As we all know, today English plays an important role in communication. It is widely used around the world and is considered as the common language of communication, especially in the period of the current international integration. So English has an important position like other subjects in school. The teaching of English is required today as increasing not only the knowledge but also the concern of every teacher to teach this course in Vietnam.
NGA SON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL A RESEARCH PAPER FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ENGLISH TITLE: “IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR 9TH GIFTED STUDENTS AT NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL BY PRACTICING SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING” The writer: Trinh Thi Ha Position: Teacher Work Unit: Nga Tan secondary school Experience initiative: English THANH HOA - 2016 SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HỐ PHỊNG GD&ĐT SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ÁP DỤNG CĨ HIỆU QUẢ MỘT SỐ DẠNG BÀI VIẾT LUẬN TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP -TRƯỜNG THCS NGA TÂN Người thực hiện: Trịnh Thị Hà Chức vụ: Giáo viên Đơn vị công tác: Trường THCS SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh THANH HOÁ NĂM 2015 TABLE OF CONTENT CONTENT I INTRODUCTION PAGE SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HỐ PHỊNG GD&ĐT NGA SƠN 1 Reasons for choosing the study The purpose of the study Scope of the study Method of the study 1 2 II CONTENT Theoretical background 2 Practical background 3 The sollutions 3.1 The steps made in writing a paragraph or anKINH essay writing SÁNG KIẾN NGHIỆM 3.2 Some steps of essay writing and the methods to practise them ÁP DỤNG CÓ HIỆU QUẢ MỘT SỐ DẠNG BÀI VIẾT 3.2.1.Describing peopleTIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 3.2 2.Descibing places/ Buildings -TRƯỜNG THCS NGA TÂN 3.2.3.Descibing places/ Buildings 3.2.4.Narratives 3.2.5.Discursive Essays The discussion 4.1 Results 4.2 The discussion LUẬN 11 11 19 III.CONCLUSION 19 Limitations of the study 19 Recommendations for further research 19 Người thực hiện: Trịnh Thị Hà20 Conclusion IV REFERENCE V APPENDICES Chức vụ: Giáo viên Đơn vị công tác: Trường THCS Nga Tân-Nga Sơn SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh THANH HOÁ NĂM 2015 I INTRODUCTION Reasons for chosing the study As we all know, today English plays an important role in communication It is widely used around the world and is considered as the common language of communication, especially in the period of the current international integration So English has an important position like other subjects in school The teaching of English is required today as increasing not only the knowledge but also the concern of every teacher to teach this course in Vietnam Since Vietnam has started its open door to the world and to foreign investment, the English language has gained more significance At the Central Party Committee meeting on education in December 1996, English was confirmed as the first language to be taught at schools in Vietnam The government of Vietnam has stressed the importance of English as it is considered to play a significant role on the country’s path of modernization and industrialization The command of English may offer learners an entrance to the world of academy, trade, aviation, music and sport The English language has rapidly become the most popular first foreign language among Vietnamese people, especially at schools, colleges and universities For learners of English, the English language surely brings about a better career prospect Needles to say, writing is amongst the most prominent skills that language learners need to learn as an essential component of their academic practice and later on in their professional life, which partially explains why teaching writing has prompted a good deal of research that covers various aspects of its broad instructional contexts Teaching/learning how to write successfully gets even more complicated and challenging for both language teachers and students For many Vietnamese students, especially 9-grade tallent students of secondary school, presenting written work is a substantial challenge They may have little experience of writing and may be very anxious about having to write essays in a test There is no doubt that having one’s work assessed by another is a daunting experience, but there are techniques, which can be adopted and make this skill easier Over the months applying innovative methods in teaching English in Nga Tan secondary school I have seen that students confused not knowing what to write style; how to express ideas in paragraph, essay; how to use structures for reasonable questions So I boldly chose the topic “IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR 9TH GIFTED STUDENTS AT NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL BY PRACTICING SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING” to help them understand how to write essay in different types to improve the effectiveness of teaching English, particularly the English quality of 9th gifted students at Nga Tan secondary school Purposes of the study From this reality, I constantly research, study, experimental methods, to teach writing tips to find out how to most effectively teach written as: - Help students understand how to write several passages - Help students learn how to use the structure of each part of the passages - Train for students taking independent thinking - Help students a love of the