How to Improve Your Writing Style – Methodentraining für die

How to Improve Your Writing Style (Klasse 10–13)
Einzelmaterial 193
S1
How to Improve Your Writing Style – Methodentraining für
die Klassen 10–13
V
Manuela Olde Daalhuis, Düsseldorf
M1
How to write a good text – some tips
How to write a good text
When writing a text, you want the reader to understand your
thoughts. Therefore there is no sense in using complicated
words and over long sentences. If you do not know what you
mean to say, spend the time thinking about a new, powerful
argument rather than writing a confusing or boring sentence.
A good writing style starts with clear and structured thoughts.
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How to choose your words
Use effective, clear words rather than pompous, long words. ______ (1)
Avoid repeating the same word in the same paragraph. ______ (2)
How to build your sentences
Keep sentences relatively short. Use subclauses, participles and gerunds. ______ (3)
How to organise your paragraphs
Avoid paragraphs that contain only one long sentence. ______ (4)
If your paragraph is as long as a page, split it into smaller paragraphs.
Use some connectives1 to show how one sentence refers to the next one in a
paragraph. ______ (5)
1 connective: linking word, e.g. although, therefore, yet
Task
Where do the sentences a)–e) fit in? Read the text and fill in the correct letters in the gaps.
a) Every few lines, a full stop gives the reader time to breathe before reading your next
idea.
b) This way the reader can follow your train of thought and concentrate on your
arguments easily.
c) This is a means to vary the sentence structure and shorten your text.
d) Why make it difficult for the reader?
e) Otherwise, the reader might find the text boring.
80 RAAbits Englisch August 2014
How to Improve Your Writing Style (Klasse 10–13)
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S3
Task 2
Would you write in formal or informal English in the situations below?
Tick  the correct box.
Situation
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Formal
English
Informal
English
a)
You would like to share how your day at school was with
your best friend.
b)
You would like to discuss a topic in an exam paper.
c)
You would like to apply for a job.
d)
You would like to complain about the headphones you
have bought.
e)
You would like to chat with a classmate about the latest
film.
f)
You would like to let your parents know what is happening
on the class trip via email.
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Task 3
Olivia plans to apply for a summer job at Ms Thompson’s shop. Rewrite her email in
formal English.
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Hello Ms Thompson,
© www.Colourbox.com
Iʼm looking for a summer job,
and my dad kept an ear open.
Heʼs told me youʼre looking for
somebody to help out at your
shop. Well, I could be in the
right place at the right time!
How come? Iʼm pretty good at
being on time and giving a hand.
Last summer, I was a waitress
and got on well with all kinds
of people. Call me if you want
me to come round for a chat!
Yours,
Olivia Walker
80 RAAbits Englisch August 2014
How to Improve Your Writing Style (Klasse 10–13)
Einzelmaterial 193
S6
M4
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Avoiding repetitions
Practise avoiding repetitions in your texts with this worksheet.
Task: Improve the writing style of the text about Make-A-Wish. Replace the words
“very good”, “to think” and “bad” by crossing them out and filling in the gaps with
an alternative expression from the boxes. Pay attention to the context to choose an
appropriate alternative and avoid repetition.
“very good” – alternative expressions
wonderful perfect famous special happy
worthwhile successful excellent
“to think” – alternative expressions
to believe to expect to maintain to feel to suppose
sad
painful
“bad” – alternative expressions
terrible unwell discouraged downcast
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unhappy
difficult
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Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish is a very good _____________________ (1) charity organisation in the United
States. It grants wishes to children between 2½ and 18 years, who suffer from a lifethreatening disease.
5
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A friendly team meets the child to create a vision of a very good _________________ (2)
day. A child may wish to go to a very good _____________________ (3) place (e.g. a theme
park), to be somebody else (e.g. a firefighter, a superhero), to meet a very good
_____________________ (4) athlete or singer or to give a present to somebody (e.g. to
other children, their family, their school).
V
10
15
The Make-A-Wish organisation thinks _____________________ (5) it can bring back hope,
strength and joy to these children’s bad _____________________ (6) lives. The children can
regain their confidence. Doctors think _____________________ (7) that such a very good
_____________________ (8) day often is a turning point in the treatment. The experience
helps the children when they are feeling bad _____________________ (9). The children
turn to the very good _____________________ (10) memories they have for comfort and
strength at bad _____________________ (11) moments.
