Programme de formation de l'école québécoise - Ministère de l ...

COMPETENCY 3 • TO W R I T E T E X T S
Focus of the Competency
ME A N I N G O F T H E CO M P E T E N C Y
This competency enables elementary students to write
for purposes that are significant to them (greeting cards,
comic strips, class yearbook, Web page, e - m a i l , e t c . ) .
Using models as guides and sources of inspiration, t h e y
start expressing themselves in written English while paying
attention to the quality of their writing.The aim is not
to have students systematically learn language convent
i o n s, but to apply them to the composition of texts while
having access to a variety of resources.To do so, s t u d e n t s
are initiated to writing as a process and benefit from
teamwork and teacher assistance throughout the
p r o c e s s.
CO N N E C T I O N S TO CR O S S- CU R R I C U L A R CO M P E T E N C I E S
To write texts, students draw upon the cross-curricular
competencies To use effective work methods, To use
information a n d To communicate appropriately. As students
carry out a writing task, they make effective use of
s o f t ware such as visual and thematic dictionaries, w o r d
p r o c e s s o r s, and desktop publishing programs, t h e r e b y
contributing to the development of the cross-curricular
competency To use Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT).
CO N T E X T S F O R LE A R N I N G
Domaine des langues
The learning contexts for this competency require:
– meaningful situations (purpose and intended audie
n c e )
– opportunities to develop compensatory and learning
strategies through use
– a vailability of resources (explicit models Cycle Tw o,
open-ended models Cycle Th r e e, c h e c k l i s t s, w o r d
b a n k s, p o s t e r s, visual and thematic dictionaries, s e l f -
correction grids, e t c . )
– opportunities to interact with peers and the teacher
– help from the teacher and peers
– use of ICT
English as a Second Language 358
DE V E L O P M E N TA L PR O F I L E
To develop this competency, s t u d e n t s prepare to write
texts using strategies, compose texts using strategies and
revise their texts using strategies. At first, they are closely
guided by the teacher. When they prepare to write, s t udents
follow instructions, note ideas and organize them.
To compose a first draft, they use explicit models, f u n ctional
language, w o r d s, expressions and ideas drawn
from provided resources. They ask for help when experiencing
difficulty, t a ke risks in expressing ideas in English
and persevere in producing this first draft. To revise, t h e y
check the task instructions and the language conventions
t a r g e t e d , submit the text to peer editing, r e f o r m u l a t e
i d e a s, m a ke corrections, and produce a clean, w e l l - p r esented
text that takes the intended audience into
a c c o u n t . As they progress through the cycles, s t u d e n t s
develop an awareness of strategies for effective writing.
They make use of open-ended models and make personal
and appropriate use of functional language, w o r d s,
expressions and ideas found in available resources. Th e y
become more autonomous, seeking help from their peers
and not as often from the teacher, and deliver a personalized
text taking the intended audience into account.