(SKKN HAY NHẤT) the experiences of revisinging for excellent students in ba dinh high school how to write an essay

THANH HOA PROVINCE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA ĐÌNH HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE The experiences of revisinging for excellent students in Ba Dinh high school how to write an essay Implementer: Trần Thị Huệ Job title: Teacher School: Ba Đình high school – Nga Sơn Experience initiative: English THANH HOÁ 2021 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I - INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Foundation of the study The participants .2 PART II - CONTENTS Pre - writing stage While - writing stage Post - writing 18 PART III - PRACTICE EXCERCISES 18 PART IV - EFFECTIVE OF STUDY 19 PART V- CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 20 Conclusion 20 Suggestions 20 REFERENCES 21 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale: The beginning of learning English, students have been exposed to four basic skills of the language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing These are important skills of teachers in transferring knowledge to students Writing skill is a difficult one for learners, it requires teachers to understand the teaching method effectively and well implement the principle of "Studying together with practising" Teaching and learning methods have changed fundamentally Teachers are not only ones who hold the knowledge and impart knowledge but also the direction instructors, supporters, mentors, testers.The learners are no longer passive people who acquire knowledge but are at the center of the teaching process, actively innovating in the learning process to achieve the conclusion It is very important to study and know how to apply it to real life In general, to teach foreign languages and to teach English in particular the innovation of teaching methods is very important in addition to mastering language knowledge, good performance listening, speaking and reading skills, writing skills also play an important role The basic content and really the subtle combination of teaching other language skills from the points of view on how to apply writing methods to help students make a standard essay that it ensures accurate writing, grammar and creativity Writing skill is one of the four skills of learning English which can be one of the most enjoyable and satisfying activities for teachers and students to together in a classroom, especially in a foreign language classroom But writing skill which includes language, private knowledge and skill, emotion and the interaction of personal opinion is difficult and challenging to learn and develop for many students in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular In Vietnam, there are many English teachers who even believe that teaching writing skill to learners is more complex than teaching other communicative skills 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 and improve the effective of writing skill, I would like to present “The experiences of revisinging for excellent students in Ba Dinh high school how to write an essay” to help my students to write an essay 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 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 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Aims of the study - From the above reality, I am constantly studying and experimenting with teaching methods and tricks to find the most effective writing methods to help students understand how to write some types of essays - Improving the students’ writing skill and understanding through practical writing - Reducing the difficulties for the students in practicing writings by creating a combination in the essays and using simple words and structures, know how to use the structure in each part of the essay when participating in excellent student exams at all levels - Help teachers understand more about writing some types of paragraph Scope of the study: - Studying textbooks, exploiting materials on the Internet, determining genres of essays to build an appropriate teaching, experimenting on students who join the team of gifted student in Ba Đinh high school Foundation of the study: - Basing on students’ result of writing is very low - Students’writing skills is very bad The participants: - The students taking part in revising to choose gifted students in Ba Dinh high school PART II: CONTENTS In the process of teaching and learning, I find that writing skills are one of the most difficult skills It requires students to have vocabulary, understand grammatical structures, ideas to outline when writing articles In particular, students must know how each type of essay needs to be written Writing skills help students create what they have learned, help them practice using language effectively and also practice writing for them Writing skills promote students’ creativity, it reflects the results of students' listening, speaking, reading, grammar, vocabulary, showing strong, weak sides, and it also helps for teachers more easily to see errors of students than when speaking Writing is a very important step in the process of teaching and learning English Especially for those who are gifted students in all level Good writing skill not only helps students achieve high scores in the exam for excellent students but also it helps students will be confident and have useful knowledge to participate in other competitions such as IELTS, TOEFL The students often encounter essays which make them confused and not know what kind of writing they need, how to present their essays, use any sentence structures properly So I boldly choose the topic “The experiences of revisinging for excellent students in Ba Dinh high school how to write an essay” which I have used successfully to improve the effectiveness of teaching, especially the quality of students participate in choosing gifted ones The stages of teaching writing skill are very important and they also have significant effectiveness on the students’ writing performance If students not LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com