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CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE A PREFACE I Reasons for choosing the theme 2 1 Basis of theory 2 2 Basis of practice 3 II Aims of the research 4 III Objects of the research 5 IV Methods of the research 5 B CON[.]
THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT YEN ĐINH UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL CONTENTS EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE CONTENTS PAGE A PREFACE I Reasons for choosing the theme Basis of theory 2 Basis of practice II Aims of the research III Objects of the research IV Methods of the research B CONTENTS SOME USEFUL STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE5 I Definition of Game OF TEACHING WRITING SKILL FOR II.EFFECTIVENESS Effectiveness of games in speaking lessons III Games and the waysHIGH to organize them in speaking lessons of English 10 SCHOOL STUDENTS Game “ Nought and Cross ” Game “ Lucky numbers / stars ” Game “ Shark attack ” Game “ Magical Wheel / Hat ” 11 Role play game 12 C APPLYING THE RESEARCH IN TEACHING 13 D RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH 14 E RELEVANT LESSONS 16 F CONCLUSION 16 Performer : Mai Thị Thu Phương Position : Teacher Subject : English THANH HOA - 2022 skkn TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the theme 1.2 Purposes of the study 1.3 Objects of the study 1.4 Methods of the study CONTENTS 2.1 Rationale 2.1.1 Purpose of teaching 2.1.2 The basic factors directly affect the effectiveness of the writing lessons 2.2 The reality of teaching English subject at Yen Đinh High School 2.2.1 Advantages 2.2.2 Disadvantages 2.3 A number of practical solutions to conduct an effective writing lesson 2.3.1 Learn and classify article types, determine the purpose and nature of the articles 2.3.2 Solve some common problems when teaching writing section 2.3.3 Define tasks and suggestions of some writing lessons 11 2.3.4 Applying the research in teaching 14 2.4 Effects of the study on teaching and learning 17 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 18 3.1 Conclusion 18 3.2 Recommendation 19 skkn - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic : The goal of teaching English is to form and develop students' basic skills in English and the intellectual qualities needed to get further study or lead labouring life Therefore, the new English textbook is compiled according to the same programmatic point of view, which is the thematic approach and appreciates active and positive learning methods of students All four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are concerned and coordinated in exercises and activities which are designed and organized in class According to the policy, today's teaching methods are shifted in the direction of "overcoming a one-way transmission, training the creative thinking of learners, gradually applying advanced methods and modern facilities to the teaching process ” 7 This orientation has been legalized in the education law that is " The method of general education is promoting the activeness, selfawareness, initiative and creativity of students, in accordance with the characteristics of each class and subject " Fostering self-study methods, training skills to apply knowledge into practice, emotional impact, bringing excitement in English subject English is a c o r e subject in high school being taught in three periods a week Writing is one of the four skills that we have to acquire in the process of English learning The test of English writing has become an inevitable part of almost every standardized examination, especially in the important ones such as selecting gifted students or getting IELTS certificate From the perspective of a language teacher, I see that High school curriculum - The reform program has a very clear division of skills : ReadingSpeaking-Listening - Writing At the end of each article is the Language Focus section Another advantage for teachers is that in each section, they are divided into specific tasks It can be said that textbook is a model lesson plan This does not mean that teachers only need to ask students to complete all the procedures in the textbooks, but the most important thing is that teachers need strategies to transform those processes into practical skills However, we can see certain difficulties that teachers often encounter in teaching writing skill: - There are too many students in the class, so it is difficult for the teachers to manage which students work and which students not - The inequality of competencies and levels of students in one class or between this class and another - Teachers often feel guilty because they cannot control and correct all of the students' errors or cannot help all students in the writing process - Error correction and scoring takes a lot of time - Regular writing often takes more than 45 minutes allowed skkn In terms of students, their limitations in knowledge are enormous although they spent years learning English in junior high school, which is the biggest difficulty facing most teachers : - Not having enough vocabulary or sentence structure to express ideas - Tend to use spoken English when writing - Limited social understanding - Tend to translate ideas from