Teaching Writing

For
Secondary Level

TWO Days ELT Training Programme
Ekata Shisu Niketan
Ratnanagar, Chitwan

Eka Dev Adhikari
NELTA Chitwan Secretary
Marigold English Boarding School
Janajagriti Higher Secondary School

This training session aims at introducing the skill of
teaching writing in the secondary level. The session
sheds lights on the types of writing to be included in
the secondary level with specific focus on how to
teach essay writing. The session duration is planned
to be of one hour and a half and the session
integrates theoretical concept together with
applicable classroom practice.

 At the end of the session, the trainees will be
able to.
 Identify the types of writing to be included in the
secondary level classroom.
 Make use of specific procedure of teaching essay in
the secondary level
 Talk about the need and the importance of
informing about rubrics of writing to the students
before they start they start their writing.

 Writing section of Grade 9 and Grade 10 curriculum
 List of writing types to be used in the secondary level
 Types of essay writing
 Practical example of an essay [five paragraph essay]
 Correction techniques / Rubrics for assessing writing
 Short Story: Elements and Classroom Strategy
 Evaluation Rationale for Story Writing
 News Story: Format and Structure
 References

 PPT Slides or Cutout sheets of Writing
section of Grade 9 and Grade
curriculum
 PPT Slides or handout of a Five
Paragraph Essay (writing technique
and what to be included)
 PPT Slides or Cutout sheets of Writing
rubrics to be considered while
assessing writing.

Mother and son talking after son’s first day in a school

Mother: My dear Prince, what did you learn in your
school today?
Prince: I learnt to write, Mom.
Mother: Oh, that’s nice. What did you write then?
Prince: I don’t know Mom. I haven’t learnt to read
it yet.

What are the different types of
Writing Exercises to be included
in Secondary Level Classroom?

 Paragraphs (Both Grades)
 Describe an Object or Event (Grade 9)
 Narrating a Sequence of Events (Grade 10)
 Transfer information from table to prose or vice
versa. (Grade 9)
 Transfer information from tables, charts and
diagrams to prose or vice versa. (Grade 10)
 Making notes on Variety of Texts. (Both Grades)
 Write about personal experiences creatively
(Both Grades)
 Compose Simple Dialogues (Both Grades)

 Authentic Texts Grade 9):
 (Postcards, Questionnaires, Phone Message, Personal
and Official Letters, News Stories, Advertisement,
Notice such as Condolence and Congratulation)
 Authentic Texts (Grade 10):
 (Personal Official and Business letters, Job Application,
CVs / Bio Data, News Stories and articles, Rules and
Regulations, Advertisements, Notices such as
Condolence Congratulation, Invitation, Greeting )

What are the different types of
Essays to be taught in Secondary
Level Classroom?

 Expository Essay
 Expository essay is a type of writing where the purpose is
to inform, explain, describe, or define the author's subject to
the reader. Expository text is meant to deposit information
and is the most frequently used type of writing by students
in colleges and universities.
 Write several paragraphs on Rivers in Nepal
 Write several paragraphs on Farmers in Nepal
 Write an essay on Patriotism
 Write an essay on a pet dog you have.

Cause and Effect Essay
 A cause and effect essay is a paragraph or essay form
which investigates and analyzes into the causes (rationale,
reasoning and background reasons) along with the effects
(consequences, effects and outcome) for a particular event,
happening, condition or behavior”
 Write an essay on the link of overpopulation and
deforestation.
 Write about the changes taking place in your locality
because of urbanization.
 What is global warming? What things are responsible for
global warming and what are its consequences?
 Write the causes and effects of cigarette smoking.

 Comparison / Contrast Essay
 Compare and contrast essay is one of the numerous
essay subtypes. In this case, as we can easily deduce, the
main objective of this kind of essay is compare any two
items, finding similarities between them, and/or contrast
them, i.e. analyze them critically finding and pointing out
dissimilarities.
 Write an essay on City life and Village life
 Write an essay comparing the hilly regions of the country
with the terai region.
 Your parents are going to move to the village. You
strongly object to it. For this purpose you make the
comparative and contrast analysis of living in the city
with living in the country.

