(SKKN HAY NHẤT) graphic organizers effective tools for teaching writing skill in the new “tieng anh 10” textbook

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NGHỆ AN - SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐỀ TÀI: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW “TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK MÔN: TIẾNG ANH Năm học: 2020-2021 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NGHỆ AN TRƯỜNG THPT NGUYỄN DUY TRINH - SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐỀ TÀI: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW “TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK GV: NGUYỄN THỊ THU HÀ MÔN: TIẾNG ANH Năm học: 2020-2021 INDEX LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Parts PART I Contents Pages INTRODUCTION 1 Reason for choosing the study Purpose of the study PART II THE STUDY 1.Theoretical considerations 1.1 Definitions of writing 1.2 The importance of writing 1.3 Difficulty of teaching writing 1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements 1.5 Graphic organizers 1.6 Students’ attitudes towards writing The reality of teaching and learning writing at Nguyen Duy Trinh high schools 2.1 The teacher’s and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of writing 2.2 Students’ difficulties in learning writing 2.3 The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook Research methods 3.1 Participants and setting 3.2 Data source and research material 3.3 Data collection procedure Research schedule 4.1 Intervention Applications of the study in the Units Results PART III 10 24 CONCLUSION 27 PART I INTRODUCTION LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Reason for choosing the study In the process of globalization, English plays an important role in enhancing economy, politics, culture and international relations between many countries Therefore, there is a great demand for teaching and learning English in the world as well as in Viet Nam English users today focus more on the ability to communicate in spoken and written languages However, the education quality has not met the society’s expectation because mostly high-school graduates cannot communicate in English effectively in both oral and written forms Under the urgent demand of improving the quality, Vietnam’s English language teaching has recently undergone a comprehensive reform Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has issued a new set of textbook for high school students in order to develop students’communicative competence The new textbook displays two new teaching approaches They are learner - centered and communicative approaches However, regarding Vietnam’s context, the change will create a lot of difficulties to teachers of English who are too familiar to old teaching methods, especially in teaching writing skill, which seems to be the most difficult work in teaching English At Nguyen Duy Trinh high school, teaching writing skills is really a big challenge One of the major reasons for students' low performance in writing; however, is the traditional methods adopted to teach this skill In fact teaching writing in this part of theword does not go far beyond: "the teacher assigns a topic, the students write and the teacher evaluates and (at his/her best) provides feedback"(Marshi& Henatabad 2011.p.79) Such an approach to teaching writing, in the researchers' point of view, is very unproductive and demotivating It induces the learners to develop negative attitudes towards writing To make teaching writing more fruitful and less boring, more modern innovative techniques such asgraphic organizers are worth considering and being utilized in teaching English writing Another problem is the students’ low level of English proficiency That is why they find it difficult to write Moreover, lack of motivation also faces the students They often get bored and indifferent in the writing lessons In my opinion, the current problem must be worked out and appropriate teaching techniques should be made Up to present, a few researches have been carried out on the teaching of writing for students in Nghe An As a teacher of English, who is aware of the fact, I wish to contribute some suggestions for possible improvements in the teaching and learning of writing skill by the means of graphicorganizers Purpose of the study LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com In response to the problem of students' insufficient writing ability, comes this research as an attempt to determine whether using graphic organizers helps to improve Nguyen Duy Trinh high school students' writing performance This research also intends to see how the use of such techniques impacts the students' attitudes towards writing 2.1 Hypotheses of the study Through the use of graphic organizers to teach writing, it is hypothesized that: 2.1.1 Students' writing performance will improve significantly This hypothes is is based on the assumption that graphic organizers provide scaffolding or support for new information, help to focus attention, organize information, select relevant vocabulary and offer a reminder for previous information 2.1.2 Students' attitudes towards writing will become more positive This hypothesis is based on the assumption that these organizers create an enjoyable learning atmosphere that enhances meaningful learning Hence they serve to improve performance and prevent frustration and boredom 2.2 Questions of the study This research is intended to answer two questions that are directly related to the above hypotheses What is the effect of using graphic organizers on students' writing performance? How does the use of graphic organizers impact the students' attitudes towards writing? 