BÁO CÁO SÁNG KIẾN TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING PARAGRAPH WRITING

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NAM ĐỊNH
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ HỒNG PHONG
SÁNG KIẾN DỰ THI CẤP TỈNH
BÁO CÁO SÁNG KIẾN
TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING
PARAGRAPH WRITING
Tác giả: Phạm Kim Anh
Trình độ chuyên môn: Thạc sỹ
Chức vụ: Giáo viên
Nơi công tác: Trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong

NAM ĐỊNH, THÁNG 5 - 2014
THÔNG TIN CHUNG VỀ SÁNG KIẾN
1. Tên sáng kiến: Techniques of teaching paragraph writing.
2. Lĩnh vực áp dụng sáng kiến: Sáng kiến này được viết chủ yếu nhằm áp dụng cho
lĩnh vực dạy viết đoạn văn cho học sinh lớp 12 ôn thi tốt nghiệp. Ngoài ra, sáng kiến
cũng có thể áp dụng cho việc dạy viết đoạn văn cho học sinh lớp 9 ôn thi học sinh giỏi
và thi vào lớp 10 chuyên Anh; cho học sinh lớp 12 ôn thi học sinh giỏi phổ thông và học
sinh lớp 10 chuyên Anh
3. Thời gian áp dụng sáng kiến: Sáng kiến này có thể áp dụng cho lớp 12 trong suốt
năm học, đặc biệt giai đoạn ôn thi tốt nghiệp và ôn thi học sinh giỏi; lớp 9 trong giai
đoạn ôn thi học sinh giỏi và thi vào lớp 10 chuyên Anh; lớp 10 chuyên Anh trong cả
năm học.
4. Tác giả:
Họ và tên: Phạm Kim Anh
Năm sinh: 1977
Nơi thường trú: Thành phố Nam Định
Trình độ chuyên môn:.Thạc sỹ
Chức vụ công tác: Giáo viên
Nơi làm việc: Trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong- Thành phố Nam Định
Địa chỉ liên hệ: Trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong, số 76-Vị Xuyên

- thành phố Nam Định
Điện thoại: 0917835620
6. Đơn vị áp dụng sáng kiến:
Tên đơn vị: Trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong
Địa chỉ: số 76-Vị Xuyên
Điện thoại: 03503640297
7. Điều kiện hoàn cảnh tạo ra sáng kiến:
Do sự thay đổi về cấu trúc đề thi tốt nghiệp môn Tiếng Anh năm 2014 và yêu cầu
thực tế của bộ môn trong các kì thi học sinh giỏi, thi tuyển sinh vào lớp 10 chuyên; bên
cạnh đó, do thực trạng dạy và học viết đoạn văn còn đang gặp rất nhiều khó khăn nên
tôi muốn góp một phần nhỏ bé của mình nhằm cải thiện thực trạng đó. Sáng kiến này sẽ
giúp giáo viên dạy viết tìm được những cách dạy phù hợp với đối tượng học sinh của
mình và phù hợp với yêu cầu cụ thể của mục tiêu đề ra.
PART I - INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale:
It is a fact that English is becoming increasingly popular these days, which can be
seen in almost every field of everyday life such as on TV, in newspapers, on the radio.
This fact can also be seen in school curriculum, in which English is always considered
as one of the most important subjects.
In order to have a good command of English, learners must be good at four skills:
listening, speaking, reading and writing, of which writing is widely seen as the most
difficult and inconvenient one.
As for me, I have chosen to study this because of the following reasons:
1. There is a change in the requirement of the GCSE test, in which writing a
paragraph is a compulsory part.
2. Writing a paragraph has always been a must in such other important exams as
exams for gifted students of the 9
th
form, entrance exam into Le Hong Phong school.
3. Students of the 10

