CHUYÊN ĐỀ HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH

The content of my writing also helps both teachers and students understand clearly stages of writing a paragraph. It can be considered as useful materials or references that orient them in writing tasks in GCSE nowadays. In addition, the exercises help teachers save time and efforts in teaching writing and in planning lessons. Moreover, students become more confident after doing these exercises.

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG THPT ====================== CHUYÊN ĐỀ HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH Tác giả: Đối tượng bồi dưỡng: Lớp 12 Dự kiến số tiết bồi dưỡng: 10 Kiến thức: Dùng cho ôn thi Tốt Nghiệp THPT Quốc Gia ABBREVIATIONS GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education (Kỳ thi Tốt Nghiệp Trung Học Phổ Thông ) Ss / ss : students CONTENT Part A: Writing process PAGE I Stage 1: Prewriting Listing Clustering II Stage 2: Planning Step 1: Making sublists Step 2: Writing The Topic sentence Step 3: Outlining 10 III Stage 3: Writing and revising drafts 10 Step 1: Writing the first rough draft 10 Step 2: Revising content and organisation 11 Proofreading the second draft 11 Step 4: Write the final copy 11 Part B: Paragraph structure 12 I The topic sentence 12 The topic sentence 12 Position of the topic sentences 13 Exercises 14 II Supporting sentences 21 Supporting sentences 21 Exercises 21 III The concluding sentence 20 The concluding sentence 20 End-of-paragraph signal in the concluding 21 sentences Exercises 21 Part C: Developing paragraph 24 I Unity 24 Unity 24 Example 23 II Coherence 24 a Repetition of key nouns 25 b Use of consistent nouns 25 c Transition signals 25 d Logical order 28 III Exercises on Unity and coherence 30 INTRODUCTION In teaching English, writing is considered a productive skill because it is the process the writer creates a product In communication, it is also the important skill; through writing a person can convey a variety of messages to a close or distant, known or unknown reader In daily life, it is very useful in learning; for example, when an applicant needs to write a letter for a job, or email in business In high school, writing is considered vital skill to evaluate students’ efficiency Writing becomes common in exams, especially GCSE However, writing skill is not tested only with multiple choice questions such as sentence transformation but also through writing a paragraph, or a composition, a letter or so on As a teacher of English at a high school and from the real process of teaching and learning nowadays, I realized problems and difficulties of students in this skill They often complain writing in English is very difficult; they not how to write, how to express their ideas and their writings are full of mistakes or errors of grammar, use of vocabulary or unity or coherence, punctuation and so on They say that they hate writing, and it is too complicated especially students studying group A (Math, Chemistry, Physics) and even students in group D ( Math, English and Literature) are also upset because they cannot get high marks in every mock tests at high school In school year 2014-2015, the education affair combines GCSE and university entrance exam together The graph of students’ band scores is very disappointing and in Vinh Phuc, it is no exception In English test in GCSE in Vinh Phuc last year, I observed that many students let their paper without writing anything and even went out of the room early When I asked them why they did not write the task, they said that they did not have no idea to write Many teachers marking their test also told me that they worked very quickly because many students wrote nothing From my point of view, weak writing skill can be one of reasons that affect students’ results in English test Understanding this problem, I taught student how to write and designed a system of exercises which as suitable to my students Most of students at my school study group A, and only one group C and D, A1 Exercises focus on how to write a paragraph , which are typical in GCSE First, exercises help students recognize the structure of a paragraph, the topic sentence, supporting sentences and the concluding sentence Then, exercises on parts of a writing them and how to write them effectively These exercises are presented in each section and designed from easy level to difficult one; which are appropriate to each group of students Personally, my writing may gain some goals: - It focuses on concepts or definitions of writing a typical paragraph, which is necessary for students’ evaluation of competence nowadays - It proves the power of practice With a system of exercises, students have chance to get acquainted with types of writing a paragraph and composition as well as writing frequently, which will help them overcome writing tasks easily - The content of my writing also helps both teachers and students understand clearly stages of writing a paragraph It can be considered as useful materials or references that orient them in writing tasks in GCSE nowadays - In addition, the exercises help teachers save time and efforts in teaching writing and in planning lessons Moreover, students become more confident after doing these exercises Part A: THE PROCESS OF WRITING - Writing is process, not a product - There are four main stages that I teach my students: prewriting, planning, writing, and revising drafts & writing the final copy to hand in I Stage 1: Prewriting After choosing and narrowing a topic, the next prewriting step is to generate ideas by a process called brainstorming This helps ss: + Get you started writing more quickly and save their time in the later stage of writing process techniques of brainstorming are: Listing - Listing is a brainstorming