PATTERN DRILLS TO WRITING SKILLS

The first step in promoting Mastery Writing is to promote the structureS by pattern drills which are the focus of our program. The next step is to turn the pattern sequences into stories as you will see below.

Then the students complete the patterns and use these as the basis of a brief summary with the patterns being used. In this way, the students gain maximum guidance in a controlled writing activity.

MY LIFE AS A TEACHER

I am a teacher at Salamaua High School.

I have been here for 15 years.
I have lived with my husband.
I looked after our three children.

I am a teacher at Salamaua High School and been

here for 15 years, living with my husband and
looking after our three children.

I am from Nasigelatu village.

It is in the Finschhafen area.
I attended Dregerhafen High School
I graduated in grade 10.

I am from Nasigelatu village in the Finschhafen

area and attended Dregerhafen High School
graduating in grade 10.

My parents sent me to Bugandi High School.

Here I stayed and completed grade 12.
I gained distinctions in English and Social Science.
I had credits in Maths and Science.

My parents sent me to Bugandi High School

where I stayed and completed grade 12, gaining
distinctions in English and Social Science with credits
in Maths and Science.

My parents were very happy.

I gained a place at Goroka Teachers’ College.

Here I studied.

I met the man I would marry.

My parents were very happy that I gained a place

at Goroka Teachers’ College where I studied and
met the man I would marry.

My husband-to-be looked after me.

He helped me with my study.
He made sure that I was happy.

He even accompanied me when I went into town.

My husband-to-be looked after me, helping me

with my study, making sure that I was happy and
even accompanying me when I went into town.

He was studying to be a physical education teacher.

He was one year ahead of me.
This meant that he would graduate before I did.

He was studying to be a physical education teacher

and was one year ahead of me which meant that he
would graduate before I did.

In my last year I was alone.

I stayed quietly and studied.

I knew that my man was living in Salamaua.\

He was a teacher at the high school.

In my last year I was alone, staying quietly

and studying, knowing that my man was living

in Salamaua as a teacher at the high school.

There were no mobile phones in those days.

This meant that I had to wait until he went to Lae.

He would do his shopping.

He would call me on the public phone.

There were no mobile phones in those days which

meant that I had to wait until he went to Lae to

do his shopping and would call me on the public

phone.

The big day came.

I graduated with a Diploma in Education.

I was soon posted to Salamaua High School.

I had requested this.

The big day came and I graduated with a Diploma

in Education, soon posted to Salamaua High School

as requested.

My husband and I were married within a month.

We settled into a school house.

We started our life together.

We worked in the same school.

My husband and I were married within a month

and settled into a school house to start our life

together, working in the same school.

Within a year, we had a son.

We called him John.

He was the light of our lives.

He soon attended the local primary school.

Within a year, we had a son we called John.
who was the light of our lives and soon attended

the local primary school.

Now we have three children.

Each is a very special child.

We are very proud of them.

Now we have three children, each a very special

child of whom we are very proud.

_______________________________________________

 

Make a summary of the story above. This is an exercise to assist you to write and use the basic patterns in the exercises above. The summary below is a sample.

 

This is the story of a woman living with her family at Salamaua High school and working as a teacher. Born is Nasigelatu village in the Finschhafen area, she went to school at Dregerhafen High School, graduating in grade 12 at Bugandi High.

 

She gained a place to study at Goroka teachers college which made her parents very happy. Here she met the man she would marry and studying to be a physical education teacher and one year ahead of her.

 

He cared for her while they were together at the College but graduated one year ahead and was posted to Salamaua High School. He would ring her on his shopping trips to Lae.

 

But she stayed at the College, living quietly, studying and happy to know that her man was working as a teacher at Salamaua High.

Graduating one year later, she was posted to Salamaua and married to work as a teacher at the same school as her husband. They soon had a son, followed by two more children of whom they are very proud.

Posted by HIV/AIDS: FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING at 17:09