Planning, Assessing and Evaluating Writing Activities and Writing Coursework

 

What is "writing"? Why teach writing and when and how? How to evaluate writing? If you have questions, we can help. Keep reading.

Open Study

An Open Study is a student-selected and student-directed piece of writing where s/he applies the Response and Analysis tools and techniques acquired and developed in class to literary and non-literary texts. Students select the texts and areas for discussion, while also producing a piece truly representative of the student's competencies and suitable for summative evaluation. 

Evaluating writing through portfolios

 

Over the course of a year or a programme or a cycle, students amass a significant quantity of written work, some of which shows progress and development, some achievement. These are of course not the same, and a focus on the latter harms the former. Portfolio assessment means the student selects pieces from his/her annual, programme or cycle corpus against defined criteria and the selection as a whole is then assessed, being both representative as will as summative.

Out with the old; effective approaches to teaching reading

Research* shows that "round the class" reading (or round robin reading or reading in turns) is ineffective. So what works? This one-hour session reviews four highly-effective, teacher-friendly communicative approaches to unlocking a text and promoting reading comprehension, both explicit and implicit. The prompt is a G4 text on Volcanoes and activities are targetted at that level, although the model and approaches can be used all levels. For EFL, immersion and bilingual teachers, including teachers of subjects other than English.

Plug-and-play reading comprehension : a new cancer treatment

"New treatment destroys head and neck cancer tumours in trial"- a plug-and-play lesson involving Reading Comprehension, Use of English, vocabulary acquisition and development, speaking and listening and writing. For use with High School, college and adult learners at B2 and above levels in an EFL programme, or for Middle School and above in an E2L or bilingual programme. Based on a 60-minute lesson.

Plug-and-play reading comprehension : Vaccines

A plug-and-play lesson involving Reading Comprehension, Use of English, vocabulary acquisition and development, speaking and listening and writing. For use with High School, college and adult learners at B2 and above levels in an EFL programme, or for Middle School and above in an E2L or bilingual programme. Based on a 90-minute lesson.

Plug-and-Play Reading Comprehension / Literature lesson : reading checks

Teachers have little time in class and rarely enough to cover the syllabus, prepare for external assesments, or to do the important stuff like sharing, helping others and being kind (not to mention sun safety, financial literacy and civics). Accordingly, certain things may best be assigned to time out of class, in particular lesson preparation (lucratively re-packaged as "flipped instruction"). 

Narrative Writing in Lower Primary

Lower Primary (G1 - 4, 1º ciclo) students are story-tellers, and will even make a tale out of what they had for breakfast. Take advantage of this impulse to develop and inculcate composition basics, and the organisation of thoughts within the context of language acquisition and development. This session includes tips for assigning topics and assessment strategies.

Descriptive Writing in Lower Primary

Lower Primary (G1 - 4, 1º ciclo) students are focussed on themselves and their world. They are particularly interested in and knowledgeable about their homes, their family and friends, and their hobbies and interests. Take advantage of this to develop and inculcate composition basics, and the organisation of thoughts within the context of language acquisition and development. This session includes tips for assigning topics and assessment strategies.

Assessing Writing

Writing is the least natural of all language skills and requires guidance and practice, and it is that combination which places demands on teachers. The only way to develop as a writer is through producing written texts and receiving feedback, and providing that feedback takes time.

Effective Approaches to Teaching Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension means accessing the explicit meaning of a text, and is achieved through acquiring and developing specific strategies, and through practice. This methodology session reviews some quick-and-easy teacher-friendly approaches which can be successfully used with all levels in EFL, as well as E2L and E1L, programmes. 

Plug-and-Play Reading Comprehension / Literature lesson : Essay "A Hanging" by George Orwell

Our four-part series on this work for students, teachers and those interested in literature. This text comes from the Cambridge English Literature book list, and is also appropriate for IB Language, Literature and Lang&Lit programmes. 

Advanced Use of English Practice and Feedback - factual reports

Report writing has been identified as the most important skill for engineers, and a highly important skill in many other fields. Reports are also linked to writing summaries, a regular exercise in Language evaluations, including EFL, E2L and E1L. 

This one-hour single-topic session reviews key differences between reports and reviews, commentaries and the like, beginning with what may be a new activity for many, providing excellent practice for learners and an excellent model which can be duplicated for teachers.

Advanced Use of English Practice and Feedback - summary I

Summarising has been identified as the second most effective study skill and is a regular exercise in Language assessments, including EFL, E2L and E1L. This one-hour single-topic session begins with what may be a new summarising activity for many, providing excellent practice for learners and an excellent model which can be duplicated for teachers.

Implementing and Using Cambridge ESL Writing descriptors

This session reviews the descriptors used for assessing Cambridge's IGCSE English as a Second Language (0511) Writing : what they are, where to find them and how to use them. They are also an essential guide as to how and what will be assessed in the written components of the final examination. Use these international standards to set your own programme expectations, and to prepare your students for success.

Plug-and-Play Reading Comprehension / Literature lesson : Essay "The Stream"

 

This ready-to-use lesson is suitable for both upper-intermediate / advanced English Language classes, and as one or two lessons in a literature mini-unit. 

Plug-and-Play Reading Comprehension / Literature lesson : Essay "Indian Camp" by Ernest Hemingway

 

This ready-to-use lesson is suitable for both upper-intermediate / advanced (B2/C1) EFL classes and as the first lesson in a literature mini-unit. Hemingway's moving and influental essay is suitable for use with high school and older students.

Reading Comprehension Strategies for High School classes

 

Reading comprehension for their students often presents a challenge for teachers, and yet it doesn´t have to. This seminar reviews student-centred and teacher-friendly approaches and a teacher-friendly, reliable assessment strategy. 

The model presented is aimed at B1 / B2 levels, but could be adapted to A2 and C1. For High School (G9 - 12) EFL teachers and G5 - 12 E2L, bilingual and immersion teachers.

Writing Essays

Essay writing is important at school and university level, although its greatest value may lie in helping students clarify and organise their thoughts, and to structure and support an argument. Although not always feasible, especially in an EFL programme where paragraph-writing might be the sine qua non, essays offer opportunities for both formative and summative assessment. 

Writing Formal Letters