technique in which ss think about their topic and quickly make a list of whatever words or phrases come into their mind - Listing helps ss produce as many ideas as possible in a short time to find specific focus for their topic Procedure of listing: - Write down the general topic at the top of their paper - Make a list of every idea that comes into their mind about that topic When listing, ss should keep the idea flowing and should not worry about writing down information off the topic because they can cross it later They can also use words, phrases, sentences, and not worry about spelling, grammar Model: Culture shock - Communication problems - Poor verbal skills - New language - Lack vocabulary - Lack confidence - Classroom environment - Need a car - Poor pronunciation - Unclear expressions … - Use slang and idiom Clustering - For clustering, ss can write their topic and draw a “balloon” around it Then, they write whatever ideas come to them in balloons around the core They should think about each of these ideas and make more balloons around them II Stage II: Planning Step1: Making sublists - In this step, ss can take a sublists and cross out any items that don’t belong or that aren’t useable e.g: Communication problems A poor verbal skills - lack vocabulary - poor pronunciation B Americans difficult to understand - use incomplete sentences - use unclear expressions - talk too fast - use slang and idioms Step2: Writing the Topic sentence The topic sentence expresses the central focus of paragraph E.g: - One problem that many international students face in the United States is communication with Americans or - International students in the United States face communication problems with Americans Step 3: Outlining - Ss should write the main points and subpoints in the order in which they plan to write about them - This will help students to stay on the topic and to write a well-organised paragraph Communication Problems International students in the United States face communicatio Topic sentence Supporting point Supporting detail Supporting detail Supporting point Supporting detail Supporting detail Supporting detail Supporting detail problems with Americas A International students have poor verbal skills lack vocabulary have poor pronunciation B Americans are difficult to understand use incomplete sentences use unclear expressions talk too fast Use slang and idioms (Alice Oshima Ann Hogue, Longman, 2006) III Stage 3: Writing and revising drafts Step1: writing the First Rough Draft In this step ss will: - write down the topic sentence and underline it; this reminds them of the focus of their paragraph - leave margins A margin will help add details, information, examples or check spelling - write the paragraph, following ss’ outline as closely as possible - can add ideas that aren’t in the outline if you are certain they are relevant to the topic - add or cross out unnecessary details Exercise : Write the rough draft for the following topic sentence My drama classes have given me confidence Jogging is my favourite sport for several reasons Stamp collecting is an educational hobby Step 2: Revising content and organization In this step, ss will: - revise content, organization, unity, coherence, and logic but they shouldn’t correct grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation because it is proofreading, which can be done later - read over your paragraph carefully- focus on the general aspects - check to see how you achieve your stated purpose - check logic and coherence - check topic sentence and main focus (supporting ideas) - check unity - check transition signals - concluding sentences Step 3: Proofreading the second draft In this step, ss will: - check over each sentence for correctness and completeness: no fragments, choppy or run-on sentences - check over each sentence for a subject and a verb, subject-verb agreement, tenses … - check the mechanics: punctuation, spelling, capitalization, spelling - change vocabulary words as necessary Step 4: Write the final copy - In this step, ss will write the final copy Part B: PARAGRAPH SRUCTURE 10 … d When the eggs are done, slide them into the warm tortilla and fold it over 3- My paper is late because something happened to my computer … a I was almost finished writing my paper, and I was checking it for errors … b Suddenly, my computer screen went blank, and the power was gone … c The accident made me lose many hours of work, so I could not turn in my essay on time … d Later, I learned that a squirrel got on the power line and disrupted the electricity I enjoy the riverwalk in San Antonio … a The riverwalk is lower than the streets of the city … b You can walk down stairs to a canal with a stone path and plants on each side … c There are many shops, restaurants and hotels along the path … d The riverwalk is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon or evening in San Antonio Key : a CS b, c, d, - SS a, b, d – SS, c – CS d CS a, b, c – SS Exercise 2: Examining concluding sentences Circle the word that best describes each of the concluding sentences below If you follow these steps, you will never lose your keys again a prediction b opinion c warning Students who are not careful with credit cards can go into debt quickly, a prediction b opinion c warning Venice, Italy, is the most beautiful city in the world 22 a prediction b opinion c warning You will be able to produce a beautiful paper crane with only a little bit of practice a prediction b opinion c warning There are many reasons why movie stars make poor politicians a prediction b opinion c warning The desert is a beautiful but dangerous place to hike, so your research and take time to prepare carefully a prediction b opinion c warning Improve the following paragraph Key : C c c c a c 7b a Exercise 