The students receive a text template (e. g. a short story or a poem). They then write a variation of it, based on this template.The variation might consist of a changed protagonist (instead of a barking dog, a meowing cat). Other good applications include letters, apologies, applications, etc., which are changed according to a template. Working with parallel texts is particularly suitable for weaker students, as the difficulty level for language production is considerably lower. See also example 15.2 above: alternative word test, as well as M. Lüth’s excellent artice on generative writing under http://www.kompetenzzentrum-sprachfoerderung.de/fileadmin/user_upload/didacta-Version.pdf
Table of Contents
- Preface to the series “Materials for heritage language teaching”
- Introduction
- I. Introduction: low-threshold level writing examples and activities to promote motivation
- 1. Preliminary exercise: shared story telling by turns, sequels or chain stories
- 2. Writing collectively: alternating, continued, chain or folded stories
- 3. Texts with a colon: picking words, and who, where, what stories
- 4. Skeleton stories, emotive word stories, scaffolding stories
- 5. Imaginative writing in different social forms
- 6. Short artistic and creative tasks with language (see also # 22)
- 7. Language riddles
- II. Techniques and strategies for the various phases of the writing process
- 8. Finding ideas, pre-structuring the text
- 9. Planning the structure of the text (see also #16, Suggestions for text building)
- 10. Using titles, subtitles and paragraphs to structure and design a text
- 11. Techniques for revision and self-correction
- 12. Writing for the target audience; designing and presenting attractive texts
- 13. Guidelines for the students: worksheets WS 1 + 2
- III. Ideas to further partial aspects of writing
- 14. Suggestions for vocabulary building I: working with word fields and expanded language tools
- 15. Suggestions for vocabulary building II: working with gap-fill exercises and alternative word tests, etc.
- 16. Suggestions for text building and structuring (see also # 9)
- 17. Suggestions for improving writing style I: practice with acting and discovering style
- 18. Suggestions for improving style II: writing and summarizing in a precise, clear and exciting manner
- 19. Hints for improving syntax and morphology
- IV. Ideas for specific writing contexts
- 20. Writing occasions that are particularly suitable for heritage language education
- 21. Suitable projects for cooperation with mainstream education classes
- 1. Multilingual poetry collection (eleven poems, etc.)
- 2. Multilingual picture books or adventure books
- 3. Multilingual student papers or wall boards
- 4. Contributions to project weeks or exhibitions, like “our cultures”, “where we come from”, “great vacation destinations”, “our languages” etc.
- 5. Multilingual recipe collections
- 22. Artistic-creative design projects with language
- Bibliography