2.3 Significance of the study This research is significant as it attempts to investigate the impact graphic organizers may have on the writing ability and attitudes towards writing English th of the 10 grade students at Nguyen Duy Trinh high schools towards this significant skill This study is also significant because its results would demonstrate the viability of using such an occidental innovative technique; the th graphic organizers to improve the writing proficiency of a group of the 10 grade students as well as their attitudes towards this important skill If this technique proves to be useful, then it goes without saying that it will be adopted to teach this vital skill to attain better writing performance Better writing performance secures the academic future of the students and facilitates their educational progress PART II THE STUDY LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Theoretical considerations 1.1 Definitions ofwriting There are a lot of definitions of writing According to Byrne (1991), writing can be defined as the act of forming graphic symbols When we write, we use graphic symbols (alphabet, grammar, and structures) to make visual meaningful utterances Therefore, on one level, writing can be said to be the act of making marks on flat surface of some kinds However, writing is not just simply putting words, sentences together Many researchers tended to focus on the nature of writing as an entity of linguistic creation Writing is also considered as a communicative process with purposeful interaction between the participants However, writing, in language teachers’ opinions, is a language skill which is difficult to acquire In short, the definitions of writing are various However, writing is characterized with some basic features, i.e being linguistics, creative, progressive and interactive Besides, the word “writing” itself may imply an act, a process, or a skill, which needs practice and study to develop It requires both physical and mental powers from the writers 1.2 The importance of writing Writing is a means to acquire and attain language, confirming that it is an important mode of communication through which life experience and personal views can be shared Writing is also described as skill that draws on the use of strategies to accomplish a variety of goals Writing is a means of extending and reinforcing knowledge Writing acts as an effective tool for acquiring new information 1.3 Difficulty of teaching writing Albeit the importance of writing, many scholars and researchers admit that teaching this skill is a complex and cumbersome process Teaching writing is just as complicated as writing itself, teaching writing is demanding and cumbersome As a teacher of writing for a long time, I acknowledge the difficulty and complexity of teaching English writing However, it should also be acknowledged that the traditional methods which are widely adopted to teach this skill in this part of the world is one of the major causes for the poor level of the students' writing performance 1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements Effective writing teaching requires the use of assistive devices to support and maintain the learning of this skill It is not enough for the teachers of writing to be highly qualified, but that their practices of instruction follow scientific based research There are some major principles of effective writing instruction These involve providing support for recognition through presentation, support for strategic learning through expression and support for affective learning through LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com engagement Use of mind mapsand graphics, says Strangman, provides the teacher with tools and strategies that help him/her to adhere to the above principles of effective writing teaching Currently, visual organizers are widely incorporated in teaching writing These tools are claimed to provide learners with a concrete structural framework of information and help to focus the learners' attention on key ideas and the conceptual relations between these ideas rather than the apparently isolated facts (Delrose, 2011) In fact, the use of graphic organizers enhances understanding, organizing and meaningful learning, and in this way facilitates the complex task of learning writing while serving to prevent boredom 1.5 Graphic organizers Graphic organizers are defined as visual displays of key content information designed to guide learners and to enhance their comprehension They are sometimes referred to as concept maps, cognitive maps, or content maps, but they are all used to serve one purpose They are meant to help students clearly see how ideas are organized within a text or surrounding a concept Through the use of organizers, learners acquire the structure of abstract concepts A graphic organizer is a visual graphic display that shows the relation between facts, terms or ideas within a learning task (Hall & Strangman,2002) The visual representation of graphic organizers provides learners with a structural framework of information to be learned This helps to direct the learners' attention to key concepts and conceptual relationships The use of such organizers, thus promotes understanding, and enhances organization and long term retention of information It stresses meaningful learning which serves to facilitate learning and minimize boredom 1.6 Students' attitudes towards writing The ability to write clearly, consciously and efficiently is important to achieve academic success However, many students have limited writing abilities and struggle to write compositions that adequately convey their thoughts and ideas Indeed, the writing process can be very cumbersome and difficult to master