Winter Intensive 2013Class 1

Soka UniversityWorld Language Center

Sou Koike

Table of Contents

I. Introduction to Independent Writing– Basic information– Scoring criteria– Requirements & recommendations

II. Writing an effective introduction– Three steps to Go– How to deal with the questions– Drill

III. Peer feedback and Whole-class review

INTRODUCTION TOINDEPENDENT WRITING

Winter Intensive 2013 Class 1

Basic Information

1topic

30minutes

300words

Scoring Criteria

5.0 - 1.0• Organization

• Content

• Structure & Written Expressions

• Number of words30 - 0

Requirements

• Paragraphed essay

• Appropriate response to the topic

• Coherence and consistency

• Length of the work

• Time management:– Planning– Presenting– Revising

Recommendations

WRITING ANEFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION

Winter Intensive 2013 Class 1

Three Steps to Go

Pick aside

State yourposition

State the reason for

your opinion

Pick a side

Agreement/Disagreement

Advantage(s)over others

Choice/Preference

Personalexperience

State your position

Do you agree with the following statement? Parents should select their children’s friends carefully to make sure those friends reflect proper values. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

I do not believe that parents should select their children’s friends.

I believe In my opinionI feel that

In my view

I do not feel that

I think that

My position is

I do not believe

It is my belief that

State the reason for your opinion= Thesis Statement

Do you agree with the following statement? Parents should select their children’s friends carefully to make sure those friends reflect proper values. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

I do not believe that parents should select their children’s friends. It would be harmful to children if they were not allowed to choose their friends. Parents should be interested in their children’s friends, but they should let their children pick their own friends.

I believe this because I feel this way because The reason I think this is

This is because Since

How to deal with the questions

Number of sentences in the questions

Number of issuesto be mentioned in the passage

Drill1. It is the teacher’s responsibility to make a student learn the material.

2. Material on the Internet should be censored or controlled to protect the public.

3. Colleges and universities should offer more distance learning courses to accommodate the needs of students.

4. When choosing a career, financial gain should be the most important consideration.

5. Schools should have mandatory testing each year to prove they are meeting minimum educational standards.

Answers: One paragraph requiredTime: 30 minutes

Drill #2

1. A knowledge of history is absolutely essential.

2. Some students prefer to study alone, while other students prefer to study with others. Discuss the advantages of each type of studying. Then indicate which you prefer and why.

3. Patience is the most important characteristic of a boss.

4. Some people work better during the day, while some other people work better at night., Which kind of person are you, and why? Use reasons and examples to support your response.

5. Time should never be wasted.

Answers: One paragraph requiredTime: 30 minutes

Peer Feedback

Whole-Class Review