1. Tutorial on English for Studying
Unit Five: Telling what happened
Unit Six: Presenting your ideas
Tutor: Cao Wen
From: BeiwaiOnline HQ

2. Tutorial Outline 1 2 3 Unit Five Unit Six Skill building
Constructing ideas(content)
Forming sentences(language)
Narrations:
Observe rules
Study cases
Present ideas:
Observe rules
Study cases

3. Tutorial Outline 1 2 3 Unit Five Unit Six Skill building
Constructing ideas(content)
Forming sentences(language)
Narrations:
Observe rules
Study cases
Present ideas:
Observe rules
Study cases

4. Writing Narrations: Observe rules
Activity One
Writing Narrations: Observe rules

5. Five aspects of a narration
Work in groups. Review Activities 1, 3 and 4 and identify the five aspects to be considered in writing a narration. 1.
Context 2.
Details 3.
Organization 4.
Description 5.
Point of view

6. 1. Context (A3-T1)
What is the time, the place, the persons and the event in general?
Read Work Sheet 1 and identify the language features of the beginning and the ending of a narration.
Beginning formula + + +
Time
Persons
Place
Event(v.) +
Suspense
Ending formula +
It was … / How …
Adjectives

7. 2. Organization (A1,A3-T4)
Is the story presented in a logical, chronological order?
Review Activity One and answer the following questions:
What are the two types of sequence one can follow to present a story? (A1-T1,2)
Natural time sequence (easy understanding) and unexpected time sequence (highlight)
2. What can be used as time markers in a story to indicate the sequence of an event? (A1-T3,4,5)
Time expressions and verb tenses

8. 3. Details (A3-T2,3) 4. Description (A3-T5,6) 5. Point of view (A4)
Is the selected information relevant?
4. Description (A3-T5,6)
Is the word selection and sentence construction precise and concise?
5. Point of view (A4)
Is the story written from a coherent view point?

9. Writing Narrations: Study “cases”
Activity Two
Writing Narrations: Study “cases”

10. Action Time
Work in groups. Read the story in Work Sheet 2 and make comment by answering the following questions:
Is the information of the time, the place, the persons and the event in general presented clearly at the beginning?
Does the beginning leave some suspense for its readers?
What time indication techniques does the writer use? Can you find some examples?
Is all the selected information relevant?
What words or sentences are good examples for a vivid description?
Is there a closing that wraps up the story?

11. Tutorial Outline 1 2 3 Unit Five Unit Six Skill building
Constructing ideas(content)
Forming sentences(language)
Narrations:
Observe rules
Study cases
Present ideas:
Observe rules
Study cases

12. Presenting ideas: Observe rules
Activity One
Presenting ideas: Observe rules

13. Five techniques of logical development
Work in groups. Review Warm-up and identify the five techniques of logical development in expository writing. 1.
Classification 2.
Definition 3.
Examples 4.
Comparison & contrast 5.
Cause & effect

14. 1. Present ideas by classification (A1)
Logical division
Criteria to justify the division(A1-T2, P249), flowchart(A1-T4, P252) or diagram(A1-T6, P256) to present the division
Topic sentence
… once said that there is not one New York, but three(A1-T1, P247); If we employ these criteria to examine the legal systems of the world, we can find them falling into three families (A1-T3, P250)
Transitions
… First, … Next, … Finally, … (A1-T1, P247)

15. 2. Present ideas by definition (A2)
Classifying
(A2-T1, P259)
Rules for defining
(A2-T2, P262)
Distinctive features
(A2-T1, P259)

16. 3. Present ideas by examples (A3)
Approaches
Deductive (generalization followed by specific facts and examples; Inductive (specific facts or examples that lead to a generalization) (A3-T1, P272)
Selection & arrangement
(A3-T1, P272)
Transitional devices
(A3-T2,3,4, P273~276)