Make-A-Wish thinks _____________________ (12) the wish also influences the families
who no longer feel isolated and bad _____________________ (13) in their fight against the
disease.
20
The volunteers and donors think _____________________ (14) it is very good
_____________________ (15) to make the world a little better. About 25,000 volunteers
work for the organisation that uses donations to realise these wishes.
1 charity organisation: die Wohltätigkeitsorganisation – 2 to grant a wish: to realise a wish –
5/6 theme park: der Vergnügungspark – 11 to regain sth.: to get sth. back – 12 treatment: die
Behandlung – 19 donor: a person who gives money or goods to an organisation
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How to Improve Your Writing Style (Klasse 10–13)
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S7
M5
Stressing your message – intensifying adverbs
Learn how to underline your thoughts without using “very (much)” with the help of
intensifying adverbs.
V
Task 1: Match the words listed below with the corresponding intensifying adverbs from
the boxes.
affected
disgusting
recommended
ashamed
effective
ridiculous
to believe
impossible
shocked
concerned
to influence
successful
to condemn
likely
wrong
convinced
to oppose
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highly/extremely
utterly/absolutely
(used with words with a positive
connotation or words that express
probability)
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– likely
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(used with adjectives with a
negative connotation)
deeply
(used with feelings)
very
(much)
strongly
(used with verbs that express an
opinion)
Task 2: Choose a combination from task 1 to complete the sentences.
a) The parents were ________________________ when the doctor told them the diagnosis.
b) The ill child ________________________ in the healing power of his superhero.
c) A perfect wish day is ________________________ to give the ill child hope again.
d) Some parents try to profit from Make-A-Wish by asking for an expensive holiday
just for themselves. This wish is ________________________.
e) The volunteers are ________________________ by witnessing the children’s joy and
consequently feel their charity is worthwhile.
80 RAAbits Englisch August 2014
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S8
M6
Task 1
a) Work with a partner, cut out the cards and put them face down on the table. Choose
one of the cards and on your own write down pros and cons of the wish for two
minutes. Do not talk to each other.
b) Discuss: Would you grant the wish1 on the card or dismiss it? Why? If you want to
grant it, what might be the greatest challenges? Use intensifying adverbs (highly/
deeply etc.) to express degrees of e.g. probability or feelings. Be prepared to present
your dialogue in class.
"
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Sam, 5, would like to give cuddly
toys to other patients.
Joyce, 12, would like to have a
flash mob in the hospital.
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Glenn, 14, would like to meet
Lady Gaga.
Kyra, 9, would like to offer a
well-being holiday to her parents.
Dylan, 7, would like to be a
firefighter for a day.
Brenda, 15, would like to have
a large flat-screen TV and an
interactive game console.
Task 2
Choose a wish from the cards and write a formal answer letter to the child’s parents.
Explain why you are going to grant the wish/cannot grant it. Explain the next steps or
give ideas for more realistic wishes. In your letter, use at least 2 intensifying adverbs.
1 to grant a wish: to realise a wish
80 RAAbits Englisch August 2014
© www.Colourbox.com; 1. Bild, 2. Reihe: Thinkstock/Getty Images Entertainment
V
Stressing your message – practise intensifying adverbs
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How to Improve Your Writing Style (Klasse 10–13)
Einzelmaterial 193
S 10
M8
Find out how preposition + gerund constructions help you to vary your sentence structure.
instead of
in spite of
by
without
after
before
for
644474448
useful for
After the prepositions on the
left, the verb is used in the
form of a gerund (-ing).
Example:
-ing
These exercises are useful. They help you
to improve your sentence structure.
� These exercises are useful for improving
your sentence structure.
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Task: Shorten the sentences by using one of the prepositions + gerund listed above.
a) Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani educationalist activist. In the year 2013, she was listed
as the youngest candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize after she fought for girls’ access
to education even in life-threatening conditions.
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b) The eleven-year-old wrote about the Taliban terrorist activities. She also described a
girl’s everyday life in her region when she wrote a BBC blog under a pseudonym from
2009 onwards.
