I find teaching argumentative writing is not easy. This is due to several factors, such as the lack of knowledge on current issues among my students and their inability to actually support their stance with logical and suitable reasons, which actually stem from their lack of reading especially on other people's opinion of a certain issue.
I often ended up receiving essays written with lack of consideration of other issues surrounding the issue they are writing on, reflecting immature thinking and perhaps inability to critically discuss an issue. I also often receive essays which lack enough information to support the stand made. When there are actually many evidence or events that happened in the world which could be appropriately quoted as support for a point made in the essay, these events would usually would be incorrectly quoted or would go unnoticed - suggesting the lack of knowledge on current or relevant issues among my students.
Writing for the MUET or at Pre-University/ Form Six level actually require knowledge and critical thinking skills other than good English proficiency. I thus concluded that students need to read on the issue they are writing on in order to write good essays that have good content. And so this 3-Part Writing Lesson is created. Below is its description:
1st Lesson (1st Part): Research
I had this lesson in the library. Alternatively you can ask students to bring laptops with Internet connection. Students were asked to work in groups. Each group was given (my students actually chose) a topic to research on. For my class, I had 5 groups so 5 different topics were used. Examples of topics I gave are "The Exploration of Antartica" and "The Possession of Nuclear Bombs (by Some Countries)". The students were given 3 aspects of these topics to find information on:
1) The definition / explanation.
2) The benefits
3) The negative effects
The students spent the whole lesson researching. Nevertheless, they should be encouraged to continue researching even in their free time. In order to do that, please do not plan the 2nd lesson to be right after the 1st lesson. Have a few days of gap in between the two lessons to encourage researching among the students.
The students spent the whole lesson researching. Nevertheless, they should be encouraged to continue researching even in their free time. In order to do that, please do not plan the 2nd lesson to be right after the 1st lesson. Have a few days of gap in between the two lessons to encourage researching among the students.
2nd Lesson (2nd Part) : Thinking & Speaking
In this lesson, students continued to work in groups. The task given to them was to use the information they gathered in the 1st lesson to respond to some given (essay) questions. The questions I gave was an extension to the topics they received in the first lesson. For example, if earlier they had received the topic of "The Exploration of Antartica", now they received this question: 'The exploration of Antartica would bring more harm than good. Do you agree?' The students worked in groups to prepare their "answer", which they have to present orally to the class. They need to present on these given aspects: the explanation/definition; their stance; and the reasons for their stance (3-4 reasons).
What I find interesting here is that when the students presented their "answers", I as their teacher could already see whether they are addressing and attempting at the given question correctly or not. I could see whether they are on the right track or not even before they write the essay. It was also here that I evaluated their points/reasons; and advised them of any point/reason to add or to omit.
Ensure that all groups carry out their presentations as they are all dealing with different topics/questions.
3rd Lesson (3rd Part): Writing
This is the writing part after the researching, discussing and speaking on the topics. Students were given a writing task, which is given below:
"Choose one of the questions given in the 2nd lesson. In not less than 350 words, write an individual essay on your chosen question."
Students thus would write after having had researched, discussed and presented on their topics. If they plan to write on a different question than that they presented on, their friends' presentations and the teacher's comment should provide them with the background to write the essay.
All in all, I find these lessons comprehensive as they involved all the 4 skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing; and they also integrate Thinking Skills, which I feel is an essential element that should be included in MUET and Pre-U English lessons.
What I find interesting here is that when the students presented their "answers", I as their teacher could already see whether they are addressing and attempting at the given question correctly or not. I could see whether they are on the right track or not even before they write the essay. It was also here that I evaluated their points/reasons; and advised them of any point/reason to add or to omit.
Ensure that all groups carry out their presentations as they are all dealing with different topics/questions.
3rd Lesson (3rd Part): Writing
This is the writing part after the researching, discussing and speaking on the topics. Students were given a writing task, which is given below:
"Choose one of the questions given in the 2nd lesson. In not less than 350 words, write an individual essay on your chosen question."
Students thus would write after having had researched, discussed and presented on their topics. If they plan to write on a different question than that they presented on, their friends' presentations and the teacher's comment should provide them with the background to write the essay.
All in all, I find these lessons comprehensive as they involved all the 4 skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing; and they also integrate Thinking Skills, which I feel is an essential element that should be included in MUET and Pre-U English lessons.
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