prepare well enough, they can not write well, they can not even write anything in their writing.The key to successful writing lessons is that the teachers should carry out well the following stages: Pre-writing stage Pre-writing activities are 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, such as “How is an essay” and “how is its organization and structure”, “how to to write a standard essay” to make the difference between achieving or not achieving the desired score SOME FORMS OF ESSAY AND WAYS TO RECOGNIZE I provided examples and structures for each type of essay This clear structure will help students know how to analyze and apply it to write an essay clearly, and hope to help the students improve their writing scores - Writing essay is usually divided into basic types 1.1. Argumentative essay What is an Argumentative Essay? Argument essays seek to state a position on an issue and give several reasons, supported by evidence, for agreeing with that position Ex1: Children watch too much TV nowadays and this is bad for their education and development. To what extent you agree or disagree Ex2:  Some people argue that immigrants should adopt the local culture when immigrating to a new country An alternative view is that they can adapt to a new environment by establishing a minority community. What are your opinions? * signals - What is your opinion? - Do you agree or disagree? - To what extent you agree or disagree? 1.2.  Discussion essay A discussion essay presents and discusses issues surrounding a particular topic usually one that is debatable and open to argument Students will need to discuss both sides of the issues surrounding the discussion essay topic, so ensure that the students have accesse to good research that provides pertinent information Ex1: In many countries, traditional foods are being replaced by international fast food Many people think that it is good to eat traditional food while others believe that fast food is a good choice. Discuss both views and give your own opinion Ex2: Some people argue that immigrants should adopt the local culture when immigrating to a new country An alternative view is that they can adapt to a LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com new environment by establishing a minority community. Discuss these two views and give your opinion * signals : - Discuss both views and give your own opinion - Discuss these two views and give your opinion 1.3  Account essay A definition of something means that the answer must explain the precise meaning of something 1.3.1 Problems and solutions Ex: Many young people who leave school hold a negative attitude towards learning Why does this happen? What are the solutions? Ex : Students are becoming more and more reliant on computers.What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and what are some of the possible solutions? * signals: Problem and solution 1.3.2 Causes and effects What is a cause and effect essay? It is a good question to start Those are academic papers concerned with why certain things or events take place and what are the consequences of some actions/phenomena It is the typical way to organize and discuss ideas Ex : Some findings have revealed that cities around the world are growing large Could you outline the possible causes and predict consequences? * signals: Cause and solution 1.3.3 Pros and Cons/ Advantages and Disadvantages: Ex1:Computers are being used more and more in education Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion Ex2: In some countries, governments are encouraging industries and businesses to move out of the cities and into regional areas Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? * signals : - Discuss the advantages and disadvantages - Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion - After the students identify kinds of essay, they will be easy to write a perfect essay with flying colours 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 observe students 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 my students can feel confident to write any required topic easily Most essay articles have the following basic structure: - Introduction - Supporting Paragraph LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - Supporting Paragraph - Conclusion 2.1 Some guides to help students how to write part “Introduction” “Paraphrase” is an essential skill to help students a good writing What is paraphrasing ? Paraphrasing is when we take an original idea and rewrite it to express the same meaning but in a different way This might be by changing words, word forms, sentence structure, or using synonyms If we think this is just for writing academic papers, think again We actually paraphrase all the time Paraphrasing is important to writing lesson because introduction paragraph is basically a paraphrase of essay prompt we will need to re-write the essay prompt in our own words to introduce the essay Three ways how paraphrasing for writing Before we attempt to paraphrase, we need to make sure that we understand the gist, or meaning of the paragraph Paraphrasing is more than just changing words Students paraphrase needs to make sense and still convey the original message So, They should read the original text a couple of times to make sure they understand the message it conveys Then turn the ideas over in our mind Think of how ưe would express the same ideas to a friend Below are three techniques to paraphrase Rather than exclusively using one of them, a good paraphrase includes all methods.  + Use synonyms: Synonyms are different words that express the same or similar meaning For example: Interesting, fascinating, curious and amusing are all synonyms But! Some synonyms can have a slightly different meaning For example, fascinating has a stronger meaning than interesting So be careful when using synonyms We need to make sure that the words we are using convey the same level of meaning as the original Example: Original: Many people think that cars should not be allowed in city centres Paraphrase: Many people believe that motor vehicles should be banned in urban areas *Synonyms think –> believe cars –> motor vehicles should not be allowed –> should be banned city centres –> urban areas + Change the word forms - Another way to paraphrase is to change word forms For example, changing a noun into a verb, a verb into a noun or an adjective into a noun or vice versa Example: Original:Many people find watching tennis interesting (interesting = adjective) Paraphrase: Many people have an interest in watching tennis (interest = noun) Example: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Original: Some people think Facebook is an invasion of privacy (invasion = noun) Paraphrase: Some people think Facebook has invaded our privacy (has invaded = verb) + Change the sentence structure A third way to paraphrase is to change sentence structure This could be by changing the sentence from passive to active or vice versa, or changing the order of the clauses Let’s have a look Active to Passive Original: The hurricane destroyed the city Paraphrase: The city was destroyed by the hurricane In the sentence above, the subject (the hurricane) became the object, and the object (the city) became the subject To be passive, we also changed the verb destroyed into past perfect (was/were + past participle) Passive to Active Original: The public transport system was developed by the city council Paraphrase: The city council developed the public transport system In the sentence above the subject (the public transport system) became the object, and the object (the city council) became the subject  Order of clauses A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb Some sentences can be a single clause Some sentences can be made up of two or more clauses For example: It is difficult to say whether the economy will improve The two clauses are: It is difficult to say / whether the economy will improve  One way to paraphrase is by changing the order of the clauses For example: Whether the economy will improve, it is difficult to say Let’s look at another example: Original: During the summer, many people visit the temple Paraphrase: Many people visit the temple during the summer 2.1.1 Sample examples: Paraphrasing an essay prompt to write the introduction Let’s look at an example: Original (essay prompt): Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-Speaking countries to learn the “international language – English” It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it Do you agree or disagree with the above statement?  - To unpack this prompt, the first sentence is the general statement. Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-speaking countries to learn the international language – English. This tells us what the essay topic is - The second sentence is the specific statement. It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it. It gives an opinion about the topic LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - The third sentence is the question. To what extent you agree or disagree with the above statement? This means you have to express your opinion on the second sentence - In order to write the introduction, we need to paraphrase the three parts of this essay prompt Let’s look at an example of a paraphrase of each: Sentence 1: Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to Englishspeaking countries to learn the international language – English Paraphrase: In recent times, a growing number of international students are learning English in English-speaking countries Sentence 2: It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it Paraphrase: Although it is beneficial to learn English in a country where it is natively spoken, there are other effective ways to learn it Sentence 3: To what extent you agree or disagree with the above statement? Paraphrase: I agree with this statement to a large degree Putting it all together:  In recent times, a growing number of international students are learning English in English-speaking countries Although it is most beneficial to learn English in a country where it is natively spoken, there are other effective ways to learn it I agree with this statement to a large degree 2.1.2 Practice excercises : - I asked students use a combination of the above techniques (synonyms, word forms, sentence structure), write an introduction to the following essay by paraphrasing the prompt below The overuse of natural resources ultimately exhausts them This causes huge harm to the environment Therefore, the government should discourage people from overusing such resources To what extent you support or oppose this idea? - There are students in my team of gifted ones and I have divided them into three groups , each of pair paraphases one ways in above ways There are three possible correct answers: Introduction 1: Exploiting natural resources will ultimately deplete them and lead to environmental harm Therefore, the overuse of these resources should be discouraged by governments I totally agree with this statement Designed by Lan, Hoa and Quyen Introduction 2: The exploitation of natural resources results in their exhaustion This causes environmental damage Thus, governments should encourage people to take care not to overuse these resources I agree with this to a large extent Designed by Duc, Thanh and Long Introduction 3: Natural resources will ultimately be exhausted if we continue to overuse them It damages the environment and should therefore be discouraged by governments I agree with this statement to a large degree Designed by Huong, Minh and Chi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2.2 Some guides to help students how to write good body paragraphs on an essay The main body of an essay is the most important part of the whole paper All parts of an essay are thematically aimed at something special The intro prepares the reader, gives him or her basic information about the topic, the main thesis, and catches his or her attention, gradually leading him to the following section The conclusion summarizes the main points, arguments, evidence, and thesis A body paragraph is a group of related sentences about a particular topic or idea directly relating to the thesis Because essays are composed of multiple body paragraphs, writing and organizing good paragraphs is one of the most important aspects of creating a well-organized and developed essay.  