Vietnamese to English when writing - Misuse the required purposes of different types of cards - Express all ideas and information in a sentence or a long paragraph - There are not enough documents, information and certain knowledge about the writing topics, so it is impossible to write the truth As a result, students tend to get fed up with writing lessons Because of the practical difficulties that I have encountered in previous school years, it has prompted me to explore and find different solutions to overcome this situation When teaching writing skill to students in Yen Đinh High School, I found the problems in teaching and learning writing skill I applied some strategies that help my students in my school to write more effectively in writing lessons Thanks to these strategies, my students achieve the surprising success After a period of application in previous school years, I boldly discuss with my English teachers about a small aspect of teaching learning to write, that is : Some useful teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of teaching writing skill for high school students Hopefully, with these experiences, it will be more motivating for the teachers to teach and make progress in teaching writing, their students will be interested in writing lessons Moreover, I would like to help teachers gradually overcome these difficulties to teach students how to write English better, and at the same time help students be active and proactive in acquiring and comprehending knowledge of writing lessons 1.2 Purposes of the study : With successful research, this topic and initiatives it brings in will help teachers get the following experience : How to organize a writing lesson , an effectively writing activity Steps to smoothly conduct a writing lesson Guiding students to practise and train themselves to acquire and apply good writing skills when communicating in English in practice 2 In order to well implement the research topic, the researcher who implements this topic needs to perform the following tasks : 1- Research English instruction materials, teaching techniques of writing 2- Teaching and mock teaching 3- Observe colleagues’ teaching, exchange and draw experience 4- Test and evaluate the results of the students' handbook so that they can adjust and supplement appropriately skkn 5- To find out different methods to exploit students' initiative and creativity in training skills in English teaching 6- Train and develop students' writing skills: Awareness -> Thinking -> Constructing ideas -> Expression 7- Students know how to categorize different types of writing so that they can have a more accurate view of the literary language 1.3 Objects of study : The topic centers around the topic of teaching and learning Englishwriting subjects of teachers and students at Yen Đinh Upper Secondary School As mentioned above, the study focusses on finding out the best way to help students know how to develop their writing skill Besides, the researcher makes an attempt to apply these methods in her English teaching to prove their effectiveness But the object of typical research that I have boldly applied this topic is classes 11C1 and 11C6 1.4 Methods of the study : 1.4.1 Observation method : the person who implements the topic self-studies and conducts the class visit time of his colleagues 1.4.2 Methods of exchange and discussion : after studying the colleague's time, the colleague now expects the subject, colleagues and practitioners to exchange and discuss from which to draw the scriptures and experience for the lesson 1.4.3 Experimental methods : teachers conduct teaching tests for each purpose and specific request of some teaching periods 1.4.4 Method of investigation: teacher asks questions to check and assess the content comprehension of students – CONTENTS 2.1 - Rationale : 2.1.1 Purpose of teaching : Teaching foreign languages is not merely to provide students with knowledge of that language, but the ultimate purpose of teaching foreign languages in general and English in particular is to teach students the ability to communicate in English, which is reflected in the skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing English writing skills of students are formed through a process of learning and practising in the English language environment In addition to studying at school, students must practise writing through different forms : filling in a form, writing a narrative, writing letters, describing a film or writing a report or a biography… 1 skkn 2.1.2 The basic factors directly affect the effectiveness of the writing lessons * Teachers : - With new and positive teaching methods, teachers play the role of directing and controlling students to work in class hours 3 - In order to conduct an effective writing lesson, teachers need to perform well the following basic elements : + Choose and flexibly use techniques, design writing activities in accordance with the content of each lesson 6 + Organizing and controlling classes, allocating reasonable time + Proficient use of facilities and teaching aids for teaching writing such as pictures, video clips, tables, diagrams, mind maps… * Methods - writing teaching techniques : Writing teaching techniques are specified by the content of