Writing Inspirations a Fundex
of Individualized Activities
for English Language Practice
by Arlene Marcus
ISBN 0-86647-092-1
Ideal for tutorials -- it's photocopyable!
176 writing-topic activity cards, containing over 600 writing tasks to
choose from, for students of all ages, interests, and skill levels. They are
presented ready to be photocopied and mounted on 8x5 index cards,
often with a lively photo or illustration or a piece of virtual realia - maps,
ads, forms, articles. The cards can then be kept in a Fundex, a standard
index card file box full of fun writing inspirations. That way they are easy
to store and easy for you or your students to flip through looking for ideas.
The topics are both entertaining and simple to understand, so that
students working on their own at home or in a study hall or library will
want to take on the challenge and write. Among the 15 fun activity types
are:
Response Writing -The Daily Paper
Finish the Story
Writing Stories - Superstitions
Writing Anecdotes - Proverbs
Writing a Story about This Photo
Reflective Writing-Memories
Help! The Advice Column
Fundex tasks involve the use of whole language in individual, pair, and
small group work. Though primarily writing tasks, they may also include
discussion and planning, information gathering, research, and reading.
"I've used Writing Inspirations in high school multi-level ESL classes.
I found it particularly helpful with students who had a hard time
getting started writing. Instead of assigning them one of the cards, I
would pick out all the cards on a certain theme like "Writing Stories:
Superstitions" and ask the student(s) to choose one prompt that
interested them. They were always able to find one they liked, and
the writing process would begin.
I like the variety of themes and writing styles represented in the cards.
You can go in many different directions according to student needs
and interests.
It was a bit labor-intensive to cut out all the cards and have them
laminated, but well worth the effort.
Currently I work as an ESL professional development specialist and I
often show these cards to teachers as an example of what works in
multi-level classrooms."
Writing Inspirations a Fundex
of Individualized Activities
for English Language Practice
by Arlene Marcus
ISBN 0-86647-092-1
Ideal for tutorials -- it's photocopyable!
176 writing-topic activity cards, containing over 600 writing tasks to
choose from, for students of all ages, interests, and skill levels. They are
presented ready to be photocopied and mounted on 8x5 index cards,
often with a lively photo or illustration or a piece of virtual realia - maps,
ads, forms, articles. The cards can then be kept in a Fundex, a standard
index card file box full of fun writing inspirations. That way they are easy
to store and easy for you or your students to flip through looking for ideas.
The topics are both entertaining and simple to understand, so that
students working on their own at home or in a study hall or library will
want to take on the challenge and write. Among the 15 fun activity types
are:
Response Writing -The Daily Paper
Finish the Story
Writing Stories - Superstitions
Writing Anecdotes - Proverbs
Writing a Story about This Photo
Reflective Writing-Memories
Help! The Advice Column
Fundex tasks involve the use of whole language in individual, pair, and
small group work. Though primarily writing tasks, they may also include
discussion and planning, information gathering, research, and reading.
"I've used Writing Inspirations in high school multi-level ESL classes.
I found it particularly helpful with students who had a hard time
getting started writing. Instead of assigning them one of the cards, I
would pick out all the cards on a certain theme like "Writing Stories:
Superstitions" and ask the student(s) to choose one prompt that
interested them. They were always able to find one they liked, and
the writing process would begin.
I like the variety of themes and writing styles represented in the cards.
You can go in many different directions according to student needs
and interests.
It was a bit labor-intensive to cut out all the cards and have them
laminated, but well worth the effort.
Currently I work as an ESL professional development specialist and I
often show these cards to teachers as an example of what works in
multi-level classrooms."