The term body paragraph refers to any paragraph that follows the introduction and comes before the conclusion The majority of any essay consists of multiple body paragraphs, and it is in these paragraphs where the main information is presented The longer an essay is, the more body paragraphs there will be Because the body paragraphs present the important facts and information from an essay, having well-written body paragraphs is essential in writing a successful essay Most essays follow the same basic four paragraph structure: Introduction Supporting Paragraph Supporting Paragraph Conclusion Structures for each type of essay - Provide examples and structures for each type that has been certified by experienced IELTS teachers This clear structure will help students have a holistic view, know how to analyze the topic, write a lesson clearly, and hope to help you increase their Writing scores Besides these are examples for a specific topic so the studeznts can clearly see the structure mentioned and how to apply it * Argumentative essay Structure: 10 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Ex: Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (for example working for a charity, improving the neighborhood or teaching sports to younger children) To what extent you agree or disagree? Sample answer : It is argued that volunteering should be made part of the school curriculum This essay agrees with that suggestion completely because of the benefits it brings to pupils The essay will first look at how voluntary work can help students develop soft skills and then discuss how these extracurricular activities are valued by universities and employers Education should not be limited to strictly academic pursuits and those in education should also develop life skills, such as teamwork, empathy and selfdiscipline, and one of the best ways to hone these aptitudes is through community service Serving those less fortunate than ourselves teaches us many lessons including how to work with people from other backgrounds and the value of hard work For example, I personally volunteered to spend weeks in Africa teaching disadvantaged children and this led to a much higher work ethic when I returned to my studies Many colleges and companies are also increasingly looking for this type of experience Most school leavers have the same grades and charitable works can help set you apart from the herd For example, Cambridge and Oxford receive thousands of applications from straight-A students every year and can only accept a small percentage of applicants What you have done outside the classroom is often the thing that differentiates you from everyone else and gets you that coveted spot 11 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com In conclusion, teenagers should be made to partake in unpaid work as part of their schooling because it will help them learn things they wouldn’t ordinarily learn from their teachers and it will also boost their chances of getting into third level education * Discuss Both Views Question (Discussion Essay) Structure: Ex : Computers are being used more and more in education Some people say that this is a positive trend, while others argue that it is leading to negative consequences Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own opinion Sample answer : There is an ever increasing use of technology, such as tablets and laptops, in the classroom It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications This essay agrees that an increase in technology is beneficial to students and teachers This essay will discuss both points of view It is clear that the internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before Moreover, learners have the ability to research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education Wikipedia is a prime example, where students can simply type in any keyword and gain access to indepth knowledge quickly and easily However, many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy Despite this, human interaction is still possible through the internet and this essay disagrees technology should be dismissed for this reason 12 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com For instance, Skype and Facebook make it possible for people to interact in ways that were never before possible While the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap in to limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomena and not allow it to curb face to face interaction However, as long as we are careful to keep in mind the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive * Problem and Solution Questions  Structure Ex: Students are becoming more and more reliant on computers What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and what are some of the possible solutions? Sample answer : Learners are becoming ever more dependent on technology, such as the internet and mobile devices This essay will discuss one of the main problems associated with dependence on computers and suggest a viable solution The principal problem with over reliance on technology, such as tablets and computers, is plagiarism Students often use search engines to answer a question and simply copy the text from a website, rather than thinking about the question This practice is not only prohibited in schools and universities, but also stunts a student’s intellectual development For example, many teachers complain that students copy web pages straight from Wikipedia word for word rather than giving a reasoned answer to their questions A solution to this worrying problem is asking students to email their answers to teachers and teachers using anti-plagiarism software to detect copying Moreover, students would be made aware of this practice and this would inspire them to answer questions using their own words, rather than someone else’s 13 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com For instance, many universities