This document outlines a process-based approach to teaching writing without requiring students to write full paragraphs or compositions. It involves activating students' prior knowledge through discussion, having them analyze model letters, and practicing the structure and appropriate language. Students brainstorm ideas, evaluate language, and organize their thoughts. They then work with partners to provide feedback and refine their ideas before producing a final draft. The goal is to engage students in higher-order thinking about writing before having them produce full compositions.

1. How to Teach Writing without
Writing a Word
Lucy Valerio, IH Buenos Aires Recoleta

2. Questions
Think of a typical writing lesson:
• How many words do they write?
• How many paragraphs do they write?
• How much of the lesson do they spend writing?

3. 1. Introduce the topic matter e.g. a word puzzle
2. Get the students actively thinking about the
subject matter – but speaking to each other about it
E.g. when was the last time you complained about
something?
Lesson Stages – Stages 1 & 2

4. 3. Provide the students with situations in which they
would complain and they have to decide if they would
write a complaint letter or not.
E.g. Look at the situations below, write yes in the box next to each
situation if you would WRITE a letter of complaint.
Lesson Stages – Stage 3
You travelled first class on a plane
and the food was inedible. The
ticket was £3,000.
You ate in a restaurant and the
waiter spilt red wine on your
white jeans.
There was a dead fly in the
cheese section of your local
supermarket.
You bought an iPod from the
Apple store and it doesn’t work.
You’ve been refused a refund.
You were served cold french fries
at McDonalds.
You bought some smoked
salmon from M&S and when you
got it home it had a beetle in it.

5. 4. Provide the students with some phrases and they have
to decide if they are appropriate for a complaint letter.
E.g. Look at the phrases below – put a tick next to those which are
appropriate to use in a letter of complaint.
Lesson Stages – Stage 4
I am writing to complain about……
Your shop is completely rubbish and the assistant I spoke to was a moron.
If I don’t hear from you in the next 5 days you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.
I bought the item from your shop on …….

6. 5. Provide the students with a jumbled up letter that they
have to put in the correct order.
6. Provide the students with the answer and a second
model complaint letter. They then compare the two and
look for similarities.
Lesson Stages – Stages 5 & 6

7. Lesson Stages – Stage 6
Dear Sir or Madam
Re: Broken CD Player
I am writing to complain about a CD player I bought from
your shop in Manchester on 28th April. The CD player is a
Soundtrax 318, and the number of CD player is SX 16906.
When I got home and tried to play it, it did not work.
I took the CD player back to your shop and the assistant
asked me if I had a receipt. I explained that I had lost it.
The assistant then looked at the CD but could not make it
work. However, he refused to give my money back. He
said that I needed a receipt.
I would like you to refund my money or exchange the CD
player with a new one. Please reply to me at the
address or telephone number above.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Lucy Valerio
Dear Sir or Madam
Re: Broken iPod
I am writing to complain about an iPod I was given as a present
which was bought from the Apple store in Manchester on 28th
April. The iPod is a 4th generation iPod and the number is
562439824. When I was given the iPod I tried to turn it on but it
did not work.
I took the iPod back to your store and the assistant asked me if I
had a receipt. I explained that I did not have a receipt as it was a
present.
The assistant then looked at the iPod but could not make it work.
However, she refused to give my money back. She said that I had
to have a receipt.
I would like you to exchange the iPod with a new one that works.
Please reply to me at the address or telephone number above.
I look forward to hearing from you
Yours faithfully,
Lucy Valerio

8. 7. The structure of the complaint letter is whiteboarded – so
the opening, closing sentences, information in each paragraph
etc.
8. The students are given a situation and then using the
structure on the whiteboard they tell each other their
complaint letters.
9. The students swap partners so that they can fine tune their
complaints.
Lesson Stages – Stages 7, 8 & 9

9. Stage Product Stage Process
1 Model texts are read and features
of the genre are highlighted.
1 Brainstorm ideas. Organise as a
mindmap or lexical spider.
2 Controlled practice of the
highlighted features of language.
2 Extend ideas to not form and
evaluate the usefulness of those
ideas. Eliminate some.
3 Organisation of ideas. 3 Draft ideas in to a rough form.
This is usually done in class.
4 Students are given a writing and
they use the skills to produce the
product.
4 Exchange drafts with peers so
that improvements can be made
as drafts evaluated.
5 Finalise ideas, if required, exchange
with peers to compare to the initial
model text/peers own.
5 Finalise ideas and, if required,
exchange (again) for
comparison/evaluation from
peers.
Two Approaches

10. Two Approaches?
1 Activating schemata Both
2 Students brainstorm ideas Stage 1 PROCESS
3 Students brainstorm some more Stage 1 PROCESS
4 Students extend their ideas and evaluate the usefulness of
the language
Stage 2 PROCESS
5 Students work with a model Stage 1 PRODUCT
6 Students work with two models Stage 1 PRODUCT
7 Students organise their ideas for the specific piece of
writing
Stage 3 PRODUCT
8 Students use the skills to produce the product Stage 4 PRODUCT
9 Students finalise their ideas and compare/evaluate them
with their peers
Stage 4/5 PROCESS
10 S produce the piece of writing Stage 5 BOTH

11. Questions
Now think of a typical writing lesson:
• How many words do they need to write?
• How many paragraphs do they need to write?
• How much of the lesson do they need to spend writing?