th
form are required to write a paragraph well enough, which is
considered as a precondition of essay writing in their following form.
4. Above all, writing a paragraph has always been what I am interested in. I see
writing as a way to broaden knowledge of various fields, improve vocabulary of a
particular field and most importantly, the way to use English language.
II. Aim of the study:
In fact, writing is a skill that takes such a lot of time and patience. Therefore, not
many students are willing to start doing it, leading to certain difficulties for the teachers
of writing.
I have decided to devote my time and effort to writing about this matter with a
view to sharing some of my modest experience with colleagues, hoping that writing a
paragraph is no longer a boring and challenging task and is better welcomed by
students.
III. Scope of the study.
Due to the limited time and strength, this study only focuses on the topics familiar to the
students between the 9
th
form and the 12
th
form.
PART II – DEVELOPMENT
I. Literature review.
1. What is a paragraph?
Sample paragraph:
Indonesia-Something Interesting at Every Turn
By Ken Jones
If you dream of travelling to a country with beautiful tropical islands, wonderful
food, beautiful places to go sightseeing, and very friendly people, you should visit
Indonesia. If you look at the map, the first thing you notice is that Indonesia is made up

of islands-more than 17,000 of them. Travelling between islands by boats is great fun.
Just like the many islands, there are also may different groups of people living in
Indonesia. In fact, there are around 300 different ethnic groups! Most Indonesians are
Malay, but others Javanese, Balinese, Chinese, or Indian. All these groups together
make Indonesian culture very interesting. Finally, Indonesia has many cities and
historical sights to see. Jakarta, the capital city, is fast becoming a modern center of
commerce, yet the ancient temples on the island of Bali show that the country’s old
traditions are still alive. All the people, places, and things to see definitely make
Indonesia a great place for a vacation.
(Extracted from College writing from paragraph to essay
_By Dorothy E Zemach and Lisa A Rumisek)
Definition of a paragraph:
+ a group of sentences about a single topic.
+ sentences: all explain the writer’s main idea (most important idea) about the topic.
+ length: In academic writing, between five and ten sentences long, but it can be longer
or shorter. It depends on the specific topic.
+ the first sentence: usually indented in a few spaces.
Analysis of the above paragraph:
- The topic: Indonesia
- The main idea about the topic: It is a country with beautiful tropical islands,
sightseeing, and very friendly people.
- The ideas that help explain the main ideas are:
+ Many islands- more than 17,000; travelling by boat between them is fun.
+ Many types of people – about 300 ethnic groups (Malay, Javanese, Balinese, Chinese,
Indian)
+ Many cities and historical sights.
2. Organisation of a paragraph:
A paragraph has THREE basic parts:
a. Topic sentence.
- the main idea of a paragraph

- usually the first sentence.
- the most general sentence.
b. The supporting sentences.
- talk about/ explain the topic sentence.
- more detailed ideas that follow the
topic sentences
c. Concluding sentences.
- found as the last sentence of a paragraph
- finish the paragraph by repeating
the main idea or just giving a final
comment about the topic.
3. Topic sentence:
- usually comes first in a paragraph
- length: about 1-1,5 lines
- gives the writer’s main idea about the topic; helps readers understand what the
paragraph is going to talk about.
E.g. Learning a second language creates job opportunities.
Topic main idea (controlling idea)
Xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx
xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxxx xxxx
xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxx
xxxxxxx xxxxx xxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx
xxx xxxx xxxx, xxxx xxxx. Xxxx xxxxxxx
xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxx xxxx
xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx, Xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx
xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx
xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx. Xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx . Xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx
- Organisation of a topic sentence: 2 parts:
+ Topic: the person, thing or event that the paragraph is about.
+ Main idea (Controlling idea): what the writer will say about the topic.
E.g.
My friend is an honest person.
Topic controlling idea
My friend is the funniest person I know.
Topic controlling idea
A topic sentence must not be a simple fact or a specific detail. The controlling idea
must say something about the topic that can then be supported, developed or
demonstrated in the supporting sentences. The controlling idea must also not be too
general, or the topic sentence will be unclear.
E.g.
A surprise party is a kind of party. (too general)
There were 14 guests at my surprise birthday party. (too specific)
My classmates gave me an unforgettable surprise party for my 18
th
birthday.
The last topic sentence is a good one because it introduces the topic and has a
controlling idea that can be developed in the supporting sentences. The paragraph will
probably tell the story of the party.