teaching writing In other words, the content of the writing lesson governs the selection, applying the combination of the methods and teaching techniques Each teaching technique is suitable for a specific form of teaching (teaching grammar, teaching listening, teaching writing ) 4 * Equipment and teaching aids for teaching writing : - The use of equipment, images to support teaching and learning in foreign languages in general and English in particular is considered a means of expressing a part of the main content of textbooks 5 In order to perform well these writing practice exercises, learners must pay attention to the lesson contents as the models or through the sample writing Moreover, teaching equipment also serves as a positive means of innovating teaching methods, creating motivation and stimulating learning * The equipment needed for the subject : - Projector - Tables, diagrams, mind maps… - Painting pictures, video clips illustrating lesson content in textbooks - Photos and teachers' self-created belongings 2.2 The reality of teaching English subject at Yen Đinh High School : 2.2.1 Advantages : Although there are many difficulties and limitations in the teaching process, we have overcome the difficulties ahead, gradually improve the quality of English teaching hours to meet the objectives of the curriculum and the latest textbooks * In terms of teachers : - Taking the first successful step in accessing to the relatively good use of the specific teaching techniques – writing teaching techniques - Being used to and active with the method of designing a writing lesson - Coordinating quite flexibly the teaching techniques - Creating a variety of teaching aids suitable to the content of teaching periods, so many teaching lessons become lively, charismatic and highly effective skkn - Using flexibly body language to attract students and make class more excitingly - Using modern teaching equipment to serve the teaching and learning process: video tapes, cassette players, video players, projectors, diagrams, mindmaps… * In terms of students : - Some students have formed skills in learning - Students have become accustomed to writing subject 2.2.2 Disadvantages : * In terms of teachers : There are still some teachers who encounter certain difficulties in implementing writing techniques and teaching steps, selecting techniques which suit each lesson, each stage of teaching period They are also hesitating to use or not exploit proficiently the teaching aids for writing lesson (projector, computer, illustration ) * In terms of students : - Many children have limited extensive knowledge about the topic they want to write Beside that they not have enough vocabulary, master the rules of grammar and sentence structures to be able to express their ideas - One difficulty students encounter when writing is that they often lack the necessary ideas to write * Specific investigation : In the process of teaching, I myself took over the 11 block With the sense of studying the characteristics of the students' learning situation, while learning from the experience, I was oriented from the beginning of the school year give myself a specific plan and method to proactively investigate students' learning situation by their class Through the investigation, I realized that most of the students have a poor vocabulary, their English writing is limited The survey results are as follows : Class 11C1 11C6 Total Excellent 45 45 % Rather good % 20 11,1 15 33,3 Average 29 % 64,4 21 46,7 Bad Very bad % 15,6 % 8,9 0 2.3 A number of practical solutions to conduct an effective writing lesson : 2.3.1 Learn and classify article types, determine the purpose and nature of the articles : * When making an article, what steps we need to take? Firstly, before writing, it is necessary to define the purpose to write Determining the purpose will help students choose an appropriate type of writing and an appropriate language Students also need to think about audience skkn they are writing to - who they are writing to This is very necessary for students to decide sentence structures and language to use Moreover, it is also important to note that students need to think about content structure or students will set up ideas or facts of the article Next, students will write the first draft When finishing the first draft, students need to re-read the draft to see what works and what does not Edit their draft, change what needed, then the final draft We can summarize this process as follows : Planning → Drafting → Editing → Final draft So this process is not simple but cyclical It is meaningful for students to outline, draft, prepare and then present the final product For different writing purposes, writers will use different types of writing which will require various structures and language choices: Different purposes, different genres Teachers also need to focus on aspects when teaching writing skill to students: - Language accuracy (grammar, phonetics, vocabulary) - Logical and coherent style - The suitability of the language according to the purpose of communication, the object of communication, the context of communication and the topic of communication * Principles of teaching and learning writing skill : To form and develop students' writing