4. STOP & DARE this planning model by de la paz and graham is useful for persuasive and argumentative writing. The acronym/ mnemonic stands for:
S uspend judgment . Suspending judgment develops in the learner reflective writing avoid sweeping generalization or claims that have no clear grounding. T ake a side . Students need to take a clear stand on an issue so that they can produce a unified and coherent argument. This is one way of making their voice visible in their written output .
O rganized ideas . Carefully structured claims supported cohesive and coherent evidences result in effective and persuasive arguments .
P lan more as you write. Writing is recursive process so that planning happens not only in the beginning but in the entire writing activity. D evelop a topic sentence or a thesis statement . The topic sentence of a paragraph or the thesis statement of an essay is one of the unifying elements of writing. It helps the writer stay focused in the topic.
A dd supporting ideas. Supporting ideas strengthen the position a writers take. Learners need to understand that supporting ideas bring their propositions or claims to life.
R eject arguments from the other side In taking a position on a writer on an issue , a writer should be aware of the opposing arguments so that they can rightfully refute these. E nd with a conclusion . Clear and emphatic closing or conclusion persuades the readers to think and feel or embrace the position of the writer.
5. The five paragraph essay This strategy is useful in teaching genre writing for learning. The template includes the introductory paragraph, which introduces the topic and the thesis statement. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs develop the key ideas articulated in the thesis statement. The 5 th or concluding paragraph clichés the discussion either by summarizing or reiterating the thesis statement. A sample of this can be seem as the follows :
Five- Paragraph Essay Template This introductory paragraph begins with a background or a hook. It also contains the thesis statement. These are the three developing paragraphs with the topic sentences that support or develop the thesis statements. Writers have to be mindful of the paragraphs’ unity ( having all sentences related to the topic sentence coherence ( the way ideas hang together or the paragraph organization and presentation pattern, and cohesion ( the connectedness of the sentences through transition words) Conclusion paragraph, which summarizes the key points or restates the thesis statement. A writer may also end the essay with provocative question or a call to action.
6. Cinquain Sometimes called a diamond poem, cinquain is a poetic genre created by Adelaide Crapsey. The didactic cinquain form’s variation has become a creative strategy for writing poems with the following formula for poetry writing. Variation 1 The first line is one word which is the title of the poem. The second line contains two words which are adjectives that describe the title. The third line has three words, usually gerunds, thst tell the reader more about the subject of the poem or show action. The fourth line has four individual words or a four-word phrase that show emotion about the subject of the poem. The fifth line is a one-word synonym or very similar word to the title.
Example: CASTLE By: William Swink “ Castle Strong, beautiful Imposing, protecting, watching Symbolizes wealth and power Fortress “
Variation 2 One-word title of the poem. Two adjectives that describe the first word. Three other modifiers of the first word, all ending in ing . A complete sentence with four or more words. One word.
Examples ( both from anonymous writers) “ Star Hot ,radiant Shining, burning, exploding It gives life to everything. Sun”
“ Acrobats Flexible, amusing Flipping, twirling, jumping They make me laugh Performers “
7. List Poems This creative writing activity asks learners to list down an inventory of persons, places, objects, or ideas. It incites students to write strong and funny descriptions of the things they are passionate about.
Example : What’s in the box under my bed ? E ight marbles and shoestring A shiny bubblegum ring Two valuable baseball cards Some chocolate candy bars A letter my friend wrote
Writing Prompts Along with the strategies, the teachers can also motivate the learners to write by giving clear writing prompts. A prompt is anything that moves the student to write. It can be an incomplete statement as a story starter like “ I never thought I’d survive …., or a question like “ What are the benefits of urban living?” or thought- provoking triggers like images, quotes, or songs .
Wilfong (2015) offered two types of writing prompts, infinite which can be answered in multiple ways, and finite , which requires a direct or straightforward response . Infinite prompts can be confusing to some students but would be useful for every day or non-graded writing activities. Finite prompts are less daunting for the students because the goal and expectations are clear. Finite prompts are useful for formative and summative assessments, especially if you want to check their understanding of the concepts and application of specific writing competencies.
Assessment is central in the teaching –learning process it provides evidence of learning and i nforms the teacher on the course content that needs reinforcement or re-teaching. However , with the complexity of writing and the diversity of the writing outputs that the students turn in, teachers often do not prioritize writing assessment. Checking the written outputs of the learner is not only tedious but also time-consuming. On the part of the students, they would get demotivated by the feedback or the read. Therefore, when we assess we focus not only the outputs but also on the writers( Tompkins, 2008)