Practice 1. Topic: How to protect endangered species.
Animals which are on the verge of extinction can be saved by the efforts from all
individuals and the government.
Practice 2. Topic: Should students do volunteer work?
Doing volunteer work among students is very beneficial to not only the students
themselves but also society as a whole.
Practice 3. Topic: The measures to reduce domestic violence.
Stricter laws and better education about marriage and happiness are the two ways
that can ease the problem of family violence now.
- Tips: Don’t repeat the task. Therefore, use different words (synonyms, different parts
of speech). E.g.
- endangered species = vulnerable animals; animals at risk; species in danger
- difficulties = trouble
- women = females
- encounter = meet, face, have
- domestic violence = violence from family
4. Supporting sentences:
After students have written a topic sentence, they have to develop their main idea.
It means that they have to add more information to explain what they mean at the
beginning. There are many ways to do this but the following are three common ways to
support the topic sentence.
a. Giving details:
- Details are specific points that tell more about a general statement.
Topic sentence: The football match I saw last week in Thien Truong stadium was the
most memorable.
Details:
- weather: very favorable
- which teams taking part: my school and Tran Hung Dao school
- score: 3-2
- attitude: yourself and other fans

- player’s spirits: very high
- scorers:
- The most impressive point
b. Explanation:
An explanation tell what something means or how something works.
E.g.
Main idea: Charity work helps to build a better community.
In the main body of the paragraph, students have to answer the following question:
Why does charity work help to build a better community?
The above question can be answered by giving the following explanations:
Because + better relationship among people
+ ease sufferings
+ build up belief in future life
c. Example: An example is a specific person, place, thing, event that supports an idea
or statement.
The following paragraph includes an example from the writer’s own experience.
Even when a first date is a disaster, a couple can still become good
friends. For example, my first date with Greg was terrible. I thought he
was coming to pick me up at 6:30, but instead he came at 6:00. I didn’t
have time to fix my hair, and my make-up looked sloppy. When I got into
his car, I scraped my leg against the car door and tore my stocking. Next,
he took me to an Italian restaurant for dinner, and I accidentally dropped
some spaghetti on my shirt. Then we went to a movie. Greg asked me
which movie I wanted to see, and I chose a romantic comedy. He fell
asleep during the movie, and I got angry. Now that Greg and I are good
friends, we can look back and laugh at how terrible that first date was!
Eg. Giving examples as support
Main idea: Charity work helps to form your personality.
Example: + teach disabled children in Namdinh city → improve sense of responsibility/
sympathy → take action

+ help patients in Namdinh hospital: realise individual as well as social
responsibility → try more in your work/ study → become a better person
Tips: The best organisation of a paragraph consists of three supporting ideas. With each
supporting idea, two sub-supporting ideas (example, explanation or detail) should be
provided.
Include linking devices between supporting ideas:
+ First, ……. Second, ………, Third, …….
+ Firstly, ……… Secondly, ………. Finally, ……….
+ In the first place,
Another advantage/ benefit/ reason is N/ is that S+V
What’s more,
Furthermore,
Moreover,
Advanced level:
+ Undeniably,
It is undeniable that
Obviously,
Interestingly,
Unavoidably,
+ Finally,
The last reason/ benefit/ advantage is ….
Include linking devices between sub-supporting ideas:
E.g. Topic: How to protect endangered species.
Supporting idea 1: Raise public awareness
Supporting idea 2: Stricter laws
Supporting idea 3: Build new reserves
Sub-supporting ideas (1): + school curriculum
+ mass media
In the first place, we need to raise public awareness about animal protection. This can
be put into school curriculum as a compulsory part for students. And, people’s

