Summary

The use of guided composition through

topics in order to help students develop

their writing skills

Introduction (Paragraph nº 3 (341 Words).

When students write, they have a chance to be adventurous with the language, to go beyond what they have just learned to say, to take risks. They basically get involved with the new language, because the effort to express ideas and the constant use of eye, hand, and brain is a unique way to reinforce learning. Composition then, broadens the student’s communication abilities, and it also completes the study of grammatical patterns and vocabulary. In an integrated English Language curriculum, writing is taught in meaningful contexts to the students. It is the teachers’ task to help learners use the language effectively and appreciate the written expression of others.  As it is well known, communication is the fundamental reason for the existence of language, and writing is a means towards it .Moreover, it gives the students a chance to practice what they learn in a more meaningful and creative way. In other words, through writing, the students are able to relate what they learn through every day life and experiences. Basically, according to Gwin “the true reason for writing in the real world, whether it is a report on scientific research, a technical manual, an office memo, or a personal letter, is to communicate some meaning to another person.”(Gwin,1991:2) Language enables an individual to express thought, and by expressing it in a more precise way; to prove the effectiveness of using a composition strategy called ¨Teaching composition by topics¨ to help tenth grade students from Patriarca San José High school, in San Ramón, Alajuela, in their intents to learn to write accurately. The purpose of this article is to share the findings with other colleagues and to provide them with some tools that could be used as an alternative for the teaching of writing in the English courses in high schools. Also this article attempts to show EFL teachers that teaching students how to write is not a difficult task if different alternatives techniques such as guided composition through topics are used to help them develop this skill in an easier way.

Summary (186 Words)

When students write, they have a chance to be adventurous with the language, to go beyond what they have just learned to say, to take risks. They get involved with the new language, because the effort to express ideas and the use of eye, hand, brain to reinforce learning. Composition broadens the student’s communication abilities, completes the study of grammatical patterns and vocabulary. Besides, writing is taught in meaningful contexts to the students.  The teacher’s task is to help them use the language and appreciate the written expression of others. Communication is considering the main reason for the existence of language towards writing.  As well, it gives the student a change to practice what they learn in a meaningful and creative way. According to Gwin (1991) the main reason for writing is to communicate something to someone. The purpose of the strategy called Teaching composition by topics is to help students from San Jose Patriarca high school to write accurately. The article brings tools and that could be used for teaching writing in this context and show that teaching students how to write is not difficult.  

Reference:

Ramirez, D. (2006). The use of guided composition through topics in order to help students develop their writing skills.  Inter Sedes Journal, 12, 77-86.