PROBLEM SOLUTION / PROCESS ESSAY WITH A PLAN: HOW TO TACKLE A WRITING ACTIVITY IN CLASS

In your introduction, discuss the following:

·         The  continuing importance of essay writing as a part of any university course

·         Essays, dissertations, projects, reports, essay type questions.

·         The obvious need to prepare students in university prep classes for what is to come

·         The careful planning of writing classes to meet future needs necessary

Thesis Statement: There are various things a teacher needs to do both before students start to write the essay and after the completion of the task.

In you first developmental paragraph discuss the following:

Topic Sentence: The selection of the topic has a major role in determining the extent to which students benefit from the lesson and there are two ways to do this.

First alternative:

• Essay follows listening and/ or reading activity covered in class
• Necessitates a reading and / or listening task that will lead to writing

Second alternative:

• Decide on an issue that warrants research
• Google it to find related videos and texts

Result: an interesting and fruitful topic discovered

In your second developmental paragraph, discuss the following:

Topic Sentence: The preparation that needs to be made before students put pen to paper is as important as the actual writing of the essay.

First alternative:

• Discuss the issue while tackling reading and / or listening task
• Put points and notes on board
• Encourage students to refer to the above

Second alternative:

• Make notes on texts that have been discovered
• Watch, listen and make notes on videos
• Discuss notes and plan essay

Result: a very good essay, a valuable learning opportunity

In your third developmental paragraph, discuss the following:

Topic Sentence: The method of providing feedback is of vital importance if students are to benefit from the activity.

• First draft: correction symbols
• Justification: helps students focus on mistakes, which in turn helps them vanish
• Feedback in class: on board, in the form of error analysis worksheets, good and bad essays
• Second draft: actual correction of errors students have failed to be able to deal with.
• Justification: reinforces learning
• Have students file away both drafts for future reference
• Have students make a list of errors
• Justification: a repository of errors to be consulted
• Result: problems ironed out; a stitch in time saves nine

In your conclusion, write a restatement along these lines: in short, writing is always the last stage in the learning process following input of one sort or another in the target language. It draws together all the information that has been gleaned, all the vocabulary and structures that have been learned and couples them with the students’ own opinions culminating in a beneficial learning experience.

Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/