2.3 Bases teóricas
2.3.9 Tipos de rentabilidad empresarial
The purpose of teaching this process is to provide explicit instruction to students on how to write, in this example, an effective factual paragraph, keeping in mind the characteristics of students with writing difficulties and the principles of effective instruction.
The writing process will be taught using the acronym POWER:
• Prepare • Organise • Write • Edit • Rewrite.
The sequence of lessons provided in this document teaches the writing of factual paragraphs using the POWER strategy and is adapted from the paper, Teaching Writing Skills to Students with Learning Problems, presented by Steve Isaacson, Portland State University, at a workshop in Sydney in 2000.
Please note: The lesson sequence described here is only one example of how a teacher could structure a series of lessons to develop students’ skills in planning, writing and editing a paragraph. The sequence should be adjusted where necessary to suit specific student needs.
Implementation
Lesson 1: Examining a well written factual paragraph
• Introduce the factual paragraph by clarifying its purpose and intended audience; for example, ‘to explain something to others with facts’.
• Present a short but well written example. Read it together and point out the typical features. List the typical features.
Typical features of a factual paragraph
The factual paragraph includes the most relevant information about the topic. A factual paragraph often has more than one sentence.
The first sentence tells the topic and outlines the main idea. All the other sentences are about the topic.
The sentences tell facts, not opinions.
The sentences provide details, examples or arguments that support the main idea.*
Some paragraphs have a conclusion sentence that summarises the main idea. It may also lead the reader to the topic of the next paragraph.*
Helpful hint:
Depending at which stage the students are, you may decide not to list all the typical features. The features with an asterisk (*) may be left for another lesson.
P
repare • Pick a topic related to a planned unit of work. (Ensure the students have the field knowledge.)• Use the ‘think sheet’ to write down your ideas. • Write the main idea.
O
rganise • Cross ideas you won’t use. • Group ideas that go together.• Number ideas in the order you want to write about them.
W
rite • Write your facts as sentences. • Use paragraph form.Helpful hints:
When modelling remember to:
• use an overhead projector or large chart paper, so the students can see you write
• model each step of the strategy • think aloud
• use a common language and keep it simple • ask questions to keep students’ attention:
– let students offer their ideas; compare ideas – check their understanding of important points.
(Example: ‘What does the P stand for in POWER?’ ‘I did three things during Prepare. What was the first thing I did?’ ‘What was the second?’ etc.) • Model the writing of the first draft (W) from ‘think sheet’ ideas.
• If time permits, present another well written example. Turn the typical features into typical questions like the ones below.
Typical questions about a factual paragraph Does it have more than one sentence?
Does the first sentence tell the topic? Are other sentences about the topic?
Do the sentences tell about facts, not opinions? Does it have the most important information?
• Present an example of a less effective factual paragraph and use the questions to point out why it is not as well written.
Lesson 2: Explanation of the POWER process
• Review typical features of the factual paragraph listed above.
• Define the process the students will use to write by using the acronym POWER. Briefly discuss each step, see page 99.
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Section 4
NSW State Literacy and Numeracy Plan Lesson 3: Prompting students to plan and write a first draft
• Review typical features of a factual paragraph.
• Choose a topic related to a planned unit of work. Ensure the students have the topic knowledge or resource materials available to use for reference. Brainstorm content ideas with students.
• Prompt students as they (together) plan a group factual paragraph. Record their ideas on an overhead ‘think sheet’ as they write them on their own ‘think sheets’. • Ask students to write their own first draft from their own ‘think sheets’.
• Guide the students as they write. Lesson 4: Introducing editing
• Model how to edit the factual paragraph using a checklist of typical features or editing ‘think sheet’ shown on this page.
E
dit • Use the edit sheet and think about how your paragraph will sound to your partner.• Make changes to your first draft.
Factual paragraph edit sheet
Read your first draft to yourself. What will your partner say?
More than one sentence? Y N
First sentence tells the topic? Y N
All the other sentences are
about the topic? Y N
Tells about facts, not opinions? Y N
Tells the most important
information? Y N
Now show your draft to an editing partner. What do you think your partner will say you did well in?
Good opening sentence. Interesting facts.
Interesting describing words. Easy to understand.
Good ending sentence. What will your partner suggest to make it clear or more interesting?
• Teach rules for working with a partner. The rules could be: – Wait for your turn
– Speak with soft voices
– Listen while your partner is talking and reading – Say something good about what your partner has done – Ask questions or make suggestions, but no ‘put-downs’. • Prompt students as they work in pairs to edit each other’s work.
Lesson 5: Writing the final draft
• Model how to use peer suggestions to make content changes on the first draft. • Have students make changes on their first drafts using feedback from their own
and their partner’s editing.
R
ewrite • Write your final draft.• Check your sentences, capitals, punctuation and spelling.
• Have students write their final draft.
• Model a strategy for proofing the final draft and correcting mechanical errors (word order, spelling, capitalisation and punctuation). Use an overhead of a final draft with a variety of errors to model with.
Lesson 6: Students select their own topics • Review the typical features of a
Factual Paragraph. • Review strategy steps. • Assist students as they plan,
organise and write first drafts on individually selected topics.
Lesson 7: Editing and rewriting paragraphs on individually selected topics • Assist students as they edit, partner edit, revise and rewrite their paragraphs. • Give students an opportunity to publish or share their compositions.
Lessons 8, 9, 10, etc.
Fade prompts as students (individually or with partners) plan, draft and edit other
compositions. One day will be spent on the first three steps of the strategy (POW). The next day will be spent on editing and rewriting the composition (ER).
Final Lesson
Assess the students’ use of the strategy where the students are required to independently plan, draft, edit and rewrite a factual paragraph.
A checklist for students to use to evaluate their understanding of the planning and editing process is presented on page 100.
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Section 4
NSW State Literacy and Numeracy Plan Steps in the POWER writing process