Writing? More like writhing.
A pun, I must admit, but it accurately describes how some students respond to writing an essay. In the classroom, one would be surprised to hear the variety of sounds a student can produce upon hearing the taboo word, ‘writing’. In the online world, their page remains a blank space. ‘I don’t know what else to write,’ ‘This is all I can think of,’ and ‘I don’t know how to start’ are some of the responses they would give when prompted. Writing is a complex task. It involves skills such as planning, organising, using general knowledge and appropriate vocabulary, and ensuring spelling and grammar usage are accurate. It is thus expected that some students would struggle with writing, and the difficulty increases if they are not confident in the other skills. Today, we will look at one of the ways we can help them write better.
Structure. It is what buildings rely on to go higher. It is what keeps a tall burger standing. Likewise, proper structure is important for students to write more, and not just more words, but words that enhance their writing. This is one of the things that we cover in the iReaCH programme to enhance a student’s writing skills. Consider a student’s introduction paragraph to the essay question below:
| Essay Question | Students benefit from Co-Curricular Activities. Do you agree? |
| Introduction Paragraph (Before) |
As a student, I agree that students benefit from co-curricular activities (CCA). Ever since primary 2 began, students are required to participate in a CCA that interests them. |
They start with answering the essay question prompt immediately, which while at first glance seems to be fine, is actually not considered good writing style. How many other students’ essays would also read the same? The first sentence of an essay should act like a hook to reel in the reader, by piquing their interest with some interesting comment on the topic. Think of clickbait titles in newspapers, but less sensational, of course.
Next, a little context is provided, but there is no explanation of what a co-curricular activity (CCA) is. A reader who is unfamiliar with the topic may not know what is being discussed from the introduction. Hence, having definitions of key terms or words found in the essay topic is crucial.
A typical introduction paragraph would have the following structure:
General Statement Definition of Keywords Statement of Position Summary of Points(Optional)
After some practice, the student was able to produce an introduction paragraph with the recommended structure:
| Essay Question | Students benefit from Co-Curricular Activities. Do you agree? |
| Introduction Paragraph (After) |
Co-curricular activities (CCAs) are often conducted on a weekly basis. Students are encouraged to take a skill to follow them throughout their school journey. I agree that students benefit from CCAs as time is allocated for students to master a skill, they can find themselves fostering communication skills, and self-growth. |
Compare with the initial writing:
| Essay Question | Students benefit from Co-Curricular Activities. Do you agree? |
| Introduction Paragraph (Before) |
As a student, I agree that students benefit from co-curricular activities (CCA). Ever since primary 2 began, students are required to participate in a CCA that interests them. |
More polishing needs to be done in terms of content, however the goal was to be familiar with the structure of an introduction paragraph, which was achieved after the student was exposed to some practice in class. By following this structure, students will be able to write a more fleshed out introduction paragraph, and probably writhe a little less as they write.
For more information on the iReaCH programme and how it can help your child, visit our website at: l.ead.me/DAS-iReaCH
Written by:
Melcher Tan, Senior Educational Therapist