skill, we need to ensure the following principles : - Consider writing as one of communication methods, not just the correct use of grammatical structures or good handwriting - Begin the process of teaching and learning writing with sample writing, guided exercises, and finally free writing - Posts should be close to real life such as describing people, places, writing invitations, letters of thanks, writing to tell a story, an event, - Always ensure the purpose of the essay, meaning that students must know what they write, what to and who to write to - Give students as many writing opportunities as possible Writing is a skill that can only be formed and developed through practice … - The essay needs to be attached to the content or topic of the lesson in order to integrate language skills and create more opportunities for students to practise using words, grammar structures and specific language skills * Classification, purpose and nature of writing section in English textbook : Centering around the topics of practising writing skill, English textbook has the following basic writing exercises: - Matching words with sentences, matching sentence elements - Filling words / phrases into sentences / paragraphs - Discussing to find information in tables skkn - Filling in the form - Finding main information, determine post structure - Building sentences using given words / phrases - Describing charts, tables, diagrams - Writing letters as required - Writing freely relating to topics, themes, and situations * What students need to in order to write? : When asking students to write in class, we need to make sure that students have to grasp the following problems: - know the aim – why they are writing - Know the audience – who they are writing to - Know the genre – what type of text they are writing - Have enough time for: thinking about the topic Brainstorming ideas Planning ahead carefully Drafting as many times as they can - Have constant feedback from teacher as well as their partners during the writing process * Learning to write as a process : We can summarize the writing process with the following periodic diagram: Being motivated planning to write Getting ideas together Planning Final version Drafting Revising replanning redrafting skkn 3.2 Solve some common problems when teaching writing section: 2.3.2.1 Meaning of some common writing activities: In each period of teaching writing or a certain type of writing, there are often many different activities, tasks, diverse and rich exercises… aiming to practise and develop writing skill for students It is easy to realize that they are logically related In particular, the writing section in English textbook usually has 3-4 tasks built in a spiral shape: If the lesson has tasks, there will be the first tasks which aims to provide new language: writing style, vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, (prepare to write), and at the same time, gives orientation for students about the range of languages to be used for the writing After completing these tasks, students have been provided with “a good source of information” and “to come up with ideas” -> Writing production (final task) Thus, it is extremely important to understand the purpose, meaning of each activity, task and requirements of given writing exercises Here is not just completing the exercises, but it is important to teach students how to do: work individually, in pairs, in groups, or whole class? How is the process (steps)? How long will it take? -> Feedback: From doing that exercise, what problems students can learn to prepare for the Production part So what kinds of exercises we often encounter in the writing lessons?: + Coppying: is a kind of exercise to reinforce knowledge for students, each student will copy sentence of a learned conversation / paragraph and then pass it to another student to copy the other sentence, which is called chain dialogue In this way, students are forced to understand the content of what they have copied Teachers should use this post as a Warm-up for new lessons Example: Before teaching the Writing section of Unit 1, in order to prepare for the Writing narrative, the teacher can ask students to rewrite a short conversation ( from - minutes ): S1:What did Nam yesterday afternoon? S2: He went to the library S3: What book did he read? S4: He read an English book S5: How long did he read? Then ask students to combine the answers into short text: “Nam went to the library yesterday afternoon, he went there to read an English book, he read….” Thus, after completing this exercise, students have identified the language areas (vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, ) that will be used in the lesson + Constructing dialogue: There are main types - Students are provided with a sample , after reading the sample , students will use the suggested words to complete similar to the sample lesson skkn - Students are provided with jumpled sentences of a conversation, they must rearrange the order of the sentences to form a correct conversation - Students are provided with an unfinished conversation and some sentences are not in the order of the lesson, students complete by choosing available sentences to fill in the appropriate blanks, or it is also