The Internet TESL Journal　　Using a Peer Assisted Writing Activity to Promote ESL/EFL Students' Narrative Writing Skills 　　　　摘要 本文作者论述了如何在写作教学中让写作水平较高的学生帮助水平较低的学生提高写作能力，并详细阐述了同伴互助写作的具体步骤。　　BEFORE doing a peer assisted writing activity, teachers pair up students based on their writing level. The one at a higher writing level plays the role of a Helper, and the one at a lower writing level is a Writer.　　Step 1: Ideas　　To help the Writer stimulate ideas, the Helper begins by asking that person questions that mostly begin with "wh" words, such as who did what, what happened, etc. As the Writer responds verbally to the Helper's questions, the Writer also makes a note of key words.　　Step 2: Draft　　The key words in the notes should be placed where both members of the pair can easily see them. In this step, there are five different stages, varying from the simplest to the most challenging degree of difficulty: Helper writes it all, Writer copies it all; Helper writes hard words for Writer;Helper writes hard words in rough quickly, Writer copies in; Helper says how to spell hard words; Writer writes it all.　　The teacher chooses one specific stage for the students, and give the paired writers instruction on what they are expected to do.　　Step 3: Edit　　In this step, the Helper and Writer look at the draft together, and the Writer considers whether improvements need to be made. The Helper also considers whether there are any improvements the Writer might want to make.　　Step 4: The Final Copy　　The Writer then copies out a neat version of the corrected draft.　　Step 5: The Teacher Evaluates　　When the Writer and the Helper turn in their best copy, the teacher will provide them with explicit writing and grammatical instruction as well as corrective feedback.　　Using Video to Develop Writing Fluency in Low-Proficiency ESL Students 　　　　摘要 利用录像资料是提高学生写作水平的有效手段。本文作者详细介绍了选择教学录像的标准，及在写作教学中使用录像的步骤。　　I have found the activity using engaging, popular video materials, to be highly effective in eliciting creative, fluent and remarkably expressive writing from otherwise recalcitrant and unmotivated students. The following is how I conduct the activity in my classes.　　Choose a Video　　This requires careful consideration of several criteria: Can the students understand the language of the film? Don't be afraid to challenge students with natural language. Second, the movie must be appealing and engaging to your students. Third, you should choose films which emphasize particular grammatical, curricular, or thematic objectives.　　Prepare the Viewing Guide　　*Prepare some brief pre-viewing questions, as well as basic background information, to help establish the necessary framework.　　*Choose several short, engaging scenes with plenty of action for students to describe in writing.　　*Prepare a list of vocabulary that is essential for describing each scene.　　*Review any grammatical structures that you wish students to practice.　　*Prepare short written explanations of what is happening in the overall plot, and between selected scenes.　　*Show a selected scene once, with English subtitles if you like. Ask the students to watch it "just for fun"， without writing.　　*Ask them to watch again, in preparation for writing. Ask students to describe the scene in writing, in as much detail as possible.　　*Move about the room and see what students are writing. If they are missing important details, show the scene again, pointing out what they have missed.　　*Ask students to hand in work for correction.　　*Once students are familiar with the movie, and experienced at describing what they see, ask them to predict what will happen. Then, watch the next scene to see if their predictions were correct.　　Post-Viewing Writing Tasks　　After completing all the selected scenes, you may ask your students to go on with creative writing. You may provide them with an example to study before they begin.　　www.teachingenglish.org.uk　　Approaches to Process Writing　　　　摘要 过程写作法将写作看作一个动态的创造性过程。作者阐述了教师应如何在学生写前、写中、写后进行有效指导。　　THE process approach treats all writing as a creative act which requires time and positive feedback to be done well. In process writing, the teacher moves away from being someone who sets students a writing topic and receives the finished product for correction without any intervention in the writing process itself.　　What stages are there in a process approach to writing? Although there are many ways of approaching process writing, it can be broken down into three stages:　　Pre-writing　　The teacher needs to stimulate students' creativity to get them thinking how to approach a writing topic. In this stage, the most important thing is flow of ideas, and it is not always necessary that students actually produce much (if any) written work. If they do, then the teacher can contribute with advice on how to improve their initial ideas.　　Focusing ideas　　During this stage, students write without much attention to the accuracy of their work or the organization. The most important thing is meaning. Here, the teacher (or other students) should concentrate on the content of the writing. Is it coherent? Is there anything missing? Anything extra?　　Evaluating, structuring and editing　　Now the writing is adapted to a readership. Students should focus more on form and on producing a finished piece of work. The teacher can help with error correction and give organizational advice.　　Using Mind Maps to Develop Writing　　　　摘要 运用思维导图是学生写作前进行发散性思维、整理写作思路的有效方法。作者在文中介绍了教师对学生进行思维导图训练的方法。　　A MIND map is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to writing. Students start with a topic at the centre and then generate a web of ideas from that, developing and relating these ideas as their mind makes associations. How should a teacher make mind maps with students?　　Choosing a topic　　The mind map strategy can be used to explore almost any topic, though discursive essays and narratives work particularly well as they bring out students' ideas and lend themselves to discussing ideas in groups.　　Note making　　Once the topic has been introduced, I encourage my students to close their eyes and think about it for a minute or two, in silence. They then have two minutes in which to note down their ideas. Then, working in groups, they can compare and discuss their ideas.　　Feedback　　The next stage, in which the teacher makes a collective mind map on the board, is useful for students who are new to the idea of mind maps. It is also in this stage that any remaining language problems can be worked out.　　Organizing mind maps　　In this stage the students organize their mind maps into a linear form to decide the best way in which to present their points.　　Writing　　Students should then begin to write their compositions, working in pairs if they wish. After two paragraphs, they should exchange their compositions, so they become readers of each other's work.　　Continuation　　Once students are familiar with the idea of making mind maps, they can be encouraged to use this skill for further writing activities.