For this paper, we'd like you to focus on a particular aspect or challenge of teaching writing, one perhaps unique to your present teaching situation or, if you have not taught, a topic or challenge r

Running Head: Micro-teaching Project: Lesson Plan 0

Invention strategies: A descriptive review of ways to help writers initiate and sustain first draft idea-generation

Lesson Plan

Yolanda McNeil

Liberty University

Lesson Plan

• Title: Invention strategies: A descriptive review of ways to help writers initiate and sustain first draft idea-generation.

• Learning Goals:

1. To understand the fundamentals of the first draft process.

2. Develop methods and techniques for generating ideas

3. Describe pitfalls to idea generation and the overall writing process.

• Learning Activities: Modified fishbowls and Mnemonics. Modified fishbowl will be used for feedback posts as students will be encouraged to think collectively of their ideas and present them during feedback.

• Outline:

Introduction: The teacher greets her students and then starts the class telling them a story.

This story is about a man who wanted to publish his own book. He was 18 years old when he wanted to do it but he wanted to write “the perfect” book so whenever he sat to write he thought that he is not getting proper words which he wants to start writing. Then he became 25 still he could not find himself writing as he could not frame proper sentences that would appeal to his audience. Then the time passed and he was 60, his only dream to publish a book was still a dream because he still couldn't think of perfect sentences, perfect words and could not even arrange his thoughts perfectly to write a book. In the end, he was 80 he died, and the dream to write and publish died with him.

The teacher then asks the students what was his mistake? Why he could not write a book in his lifetime?

First objective:

The teacher states her first objective:

After collecting answers from the students, she tells them the value and fundamentals of the first draft.

The first draft is the beginning of any writing. It is crude, needs review and the best part is only you get to read it. The first draft is the foundation which then is given shape to get the final manuscript. Often writers try to find the best words or ideas to write in the first draft itself but to be perfect in the first draft itself can hamper the productivity of writing. It is necessary to write something that can be refined later into the second or third draft until it is ready for submission.

Second objective:

But how can you start writing the first draft?

Before starting with the first draft it is necessary to focus on pre-writing strategies as well.

Now, what are these prewriting strategies that you can use before even writing the first draft?

The teacher now applies the Modified fishbowl and Mnemonic activity and tells them to discuss and tell her the strategies they can come up with.

The teacher then explains the strategies-

1. Make a List-

   • • • Make a list of all the ideas coming to your mind.

       • Group the ideas that make sense to you and are related.

       • Give each group a name to have a smaller group to choose from.

       • You now have a topic on which you want to write.

2. Clustering - This is also called a mind mapping strategy. It helps to build a connection between various ideas.

   • Write the subject in the center of the page and circle the subject.

   • Now write other ideas around it, linking it to the main subject.

   • Again, if you get more ideas write them too around it and link them to the idea.

   • You can link on the paper by drawing a line.

1. Freewriting - In this process one has to sit for a certain duration and start writing without stopping or making any changes. It helps to inculcate the habit of writing and helps the ideas to flow without stopping.

   • Write for 10 minutes daily without stopping whatever comes to your mind. Even you cannot think of anything specific keep writing. you will have diverse ideas in the written form and the main motive is to generate as much idea as possible ignoring grammatical or spelling mistakes.

   • Once you have finished writing highlight the ideas that intrigue you and focus on the building on it.

2. Looping - In this method you first think of a theme or topic and then free write about it and after that read what you have written and circle the main idea or a sentence and then write about it again for 5-10 min. doing this number of times you will get an idea of your own thoughts about a given topic.

3. Questioning - Who? What? Where? How? are some questions you can keep asking about a particular topic and while you start answering them you get enough ideas and information about the given topic.

Third objective:

Pitfalls:

1. Unclear expectations - Often we think highly of oneself and want to write perfectly in one go in turn we end up not writing at all.

2. Procrastinating - Always thinking of writing some other day. It delays the work and one may end up never writing.

3. Uncomfortable Sharing the Work - Some writers write well, complete the work bit often feel uncomfortable sharing their work which again is a problem.

4. Rushing to write-rushing again is a problem as you might skip steps and not review your work enough.

5. Understanding what Works Best - Students need to understand which technique works best for them. It might be one or several at the same time. If one gets stuck in one technique that might be working for his/her friend but not for you it is necessary to move forward and look for something that works best for you.

Summary:

• In today’s topic, "Invention strategies: A descriptive review of ways to help writers initiate and sustain first draft idea-generation." We have learned the fundamentals and importance of the first draft. We have also brainstormed various methods and process that helps in generating ideas such as listing, clustering, freewriting, looping, and questioning. Last but not least we also investigated the pitfalls to idea generation and the whole writing process.

References

Cioffi, F. (2018). Prewriting and the Writing Process. In The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers - Second Edition (pp. 45-58). PRINCETON; OXFORD: Princeton University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvc77jw9.8

 Benjamin, A., & Berger, J. (2013). Teaching grammar: What really works. New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis.

Broady, E. (2004). Finding out what works. The Language Learning Journal, 30(1), 69-73. doi:10.1080/09571730485200251

Glenn, C., & Goldthwaite, M. A. (2013). The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing. Bedford/St. Martin's.

Jones, S., Myhill, D., & Bailey, T. (2012). Grammar for writing? An investigation of the effects of contextualised grammar teaching on students’ writing. Reading and Writing, 26(8), 1241-1263.

Luiselli, J. K. (2017). Applied Behavior Analysis Advanced Guidebook: A Manual for Professional Practice. Academic P.

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Wang, L. (2019). Research on the Application of the Mind Map in English Grammar Teaching.  Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 9(8), 990.