Writing Skills 1.What is your opinion about good academic writing? What do you expect from your students when they complete their assignments in English? 2.What are the most common mistakes your student made in their writing? 3.How do you evaluate and comment on your students’ assignments?

Writing Skills Are your students able to 1. collect information? 2. select information? 3. present information?

Writing Skills Are your students able to 1. generate ideas? 2. select ideas? 3. present ideas?

Writing Skills Do they know or follow the process of academic writing: Stage 1: Prewriting Stage 2: Planning (Outlining) Stage 3: Writing and Revising

Writing Skills Stage 1: Prewriting Step 1: Choosing and narrowing a topic (general – specific – very specific) Step 2: Brainstorming (listing, clustering and free writing)

Writing Skills Stage 2: Planning (Outlining) Step 1: Developing an outline (crossing out items that do not belong or that are not useable) Step 2: Writing the topic sentence (the central focus) Step 3: Outlining (specifying supporting details)

Writing Skills Outline: Topic sentence Supporting point 1 supporting detail Supporting point 2 supporting detail

Writing Skills Stage 3: Writing and Revising Step 1: Writing the first rough draft Step 2: Revising content and organization Step 3: Proofreading the second draft Step 4: Writing the final copy

Writing Skills Common standards for assessment organization unity coherence grammar diction variation

Writing Skills Organization Three major structural parts: 1. the topic sentence – the controlling idea 2. supporting details – reasons, examples, facts, etc. 3. the concluding sentence – important point to remember

Writing Skills Unity - Only one main idea is discussed in a paragraph - Every supporting sentence must directly explain or proof the main idea No “off the topic” remarks!

Writing Skills Coherence (“holding together”) Easy to read and understand because (1) ideas are well connected, and (2) there is logical order in your supporting sentences important: smooth transition no sudden jumps

Writing Skills Diction: choice of words formal English informal English slang formal vs. informal English

Writing Skills get obtain acquire attain secure achieve

Writing Skills many numerous countless a great number of a large quantity of a huge amount of

Writing Skills very big / large huge vast massive colossal gigantic tremendous

Writing Skills buy – purchase start / begin – commence star again – resume need – require / demand help – assist / assistance understand – comprehend

Writing Skills bright – luminous / lustrous bright / clever – intelligent clear – obvious / evident / manifest show – indicate / illustrate think – believe / hold / maintain / argue / assume / presume

Writing Skills I am sorry to say… I regret to inform you… If you need more help… If you require further assistance…

Writing Skills Are you single or married? Your marital status, please. Is this the first time you come to China? Is this your first visit to China?