Course paper on the theme: contents of teaching writing in secondary schools

6. Understanding Writing Structures

As a teacher, you know the importance of structure when developing your lesson plans, so let your students in on the secret! They’ll appreciate as much information regarding structure as you can give them.
Show them how to develop an outline that will make their writing easier when it comes time to create an introduction, body and conclusion. Emphasize that a good outline can save them time thinking of what to write next, giving them a flow that will keep them confident and prevent midstream writer’s block.
It’s essential that you think about the material you’ll need in order to convey the multiple possible writing structures involved in writing. You can develop a structure together, with you writing on the board and your students taking notes. Or you can utilize a workable student handout. Either way is great, but the handout could be more effective for the first few writing tasks. The student handout will provide a set structure for your students to follow.Including a section for topic sentences and supporting sentences will keep their writing minds organized and focused.In English writing, there are many forms and styles to suit different writing scenarios and needs. Teaching students a basic structure (introduction, body, conclusion) before you put a label on any one structure is best, but the time will come when they’ll be hungry for more.
Each lesson can incorporate a new topic and writing style for them to learn. For example:

• 
  letters
  
• 
  essays
  
• 
  stories
  
• 
  reports
  
• 
  reviews
  
• 
  emails
  

Build on structure basics piece by piece, giving your students more challenging tasks as they progress into exceptional English writing.

7. Understanding Formal vs. Informal Writing

As your students progress into well-crafted writing, you’ll want to move them toward understanding the difference between formal vs. informal writing. Depending on the students’ ages, levels and interests, understanding formal and informal writing styles could be incredibly useful.
Granted, the young learner may not need this information for some time, so know your students and gauge what’s most important for them.
Here are some key points to present when teaching a formal writing style to your students:

1. 
   Stay away from contractions. Always writing the whole word is the best policy.
   
2. 
   Never use slang in your formal writing.
   
3. 
   Learn, recognize and expand on your formal phrases. For example, using phrases such as “approximately,” “due to,” “sufficient” and “Sir/Madam” will come in handy for formal writing.