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 Developing Written Communication Skills
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Notes by Jason Caldwell |
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Why Encourage Students to practice and develop their ability to communicate in written form?
There are many reasons why it is important for students from a young age to practice writing in a variety of genre forms:
- to entertain to foster artistic expression
- to explore the functions and values of writing to stimulate imagination
- to clarify thinking to develop higher order thinking skills
- to read and write effectively.
The Importance of Meaning Within Communication
Within our modern society the ability to communicate effectively using a wide range of genre is vital and obviously practice is required to develop essential skills. With this in mind, it is hard to understand why scholastic written English programme time is so often heavily weighted towards “syntax” (learning spelling, phonetics, grammar and jargon names for the parts of speech), instead of focusing on “semantics” (meaning and expression).
To me this is like a young person learning to drive without ever starting the engine. With a driving instructor who insists they memorise all the parts of the motor and how it works, before issuing a license to drive.
If this were the case in real life, many going for their license would give up in frustration or shear boredom, reaching the conclusion that they are “just no good at driving!”
Finally those who received their license, having never practiced, would still not be able to drive effectively. Potentially one of life’s most exciting and liberating experiences would become a negative and deflating non-event. |
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Learning the intricacies of how a car works, the “syntax,” cannot compare with the joy of driving, “communicating meaning”. This analogy is even stronger when we consider how “syntax,” rules and conventions of English are acquired through hearing and practicing speech. When children are involved in both sending and receiving meaning, they quickly develop the essential communication skills.
Personally I never really realised what the car (written communication) was for and its significance until years after leaving school. I remember teachers who focused on a student with untidy handwriting and poor spelling, never validating a writer with a message to share. I was on the downward spiral of underachievement, not having a go because of a feeling of inadequacy with the “syntax” of writing.
An effective educator must remember the reasons for writing, “the communication of meaning.” Each individual has a different way of perceiving the world, unique perspectives and expressions and this gives validity to what each individual has to write. While teaching I have found students, who experience success through being validated as writers with a message, will want to spend more time practicing writing. It follows then, a strong correlation between the time spent on any activity and the skill level attained.
Students like and become good at video games because they get to drive, not because they sit around learning all the rules and conventions of each game.
One can best understand how something is constructed by attempting to put it together yourself. Practical Keys and Strategies
Validate the Writer
Always validate the writer as an author, an individual with a story to tell. When a student shares their writing with you, be positive. Have them read it to you and talk about the good points, never focus in on spelling or grammar without having first discussed the message and positive points.
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Understanding Development
If a student is still in the early writing stages encourage them to have a go at writing their message below their drawing, using their inventive letters and symbols. When they have finished they can tell you the message their symbols represent. Then ask if they want you to write their message in “big people’s” writing below their script.
I find young students who enjoy the writing experience always want to have the “big people’s writing” below their own. This gives the opportunity for you to model formal writing for them. Later you may suggest they have a go at copying over your letters and then later below your letters. This co-operative approach validates the young writer and is a different approach to the adult writing their own message and the student tracing over it.
I have listed below a brief outline of each essential “Developmental Writing Stage”
Drawing
Children draw and “read their pictures.”
Scribbling
Young children scribble and believe they are writing and often can “read” what they have just scribbled.
Invented Letters
Children using symbols constructed from simple shapes.
Random Letters
As children become more familiar with letters from the alphabet they begin to string letters together to write their message.
Invented Spelling
Children work out their own way to spell words using conventional alpha letters. Initially they may have just one letter to represent a word, later a beginning and ending sound.
Common Spelling
Children start to use conventional spelling for common sight words.
When thinking about each of these important stages it seems a miracle anyone learns to write. All along the way a young child can be easily “crushed” by an adult who does not understand the importance and time required to pass through each stage. Often an adult may expect too much from a child, trying to force them into the boxes of adult conventions.
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Real Life Experiences
When trying to develop a student’s descriptive writing ability have them write from their own real life experiences. For a student to practice their descriptive writing skills they need to be writing from experiences that they have actually had. How can a student who has never even been to the circus or touched an elephant, write a make believe story about running away with the circus. Young writers have not had the life experiences to draw upon to write convincing fiction stories. Usually all you end up with is a list of unbelievable events, “I went... then… and after that…” with little or no description. A student will experience greater success when writing about things they are familiar with and their ideas will flow more easily. I encourage a student to try and make the reader of their story feel like they are actually there.
This is where the “whole language” experience is very powerful. Within the whole language writing process students share an interesting experience like touching and feeling jelly or sandpaper with their hands while blindfolded, or abseiling…
Then they describe the experience in writing focusing on the situation. I often find students who have previously struggled to write or use description, love writing when they have a focus and an interesting experience to share.