Actually many students are classified as low achievers in this skill This situation is quite frustrating and leads many students to develop negative attitudes towards this essential skill Educators can play a major role in helping students overcome this problem It is important for teachers to provide students with interesting, authentic and meaningful writing experiences (Chohan,2011) When these types of experiences are provided for the students, they become more engaged and interested in their learning According to Chohan (2011), writing is better learned when students are engaged, helped to organize their thoughts, and allowed to express their own experiences Lancaster (2013) reports that when students have the chance to participate in writing workshops and use a variety of graphic organizers, writing becomes meaningful, creative and more enjoyable Furthermore, when learners are offered the opportunity to practice writing under stress - free conditions, they become more comfortable and confident in the writing LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com process Teaching writing via the use of graphic organizers is meaningful and interesting because it effectively shows students' growth with respect to their writing abilities Lancaster (2013) confirms that the use of graphic organizers in teaching is one way to create a learning atmosphere where students love writing Teachers can prevent writing failure and students' frustration when successful, meaningful ways of teaching are used The reality of teaching and learning writing at Nguyen Duy Trinh high school 2.1 The teacher’s and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of writing Writing is not highly appreciated by the students and even the teachers not take the importance of writing seriously This is because of the main purpose of teaching and learning English at Nguyen Duy Trinh high school The results of the final exam and university entrance exam are considered the most importance of teaching and learning English at school so both the teachers and students there focus mostly on grammar and reading skill rather than on other skills such as speaking, listening and writing This certainly affects the students’ writing competence and prevents the improvement of their writing ability Consequently, most of the teachers and the students think the students’ writing competence is bad 2.2 Students’ difficulties in learning writing The 10th form students at Nguyen Duy Trinhhigh school are sixteen years old Although they have been learning English for four years at lower - secondary schools, their English knowledge is still limited Besides, they have no clear determination on English learning goal Students have to face many difficulties that are from two causes: from the students themselves, and from the teachers’lectures In terms of the first cause, the majority of the students have trouble with writing because of their low level of English proficiency Their vocabulary and sentence structures are poor Grammar mistakes and spelling are also a common fear for many of them Besides, their low background knowledge also makesthem feel stressed when writing Many of the students said they found it hard to generate ideas and make an outline because of their low background knowledge.Their low motivation is also a problem These students consider the result of the exams as the most importance of their learning Therefore, they care much about grammar, structures and reading skill This, obviously, decreases their interest in writing Moreover, they consider time limitation as a trouble Many of them said they sometimes did not have enough time to complete writing tasks at class The main reason for this is because of their low level of English proficiency and low backgroundknowledge In terms of the second cause, the students not highly access their teachers’ assistance They find their teachers’ feedbacks are not comprehensive and their teachers’ instructions are not adequate LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2.3 The new “TiengAnh 10”textbook The new “TiengAnh 10” is the first of three - level English language set of textbooks for the Vietnamese upper secondary school It follows the systematic, cyclical and theme - based curriculum approved by the Minister of Education and rd Training on 23 November 2012 The aim of this set of textbooks is to develop students’ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing so that when finishing upper secondary school, students will achieve level three of the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competence Framework (equivalent to B1 in the Common EuropeanFramework of Reference for Languages) 2.3.1 Grade 10 writing objectives The aim of the course is to equip students with English writing skill for basic communication For grade 10 students, the objective is to develop students’ abilities to provide 150 - 180 word paragraphs or short essay on familiar topics 2.3.2 Writing lessons The writing subsection prepares students to cope with the two biggest problems they usually experience, which are lack of ideas and lack of necessary language to express ideas It often begins with a pre - writing activity that presents the topic and gives students an opportunity to brainstorm ideas related to the given topic In the following activity, useful phrases are presented and practiced so that students can use them later Sometimes, a model text is presented with one or two tasks for students to study its structure and format before producing their own text This approach to writing gives students some guidance so that they feel more confident and are better prepared for the writing task In order to realize the course objective, the writing section