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Instructor: Mr Joelson Tang
Name: _______________________________
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Continuous Writing
Continuous Writing is part of the PSLE English Paper 1 There would
be 2 questions to choose from
one with a picture and the otherwithout a picture.Continuous Writing is worth 40 marks. Students are assessed largelyon the relevancy of their Content(20 marks) to a given situation aswell as their competence in Language and Organizat ion (20 marks).
The objectives of this workshop include:
TheSCIENCE of WritingBe able to explain the SCIENCEof Writing
Be able to understand how a piece of writing is structured
Be able to use appropriate terminology for a given situation
Be able to PLAN the Introduction, Bodyand Conclusion
Be able to utilize the Composition Planning Framework (Annex A)
Be able understand how to WRITE as according to PLANconfidently
Be able to understand the aspects of EDITING
The ARTof WritingBe able to explain the ARTof Writing
Be able to come up with synonyms for various words
Be able to consult useful resources to aid in writing
Be able to utilize and personalize good phrases from materials read
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Article 1 for discussion:
_____________________________
______________________________A total of 25 pilgrims were injured when their tour bus rolled over inHualien County yesterday. According to initial police investigations,the accident may have been caused by excessive speed when thevehicle made a swift turn on a steep downward slope.
_________________________________Windows of the automobile were shattered and people tumbled ontoeach other as the bus lay upside down.
_________________________________None of the injured passengers were in a critical condition. Twelve ofthem were discharged by 4:00 p.m. yesterday, while seven people
suffered from more serious injuries, including fractures anddislocated shoulders.
_________________________________By the time local ambulances arrived at the scene, all passengershad escaped from the bus under the assistance of people passing by.
_________________________________The driver was taken to the police station for questioning, with thecause of the accident still under investigation, local police said.
Adapted from The China Post 9 May 2011
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Article 2 for discussion:
________________________________
_______________________________JEMPOL - A 71-YEAR-OLD man came home to find his grandson and hisfriends ransacking his house - and when he decided to call the police, one ofthe youths stabbed him to death.
_______________________________According to his wife, the man was shocked when he came across his 17-year-old grandson and three other teenagers ransacking his house at 9pm on
Thursday. The 57-year-old woman said the couple had earlier found theirclothes strewn all over and the cupboards ransacked upon their return fromattending prayers for her mother-in-law.
________________________________'We found a parang on the floor and a short while later, we heard voices from aroom upstairs,' she said, adding that they were shocked to see their 17-year-oldgrandson chatting with three teenagers inside. She said her husband lost his
temper then and immediately told her to call the police.
________________________________'One of the youths suddenly lunged at my husband and began stabbing himrepeatedly. The same youth also hit me,' she said tearfully at her home. Shesaid although her husband was bleeding profusely, the youths grabbed a bagcontaining cash and jewellery worth some RM10,000 (S$4,211) before fleeing.
________________________________'He was grabbing his abdomen and watching the kids run away. I'll never forgetthe look of disappointment on his face to see his own grandson committingsuch a heinous crime,' she said. Her husband died from excessive blood losswhile she needed 30 stitches for cuts on her shoulder, chest and arms.
________________________________Police said the grandson and his friends, including a girl, were detained several
hours later. The suspects were aged between 15 and 18 years.
Adapted from The Straits Times 15 Jan 2011
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The SCIENCEof Writing It is studying about the parts of a composition
Categorizing
There is a general structure to every piece of writing
Each article/story has a ________
Each article/story is divided into ________________
Paragraphing
Each paragraph tells the reader _________________
Each paragraph has a _______________________, which
gives a ___________ of the paragraph
Terminology Terminology refers to words or phrases used for a particular
______________.
By looking at the terminology used, the reader will have a
rough idea about what your composition is
The following terminology have to do with:
Vegetables, Knife, Soup, Kitchen, Pot, Ladle
_________________________
Trophy, Opponents, Goalkeeper, Goals, Field
_________________________
Animals, Zookeeper, Animal Show, Tram, Souvenir Shop
_________________________ Drenched from head to toe, Thunder, Lightning
_________________________
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Using Proper TerminologyThink of relevant terminologies for the following
situations:A) A bad stomachache in school
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
B) A wallet was missing
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
C) Struck by a fever
_______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Introduction In most cases, the marker could have an idea of how good or
how poor a students composition will turn out by looking at
his/her introduction!