knowledge can be considerably widened through the use of mass media.
5. Concluding sentence:
- the final sentence of a paragraph
- sum up the main point/ restate the main idea in a different way
+ sum up: remind the reader of what the writer’s main idea and supporting points
were.
+ restate the main idea: give the same information in a slightly different way by using:
- different words
- different word order.
E.g.
Topic sentence:
Women, half of the world’s population, are suffering from various problems from
both society and their own families.
Concluding sentence:
In conclusion, despite positive changes in society, there exist numerous problems
that females often meet in their daily life.
Linking devices:
In conclusion,
In short,
In brief
In summary,
To conclude,
To summarize,
All in all,
……….
6. Unity within a paragraph:
It is essential that a paragraph has unity. It means that all the sentences support a
single idea. This can be seen as follows:
- The topic sentence of the paragraph must have ONE controlling idea.
- The supporting sentences must all support the controlling idea. In other words,

all the supporting sentences must be relevant to the topic being discussed. This
can be done by means of examples, explanations, details, steps, or definitions. If
one writer fails to do this, the paragraph will be about more than ONE single
idea.
- The concluding sentence should restate the idea in the topic sentence or
summarise the main ideas in the body of the paragraph. This sentence must not
introduce a new topic; otherwise the main idea will not be clear enough.
7. Coherence in a paragraph.
Coherence is related to unity. In a paragraph, coherence is extremely important. It
means that the supporting details are arranged in a clear and logical way. In this way,
the paragraph will become coherent so that the reader can easily understand the main
points.
It is necessary for the writer to think about how to organise the paragraph. This
should depend on the topic or the type of paragraph. The paragraph can be organised by
using time, space or order of importance.
In the paragraph below, the organisation is by space:
When you drive into the airport, you will see many signs for the different terminals.
After you pass the signs, you will drive over a hill. The airport is on the other side of the
hill. On your right, you will see the international terminal. This terminal is two stories
tall. The front is all glass. On the left, you will see the domestic terminals….
II. Stages of writing a paragraph: 3 stages: Pre-writing ; While-writing; Post-
writing
1. Pre-writing:
There are three very important steps in this stage.
Brainstorming - Editing - Outlining
a. Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is a way of gathering ideas about a topic. There are many ways to get
ideas for a specific topic. However, the following are the most common one: listing,
free writing, mapping…
Listing: the most commonly used

- concentrate on the topic and think about the key word.
- write down every idea that comes to you.
- don’t worry about whether the ideas are useful or not.
- ignore grammar and spelling mistakes.
→ Aim: gather as MANY IDEAS as possible.
b. Editing:
- Choose ideas: the most interesting, relevant
- Add necessary information or ideas.
c. Outlining:
An outline is a list of the information you will put in the paragraph.
An outline should:
- begin with the topic sentence
- show the organisation of the paragraph.
- ends with the concluding sentence.
An outline plays a very important role in the success of the paragraph because it helps:
- show you what to write before you actually start writing.
- make the paragraph well-organised enough and clearly-presented.
- include all important points without missing any.
Practice:
Topic. Should we do charity work?
Answer: Yes.
Brainstorm:
- help other people
- help the poor
- help the disadvantaged
- you: luckier, happier
- community responsibility
- sharing
- moral value
- ease suffering

- enhance belief
- work in group
-
- form personality: organisation
skill
patience
sympathy
responsible
self-confidence
- become skilled: put theory into
practice
- learn better
- improve relationship: meet more
people
- more experienced
Editing: Omit two ideas: work in group; learn better
Outlining:
a. Sharing with other people.
- share your luck and happiness with the disadvantaged
- help ease suffering
→ contribute to the development of society
b. Strengthening social and traditional morality
- improve solidarity among people
- enhance public belief in life, in society
c. Improve personalities
- sense of responsibility, sympathy…
- improve your skills: experienced, organisation skills.
Topic. Difficulties encountered by women in modern society.
Brainstorm:
- Pressure from work place: too much work

- demanding jobs: journalists, teachers, doctors…
- jobs: go away from home, stay up late often
- pressure from home: raise children
- violence: from husbands, especially those from rural areas
- unequal treatment: mother-in-law, husbands
- earn money
- look after their parents
- social relationships
- too much house work
- household chore
- gender discrimination: work place: lower pay, trivial jobs, lower positions
- work longer hours
- social evils: thefts, prosecutions, scandals
- themselves: drink too much, sexual actions
Editing: Omit two ideas: look after their parents; social relationships
Outlining.
In this modern word, females are vulnerable to many difficulties.
- Increasing stress:
+ From their family: do the house work; raise children
+ From workplace: more requirement of jobs
+ From social tasks: various relationships
- Gender inequality:
+ domestic violence,
+ gender discrimination in workplace:
- lower salary
- trivial work
+ lower positions in society
- Failure of self-control:
+ worse behaviours: - drink too much.
- sexual actions

