MOTIVATING WRITING TASKS Ekaterine Gogelia Summer Institute 2013.

MOTIVATING WRITING TASKS

Ekaterine GogeliaSummer Institute 2013

Set achievable goals

(Depending on the age group)

Explain success

Reduce competition

Be enthusiastic

De-emphasize Grades

Emphasize mastery and learning rather than grades

Design tests that encourage the kind of learning you seek students to achieve

Avoid using grades as threats

Give students feedback as quickly as possible

Introduce students to the good work done by peers.(allow students to share their pieces)

Be very specific when giving negative feedback and avoid demeaning comments

Give clear and thorough instructions

Give students time for free writing

Teach students to focus their energies on writing their story without worrying about perfect form.

Have them choose their favorite story genre and then create their own version

Create writing topics that connect to their experiences

Try to give your students challenging and achievable assignments to complete

Encourage (Motivate) your students to participate in class

Allow your students to assist in creating a class ‘Helper board’ consisting of a list of daily, weekly or monthly tasks on it

List several prompts on the board that are attractive to both boys and girls

Give them time

Here are some suggested free-writing topicsWrite a letter to someone you love. Tell them how you feel. No one but the teacher will read it

Solve a friend’s problem for them by writing it down

Discuss one place you love to be and one place you hate to be.(or one place in the World you want to travel to?)

Write about one thing that you can do to help another person in the 24 hours

Interview your favorite movie star

Have students work together (group work)

Monitor the students’ homework and school activities. This should be beyond asking if they have finished their homework

Develop visual aids (important!)

Use technology whenever possible

Check for understanding

Realize and understand that each student may learn differently

Capitalize on their interests and abilities when introducing new topics

Lesson plan.’Wordcloud’Level: Intermediate

Aim/goal: writing a short report, editing and improving a piece of writing

Pre-writing stage: Show the headline for some quick guesswork

Show the ‘wordclouds’ and get groups to brainstorm ideas for an article using ALL the words

Groups write 1st draft of article in groups

Groups read out or post out their articles on the wall of the class for other groups to visit and read and comment on

Individually Ss read news story on handout and compare

Class votes which story closest to original or which story they liked best

Assessment

Groups or pairs do some language focused work on article. They can choose and highlight any words or phrases they liked from original article and notice how they were used; they can be invited to compare with own use of vocabulary and make any comments

Groups write final draft of own article.

Mother’ s day

Anne Frank

American symbols

Martin Luther King

International Volunteer Day

Mother’s DayMother's Day is an important day all around the world, even though it started in North America and Europe. Not all countries celebrate it on the same day, but the most popular day is the second Sunday in May. It is, of course, a day to honour our mothers and make them feel extra special.

Young children get especially excited about Mother’s Day and put a lot of effort into making cards and presents for their Mums, or Moms in America. For mothers, it is like having a second birthday.

Many people are against the idea of Mother’s Day as it is upsetting for children and adults who have lost their mother. Spare a thought for them this Mother’s Day.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a young German girl who gained international fame after her death following the publication of her diary. She wrote about her life, thoughts and experiences. Her account of her two years spent in an attic in Amsterdam became an international best seller. Anne Frank was born in 1929 in Germany. Anne was a very studious and diligent student who had a passion for books. In June 1942, Anne received a notebook for her thirteenth birthday. She decided to use it as a diary and wrote about her dreams. In July, she and her family were ordered to go to a work camp. Instead, they hid in the attic of her father’s workplace. In August 1944, German security police discovered the hideout and arrested its occupants. Anne was sent to the concentration camp. Anne died in 1945 . Her diary was found and given to her father. It is one of the most widely read books in the world today.

American Symbols A symbol is something that stands as a reminder of something else. The United States has many national symbols.

The United States flag is a symbol that is easy for all Americans to recognize. It stands for our country, with one star for each of our 50 states, and 13 stripes to represent each of our original 13 colonies.

The American Bald Eagle is our national bird. It was chosen because it is so independent and free. Choosing such a bird to represent our nation tells everyone that our country values freedom and the courage to be independent.

The Statue of Liberty is another very famous American

symbol. It was a gift to the people of America from the

people of France in 1885. America’s symbols unite people from many different states

and help them feel like Americans instead of just citizens of

their own states. We all pledge allegiance to the same flag

Martin Luther KingMartin Luther King helped black people in the Unites States win equal rights. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia. As a young boy he loved books and was a good speaker. After graduating from college King became a minister like his father. During that time, he learned about Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader and his belief in nonviolent protest. He knew that black people were not treated fairly and wanted to change that. Some people did not like what King and his followers were doing. He was put in jail many times. He was also stabbed .But he never used violence. King was famous for the speeches he gave to persuade people that things must change. He inspired black and white people to fight for the fair treatment of blacks. He knew he might be killed one day. Today people are still inspired be the speeches he gave and by his courage to fight for what he believed in without using violence.

International Volunteer Day Come on everybody. Get up and do something. December the 5th is International Volunteer Day. This highly important day was started by the United Nations in 1985. Its aim is twofold: first, to thank volunteers around the world for giving their time to help others; and second, to encourage other people to do voluntary work. Without volunteers, many people around the world would be worse off. In fact, the whole world would be a darker place. Volunteers help other people and help animals, the countryside, the environment and many more things that are so important to us. The UN urges governments around the world to take measures to heighten awareness of the important contribution of volunteering.