This document provides information about teaching writing in Greek, including: 1. An overview of the Greek alphabet and features of Greek grammar like nouns and verbs. 2. Methods for teaching writing to young students, from individual letters to syllables and sentences. 3. Techniques for older students to produce written works like descriptions, interviews, and narratives. These emphasize planning, drafting, and revising. 4. Accommodations for students with dyslexia or dysgraphia, like experimenting with different pens and organizing thoughts before writing.

1. 5 DIMOTIKO SHOLEIO NEAS SMYRNIS February 2018
ATHENS, GREECE
ERASMUS+ - ETWINNING PROJECT
SEMINAR
“Teaching Writing”

2. "Modern Greek" or "Demotic"
"Demotic dialects“
 24 letters (6 vowels, 18 consonants + final small s = ς)
Capital and small forms
Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ο
α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ σ τ υ φ χ ψ ω
Καλώς ήρθατε (=Welcome)
 3 letters for i (η, ι, υ)
 7 diphthongs (αι, αυ, ει, ευ, οι, ου , υι, )
 6 digraphs (μπ, γκ, γγ, ντ, τσ, τζ)
 2 consonants with double consonant sounds (ξ, ψ)
 Every letter corresponds to a sound
 Vowels stressed with an accent ΄ eg. Ελληνική γλώσσα

3.  Nouns, articles, adjectives, pronouns, participles:
o Three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter)
o Two numbers (singular, plural)
o Four cases for both numbers (different endings)
 Verbs
o Two numbers (singular & plural)
o Three persons (in each number)
o Different endings
o Verbs have four moods, three voices, as well as three persons and two numbers.

4. Kindergarten pupils (5-6 years old) can write words in capital letters, their names and
they can read simple words
1st GRADE
Teaching first writing: from the letter to the syllable
A) LETTERS
 Presentation of a model word on a card
e.g. Αεροπλάνο (aeroplane)
 We ask the pupils which letter the shown word starts with.
 They reply that it starts with an /α/.
 We ask them to say words starting with an /α/.
 We write the letter on the board and teach the right direction.
 Pupils write or trace the letter on the board, in the air with their hand, shape it with
playdough or recognize and point to it on cards with words starting with it.

5. B) SYLLABLES
 We write on the board syllables following the pattern consonant-vowel (CV)
κ α → κα
λ α → λα
ν α → να
 we show the pupils syllables on cards and they read them out
πα να κα τα λα
Then, they select whichever syllables they prefer and form words by playing
κα - να – τα
We ask them: “Which sound is the strongest?” and we put an acute accent on the words.
κανάτα
 We write a word on a card and pupils cut it in syllables
κα / νέ / λα
They read out the syllables clapping their hands, separate the word into letters,
κ / α / ν / έ / λ / α κ α ν έ λ α
say loud the letters.
 We give them pictures and they write the corresponding word.

6. C) SENTENCE
Children make sentences using the words taught.
 Word scramble: They put the words in the correct order. We start with a capital letter
and we end with a full stop.
 We write the beginning of a sentence and we ask them to find how it ends. e.g. the
cloud…
 We give them pictures to match with sentences.
 We give them pictures to write a sentence.

7. 2nd GRADE
How we teach written discourse production
The starting point for the production of written discourse can be:
 A picture
The students are asked to write about what they see in it. They describe it highlighting
its main points, the details as well as things that are possibly hidden behind it.
 A lot of pictures in a row
The students are given a lot of pictures and they are asked to describe them one after
another.
 Gap filling
The students are given a story with gaps and they have to fill in the gaps based on
previous knowledge or their personal experience.

8.  Completing stories with beginning or end
The students are given a text without a beginning or an end which they have to
complete based on their previous experience or imagination.
 Questions-Answers
After reading a text, the students are asked to answer comprehension questions
regarding the text.
 Poetry writing
It is about writing poems with rhymes using certain words that are given to the
students.

9. 3rd & 4th GRADES
Production of written discourse - Text creation
Students have a notebook for written discourse.
 The starting point can be:
o subjects-pictures taken from books
o newspaper articles
o visits
o incidents
o life experiences
In all kinds of written discourse there is a title and paragraphs.

10. Kinds of written discourse
1) Instructions-guidelines:
 Description of a building, an object, an animal, a person
o We start the description from the outside to the inside.
o We use several adjectives and adverbs of place, among other things. In the end, we
write about our feelings and what we liked or not.
 Description of a landscape
o We use a top-down approach: we start from the general and then we reach the
particular.
o We first describe big things and then small ones.
o We describe the landscape with a reference to the succession of the seasons.
o We use adjectives.
o We take into consideration all senses (colours, sounds, smells).
o We express our feelings and our thoughts.