 Argumentative (Pro / con) Essay
 Pros and cons are arguments for or against a particular
issue. Pros are arguments which aim to promote the issue,
while cons suggest points against it.
 Why do you think it is good for the students to go to
school.
 Dowry system is an evil of the society. It must be
abolished. Give your opinion about it.
 Others (Literary Analysis, Character Analysis)

1. The Essay in the Examination is the part of Writing Skill. The
question carries 12 marks and a maximum of 25 minutes can
be allotted to it during the examination (more precisely 22
minutes)
2. If the pupils saved some more time from other reading section,
they can give a bit more time for it.
3. The essay is about an issue or a subject of general interest and
more possibly contemporary issues (like Tourism year 2011).
The essay topic will require you to present your opinion or
explain your views about the assigned topic.
4. You have a maximum of 25 minutes to plan, and write, your
essay. You can use rough paper for the outline or mind map the
outline yourself by brainstorming it. You are required to write the
essay neatly in the paper provided.

1. Your Writing will be evaluated on the basis of Range of
vocabulary, Sentence building, Completion of content,
Cohesion and Coherence, Errors in Spelling Grammar
and Punctuation. So, you must be careful in these fields.

1. Though the full marks of your essay is 12 marks, the
marks are divided under different sub headings and so if
you are able to make sure what the division will be then
you can plan and design your essay as per the need.

1. Read the question carefully until you are sure that
you know what the question asks.
2. Decide what your answer will be.
3. Brainstorm your ideas and the outline of the essay.
Use rough paper to jot down notes, ideas, a basic
outline, or any other interesting things that you wish
to include in your essay.
4. Check your notes / ideas for the content and the
organization of the essay. Scratch out anything that
is off topic. To be on topic, everything must answer,
explain, or support your answer to the essay
5. Now organize your notes and ideas. Organize your
essay in at least in a 4 – 5 paragraph plan.
Eka Dev Adhikari

1. Once you like the look of your plan, write it neatly into
an actual essay. Expand your notes and outline by
using complete sentences and by adding complete
explanations that include specific details and
examples. Be sure that all the details and examples
you provide in your essay are directly relevant to your
response to the essay topic. In other words, stay on
topic!
2. Once you have finished your essay, check for errors and
make corrections by crossing out with a single line (and
write the correction above the line if necessary).

 Is the entire essay on topic?
 Did you write in complete sentences? Every
sentence should have a subject and verb.
 Make sure your essay is about a page to two
pages in length. Your essay should not be shorter
than 200 words, or way too long essay is also not
desirable.
 Check for errors in spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, and everything else you have that
might make the writing less specific.

1. First paragraph (Introduction): This introductory
paragraph must include your ANSWER to the
question. It’s a great idea to include the essay
topic/question in your answer. For example, if the
essay question asks you if you prefer to live in the
city or the country, you could start your essay by
writing the following: If I had to choose between
living in the city or the country, I would choose the
country………..Now add three supporting ideas.
Again, just list them briefly. This paragraph does not
have to be too lengthy. four to five sentences would
be fine.
2. Second paragraph (body): This paragraph is all
about the first supporting detail that you mentioned
in paragraph one. It should be, at least 5-6
sentences in length.

3. Third paragraph (body): This paragraph is all about the
second supporting detail that you mentioned in
paragraph one. Again, it should be, at least, 4-6
sentences in length.
4. Fourth paragraph (body): This paragraph is all about
the third supporting detail that you mentioned in
paragraph one. Try to write 4-6 sentences.
5. Fifth paragraph (conclusion): Your concluding
paragraph will be very similar to your introductory
paragraph. Include your answer to the question and
your 3 supporting ideas. This paragraph can be very
short.

Essay Topic: Tell about a hobby that you have
and why it is important to you. Use your
personal observations, experience, and
knowledge to support your essay.

Blue = topic sentence Pink = 1st subtopic
Green = 2nd subtopic Purple = 3rd subtopic
Orange = conclusion

I started collecting teddy bears when I was a
little girl. My grandfather bought my first bear
for me. Each one reminds me of a different
part of my life. I have passed my collection on
to my daughter. Collecting teddy bears has
really brought out a lot of joy to my life.

