(Picture taken from
http://ccweb.norshore.wednet.edu/writingcorner/overview.html)
Virtual Writing es un curso diseñado para el desarrollo de la
capacidad expresiva en alumnos de la ESO. El enfoque metodológico y
planteamiento teórico de este proyecto es el de la composición escrita
como proceso.
Las actividades propuestas van desde
actividades controladas hasta actividades de composición más libre,
dependiendo del nivel del alumno. Ya que nos encontramos en la etapa
de secundaria en la que el alumno aún no se siente lo suficientemente
seguro en el uso de la lengua, las actividades van enfocadas a guiar
al alumno a través del proceso de escritura.
Fundamentos:
1. Una
composición escrita rara vez se termina en una sesión. Necesita
desarrollarse a través de diferentes etapas: generación de ideas, esquema
y organización de ideas, escritura, relectura, re-escritura, revisión y
corrección.
2. A
la hora de expresarse en una composición escrita ha de primar el interés
comunicativo sobre la corrección gramatical. Lo más importante es
que se produzca la comunicación y la transmisión de ideas. De este modo,
se frena la obsesión y el miedo que siente nuestro alumnado de cometer
errores olvidando la intención comunicativa.
3. Una
composición tiene que ser significativa y siempre que sea posible tener
una función comunicativa y un lector concreto. De este modo el alumno/a se
siente más motivado ya que escribe con un propósito comunicativo y su
lector no es necesariamente el profesor/a.
4. El
producto final puede y se recomienda que sea expuesto públicamente como un
proyecto trabajado en diferentes etapas. Nuestros alumnos/as pueden
exponer sus textos en la página web del curso, en la del instituto, en un
foro, en el periódico del instituto, etc.
THE THREE
STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS
The three stages of the writing
process can be described as:
a)
Prewriting
b)
Writing and drafting
c)
Revising/ writing (revising, proofreading and editing)
Prewriting
Before students start a
writing task, it is important to define the basic elements of any piece of
writing:
In real
life every piece of writing is influenced by who it is
written for (audience) and why it is being written
(purpose). We should no longer be telling students to ‘Write a composition
about your holiday’, the instruction should be something like: ‘Write a
postcard to a friend about how you are spending your holiday’.
a)
helps to stimulate student interest
b)
develops concepts and ideas
c)
gives students confidence
d)
teaches the concept of writing for a defined audience
Some prewriting activities:
1.
brainstorming
2.
mapping
3.
listing
4.
outlining
Writing
Students should write the first
draft freely and without frustration as soon after the prewriting phase as
possible without worrying about spelling and punctuation.
Tell the students to write the
draft:
a)
immediately after the prewriting stage
b) using brainstorming techiques or an outline as
suggested
b)
don’t worry about mistakes at this stage
Revising/rewriting:
This stage
gives the student the opportunity to:
a)
improve the content
b)
improve the organisation
c)
improve the sentence structure
d)
make vocabulary more exact
e)
reduce sentences for clarity
Encourage your student to eliminate or reduce
spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes at this stage.
a)
teachers should make concrete suggestions for improvement in an
encouraging way
b)
have students share their writing with a partner or small group
c)
use a writing improvement checklist such as the one below and later
in the form produced in the Centres Handbook (for teacher feedback)
d)
Use something like the self and peer checklist below
Self Assessment/Peer Checklist
Name _________________________ Title
_____________________ Date________
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Read your work again. Check it
for each item below. Make any changes necessary.
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1.
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The piece addresses the right
person(s)
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2. |
The order of paragraphs is
logical
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3. |
Each sentence makes sense
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4. |
I have checked verb/subject
agreement
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5. |
I am satisfied punctuation and
spelling are correct
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6. |
I circled words I want to
check on
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7. |
I am satisfied I have answered
all parts of the question
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8. |
Etc etc
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Editing/Revision/Peer correction
Exploring the
Definition of Critic
PROCEDURE:
1. We begin by reading
a piece of writing that is written by someone outside of the class.
After reading the piece of writing, I choose two students to do some
role playing. One student plays the writer, and the other student
plays the evaluator or teacher. The teacher/evaluator's job is to be
the worst possible teacher/evaluator in the world.
2. After the role
playing, students I will ask students to list things the teacher/evaluator
did that were negative, and we will list those items on the board.