11.  Letters
o Writing letters in a formal or informal style.
o Salutation-closing.
o Formal plural.
 Interview
o Targeted questions to real or imaginary persons.
o Text form or comics.
 Story-telling-Narration
o Narrating personal incidents or current issues.
o Referring to our own feelings and the feelings of our heroes.
o Text or a poem.
 Environmental-Cultural issues
We raise students’ awareness about those issues.

12.  Text-poem analysis
Comprehension questions and answers.
 Shortened version of texts
Students find the most important points of a text.
2) Techniques:
 Relevant vocabulary
 Brainstorming
 Questions relevant to the topic

13. 5th & 6th GRADES
Writing a summary
 Step 1
o Read well and understand the text.
o Underline the important phrases or words (key-words).
o Make the paragraph subheadings.
Example: A text (an extract)
Computers and education
The invasion of computers in our everyday life is a fact. Their use has spread to almost every area of ​​human
activity. In education, computers are a new educational tool with distinctive features.
So what is the educational value of computers? First of all, knowledge of their function and capabilities is now an
essential asset. Moreover, computers can make the learning process more interesting. There are educational
programs that have been designed with the aim to make learning a game. Students play and learn.
This does not mean, of course, that their use in education is harmless. The result depends on their proper use.

14. Subheadings
o The entry of computers into modern life.
o The educational role of computers: students not only learn their use but they also
combine learning with playing.
o Proper use of computers is essential.
 Step 2
o Write in the beginning a phrase introducing the subject of the text.
o Follow the order of the text paragraphs.
o Link the subheadings with linking words.
o Mention the author.

16. Working with students with dyslexia or
learning difficulties
What is Dyslexia and Dysgraphia?
Dyslexia and Dysgraphia impact writing and organising thoughts
on paper.
Dyslexia
 Reading problems
 Struggling with writing
Dysgraphia, or written expression disorder impacts
 handwriting,
 the spacing of letters and sentences,
 omitting letters in words,
 lack of punctuation and grammar when writing and
 difficulty organizing thoughts on paper

17. They are both neurological based learning disabilities but both have specific
symptoms. Learning the symptoms, the three types of dysgraphia, treatment and
some accommodations you can make in the classroom to help improve writing and
learning in students with written expression disorder, for example, experimenting
with different style pens can help you find what is most comfortable for your student
and can improve legibility.

18. Understanding Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
How Dyslexia impacts Writing Skills
Students with dyslexia show a significant difference between what they can tell you orally
and what they are able to convey on paper.
Trouble with:
 spelling,
 grammar,
 punctuation and
 sequencing.
Some may have dysgraphia as well as dyslexia. Knowing how this learning disability affects
writing can help you develop specific strategies for working to improve writing skills.

19. Organizing thoughts on paper -
Brainstorming technique
Creating a paragraph
We ask our students to write a paragraph about:
“Taking care of the Earth”

20. Steps to paragraph writing
 Step 1
Assessing
How and what you write depends on you. It depends on the result you want to have.

21.  Step 2
Brainstorming
Thinking and planning before writing

22.  Step 3
Organizing
Organising is crucial to the logic,
clarity and meaning of your writing.

23.  Step 4
Drafting
Start writing!!

24.  Step 5
Revising

25.  Step 6
Proofreading
Clean up your piece of writing… get it ready for
sharing.

26.  Step 7
Final Draft
You have finished!

27. WRITING IN ENGLISH
Controlled writing
 Straight copying.
 Matching pictures and texts given (choose which sentence they want to write about the
picture).
 Organizing paragraphs (putting sentences in the correct order).
 Fill-in exercises (mainly for vocabulary teaching).
 Dictation (half-written sentences - pupils to complete them).

28. Free writing
 Brainstorming (Talking about the subject - writing ideas on the board).
 Word stars (Write key word on board - pupils write down words connected with it).
 Vocabulary charts (Pictures with vocabulary collections).
 Dialogues (written by pupils after they have been acted out - can be used as reading
texts later).
 Pictures (prompts for discussion before writing).
 Collages (We use a picture – pupils write short pieces about a theme - the pieces are
put together in a collage along with some drawings , photographs etc.).
 Group stories (Write short stories in groups ).