CIE ON-LINE COURSE



Knowledge necessary to undertake this lesson:

Students should have the necessary writing skills to be able to meet IGCSE First Language English Syllabus objectives.

Writing Objectives from the First Language English 0500 syllabus

• Articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined

• Order and present facts, ideas and opinions

• Understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary

• Use language and register appropriate to audience and context

• Make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation and spelling

Reading Objectives from the First Language English 0500 syllabus

1. Understand and collate explicit meanings

2. Understand, explain and collate implicit meanings and attitudes

3. Select, analyse and evaluate what is relevant to specific purposes

Expected learning outcomes:

1. Students’ discursive essay should meet the aims for P3 Q2 highest band.

Content and Structure:

• Write a discursive task, well developed, with logical stages in an overall, sometimes complex argument.

• Each stage should be linked to and follows the preceding one and sentences within paragraphs are soundly sequenced.

Style and Accuracy:

• Fluent: a variety of well made sentences, including sophisticated complex sentences where appropriate, used to achieve particular effects.

• Wide, consistently effective range of vocabulary with appropriately used ambitious words.

• Some use of grammatical devices; assured use of punctuation; spelling accurate.

2. Students should learn how to use a scaffold to improve their writing. (Group A)

Lesson:

1. Whole class: We read the articles. Class discussion based on the topic of ‘Teenage

behaviour nowadays’.

2. Whole class brainstorming ideas: On bb:

Crime

Addictions Spending power

TEENAGER BEHAVIOUR

Absent parents Media

Peer Pressure

Many young people behave badly these days because they do not get enough discipline at home. Parents should be stricter. Do you agree?

Opinion Essay

Writing with scaffolds

Group A

A) Complete the scaffold based on your opinion and the ideas discussed in class.

Many young people behave badly these days because they do not get enough discipline at home. Parents should be stricter. Do you agree?

It is often said that _______________________________________. Fifty years ago, __________________________________________. Today ____________________. The result seems ______________

______________________________________________________.

There are examples of this everywhere.______________(give examples followed by rhetorical question(s))___________________

______________________________________________(finish the paragraph with a general thought)

In spite of what many people claim, I believe _________(state your opinion)_______________. To start with, ____________________

_____________________. I think it is caused by _________ rather than ________________. It seems that nowadays

_____________(give further reasons to support your point). As a consequence ___________________________.

That is, _______(explain the last point)______________________

______________________________________________________.

Another consideration is _________________ (give a further reason supporting your opinion). Clearly __________(explain why is this so) ______________________________________________________.

In other words _________________ (what/ who is responsible for this?) ________.

On the whole, I would argue that _____________(whose opinion do you disagree with?)_____________are missing the point. While it is true that (state the topic of the essay) ________________________________________ it is often because _____________(go back and sum up reasons given above) _______.

______(give your final statement to close the essay, use imperatives) ______________________________________________________.

Group B

WRITING AN ESSAY: Giving your opinion

Many young people behave badly these days because they do not get enough discipline at home. Parents should be stricter. Do you agree?

Things to include in the piece

• Rhetorical questions

• Arguments and supporting points

• Counter arguments and their demolition

• Practical examples

• Conclusion

Language:

• Formal style, active / passive voice, main use of present tense

• Clear statements with (scientific) backup

• Logical flow of sentences, using appropriate connectives

• Use of conditional and modals to discuss possibilities

• Imperative voice at the end to emphasis conclusion

Starting an introduction

It is often said/argued that…

It is a fact that….

Over the past few years, it seems that…

Recently we have all become concerned that…..

In the past, people……..., but now……..

These days it seems that ……….

Nowadays, we are all becoming aware of (the fact that) ….

Giving opinions

I (do not) believe that…. (because)….

Personally, I feel that ….. (as)……

It seems to me that …… This is because ……

I would argue that…..

I feel strongly that ….

I am convinced that ….

I am of the opinion that …..

I am greatly in favour/against….

I am completely opposed to …..

Changing topic

Now let us turn to….

Turning to the question of….

With regard to….

On the question of …

Let us now consider….

A second /Another point I would like to consider is…..

Phrases for accurate statements

Many people believe…

People sometimes fail to….

Showing contrast

Whereas

Although / even though

In spite of / despite

On the one hand, …..(but) on the other hand

However

Nevertheless

Nonetheless

yet

Showing Results

As a consequence

As a result

Because of this

For this reason

Hence

So

Therefore

Thus

Summing up ideas and arguments

To sum up, I tend to think that…

All things considered, I feel strongly that…

In conclusion, I would say that….

Altogether, I would argue…

All in all, I think….

Overall, I believe that…..

Group B:

WRITING AN ESSAY: Giving your opinion

Many young people behave badly these days because they do not get enough discipline at home. Parents should be stricter. Do you agree?

 

Over the past few years, it seems that young people’s behaviour has considerably changed. Many factors can be taken into consideration when thinking about what originates a problematic and even aggressive behaviour in younger generations. Media and an unsupportive home environment are the most common conflicts starring in this daily drama life stories.

 

When looking at education, it always seems to be related to educational establishments; however, education’s basics belong not to teachers but to parents themselves. In the time of our great grandparents, education was done at home with tutors or even one’s parents, it was considered that society’s role in a person’s educational process was essential. Thus schools were made an emblematic institution for mankind. Nevertheless, and once again, strengthening parents major importance in the matter, are they doing what should be done to bring up model-society individuals? If so, why then disobedience and conflictive behaviour is a common social attitude within youths in today’s world?