focuses on daily and popular topics The required competences and objectives of the writing lesson in each unit are detailed in the following table: Units Required tasks Family Life Writing about doing household chores Your body and you Writing about what to eat and not to eat Music Writing a biography 4.For a better Community Writing an application letter for volunteer work Inventions Writing about the benefits of an invention Gender Equality Writing about the disadvantages of working mothers Cultural Diversity Writing about some typical characteristics of Vietnamese people LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com New ways to learn Writing about the advantages of electronic devices as learning tools Preserving Writing about environmental problem and give the Environment some practical advice on how to preserve the environment 10 Ecotourism Writing a travel brochure promoting an ecotour Table 1: Checklist of writing tasks in TiengAnh 10 textbook Research methods 3.1 Participant and setting The participants of this study are the students from class 10D1 with 44 students They are chosen to be the first students to study the new textbook designed for those who have been studying English for 10 years from grade to grade 12 To study this textbook, students have to achieve level two of the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competence Framework (equivalent to A2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) However, the number of the students that can meet the requirement is very small, about 15 in the total of 44 students Consequently, I faced a lot of challenges when teaching students the new textbook, especially writing skill 3.2 Data sources and research material Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed to carry out the study The study used three major instruments for data collection: a writing rubric (see App A), an attitudinal survey (see App B) and tests (see App.C) The writing rubric based on The Georgia Department of Education Scale was selected and modified by the researcher to assess the various traits of students' writing The second instrument used in this study was the attitude survey This survey was intended to measure the students' attitudes and feelings towards writing and their perceptions of the writing task Informal interviews with the colleagues and the students are also conducted Besides, reviewing the related documents is also a method to establish the theoretical background for the study 3.3 Data collection procedure: The data collection procedure is indicated in the following chart: 10 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Unit 5: INVENTIONS Writing about the benefits of an invention Choose one invention and write a paragraph about its benefits (The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook– page 54, Volum 1) a Outline not using graphic organizers + Topic sentence: More and more people are using smartphones because of their benefits + Supporting ideas and explanations: Supporting idea and further explanations: For communication -> make phone calls, send and receive messages Supporting idea and further explanations: For entertainment -> listen to music, play games, read books Supporting idea and further explanations: For information -> surf the Web, use maps to look for places + Concluding sentence: In conclusion, a smartphone is one of the most important devices of modern life b Outline using graphic organizers Topic sentence Supporting idea 1\Benefit Supporting idea \ Benefit 2: Supporting idea 3\Benefit 3: Benefit 1: further explanations: further explanations: further explanations: 19 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Benefits of a smartphone For communication For entertainment Make phone call Send and receive message Listen to music Play games Read books For information Surf the Webs Use maps to look c Sample paragraph Smartphones have become increasingly important in modern life More and more people are using smartphones because of their benefits The first benefit of smartphones is they are useful for communication People can use them to make phone calls, send and receive messages With them, people can get in touch with their family and friends even though they are far away Another benefit of smartphones is that they can help people entertain themselves When they have free time, they can listen to music or play games on their smartphones They can also read a lot of interesting books An additional benefit of smartphones is that they give people useful information With a smartphone connected to the internet, people can surf the Web to get access to quite a few newspapers to get themselves updated with the latest news Moreover, with a smartphone, people are not afraid of getting lost because the map on their smartphone can help them look for places In conclusion, a smartphone is one of the most important devices of modern life 20 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Unit 6: GENDER EQUALITY Writing about the disadvantages of working mothers Write a text about the disadvantages of being a working mother (The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook–page 12,Volum 2) a Outline not using graphic organizers + Introduction: Mothers should be discouraged from working outside the home + Body: Disadvantage 1: having traditional roles Explaination 1,2: housewives, housekeepers, doing housework, looking after husbands and children; caregivers for elderly people Disadvantage : not having enough time Explaination 1,2: men work at office, women work at office and at home; after a hard day at the office, chores, take care of parents-in-law and help children with homework, no time for relaxation Disadvantage 3: not being good