response to Nation Ch. 7

In chapter 7, Nation makes the point that we as teachers should strive to bring the learners' experience into a writing task. In this way, the learner is sure to have the experience needed before even asked to complete a writing activity.

For example, you could use the writer's own experience of something to prompt a writing task such as family, weekend activities, etc. If you're wanting the class to write about something different (that is not yet personally experienced), prior to the writing task, consider a number of activities to ensure experience. Just as in teaching reading, you could pre-teach some vocabulary items that they need to be familiar with. You could take the class (or your student) on a field trip (grocery store, to the movies, a book store, etc. And maybe read an article or story about it or watch a film in class. By using one or more of these 'experience' activities, the student will have the background knowledge (and probably much more confidence) about attempting to complete a writing task. Nation (p.98) talks about a writing activity called 'Linked Skills', wherein the student uses all four skills (wholistic learning!). Here, the writing task is the last activity following speaking, listening, and reading activities about the topic. To me, this sounds like the most ideal strategy to take toward writing. :)

The learner I am tutoring through Arlington Reads is working more on listening and reading, but if he's interested in writing, I'd like to try to use some of the activities above to make sure he knows what he's writing about before he starts writing. Nation also talks about an activity called 'Draw and Write' where the student actually draws pictures of his/her experience, then uses the pictures as a cue for writing. I think this could be a good beginning writing activity given that the learner would have something tangible and visual to look back at in the midst of the writing task.