Writing a composition
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This document provides guidance on writing a composition in Spanish. It discusses various pre-writing techniques like free-writing, mapping, listing, WH-questions, looping and cubing to help generate and organize ideas. It also recommends creating an outline to structure the composition and transitioning from general to specific details in the drafting process. Revising involves checking grammar, vocabulary and flow. The overall process emphasizes breaking writing down into smaller steps like brainstorming, outlining and revising rather than seeing it as a single task.
Writing a composition
- 1. WRITING A COMPOSITION Span 101 Beatriz Rubio Garcia
- 3. What is writing a composition? You don't have to be a good writer to write well. Writing is a process: a series of small steps instead of a big all-at-once magic trick you have to pull off will make writing a composition much easier and much more fun. You can learn to brainstorm main ideas before you start writing, organize a draft of those main ideas, and revise your composition into a polished essay.
- 4. STEP 1: Pre-Writing Read the assignment closely: It's important to get a clear understanding of what your teacher expects from your composition. Each teacher will have a different set of things they'll be looking for: topic and the style. Ask your teacher about anything you feel unsure about. Make sure you have a good sense of the following: What is the purpose of the composition? What is the topic of the composition? What are the length requirements? What is the vocabulary and grammar points I should include? Is research required?
- 5. Free-write techniques Do a free-write or a journaling exercise to get some ideas on paper. When?: When you're first getting started in trying to figure out the best way to approach a topic No one has to see this pre-writing, so feel free to explore your thoughts and opinions about a given topic and see where it leads.
- 7. Main point Thesis sentence (it tells the reader what to expect from the pharagraph) http://gettingsmart.com/2013/09/teching-novice-writers/
- 8. Used when… PURPOSE OF THE TECHNIQUE PROCEDUREFREEWRITING Type 1. If you need to work on an assignment but cannot concentrate To clear your mind Take a sheet of paper and begin to write about the thoughts on your mind at that moment. Keep on writing for five minutes Type 2 If you have chosen a general topic to write about but have not yet decided what aspect of that subject you wish to explore To get down as much as you can about the subject, no matter how disorganized. Write your general topic at the top of the sheet Begin to write down everything that comes to your mind on this topic o Do it continuously for 10 minutes: time yourself o If you cannot think of anything to say, write ‘I can’t think of anything to say’ until something comes to your o Do not let your pen stop moving o Don’t stop to think about a particular word (you can write it in your own language) After the ten minutes: o Reread what you have written o Underline or circle the ideas and expressions you like o Include extra information that comes to your mind by arrows.
- 9. Used when… PURPOSE OF THE TECHNIQUE PROCEDURELISTING Students have decided on an aspect of a topic to write about To find out what they know about a topic or anything related to it Jot down everything that comes to your mind about your topic but you do not write sentences but words or quick phrases WH-QUESTIONS Students have to generate ideas for their compositions. To clarify exactly what subject you are going to discuss in your composition and find details about your subject For restarting your writing if you get blocked: you ask and answer the questions. Students have to answer the following 5 questions: WHAT or WHO? WHEN? WHY? WHERE? HOW? If the student finds more questions, s/he can include them in the list of questions.
- 10. Used when… PURPOSE OF THE TECHNIQUE PROCEDURELOOPING Students have many ideas in their mind all at the same time To help students to focus their thoughts on subject, find the core or center of their though and pinpoint a main idea on which to elaborate TWO MAIN PARTS: PART 1: Write down the subject you want to consider Write down continuously for five minutes (same procedure that in freewriting) At the end, write down one complete sentence that summarize the essence of what you just wrote (an actual sentence in your writing that seems to be the most important idea of the writing) PART 2: Begin a second loop by focusing on your summary sentence done in PART 1 Write 5 minutes At the end, look at the main idea or core toward which all the other ideas are turned Summarize that core idea in one sentence and write it down. PART 3: Do a third loop At the end, the last sentence usually captures the gist of what students have to say on their subject.
- 11. Used when… PURPOSE OF THE TECHNIQUE PROCEDURE CUBING Students have to write about a physical object in depth. To look at any topic from 6 different points of view in order to have several perspectives on the subject Students should spend 3-5 minutes examining their topic from each of the following angles: 1. Describe it: what does it look like? What do you see? 2. Compare it: what is it similar to? What is it different from? 3. Analyze it: what is it made of? What are its parts? 4. Associate it: what does it remind you of? What are its parts? 5. Apply it: what can you do with it? What can you use it for? 6. Argue for or against it: take either position. Give any reasons, even crazy ones. Once students have finished, they have to reread what they have written to find ideas that they like. Perhaps one of them is particularly interesting and may be a good perspective for an essay on the subject.
- 12. Formal outline: to organize your thoughts. Once you've got your main concepts, ideas, and arguments about the topic starting to form. a formal outline helps you to get started writing an actual draft of the paper. Use complete sentences to start getting your main points together for your actual composition.[
- 13. Once you have finished: 1. Go from general to specific. One of the best ways you can improve a draft in revision is by picking on your points that are too general and making them much more specific. This might involve adding more supporting evidence in the form of quotations or logic, it might involve rethinking the point entirely and shifting the focus, It might also involve looking for entirely new points and new evidence that supports your thesis.
- 14. Once you have finished: 1. Review the grammar and vocabulary Check you have included most of the vocabulary needed for the development of the topic Check the grammar: pronouns, verb tenses, verbs conjugations, articles Finally, check the agreement among nouns, verbs, articles, etc.
- 15. Good luck!