17. 4. Present ideas by comparison and contrast (A4)
Organization structure
Half-and-half (A4-T1, P278); Interwoven (A4-T2, P280)
Transitions
(A4-T3, P283)
Figurative language
(A4-T4, P284)

18. 5. Present ideas by cause & effect (A5)
Sentence structures
(A5-T1,2,3, P286)
Selection and arrangement
Immediate and remote causes and effects; from immediate to remote or from remote to immediate (A5-T4, P291)
Evidence
Quotations from authoritative texts, statistics, or testimony of reliable experts in a field of study ( A5-T4, P291)
Fallacies of reasoning
(A5-T4, P293)

19. Presenting ideas: Study “cases”
Activity Two
Presenting ideas: Study “cases”

20. Action Time
Work in groups. Read two expositions in Work Sheet 3 and make comment by answering the following questions:
What technique(s) does the writer use to present their ideas?
Which passage is more logically and convincingly written as far as the organization is concerned? What makes it different?

21. Tutorial Outline 1 2 3 Unit Five Unit Six Skill building
Constructing ideas(content)
Forming sentences(language)
Narrations:
Observe rules
Study cases
Present ideas:
Observe rules
Study cases

22. Generating ideas and Getting organized
Activity One
Generating ideas and Getting organized

23. From scratches to outlines
Approaching a topic
This is the topic I should write about. 
These are the things I may want to include in my writing.
Generating ideas 
I narrow down and focus my writing by selecting and arranging the information.
Organizing ideas 
Producing an outline
I will present my argument using these ideas in this order. 

24. Ideas that count
Read the following remarks about writing and decide what point(s) they are making. To what extend do you agree with them?
The best way to improve the quality of your writing is to improve the process by which you create it. (Coe: 7)
There is no formula for instant inspiration, but there are ways to encourage it. (Coe: 37)
... though bad wording may obscure good thinking and clever wording may fool some readers sometimes, thinking well is one key to writing well. (Coe: 371)
Coe RM (1990) Process, Form, Substance New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc

25. Techniques for generating ideas
Self-reflection:
Work in groups of four. Tell each other methods you have used to generate ideas on an assigned topic for writing. Make sure you explain the process instead of giving a single phrase or sentence to describe those methods. Don’t forget to tell which method works well. In the end, the group should decide a list of methods they would like to recommend to the whole class.

26. Techniques for generating ideas
Recommendation:
1)   Talk-then-Write
2)   Freewriting
3)   Brainstorming
4)   Meditation
5)   Keeping a journal
6)   Reading
7)   Research
Now please do the task in Work Sheet 4.

27. Differences from on-campus system Possible difficulties
An example
Four learning modes
Regulations
Syllabus and Courses
Assessment
Learner support
BeiwaiOnline learning system …
Differences from on-campus system
Possible difficulties
Educational goals
Course resources
Study skills
E-platform

28. Organization that determines
Read the following remarks about writing and decide what point(s) they are making. To what extend do you agree with them?
.. having something significant to say is not enough. The word composition comes from the Latin verb componere, meaning ‘to put together.’ .. Much of the meaningfulness of a piece of writing comes from the way information is organised. Information is not really information until it has been focused and put in formation. (Coe:13)
Writing without abstraction can seem irrelevant to the academic reader, but writing that stays too long at the highest levels of information can be hard to read, even unconvincing. (Giltrow: 203)
Giltrow J (1995) Academic Writing Ontario: Broadview Press

29. Rule 1: Narrow and focus
Choosing a broad topic to write about can be dangerous – for both a 4,000-word dissertation and a 300-word composition – because you are quite likely to end up with covering everything yet covering nothing. “Good writing is always, in one sense or another, focused writing.” (Coe:103) After you have decided your topic, the next thing you need to do is to narrow and focus.

