This document describes the grammar-syntax-organization approach to teaching writing. It emphasizes having students focus on grammar, syntax, and organization simultaneously when writing. Activities include having students describe pictures using guided questions, complete partial sentences to form paragraphs, combine sentence fragments into full sentences, and create conversations based on prompts. The goal is to link writing purpose, form, and message.

1. THE GRAMMAR-SYNTAX-
ORGANIZATION APPROACH
Team:
Chavez Ganillo Saratiel
Espinosa Camacho Karla
Tapia Fernández Diana

2. What is it?
• According to M. Scott (1996, p. 146) this
approach requires students to focus on several
features of writing at once.
• “The writing tasks are designed to make
students to pay attention to grammar and syntax
while also giving them words such as first, then,
and finally to organize their text.” (M. Scott,
1996, p.146)

3. Emphasis
• Grammar + syntax + organization.

4. Focus
• To make a link between:
▫ Purpose
▫ Form
▫ Message

5. Activities
• Organizing and also choosing appropriate
grammar and vocabulary.

6. Simple Description with Visuals
• Have students examine a picture and ask
them to name the objects in it.
• Then ask students to write a paragraph to
describe the picture. The procedure for
the activity may be as follows:

8. Simple Description with Visuals
1. Look at the picture.
2. Label the objects in the picture, then write a
paragraph to describe the picture.
* Provide students with expressions and
language structure, such as: “In the
classroom there is” and have students complete
the paragraph.

9. Completing a Description Paragraph
Function Words
• Give students a picture and have them
complete a description by supplying the
prepositions and expressions required by the
context.
• The procedure for this activity may be as
follows:

10. Completing a Description Paragraph
a) Examine the picture and complete the paragraph:
• This is a picture of Mary’s room. Her bed is ____
the window. ____ the bed and the window is a
small chest of drawers. There is a bookcase ____
her bed on the ____. She has a radio that is ____
the book case, and she puts her books _____ the
book case ______ three shelves. _____ the room.
She has a very nice desk where she prepares her
work for school.

11. Writing a Description from Questions
• Have students examine a picture and use
a set of questions as a guide to write a
short description of the picture.
• The procedure for this activity may be as
follows:

12. Writing a Description from Questions
A. Examine the picture and write a description of it,
using the questions below as guide lines.
Questions :
1. Does Alexa have a nice room?
2. What kind of things does she have in the room?
3. What do you like in Alexa’s room?
4. Do you have a room like Alexa’s room?
B. Describe your room in a few sentences.

14. • Show the picture of a group of people sitting
somewhere and talking.
• Ask the following questions and ask them to
form a conversation based on it.
a) Who do you think are talking?
b) Where are they sitting?
c) What are they talking about?
Make a conversation for the situation.

16. Slash Sentences
• Give students a set of sentence cues and
have them write a short narrative
paragraph.
• The procedure for this activity may be as
follows:

17. Slash Sentences
A) Make complete sentences according to the model.
Model: The Smiths / Summer / in the country/ spend
The Smiths spend Summer in the country.
1. all / family / In the morning / to get up / arround /
8’oclock.
2. Mr. Smith / the kitchen / coffee / to prepare / to go
down strairs.
3. his / wife / then / breakfast / to go outside / in / the
garden.
B) Join the sentences into one single paragraph

18. Sentence Combining
• Give students a set of propositions and have
them combine them into complete sentences.
The procedure for this activity may be as follows:
• Provide students with set of propositions:
1. The man is tall.
2. The man has dark hair.
3. The man is standing by the door.
4. The man looks suspicious
• Have students combine the propositions in one
sentence.

19. Sentence Combining
a) Join the following sentences to create a single
one.
1. The man is tall.
2. The man has dark hair.
3. The man is standing by the door.
4. The man looks suspicious

20. References
• M. Scott, V. (1996). Teaching foreing language
writing. In Rethinking Foreign Language
Teaching (p. 146). Boston: Heinle & Heinle
Publishers.
• Ghaith, G. (February 11, 2002). Writing.
Retrieved on September 19, 2011. From
http://www.nadasisland.com/ghaith-
writing.html#approaches