WRITING SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS - MAKING LISTS

Listed sentences have one or more commas with “and" or "or"as final connectors.

As an expatriate teacher of English in Papua New Guinea over 25 years, I have a reputation for lifting students of grades 9-12 to distinctions and credits in their written expression exams.

I have never really understood why but put it down to a touch of white man magic in teaching English as a first language.

But the penny has started to drop in the last year or two that my skill lies in (1) teaching students to write in complex sentences not in grade 3 baby talk and (2) express their ideas in simple sentences with lists and no repetition of words sentence by sentence.

Students in high school have suffered over the foolish expatriate inspired focus on teaching vernacular that started over 20 years ago. They struggle to write complex English with English rhythm.

Many students write baby talk in short sentences with words repeated over and over.

My name is John. I live in a village. It is a small village. It is a village by the river. The river is the Sepik River. I live with my mother and my father. My father works in Wewak. I have two brothers and two sisters. They go to school. It is a small school. It is near the village. I go to school with my brothers and my sisters.

So the first task is to make students aware of the silliness of baby talk in high school students. We practice patterns.

I saw Peter. I saw Paul. I saw Mary.

I saw Peter, Paul and Mary.

I saw Peter. I saw Paul. I did not see Mary.

I saw Peter and Paul but not Mary

We bought apples. We bought oranges. We bought bananas.

We bought apples, oranges and bananas.

I opened the door. I went inside. I put a letter on the table.

I opened the door, went inside and put a letter on the table.

Opening the door, I went inside and put a letter on the table.

She closed her eyes. She smiled. She went to sleep.

She closed her eyes, smiled and went to sleep.

Closing her eyes, she smiled and went to sleep.

I live in Lae. I work at Nadzab. I go by bus.

I live in Lae, work at Nadzab and go by bus.

Living in Lae, I work at Nadzab and go by bus.

I go around the country. I buy vegetables. I sell vegetables in the markets

I go around the country, buying vegetables to sell in the market.

Going around the country, I buy vegetables to sell in the markets.

I had no money. I went to the bank. I wanted to ask for a loan.

I had no money and went to the bank to ask for a loan.

Having no money, I went to the bank to ask for a loan.

I had walked a long way. I was tired. I sat by the road side. I waited for a bus to come.

I had walked a long way, was tired and sat by the roadside waiting for a bus to come.

Having walked a long way, I was tired and sat by the roadside waiting for a bus to come.

The soldiers were recruited. They were trained. They were set to the war in Europe.

The soldiers were recruited, trained and sent to the war in Europe.

He was arrested. He was charged. He was taken to Court. He was sentenced to prison.

He was arrested, charged, taken to Court and sentenced to prison.

He was worried about his daughter. He went to the police. He reported that she was missing.

He was worried about his daughter and went to the police to report that she was missing.

Worried about this daughter, he went to the police to report that she was missing.

LISTING FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

Families need love. They need caring. They need good health. They need education. They need happiness. They need strong values.

Families need love, caring , good health, education, happiness and strong values.

Domestic violence can be caused by poverty. It can be caused by unemployment. It can be caused by drug abuse. It can be caused by jealousy and anger of husband and wife. It can be caused by financial worries.

Domestic violence can be caused by poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, jealousy and anger of husband and wife and financial worries.

HIV can be caused by vaginal sex. It can be caused by anal sex of gay men. It is also the result of oral sex. It can be caused by infection with contaminated syringes of drug users. It can be the result of infected blood transfusions.

HIV can be caused by vaginal, oral and anal sex with infection from contaminated syringes and blood transfusions.

Family abuse can be caused by verbal abuse. It can be caused by violent abuse. It can also be the result of sexual abuse. Financial abuse can also occur.

Family abuse can be caused by verbal, violent, sexual and financial abuse.

Papua New Guinea suffers from poverty. It suffers from unemployment. It also suffers from domestic violence. There is also abuse of children. Clan killing is a cause. The nation suffers from corruption.

Papua New Guinea suffers from poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, abuse of children, clan killing and corruption.

Contraception can be achieved by the rhythm method. It can be by condoms. It can be by the pill. There can be three monthly Depo-provera injections. Women can have intra-uterine devices.

Contraception can be achieved by the rhythm menhod, condoms, the pill, Depo-provera injections and the intra-uterine device.

Parental responsibilities involve caring for the family. They keep the family healthy. They provide for family needs. They give strong values. They send their children to school. They prepare them for employment and marriage in later years.

Parental responsibilities involve caring for the family, keeping them healthy, providing family needs, giving strong values, sending children to school and preparing them for employment and marriage in later years.

Mentors and role models can support us within the family. They can be in the church. They can be school teachers and school friends. They can be sporting heroes. They can be media personalities.

Mentors and role models can be within the family, church, school among teachers and school friends, on the sports field or in the media.

A role model needs to be committed to the message. The person must be able to gain respect of peers, They must be good listeners. They must communicate. They must tell the truth. They must be constant in their views. They must respect views of other people.

A role model needs to be committed to the message, able to gain respect of peers, bea  good listener, communicate, tell the truth, be constant in views expressed and respect views of other people.

A strong relationship between a boy and girl needs to involve friendship. There must be no pressure for sex. The boys and girl needs to give space to each other. They must push themselves into the person’s life. There must be no violence or abuse. There must be no claims of ownership. There must be a desire to meet regularly. Gifts are a way to express caring.

A strong relationship between a boy and girl involves friendship, no pressure for sex, space given to each other, no pushing with violence or abuse, no claims of ownership, a desire to meet regularly and give gifts to show caring.

The elder children in a family have responsibilities. They support the parents. They help with housework. They care for younger children. They act as mentors and role models to younger children. They support the positive values of family.

Elder children in the family have responsibilities to support the parents with house work, care for younger children, act as mentors and role models and support positive family values.

Children have dangers in the street with attack from adult sexual predators. They have dangers from being forced to abuse drugs. They may be attacked by street gangs. They may be kidnapped. They may be taken away to be raped or murdered. They may be trafficked into overseas sex slavery.

Children in the street may have dangers from sex attacks from adult predators, forced to take drugs, attacked by street gangs, kidnapped, taken to be raped, murdered or sold into overseas sex slavery.

Parents have the responsibility to protect their children. They escort them to school or the bus. They make sure they know where they are. They check on them regularly. They talk to the parents of other children. They warn their children about stranger danger. They do not allow underage children to go to nightclubs or night parties.

Parents have the responsibility to protect their children, escort them to school or the bus, know where they are, check regularly, talk to other parents, warn children of stranger danger and not allow underage children to go to nightclubs or night parties.

The female reproductive system consists of the ovaries. There are the ovum (ova). Then there is the oviduct. There is the uterus that holds the embryo,. The vagina stands at the opening. The cervix blocks the viruses and germs from entry to the uterus. The clitoris stimulates the female.

The female reproductive system consists the ovaries, ovum (ova), oviduct, uterus that holds the embryo, the vagina that stands at the opening with the cervix to block germs, bacteria and viruses and clitoris for stimulation.

The male reproductive system consists of the penis. This is covered bythe foreskin, the vas deferens to carry the semen. There is the seminal vesicle. The prostate gland gives tails to the sperm, the testis makes the sperm cells. The testis are held in the scrotum.

The male reproductive system consists of the penis, foreskin that covers and protects the penis, vas deferens to carry the sperm, the seminal vesicle to add semen, the prostate gland to put tails on the sperm cells, the testis that make the sperm and scrotum to hold the testis.