Pedagogical principals for a writing lesson using the product approach : Controlled writing

HERNANEY & EMMA

Controlled Writing are tasks that provide practice in writing error- free sentences or paragraphs on a given topic is the first step towards writing composition

is useful for learners with relatively little knowledge of English, to gain mastery of sentence patterns
is characterised by maximal teacher input and minimal learner input (learners neither contribute ideas nor organise the writing)

TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLED WRITING

Substitution tables This is a completely controlled activity which enables learners to construct structurally and grammatically correct sentences. Parallel writing At the simplest level, learners need only replace selected words (e.g. nouns and adjectives); at a more advanced level,learners study a model, then write on a similar theme using the sentence structures of the model text as a guide.

Question and answer technique Learners are given notes or a text to read in order to answer a series of questions.

Example 1:
1. What do you do first? (First, I ) 2. What do you do next? (Next, I .) etc. In this example, learners learn to write a paragraph using sequence connectors. Example 2: Last Friday, my friends and I went to Kellies Castle. I brought a bottle of water and a camera with me. I carried a haversack as well. 1. 2. 3. Where did you go last Friday? What did you bring with you? What did you carry?

In this example the cue questions will enable learners to be aware of the chronological organisation and narrative writing style.

 Filling in blanks The teacher predetermines the writing skill (eg: selecting appropriate details) or language feature (eg: noun, verb, adverb etc.). Learners complete the writing task by filling in the blanks. Dictation This activity provides learners with models of sentence structures and models of text organisation commonly used in writing. It also allows learners to practice spelling and punctuation. Teacher needs to provide immediate feedback by displaying the original text, whereby learners correct their own work or do peer correction.