As a rule of thumb, Introduction will be about _______ lines.
______________ to the situation, do not start with anything
unrelated.
E.g. An accident you witnessed on the way to school.Whats wrong with this?
The alarm bell rangyou woke upbrushed your teeth
and had your breakfastwore your uniformleft the
housetook the lifttook a bussaw the accident
It has a lot of ______________________ details!
A better suggestion would be:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Keep the reader _____________ . Do not reveal what willhappen later on!
E.g. A quarrel between 2 neighbours.
Mr A and Mr B scolded each other vulgar wordsthey
threw objects at each otherother neighbours saw
police arrived to maintain order
A lot of these can be written in the ______and___________
Think of interesting ways to start, NOT:
One sunny day, ; One Monday morning, ; Ring! rang
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Body This should be the ____________ portion of the composition
The more imagination, the better!
Make sure you answer the points in the question, and add more
interesting ______________ to each point (if possible).
Reveal one event after another little by little: write more details for
one event before writing about the next event (you could have
another paragraph for another event).
For example,Tom was seen struggling in the swimming pool. His arms
were thrashing about desperately, as he tried to keep himself afloat.
However, it seemed that the more he struggled, the more anxious
he became.
At this time, Jimmy realized the danger Tom was in. He had to
do something. Without much thought, he looked around him to see
if there was any lifeguard on duty. Alas! There was none! Waiting nolonger, he decided he would have to become the lifeguard at all
cost!
Each paragraph should have ONE main idea.
In the above example, the 1stparagraph describes ______________.
Each paragraph should have a TOPIC SENTENCE
In the above example, the topic sentence for the 2ndparagraph is___________________________________________.
The 2 paragraphs describe _________________________________.
Do not only write about ________________________, but also
describe the _______________ and _______________ about the
characters.
Choose a minimum of ____ characters, a maximum of ____
characters.
Write only those details that are ____________ to the situation.
Avoid using _____________ speech (unless you see it makes
your story more interesting); use ________________ speech.2011 Joelson Tang
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BodySuggest 2 consecutive events for the following themes and give more details for
each event. Give a title for each event.
A) Billy fell down during the soccer match1) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
B) The bowl of noodles was overturned and spilled out
1) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
C) Both boys were fighting
1) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2) _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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Conclusion
Tell the reader what happened in the end
As a rule of thumb, the conclusion would be
about ______ lines, slightly longer than in the
Introduction.
Some ways to conclude are:
Moral of the story (have been used too
often!)
Problem was solved
Problem was not solved
A lesson learnt
How one felt about the day/event
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ConclusionSuggest a suitable conclusion for each of the following
situations, and write down the method you used.
A) Police fighting with robbers of a bank who tried to escape
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
B) The doctor told me I had to rest at home for three days
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
C) Sallys parents came to know that their daughter was playing
truant
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
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WRITING If your planning was well-done, writing should be relatively easy!
As a rule of thumb, write about ________ to ________ words Leave enough space to _____________. Leave a line between 2
paragraphs.
Each paragraph must have:
A _______________ sentence
____________________ sentences
A ____________________ sentence Use _______________ to link sentences (to make ideas look more
connected)
E.g. The dog dashed toward me. It glared at me. It looked malicious.
Connect the above sentences into one:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
If you easily make grammatical errors, keep your sentences short.
E.g. I was feeling thirsty and uncomfortable and I went to the
kitchen to grab a can of Pepsi which was too enticing to resist and I
gulped the Pepsi down greedily and my thirst was satiated and I felt
refreshed.
Make shorter sentences of the above sentence:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
A new idea may be taught of while writing. Include that idea.
Do not become too carried away with one event. Make sure all
important events are given enough description.
Do not worry about little mistakes made, focus on ______________
as you refer to the ideas in your _____________.
Make sure that your ______________ can be read by most people.
In all use about _________ minutes.2011 Joelson Tang
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Composition Discussion
Example 1:
You were playing a game of catching with your friends at yourplayground in the neighbourhood. All of a sudden, the
neighbourhood bully appears, and pushes one of your friends onto
the ground.
You must make use of the points below in your story:
What did your friend do
How did all of you react
What happened in the end
You may reorder the points. You may also include other relevant points.