30. An example Rough outline for “BeiwaiOnline learning system”
A system survey
Focus 1
The topic sentence: BeiwaiOnline learning system is supported by three sub-systems.
Course system
Modular system
Four learning modes
Course recourses
Learning support system
Support from the HQ
Support from the TC
3. Assessment system
Assignments
Progress report
Final exams
Tutorial attendance

31. An example (continued)
Rough outline for “BeiwaiOnline learning system”
Differences from on-campus system
Focus 2
The topic sentence: The learning system of BeiwaiOnline is different from that of on-campus education.
From students to learners
From teachers to tutors
From textbooks to learning resources
From campus to learning support system
From exams to learning process monitoring

32. An example (continued)
Rough outline for “BeiwaiOnline learning system”
How BeiwaiOnline helps English learning
Focus 3
The topic sentence: BeiwaiOnline learning system helps learners defeat their enemies in English learning.
“Enemies” to English learning:
Knowledge-centered
Teacher-dependent
Exam-driven
Weapons to deal with the “enemies”
Learning by doing
Autonomous learning style
Learning process monitoring

33. Rule 2: Generalization & particulars
One of the most important characteristics of a unified piece of writing is the proper relationship between generalities and particulars – or, to put it more precisely, the proper relationships among various levels of generality. Generalizations should be inferred from particulars. Opinions should be supported by facts.

34. An example
Read the sentences below and identify the levels of generalization by labeling the first level (general) 1, the second level 2 and the third level (particular) 3.
Learners can have a choice of study modes.
There are seven types of course resources available.
The course system of BeiwaiOnline offers its learners much flexibility and openness.
The system offers four entrance points for learners with different levels of English proficiency.
Those who have convenient access to the Internet can choose the online mode.
The tutorial resources can help the learners, who miss their tutorials for one reason or another, do self-tutoring online.
Learners learn the courses by modules.

35. Action Time
Work in groups of four. Go through the procedure from generating ideas to organizing ideas to producing an outline on a passage entitled “Online learning …”.
Generating ideas
Organizing ideas
Producing an outline
Brainstorming
Narrow & focus
General & particulars

36. Constructing effective sentences
Activity Two
Constructing effective sentences

37. What are effective sentences?
Compare the following sentences:
The house is at the end of the street, and it was designed by Peter.
The house at the end of the street was designed by Peter.
The guards were fully armed, and they expected trouble.
Expecting trouble, the guards were fully armed.
There have been many great discoveries made by scientists in the 20th century.
Scientists in the 20th century have made many great discoveries .

38. Subordinated sentences Clarity and preciseness
Effective sentences
Subordinated sentences
Clarity and preciseness
Forceful writing
Introduction
Participles and participial phrases
Periodic sentences
Dangling elements
Combining sentences with a focus
Parallelism
Correct pronoun reference
Variety in sentence structure
Forceful writing
Wordiness
Expletives
Work Sheet 5
Work Sheet 6
Work Sheet 7

39. What have we accomplished?
Examined the five aspects of narration writing + reviewed a narration.
Examined the basics for five techniques of presenting ideas + reviewed two expositions.
Examined ways for constructing the ideas of an assigned topic + produced a rough outline for “Online learning …”
Examined ways for constructing effective sentences + tasks.

40. Assignments
Write a passage of 300~400 words on “Online learning …”, following this procedure:
Complete the tasks in the Work Sheets.
Review Unit Six with the help of the powerpoint slides.
Complete the tasks in Unit Seven.
Generate ideas for “Online learning …”.
Organize the ideas and produce an outline. Remember to narrow and focus.

41. Assignments 7. Self-assess the first draft by reviewing:
6. Write the first draft.
7. Self-assess the first draft by reviewing:
its organization (beginning, ending, the topic statement, information relevance, information arrangement, transitions, logic, etc.)
its construction of sentences (the use of subordination, clarity and preciseness, forceful writing)
Revise the first draft.
Peer-assess the second draft (ask your classmates or friends to assess)
Revise the second draft and submit the third version.

42. Thank you!
Questions are welcome!