Helping Pupils Write Creative Compositions in English

18 March 2010

Focus

This is a whole-day, seven-hour workshop specifically aimed at the Upper Primary level. Its emphasis is on introducing to Upper Primary School teachers effective strategies they can use help pupils learn how to write creative, clear and correct compositions.

Teachers in Singapore schools would find the workshop useful because it provides them with practical tips on teaching good composition writing to Upper Primary pupils and getting the pupils (i) to learn Process Writing techniques and (ii) to use them effectively.

Approach

A practical, hands-on approach to the teaching of Composition at the Upper Primary Level, based on the following sequence, will be used.

1. Exploration of the principal features of composition writing
2. Explanation of the features and their application at the Upper Primary Level
3. Experience in planning the process of composition writing
4. Examining samples of good writing in English

Topics covered

• What is Composition?
• Why do Pupils in Singapore have Problems in Writing Composition?
• Types of Composition - Controlled, Guided, and Free
• Composition and Extensive Reading
• Techniques in Teaching Composition
• Teaching Writing an Outline for a Composition
• Writing Good Paragraphs
• Using visual, audio and video stimuli in teaching creative writing
• Process Writing – Advantages, Steps and Stages
• Editing Techniques: Self-editing and Peer-editing
• Tips on providing helpful Feedback on : Content, Organization, Language, Style and Mechanics
• Pruning and Polishing for:
  • the 4 Cs – Clarity, Completeness, Coherence and Cohesion
  • the 2 CUES – Creative Use of English and the Correct Use of English
• Writing the Final Version
• Some Samples of Good Writing

 

Trainers' Profile

Mr Sundara Rajan


The Workshop Leader, Mr Sundara Rajan, is a Principal Consultant at Educare, Singapore, and has over 45 years’ experience in English Language Teaching and Language Teacher Education in Singapore and the other 9 countries in Southeast Asia, as well as in India, Iran, Papua New Guinea and Taiwan. Mr Rajan was with RELC, Singapore for 22 years and has taught MA, Post-graduate Diploma and Specialist Certificate courses there. He has also managed/conducted a variety of Language Teacher Education courses for teachers from Singapore Schools including the Singapore-Cambridge Certificate Course in English Grammar for Primary and Secondary teachers in Singapore schools. He has also designed and taught a wide variety of courses in oral communication skills.

Mr Rajan has authored/co-authored several books on ELT including Grammar Matters, the best-selling 5-part series, which looks at aspects of the grammar of English that are particularly important to users of English in Singapore and neighbouring countries, and English in Focus, which looks at how grammar operates at the text level.

Mr Rajan’s area of interest include: The Teaching of Grammar at the word, sentence and text levels , ELT Instructional Materials Design, Language Testing and Assessment, Teaching Spoken English Designing Courses in English for Specific Purposes and Oral Communication Skills Development.

 

Mr Duncan Watts

Mr Duncan Watts has over 40 years' experience in teaching Drama, Spoken English and Oral and Written Communication Skills in schools in several countries in Africa and Asia, including Japan and Singapore.

Mr Watts has worked as a Teacher at the British Council, Singapore from 1979 to 1994 and as a news reader at Mediacorp (Radio & TV) Singapore from 1990 to 2004. He has also conducted English Language Courses at various schools in Singapore.

 

Venue & Time

Hersing Hub 743 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, Singapore 319457

9.00am – 5.00pm

 

Fees & Registration

Servicing Schools: $180

Non - Servicing Schools: $230

*Servicing school: A school with support staff (TA, ASA, ICT Exec,etc) engaged from Educare and still in employment in March 2010

 

Application Procedure

1. Download & complete the application form and email  to programmes@educare.sg Principal’s signature will not be required if the application is sent via email. Note, all email application must be copied to the respective school Principal (unless the sender is the school Principal) otherwise; it will not be valid.
2. Alternatively, you could also fax the application form to 6297 7386 (Principal’s signature will be required).