2. Next I ask the class
this question: When you have someone read your paper, or you go to
them for help, what do you expect from him/her?
3. I give students time
to think about this question, and then we write the responses on the
board. Later I will generate a handout that reminds students of their
expectations.
CLOSURE:
I think it's important to share the
expectations they have for a peer evaluator. Using their expectations
on the handout, will provide them with a useful touchstone as the year
prowesses.
Teaching How to
Give Constructive Criticism
I like the following
idea because it's gives student a simple, practical guidelines for
giving feedback to a piece of writing. Once this is introduced, it is
practiced many times throughout the year. I usually begin by
practicing it on a piece of my own writing. The form is as simple as
this.
PROCEDURE:
1. Students begin by
listing things they like about the piece of writing. There goal is
find three things they like about the piece, and each statement should
begin with I like . . . I also encourage students to give specific
examples of things they liked about the piece of writing. I don't want
them to just say, "I like your word choice." I want them to give
specific examples of outstanding word choice.
2. Next, students make
a list of five questions they have about the piece. The questions
should help draw out more details/information in the piece, or they
should be used to clarify any confusing points.
3. Finally, students
will make a list of three "I wish . . ." statements. (For example, I
wish you would give us an example of Rodney's craziness.)
CLOSURE:
It's a very
simple process, but I feel, it's important to continually review,
practice, and reinforce the technique. I entourage them to use this
whenever they respond to a piece of writing. It works well with the
Peer Evaluation form. Once again I encourage you to purchase Barry
Lane's book After the End.
Once the 1999 school
year begins, I will share my experiences sharing my writing with
students. It will be interesting to hear their feedback.
(Taken from http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/8405/revisionminilessons.html)
Revising is not the same as editing. When
you edit, you mainly check for errors in conventions. When you revise, you
check how you have presented your ideas. You make changes, deletions, and
additions. When it is time to revise a piece of writing, follow these
guidelines to ensure you carefully look at each trait.
 | IDEAS AND CONTENT
 | The paper has a clear purpose or
makes a point. |
| Each paragraph relates to the
paper's main idea. |
| Each paragraph contains clear,
relevant details and examples in every that develop and support the
main idea. |
| The writer sticks to the main idea
and leaves out details that do not matter. |
| The paper contains enough
information to cover the subject. |
| The title, if there is one, relates
to the main idea of the paper and "hooks" the reader.
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| ORGANIZATION
| The lead grabs the reader's
attention, making the reader want to read more. It also gives a sense
of the main idea. |
| The organizational pattern makes
sense. It is easy for the reader to follow along.
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| There are no gaps where something
seems to be missing. |
| Each paragraph talks about only one
idea. |
| The ideas are linked together with
smooth transitions. |
| The conclusion ties everything
together with a final point or summary. |
| The reader isn't left "hanging."
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| VOICE
| The paper sounds different from
everyone else's. It's unique. |
| The paper sounds like the writer.
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| The writing shows how the writer
feels and thinks about the topic. |
| The paper has personality.
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| The paper is convincing, not "fake."
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| The paper is fun to read.
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| The paper is lively, or exciting in
some way. |
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| WORD CHOICE
| The words paint a picture in the
reader's mind. |
| There aren't any words that are
repeated too often. |
| The language is natural, not
overdone. |
| The writer used strong action verbs
to add drama to the paper. |
| The writer has used specific nouns
to identify people, places, and objects. |
| The writer has used descriptive
adjectives to help create a mental picture for the reader.
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| The writer has used similes or
metaphors to explain anything unusual to the reader.
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| The writer has avoided vague, boring,
overused words, slang, and clichés. He/She has tried something new.
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| SENTENCE FLUENCY
| Each sentence is a complete thought
that makes sense. No words have been left out. |
| Any fragments used are intentional
and add to the message of the paper. |
| Not all sentences are the same
length. |
| Not all sentences have the same
structure. |
| Not all sentences begin the same way.
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| The paper is smooth and easy to read.
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| WRITING CONVENTIONS
| The paper isn't one or two huge
paragraphs. Each new idea has its own paragraph, which is indented.
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| Similar ideas are in the same
paragraph so there aren't too many paragraphs. |
| There are no spelling errors.
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| Capitalization is used correctly.
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| Sentences are punctuated correctly.
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| There are no grammatical errors. The
reader doesn't have to stop reading to mentally correct mistakes in
the paper. |
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