+ consequences: diseases, scandals
In short, despite living in a very modern world, women are still suffering from
various problems.
2. While-writing:
After the students have an outline for a paragraph, they can start writing the
intended one. This can be done either in class or at home.
There are many ways for the teachers to carry out this stage. It is advisable that
students should practice individual units first, and then the whole paragraph.
At the very beginning of writing practice, students should learn how to write a
good topic sentence, a good concluding sentence.
Once students are skilled at writing topic sentence and concluding sentences and
making outlines, they should learn how to develop supporting sentences. This is of great
importance because the supporting sentences must ensure unity and coherence. The
writers should know how to improve their vocabulary and structure range so that their
supporting sentences will be fascinating or convincing enough.
3. Post – writing:
- Checking: - by teacher
- peer review
- Giving suggestions to improve the students’ work.
- Classify students: - advanced: improve wording: language use (word choice,
collocation )
- beginners: focus on organisation, grammar, spelling
III. Suggested writing exercises:
1. Identifying topics and controlling ides: In each sentence below, circle the topic and
underline the controlling idea.
a. Protecting endangered animals are very important.
b. Students can gain a lot from reading.
c. Family is the best place for each of us.
Key:
a. Protecting endangered animals are very important.

b. Students can gain a lot from reading.
c. Family is the best place for each of us.
2. Identifying good topic sentences: Identify the sentences with an effective
controlling idea.
a. I am going to write about my country.
b. Videos games are not bad for children.
c. A large proportion of women nowadays still suffer from domestic violence.
Key: b and c are good topic sentences because they contain effective controlling ideas. a
is not a good one because it is too general so it cannot be discussed in one paragraph.
3. Writing topic sentences:
For each of the word or phrase below, write a topic sentence with one controlling idea.
a. Protecting the environment
b. Future life
c. Sports
Key: The answers are varied so the teacher sees if the topic sentences include effective
controlling ideas or not.
4. Identifying topic sentence and supporting sentences.
Write TS next to the topic sentence and SS next to the supporting sentences.
______ a. Relaxation is another benefit that music brings about.
______ b. Music helps many people earn a great deal of money.
______ c. Music plays a very important part in our daily life.
______ d. Cultural exchange will become more effective with the help of music.
Key:
___SS___ a. Relaxation is another benefit that music brings about.
___SS___ b. Music helps many people earn a great deal of money.
___TS___ c. Music plays a very important part in our daily life.
___SS___ d. Cultural exchange will become more effective with the help of music.
5. Identifying supporting sentences and concluding sentences.
Read the topic sentences below. Write SS next to the supporting sentences and CS next
to the concluding sentence.

Looking for a job is very difficult these days.
______ a. The number of applicants for each is very big.
______ b. Interviews are so challenging for candidates.
______ c. It is really hard to find a suitable job.
______ d. Most of the jobs are now very demanding.
Key:
Looking for a job is very difficult these days.
___SS___ a. The number of applicants for each is very big.
___SS___ b. Interviews are so challenging for candidates.
___CS___ c. It is really hard to find a suitable job.
___SS___ d. Most of the jobs are now very demanding.
6. Recognising unity in supporting sentences.
Read the following topic sentence. Put a cross next to each sentence below that supports
the topic sentence.
It is easy to get a sports injury.
_____ a. Many people enjoy sports
_____ b. Runners often have problems with their ankles and knees.
_____ c. basketball players can break their fingers or get knocked over by another
player.
_____ d. many people make the simple mistake of joining a gym, and then they never
go there to exercise.
Key:
It is easy to get a sports injury.
_____ a. Many people enjoy sports
___X__ b. Runners often have problems with their ankles and knees.
___X__ c. Basketball players can break their fingers or get knocked over by another
player.
_____ d. Many people make the simple mistake of joining a gym, and then they never
go there to exercise.
7. Developing unity.