already use this kind software to scan course work for plagiarism and it could be extended to include all homework, by learners in both secondary and tertiary education In summary, one of the main problems with over-use of technology in education is plagiarism and this can be solved through the use of plagiarism detection software It is predicted that more and more students’ will email their work to their teacher and this work will be scrutinised for plagiarism * Advantages and Disadvantages Questions Structure Ex : A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not managed correctly Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world Do you think that benefits of tourism outweight its drawbacks? Sample answer : Nowadays tourism generates a significant portion of national income for many countries, but it has certain drawbacks too This essay will examine the advantages and disadvantages of tourism and provide a logical conclusion The two main advantages of developed tourism industry are boost in country’s economy and a large number of new job openings for the local people Firstly, tourists spend money on a wide range of services, including hotels, amusements, transportation, food and medical services This way, tourism yields an additional income, greatly supporting the country’s economy Secondly, tourism increases the level of employment by bringing new jobs For instance, the influx of tourists results in a larger demand in restaurant workers, tour guides, hotel staff and employees of retail services, exhorting business owners to hire more people for these positions But tourism also has some major disadvantages like destruction of popular tourist destinations and development of illegal economic activities іAncient 14 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com buildings, temples and monuments struggle to cope with a vast amount of visitor’s traffic and get damaged Also, the large number of tourists can cause environmental problems For instance, when places of interest are overcrowded, natural resources often become overexploited What’s more, the presence of a considerable number of tourists with a lot of money to spend, and often carrying valuables such as cameras and jewelry, increases the attraction for criminals and brings with it activities like robbery and drug dealing However, proper hospitality management and correct usage of tourism revenue by the local government can eliminate these disadvantages To conclude, although tourism can have certain negative effects like destructive impact and growth of crime rate, it has an extremely positive influence on country’s economy and provides a large number of new jobs for the local people I believe that these benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks - The following are important aspects of all body paragraphs:  A clear topic sentence ( main idea)  Specific evidence or supporting detail  Examples  Unity and cohesion  Transitions between sentences and paragraphs  A concluding sentence that ties the evidence or details back to the main point and brings the paragraph to a close - Give out some examples and take notes the difference between band and band 8 answers sudents can see that the examiner wants them to respond to the question with ‘relevant, extended and supported ideas.’ This means that the ideas must actually relate, or be linked, specifically to the question and then the students have to explain what their ideas mean and then support them with examples Good and Bad Examples - Look the following examples and think about what the examiner wants Which one is a good essay and which one is not? Ex: Some parents think that childcare centres provide the best services for children of pre-school age Other working parents think that family members such as grandparents will be better carers for their kids Discuss both views and give your opinion Sample 1– Many parents in full-time employment prefer to leave their children with grandparents when they are at work because they feel their child will be safer with someone from within the family circle In other words they not trust a stranger to look after their child and feel confident that no harm will come to the child whilst being look after by grandma or grandpa For example, a 2013 study from Cambridge University showed that 62% of working mothers prefer a member of the immediate family to provide care when they are at work Sample 2– Grandparents are the best people to look after children for very obvious reasons Grandparents really love their grandchildren and would never harm them Also, the children really love their grandparents and feel comfortable with them Finally, grandparents have lots of experience taking 15 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com care of children because they are old and looked after children for many years themselves which one is better? Sample has one main argument- parents prefer grandparents because they trust them They have stated this very clearly in the first sentence and then explained why this is, in the second sentence They have also used a very specific example to support their idea This is exactly what the examiner wants Sample has many different arguments and most of them are very general They have not been extended with explanations and lack examples This is exactly what the examiner does not want - The first sentence in supporting paragraph should be the topic sentence Each paragraph should have one main idea only and the topic sentence tells the reader what this idea is This makes students’ paragraph and the whole essay clearer and easier to read The students will gain marks for coherence in the writing test if they this Think of them as signposts that direct the reader to where students want to go We think of topic sentences in an argument (agree or disagree) essay by thinking of ideas why we support one side or the other Let’s look at another question: Most high-level positions in companies are filled by men even though the workforce in many developed countries is more than 50 percent female Companies should be required to allocate a certain percentage of these