Pink = 1st subtopic
Black = supporting details

My grandfather started my teddy bear
collection. He had just returned from Italy
with a big red box for me. Inside was a
beautiful Mohair bear with a pink bow
around its neck. Since that day, I've added
many bears to my collection.

Green = 2nd subtopic

ach time I look at one, it reminds me of different
times in my life. I remember a time that my dad
spent forty dollars at the fair trying to win me a bear
worth about two dollars. Every Christmas there was
always a teddy bear sitting under the tree. Collecting
bears has also helped to collect memories.

Purple = 3rd subtopic

have passed my teddy bear collection on to
my daughter. I've also added a few since she
was born. I hope they bring her the same
happiness they've brought me. When she gets
older, collecting could be something we can
share.

Orange = Conclusion

My grandfather had no idea what he started
when he brought that first bear home. Anytime
I'm feeling down, I can just pick up a bear and I
can be reminded of a happier time. I hope that
someday my daughter will pass them on to her
own daughter as I have passed them to her.

I started collecting teddy bears when I was a little girl. My grandfather bought
my first bear for me. Each one reminds me of a different part of my life. I have
passed my collection on to my daughter. Collecting teddy bears has really
brought out a lot of joy to my life.
My grandfather started my teddy bear collection. He had just returned from
Italy with a big red box for me. Inside was a beautiful Mohair bear with a pink
bow around its neck. Since that day, I've added many bears to my collection.
Each time I look at one, it reminds me of different times in my life. I remember
a time that my dad spent forty dollars at the fair trying to win me a bear worth
about two dollars. Every Christmas there was always a teddy bear sitting under
the tree. Collecting bears has also helped to collect memories.
I have passed my teddy bear collection on to my daughter. I've also added a few
since she was born. I hope they bring her the same happiness they've brought
me. When she gets older, collecting could be something we can share.
My grandfather had no idea what he started when he brought that first bear
home. Anytime I'm feeling down, I can just pick up a bear and I can be
reminded of a happier time. I hope that someday my daughter will pass them on
to her own daughter as I have passed them to her. [252 words]

Patriotism
Patriotism means love of mother country. People do have patriotic feelings to
the nation for a long time in history. A patriot loves his mother-land and these
patriots are loved by the whole country. Extreme patriotism sometimes might
bring a nation into trouble. There were great patriots in our country who
sacrificed their lives for the sake of country. Patriotism is considered as a
commendable quality that everyone should have within him.
Since the French Revolution the idea of nation and nationalism has occupied the
mind of people. Since, the beginning of nation and nationalism patriotism, is
hailed as a lofty quality with a person. The patriots sometimes sacrifice their
lives for the good of their respective countries. This spirit of sacrifice has made
patriotism a highly noble quality. Since there is the spirit of sacrifice in
patriotism, patriotism is certainly justified. We have some duty towards the
country in which we are born and live. So, the poet. S.W. Scott has said –
"Breathes there the man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said.
This is my own, my native land".

Patriotism is no doubt useful in the interest of the country and the nation. The
nation is strongly built upon the sacrifice of the patriots. The patriots give their
money, time, energy and life for the good of the country. A patriot think of his
country. He wants that his country should be great and prosperous. He wants that
his country should be ideal in every field. So, patriotism is highly useful. Because
it makes the people to think of their own country.
The extreme form of patriotism is not desirable. Because the blind patriots do not
care for the humanitarianism. They forget that they are the members of a greater
society which is called the human society. They forget the interest of the human
beings as a whole. They forgets justice when they think of their country's interest.
They believe in the principle 'My country, right or wrong'. He might commit many
wrong things in the interest of his country. It is really not good. We should think in
the term of one world and one human society. We should contemplate a world-
Government.
We had great patriots in our country like Dasharath Chand, Dharmabhakta,
Sukraraj Sastri and Gangalal Shrestha. Their sacrifice is now proverbial. But they
were also thinking of the world as a whole. They have sacrificed their entire life
for the benefit of the country for the freedom of people and for the good of the
nation rather than their personal benefit.
Patriotism is no doubt a good quality. But we should always avoid the dark side of
patriotism. We should not forget justice and fair play when we think the interest of
our own country. A patriot should be a humanitarian first and foremost, then only
he can be a true patriot.