subject and overcome the psychological fear joining essay exams gifted students at all levels - Helping teachers better understand how to write several essays Scope of the study The study is focused on only the tallent students at Nga Tan secondary school who begin to have passage, essay writing lessons - About the size: Learn to apply the methods of teaching writing - Time of the research: Survey from August 2016 to the present Method of the study - Based on the characteristics of English subject, according to innovative methods of teaching junior high school level - Provision for hours to learn the real situation now writing skills in junior high schools - Application of different forms of writing such articles with guidelines or creative writing assignments - Refer to teach writing skills through books, newspapers and related information on the Internet - Acquiring the opinions of colleagues to learn from experience, refine the methods or to apply accordingly II CONTENT Theoretical background Right from the beginning to learn English, the students were exposed to four basic skills of language, they are: listening, speaking, reading, and writing These are important skills of teachers in the transmission of knowledge to students And writing is a skill that is difficult to learn, it requires teachers to understand the effectiveness of teaching methods and implement the principle of "learning with practice." Stemming from the "learner-centered '', methods of teaching and learning has changed fundamentally The teacher is not the only one who holds the knowledge and impart knowledge that only the user lead, facilitators, mentors, moderators no longer a passive acquisition of knowledge which is the center of the teaching process, initiatives and creativity in the learning process in order to achieve high results in learning and know how to apply to real life General language teaching, teaching English in particular the renewal of teaching methods is very important Besides mastering language knowledge, make good listening skills, speaking, reading and writing skills they also play a role equally important role Teaching writing is one of the basic content is the subtle combination of clarifying the different language skills From the arguments on the application of the method of teaching writing and how to help students make a good article in English, means ensuring the required precision articles, grammar, creativity in the article is very important Practical background 2.1-General situation of the school Nga Tan secondary school is a school in the coastal area so condition of the school is poor Condition of teaching English at school still face many difficulties: No function rooms, facilities for teaching listening, teaching aids service is poor discipline 2.2 To the student Most of the students are children of farmers so they don’t have good condition to study well My students are not keen on English They only learn because it is one of their compulsory subject They not have chance to reach modern equipment so it is very hard for the teacher to motivate them to learn well As a result, the result of learning English is poor 2.3 To the teacher They have few chances to approach new methods of teaching They also invest so little time on studing for the subject They mind finding new methods of teaching to teach effectively There are lack of facilities for the teacher to make English lessons more attractive They have to teach without the help of modern equipment Therefor, English lesson, especially writing lesson is often boring The students don’t pay more attention to the lesson As a result, the lesson has poor effectiveness The sollutions In the process of teaching and learning I have noticed that writing skill is one of the hardest skills in the four skills It requires students to have a vocabulary, understand the grammatical structure, the idea to outline when writing In particular they must be aware of the type required to write essays like Writing skill helps students reconstruct what has been learned, helps them practice using the language effectively and also gives them chance to practice writing Writing skill also helps students promote their creative abilities, it reflects the results of the process of listening, speaking, reading, grammar, vocabulary of students and demonstrates strengths and weaknesses, and it also helps teacher easily noticed a student's mistakes rather than speaking Writing operation is a very important part of the process of teaching and learning English Especially for those gifted students, at each level of competition they regularly encounter the article The steps made in writing a paragraph or an essay in English Structures and how to implement a paragraph or an essay in English in written exam for good student in grade To write a paragraph or an essay, first, students need to understand how to arrange the layout and details in a paragraph or an essay * Guide students to write under following steps: - Write the topic sentence (Note: Make sure to thoroughly take advantage of all threads to write a topic sentence) - Check to make sure the topic sentence in your topic sentence topic and controlling idea - Look for reviews to prove / interpreting main idea by asking questions prefaced with a question word (Note: Due to the length of the passage is controlled, so you just put about questions that are Remember that these questions should be relevant to the topic) - Assemble the answers to your questions (supporting sentences) into a complete text The key to remember is that you must step sure what