positions to women. Do you agree? - So we have to think of reasons for and against allocating a certain percentage of positions in the workforce to women For:  Fairness  Equality  Prevent discrimination  Women outperform men in many jobs  Women outperform men in many schools and university subjects Against:  Should be based on merit not gender  A few jobs, like construction, are better suited to males - I support the ‘for’ category so I am going to pick two of those reasons and write topic sentences for them You should always pick the ideas you know most about, or in other words, can explain and support with examples Topic Sentence 1: Women should be allocated a certain percentage of roles because to not so, discriminates against them because of their gender Topic Sentence 2: Females should be given a bigger share of jobs because women currently outperform males in most university subjects As you can see, all I have done is simply introduce my ideas in a very clear way There is no need to use very advanced to this, stating their position in simple language is all students need to Task: Try taking some of the other ideas above and writing a topic sentence 16 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Explaining Our ideas - Explaining ideas is a problem for most students, not because they can’t it, but because they don’t see the point in doing it They think that the examiner must be an educated person and explaining simple ideas to them is wasting their time The students should never assume this and instead I tell my students to assume that the reader has no knowledge of this subject at all and you need to explain what you mean in order for them to understand - There are certain phrases we can use to explain our ideas such as:  That is to say… (linking)  In other words… (linking)  This is because… (giving reasons)  The reason is… (giving reasons)  As a result… (describing result)  As a consequence… (describing result)  Therefore… (describing result) - Use one of these phrases to explain what the topic sentence means, the reason why, or the result of the students’ topic sentence The students don’t need to all three, just one Make sure that anyone with no knowledge of the subject can understand what their main point is Example 1– Women should be allocated a certain percentage of roles, because to not so discriminates against them because of their gender As a result, women will be denied jobs, not because of their intellect or skill, but simply because of their sex Example 2– Females should be given a bigger share of jobs, because women currently outperform males in most university subjects That is to say those young women are just as qualified as men, if not more, and should therefore be given at least an equal share in the job market - The last point I will make about explanations is they should relate specifically to the question They should not generally explain what the idea is; they should explain how the idea answers the question - Make sure the students read the question again before they write a topic sentence or explanation Supporting Examples The last part of a good supporting paragraph is a relevant example Examples give your points more authority and make your argument stronger The two main problems here are not being able to think of examples and examples not being specific enough Two good ways to make up examples are using newspaper articles or university research I often this when I am writing sample answers and they also help students be more specific (see below) The examiner wants examples to be as specific as possible To illustrate this we will look at three examples Ex : Women should be allocated a certain percentage of roles, because to not so discriminates against them because of their gender As a result, women 17 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com will be denied jobs, not because of their intellect or skill, but simply because of their sex Example 1- For example, lots of women fail to get jobs solely on the basis of their gender Example 2– For example, many business women in Asia find it difficult to get jobs as CEOs, despite having the same qualifications as men Example 3– For example, in 2014 it was reported in The Straits Times that only of Singapore’s top 100 companies have female CEOs, despite making up 50% of the total workforce The first example is very general and is not a satisfactory example Example is much better but again ‘business women in Asia’ is very general and does not really support our argument because of this Example is a very good example because it used an actual newspaper to report specific statistics (9%), from a specific place (Singapore) at a specific time (2014) Putting it all together - Below I will put everything we have learned to write two supporting paragraphs for this question 2.3 Some guides to help students how to write an effective conclusion This lesson will show students all about writing a good conclusion The conclusion is very important in the essay, if the students not write well , they will leave a weak impression on the examiner and they will lose a whole band score in task response Conclusion are pretty easy to write The students are just rephrasing main points, one way is to paraphrase their thesis statement again No new information should be added to the conclusion, and it must be short and to the point Do not just copy your introduction word for word either, not repeat whole sentences Here are some key points about writing a conclusion Never write any new ideas in your conclusion. A conclusion should always simply restate the ideas you have in the rest of the essay New ideas should be in the main body and not in the conclusion Make sure you answer the question in the conclusion. The conclusion should state what you think about the question and make it clear how you feel about the issue Vary your language. Just because you are restating the ideas you have in the rest of your essay, doesn’t mean you use the same language Instead you show the examiner you have a wide vocabulary by paraphrasing Don’t try to include everything You are not required to go into detail, you have already done that in your main body paragraphs Instead you will just summarise your main points Always write one. It is very difficult to get a good score in task if you haven’t finished your essay with a conclusion Even if you are running out of time, make sure you write one Two sentences are enough.  