Improving writing skill for 9th gifted students at nga tan secondary school by practicing some different types of english essay writing

NGA SON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL
A RESEARCH PAPER FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL 
TEACHERS OF ENGLISH
TITLE: “IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR 9TH GIFTED STUDENTS AT NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL BY PRACTICING SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING”
 The writer: Trinh Thi Ha
 Position: Teacher
	 Work Unit: Nga Tan secondary school
	 Experience initiative: English
THANH HOA - 2016
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ 
PHÒNG GD&ĐT NGA SƠN
SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM
ÁP DỤNG CÓ HIỆU QUẢ MỘT SỐ DẠNG BÀI VIẾT LUẬN TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9
-TRƯỜNG THCS NGA TÂN
Người thực hiện: Trịnh Thị Hà
Chức vụ: Giáo viên
Đơn vị công tác: Trường THCS Nga Tân-Nga Sơn
SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh
THANH HOÁ NĂM 2015
TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENT
PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION
1
1. Reasons for choosing the study.
2. The purpose of the study
3. Scope of the study
4. Method of the study
1
1
2
2
II. CONTENT
1. Theoretical background	
2. Practical background.
3. The sollutions
3.1. The steps made in writing a paragraph or an essay writing.
3.2. Some steps of essay writing and the methods to practise them
3.2.1.Describing people
3.2..2.Descibing places/ Buildings
3.2.3.Descibing places/ Buildings
3.2.4.Narratives
3.2.5.Discursive Essays
4. The discussion
4.1. Results	
4.2. The discussion
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
5
7
7
8
11
11
19
III.CONCLUSION
 1. Limitations of the study. 
2. Recommendations for further research.
 3. Conclusion.
19
19
19
20
IV. REFERENCE
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ 
PHÒNG GD&ĐT NGA SƠN
SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM
ÁP DỤNG CÓ HIỆU QUẢ MỘT SỐ DẠNG BÀI VIẾT LUẬN TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9
-TRƯỜNG THCS NGA TÂN
Người thực hiện: Trịnh Thị Hà
Chức vụ: Giáo viên
Đơn vị công tác: Trường THCS Nga Tân-Nga Sơn
SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh
THANH HOÁ NĂM 2015
V. APPENDICES
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Reasons for chosing the study
 As we all know, today English plays an important role in communication. It is widely used around the world and is considered as the common language of communication, especially in the period of the current international integration. So English has an important position like other subjects in school. The teaching of English is required today as increasing not only the knowledge but also the concern of every teacher to teach this course in Vietnam.
 Since Vietnam has started its open door to the world and to foreign investment, the English language has gained more significance. At the Central Party Committee meeting on education in December 1996, English was confirmed as the first language to be taught at schools in Vietnam. The government of Vietnam has stressed the importance of English as it is considered to play a significant role on the country’s path of modernization and industrialization. The command of English may offer learners an entrance to the 
world of academy, trade, aviation, music and sport.
 The English language has rapidly become the most popular first foreign language among Vietnamese people, especially at schools, colleges and universities. For learners of English, the English language surely brings about a better career prospect. Needles to say, writing is amongst the most prominent skills that language learners need to learn as an essential component of their academic practice and later on in their professional life, which partially explains why teaching writing has prompted a good deal of research that covers various aspects of its broad instructional contexts. Teaching/learning how to write successfully gets even more complicated and challenging for both language teachers and students For many Vietnamese students, especially 9-grade tallent students of secondary school, presenting written work is a substantial challenge. They may have little experience of writing and may be very anxious about having to write essays in a test. There is no doubt that having one’s work assessed by another is a daunting experience, but there are techniques, which can be adopted and make this skill easier. Over the months applying innovative methods in teaching English in Nga Tan secondary school I have seen that students confused not knowing what to write style; how to express ideas in paragraph, essay; how to use structures for reasonable questions .... So I boldly chose the topic “IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR 9TH GIFTED STUDENTS AT NGA TAN SECONDARY SCHOOL BY PRACTICING SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING” to help them understand how to write essay in different types to improve the effectiveness of teaching English, particularly the English quality of 9th gifted students at Nga Tan secondary school.