workers Explaination 1,2: tiring household chores affect work, cannot concentrate or work effectively; be worried about kids and housework + Conclusion: In short, women should not be encouraged to work outside the home when they are married and have children Useful language: to be discouraged from doing sth traditional roles household chores relaxation housekeeper caregiver ………………………………… b.Outline using graphic organizers Introduction: 21 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Explanation 1: Disadvantages 2: Explanation 2: Explanation 1: Explanation 2: Disadvantage 3: Explanation 1: Explanation 2: Conclusion: 22 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Mothers should be discouraged from working outside the home having traditional roles: housewives, housekeepers caregivers for elderly people not having enough time: men work at office, women work at office and at home chores, take care of parents-in-law not being good workers: tiring household chores affect work be worried about kids and housework In short, women should not be encouraged to work outside the home when they are married and have children 23 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com c Sample short text 1.Today more and more mothers have jobs Mothers should be strongly discouraged from working outside the home.  First, women have traditional roles as housewives and housekeepers They should stay at home, doing housework and looking after their husbands and children In extended families where more than two generations live together, women are also the main caregivers for elderly people.  Second, working mothers not have enough time Men's work finish at the office, but women's work is extended to their households After an eight-hour working day, these exhausted women have to household chores, take care of their husbands and children without having any time to relax.  Finally, working mothers cannot be good workers Tiring and boring chores at home negatively affect women's tasks in their working place They cannot concentrate or work as effectively as those who not have to worry about taking kids to school, picking them up after school and doing housework.  Clearly, mothers should not be encouraged to work outside the home 2.Today more and more mothers have jobs Mothers should be discouraged from working outside the home for some reasons Firstly, women have many traditional roles to play They are housewives and housekeepers, so they should housework and look after their husband and children If their family live with elderly people, they are also the main caregivers for them Secondly, working mothers not have enough time While men only work at the office, women work both at the office and at home After a hard day at the office, they have to household chores Besides, they are responsible for taking care of their parents-in-law or helping their children with homework Therefore, they have no time for relaxation Finally, it is hard for working mothers to be good workers The tiring household chores at home affect their work and make them not concentrate on their tasks at the office They cannot work effectively because they may be worried about the problems they kids have or how to complete all of the housework In short, women should not be encouraged to work outside the home when they are married and have children 24 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Unit 7: CULTURAL DIVERSITY Writing about some typical characteristics of Vietnamese people Think of three typical characteristics of Vietnamese people and examples to support each of them Then write a short text of 150 – 180 words about these characteristics (The new “Tieng Anh 10” textbook page 22, Volum 2) a Outline not using graphic organizers + Introduction: Vietnamese people are typically hospitable, hard-working and family-oriented + Body: Characteristic 1: hospitable Evidence: welcome guests with smiles; treat guests with the best things they have Characteristic 2: hard-working Evidence: get up early to work; work in the office and at home Characteristic 3: family-oriented Evidence: worship ancestors; get together on special occasions  + Conclusion: In short, the above characteristics are typical of Vietnamese people b.Outline usinggraphic organizers Introduction: characteristics 1: Evidence: characteristics 2: Evidence: characteristics 3: Evidence: Conclusion: 25 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com hospitable,hard-working and family-oriented hospitable hard-working welcome guests with smiles; treat guests with the best things they have get up early to work; work in the office and at home family-oriented worship ancestors; get together on special occasion occasions In short, the above characteristics are typical of Vietnamese people c Sample paragraph Vietnamese people are typically hospitable, hard-working and family-oriented In the first place, they are very hospitable Although they are sometimes timid, once they get to know someone, they are very friendly They usually welcome guests with smiles and when guests come to their house, Vietnamese people usually treat them with the best things they have In addition, Vietnamese people are hardworking A lot of them, especially women, get up early to housework They work in the office and when they come back home they still extra jobs or household chores When you go out in the street in the very early morning, you can see street vendors preparing for their working day or people selling and buying things in the market Last but not least, the Vietnamese are family-oriented They worship their ancestors and get together on special occasions such as Tet holiday or anniversaries They love their family and want to everything for their family