18 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Linking Phrases First we should start with a linking phrase, but some are better than others  Here are some examples:  In conclusion  To conclude  To sum up In conclusion and to conclude are the only two linking phrases you should use to start your conclusion They tell the reader exactly what the paragraph is about and they are formal - There are two elements to a good conclusion: Restating the main points of your essay Varying your vocabulary by paraphrasing Luckily we have already stated our main points in the introduction, so all we have to is look back at the conclusion and paraphrase this - Let’s look at some examples: Introduction It is argued that students should be taught real life skills, like how to look after money This essay agrees that they should be part of the curriculum The essay will first discuss how everyday competencies benefit people later in life and then talk about the dangers of not being taught how to manage money at an early age.  - I have completed an effective introduction by doing three things: Paraphrasing the question Stating my opinion Outlining what I will talk about in the rest of the essay or in other words, the main points I’m using to support my opinion Conclusion In conclusion, this essay supports the idea that teenagers ought to be taught functional subjects like financial planning because it helps them in adulthood and a lack of education related to these topics can have serious consequences.  So all I have done is restate my opinion and included my main supporting points However, I have not simply copied the words, I have used synonyms and paraphrasing to vary my language - Here are the paraphrases I used: This essay supports- This essay agrees should- ought to students- teenagers functional subjects- real life skills look after money- financial planning later in life- adulthood dangers- serious consequences - Let’s look at another example: 19 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Introduction Contemporary advances have a serious effect on the planet. While I appreciate that critics may hope that people will shun the latest developments, I believe that technology itself can give us an answer  This essay will first discuss how not using electronics is unfeasible, followed by a discussion of how science is now coming up with ways to reverse global warming and pollution.  - This introduction does three basic things: Paraphrases the question States opinion Outlines what the essay will discuss Conclusion In conclusion, this essay acknowledges that technological progress does jeopardise the planet, but cutting-edge discoveries can actually halt and even heal this destruction.  Post - writing stage Some guides to help students to achieve an writing with flying colour - Ask students re-read the essay, make sure sentences, tenses - Add phrases to make the essay flow smoothly( conhesion makers, pronouns, conjunctions) - Eliminate “ fluff ” ( unnecessary or redundant details) - Proofread for spelling, vocabulary, grammar( checklist) - Edit the paper ( peer-editing, post-teaching editing) 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 Therefore, after students finish their writings, there are many ways of responding to students’writing work PART III: Practice Excercises - Ask students to practise writing the following topic, exchange their writings and after that the teacher give feedback Ex 1: Argumentative/Opinion/Agree or Disagree An American film actor once said, “Tomorrow is important and precious” Some people think individuals and society should pay more attention to the future than to the present Do you agree or disagree? Scientists and the news media are presenting ever more evidence of climate change Governments cannot be expected to solve this problem It is the responsibility of individuals to change their lifestyle to prevent further damage What are your views? Ex 2: Discussion (Disscuss both views)  Some people believe that media should be allowed to publish information about the private lives of famous people Others say that everybody has a right to privacy and this practice must be controlled or even stopped Discuss both views Ex : Problem & Solution 20 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Example: More and more people now own cars What are the problems associated with an increase in the usage of private cars? How can these problems be solved? Ex 4: Advantage and Disadvantage Example: The number of older people is increasing What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? PART IV: Effectiveness of STUDY In conclusion, using experiences of revisinging for excellent students in Ba Dinh high school how to write a paragraph is an efficient way to teach writing skill This way I get the best results in the teaching It arises students’ motivation They study sharing, helping each other and working as a team, group and pair So this kind of learning is lasting During these activities some feelings such as the pleasure of winning and the ambition of losing may arise This gives to the teacher an idea  about student’s character Moreover, The result of teaching wrting skills has increasingly improved - After practising above theory lessons The students have gained significant effectiveness such as: - Developing skill of writing - Improving the vocabulary and grammatical structure - Being confident in communication - Widening knowledge and understanding through reading the sample writings and gather ideas for the writing lessons - Using the vocabulary in each of different situation reasonablely - Achieving excellent results in the examinations, especially, in the gifted students competition ðReal numbers: The first term - Academic year 2018-2019 Grade Total Excellent(9-10) Good(7-8) Average(5-6) Under students average(