3: Writing a concluding sentence for each of the following topic sentences You may begin the concluding sentence with a conclusion phrase followed by a comma Writing a paragraph in English is easy if you follow these steps …………………………………………………………………………… The cafeteria is an inexpensive place to eat …………………………………………………………………………… My first day of school was a frightening experience …………………………………………………………………………… Everyone in a car should fasten his or her safety belt …………………………………………………………………………… Watching television situation comedy is a good way to learn English conversation …………………………………………………………………………… Key: vary PART D: DEVELOPING A PARAGRAPH I Unity 23 Unity - Unity is an important element of a paragraph is unity Every good paragraph has unity which means that in each paragraph; only one main idea is discussed If you start to discuss a new idea, begin a new paragraph Furthermore, every sentence in the paragraph must be directly related to the main idea Do not include any information that does not directly support the topic - Every supporting sentence must directly explain or prove main idea, which is stated in the topic sentence Example: There is no unity in this paragraph: Teaching students how to be a good parent brings many benefits It is not too early to teach students about this because they are old enough to understand The first benefit is that …… II Coherence The Latin verb “Cohere” means “hold together” Coherence is another element of a good paragraph is coherence - To have coherence, the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth Each sentence should flow smoothly into the next one - The writers often use time, space, or order of importance to present the supporting information in a paragraph coherently E.g: The following example is organized by space: When you drive into the airport, you will see many signs for the different terminals After you pass the signs, you will drive over a hill The airport is on the other side of the hill On your right, you will see the international terminal There are four ways to achieve coherence: a Repetition of Key Nouns + The easiest way to achieve coherence is to repeat key nouns frequently 24 E.g: English has almost become an international language Except for Chinese more people speak it than any other language Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world, but more countries have English as their official or unofficial second language More than 70 percent of the world’s mall is written in it It is the primary language on the Internet International business, English is used more than any other language, and it is the language of airline pilots and air traffic controllers all over the world Moreover, although French used to be the language of diplomacy, English has displaced it throughout the world Therefore, unless you plan to spend your life alone on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, English is a useful language to know b Use of Consistent Pronouns American Sign Language developed from the mixture of sings used by deaf Americans and French Sign Language Today it is used by more than 500,000 deaf people in the United Stated and Canada It refers back to the subject and connects two sentences together c Transition Signals - Using transition words as a guide makes it easier for the reader to follow the ideas and make a paragraph coherence Types of Transition Signals Sentence connectors Meaning function Sentence connectors Clause connectors Transition Conjunctiv Coordinating Subordinating To phrases In e adverbs Further introduce addition more n an moreover An additional Besides additional idea Also +n conjunctions And Others conjunctions Another + 25 Too the However To On introduce other hand Neverthele An In contrast ss opposite To In fact introduce Indeed But Although In spite of Yet Though +n Even though Despite + Instead Whereas n Still While nonetheless otherwise or If Unless an a choice or alternative To Otherwise That is introduce choice If Unless or alternative To In fact That is introduce a Indeed restatement or explanation To For An introduce example example example For of + n instance Such as + n To In introduce a conclusion conclusion In or summary summary In brief 26 In short Indeed According To introduce a ly result So Therefore As a result Consequen As a tly consequen Hence ce Thus Example: The best way to meet new friends is to take a class First, all the people in a class have something in common They all want to learn about the subject, so there is something to talk about Second, everyone sees each other every time the class meets, so there are many opportunities to get to know others Third, there are often activities and group projects so students can work together, and this is the best way to get to know people By the end of the class, it is hard not to know your classmates d Logical order Logical order includes chronological order, logical division of ideas, and comparison / contrast * Chronological order - There are two keys to writing a good chronological paragraph: + Discuss the events (in a narrative) or the steps (in a process) in the order in which they occur + Use chronological transition signals to indicate the sequence of events or steps Transition Signals / or Chronological order 27 Transition words Subordinators And phrases First, first of all , soon After, since , as , until , The first step, in the Second, after Others that, as soon as, when , second step, gradually, next, finally, before, while On the third day meanwhile , now , last , During the night … then * Logical Division of Ideas/ Order of Importance - is one of the most common ways to organize ideas in English When using logical division, you related ideas together and discuss each group, one after the other Transition signals for logical