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c) Before the Taliban attacked Malala’s school bus, they spread fear in the region because
they banned girls from attending school, dance, and music. They also blew up a lot of
girls’ schools.
d) Many girls stopped attending school. Malala did not
give up, she continued to go to school and learned for
her exams. On 9th October 2012, the Taliban stopped
Malala’s school bus and asked specifically for her.
After one Taliban shot her in the head and throat, she
had serious life-threatening injuries. Worldwide, there
was an outcry of rage.
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e) Although Malala is famous worldwide, Malala knows
that her autobiography I am Malala has been banned
from thousands of private schools in Pakistan.
f) In Pakistan, some people blame her because she has
become the tool of western forces in their eyes. They
think the western countries use the Taliban’s attack on
Malala for their own political aims but fail to see the
fact that many Pakistani civilians have already died
from American drone attacks.
© Thinkstock/Getty Images News
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Varying your sentence structure – preposition + gerund
Malala Yousafzai
Malala and her family now live in Great Britain. On her 16th birthday, she spoke in front
of the UN and gave them a petition with 4 million signatures asking for a universal
right on education. The UN wants to realise this by 2015. To honour Malala’s activism,
the UN wants to celebrate her cause every year on 10th November on Malala Day.
Text: Manuela Olde Daalhuis; Source: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23241937, www.childrenspeaceprize.org/
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S 13
Kompetenzen
Lexikalische Kompetenz: Sprachliche Mittel zur Schaffung von Textkohärenz und zur
Vermeidung von Wiederholungen einsetzen.
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Grammatische Kompetenz: Komplexe syntaktische Strukturen, die besonders im
schriftsprachlichen Englisch verwendet werden anwenden.
Schreibkompetenz: Notizen und E-Mails verfassen.
Schulung der Lesekompetenz: Einen authentischen englischsprachigen Text bearbeiten.
Niveau
Klasse 10–13
Dauer
1–5 Unterrichtsstunden (je nach Auswahl des Materials)
Einbettung
Die Materialien sind unabhängig vom Lehrwerk einsetzbar. Thematisch ist eine Anbindung an die Bereiche „Being young“, „Being different“, „Making a difference“ und
„Charity work” (Jahrgang 10) sowie „Globalisation“ (Jahrgang 11 bis 13) möglich.
Hinweise
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Die Meinung, der Schreibstil sei reine Geschmackssache, ist weit verbreitet. Aber ein
prägnanter und kohärenter Stil kann trainiert werden. Die vorliegenden Materialien
enthalten Übungen, mit denen die Lernenden umständliche oder unangemessene
Formulierungen sowie Inkohärenz und Wiederholungen in Texten erkennen, und diese
verbessern.
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Zur Durchführung
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1. Stunde: How to write a good text
Als Einstieg sammeln die Schülerinnen und Schüler1 in einem Brainstorming mündlich
Kriterien gelungener Texte. Die Ergebnisse werden stichpunktartig an der Tafel festgehalten.
In M 1 lesen sie in Einzelarbeit Schreibtipps und ordnen in den Text ergänzende Sätze
ein. Im Plenum werden die dort aufgeführten Kriterien eines guten Texts mit den eigenen
vergleichen. M 1 informiert die Lernenden zugleich über die Inhalte der folgenden Stunden: Stilübungen auf der Wortebene (Wortwahl), der Satzebene (Grammatik, Satzbau)
sowie der Ebene von Textabschnitten (Satzverknüpfungen).
Im Anschluss üben die Schüler in Einzel- oder Partnerarbeit, formelles von informellem Englisch (M 2) zu unterscheiden.
2. Stunde: How to choose the right words I
Als Impulseinstieg halten die Lernenden in wenigen Sätzen schriftlich fest, wie für sie
ein perfekter Tag aussehen würde, wenn sie sich alles wünschen dürften.
Sie lesen einen Onlineartikel (M 3) über einen kranken Jungen, der dank der
Wohltätigkeitsorganisation Make-A-Wish einen Tag lang seinen Lieblingshelden Batman
begleiten durfte und beantworten Fragen zum Textverständnis (task 1). Im Text finden
sie Beispiele für formelles und informelles Englisch (task 2).
1
Im weiteren Verlauf wird aus Gründen der besseren Lesbarkeit nur „Schüler“ verwendet.
80 RAAbits Englisch August 2014