2. Purposes of the study
From this reality, I constantly research, study, experimental methods, to teach writing tips to find out how to most effectively teach written as:
- Help students understand how to write several passages.
- Help students learn how to use the structure of each part of the passages
- Train for students taking independent thinking.
- Help students a love of the subject and overcome the psychological fear joining essay exams gifted students at all levels.
- Helping teachers better understand how to write several essays
3. Scope of the study
The study is focused on only the tallent students at Nga Tan secondary school who begin to have passage, essay writing lessons.
- About the size: Learn to apply the methods of teaching writing.
- Time of the research: Survey from August 2016 to the present.
4. Method of the study
 - Based on the characteristics of English subject, according to innovative methods of teaching junior high school level.
- Provision for hours to learn the real situation now writing skills in junior high schools
- Application of different forms of writing such articles with guidelines or creative writing assignments.
- Refer to teach writing skills through books, newspapers and related information on the Internet.
- Acquiring the opinions of colleagues to learn from experience, refine the methods or to apply accordingly.
II. CONTENT
1. Theoretical background
Right from the beginning to learn English, the students were exposed to four basic skills of language, they are: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These are important skills of teachers in the transmission of knowledge to students. And writing is a skill that is difficult to learn, it requires teachers to understand the effectiveness of teaching methods and implement the principle of "learning with practice."
Stemming from the "learner-centered '', methods of teaching and learning has changed fundamentally. The teacher is not the only one who holds the knowledge and impart knowledge that only the user lead, facilitators, mentors, moderators no longer a passive acquisition of knowledge which is the center of the teaching process, initiatives and creativity in the learning process in order to achieve high results in learning and know how to apply to real life.
General language teaching, teaching English in particular the renewal of teaching methods is very important. Besides mastering language knowledge, make good listening skills, speaking, reading and writing skills they also play a role equally important role. Teaching writing is one of the basic content is the subtle combination of clarifying the different language skills.
From the arguments on the application of the method of teaching writing and how to help students make a good article in English, means ensuring the required precision articles, grammar, creativity in the article is very important.
2. Practical background.
2.1-General situation of the school.
Nga Tan secondary school is a school in the coastal area so condition of the school is poor. Condition of teaching English at school still face many difficulties: No function rooms, facilities for teaching listening, teaching aids service is poor discipline.
2.2. To the student
 Most of the students are children of farmers so they don’t have good condition to study well. 
 My students are not keen on English. They only learn because it is one of their compulsory subject. They do not have chance to reach modern equipment so it is very hard for the teacher to motivate them to learn well. As a result, the result of learning English is poor.
2.3. To the teacher.
 They have few chances to approach new methods of teaching. They also invest so little time on studing for the subject. They mind finding new methods of teaching to teach effectively. There are lack of facilities for the teacher to make English lessons more attractive. They have to teach without the help of modern equipment. Therefor, English lesson, especially writing lesson is often boring. The students don’t pay more attention to the lesson. As a result, the lesson has poor effectiveness 
 3. The sollutions
 In the process of teaching and learning I have noticed that writing skill is one of the hardest skills in the four skills. It requires students to have a vocabulary, understand the grammatical structure, the idea to outline when writing. In particular they must be aware of the type required to write essays like. Writing skill helps students reconstruct what has been learned, helps them practice using the language effectively and also gives them chance to practice writing. Writing skill also helps students promote their creative abilities, it reflects the results of the process of listening, speaking, reading, grammar, vocabulary of students and demonstrates strengths and weaknesses, and it also helps teacher easily noticed a student's mistakes rather than speaking. Writing operation is a very important part of the process of teaching and learning English. Especially for those gifted students, at each level of competition they regularly encounter the article.
3. 1. The steps made in writing a paragraph or an essay in English
Structures and how to implement a paragraph or an essay in English in written exam for good student in grade 9
To write a paragraph or an essay, first, students need to understand how to arrange the layout and details in a paragraph or an essay.
* Guide students to write under 6 following steps:
1 - Write the topic sentence (Note: Make sure to thoroughly take advantage of all threads to write a topic sentence).