use order to articulate supporting sentences 5- Consider whether or not the written statement If unsure, skip this step - Check your spelling errors, grammatical errors can be found in each of your sentence This can only be done once you master the basic theory of how to write a paragraph (paragraph) or an essay (composition) In this article, we will look at the steps necessary to implement a subject into a complete text 3.2 Some types of essay writing and the methods to practice them 3.2.1 Describing people Introduction: Who the person is/ When and how you first met or saw him/her Main body + Physical appearance: height/build, age, facial features, hair, clothing ( From the most general aspects to the most specific detail) Eg: Bill, who is in his early twenties, is quite tall and well-built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes He is usually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt + Personality/ behavior(with justification/examples): give examples of manner and mannerism Eg: Mark is rather unsociable, usually sitting silently in a corner abserving others from a distance + Life/ lifestyle/beliefs: talk about the person's habits, interests, profession, daily routine, opinion, etc Eg: Being both a university student and a part-time assistant in a supermarket, Tom has little free time to go out in the evenings Conclusion Comments/ feelings about person * Tips: If the instruction for the writing task ask you to describe someone related to the present, you will describe the person using Present tenses eg: " Describe a person who is unusual " If you are asked to describe somebody related to the past Somebody who is no longer alive or somebody you met some time ago, you will describe the person using Past simple tenses * Linking words and structures: Writing which contains a series of short sentences or the same simple linking words(such as"and") soon becomes boring and repetitive To avoid this, you should use a wide range of linking words and structures - with: She is tall and striking, with long blonde hair - Relative Clauses: who/which/whose My neighbour, who is slightly eccentric, has dozens of filthy cats - Result: so/such (a) (that) She is so beautiful that she looks like a film star - Addition: in addition to, as well as/ besides, moreover, furthermore, not only but also ,etc Eg: He is very tall, in addition to being very thin - Contrast: but/yet/However/Nonetheless/Even so + Clause Although/(Even) though/ While + Clause In spite of/ Despite + -ing form/noun/the fact that Eg: He is temperamental, but/yet he is a loyal friend - Linking cause and effect: She is open and friend (cause) She is popular (effect) Because/as/since/owing to/due to(+-ing/noun/the fact that) As a result/consequence of….; A/the result of is ; as a result, Eg: A result of her being open is that she is popular ., so ; therefore/for this reason ; The reason(that/why) is Eg: She is open and friendly, therefore she is popular * Impressions, Opinions and Reactions: I think/feel/etc (that)….; It seems to me that …; To me/To my mind As far as I'm concerned…; In my opinion/view/eyes…; Sb seems/ appear to be ; I/ people/etc find/ consider sb to be ; I think of/ see/ regard sb as being * Compoud Adjectives: Compound adjectives are formed with - present participles: a hard-working student - past participles: an open-hearted young man - cardinal numbers + nouns: a three-year-old boy - well, badly, ill, poorly + past participle: a well-intensioned friend 2.2 Descibing places/ Buildings Introduction: name/ location/ population of the place, reason for choosing the place + Factual information such as age, size, colour, material, etc Eg: The temple, with 10-meter tall marble columns, was built in 800BC + Details relating to the senses ( sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) to suggest mood and atmosphere Eg: Visitors' footsteps on the wom stone floors echo through the cool, dark corridors, disturbing the tranquil silence Main body: general features and particular details + Place: surroundings, sights, facilities, free-time activities + Building: surroundings, detailed description of exterior/ interior Conclusion: Comments/ feelings or a recommendation * Notice: - Each aspect of the description should be presented in a separate paragraph beginning with a clear topic sentence - Present tenses are normal used when describing a place for a tourist brochure or a magazine article - Past tenses are normal used when describing a visit to a place/building - First and second conditionals (will/would) can be used when you describe your ideal city/house,etc - When we give factual information about a place or building this is normally given using Present tenses * Expressing Impression & Reactions - You can express positive impressions of a place by: + using a variety of adjectives such as: breathtaking, delightedful, eyecatching, outstanding, picturesque, etc + using a variety of present or past participle from such verbs as: astound, amaze, astonish, impress, refresh,etc Eg: I was/felt astounded at how beautiful Florida is in winter + using a variety of nouns in expressions such as: to my amazement/ astonishment/ delight/ surprise/etc Eg: To my delight, the place had kept its character - You can express negative impressions of a place by + using a variety of adjectives such as: disreputable, inhospitable, neglected + using a variety of present or past participles from such verbs as: disappoint, shock,etc Eg: the disappointing view of the unsightly housing +Using a variety of nouns in expressions such as: to my