SEYRAN ERDOGAN Sabanci University, Istanbul/Turkey

Outline Background Writing in SL Reasons for writing own booklet Our booklets Reaction Lessons from our experience

THE CONTEXT Sabanci University School of Languages Pre-sessional Students with similar backgrounds re writing Preparing students for freshman year and beyond Lasting 4 months to 1 year of English & skills

Writing in SL No more focus on 5-paragraph essays Emphasis on the paragraph Content comes from selected readings Synthesis of information from sources

Why write own materials?

What is in the writing books on the market? The sentence structure The paragraph (parts of it) The 5-paragraph essay / outlining Different task types (definition, classification, cause- effect, comparison&contast, etc.) The thesis statement The topic sentence Transitional expressions

Reasons for own materials Needs are different. Content is important.

“Publishing houses throughout the English-speaking world respond [to the demand for teaching materials] by producing mass-market coursebooks, designed to appeal to as many teaching and learning situations as possible, thus maximising their sales potential.” (Bolihto, 2003)

“The subject content is often generic and bland and not focused on any particular group of learners or their specific needs. The likely end-result of such a writing project is an anodyne, one-size-fits-all product.” (Bell and Gower, 1998)

Our booklets… were born out of a need felt by the writers and voiced by teachers. were written by teachers teaching writing in the school. are based on the syllabus objectives and unit content. include organization and language work in each unit. provide samples. provide free practice tasks.

A sample unit

An in-house writing booklet is written with a specific groups of learners in mind and aims to serve their specific needs. is written by teachers teaching those learners (know unique problems) is cheaper than a commercial book. keeps all writing in one place. makes it easy to refer back to something done earlier. makes it easier to see almost all the writing practice students have received. can be integrated with other course material. includes only the parts relevant to your needs & objectives. continues on from the coursebook, so eliminates obligation to familiarize with a stand-alone source. allows regular cost-free revision.

Feedback from teachers It is good to have something to use to teach writing. Commercial coursebooks do not give adequate and appropriate academic writing practice. WB covers objectives not covered by the coursebook / ensure all of your objectives. are covered in a systematic and consistent way. uses the coursebook material as a basis for writing, which is an advantage. includes language focus, examples and practice. is more relevant than commercial books. ensures standardization of input. saves a lot of people a lot of time. ensures that writing is done. provides guidance to those who do not feel confident teaching writing. helps recycle the content in the course book. is taken more seriously by students. There is not much time for it. The course is packed. WB is not in the calendar. WB is separate from the Learning Portfolio (LP).

Feedback from students It is very useful, especially if it is used regularly. We need to have one support booklet which will first teach writing and then help students to write. It is a problem when teachers use different materials. It is good that we have a whole booklet. A writing booklet is necessary especially in lower levels. If it is a booklet, you feel that you have to do it. Writing in WB should be assessed. Then it will be taken more seriously. It will be better if combined with the Learning Portfolio.

Lessons from our experience Schedule it in your timetable. Prioritize. Integrate all writing. Negotiate its status. Provide choice. Add a teacher’s guide. Give it a respectable & attractive appearance.