Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education

Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

Dear Emerging Writer,

Welcome to Writing to Become a Better English Teacher!

The primary goal of this module is to introduce you to the four-step writing process to improve
your English academic writing skills. We recognize that, although many of you have already
been teaching high school English for a number of years, few of you have had sufficient
opportunities to develop your own writing proficiency. This course intends to address this by
having you write, write, and write!

By the end of this course you will have completed:

 1 Personal Essay (3-5 paragraphs)  3 classroom contributions
 Weekly journal reflections  Writing Teacher “Test Drive”
 In-class writing exercises you can use in  Instructor-Trainee Consultation
your own classroom (optional)
For some of you, you will be getting more writing practice in one month at GIFLE than your entire
undergraduate university career! (How’s that for practice?)

Secondly, you will be encouraged to reflect on your motivation and development as a Korean high
school English teacher. We believe that any sincere attempt to answer the all-important “Why?” and “What?”
questions are always a fruitful experience, especially when it comes to teaching. As teacher trainers, we have
observed that when a teacher can thoughtfully answer, “Why do I teach?” and “What must I do to become a
great teacher?” their perceptions of themselves and their students become more hopeful. When a teacher is
confident in their purpose in the classroom, not surprisingly, the “How can I actually achieve this?” question
also becomes a lot easier to answer. Thus in this module, we will be spending a lot of time challenging you to
think more deeply about your own teaching practice and giving you ample opportunities to write about it
through periodic journaling.

Finally, having explored some of your motivations and philosophies behind your teaching, you will be
introduced to various practical lesson strategies that you can use in your own high school context. The main
way we’ll be doing this is through the “Writing Teacher Test Drive” , a chance for you to experiment and analyze
different writing activities before sharing them with your students. In addition, throughout the course we will
be introducing many other writing activities that you can adapt in your own English classroom.

In our brief month together, we hope you will experience the unique joy that comes from the best kind
of writing, true expressions of the mind and heart. Indeed, writing of this soulful nature is one crucial step to
becoming a better English teacher, both for your students and yourself.

All the best on your upcoming writing journey!

Christian Poon Darren Ng

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010
1. Course Information

Course Title: Writing to Become a Better English Teacher

Christian Poon gifle.writing.christian@gmail.com
Instructors:
Darren Ng gifle.writing.darren@gmail.com
Course Website: http://giflewriting.pbworks.com

2. Course Objectives

1. We will help you improve your writing skills.

Trainees will improve their proficiency in English essay writing through various individual and
group writing activities, and an optional consultation session with their instructor (Sessions 1-6). By
the end of the course, trainees should be able to independently produce a 3-5 paragraph essay,
comparable to a paper written by a first year native English university student.

2. We will show you how to teach writing in your English classroom.

Trainees will learn how to teach writing in their own English classrooms by being introduced to
various practical writing lesson strategies and activities. This objective will primarily be achieved
through the “Teacher Test Drive” in Sessions 7-9 and in-class writing exercises throughout the
course.

3. We will encourage you to reflect on your teaching through writing.

Trainees will reflect on the questions, “Why do I teach?” and “How can writing help me be a better
English teacher?” through periodic journal reflections, in-class discussions, and completing their
personal essay.

3. Important Due Dates

Session due Assignments *

1 N/A
2 Review course syllabus AND Select your essay topic
3 Finish Prewriting exercise
4 Write your Thesis statement.
5 Complete your Introduction paragraph.
6 Complete your body paragraph(s).
7 Complete your concluding paragraph
8 Final essay is due.
9 Present and submit Writing Teacher Test Drive
10 Complete “I wish they told me that!” letters (in-class)

Writing Reflection Journal entries are due at the beginning of each class.
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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

4. Evaluation

Section Marks Description

You will compose an essay 3-5 paragraphs in length.

Personal Essay 60 (See handout for more details)

Beginning with a clear objective, you will “test drive”

Writing Teacher (plan, demonstrate, and discuss) a writing activity that you could
40 use in your own English classroom.
“Test Drive”
(See handout for more details)

You will earn points for extra contributions that benefit the
classroom community. E.g. quotes, poetry, lesson ideas, articles,
Classroom Contributions 15 etc.

3 Contributions = 15 Marks.

At the end of each class you may be given a reflection question to

answer in your Written Reflection Journal. (WRJ)

Writing Reflection Journal 16 You will be expected to submit your WRJ 2X throughout the
course.

2 WRJ Submissions = 16 Marks.

Participation 5 For basic attendance and participation.

Total: 136 Marks

Late Assignment Policy

Trainees are expected to hand-in their assignments at the due dates indicated by their instructor. Failure
to do so will result in a 5% deduction per day towards their assignment. If a trainee is unable to hand-in
their assignment at the assigned due date, the trainee should request an extension from their instructor at
least 24 hours ahead of time.

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010
5. Course Schedule

Session 1: Welcome to WB BET!

Aims
• Trainees will be introduced to the course and their instructor.

• Trainees reflect upon questions such as “Why is teaching writing important?”, “What fears do I have about writing?”,
“How do I overcome my fears for writing?” through the Pile Game activity.

