British Council Japan

Teaching writing:online resources

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ContentsIntroduction .................................................................................................................................. 2
Teaching writing .................................................................................................................... 3
Lesson planning: ideas for writing lessons ................................................................................... 3
Planning a writing lesson ...................................................................................................... 3
Motivating writing activities ................................................................................................... 3
Giving students feedback on writing ..................................................................................... 3
Teaching resources for writing lessons ........................................................................................ 4
Resources at A1 level............................................................................................................... 4A school timetable................................................................................................................. 4
A library card ......................................................................................................................... 4An internet safety poster ....................................................................................................... 4My favourite meal.................................................................................................................. 4
Resources at A2 level............................................................................................................... 5A film review ......................................................................................................................... 5
Replying to an invitation ........................................................................................................ 5
Writing a postcard ................................................................................................................. 5
Resources at B1 level............................................................................................................... 5Writing a “for and against” essay .......................................................................................... 5
Writing an opinion essay ....................................................................................................... 5
Resources at B2 level............................................................................................................... 5
Writing about survey results .................................................................................................. 5

Introduction
Welcome to Japan. On behalf of the Japanese The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT), the British Council has produced this short guide to resources
for teaching writing at Junior and Senior High Schools. The resources are drawn from the British
Council’s global website for English teachers, www.teachingenglish.org and our global website
for teenage English learners, www.learnenglishteens.org. We have specifically chosen
resources that link to the Japanese Course of Study for English, with themes and language
points that are common in most Ministry-approved school textbooks.
We hope that you find this selection useful.

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2Teaching writing
Many students find writing the most difficult aspect of foreign language learning, but it’s one thatremains as important as ever in the digital age, with so much communication depending on
written text. As an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), your main role may be to assist inteaching speaking, but you can also have a very positive role in lessons which involve writing.
The list of resources in this document include articles about how to plan writing activities andfree resources that you can use in the classroom. Note that in the Japanese school system,
writing activities are fairly limited at Elementary school, but take on more significance as
students progress through Junior and Senior High School.

Lesson planning: ideas for writing lessons
Planning a writing lesson
This article from the British Council’s global TeachingEnglish website
gives you an overview of different elements to take into account whenplanning a writing lesson, including different text genres, the stages of awriting lesson and suggestions for peer working. It contains a link to adownloadable correction codes pdf file.

Motivating writing activities
This is a video presentation by Rachael Roberts, an experienced
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher and teacher-trainer. She
suggests a variety of different teaching activities you can use in classes
to motivate learners. As well as watching the video, you can download
the presentation slides.

Giving students feedback on writing
This research-informed article by Larry Ferlazzo introduces four different
methods for providing learners with feedback on their writing. As well asa description of each technique, the article provides links to relevant
research and useful feedback rubrics.

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3Teaching resources for writing lessonsThe resources below contain a variety of different writing genres that can be used in writing
lessons with Junior High and Senior High School students. These resources are listed
according to proficiency level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference forLanguages (CEFR). The proficiency levels are shown below.
LowestA0

Highest

A1

Zero

A2
Basic

B1

B2

C1

Independent

C2

Proficient

Resources at A1 level
A school timetable
This writing activity helps students practise basic writing of school
subjects, months, initials and days of the week. There are freedownloadable worksheets, a model text and a blank school timetable
for students to create themselves.

A library card
This writing activity gets students to complete their own library card.
This helps them to practise writing their name in English. It can beextended to writing about library rules – the topic of rules is often
covered in the second grade of Junior High School.

An internet safety poster
This poster helps students practise giving strong advice withimperative forms, something which is often covered in the first gradeof Junior High School. Students can first read and discuss the advice
on the model poster, before adding their own ideas to a blank poster
template (downloadable from the website).

My favourite meal
This writing exercise prompts students to write about their daily
routines and favourite foods – topics which are common from theupper grades of Elementary school and through Junior High School. It
also allows an opportunity for cultural exchange where students readand discuss the different foods people eat for breakfast.

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4Resources at A2 level
A film review
This resource gives students tips for writing film reviews. After reading
the model, students can choose a movie that they have seen to write
their own personalised reviews. You can get students to read andcomment on each other’s reviews, once finished.

Replying to an invitation
Writing is always an interactive process between the writer and thereader. However, it becomes even more interactive when students
practise responding to each other. This resource models how to
respond to invitations.

Writing a postcard
Picture postcards are an example of a writing genre that will be newto Japanese learners, and a chance to teach cross-cultural
understanding. This resource teaches some common conventions ofpostcard writing, such as appropriate openings and closings.

Resources at B1 level
Writing a “for and against” essay
At Senior High School, students learn how to write more academic
and extended pieces of writing, such as for and against essays. This
resource gives a model and some pointers about structuring essays.
Students could write their own essay on a similar but different topic.

Writing an opinion essay
This resource shows a different style of essay with a different text
structure. After reading and discussing the model, you could get
students to write their own opinion essay on the question of allowing
smartphone use in schools.

Resources at B2 level
Writing about survey results
As students prepare to move onto university, they may be asked toanalyse and interpret data presented in tables, charts and graphs. If
you conduct a class survey as a speaking activity, this resource may
help students to write up the findings.

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