Getting Down Your Ideas
- One of the greatest challenges is to motivate students to get their ideas down on the page and make a start. A common statement when students are not adequately motivated or directed is, “I can’t think what to write…”
- A student will have many exciting ideas buzzing around in their head but simply lack the ability to get them down on the page. This is a form of “Writers Block.”
Several strategies I like to use to avoid the “lockup” are:
Model with passion writing in the genre form you require them to practice. Obviously if the teacher is passionate and models enjoyment, then the student will usually follow their example. Modeling is also an effective “apprenticeship” teaching strategy. ·
Look at and share other examples of the genre they are learning about.
To make a Semantic Web of ideas, listing:
- Events
- People Involved
- Feelings
- Sights
- Sounds
- Smells
- Tastes
Have a student tell his/her story orally using a tape deck or dictaphone to record and then writing their ideas while playing the tape
utilizing the stop and rewind features. |
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The “Writing Blast” |
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An activity I have used for years with great success is called a “Writing Blast.” Within this activity students have to write on a lined page as much as they can within five minutes. The challenge comes in that they are not allowed to stop writing! If they cannot think what to write on the topic, they are to write whatever they are thinking.
For example: “I can’t think of what comes next, my hand is getting tired, why can’t I stop, no I’ve got to beat my record. That’s right I am describing things around the room…”
Students are not to stop for spelling –they simply spell the word how it sounds to them and handwriting does not have to be neat but does have to be readable.
The teacher is timing the students and calls out when they have only two minutes and then one minute to go and finally “stop” at the end. This creates pressure and gives pace to the activity. In the end the student counts up the number of lines and dates their work at the end. If they beat their record they get a reward. I like to do this activity twice a week as I find it is so powerful in getting their thinking and hands coordinated.
I start with topics that are loosely defined and open like:·
- describing things around the room,
- write about your favourite activities,
- what you did on the weekend.
But as they get better at the activity I use more focused topics:·
- write and describe what is special about a family member,
- write an argument about why students should or should not have to do school work,
- write a story about an exciting event in your life that has happened recently, use good description and focus on the event, not getting there and going home.
This activity really gets students writing and on many occasions I have been guilty of forgetting the time and stopping the students after 10 to 15 minutes of dead silent work saying, “sorry we have gone over time, but I can see that many of you are getting down great ideas…” and still they are wanting to carry on.
This activity scares many teachers who worry about spelling and the neat handwriting, but we need to consider these points:
- A true writer will not worry about spelling while they are in the middle of a flow of ideas, instead spelling is corrected when they proof read their work at the end.
- Neatness of writing does not sell books; in fact very few people still compose their work using pen and paper. Instead they work on a word processor so that editing is quick and even whole paragraphs can be dragged around the page. This activity forces students to realise just how quickly they can get their ideas down in written form and how powerful their brain is.
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The more students write the better they get! I have found students who at year 5 struggled painfully to write six lines in two hours could write two full pages in 15 minutes after just seven months of this activity.
For those year five students who started with average ability many find they are able to write quality stories around two pages in length in under 10 minutes. The strange thing is that the stories are often better sequenced than stories that took them an hour to write. I believe this is because the brain is more engaged in the task and focused on getting the ideas down.
Descriptive Tools of Poetry
Teach students from a young age (what I call) the descriptive tools of poetry. These descriptive devices are what make any story or recount interesting and help the writer to “paint the scene” and the reader to be transported there.
I find students enjoy learning and using these tools, verbally within their preschool years and with encouragement
students will naturally transfer verbal skills into their writing.
I introduce these tools orally and give examples, then students have a go at sharing their own made up examples verbally.
Then I have them record my example and two or three of their own examples with a definition of the tool within their English book.
Finally they choose one of their own examples and publish it on an A4 with graphics to compliment the message.
Below is a list of the common tools I like to introduce one at a time:
Personification I like to start with personification, as it is an easy tool for students to see and grasp. I describe personification to students as, “Talking about a nonliving thing as if it were alive”.
For example: “I have a pointy eye with a single small eye ball.
Hands hold my long body and roll my eye across paper.
Everywhere my eye touches the page my dark tears are left behind” .
Students love writing a description about an object as if it was alive and as if they were that object. At the end they ask, “What am I?”
