In
Learning Partners, composition writing is a very structured process. Each week,
the pupils are given a theme to write on. We discuss the general structure for
a story based on the theme before zooming into the exact content and vocabulary that would be used. Then the pupils
are taught how to use the vocabulary given. Only after they have been taught
the vocabulary do they begin writing.
We
do this for a couple of reasons:
1. Our pupils
come in with varying standards of English. Some are excellent writers already.
Such pupils are looking for ways to hone their skills. And then there are those
who can barely string together a grammatically sound English sentence. Such a
process helps to reinforce the structure of the English sentence for these
pupils. Our experience shows that, generally, even very weak pupils show a
marked improvement in the structure of their sentences within 6-9 months.
2. Many
pupils, even those with a firm grasp of English, do not know what to write. Other
pupils have the tendency to recount an event in a very straightforward manner. Hence,
if left to their own devices, they would finish a story in less than 100 words.
There are also pupils whose understanding of the world is still immature and
distorted. Such pupils tend to produce plots that are unbelievable or plain
impossible. Thus the process they go through in Learning Partners is actually
assuring and motivating for them because in the process, they not only write,
but write a long story with all the bells and whistles. This actually boosts
their confidence and at the same time, allows them to imbibe the story format
along with the ideas and vocabulary for that particular theme.
Yet, this means that most
pupils end up writing very similar compositions, which doesn’t say much for creativity.
How we try to overcome that is to encourage the pupils who are stronger in
English or who have a flair for the written word to personalise the story as
much as they could by adding in more details/descriptions or using their own
vocabulary. This week’s One Composition a
Week is a great example of that – how an above-average writer customises
the template that she has been handed and in the process, creates a stronger
story than the original. The words in black are from the original template
whereas the writer’s additions are in bolded blue.
Honesty is the Best Policy