isappointment/surprise/etc Useful language: Explaining Impression The most noticeable/outstanding feature of the place is its golden garden A huge statue of a lion is the first thing one notices upon entering the temple Without doubt, the most impressive thing about San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge The thing which makes the strongest/most enduring impression is the hospitality of the locals The first thing one notices about the house is its overgrown garden The reason that the area is so depressing is that there are so may derelict buildings * Making comparisons: To compare places or building you can use - (just/nearly) as (positive degree) as Eg: In those days the main streets were just as congested as they are today - The same as… Eg: The cottage was the same as it had been fifty years before - (relatively/considerably) less (positive degree) than Eg: The new buildings are considerably less ornate than the old ones - (much/far/considerably) more + adjective/ adverbs + than Eg: The northern area is more picturesque than the eastern area - (by far) the most + adjective Eg: Hill Manor is by far the most elegant hotel in the region - comparative + and + comparative Eg: The streets are becoming dirtier and dirtier - the comparative , the + comparative Eg: The further south you travel, the warmer it becomes 3.2.3 - Describing festivals/ events/ ceremonies Introduction: Set the scene ( name,time/date, place of event, reason(s) for celebrating) Main body: Preparations( decorations, rehearse,etc.) Description of actual event (costumes, food, atmosphere, activities,etc.) Conclusion: feelings, comments, thoughts * Notice: When you describe annual events( a celebration/festival which takes place every year), present tenses are used and the style is formal However, when giving a personal account of an event which you witnessed or took part in, past tenses are used and the style may be less formal The passive is frequently used to describe preparations/ activities which take place Eg: Pumpkins are carved and placed in windows and costumes are designed 3.2.4 - Narratives Introduction: Set the scene ( Who/what/when/where) Sets the scene (place, time, character(s), etc.), creates an intersting mood/ atmosphere to make the reader want to continue reading, and/or begins dramatically to capture the reader's attention Main body: Develope the story ( Describe incidents leading up to the main events and the event itself in detail Describe people/ place/ emotions/ actions/etc) Conclusion: End the story (complete the plot; describe feelings/ reactions; explain the conspuences) * Techniques for beginning or ending stories: - You can start your story by - You can end your story by: 10 + describing the weather, place, + addressing the reader directly people, etc, using senses + using direct speech + using direct speech + referring to feelings or moods + asking a rhetorical question + describing people's reactions to the + creating mystery or suspense events developed in the main body + creating mystery or suspense + asking a rhetorical question * Techniques for beginning or ending stories * Past tenses and time words - Past habits are not described using Past Continuous In stead, use Past Simple, "used to" or "would", with an appropriate adverb of frequency ( Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, frequently/often, sometimes/ occasionally, seldom/rarely, never) - Past continuous Time words/phrases: (at the same time) as , meanwhile, when, while * Techniques for beginning or ending stories: - Past perfect Time words/phrases: after/ as soon as/ before/ by the time/ no sooner/ not until/ once/(only) when - Inversion: + Some words, especially adverbs of frequency and time words/phrasals, are followed by inversion when they are used at the beginning of a sentence Eg: Never Tom had imagined that he would find himself in such a situation + The words/ phrasals followed by inversion are negative in meaning: Never(before/again), No sooner, No longer; Nowhere Not often, Not always; Not only( but also) Seldom/Rarely = "not often" Hardly ever/anywhere =" almost never/nowhere" Not until Not before Only when = "not until/before", Only if = "not unless" Eg: No sooner had I stepped under the shower than the doorbell rang Not only was I exhausted, but also extremely hungry "Not until/before" and "Only when/if" are followed by inversion in the second part of the sentence Eg: Not until it grew dark did they stop searching for the missing dog 3.2.5 - Discursive Essays There are three main types of discursive essays For and against essays Present both sides of an issue, discussing points in favour of a particular topic as well as those against or the advantages and disadvantages of a particular question Each point should be supported by justifications, examples, and/or reasons The writer's own opinion should be presented only in the final paragraph 11 * Useful expressions and linking words/phrases: - To list points Firstly, First of all, In the first place, To begin/start with Secondly, Thirdly, , Finally - To list advantages One/Another/A further/ An additional(major) advantage of is The main/greatest/first advantage of is - To list disadvantages: One/Another/A further/ An additional(major) disadvantage/drawback of The main/greatest/most serious/first disadvantage/drawback of Another nagative aspect of - To introduce points/arguments for or against One (very convincing) point/argument in favour of / against A further common criticism of / It could be argued that , Often claimed/suggested It is Widely argued/maintaine That d Generally