possible that students are not provided levels of available sentences that must be devised according to their own preferences to fill in the blanks + Fill in the blank exercises: are reinforcement exercises with good synthesis nature, this type of exercise requires students to understand the whole sentence completely or the whole text so as to fill in the correct form of the words (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, preposition, ) + Expanding frames: Students must complete the article based on a given suggestion frame, which can be a narrative article, a biography or a letter with content and topic relevant to the lesson + Idea frames : (writting according to suggested questions): These exercises often have the topic very close to the content of the lesson that the students have just learned After students have done quickly an exercise in the form of reading a text and then answer the questions below From answering these questions, students will draw what they need to remember, basing on the frame of the questions and the sample of the lesson just done, students will write another article as required For this type of lesson, from answering the questions, students draw the structure and highlights of each question is a very necessary job to create momentum for the next work + Parallel : (writing the same form): in this exercise, students are asked to read a paragraph first, then write a similar paragraph but replace with new information and content Example: Writing parts of Units 3, 6, 7, The above list is only for explanation for the topic, not the complete statistics according to the “Table of Contents” style But we clearly see that in each Writing section of each unit, there are often different types of exercises, requiring teachers to have an overview of each lesson to be able to offer the best and most suitable teaching methods for each type of lesson and students In addition, students can also other types of exercises such as Multiplechoice, Matching, These exercises aim to supplement and consolidate general knowledge and skills for students + Communicative writing activities: These are communication activities through writing that can be effectively conducted in classes and teachers need to encourage students to develop to supplement other skills Here are some communication activities that we can apply in teaching other skills beside writing: - Writing massages: Students write simple requests and suggestions These pieces of paper are transmitted to the recipient The students receiving them will have to make written suggestions, including proposed questions to be written or explained skkn - Cooperative writing: Teacher divides students into small groups of about 8-10 children, all the groups will write a short story together, the steps will be conducted as follows: - Each student prepares a blank sheet of paper Teacher can write the opening sentence on the board - Students copy on their own paper, then have to think and write the next sentence of the story - Then students give their paper to their friends on their left to write the next sentence; keep taking turns until the ring is over and someone's paper returns to that person At this time, students will write the ending sentence of the story - Then the teacher asks students to read their stories aloud to the whole class The result can be a very funny and interesting story - Then the teacher fixes the basic mistakes that students often make - In addition, we can also apply other communication activities through writing such as: Letter writing, List making, Interview, in the teaching process to suit the writing style, skills and competencies of students 2.3.2.2 How to solve the difficulties that we often encounter in writing lessons: As mentioned, the difficulties of teachers and students in the Basis of Practice in writing lessons are not small, those difficulties are the main causes of boring, monotonous class hours and have a great impact on results of school hours So in what direction should we overcome that difficulty? In my opinion and initiative, we should address those issues as follows: * For difficulties that we often encounter from the objective side: - Divide the class into groups or pairs clearly depending on requirements, tasks of the lesson and each type of student While students are working, teachers have to go around the classroom to timely help them if necessary - Instruct students to correct their own mistakes, or correct them with symbols of the types of mistakes they made - It is not necessary to go through all the steps of teaching writing in class if the lesson is too long Some steps Teacher may ask students to perform at home or in the next period Example: Teacher asks students to prepare writing topic at home, think ahead of the outline for writing topic (especially preparation of vocabulary, sentence structure), or students can write draft once at home, public final production in class Or the teacher can also instruct students to some start-up tasks at home to prepare the necessary information and data for the main lesson - Teachers should let students learn about the knowledge of the lesson and social understandings relating to the lesson so that they can have a necessary source of information