Outline of the Essay Patriotism

 First Paragraph: Introduction
 Second Paragraph: Justification
 Third Paragraph: Usefulness
 Fourth Paragraph: Dark side of patriotism
 Fifth Paragraph: Great patriots
 Sixth Paragraph: Conclusion:

1. WHY Essay: explain with 3 reasons
2. HOW Essay: explain 3 ways how
something can be done
3. WHY and HOW Essay: Make sure you
include both reasons why and ways it
can be done. You may want to just
include 2 longer paragraphs in the body
of this essay. That would make this
one a 4 paragraph essay (introduction,
why paragraph, how paragraph,
conclusion).

1. COMPARE AND CONTRAST: You are comparing and
contrasting two things. Again, this is better to answer
in 4 paragraphs (introduction, paragraph explaining
the similarities, paragraph explaining the differences,
conclusion).
2. CAUSES: Explain three things that might cause
something to happen.
3. EFFECT: Explain three results of something that has
happened.
4. LIST AND GIVE EXAMPLES: Provide three items in
your explanation. Then in the body of the essay list
again the three items, and give several examples of
each of these items.

Transitions are signals that help readers follow the
direction of the writer’s thoughts. They are like
signposts on the road that guide travelers. Here are
examples of some common transitional words or
phrases, grouped according to the kid of signal they
give to the readers.
ADDITION SIGNALS: first of all, for one thing,
second, the third reason, also, next, another, and, in
addition, moreover, furthermore, finally, last of all
TIME SIGNALS: first, then, next, after, as before,
while, meanwhile, now, during, finally
SPACE SIGNALS: next to, across, on the opposite
side, to the left, to the right, in front, in back, above,
below, behind, nearby

Eka Dev Adhikari

 CHANGE OF DIRECTION SIGNALS: but,
however, yet, in contrast, otherwise, still, on the
contrary, on the other hand
 ILLUSTRATION SIGNALS: for example, for
instance, specifically, as an illustration, once,
such as
 CONCLUSION SIGNALS: therefore,
consequently, thus, then, as a result, in
summary, to conclude, last of all, finally

Eka Dev Adhikari

Scores 0 1 2 3 4
Areas Useless Inadequate Marginal Adequate Effective

The Writer has started The writer has made a good
The writer has made a
Content In case the writer The Writer has made a good start and led ahead with the
with the topic but has good start and led ahead
hasn’t attempted or start with the topic but is not supporting details but
(Range of Words and strayed from the with the supporting
written something able to guide the thought somewhere lacks the
details and concludes in a
Completion of Task) irrelevant to the topic mainstream of the towards the mainstream. communication and is a bit
suitable way
topic incomplete.

Language The writer hasn’t has made a use of minimum The writer has made a The writer has made
has connected with the good use of language an excellent use of
Sentence Structures, attempted to write or the grammatical and syntactic
topic but the language
writing is completely
structure and grammatical
structure of the language with very few language with
Grammar and irrelevant to the topic of with still a considerable grammatical and almost no
inaccuracies are abundant
Punctuation the question. amount of inaccuracies
syntactical inaccuracies. inaccuracies.

The writer has made an
The Writer hasn’t The writer has made an The writer has organized his The writer has organized
outline with the necessary
attempted the to write or outline and has moderately points well with very less the writing perfectly and
Organization the writing is completely
supporting details but fails
arranged them in a miscommunication with the the organization meets
to arrange them into
irrelevant to the topic somewhat plausible order topic the requirement
logical order

Short Story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually
written in prose, often in narrative format. This
format tends to be more pointed than longer works
of fiction, such as novellas and novels.
The concern of our short story in the classroom
are fables and parables rather than those literary
short stories, however, the need to understand the
elements of writing short story can never be
undermined. The elements of short stories can be
seen as below

Elements of Short Story
• Setting
 Time, Place, Weather Condition, Social Condition,
Mood or Atmosphere
 Character
 Protagonist, Antagonist
 Plot
 Introduction, Rising Action, Climax / Turning Point,
Falling Action, Resolution / Denouement
 Point of View
 First Person, Second Person, Third Person
 Theme
 Moral

Classroom Strategy in Writing Short
Story
 Write a good title
 In the first paragraph introduce the character or the
characters into the setting
 In the second paragraph describe the plot in detail
 In the third or final paragraph write the moral.
 (Rather than writing a single line moral, explain the
meaning of it with the reference to the story that is
written.)