felt/believed/held claim/suggeste/argue/feel that Some/many/ maintain/believe/point/agree/hold that most people/experts/ advocate ( +ing/noun)/support the view that scientists/sceptics/ oppose the view that critics In favour of/against All 0f the opinion that/convinced that opposed to - To add more points to the same topic In addition (to this)…; furthermore….; moreover…; besides…; apart from…; what is more…; as well as…; not to mention ( the fact) that…; also…; not only but also/as well…; both and….; There is another side to the issue/question/argument of - To make constrasting points on the other hand, it may be said/argued/claimed that, however, still, yet, but, others/ oppose this viewpoint nonetheless, many peole ( strongly) disagree , nevertheless, even so, claim/feel/believe this argument is incorrect/misguided Although; though; even though; while; whilst; whereas; despite/in spite of (the fact that); regardless of the fact that; Opponents of ; argue/believe/claim that ; The fact that ; contradicts the belief/idea that ; While it is true to say that ; in fact ; While/Although ; it cannot be denied that - To intruduce examples For example; for instance; such as/ like; in particular; particularly; especially; 12 This is (clearly) illustrated/shown by the fact that ;The fact that shows/illustrates that - To emphasis a point Clearly, obviously, it is obvious, naturally, of course, needless to say, indeed - To express reality: In fact, the fact (of the matter) is, actually, in practice, it is a fact that, in effect - To make general statements As a (general) rule, generally, in general, on the whole, by and large, in most cases - To make partially correct statements: To a certain extent/ degree, to some extent/degree, in a way/sense, this is partly true (but), to a limited extent, there is some truth in (ths), in some cases, up to a point - To explain/clarify a point In other words, that is to say, this/which means that - Conclusion expressing balanced considerations/opinion indirectly In conclusion, it can/must be said/claimed that On balance, it seems/appears that All things considered, it would seem that Taking everything into it is likely/unlikely/possible/foreseeable that account/consideration, it is clear/obvious that To conclude, there is no/little doubt that To sum up, the best course of action would be to All in all, achieving a balance between would be Finally/Lastly, it is true to say that although it must be said that it may be concluded/said that All things considered, the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that / There is no absolute answer to the question of , In the light of this evidence, it is clear/obvious/etc that In conclusion, clear/apparen evidence All in all, it is t from above points To sum up, plain/obvious foregoing arguments evident - Conclusion expressing opinion directly In conclusion, On balance, It is my belief.opinion that All things considered, I (firmly) believe/feel/think that To conclude, I am convinced that To sum up, I am inclined to believe that All in all, I (do not) agree that/with Finally/Lastly, Taking everything into account, I therefore conclude/feel/believe (that) 13 For the above - mentioned reasons, therefore, I (firmly) believe that Opinion essays Present the writer's personal opinion concerning the topic, clearly stated and supported by reasons and/or examples The opposing viewpoint and reason should be included in a separate paragraph before the closing one, together with an argument that shows it is an unconvincing viewpoint The writer's opinion should be included in the introduction, and summarised/ restated in the conclusion - Useful Expressions for giving Opinions To my mind/To my way of thinking…;It is my (firm)belief/opinion/view/conviction (that) ;In my opinion/view ; My opinion is that,…; It seems/appears to me ; It strikes me that ; As far as I am concerned, ; So, may there some problems for studying alone, I'll prefer to study alone Essay suggesting solutions to problems: In which the problems associated with a particular issue or situation are analysed and possible solutions are put forward, together with any expected results/ consequences The writer's opinion may be mentioned, directly or indirectly, in the introduction and/or conclusion * Notice: - Present each point in a separate paragraph - Well-known quotations or though-provoking statements are useful devices to make your composition more interesting - Before writing, you should always make a list of the points you will present - Do not use informal style or very strong language( eg: I know, I am sure ) - Useful language for essay suggesting solution to problems: + To express cause: since/because, in view of/because of/owing to/due to (the fact that) The season that /why /for is that + To express effect: thus/therefore/so/consequetly/ as a result/consequence, the result of would be , would result in + To express purpose: so that , so as/in order (not) to , with the purpose of/intention of (+ing) + To express possibility/probability: It can/could/may/might , It is possible/probable/(unlike)ly/forseeable/certain that , is (unlikely) to/bound to/certain to/possible/probable The likelihood/possibility/probability of (-ing/noun) is - Useful Expressions: Problems & Solution: Steps Should so as to solve/overcome/combat Measures must/ could be taken in order deal with/eradicate to Serious attempts to halt/prevent/solve must be made The discussion 4.1 Results 14 At the beginning of the study I correct and give marks on the first writing essay for my 9-grade gifted students the result