Module C Goldie Yodelwich

Writing Guide

Haredi District
‫תשפ"א‬
 B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Understanding the Topic…………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Planning……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Planning an Opinion Composition…………………………………………………………………………….4

Planning a Description Composition…………………………………………………………………………5

Structuring a Paragraph…………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Structuring a Paragraph Correctly…………………………………………………………………………….9

Reviewing and Upgrading………………………………………………………………………………………14

Writing the Final Version…………………………………………………………………………………………15
Appendix: Connectors…………………………………………………………………………………………….16
Note to Teachers…………………………………………………………………………………………………….18

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Introduction
Welcome to our guide which will help you prepare for the Module C writing task.

In this task you will write a composition about a specific topic, with a beginning a body, and
an end. You might be asked to write what your opinion is regarding that topic, or you might
be asked to write a description. You will write 70-90 words. It can be one paragraph only.

Examples of opinion topics:

1. Do you think schools should require pupils to wear a school uniform?
2. Some schools are very large and others are very small. Which school do you prefer?
3. Do you prefer learning at school in the classroom or learning at home?
4. Most schools require that pupils go on a yearly trip. Do you think pupils must
participate?
5. Do you think it is a good idea for teenagers to have a job after school hours?
6. Your school has received money to make changes. What changes should the school
make?
7. Do you think it is important to study English? Explain your opinion.
8. Many people think there is too much emphasis on tests and grades in our education
system. Do you agree?
9. What is the best way to spend a vacation?
10. Many people believe that good friendship is shown in hard times. Do you agree?

Examples of description topics:

1. Describe an important event in your life, and explain how it influenced you.
2. Describe someone who had a great influence on your life. Explain how he/she
influenced you.
3. Describe a pleasant experience from your childhood.
4. Describe something you would like to have in your neighborhood or town that you
don't have today. Explain why it is important to you.
5. Describe volunteer work you have done. Explain how you felt about it.
6. Describe a nice thing you did for someone or a nice thing someone did for you.
7. Describe something you like to do in your free time (for example: sports, volunteer
work, a trip, a hobby) and explain why.
8. Describe an invention you would like to see in your lifetime. Explain what it could do
and how it could change your life. Write 70-90 words.
9. Write about a place in which you want to live. You can explain where it is, what you
like about it and why you want to live there.
10. Describe a trip (real or imaginary) that you enjoyed. You can write about where you
went, what you did and what you saw.
11. Describe someone who influenced your life.

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First stage – Understanding the Topic

First of all, you have to understand the writing task's question. Make sure you understand
what the topic is. If there are any words you are not sure of – look them up in a dictionary.

Practice:

Choose 3 opinion topics and 3 description topics from the first page and explain them in your
own words.

Opinion:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Description:

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Second stage: Planning

Taking time to plan your composition is very important. It saves time and it helps you
get to better results:
• It helps you calm down.

• It helps you keep track of the time.

• It helps you prepare all the elements you want to include.

• It helps you stay focused.

• It helps you organize your writing.

• It helps you enrich your composition.

In this stage you plan what you will write in your composition.

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Planning an Opinion Composition

For an opinion composition, you think of reasons and examples to support your opinion.

For example:

Many people believe that good friendship is shown in hard times. Do you agree?

My opinion:

Yes.

Reasons why:

1. A good friend supports her friend in hard times.

For example: She listens when the friend talks about her struggle. She helps her friend with
what she can.

2. A good friend keeps her friend's secrets.

For example: She doesn't gossip with others about the friend's problems.

Practice:
Plan the following compositions:

1. Do you prefer learning at school in the classroom or learning at home?

Your opinion: _________________________________________________

Reasons why:

reason 1. _____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

reason 2. ____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

2. Your school has received money to make changes. What changes should the school
make?

Your opinion: _________________________________________________

Reasons why:

reason 1. _____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

reason 2. ____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

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3. Do you think schools should require pupils to wear a school uniform?

Your opinion: _________________________________________________

Reasons why:

reason 1. _____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

reason 2. ____________________________________________________

example: _____________________________________________________

Planning a Description Composition

For a description essay, you think of details to enrich your description. You answer the
questions: What? Who? When? Where? and Why? about your topic.

For example:

Describe an important event in your life, and explain how it influenced you.

The event:

My Bat-Mitzva.

What?

We had a party and I went to the Western Wall.

Who?

All of my cousins and friends came to celebrate with me.

When?

On the night of my Bat Mitzvah.

Where?

In our house.

Why?

It influenced me because I felt everybody was happy with me that I became responsible for
my actions.

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Practice:
Plan the following compositions:

1. Describe an important event in your life, and explain how it influenced you.

The event:

___________________________________________________________________________

What?

___________________________________________________________________________

Who?

___________________________________________________________________________

When?

___________________________________________________________________________

Where?

___________________________________________________________________________

Why?

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Describe someone who had a great influence on your life. Explain how he/she
influenced you.

The person:

___________________________________________________________________________

What?

___________________________________________________________________________

Who?

___________________________________________________________________________

When?

___________________________________________________________________________

Where?

___________________________________________________________________________

Why?

___________________________________________________________________________

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3. Describe a pleasant experience from your childhood.

The experience:

___________________________________________________________________________

What?

___________________________________________________________________________

Who?

___________________________________________________________________________

When?

___________________________________________________________________________

Where?

___________________________________________________________________________

Why?

___________________________________________________________________________

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Third Stage - Structuring a Paragraph

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea.
The topic sentence - Introduces the topic and states your opinion.

Supporting sentences - Add supporting details, examples and explanations to the main idea.
Each detail in a separate sentence.

Conclusion - summarizes your composition and ends neatly.