Competitiveness and financial dominance make parents’ efforts to support a home harder day after day, having to increase the amount of working hours in order to fulfil their family needs. There are also other particular situations in which parents spend more time at work, and it is not for the money, but for professional growth and personal satisfaction. This may not be considered a bad thing itself but, what should be seen as a misconception is the fact of not spending time with your children a priority.

Hence, I am convinced that most of the time discipline is not provided at home not because of parent’s irresponsibility, but for their scheduled busy lives, that leaves children uncared of. Moreover, I feel that the common thought among parents is the fact that they are not the ones to blame for kid’s indiscipline. Schools are responsible for this social phenomenon, they fail to believe.

With regard to the previous points, in the first place, parents should be aware of the situation concerning their absence from home, and the results it brings about, If they made sure they saved some quality time in order to get involved with their youngsters’ feelings and necessities, therefore a more supportive and trustful environment would be created among the family members, which as a result, would contribute to society in a positive way.

On the question of parents making schools responsible for such undisciplined young people, it can be argued that, as previously mentioned, the most important social values are taught at home. Parents, when becoming so should have considered that bringing a person to this world, would involve having to prepare him or her for life. This includes passing down knowledge about their personal experience on dealing with others as well as how to confront moral or practical issues as better as they can.  Not to mention the idea that they cannot just roam around the world with mistaken and –as if it was not enough- aggressive attitudes.

 To sum up, I would argue that what young people need is not strictness but new generations must be taught the basic ideas of primary values such as respect, co-operation and honesty. Bearing this in mind not only would they become better individuals but they would also be contributing to making this a better world. What this uncontrollable and mad world needs are future men and women compromised with each other and with the world itself, making it a place a worthwhile to live in.    

 

Marking:

Content and Structure: Band 2 (10)

Each stage of the argument is defined and developed…., the stages follow in a generally cohesive progression…paragraphs mostly well sequenced.

Style and Accuracy: Band 2 (10)

Mostly fluent…sentences correctly constructed...including complex sentences… mostly varied vocabulary…grammatically correct

Overall mark: 20 / 25

Group A

Writing an Essay: Giving your opinion

Complete the scaffold based on your opinion and the ideas discussed in class.

Many young people behave badly these days because they do not get enough discipline at home. Parents should be stricter. Do you agree?

It is often said that teenagers´ behaviour has worsened in the past few years, which is evidenced by the increasing crime rates in our societies. Most people lay the blame of such misbehaviours on a lack of discipline at home. In fact, fifty years ago, children were educated in traditional homes under the ideals of religion and parents constantly supervising their children’s upbringing, making sure they studied hard and paid their respect to the elders. Today, however, children are practically being raised on their own due to the absence of parents in the home, which obeys to the new role women have in societies, thereafter taking television characters as role models. The result seems far form perfect, girls grow up aiming to turn into anorexic models, who are portrayed as the image of perfection, boys are encouraged to abandon their studies by alcoholic singers and athletes who, seem never to get bored explaining the world how they were discovered while playing in the park when they were supposed to be at school. Hence, children get stressed and depressed, vandalism grows, and kids learn that the way to make people respect them is, ironically, to be disrespectful.

There are examples of this everywhere. In fact, more often than usual we listen on the news about a kid, not older than twelve years old, who has hit his teacher for reprimanding him. Moreover, what is becoming a tradition, not only in the United States but here in Argentina as well, is violence among students. In fact, a number of children who are constantly being bullied by their classmates believe that guns and knifes are the only way to stop with this discrimination in schools and unfortunately they take matters into their own hands. Nonetheless, this is partly accurate since adults tend to believe that discrimination may be eradicated solely by reprimanding the parties involved.

In spite of what many people claim, I believe teenage crime does not lay on the lack of discipline in the home, not solely at least, since children practically never see their parents, and it does not seem fair to me that, when they do get together, kids should be deprived from the love and understanding they truly deserve. Ergo, I believe patterns in teenage behaviour nowadays are caused by a lack of guidance rather than lack punishment in the home. It seems that nowadays being able to ensure your kid a better education by sending him or her to a private school is more important than being there to watch him or her grow. In fact, parents nowadays get caught up in the consumerism world forgetting that their original objective was to see their children happy. As a consequence children learn to connect love with objects. That is, if their parents do not buy them what they desire it is because they do not care for them, consequently, children appear as materialistic people who in fact are looking for affection in the only way their parents taught them to.

Another consideration is what happens to a child who mostly never sees his mother or father and, all of a sudden, they walk in the door scolding him for his poor results at school. Clearly the child will grow up to be a resentful human being who will most probably treat his children in the same way, for we are not able to teach what we were not taught. In other words, if you receive violence there is no possibility for you to give nothing but violence and resentment in return.

On the whole, I would argue that those who state that the solution to misbehavior in our youth these days is to punish them more severely in the home are missing the point. While it is true that most parents celebrate their sons and daughters when they misbehave rather than punish them, it is often because they desire to seize those sporadic moments which they are able to spend with their children by giving them love instead of sermons. Nonetheless, I do believe parents should aim to provide their children with a good education, beginning at home. That is to spend more time with them and teach them that treats will only come as a result of a proper behaviour and, in fact, if they misbehave or give anything but their best in school, such treats will be taken away, and replaced by punishments. This will result in children being raised in a happy and safe environment and will, in turn produce confident teenagers who will lead a better and healthier lifestyle.

Mark:

Content and Structure: Band 2(10)

Each stage is defined…quality of explanation may not be consistent…stages follow a generally cohesive progression…paragraphs mostly well sequenced…

Style and Accuracy: Band 1 (11)

Fluent…variety of well made sentences…complex sentences…effective range of vocabulary… use of grammatical devices…

Overall mark: 21 / 25

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