In short, the above characteristics are typical of Vietnamese people 26 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5.1 When to use graphicorganizers Graphic organizers enable the students to organize material logically and to see relationships between and among ideas Effective use of graphic organizers can help the students to present his or her ideas in an effective and persuasive manner, resulting in a focused and coherent text Graphic organizers can be used during the pre - writing stage or at any other time during the writing process For example, a student who has written a draft lacking in coherence and purposeful organization could benefit from using agraphic organizer during conferencing with the teacher or peers The perspective gained from graphically visualizing ideas should persuade even the reluctant user of graphic organizers that some method of organization is necessary for effective communication Teachers can provide printed or electronic templates for all students to use individually as graphic organizers during the writing process These templates can be used during a demonstration lesson as well The teacher - student conferencing process, including the results of formative assessment, can help both teacher and student to determine which graphic organizer is best for each particular student during a specific writing assignment This instructional - learning strategy also addresses the various learning styles that each student prefers No matter the style or method, graphic organizers serve a critical role during any writing process Results 6.1 Results of the attitude survey The attitude survey was administered twice before and once after the participants had completed the graphic organizers' intervention Responsesto the survey questions were compared and summarized in the table below: How you rate writing in term Easy Difficult Medium * Before graphic organizer training 22 17 * After graphic organizer training 12 15 17 Excited Nervous Neutral * Before graphic organizer training 22 18 * After graphic organizer training 20 14 10 of difficulty? How you feel when it is time for writing? 27 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Do you think writing is fun or boring? Fun Boring Not sure * Before graphic organizer training 19 20 * After graphic organizer training 20 12 12 Yes No Sometimes * Before graphic organizer training 18 17 * After graphic organizer training 24 12 Do you often try your best to accomplish your writing task? 5* What is the most difficult part Planning Writing Organizing * of writing for you? * Before graphic organizer training 14 12 18 After graphic organizer training 28 10 Table 2: Writing attitude survey The above data which were generated through the attitudinal survey can be used to verify the second hypothesis of this study which stated that the use of graphic organizers will positively impact the attitudes of students towards writing This is clearly shown in the students' responses which changed radically after they had completed their graphic organizers training and used them as instruments for writing For instance, when the participants were asked to rate writing in term of difficulty, almost half of the participants ranked writing as difficult, but when asked the same question after the graphic organizers' intervention 27,3 % ranked it as easy When asked about their feeling when it was time for writing only 9,1 % of the participants said they felt excited when it was time for writing However, after the intervention more than 45,6% of the participants said they found writing exciting Before graphic organizers' training, only 11,4% said writing was fun and 43,2% said it was boring This feeling towards writing had changed dramatically after the graphic organizer intervention and 45,6% rated writing as fun and only 27,3% said it was boring The above data can be used to verify and accept the second hypothesis of the study that the use of graphic organizers has positively impacted the student's attitudes towards writing The same data can be used to answer the second question of the study "What is the impact of using graphic organizers on students' attitudes towards writing? Obviously, the use of graphic organizers has a positive impact on students' attitudes towards writing 28 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 6.2 Results of the tests The scores of the students’ in writing before and after they received their graphic organizers' training are shown in figure below: It shows the participants' level of performance in the five traits of writing according to the rubrics suggested by the Georgia Department of Education 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 A B C D E All Pre- test Post- test Figure 1: A graph for the mean scores for writing with and without graphic organizer A-Content, B-organization, C-word choice, D-sentence fluency and E- convention All - the average mean performance of all participants' in the five writing traits The above graph reveals that the mean score for writing was increased in all five traits after the graphic organizers intervention; however, the maximum increase was observed in organization reaching 65,5% instead of 46% and word choice reaching 65% instead of 48% The overall mean score for writing after the participants had received theirgraphic organizers' training did increase significantly to approach 58% It was only 45% before intervention The difference in mean between the writing of students before and after they received the graphic organizers' training was almost 18% This finding clearly indicates that students' writing has shown a higher mean than their writing before this intervention 29 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART III CONCLUSION From the results of this study, it can be concluded that graphic organizers are effective instruments to develop the students' writing ability The use of such organizers with a group of 44 students at Nguyen Duy Trinh high school did have a significant positive impact on students' writing as well as on their attitudes towards this skill Students' mean score in writing increased from 45% to 58% with a difference of 18%, and it is due to the graphic organizers' intervention Furthermore, the students' attitudes towards writing have changed dramatically The students started to view writing as easy, exciting and interesting after they had completed their graphic organizers training Reference Byrne, D (1991) Teaching writing skills - Longman handbook for language teachers Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/ CookPublishers Chohan, S (2011) Any letter for me? Relationship between an elementary school letter writing program and students' attitudes, literacy achievement and friendship culture Early Childhood Education 39 (1) 39-50 Delrose, L (2011) Investigating the use of graphic organizers for writing Unpublished doctoral dissertation Louisiana State University Hall, T &Strangman, N (2002) Graphic organizers Wakefield MA: National Center on Assessing the General Curriculum Lancaster, K (2013) An examination of using graphic organizers to teach writing: A case study ELE 5900 Eastern Illinois University Hoàng Văn Vân, Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Đào Ngọc Lộc, Đặng Hiệp Giang, Phan Hà, Hoàng Thị Hồng Hải, Kiều Thị Thu Hương, Vũ Thị Lan, David Kaye TiếngAnh 10: Volume and Teacher’s and Students’ Book, Vietnam Education publisher Internet: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/writing-process/5809http:// www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/http://www.graphic.org/ http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning/graphic-organizers http://sachmem.com 30 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Appendix A Writing rubric Category Content Paper is clear and focused It holds the reader’s attention Organization The introduction is inviting, Conclusion is strong Body paragraphs have clear transition, and are in a powerful order Word choice Writer uses vivid words and phrasesthat linger or draw pictures in the reader’s mind Some details are extraneous Details are spotty and/or Details are lacking.There Development is weak poorly developed seems to be no purpose or central theme The introduction is not The introduction states There is neither clear particularly inviting to the the main introduction of themain reader The conclusion ties topic.Conclusion, but fails topic nor anyclear things up pretty well in providing details conclusion Paper begins and endin limbo Writer uses a fewvivid words andphrases that lingeror draw picturesin the reader’s mind, Writer uses words that communicate clearly, but the writing lacks variety, punch orflair Writer uses a limited vocabulary that doesnot communicate strongly or capture the reader’s interest Sentence fluency All sentences are wellMost sentences are wellMost sentences are well- Sentences lack structure constructed with varied constructed with varied constructed but have a and appear incomplete or length, structure and structure and length1 or similar structure, length, rambling beginnings sentences begin the same and/or beginning Conventions Writer makes no errors in Writer makes or errors in Writer makes a few errors Writer makes manyerrors spelling,capitalization, spelling,homonyms, in spelling, paragraphing, in spelling, homonyms, grammar, paragraphing grammar or punctuation, grammar,homonyms grammar,and/or or punctuation, and/or punctuation punctuation The paper is difficultto read 31 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Appendix B Writing attitude survey How you rate writing in term of difficulty? Easy Difficult Medium Excited Nervous Neutral Fun Boring Not sure Yes No Sometimes Planning Writing Organizing * Before graphic organizer training * After graphic organizer training How you feel when it is time for writing? * Before graphic organizer training * After graphic organizer training Do you think writing is fun or boring? * Before graphic organizer training * After graphic organizer training Do you often try your best to accomplish your writing task? * Before graphic organizer training * After graphic organizer training What is the most difficult part of writing for you? * Before graphic organizer training * After graphic organizer training 32 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Appendix C Tests Writing pre – test Write a paragraph about how people in your family share housework 1st writing post – test You would like to volunteer at the S.O.S Children’s Village Vinh, Nghe An Write a formal letter of 140-160 words to apply for the job 2nd writing post – test Write a short text about the advantages of using electronic devices in learning 33 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... NGUYỄN DUY TRINH - SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐỀ TÀI: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS - EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILL IN THE NEW “TIENG ANH 10” TEXTBOOK GV: NGUYỄN THỊ THU HÀ MÔN: TIẾNG ANH Năm... causes for the poor level of the students' writing performance 1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements Effective writing teaching requires the use of assistive devices to support and maintain the. .. Definitions of writing 1.2 The importance of writing 1.3 Difficulty of teaching writing 1.4 Effective writing teaching requirements 1.5 Graphic organizers 1.6 Students’ attitudes towards writing