How could we use them to focus students on writing ?

 1.Running dictation.  Stages:  -Pair SS. Give them their roles.  -Student A quickly goes to the text(s) on the walls, reads and comes back to Student B to dictate. Student B writes what she hears.  -Once Student A has finished they sit together to check what Student B has written.  -Teacher provides key for checking.

1.Ss now have a model text and they can use it to help them write something similar. 2.Ss now have a model text which they can add to. For example, they could now add some more adjectives to improve descriptions. 3.They can use the text to focus on some structures that the teacher wants them to use in their own writing. For example, narrative tenses.

2.Teacher to Student dictation.  Stages:  Ss work alone.  Teacher dictates a text and students write what they hear.  Ss peer check.  Teacher gives the text (on the projector or on a handout) for Ss to check.

 Ss now have a model text (look at the points from ‘Running Dictation’.  Ss focus individually on spelling, handwriting and text organisation.

3. Silent dictation Stages:  The teacher prepares a story that is easy to act out.  The teacher acts out the story in small stages without using any words. She sues signs to tell Ss when to write and when to listen.  Ss work in pairs to watch and then write.  At the end they re-read their text and make corrections.  Then Ss can do a gallery read or swap with another pair.

 Ss can use their own creativity to interpret what they see.  This provided a ‘fun’ element to writing.  All Ss watch the same thing but write their own version- this means it’s easier to understand/react in a gallery read.  Gallery read task could be to read and choose the version you most like. Tell others why.

4.Dictogloss.  Stages:  -Tell SS you will read a text/story/narrative, etc. They should write down only the most important words.  -Read at natural speed. SS write key words. Ask SS to pair check.  -Tell them you will read again. This time they must write down some more words that they hear.  -Read at natural speed. SS write more key words. Ask SS to pair check.  -Tell SS you will read again. Now they need to listen for more words. Repeat the read/pair check about 5 or 6 times depending on the length of the text and the level of the students.  -Now ask SS to work with their partner to reconstruct the whole text.  -Give SS the printed text to compare with their version. Get them to identify the problems (focus could be tenses).

 To focus Ss on sentence structure.  To focus Ss on spelling, punctuation and text organisation.  To encourage a ‘collaborative’ approach to writing.  Also look at the points made from the dictations above.

1. The dictated text could be used as a model for speaking. 2. Dictations also focus Ss on pronunciation. The teacher can prepare texts that focus on specific sounds. 3. Dictations focus Ss on spelling. 4. Teacher could provide a frame and then dictate a text. Ss write what they hear into the frame. This creates a really clear model for their own writing.