Write two supporting sentences for each of the following topic sentences.
a. Computers are useful in many ways
b. Students learning abroad may have certain difficulties.
Suggested answers:
a. Computers are useful in many ways.
- Computers are very helpful in storing data.
- We can relax in a very convenient way with a computer.
b. Students learning abroad may have certain difficulties.
- They may find it very difficult to communicate with native speakers because of
language barrier.
- Their health may suffer because of unfamiliar climate.
8. Gathering ideas for a topic.
Brainstorming on the following writing topics.
a. There have been a lot of changes in family life in the past 20 years.
b. What are the difficulties encountered by women in modern society?
c. Why should we do charity work?
Answers: The results of the work are varied. Teacher should encourage students to find
as many ideas as possible.
9. Developing supporting sentences.
Look at this simple outline and develop supporting sentences into a good body of a
paragraph.
Playing sports after school is very beneficial to students.
a. It helps reduce stress after hard work.
b. It keeps students from social evils.
c. It helps to build up sense of solidarity.
In conclusion, students can gain both physical and mental benefits from doing sports.
10. Writing a concluding sentence:
The paragraph below is incomplete because the concluding sentence is missing.
Read the paragraph and write the concluding sentence.
Reading books proves to be very beneficial to all of us. In the first place, it helps to

widen our knowledge. We can know a lot more about school subjects. And we acquire
various necessary skills such as how to keep pets or how to cook a dish. Another benefit
of reading is that it is a valuable source of entertainment. Interestingly, we can relax
with a small book after a stressful day of hard work. Similarly, children can find a lot of
fun in comic books or picture ones. One more very important advantage that reading
offers us is our personality improvement. Our reading means that we become more
patient because reading takes us a such a lot of time. Moreover, through pages of books,
we can learn a lot from characters, for example, their endurance, bravery or sense of
optimism like Remi in “No family” by Hector Malot. ___________________________
_________________________________________________
Suggested answer:
In conclusion, through books, we can improve our life a lot due to the effects they
have on us.
11. Develop supporting sentences:
Write two examples as supporting ideas for each of the following ideas.
a. Learning English is very useful.
b. The role of women in modern society is very great.
c. If you are interested in outdoor life, camping in the countryside is an ideal way for
you.
12. Items to avoid in academic writing:
- Abbreviation: don’t, can’t, haven’t, so on.
- too common words
+ have
+ make sb adjective
+ get
+ be
+ more, much
Ed: If you watch TV too much, it will affect badly your study.
make your study worse.
→ Watching TV too much leads to bad study/ poor academic performance.

causes a decline in your study
results in a deterioration in your performance at school
There are more and more people learning English nowadays.
→ Today/ Recently/ In modern day/time/ At present/ In the modern world/ an
increasing number of people are learning E.
VN is more and more polluted.
→ VN is increasingly polluted.
The environment is very polluted.
→ The environment is extremely/terribly/ tremendously polluted.
- Repetition: in order to avoid repetition, students should use synonyms or word
with equivalent meaning.
E.g. polluted = contaminated, dirty, unhealthy
Difficult = challenging, testing, demanding
- overuse of indefinite pronouns (we, they): in order to avoid this, students should
be encouraged to use nouns rather than verbs.
E.g.
If we sit in front of the small screen for too long, our eyes will be slowly ruined.
→ Excessive exposure to the small screen will result in our eyesight deterioration.
IV. Suggested writings:
Topic 1: Write a paragraph about difficulties that are encountered by women in modern
society.
Despite living in a very modern world, females seem to be suffering from
numerous difficulties. To begin with, they have to struggle against increasing stress.
This stress can be first found in their endless daily housework, which is very boring and
tiring. Women are also under a lot of pressure to get career achievement. Another
difficulty is gender inequality. Sadly, a great number of females are still victims of
domestic violence from their own husbands or sons. Additionally, these women are
vulnerable to their employers as they are badly paid for the same workload as men.
Gender discrimination is also found in their lower status despite their ability. The last
problem met by this fragile sex is their failure of self-control. This can be proved by