in the process of expressing themselves, but the teacher should not provide all ideas for students - Should exchange, share questions, or plans about their lessons with colleagues, to together solve difficulties to find effective methods 10 skkn - Should use many suggestions, open-ended, encouraging students in overcoming the gaps in vocabulary, opinion or language - Teachers should explain and encourage students to learn English not only for testing or exams, but English also practically serves in everyday life, for their jobs and careers in the future, especially in the period of international economic integration * For difficulties coming from the student's side: - The pre-writing stage is a very important step for students to reinforce vocabulary and structure and it also helps students to initially create the ideas of the writing At this stage, teachers should provide students with necessary structures and vocabulary around the topic of the essay for students to express their ideas - Teachers should guide students to step into writing carefully and guide students with simple and specific tasks that are suitable to students' abilities - Use invocation not only in language but also pictures, visual aids and sample writing - Establish for students to be aware of thinking in English in order to minimize the influence of their mother tongue in the writing process - Make students familiar with process writing by using different stages in order to suggest practical articles to students - Help students find the exact audience & aim of each writing task If the requirements of each task in the textbook are not clear, the teacher should have specific explanations in many different forms (these explanations should be directed to promote students' initiative and creative thinking) for students to find the right audience and aim of the article - Help students use the simplification of connecting ideas in sentences / lessons to shorten sentences or paragraphs but the meaning is still clear and coherent - Try to use information and knowledge that is practical and close to communication in everyday life such as letters, form filling, - Organize for students rich writing activities such as: games, designing posters, creative writing, poems, to create a fun and exciting atmosphere, and bring creativity in the classroom - Should not regularly assign compulsory homework assignments to students, because if so, it will accidentally increase passivity for students and only bring a form of coping Should guide students to develop reading skills at home instead of writing exercises 2.3.3 Define tasks and suggestions of some Writing lessons : In order for an hour of writing teaching to really bring about certain effects, the identification of specific tasks and finding out the highlight of knowledge for students in a teaching hour in general and in writing teaching in particular are very important Here are some examples and suggestions of some Writing lessons in High school curriculum 11 skkn Example : - Unit 13 (English 11) – Writing about a collection - After giving the mind – map, teachers should bring about a suggested question: + What should you tell when you describe a collection ? - Students can answer: + (We should tell about ) the name / how to collect, keep and classify / when and why to collect and the plan for the future - Then they complete the mindmap like this : Classify When Why Name Your collection How to keep Future plan How to collect - After that, teachers can give more specific questions such as: - What is the name of your collection ? - How you collect them ? - When did you start your collection ? - How you classify them ? - Why you collect them? - What is your plan for the future ? - Teacher asks Ss to make the detailed outline: + Name of your collection : stamp (stickers/dolls/toy cars/ old money/stuffed animals/pens/pencils/bottle caps/key rings ) collection + When you started your collection : years ago / When I was… + How you collect them : buy, exchange, ask someone to give… + How you classify them: put into different categories, color, age, size, price… + How you keep them : in album, on shelf, in box… + Why you collect them : Relax, broaden knowledge, kill time… +Plan for the future: Continue to collect / give (donate) it to sb/ the museum… - Teacher asks Ss to make a draft of their own: - My hobby is collecting …… - I collected………… ago - I have been collecting …… from … and by ………… - I classify … into categories - I put …….them on / in …… 12 skkn - I keep them in ……………… - Collecting… helps me to relax, broaden my knowledge about the world around me and it is also an effective way to be good at …………… - I plan to……………and learn from experienced collectors and I can expose my collection at an exhibition in the future - Teacher gets Ss to write it in 15 minutes, based on the outlines and draft they have produced Ss should arrange the ideas in a logical way - Teacher asks Ss to exchange their writing with another student for peer correction - Teacher goes around and collects mistakes and errors - Teacher collects some writings for quick feedback - Finally, Teacher provides general comments on the writing Example : Unit ( English 12 ) – Writing about family rules - Teacher asks questions: - What