

Topic 3:Write a paragraph about your favourite subject

- I think most of the students will choose English to write because it is important, necessary for everyone nowadays and there are many reasons to mention

- Students should base on the topic to make a simple topic sentence

- The third topic, students can collect some of ideas from topic 1

•There are many subjects I like but English is my favourite one Because of reasons Firstly, Nowaday English is important and popular Beside the mother tongue, It is considered as the second language and used widely in many parts

in the word Secondly, It is a compulsory subject in the national examination so many students like to learn it Thirdly,learning English well, I can communicate with foreigners, read and understand any documents written in English easily.

Moreover, I will have an opportunity to live abroad,work for international organizations, use English at work, travel all over the world In addition, I can introduce vietnamese’ customs and cultures to international as well as know a lot customs and cultures of other countries Last but not least, I feel proud of my ability of English with my friends and relatives Lastly I can be easy to have a good job and life if I learn English well

By:Hoang Mai Anh -Class 8C

- Students can use the same ideas for four writings below, the topic sentences and concluding sentence should be changed a bit

Topic 4: Write a paragraph about your favourite sport.

Topic 5: Write a paragraph about the things you would like to do in the free time Topic 6: Write a paragraph about your hobby

Topic 7: Write a paragraph about your leisure activity.

Topic 4:

•Most people like sport, so do I I like sport because sport is my favourite leisure activity in my free time Futhermore, sport is good for health and it also help way of me to get rid of the work stress My favourite sport is badminton Because of four reasons Firstly my health will be improved though playing it It makes me not only feel very excited, comfortable but also have a beautiful body,

so I often play it every afternoon Secondly, it makes me more active and creative in my life.Thirdly, I can make a lot of friends We can improve our skills

of playing badminton when we play with each other Finally, playing badminton isn’t as dangerous as voleyball, soccer…it is a safe sport, not being hurt Although the game make me very tired, but I always like and practise it I feel heathier and fitter than before I hope that many people admire it like me.

By: Nguyen Van Anh - Class 8A

1.2 Describing(reporting on) a film/ book

a.What to write

- Teacher should give some ideas about a report on the book, such as:

• Title and author

• Type of book/ film

• Characters

• Events in the film/ book

• Your opinion of the film/ book

• Personal recommendation

b How to write

• Title and author, characters should be written by capital letter

• Giving the type of the film or book

• Using the following adjectives to describe about a film or book such as:

Type of book or film: a detective story/ film; a romantic novel; a love story

film; an adventure story; a science fiction novel; a historical novel; a humorous story; a thriller

Adjectives to describe film or book: funny = hilarious; horrifying =

frightening; interesting; gripping; exciting; fascinating; entertaining; brilliant; realistic; sad; tragic; imaginative; touching = moving; action-packed; well-written; well-directed; well/beautifully-filmed; wonderfully-acted…

Adjectives to describe author or director: great; skilled; observant; gifted =

talented; perceptive; entertaining…

c structure:

•Describing: It’s called…; It was (written/ directed/ produced/ published/

designed) by/ in…; It’s by the same (writer/ director) as…; It’s his/ her first/ second (book/ film); It’s about/ tells the story of…; It’s set in…; It’s based on…; It’s adapted from…; It lasts about…hour(s); The story is very simple/ complicated

•Expressing personal ideas: The (acting/ story/ graphics) is/ are brilliant/

terrible.; The best/ worst thing(s) about it is/ are…; … is really boring/

annoying/ exciting.; Another thing I really liked/ hated was…; One weak point was…; It’s well worth seeing.; I’d recommend it to anyone who likes…; I

wouldn’t recommend it to anyone…

•Tenses: Using simple present to describe or report a book or film even

although events happened in the past

Example 1: UNIT6 : FOLK TALES- SKILLS 2

4a Use your notes in 3 to write the fairy tale Use The Princess and the Dragon as a model.

- Teacher asks students to do Task 1

- In group, ask students to put the questions jumbled under the correct headings

* General introduction

7.What is the title of the book?

4.who is the author?

9.What type of book is it?

* Summary of the book’s content

2.where is the book set?

5.What is the main theme of the book?

6.who are the main characters?

8.what is the plot of the story?

* Conclusion:

1.What was your opinion of the book?

3.would you recommend the book?

- After explaining some ideas clearly and suggesting a story to guide

students how to write it For example: The story “The old man and the sea”

- Teacher can help students some of the suggestions such as: vocabulary, theme, title, plot and characters of story by Vietnamese and help them to convert into English to organize them reasonablely

-Teacher asks students to work in groups and make a sample outline before writing

Sample outline I- General introduction

- The title of the book: The old man and the sea

- The author: Hemingway

- Type of the book: Short story

II- Summary of the book’s content:

- The main theme: The struggle between man and nature for survival

- The main character: An old Cuban fisherman

- The plot of the story: After 80 days not catching a fish, the old man ventures far out into the Gulf to fish and a giant marlin takes his bait But because the fish is too great, he must struggle 3 days and three nights with it Finally, he is able to catch it

III- Conclusion:

- In my opinion, the story …….….…

- I think we should ………

With above suggestions Students have to complete their perfect writing and share it in pairs

The story “The old man and the sea” is a short story written in English by

Heming way, an American writer The story is about the struggle between man and nature for survival The main character is an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago, an unlucky fisherman After 80 days not catching a fish, the old man ventures far out into the Gulf to fish and a giant marlin takes his bait But because the fish is too great, he must struggle 3 days and three nights with it Finally, he is able to catch it.This story teaches us not only one’s impatient but also braveness In my opinion, the story “The old man and the sea” is a good one about the struggle for survival, and I think all of us should read it whenever

we have time to understand more about the rules of life

- Teacher helps students some vocabulary ( giant marlin, bait, struggle ).

- Teacher gives feedback

2 While - writing stage

This stage is for developing writing skill, students can write individually, but teacher should encourage collaborative writing( work in pairs or in a small group to write the first draft).While writing, teacher goes round the class to see how well students work and whether they need some help.Especially, teacher should pay more attention to less - active or quiet students and encourage them

to focus on their work

Now students can feel confident to write any required topic easily

3 Post - writing stage

The activities in this stage will help students to gain confidence while writing and also help them become more and more interested in their writing lessons