English Language

Write to be understood

Speak to be heard

Read to grow

Lawrence Clark Powell

Outline• Objectives of Workshop

• Hands-on Session: Strategies to Develop Composition

Writing Skills

Objectives of Workshop• To partner parents in supporting their

children’s learning

• To share with parents some strategies to enhance their children’s learning of language skills

Presenters & Facilitators

• Mr Nelson Ong – LH EL

• Ms Sabrina Koh – LH EL

• Mdm Zubaidah – Teacher

• Mrs Wang-Lim Ai Lian – Teacher

• Ms Tan Su Hui – Teacher

• Mdm Yue Chook Eng – ST EL

Strategies to Develop

Composition Writing Skills

Whole-School Approach to Teaching Writing

• Lesson packages for each composition topic

• Story maps

• Writing strategies

• List of good vocabulary words and phrases

• Classroom discussions

• Spelling & Dictation tests (Value-add to composition writing)

Story Curve

Introduction

“Probably the best way to start any story, long or short, is to

show a character with a problem doing something

interesting. The more quickly you can make what is

happening clear, the more likely you’ll be able to draw your

reader into your story.”

Composition 1

Magnolia white cloudsdotted the azure blue sky.The soft, dappled light ofthe morning sun filteredthrough the leaves of themajestic, towering trees asthe sweet fragrance from amyriad of flowers perfumedthe air.

Composition 2

I went to work early on aquiet Wednesday morning.It was so quiet that I beganto feel uneasy. As I walkedup the stairs from thebasement car park to myoffice, I saw a dark shadowlurking in the corner. Myheart pounded.

Which of the two compositions do you want to continue reading?

Read these introductions

Do not ask your children to memorise phrases with bombastic words that sound unnatural.

Teach them to write sentences that can drawreaders into their stories.

A good introduction starts with …ACTION

DIALOGUE

DESCRIPTION

QUESTION

SOUNDS

FLASHBACK

DIALOGUE• should reveal something about the character OR

move the plot forward

DESCRIPTION• used to highlight and draw the reader’s attention to

parts (setting, characters) that are critical in a story

Main Events & Problems• Make up the important segments in the story

Build up your story leading tothe main event(s) and problem(s)

• What?• Why?• Who?• When?• Where?• How?

Describe and elaborate your main event(s) and problem(s)

• What? • Why?• Who?• When?• Where?• How?

Every interesting story has a problem to be resolved. You need to be able to create the problem and resolve it, leading on to a lesson to be learned.

Show not Tell Strategy

We create a picture or movie in the reader’s mind by showing instead of telling them what had happened.

We can do this using action or description.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFk_vfgi_p8

Show not Tell using ACTION• works well when you wish to demonstrate a

quality that a character has

For example, is he kind? Have your character do something kind and the readers will draw their own conclusions.

Tell: Evan is a kind boy.Show: Evan picked up the injured bird gently and wiped the blood off its wings. He decided to bring the bird home and nurse it back to health. He walked slowly and carefully, afraid that too much movement would hurt the bird.

Activity Time!Change these tell sentences to show sentences

Tell: Kathy is a polite girl.

Show: Kathy bowed her head and greeted the teacher. She smiled at them sweetly and wished them a good day.

Tell: Mason is a talkative boy.

Show: Mason turned his head to face his friends. He chatted with them non-stop even though the teacher was teaching. The teacher scolded Mason and he tried to pay attention. After five minutes, he turned around again.

Activity Time!Change these tell sentences to show sentences

Tell: Lorraine is a helpful person.

Show: Lorraine is always there when anyone needs a listening ear. She is the first to help when someone is injured.

Tell: Paul is angry.

Show: Paul clenched his fists and stomped into the room. He shouted loudly at the top of his lungs, “Did you draw on my new book?”

Show not Tell using DESCRIPTIONTell: The bird was injured.

Show: The bird lay still on the floor, whimpering softly. There was blood on one of its wings.

Tell: The room was in a mess.

Show: Crumbs of potato chips were scattered all over the floor. The bed was unmade and there were oily patches on the pillows.

Activity Time!Change these tell sentences to show sentences

Tell: The building was old.

Show: The white walls of the building had yellow patches on them. The doors were creaky and there were cracks on the floor.

Tell: The garden was beautiful.

Show: A huge pavilion stood in the centre of the garden. There were red roses, purple tulips, yellow daisies and blue orchids. The colours of the flowers gave the garden a breath-taking view.

An effective ending has …

So that was how Mabelyn was reunited with her sister. She could still recall the long hours of waiting for news of Evelyn. She had felt helpless and lost. Now that she had found her sister, she did not ever want to lose her again.She would love and cherish her sister more than ever.

Language Component• It is important to use good vocabulary words and

phrases in your writing

• Replace common words with words that are more impactful

• Showcase your command of vocabulary knowledge

• These comes with constant reading

sad crestfallen

sad tears of sorrow trickled down my reddened cheeks

happy ecstatic / exuberant

happy beamed in delight

Reading – Writing – Speaking - Listening

“The four important skills in English Language (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening)

are coherently linked. In order to improve one’s mastery of the language, all four skills go

hand in hand.”

(Rosenfeld, Leung & Oltman, 2011)

Home Support• Introduce visual and written prompts that inspire

your children to create story ideas

• Encourage them to think and plan their story before writing

• Use writing frames and charts to help them organise their thoughts

• Practise the Show not Tell strategy with them

• Guide them in writing good introductions and effective endings

Home Support• Expose them to different topics

(both positive & negative themes)

• List down of a group of vocabulary words or phrases for different topics to be used

• Get them to read model compositions (across different themes), newspapers, story books, and to apply the words or phrases learnt

“The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an

understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.”

J. K. Rowling