division of ideas Sentence connectors First, second, thirds Next, last, finally, Others The first + N in addition, The/ a second + N moreover One + N Furthermore Another + N Also An additional + N Transition signals or order of importance Sentence connectors More importantly Others A more important + N Most significantly The most important + N Above all The second most significant + N Primarily * Comparison/ contrast The primary + N - involves analyzing the similarities and differences between two or more items - the key to writing a comparison/ contrast paragraph are to put the ideas in some kind of order and to use appropriate transition signals Comparison transition signals 28 Sentence connectors Similarly Conjunctions And Others Like Likewise Both…and Just like Also Not only…but also Alike Too As As…as Just as (Be) similar Similar to The same (as) Compare to / with Contrast transition signals Sentence connectors However Conjunctions But Others Unlike On the other hand Yet Differ from On the contrary Although (be) dissimilar In contrast Though Compare to In (by) comparison Even though, while, Compare with whereas III Exercises on Unity and coherence Exercise 1: Read the paragraph Where did the pink sheep come from? The Pink Sheep Many years ago, a special gift came to me in an interesting way When I was a small boy, I enjoyed playing in my garden One day, I found a hole in the wall of my garden It was near the ground, so I could not see through the hole, but I knew that behind the wall was my neighbor’s garden Who made that hole? I felt really interested, so I used rocks to make the hole wider One day, when I was trying to break through the wall, I noticed a small hand appear from the hole The hand was holding a rubber sheep It 29 was pink and it had wide eyes I caught that rubber sheep Then I pushed my favorite wooden truck through the hole to give to hat child on the other side Sometimes I bought toys with my lucky New Year money A long time later, when I was old enough to go out, I went around the corner to find the child who gave me that special gift, but nobody was in that house My neighbor said that a girl used to live there, and she was the same age as me I never found her, but her gift has a special meaning for me Key: It is from a hole in the garden Exercise2: Analyzing a student paragraph for unity Examine the organization of the paragraph by answering the questions below Then compare your answers with a partner Circle the topic and underline the controlling idea After you read the controlling idea, what did you expect the supporting ideas to explain? Write your own answer in your own words One sentence in the paragraph is off-topic and does not support the unity of the paragraph Draw a line through it Why does this sentence hurt the unity of the paragraph? Write your explanation below Key: 1.Many years ago, a special gift came to me in an interesting way The special gift came to the write in interesting way? Sometimes I bought toys with my lucky New Year money 4.Because it doesn’t relate to the topic sentence “ interesting way” of receiving special gift Exercise 3: Recognizing unity in supporting sentences Read the following topic sentences Put a check (V) next to each sentence below that supports the topic sentence I am an organized person a My desk is always neat and tidy 30 b I have a system for organizing my papers, and I can always find what I need c I feel uncomfortable when I am in a strange environment d My friends always want me to help them put their closet in order Twenty questions is an easy game to play when you are travelling a The person who is “it” must think of a person, place or object b Sometimes people travel by car, and sometimes by train or airplane c It is very important to travel with people that you get along with d The other players take turn asking questions that can only be answered with “yes” or “no” Tea and coffee are very different from each other a Coffee has more caffeine than tea does b Coffee and tea both have caffeine c People enjoy tea and coffee during social occasions d Tea is much more common around the world than coffee is In my opinion, people spend too much money on cars a Some drivers spend a fourth of their income for a car payment which is unnecessary b Cars not increase in value, so they are not a great investment c Car companies are always looking for ways to make vehicles safe on the road d People who not pay cash must also pay interest, so they lose even more money It is easy to get a sports injury a Many people enjoy sports b Runners often have problems with their ankles and knees c Baseball players can break their fingers or get knowledge over by another player d Many people make the simple mistake of joining a gym, and then they never go there to exercise 31 My city is famous because of its architecture a We have ancient red-tiled buildings around the main square b The restaurants near the beach serve great seafood c It has expensive tree-lined boulevards with beautiful limestone building and monuments d A famous university is located on the side of a mountain Key: a, d a, d a, b, d 5.b,c a, c, d Exercise 4: Editing for unity Read the paragraph below Cross out the two sentences that are not about the controlling idea Life in a New Place I am a Thai girl living in the U.S., and there are many adjustments that I must make First of all, I must get used to a new kind of food I am learning to eat a lot of hamburgers because they are not expensive and they are easy to buy The people are different and I am learning to meet new foreign friends For example, two of my new friends are from Pakistan Pakistan is also an interesting country to visit The weather requires another kind of adjustment Some days, it is hot just as in my country, but on other days it is scold