Alliteration Using words that start with the same sound to increase pace, give rhythm or place emphasis on feeling that some letter sounds convey. I talk about words starting with “t” sound having a hard feel compared with words beginning with “s” which have a soft sound. Look for poetic examples in picture or poem books. For example:
“Soft silvery sheen of the silver moon”
Here the alliteration used gives emphasis to the soft sound, which fits with the way the author wants us to feel about the moon.
This second example was written by one of my students and is simply good fun, “Lucy loves licking lolly pops.”
Onomatopoeia
O nomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it represents.
For Example: "buzz," "crash," "whirr," "clang" "hiss," "purr," "squeak," "mumble," "hush," "boom."
It is important that students learn to use sound words within their stories to add descriptive qualities.
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Simile
When you say something is “like” or “as” another thing, drawing parallels between similar qualities
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For example: “She was like a tall lamp brightening my day.”
Metaphor
When you say something “is” or “was” another object that has the same qualities. I talk about a metaphor being like a simile except that it is much stronger.
For example: “He was a lion in battle.”
Symbolic Image
A grouping of words that together convey an emotive or symbolic meaning. These words on their own may have no effect but together may stir the emotions.
For example: “Cats eye in fog”, “House of cards”, “Twisted mind”, “Heart of Gold”
Drawing Parallels, Using Analogies and Satire
I usually cover this tool with older students looking at examples from literature. I only set activities for students to have a go at using these tools as extension, after they have a good understanding of the above tools.
Variety of Genre
It is important to create and encourage learning situations where students write:
- for a particular purpose,
- for a known audience,
- and in an appropriate form.
This approach is part of “Genre theory” and highlights the importance of using a
form or genre that best communicates the information required by an audience for a set purpose. Using a variety of genres adds variety and interest into the writing program.
Below is a list of general genres:
labels, lists, menus, procedures, manuals, observations, interviews, plays, script, recounts, narrative/stories, reports, letters, explanations, arguments, poems, slogans, signs and charts.
I find students really enjoy using a variety of genres within a particular context for a purpose that is linked to their meaningful reality. Writing a step-by-step manual on how to do a task that they are interested in and know how to do, is a great activity. Using a variety of genre forms helps students plan, inform, explain, entertain and express attitudes or emotions…
The Writing Process
I have listed below the basic steps that I would use in introducing a new genre:
Look at and explore models of specific genre.
Work collaboratively to write an example of the genre modeling for the student.
Student planning within structural guidelines, for a narrative or recount using a semantic web to list the things they need to include - sights, sound, emotions/feelings, colours…
Writing a first draft, focusing on getting their ideas down, making reference to their web.
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Proof reading (I have included a list of things they need to check for when proof reading).
Conferencing their work with you for positive reflection and checking, developing the concept of an editor.
Reworking and developing ideas, adding in additional description where needed.
- Proof reading
- Publishing and Sharing
- Publication
Students need the opportunity to publish their work for several different reasons:
- Completing a piece of work through to publication gives validation to the writer and the activity.
- Publishing written work provides a satisfying conclusion to a unit of writing. Having a finished version of the student's work can often be a source of pride to the student.
- A published piece of work can be shared with others, which is a primary function of communication. Publication also provides motivation for a student to do the extra work to rework ideas and proof read carefully. If the writing is never to be finished or shared it is difficult for some students to gain a sense of purpose.
- Students also have the opportunity to present their work in an attractive fashion using graphics to enhance the message of the writing.
Ways Students Can Publish Their Work
Students love to see their writing in type and love to word process their work. This is not surprising as computers have a motivational effect on students and it is good to see your writing in type “like a real author”. There are very few professions in the world that except hand written reports, charts, presentations. For many students the computer is “the great equalizer”, especially if they do not have the neatest writing. Suddenly no one hassles them about their handwriting neatness as their work is typed and just as neat as a professional author.
 Proof Reading Steps (Chart for a student’s wall. By Jason Caldwell)
1. Read through what you have written and make sure it makes sense and that you have things in the correct order.
2. Remember:
- A SENTENCE begins with a capital letter and usually ends with a full stop.
- A SENTENCE is a group of words about one idea and should not be longer than three lines or 20 words.
- A PARAGRAPH is a group of sentences about the same subject or event.
- PARAGRAPHS have a line space between them.
3. Use punctuation correctly:
- A COMMA, is used in a sentence as a pause.
- An APOSTROPHY ‘is used in shortened words for example when the phrase do not is shortened to Don’t. Or to show something belongs to someone. For example -it is John’s bike.
- A QUESTION MARK ? is used at the end of a sentence that is asking a question.
- Use SPEECH MARKS “hello” to show what somebody is saying. For example: Ben said, “Hello girls”. Also start a new line when a new person starts to speak.
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