their worse behaviours such as drinking too much or sexual actions, leading to
dangerous diseases or continuous scandals. In brief, females still face up to a lot of
problems from themselves, their families and society.
(Word count: 161 words)
Topic 2: Write a paragraph to suggest ways to protect wild animals and your
responsibilities of the rare animals’ protection.
In order to save animals, some immediate measures must be taken. Firstly,
protecting animals’ habitat is of the greatest importance. We can keep them in protected
areas like Cuc Phuong national parks or Thu Le zoo. Also, we must keep the
environment fresh, clear and unpolluted so that animals can live healthily. Secondly,
strictening the laws should be done as an effective way to reduce the threat of human
interference with these animals’ survival. Poachers must be fined more heavily for their
illegal hunting. Likewise, we should prevent any forms of overhunting animals for food,
skin, fur and so on. What’s more, education is also a key to this serious problem. It
should be made part of students’ subjects. Spreading knowledge about this issue and
encouraging friends, relatives to take part in protecting animal organisations are
effective solutions, too. In conclusion, we should take action immediately to save
endangered animals before it is too late, not only in the respect of their habitat but also
in our laws and schooling curriculum.
(Word count: 171 words)
Topic 3: What are the advantages of reading books?
Reading books proves to be very beneficial to all of us. In the first place, it helps to
widen our knowledge. We can know a lot more about school subjects. And we acquire
various necessary skills such as how to keep pets or how to cook a dish. Another benefit
of reading is that it is a valuable source of entertainment. Interestingly, we can relax
with a small book after a stressful day of hard work. Similarly, children can find a lot of
fun in comic books or picture ones. One more very important advantage that reading
offers us is our personality improvement. Our reading means that we become more
patient because reading takes us a such a lot of time. Moreover, through pages of books,
we can learn a lot from characters, for example, their endurance, bravery or sense of

optimism like Remi in “No family” by Hector Malot. In conclusion, our life will be
improved considerably thanks to the books we read.
(Word count: 164 words)
PART III - CONCLUSION
Writing a good paragraph is the result of a long and persistent period with lots of
efforts and patience. However, a good paragraph of your own will bring you a lot of
satisfaction.
A good paragraph requires a clear organisation, convincing and logical ideas, a
wide range of vocabulary and structure. Therefore, teachers of writing must be
enthusiastic enough in order to help students to write better. Writing can be improved
day by day, little by little.
It is widespread knowledge that writing is so challenging. Therefore, teaching
essay writing is extremely taxing for both teachers as well as students. It requires
teacher’s great amount of reading and creative work. Patience is indispensable, too. It
also needs regular practice of both teacher and students. Teachers are supposed to
devote a great of time and careful consideration to assessing students’ work.
I have got some years of experience of teaching writing. However, I still find it
such a hard job. So I always try my best to help students produce better results. With the
activities I have suggested above, I hope that teachers and students will be more
interested in this field and will find this task less and less hard.
I have tried my best in this study with an aim to share my modest experience with
all colleagues. However, mistakes and shortcomings are unavoidable. So any remarks
will be warmly welcomed.
The educational benefits gained from applying these activities:
I myself have applied these techniques to teaching 10 English- majored classes
studentsof the 12th form for the GCSE exam. I have found considerable benifits as
follow:
- The students had a better overview of academic writing in general and writing a
paragraph in particular. They, therefore, have known how to write a paragraph. They
have had a lot of chances to practise writing familiar topics such as: environment,

family, reading, and so on. Their writings have been improved significantly. They can
gather ideas quite easily, they can organise their ideas in a very clear way and most of
their ideas are very closely related to the topic. Especially, some students have
succeeded in writing in a very concise way.
- These activities helped motivated students’ participation in writing lessons
because the acitivities are short and practical enough. So they no longer find writing a
boring task.
TÁC GIẢ SÁNG KIẾN
Phạm Kim Anh
CƠ QUAN ĐƠN VỊ
ÁP DỤNG SÁNG KIẾN
(xác nhận, đánh giá, xếp loại)