TEACHING WRITING SKILLS IN THE

PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM

TOPIC 2

What is writing readiness?

1.- Refers to a stage in a childs early life where he or she displays signs of
wanting to put his or her thoughts or ideas into visual forms.
2.- The various visual forms represent a childs:
knowledge
interest
visual readiness
visual memory
motor and coordination skills

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
* Working with
Puzzles

* Building with
blocks

*Stringing
beads

* Finger painting * Bouncing and

catching
balls
* Drawing
* Matching shapes

* Cutting with
scissors
*Threading
sewing
cards

* Pouring water into

cups

PENMANSHIP
What is penmanship?
1.- Is the technique of writing with the hand using a writing instrument (pencil,
pen, crayon, brush)
2.- Techniques of good handwriting include:
space between letters, words, paragraphs
alignment
proportion, size, height of letters (upper case, lower case letters)
direction of pen movements

EARLY WRITING
What is early writing stage?
1.- A stage where a child begins to develop basic understanding of the
mechanics of writing.

2.-Mechanics of writing include parts of speech, rules of grammar and

punctuations)

SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & PARAGRAPH

WRITING
What are the main principles in teaching children to write?
1.- provide meaningful context for writing
2.- give children insights into writing
3.- develop childrens curiosity and thinking skills
4.- read to children

DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING
What is developmental writing stage?
1.- The stage where a child progresses into a deeper understanding of the
mechanics of writing which includes the following:
spelling
grammar
text organisation and cohesion

SPELLING
What should a teacher focus on when teaching spelling?
1.- teaching the relationship between the most common phonemes (sounds)
of English & graphemes (letters)
2.- teaching the most common words.
3.- developing visual memory for shapes of words.
4.- developing relevant dictionary skills.
5.- helping pupils devise ways of helping themselves to remember common
but some trouble words.

GRAMMAR
Why should a teacher teach grammar?
1.- To enable pupils to be better writers
2.- Teachers can refer to a range of resources for ideas to teach grammar
meaningfully and enjoyable.
3.- Dictation as a writing exercise is recommendable in order to improve on
grammar

TEXT STRUCTURE & ORGANISATION

What is text structure?
1.- Refers to how information is organised in a text or passage
2.- Information is organised according to certain patterns/format.

What are the common text structures?

cause and effect
choronological
compare and contrast
order of importance
problem and solution
sequence/process writing
spatial/descriptive writing