as follows: 15 16 * Result table: Full name Nguyen Van Tu Nguyen Thi Bich Hang Trinh Xuan Hieu Dao Van Linh Total pupils Good (25%) Mark 5.0 7.0 6.5 6.0 Quite good (0%) Average (75%) 17 Table 1: Students’ results at the beginning of the first term It is clear from the observation and from the result in table that in essay writing , most of the students had problems At the beginning of January, I correct and give marks on the above topic and the result as follows: 18 19 20 * Result table: Full name Nguyen Van Tu Nguyen Thi Bich Hang Trinh Xuan Hieu Dao Van Linh Mark 7.5 8.5 9.0 8.5 Total Good Quite good Average pupils (25%) (75%) (0%) Table 2: Students’ results after teacher use the new methods of teaching writing esay at the end of the first term 4.2 The discussion It can be seen from table that using those methods of teaching essay writing has helped my gifted students a lot Students’ writing has improved in several different ways One remarkable area of progress is that now all of their writings are quite good At the beginning of the school year, when a writing assignment was carried out 75 % of my gifted students’ writing were average, 25 % good and 0% quite good However, at the end of the term, all my gifted students in English District Team had a good command of writing a passage 100% above average, and all of them got good grades and high prizes at the contest, especially student Nguyen Van Tu won the third prize at the provincal English contest III CONCLUSION Limitations of the study With the basis of a qualitative research, it is safe to say that the answers to the research questions are satisfactory However, the limitations of the present study should be mentioned The time of the current study might not be long enough for conducting the research to cover all students Here, the researcher only concentrate on some gifted students This also contributed to the researcher’s failure to see the satisfaction in students' learning to write an essay The assessment adopted in this study limited itself to test the participants’ writing skill just in the measurement of corrective feedback in teaching essays; Recommendations for further research Based on limitations of this study, some suggestions for future studies are proposed Further studies can be conducted with a longer time frame with the expansion in finding more effective methods to teach writing effectively for students in high schools For the materials, future research is suggested to be carried out with the deep and careful investigation into students’ taste of different genres 21 In addition, it is suggested that the stakeholders especially the principal of Nga Tan secondary School provide teachers with more opportunities to encourage all students to learn English Conclusion It is clear that my gifted students’ writing skill have made much progress thanks to my using new methods in teaching This gave me invaluable professional lessons on the path of teaching writing In my point of view, we should put ourselves into our students’ mind and understand what their interests and motivations in learning are - then look at those interests and motivations with a teacher’s eye and knowledge in order to adopt appropriate methods and approaches As teachers, we must learn to treat our students both as language learners and as human beings by taking into account not only language functions but also interests and motivations I will always appreciate the comments or opinions from my colleagues to help me improve my teaching practice in the future I hope my study will be useful for the teachers and students in the process of teaching and learning language at secondary school Nga Tan, April 2, 2016 Confirmation of the Head– STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine Master of Nga Tan secondary school The date and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have not been published elsewhere Author: Nguyen Van Chieu Trinh Thi Ha 22 IV REFERENCES Writing Academic English - Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue Real Writing - Roger Gower 220 English Essays - Renee Gehman, Almos Masksay and Laura Kristoffersen Successful Writing (Proficiency) - Virginia Evans Answer to All TOEFL Essay Questions Some websites http://portfolio.educ.kent.edu// http://dethi.violet.vn// http://infocus.edu.vn// http://goseasia.about.com// http://protas.pypt.lt// http://language123.blogspot.com// 15 days’ practice for IELTS writing 23 V APPENDICES The way I often mark my gifted students’ writing From my point of view each passage includes the following points: - points: The writing passage should be well organized: * Introduction, body and ending of the passage * Linking words, length - points: The content of the writing passage should be clear, logical and creative with explanations - points: The writing passage is supposed to be free of grammatical and spelling errors 24 ... paragraph, essay; how to use structures for reasonable questions So I boldly chose the topic ? ?IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR 9TH GIFTED STUDENTS AT NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL BY PRACTICING SOME DIFFERENT TYPES. .. of teaching and learning language at secondary school Nga Tan, April 2, 2016 Confirmation of the Head– STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine Master of Nga Tan secondary. .. TYPES OF ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING? ?? to help them understand how to write essay in different types to improve the effectiveness of teaching English, particularly the English quality of 9th gifted students