rules you have in your family ? or : - What are ( aren’t ) you allowed to in your family ? - Students’ answers: - I have ( don’t have ) to … or : - I am (not ) allowed to …… - Then teachers can give more specific questions such as: + Do you have to housework ( get up early ….) ? or : + Are you allowed to use a mobile phone / go out late at night / smoke / drink wine / play sports after school / …….? - Teacher asks Ss to make the detailed outline: Share housework Go to bed on time Have to Get up early Wash clothes Not have to Prepare meals Go out with friends Family rules Allowed Use the family motorbike Play sports after school Drink wine / smoke Not allowed Go out late at night - Teacher asks Ss to make a draft of their own : 13 skkn Every family has its own rules Mine has a few And each member in my family is happy to follow them First of all, everyone in my family has to … for examples: my mother …, my dad …., and I have to … Secondly, … Thirdly,……Finally,……… At first, I don’t feel comfortable with these rules because I like to be free with my schedule But after my parents’ explanation, I recognize that these rules will help us close-knit and supportive of one another - Teacher gets Ss to write it in 15 minutes, based on the outlines and draft they have produced Ss should arrange the ideas in a logical way - Teacher asks Ss to exchange their writing with another student for peer correction - Teacher goes around and collects mistakes and errors - Teacher collects some writings for quick feedback - Finally, Teacher provides general comments on the writing 2.3.4 Applying the research in teaching : UNIT ( ENGLISH 11 ) – D Writing Topic : Writing a description of a popular celebration I Objectives : By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to write a description of a popular celebration II Materials : Textbook, handouts, pictures and video clips about several popular celebrations in Vietnam as well as in the world III Procedure : Time Steps Work arrangement 7’ WARM UP Competition game – Christmas Cloze - T divides the class into small groups of – Ss Then T distributes the following handouts for Ss to in their own groups Ss have to fill each blank in the passage with one suitable word from the box Which group finishes first and has all the correct answers will be the winner Group work Followed , marks, cards, lights, turkey, merry, 14 skkn 13’ holiday, sing, baked, family spirit, peaceful, presents, decorate Christmas is an annual holiday that (1) the birth of Jesus of Nazareth Christmas Day falls on December 25 It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries it is (2) by Boxing Day on December 26, when many people go shopping for sales It is a (3) when people get together with (4) People give (5) to each other or send (6) wishing each other a (7) Christmas At Christmas, people (8) carols to get into the Christmas (9) As well, people (10) Christmas trees and put up (11) around the house A common Christmas dinner is (12) There are also lots of (13) goodies for the kids People love Christmas because it is the time when they can share (14) moments with their family Answers: marks followed holiday family presents cards merry sing spirit 10 decorate 11 lights 12 turkey 13 baked 14 peaceful PREPARING SS’ WRITING - T sets the scene : you are going to write a description of one of the popular celebrations in Vietnam or in the world - T prepare Ss for the writing task , T uses the passage in the Warm – up as a model - T gets Ss to read the passage again and discuss the main points included in the passage in pairs At the same times , Ss should write down which sentence(s) belong (s) to which main point - T asks other Ss to comment on their friends’ answers and gives his / her own feedback Suggested answers : * The description includes main points : + Name of the festival (sentence 1) + Purpose of the festival (sentence 1) + Time of the festival (sentence 2-3 ) + Main activities of the festival / what people in the festival (sentence 4-7 ) + Foods eaten (sentence 8-9 ) + People’s feelings about the festival (like / dislike ? reason(s) ? (sentence 10 ) Group work Whole class & pair work Whole class & pair work 15 skkn - T gets Ss to work in groups to write an outline for their description , using the main points set in the previous activity - …… Day (Festival) is held/ organised in… ( place) - It takes place / happens / falls on ….(date, month) - It is the way/ chance / opportunity for ……to……… - On this occasion, people often… WOMEN’S DAY Place: Vietnam & in the world Time: 8th March Purpose: People celebrate the equality between men & women Activities: Family members & friends give flowers and gifts to women (they can express their love to women) Group work CHRISTMAS DAY Place: in the world Time: 24th December Purpose: People celebrate the birth of Christ Activities: People decorate their homes, eat a large meal with pudding cake, VIETNAM NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY Place: Vietnam Time: September 2nd Purpose: People celebrate the independence day Activities: People parade in the street, visit historical places (be proud of their country and love more their country) MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL Place: Vietnam Time: 15th August