Stage 3 guidelines for writing: Discourse

Here are some discourse objectives for Stage 3 for writing:

• To use grammatical and lexical references appropriately so readers can keep track of references to people and objects
• To use appropriate grammatical and lexical devices to signal to readers which parts of the discourse are most prominent and which parts are supporting materials
• To construct the following kinds of discourse: procedural discourse, narratives, descriptions, personal and business letters, reports, synopses, and argumentation

Here are some discourse strategies for Stage 3 guidelines for writing:

• Analysis

  Use Text Analysis techniques to identify the ways mother-tongue writers handle cohesion and prominence in discourse.

• Ask for correction

  Practice writing different kinds of discourse. Ask the language associates (LAs) for correction.

• Selective attention

  Pick out a particular genre of writing and practice its structure and cohesive devices.

Here are some discourse techniques for Stage 3 guidelines for writing:

• The Text Analysis technique
• The Text Portfolio technique
• The Series technique
• The Picture Descriptions technique
• The Familiar Stories technique
• The Shared Experiences technique
• The Write and Rewrite technique

Here are some discourse activities for Stage 3 guidelines for writing:

Write personal letters to friends.

• Try your hand at creative writing.

• Generic module: Stage 3 guidelines for writing: Discourse
• In overview module: Stage 3: Writing modules
• In modular book: Guidelines for a Language and Culture Learning Program, by Carol J. Orwig
• In document collection: Other Resources
• In bookshelf: Language Learning

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 3.5, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 8 December 1998

© 1999 SIL International