The Language Teacher
September 2000

Meeting a New Class in Writing

Tim Knight

Ferris University



QUICK GUIDE

Key Words: Communicative Writing, Class Introductions
Learner English Level: Intermediate and up
Learner Maturity Level: High School to Adult
Preparation Time: About 15 minutes
Activity Time: Most of a 90-minute class


The following activity is for that first writing class of a new term. It is especially appropriate for freshmen classes, but could be used in any class where the teacher and students are not very familiar with each other. It has two main purposes: first, to introduce teacher and students to each other in the appropriate language medium for the class (i.e., writing); and second, to provide an immediate writing model for students at the beginning of their college career.

Procedure

Give each student a copy of a one-page letter you've written introducing yourself. Because the letter is meant for everyone in the class, and because all, or most, students will be unknown to you, address the letter to "Dear Everyone." For the activity it will be easier for the students to follow this model if you do not sign your name at the bottom. The content of the letter is up to you, of course, but it should be a general introduction including some basic personal information, such as where you are from, where you live, something about your family and so on -- the kind of information that students are normally expected to divulge early on in their conversation and writing classes.

After the students have read the letter quietly, read it through to them. The first time I used this activity I found, while reading it through to the class, that I'd made a mistake, but found that this provided a good opportunity for early, natural, spoken interaction with the students; so now I leave, perhaps, a missing word or spelling mistake on purpose -- although I pretend to have just noticed it.

After making sure the content is clear, you should impress on the students certain things about the format. The most important point I like to stress early in the year is that good, clear English is written in clear paragraphs with clear topics. Some students need a while to grasp this, so the first class is a good time to begin teaching them. This is quite easy if the letter has, say, three simple paragraphs. Point out that there are three paragraphs, easily identifiable by the clear indentation on the opening lines. Then ask the students to note what the topics of the paragraphs are, for example, where you are from, family, current situation. Stress again that it is clear where these different paragraphs begin and end and that it is much easier to read and understand when writers organize their writing like this.

These points will be clearer if they are made on the board or on an OHP. Similarly, the following directions will be clearer to the students if they are written on the board. Ask the students to follow the model and write their own letter of self-introduction. Tell them they can choose to write about anything they like but that they should not write anything that they would not like any of the other students to read. They should address the letter to "Dear Everyone," just as the model does. Stress -- and this is most important -- that they should not write their names at the foot of the letter or, indeed, anywhere on the paper.

The next task can be a tricky one for the teacher, so while the students are writing, look around the classroom and think about how you can do it efficiently without embarrassment! As the students finish writing, collect the letters, making sure there are no names on the papers. Make piles of letters at the front of the class according to the parts of the room you get them from. Then give the letters out again -- making sure each one goes to a student sitting away from the writer. The students should read the letter they have received and write a short reply at the end. This time they can sign their names. When they have done this, the students should get up and walk around, speaking to each other until they have both found the original letter writers and also retrieved their own letters. I have noticed that students have a lot of fun meeting lots of new people during this part of the activity. Let them talk to each other as they wish.

Ask the students now to sign their own letters and hand them to the teacher. Over the next week, read the letters and write short replies (not corrections or grades) and return them in the next class. I have found this activity helps create a friendly, warm atmosphere at the beginning of the term -- largely through writing.



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