Example 2:
You were at a shop in a shopping centre when you saw a person
behaving suspiciously in a corner. After observing him a while, yousaw him taking things from the shop and hiding them.
You must make use of the points in your story:
What did the person take
What did you do
How did it end
You may reorder the points. You may also include other relevant points.
Example 3:
Your younger brother kept complaining he was feeling pain around the
stomach area.
You must make use of the points in your story:
What had occurred What did you do
What happened in the end
You may reorder the points. You may also include other relevant points.
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Composition Planning Framework
Title: ________________________________________
Place(s):
Characters:
INTRODUCTION
BODYKey events:1.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
2.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
3.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
CONCLUSION
Annex A
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EDITING3 main aspects to focus on:
1. Check for Spelling Errors Make sure you are 100% sure of the spelling of the words
you use!
2. Check for Grammatical Errors
Make sure your sentences sound OK.
Avoid starting sentences with words like But and Because
Put a comma (,) if you feel that a pause is needed
Use an exclamation mark (!) when there is something very
_______________
3. Replace simple words with better Vocabulary
Use Vocabulary that would better describe a situation,
rather than average Vocabulary.
E.g. The discipline master walked angrily with her eyebrows
closer together at the bully.
Replace the underlined words above with better Vocabulary:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Dont use bombastic words just to impress! Make sure you
know the ____________ of the word very well and it fits
well with the situation.
It is always possible to ___________ a Composition written,so use the remaining time you have to edit!
Read your story ________ and ________, make sure you
_________ it!
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What makes a good
compositionVocabulary
Grammar
Organization
Content
ContentThe most ________________ part. It must answer the optionyou chose and all of its given points.
Organization
The reader can see clearly how one event leads to the next
event.
Grammar
There no serious grammatical errors e.g. Betty was not athome when her mother calls her.
VocabularyChoice of words used will distinguish an __________ studentfrom a student who has a good command of English. Morewill be discussed in the ART of Writing
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TheARTof Writing It is writing about ideas in a creative way
A good writer can better describe
The ____________ of the characters
How the ____________ and place looked like
Using better Vocabulary and Language
Example:
He was very angry with her, and his face turned red.
(______________ student)
He became infuriated with her, and his face flushed red-
hot. (______________ student)
Now try to make the sentences below sound better:
She was feeling very happy and proud when she saw her
friends with her prize she won.
_______________________________________________
___________________________________________.
The teacher scolded her for being late for school yesterday
and today.
_______________________________________________
___________________________________________.
Try not to repeat a word you have used, but use a
__________ word that has the ______ idea (Synonym)
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Using Synonyms
Think of at least 2 Synonyms for each of the followingwords. Use a Thesaurusto help you if need be.
1) Tired _______________________________
2) Lovely ______________________________
3) Smart ______________________________
4) Shocked ____________________________5) Big _________________________________
6) Serious _____________________________
7) Scared ______________________________
8) Angry _______________________________
9) Strong ______________________________
10) Smelly ______________________________
11) Walked _____________________________
12) Embarrassed _________________________
13) Stupid ______________________________
14) Attacked ____________________________
15) Dangerous __________________________
16) Kind _______________________________
17) Hardworking _________________________
18) Fast ________________________________19) Painful ______________________________
20) Sad _________________________________
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Resources to help meHow to improve on the ART of Writing:
I should read:________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
When I find the meanings of words new to me,
I would use these Dictionaries:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
because _____________________________________
___________________________________________.
I will ____________ forming _______________ with newwords I have learnt.
(Go back at the articles)
I will modify good descriptive ___________ to construct my
own sentences.
E.g. made a swift turn on a steep downward slope (article
1, 1stparagraph)
The car driver tried to avoid colliding into a vehicle in front
so he made a swift turn on a steep downward slope, causing
his car to burst into flames.2011 Joelson Tang
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Making use of good phrases(Look at the articles you have discussed again)
Make a sentence with 3 good phrases you can find from eacharticle:
Article 1
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: ______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: ______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: ______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Article 2
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: ______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: ______________________________________
_______________________________________________
Phrase: ________________________________________
Sentence: _____________________________________________________________________________________
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Composition Planning Framework
Title: ________________________________________
Place(s):
Characters:
INTRODUCTION
BODYKey events:1.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
2.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
3.____________________________Sub-event 1 Sub-event 2 Sub-event 3
CONCLUSION
Annex A