2 - Check to make sure the topic sentence in your topic sentence topic and controlling idea.
3 - Look for reviews to prove / interpreting main idea by asking questions prefaced with a question word.
(Note: Due to the length of the passage is controlled, so you just put about 5 questions that are. Remember that these questions should be relevant to the topic).
4 - Assemble the answers to your questions (supporting sentences) into a complete text. The key to remember is that you must step sure what use order to articulate supporting sentences.
5- Consider whether or not the written statement. If unsure, skip this step.
6 - Check your spelling errors, grammatical errors can be found in each of your sentence.
This can only be done once you master the basic theory of how to write a paragraph (paragraph) or an essay (composition).
In this article, we will look at the steps necessary to implement a subject into a complete text.
3.2. Some types of essay writing and the methods to practice them.
3.2.1. Describing people
1. Introduction: Who the person is/ When and how you first met or saw him/her.
2. Main body
+ Physical appearance: height/build, age, facial features, hair, clothing
( From the most general aspects to the most specific detail)
Eg: Bill, who is in his early twenties, is quite tall and well-built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. He is usually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
+ Personality/ behavior(with justification/examples): give examples of manner and mannerism
Eg: Mark is rather unsociable, usually sitting silently in a corner abserving others from a distance
+ Life/ lifestyle/beliefs: talk about the person's habits, interests, profession, daily routine, opinion, etc
Eg: Being both a university student and a part-time assistant in a supermarket, Tom has little free time to go out in the evenings.
3. Conclusion
Comments/ feelings about person
* Tips: If the instruction for the writing task ask you to describe someone related to the present, you will describe the person using Present tenses eg: " Describe a person who is unusual..."
If you are asked to describe somebody related to the past. Somebody who is no longer alive or somebody you met some time ago, you will describe the person using Past simple tenses.
* Linking words and structures: Writing which contains a series of short sentences or the same simple linking words(such as"and") soon becomes boring and repetitive. To avoid this, you should use a wide range of linking words and structures
- with: She is tall and striking, with long blonde hair
- Relative Clauses: who/which/whose
My neighbour, who is slightly eccentric, has dozens of filthy cats
- Result: so/such (a)...(that)
She is so beautiful that she looks like a film star.
- Addition: in addition to, as well as/ besides, moreover, furthermore, not only... but also...,etc.
Eg: He is very tall, in addition to being very thin.
- Contrast: but/yet/However/Nonetheless/Even so + Clause
Although/(Even) though/ While + Clause
In spite of/ Despite + -ing form/noun/the fact that
Eg: He is temperamental, but/yet he is a loyal friend.
- Linking cause and effect:
She is open and friend (cause) She is popular (effect)
Because/as/since/owing to/due to(+-ing/noun/the fact that)...
As a result/consequence of.; A/the result of ...is... ; as a result,...
Eg: A result of her being open is that she is popular.
..., so...; therefore/for this reason...; The reason(that/why)...is...
Eg: She is open and friendly, therefore she is popular.
* Impressions, Opinions and Reactions:
I think/feel/etc (that).;	It seems to me that ; To me/To my mind
As far as I'm concerned; In my opinion/view/eyes; Sb seems/ appear to be...; I/ people/etc find/ consider sb to be...; I think of/ see/ regard sb as being...
* Compoud Adjectives: Compound adjectives are formed with
- present participles: a hard-working student
- past participles: an open-hearted young man
- cardinal numbers + nouns: a three-year-old boy
- well, badly, ill, poorly + past participle: a well-intensioned friend
3. 2.2 . Descibing places/ Buildings
1. Introduction: name/ location/ population of the place, reason for choosing the place.
+ Factual information such as age, size, colour, material, etc.
Eg: The temple, with 10-meter tall marble columns, was built in 800BC
+ Details relating to the senses ( sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) to suggest mood and atmosphere
Eg: Visitors' footsteps on the wom stone floors echo through the cool, dark corridors, disturbing the tranquil silence
2. Main body: general features and particular details
+ Place: surroundings, sights, facilities, free-time activities
+ Building: surroundings, detailed description of exterior/ interior.
