LEXICAL CHUNKS FOR WRITING Ladders Workshop PUPILS NEED

LEXICAL CHUNKS FOR WRITING Ladders Workshop תשע"ט

PUPILS NEED TO LEARN LEXICAL CHUNKS BECAUSE……. . English is a language which consists of word patterns (phrasal verbs, collocations and idioms). Learning these patterns help pupils avoid misunderstanding the text and will enrich their writing.

Lexical chunks can be used as a form of scaffolding which will serve as a trigger in writing. Writing which incorporates recently learned lexical chunks is an effective way to revisit and recycle these items.

WHERE TO START? Create a lexical list of items you think will be useful for your pupils. Word lists are essential at the start of the learning process.

A A C E G good way to choose your list is to go over a few recent Bagrut exams at the level your pupils need to pass at the end of the year. The chunks which appear frequently are the ones to be introduced and reinforced first.

VOCABULARY BANDS Lexical band II Lexical Band III

THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS CREATING CHUNKS: BAGRUT WORDS THAT FREQUENTLY APPEAR ON THE Nouns study article information survey researcher habits hobbies expert author advantage disadvantage goal/aim/purpose reason advertisement(ad) interviewer experience experiment type/kind findings benefit advice increase decrease example fact opinion description impact title paragraph percent results

VERBS to compare to justify to affect to influence to prove to improve to approve to perform/conduct to emphasize to mention to discover to participate to cause to explain to describe to mean to criticize to refer to to explore

NOW CREATE SOME CHUNKS… a recent study research findings take advantage of the advantages and disadvantages of…. the researchers conducted an experiment For example, In my opinion, The main idea in the first paragraph I had/It was an amazing experience a lot of advice According to ……is mentioned in line 3……

A FEW IDEAS Use “Quizlet” or “Quizlet Live” to review the chunks. Focus on theme-based (fun, enjoy, good time) or common error based (make/do) chunks. Incorporate the chunks in useful “Bagrut” type sentences which can be used for creating new sentences. Provide paragraph outlines. (C module) Provide composition openers. (G module) Use translation from L 1.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS. We aim to model to the pupils some language patterns that show which words often come before and after certain words. By drawing “spidergrams” on the board, teachers can demonstrate these patterns. Use the “spidergrams” to help the pupils create meaningful relevant sentences.

SPIDERGRAMS We had The trip was a lot of because fun when Going to the beach is and I also like to…

SPIDERGRAMS I really We always myself when enjoy(ed) going to…… All the pupils it because

SPIDERGRAMS We had a good It was one of the best because time(s) when We spent the swimming

CREATING SENTENCES – SEQUENCING AND SUBSTITUTING. Translate the following instructions and then do the activity. The envelope contains 4 sets of word chunks. Only work on one set at a time. Each set contains four sentences. Put the chunks in the correct order. Ask your teacher to confirm that the sentences are correct. Copy the sentences into your folder or notebook. Translate the sentences. Create new sentences by changing the content of one of the chunks.

HAVE PUPILS CREATE SENTENCES FROM THESE CHUNKS. A recent study published surprising findings. Sara wrote an excellent description of her experience in India. The main idea in the text is that the government wants to encourage people to change the way that they make decisions. The title suggests that the text will be about a new way to recycle bottles.

THE CHUNKS ARE LAMINATED FOR REPEATED USE. CREATE GAMES FOR YOUR PUPILS TO WRITE SENTENCES.

PUPILS CREATE FOUR SENTENCES IN EACH LESSON. THE CARDS CAN BE RECYCLED IN MANY WAYS.

WRITING SKELETONS We have practiced organizing lexical chunks into sentences. We have created new sentences by replacing one of the chunks in the sentences we have previously organized. We can generate new sentences by taking ONE lexical chunk from these sentences and using it as a trigger to generate a new sentence. The next stage is to create a skeleton for guided writing which may introduce new chunks while encouraging pupils to include previously learned chunks.

GUIDED WRITING – THE SKELETON OF A PARAGRAPH – MODULE C • • • I chose to write about………because………. I would like to describe a trip to……. . A year ago we………. The city/village/beach was………. . I enjoyed myself because…… Last month I went to a concert/show/party at/in……with………. . We saw……. . I wore……. . We ate…… We had a really good time because…… I would like to write about a person who influenced me/is important to me…. The reason for my choice is ……. .

Pupils should be encouraged to use a certain amount of previously learned lexical chunks in EVERY writing assignment they do. REWARD them for every accurate repeated use of a chunk in an appropriate context. REMIND your pupils that their notebook is a tool to be used while writing, as long as it is well organized and contains a rich variety of previously learned and revisited lexical chunks. WRITING becomes a way to RECYCLE vocabulary and greatly enhance their reading skills.

POTENTIAL OPENERS MODULE G It is a well known fact that……………. Recently, we have become increasingly aware of the fact that………… The phenomenon concerning/regarding…………. has always been a cause for concern. Although many people believe/think/claim that……………. , it is, however a popular misconception.

Recently/Lately, there have been many newspaper headlines/articles drawing our attention to the issue concerning……. The issue of………………is a source of controversy in modern society. Although many believe/think/claim that……. . , one must always remember that there is usually more than one side to/ more than one way of looking at the issue. Nowadays, many people are concerned about/aware of the problem of……………… It is a commonly held belief that………………. .

BEWARE OF FIRST LANGUAGE INTERFERENCE WHEN TEACHING CHUNKS: MOVING FROM L 1 TO L 2 L 1 L 2 Thinking in our first language on a high level and then trying to move across to L 2 at that level will make it very hard to express ourselves and cause us to “fall down” and make unavoidable mistakes.

MOVING FROM L 1 TO L 2 L 1 L 2 Encourage your pupils to think in simple terms in L 1 and then the transition to L 2 will be much “safer”. Most of our pupils will always think in L 1, and we need to guide them through that process.

MOVING FROM L 1 TO L 2 From the early stages of learning English, teachers can “oil the wheels” of the transition from L 1 to L 2. Any new lexical structures (grammar + vocabulary) can be recycled in the classroom by practicing simple translation exercises. Show the pupils that it’s okay to think in L 1 and that they CAN make the transition. For module C, teachers can write paragraphs in L 1 for them to translate.