and this is very strange for me I came to the U.S to study and I enjoy my classes and my teachers I am adjusting to the U.S in many ways, but it is not a problem for me because I like to know about different places and people Key: Two sentences: For example, two of my new friends are from Pakistan Pakistan is also an interesting country to visit My Red Couch acquired a now couch in an interesting way I was walking to the bus stop, and I saw a yard sale The family was selling a beautiful but heavy red couch at a very good price I really liked the couch, and I wanted to buy it 32 However, there was a problem I did not have a truck, and my apartment was five blocks away Suddenly, I saw my classmate across the street She usually sat next to me in a computer class I told her my problem, and she offered to help Then I paid for the couch and my friend and I carried it down the street When we got tired, we sat down to rest on the sidewalk Finally, we brought it to my door, and my neighbor helped carry it upstairs I really like to buy old things because I live in an old building It was a funny day for me, and I like to remember this day whenever I come home and see my beautiful red couch Key: When we got tired, we sat down to rest on the sidewalk I really like to buy old things because I live in an old building Exercice : Evaluating coherence within a paragraph Read the following paragraphs Which one has better coherence? What is the pattern of organization? Paragraph Soccer brings the world together in many ways During the World Cup, people from all over the world are tuned in If they cannot see it in person, they watch it on television Many countries participate in the world cup People learn about the teams from different countries, and they learn something about those countries When people are watching the World Cup, they not care if the game is on at four a.m in their country They will stay up to watch it They learn about the flags from different countries because they will see the fans Paragraph The best way to meet new friends is to take a class First, all the people in a class have something in common They all want to learn about the subject, so there is something to talk about Second, everyone sees each other every time the class meets, so there are many opportunities to get to know others Third, there are often activities and group projects so students can work 33 together, and this is the best way to get to know people By the end of the class, it is hard not to know your classmates Key: The second paragraph because the writer used transition signals to make it easier to follow Exercise 6: Developing unity Write two supporting sentences for each of the following topic sentences Then exchange book with a partner and check your partner’s sentences for unity Computers are useful in many ways …………………………………………………………………………… There are certain characteristics that I always look for in a good restaurant …………………………………………………………………………… When I want to look nice for a party, I follow a few simple steps …………………………………………………………………………… There are activities in a park for family members of all ages …………………………………………………………………………… There are many ways to show respect to older people …………………………………………………………………………… When you are going camping, there are some things you should always take with you …………………………………………………………………………… Key: individual answers 34 Conclusion This writing is involved in both concepts or definitions and exercises to help students be aware of how to write a paragraph well which helps them overcome their GCSE easily with better marks However, students cannot write perfectly overnight because writing is a skill and it needs practising day by day Therefore, the teacher is the first person to help them form their habits of writing frequently Then, the teacher should motivate students from easy exercises to more complicated ones In addition, the teacher should encourage their students For example,they can the teacher should give them nice comments for students’efforts Moreover, teachers should design funny activities so that their studetns can learn how to write in effective and relaxing ways To educational administrators especially the headmaster, investments for students have good conditions to learn are also necessary For example, students will be provided with facilities such as projectors, large classrooms, mutilmedia rooms and materials to serve their study Finally, limitations in this study is unavoidable, so the writer hope to receive responses from readers to help students write better in the future 35 REFERENCES Successful Writing, Virginia Evans, Express Publishing, 2000 Introduction to Academic Writing- Alice Oshima Ann Hogue, Pearson Longman Paragraph Writing from Sentence to Paragraph, Dorothy E Zemach & Carlos Islam, 2005 Tiếng Anh 11,12 , Bộ Giáo dục đào tạo, 2011 Effective Academic Writing 1, Alice Savage Masound Shafiel, Oxford Academic Writing English, Alice Oshima Ann Hogue, Longman, 2006 How to teach Writing, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson Longman, 2004 EFL Basic Writing Skills, Student’s Book, Nguyễn Văn Trào, Trần Thúy Hằng, Nguyễn Thị Minh Hằng, NXB Đại Học Quốc Gia Hà Nội, 2015 36 ... You can walk down stairs to a canal with a stone path and plants on each side … c There are many shops, restaurants and hotels along the path … d The riverwalk is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon... paragraph has unity which means that in each paragraph; only one main idea is discussed If you start to discuss a new idea, begin a new paragraph Furthermore, every sentence in the paragraph. .. indicates what the paragraph is going to discuss It limits the topic to one or two areas that can be discussed completely in a single paragraph The writer can see what information to include and