lunar month Purpose: people celebrate the largest full moon in the year Activities: People parade in the street, visit historical places, - T gets Ss to work in groups to make a draft for their description : 16 skkn In Vietnam ( the world ) the ………… is one of the most celebrated festivals for children ( people ) It is traditionally held on………… It is the way for …… to……… Its activities are often centered around…… We like the festival very much because it is an opportunity for us to……… - T goes around and provides help when necessary 15’ 8’ WRITING - T gets Ss to describe the fastival they have chosen in 15 minutes - T goes around to observe and offer help with vocabulary or structure FEEDBACK ON SS’ WRITING - T asks Ss to exchange their writing with another student for peer correction - T goes around and collects mistakes and errors - T choose one or two descriptions and reads it / them to the class - Then T elicits corrective feedback from the class and gives suggestions Group work Invidually work Pair work & whole class 2.4 Effects of the study on teaching and learning : With the solutions and the methods that I have applied (as presented in the content), combined with the attention and direction of the school management, the exchange among professional team members about applying suitable methods for each type of student in high schools After a year of applying to practical teaching, I have obtained encouraging results The majority of students have gradually improved their learning quality, at the same time they also gradually filled up the lack of knowledge, thereby developing more skills and techniques in using language in general and English in particular In addition, during the teaching time, I always make students interested in learning with short but witty stories, fun quizzes, and games suitable for the type of cards and highly educational Over the past year, they have regained their confidence and improved their creative thinking in learning That is also the reason for the positive results that I have received in this school year 2021 - 2022 The number of excellent good and good students increased, the number of weak and very weak students decreased The specific results are : Class Before applying experience ( the beginning of the school year ) After applying experience ( the end of the school year ) 17 skkn 11C1 11C6 Excellent – good 30% 37% Average 45% 40% Weak (bad) 25% 23% Rather good % 27 60 25 55,6 11C1 45 Excellent - good % 20 11C6 45 13 Class Total 28,9 Excellent – good 35% 40% Average % 20 15,5 Average Weak (bad) 7% 5% 58% 55% Weak (Bad) % 0 % 0 0 Very bad It is indicated from the tables of statistics above that the quality of the subject has considerably changed They are much higher and better than those at the beginning of the school year Up to now, there’s been enough evidence to affirm that applying some useful teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of teaching writing skill for high school students has resulted in much effect in teaching English particularly writing skill – CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION : 3.1 Conclusion : Thus, we clearly see that all the lessons seem to be simple but in reality are very complex, requiring each of us to have a broad vision, reasonable methods These are the first years we have implemented the textbook replacement program at the high school level, so we have encountered many difficulties in the teaching process These difficulties come from many different reasons: from the fact that facilities and equipment have not met or are not suitable with the contents of textbooks - innovation program - to weak level, lack of background knowledge of students in junior high school On the other hand, we are only at the stage of getting used to new books, there are articles / sections that have not yet been fully controlled in terms of both content and teaching methods, so we still have to overcome difficulties in teaching process Limited learning about changing books in a short time can not meet all the needs of exchanging experiences, methods as well as the entire content of the book Therefore, it can be said that the writing of the teachers' annual experience initiatives is also a good condition for the teachers to take notes, acknowledge, evaluate and express their teaching methods and experiences At the same time, we exchange together to draw valuable lessons and experiences in order to improve the effectiveness and quality of teaching 3.2 Recommendation : Above are some small jobs that I have used in the teaching process in my class and have achieved some positive results I hope to invest in teaching 18 skkn ... of teaching learning to write, that is : Some useful teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of teaching writing skill for high school students Hopefully, with these experiences, it... enough evidence to affirm that applying some useful teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of teaching writing skill for high school students has resulted in much effect in teaching English... ending sentence of the story - Then the teacher asks students to read their stories aloud to the whole class The result can be a very funny and interesting story - Then the teacher fixes the basic