3. Conclusion:
Comments/ feelings or a recommendation
* Notice:
- Each aspect of the description should be presented in a separate paragraph beginning with a clear topic sentence.
- Present tenses are normal used when describing a place for a tourist brochure or a magazine article.
- Past tenses are normal used when describing a visit to a place/building.
- First and second conditionals (will/would) can be used when you describe your ideal city/house,etc.
- When we give factual information about a place or building this is normally given using Present tenses.
* Expressing Impression & Reactions
- You can express positive impressions of a place by:
+ using a variety of adjectives such as: breathtaking, delightedful, eyecatching, outstanding, picturesque, etc.
+ using a variety of present or past participle from such verbs as: astound, amaze, astonish, impress, refresh,etc.
Eg: I was/felt astounded at how beautiful Florida is in winter.
+ using a variety of nouns in expressions such as: to my amazement/ astonishment/ delight/ surprise/etc.
Eg: To my delight, the place had kept its character.
- You can express negative impressions of a place by
+ using a variety of adjectives such as: disreputable, inhospitable, neglected
+ using a variety of present or past participles from such verbs as: disappoint, shock,etc.
Eg: ... the disappointing view of the unsightly housing. 
+Using a variety of nouns in expressions such as: to my isappointment/surprise/etc.
Useful language: Explaining Impression
The most noticeable/outstanding feature of the place is its golden garden
A huge statue of a lion is the first thing one notices upon entering the temple
Without doubt, the most impressive thing about San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge.
The thing which makes the strongest/most enduring impression is the hospitality of the locals.
The first thing one notices about the house is its overgrown garden.
The reason that the area is so depressing is that there are so may derelict buildings
* Making comparisons:
To compare places or building you can use
- (just/nearly) as ... (positive degree) ... as
Eg: In those days the main streets were just as congested as they are today
- The same as
Eg: The cottage was the same as it had been fifty years before.
- (relatively/considerably) less ... (positive degree) ... than
Eg: The new buildings are considerably less ornate than the old ones.
- (much/far/considerably) more + adjective/ adverbs + than
Eg: The northern area is more picturesque than the eastern area.
- (by far) the most + adjective
Eg: Hill Manor is by far the most elegant hotel in the region.
- comparative + and + comparative
Eg: The streets are becoming dirtier and dirtier.
- the comparative ..., the + comparative
Eg: The further south you travel, the warmer it becomes.
3.2.3 - Describing festivals/ events/ ceremonies
1. Introduction: Set the scene ( name,time/date, place of event, reason(s) for celebrating)
2. Main body: Preparations( decorations, rehearse,etc.)
Description of actual event (costumes, food, atmosphere, activities,etc.)
3. Conclusion: feelings, comments, thoughts
* Notice:
When you describe annual events( a celebration/festival which takes place every year), present tenses are used and the style is formal. However, when giving a personal account of an event which you witnessed or took part in, past tenses are used and the style may be less formal. The passive is frequently used to describe preparations/ activities which take place.
Eg: Pumpkins are carved and placed in windows and costumes are designed
3.2.4 - Narratives
1. Introduction: Set the scene ( Who/what/when/where)
Sets the scene (place, time, character(s), etc.), creates an intersting mood/ atmosphere to make the reader want to continue reading, and/or begins dramatically to capture the reader's attention.
2. Main body: Develope the story ( Describe incidents leading up to the main events and the event itself in detail. Describe people/ place/ emotions/ actions/etc)
3. Conclusion: End the story (complete the plot; describe feelings/ reactions; explain the conspuences)
* Techniques for beginning or ending stories:
- You can start your story by
+ describing the weather, place, people, etc, using senses
+ using direct speech
+ asking a rhetorical question
+ creating mystery or suspense
- You can end your story by:
+ addressing the reader directly
+ using direct speech
+ referring to feelings or moods
+ describing people's reactions to the events developed in the main body.
+ creating mystery or suspense
+ asking a rhetorical question.
* Techniques for beginning or ending stories
* Past tenses and time words
- Past habits are not described using Past Continuous. In stead, use Past Simple, "used to" or "would", with an appropriate adverb of frequency.
( Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, frequ