WRITING SKILLS FOR HIGHER GRADES

If the students have practised the writing skills from earlier grades, they should be at the point of using complex sentences instead of relying on baby simple sentences.

The sentences below are no more complex than those in lower grades except that the subject content is more abstract and theoretical.

There is a core of formats for complex sentences. Students should have the skill of selecting the best format in terms of words not repeated unnecessarily.

Exercises for such writing skills can be taken from all kinds of reference books. The teacher selects  the best sentences in a description  and converts these to baby talk simple sentences. Students then re-convert to complex sentences. We see this below.

Mastery Learning has a self-paced capacity. It may be that the exercises below will be suitable for grades 10 to 12.

But more capable students from grade 8 upwards may be able to proceed through these exercises.

They should be allowed to do so which means that teachers need to have access to patterns of all grades.

There should be enough mastery exercises to cater for more capable students and not leave them bored in the next grade.

Those for the lower grades can be used as remedial work for students in higher grades. Those for higher grades can be used for enrichment of more capable students in lower grades.

Students need to practise structures so that they understand that sentences can be added to like extensions on a house. They need to use the range of connector words.

The cane toad is a pest that infests the continent of Australia, arriving over a century ago as part of the effort of farmers to stop insects that destroyed cane fields and reduced the yield of cane, causing economic hardship for families.

We should bear in mind that some houses are poorly extended and look like a heap of rubbish. So too our complex structures.

Any more additions to the cane toad sentence above would spoil the elegance of the structure and make it messy. We have to know when to start a new sentence.

For many students in Papua New Guinea and other places, this style of writing is almost like a foreign language.

ADVANCED SENTENCE COMBINATIONS

Columbus sailed west from Spain.

He believed he had discovered India.

He named the islands the West Indies.

Columbus sailed west from Spain

and believed he had discovered India

naming the islands the West Indies.

Sailing west from Spain, Columbus believed

he had discovered India and named the islands

the West Indies.

The birds fly from Europe as autumn approaches.

They cross to Africa over the Strait of Gibraltar.

They catch hot up currents.

They glide down into central Africa

The birds fly from Europe as autumn approaches,

crossing to Africa over the Strait of Gibraltar to

catch hot up currents and glide into Central Africa.

As autumn approaches, the birds fly from Europe to

Africa, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to catch the hot

up currents and glide into Central Africa.

Yellow fin tuna live in the Pacific Ocean.

They move in anti-clockwise direction from the South Pacific.

They travel in blue water along the coast of America and China.

They breed in the Magadus Square of Papua New Guinea.

Yellow fin tuna live in the Pacific Ocean, moving in anti-clockwise

direction from the South Pacific and travelling in blue water along

the coast of America and China to breed in the Magadus Square of

Papua New Guinea.

The round worm is known as Ascaris lumbricoides.

It lives in the gut of human beings.

It lays eggs in the epithelial layer

These then pass down the alimentary canal.

These enter the body of another human host.

These continue the cycle.

The round worm known as Ascaris lumbricoides

lives in the gut of human beings and lays eggs in the

epithelial layer before passing down the alimentary

canal to enter the body of another host and continue

the cycle.

It is important that we follow a healthy diet.

This consists of fruit, vegetables, lean meat and clean water.

These strengthen our bodies.

These clean the digestive tract.

These allow the immune system to protect us from infection.

It is important to follow a healthy diet that consists of fruit,

vegetables, lean meat and clean water to strengthen our

bodies, clean the digestive tract and allow the immune

system to protect us from infection.

The snake is cold blooded.

The snake lies on rocks to catch the morning sun.

It warms its body and blood.

The snake is cold blooded

and lies on rocks to catch the morning sun

that warms its body and blood.

Being cold blooded,

the snake lies on rocks to catch the morning sun

and warm its body and blood.

The Aztecs lived in Central America.

They took prisoners from neighbouring tribes.

They sacrificed the prisoners to their gods.

The Aztecs lived in Central America

and took prisoners from neighbouring tribes

who were sacrificed to their gods.

Living in Central America, the Aztecs took prisoners

from neighbouring tribes to be sacrificed to their gods.

The earth consists of massive segments of land.

These are known as tectonic plates.

These move against the next.

This causes earthquakes and volcanic eruption.

The earth consists of massive segments of land

known as tectonic plates that move against the next

causing earthquakes and volcanic eruption.

The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was a massive explosion.

It sent pyroplastic lava 30 kms into the sky.

It came crashing down on Pompeii.

It buried thousands of people.

The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was a massive explosion

sending pyroplastic lava 30 kms into the sky that came

crashing down on Pompeii, burying thousands of people.

A tsunami occurred along the north coast of Papua New Guinea.

It was caused by an undersea earthquake.

It send massive amounts of earth crashing under the sea.

It caused a tidal wave the covered the coast.

A tsunami occurred along the north coast of Papua New Guinea,

caused by an undersea earthquake that sent massive amounts of

earth crashing under the sea, creating a tidal wave that covered the

coast.

Birds can navigate around the world.

This puzzles scientists.

They believe that the birds follow the magnetic field.

This is caused by the earth in motion.

Birds can navigate around the world which puzzles

scientists who believe that the birds follow the magnetic

field caused by the earth

in motion.

HIV is a virus. It enters the lymph system. It enters through

sexual contact, infection by blood transfusion and infected

syringes.

It passes from the lymph system to the blood. It enters the

gut from the blood. It destroys the gut lining. The virus stays

in the body. It causes damage to the lymph system and brain.

HIV is a virus that enters the lymph system through sexual

contact, infection by blood transfusion and infected syringes.

Passing from the lymph system to the blood, it enters the

gut and destroys the gut lining. The virus stays in the body,

causing damage to the lymph system and brain.

This work is necessary for students to master before they commence research activities and written explanations in reports IN OWN WORDS.

Applying Bloom's Taxonomy
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