Rationale of Evaluation in Story
 A good and appropriate title: 1 mark
 The flow of language and expression of the
clued message: 1mark
 Content of the story and its appropriateness:
2 marks
 Appropriate moral 1 mark
 Grammatical correctness: 1 mark

Example
•Title!

•Awolf – hungry due to lack of game – a flock of
sheep – couldn't get near – the dogs and
shepherd guarded the flock – found a skin of a
dead ship – gets mixed up with the flock – a
lamb follows thinking it its mother – leads it to a
cave – feasts on it – Moral.

Appearance can be deceptive
•Once in a forest there was a wolf. It was growing old and so couldn't cover
much distance for a game. It made him hungry. It had really been long since it
had hunted so it was dearly in need of a game to carry on with his daily
activities.
•A flock of sheep used to come to graze near the forest. Once or twice the fox
tried to snatch at a few of those animals to make them food, but the shepherd
and the dogs guarded the flock with such alert that none of the attempts could
really yield him anything. One day he found the skin of a dead ship. The wolf
put on the skin and got mixed up with the flock. A lamb started following the
wolf thinking it was its mother because the wolf was covering its body with the
skin of the lamb's mother that had died. The wolf led the lamb to a cave and
satisfied its hunger by feasting on the lamb. The poor lamb never had thought
that the wolf could be inside the skin of its mother as a result it was waylayed
and devoured by the cunning wolf.
•From this story we get a moral lesson that appearance can be deceptive. We
shouldn't believe everything we see without questioning it. If the poor lamb
had realized that inside the skin there lived the cruel wolf he would never have
lost his life.

News Story
News style (also journalistic style or news writing style) is
the prose style used for news reporting in media such as
newspapers, radio and television. News style encompasses
not only vocabulary and sentence structure, but also the way
in which stories present the information in terms of relative
importance, tone, and intended audience.
News writing attempts to answer all the basic questions
about any particular event - who, what, when, where and
why (the Five Ws) and also often how - at the opening of the
article. This form of structure is sometimes called the
"inverted pyramid", to refer to the decreasing importance of
information in subsequent paragraphs.

Elements of News Story
 Heading
 Mini Sentence: so that the readers can grasp the
meaning of the whole text
 Byline
 Place of News, Date of News, Reporting Agency
 Body
 Information
 Detailed news
 Reports of people and any consequences of the
event

Classroom Strategy in Writing News
Story
 Write a good Headline
 Write a byline eg. Kathmandu, July 23 (RSS)
 In the first paragraph introduce the news. Write
who, what, when, where, why
 In the second paragraph write the news in detail.
Write every detail of the news
 In the third paragraph write the reports of people or
the consequences of the incident and similar things
like compensation, report of authorities and so on.

Rationale of Evaluation in News
Story
 A Headline and Byline: 1 mark
 Link of the paragraphs and their
appropriateness: 1mark
 Body of the news story and the content: 2
marks
 Grammatical correctness: 2 marks

Example
•Write a news story with the help of the
following outline.
•Flying to Kathmandu from Pokhara – thick
clouds – hit the TV tower – caught fire – all
passengers die – Rs. 500,000 as
compensation.

15 Die at a Plane Crash
Kathmandu, August 8 (RSS)
A plane flying to Kathmandu crashed here at Thankot
killing all 15 crew on board.
The plane, that belonged to Nepal Airlines, had taken off
from Pokhara for Kathmandu with its 11 passengers and
4 crew members. According to the local people the plane
had lost its way due to thick fog as a result it hit the TV
tower, caught fire and crashed to the ground. All the
passengers and the crew members died on the spot.
The NA authorities say that the news of the accident has
really made them grief-stricken. The government has
announced to give Rs. 500,000 to the family members of
the victim as a compensation.

References
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_story
 http://www.123helpme.com/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_style
 http://www.writeawriting.com/

 What did you learn from the session today?
 What did you like the best in the session today?
 What did you feel lacked in the session today?
 Any feedback and suggestion you want to give to the
presenter.
 What do you expect to get in future sessions?

Any comment and suggestions are welcome at
ekadev@ntc.net.np

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