Structuring a paragraph
In this stage you write everything you planned in sentences and use connectors to make it
into one whole composition. (for connectors, see appendix)

For example:

Many people believe that good friendship is shown in hard times. Do you agree?

I believe that good friendship is shown in hard times. First of all, a good
friend supports her friend in hard times. For example, she listens when her
friend talks about her struggles. She also helps her friend with what she can.
In addition, a good friend keeps her friend's secrets. She doesn't gossip
about her friend's problems. In conclusion, this is why I think good
friendship is shown in hard times.

The topic sentence:

I believe that good friendship is shown in hard times.

Supporting sentences:

First of all, a good friend supports her friend in hard times. For example, she listens when
her friend talks about her struggles. She also helps her friend with what she can. In addition,
a good friend keeps her friend's secrets. She doesn't gossip about her friend's problems.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this is why I think good friendship is shown in hard times.

You can use the template in order to write your composition:

I believe \ don't believe that __________________________________.

First of all, _______________________________________________.
For example, ______________________________________________.
In addition, _______________________________________________.
In conclusion, _____________________________________________.

You can use other connectors according to what you want to write.

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Structuring Paragraphs Correctly

Sometimes we find it hard to structure sentences and paragraphs correctly. In those times we
can use the 'Wheels of English' tool, produced by Shifra Maatzari. These Wheels of English
help us memorize the basic structures of English sentences.
Towards Success in 3 Points (ppt), Shifra Maatzari.

We can practice the structures of English grammar by saying and writing empowering
sentences using those structures.

We have those structures in Past, Present and Future:

Towards Success in 3 Points (ppt), Shifra Maatzari.

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Use basic sentence structures in order to write your supporting sentences. Your supporting
sentences should describe the good things about your topic or opinion.

For example:

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Towards Success in 3 Points (ppt), Shifra Maatzari.

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Practice
Write a draft for a composition about the following topics: (Make sure you understand the
question and plan the composition before you start!)

1. Write in English about the following topic. Write 70-90 words.

Some schools are very large and others are very small. Which school do you prefer?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

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2. Write in English on the following topic. Write about 70-90 words.

Describe a nice thing you did for someone or a nice thing someone did for you.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

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Stage Four - Reviewing and Upgrading

In this stage you should review your draft according to a checklist, correct and
upgrade until it's the best you can write!
Content and Organization: (10 points)
• The composition is on topic.
• Information is relevant
• Content is understood
• Text is well organized

Vocabulary: (8 points)
• Correct use of varied words
• Appropriate use of instances of language chunks and phrases (such as phrasal verbs
and collocations)

Language Use: (8 points)

correct use of:

• Basic tenses and/or basic language structures

• Word order
• Pronouns
• Prepositions

Mechanics: (4 points)
correct use of:

• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• No run-on sentences

Make sure you wrote 70-90 words.

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Stage Five - Writing the Final Version

Carefully copy the correct composition into a clean page (with lines). Write clearly with
a blue or black pen. Leave a wide space around your composition.
Practice

Write a composition about each of the following topics. Write 70-90 words for each
composition.

1. Most schools require that pupils go on a yearly trip. Do you think pupils must
participate?
2. Do you think it is a good idea for teenagers to have a job after school hours?
3. Do you think it is important to study English?
4. Describe something you like to do in your free time (for example: sports, volunteer
work, a trip, a hobby) and explain why.
5. Describe an invention you would like to see in your lifetime. Explain what it could do
and how it could change your life. Write 70-90 words.
6. Write about a place in which you want to live. You can explain where it is, what you
like about it and why you want to live there.

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Appendix

Connectors
Connectors of Addition

• in addition
• and
• also

Connectors that Introduce Examples

• such as
• for example
• like

Connectors that Indicate Time Sequence

• since
• then
• when
• after
• afterwards
• before
• finally

Connectors that Order Ideas

• first
• first of all
• second
• then

Connectors of Conclusion

• finally
• to sum up
• in conclusion

Connectors of Contrast/Opposition

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• but
• on the one hand … on the other hand

Connectors of Reason, Cause and Purpose

• because
• because of
• in order to
• so / so that

Connectors of Opinion

• In my opinion …
• I think \ believe \ feel …

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Note to Teachers:
These worksheets are condensed, and need teachers' instruction in order to be helpful to
students. Please note that this guide is aimed to help 4 pointers succeed in Module C. 3
pointers, or any struggling students probably need more explicit instruction.

Students should be taught to work according to the stages:

1. Understanding the topic. Struggling learners may feel more comfortable in their own
language.

2. Planning: finding reasons and examples to justify their opinion.

3. Writing a draft.

4. Reviewing, correcting and upgrading according to the rubric.

5. Writing the final version.

A teacher should demonstrate the stages and give feedback to the students' practice at every
stage. Discussing the topic orally before presenting it as a writing assignment can help the
students think up ideas, explanations, examples, etc. (beside promoting their communication
skills…)

Struggling students may have to refer to L1 in the first two stages, to ensure understanding,
plan efficiently and gather a wide and varied vocabulary which can then be translated into
English. However, students should be encouraged and taught write their compositions and
even their drafts in English using what they had planned, rather than writing in L1 and
translating an entire composition…

Connectors, after being introduced separately, should be implemented in the writing process.
Students should learn to use connectors appropriately. Topic sentences and conclusions
should be given extra care and instruction because of their importance in writing.

In this guide I implemented concepts from Shifra Maatzari's ppt – Towards Success in 3 Points.
I highly recommend you go through the whole ppt and use the many useful points she brings
up:

https://sites.google.com/site/sulamotladders/presentations/october-2020-zoom-
presentations?authuser=0

In general, this is an overview of the writing process of a Module C opinion composition. May
it help you help your students succeed.

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