• Trainees will compare the differences between speaking and writing and address common writing misconceptions.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. Trainee and instructor introductions 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ
2. Speaking versus writing 2. Choose your essay topic
3. Common misconceptions about writing 3. Review course syllabus
4. The Pile Game
5. Syllabus overview and introduction to the Personal Essay

Session 2: The 4-Step Writing Process

Aims
• Trainees will be introduced to the 4-Step Writing Process (Prewriting, Writing, Editing, and Sharing) as one strategy to
improve their writing efficiency and effectiveness. Special attention in this class will be given to the first step of this
process, pre-writing.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. The 4-Steps of Writing: An Overview 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ
2. How to Pre-write 2. Complete Pre-writing for your essay
3. How to properly format your essay 3. Sign-up for an instructor consultation (optional)

Session 3: Essay Structure

Thesis Formula
Aims
• Trainees will learn how to identify the essential parts of an essay and reproduce these elements in their own writing.

• Trainees will be introduced to the Thesis Formula and learn how to construct their own thesis statements.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. Components of an effective paragraph and essay 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ

2. “Mixed Up” Essay re-ordering exercise 2. Sign-up for a consultation (optional)

3. How to write a good Thesis, using the “Thesis Formula” 3. Compose a thesis statement for your essay

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

Session 4: Writing Introductions

Do’s and Don’ts in English Writing
Aims
 Trainees will review the components of an effective introduction and learn how to express opening ideas that engage
their reading audience.
 Trainees will learn the importance of continuous editing in the writing process through editing their classmate’s thesis
statements.
 Trainees will learn how to identify and correct common EFL writing errors.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. In-class editing and sharing: your thesis statement 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ

2. Do’s and Don’ts in English academic writing 2. Sign-up for a consultation (optional)
3. Write a 5-7 sentence introduction paragraph
3. Effective Intro’s: engaging hooks and supporting details.

Session 5: Writing Body Paragraphs

and Creating Flow
Aims
 Trainees will learn the components of an effective body paragraph and how to use examples to develop their ideas.
 Trainees will learn how to use linking words and other methods to improve their essay’s cohesion and coherence
(flow).

Class Schedule Assignments

1. In class editing and sharing: your introduction paragraph 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ
2. How to write effective body paragraphs 2. Write your body paragraph (s)
3. Creating flow (cohesion and coherence)

Session 6: Writing Conclusion Paragraphs

and the Importance of Proper Referencing
Aims
• Trainees will review the components of an effective conclusion and how to succinctly “wrap up” their main ideas.

• Trainees will learn how proper referencing increases the credibility of their writing and avoids plagiarism.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. In-class editing and sharing: your body paragraph 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ

2. Effective conclusions: Reflection not repetition! 2. Write your conclusion paragraph

3. Why is proper referencing is so important?

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

Session 7: Error Correction

and Descriptive Writing
Aims
• Trainees will learn several ways to correct errors and give feedback to their peers and high school students.

• Trainees review the elements of the Descriptive writing genre and explore how it can be used in a high school English
class.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. Correcting our students’ (and our own) writing errors 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ

2. The best (and worse) ways to give student feedback 2. Your Personal Essay is due next class!

3. Describe This! Using descriptive writing templates to get our

students to describe their world

Session 8: Planning a Writing Class

and Narrative Writing
Aims
• Trainees will be given an overview to planning for a high school writing class, answering the question,
“Before I get my students to write, what are some things I should consider?”
• Trainees will be introduced to several controlled and free-writing activities and discuss their respective pro’s and
con’s.
• Trainees review the elements of the Narrative genre and explore how it can be used in a high school English class.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. Planning a Writing Class: An Overview 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ

2. Help me! The pro’s and con’s of controlled and free writing 2. Prepare your Writing Teacher “Test Drive” for
3. Once Upon A Time… Using narrative writing templates to get next class!

our students to tell their stories.

4. Introduction to the Writing Teacher “Test Drive” assignment

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

Session 9: Writing Teacher “Test Drive”

And Adapting Our Lessons to Different Learners
Aims
• In groups of 2 or 3, trainees will “test drive” different writing activities for use in their own class through a brief group
presentation, in-class discussion, and group analysis.

• Trainees will reflect on the importance of planning lessons that appeal to different learning styles.

• Trainees will identify their own learning preferences and learn how this can create “blind spots” in their lesson
planning.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. Writing Teacher “Test Drive” 1. Answer your reflection question(s) in your WRJ
2. Discussion: Lessons that Appeal to All Learners

Session 10: I Wish They Told Me That!

Letters to Future GIFLE Trainees
Aims
• Trainees will reflect on their development as a writer and a teacher by composing a letter that gives advice to future
trainees about the WB BET course.
• This activity will also review another writing genre trainees can use in their own writing classes.
• Trainees will be introduced to additional online and offline writing resources to supplement their ongoing
development as emerging writers and English educators.

Class Schedule Assignments

1. “I Wish They Told Me That!” letter writing activity 1. Return to your schools and apply everything
2. Suggested Online and Offline Resources you have learned to create engaging writing

3. End of course Reflection classes in your high school!

6. Recommended Reading
For a complete list, please go to the RESOURCES section on our GIFLE Writing website:

http://giflewriting.pbworks.com

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010

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 Gyeonggi-do Institute for Foreign Language Education
Secondary Teachers’ Intensive Program, October 11 to November 10, 2010