Authors: Veretennikova A.Ye.
Citation: Veretennikova A.Ye. Developing Cadets’ English Writing Skills. Psychopedagogy in Law Enforcement. No 3(74). 2018. Pp. 73–77. DOI: 10.24411/1999-6241-2018-13013.
Для цитирования: Веретенникова А. Е. Cистема развития навыков английской письменной речи курсантов // Психопедагогика в правоохранительных органах. 2018. № 3(74). С. 73–77. DOI: 10.24411/1999-6241-2018-13013.
Download article: Developing Cadets’ English Writing Skills
Abstract
The necessity of students’ knowledge of writing communication in English in accordance with the requirements of the competence paradigm of education is confirmed and proved that the cadets’ English writing skills will develop if this process is based on a specially worked out teaching system. When developing writing communication skills, it is necessary to take into account the theory of the writing process, text structure, the six-stage process of writing, the reasonability of educational work with samples of academic and business types of writing within the discipline «Foreign Language (English)». These provisions were the basis of the cadets’ writing skills development system, consisting in the gradual skills development of the correct key sentences composition, the logical transition to the organizing sentences into paragraph and the writing of the concluding sentence, which are synthesized when working at academic and business writing (argumentative essay, summary, abstract etc.). Taking into account this system, the content and methods of presenting educational material on the cadets’ English writing skills have been developed.
Keywords: english language, writing communication, assessment criteria, communicative competency, argumentative essay, text structure.
Writing Topic Sentences. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. It explains its main idea. The following sentences supply supporting details which can be presented as sequence of events, examples, comparison, contrasts, cause, and effect situations.
Read the following topic sentences and write what supporting details you expect to follow in the paragraph.
1. My high school teacher was the best teacher I ever had.
2. Being a law enforcement cadet can have its good moments and its bad ones.
Write a topic sentence for the following paragraph.
It’s now a crime in Brazil to use a cellular phone while driving, even when stopped at a stop light. The exception is voice-activated phones that let drivers keep hands on the wheel. Violators can be fined up to $25.20. Repeaters can lose their drivers’ licenses.
Fig. An example of clustering of the essay topic “Terrorism
Organize the following sentences into a logical paragraph. First choose the topic sentence. Then arrange the remaining ones in some order so that they make sense.
1. He placed it upon the threat of crime when talking the Metropolitan Police Bill through Parliament.
2. The focus upon crime served to head off possible sources of opposition.
3. The emphasis on crime prevention owed to Robert Peel.
4. The force instructions thus made the point that policing was principally about crime, and not public disorder.
5. Although as local historians show, this was not always successful.
The paragraph below is missing a concluding sentence. Write a concluding sentence.
A further problem arises from the work that Crime Prevention Officers (CPOs) do. Their work is demand-led and proactive. There is an incongruity (несоответствие) between the ideal and the actuality. The CPOs spend most of their time conducting commercial or domestic surveys, dealing with alarm problems, arranging talks. They do not have much time left for planning responses to particular crime problems.
Writing an Essay
An essay is a piece of writing in which ideas on a single topic are presented, explained, argued, or described. It consists of several paragraphs and has three main parts: introduction, body and conclusion. There are two parts in the introduction: some general statements to attract readers’ attention and a thesis statement to state the main idea of the essay. It gives the reader a general idea of the contents. An introduction is usually one paragraph long. The body as a rule details the topic. That is why it includes several paragraphs depending on the number of subtopics. The conclusion is a summary of the main points discussed in the body.
All parts of an essay must be united and logically structured. Transition signals and repetition of key nouns link the paragraphs.
Study the model essay and mind its structure: (the topic and subtopics of the essay; the topic sentence of each body paragraph; supporting details (sequence of events, examples, comparison, contrasts, cause and effect) in each body paragraph; linking words and phrases; the conclusion).
While choosing your own topic and generating ideas you can apply such techniques as:
— Keeping a Journal (recording of thoughts from day to day).
Factors Taking hostages Protection of People Explosions Kidnapping Struggle Against Terrorism in Russia International Terrorism Methods Economic History Modern features Muslim / non-Muslim regions Legal Financial Types Tendencies In Muslim states In non-Muslim states Forms Sources Development Origin Terrorism
— Freewriting (writing ideas as they come to mind to explore a topic without worrying about grammar, punctuation, spelling, logic).
— Brainstorming (starting with a key word or idea and listing other ideas as they occur).
— Collecting Information (by asking personal, creative, analytical or informational questions; library research; observing; interviewing).
— Clustering (write you topic in the middle and think about it, writing down briefly everything that comes to mind. Each time you write something, draw lines to connect it to the main idea in the center. Continue to think about secondary ideas that add details to existing ideas and add lines to them. Review the chart, looking for ideas that interest you).
Look through the essay “Investigation of Crime”and make clustering for this topic based on it. Write an essay on the topic “Methods Used in Fighting Organized Crime” according to the writing process steps (prewriting, writing the first draft, reviewing, revising, proofreading, evaluation).
— After completion the first draft revise it and write a second one if necessary.
— Exchange papers with a classmate and check each other’s essays.
— Discuss your classmate’s notes and decide what changes to make if necessary.
— Revise your essay.
— Write a final copy to hand in
Argumentative Essay
An argumentative essay is an essay in which a writer agrees or disagrees with an issue, using reasons to support his opinion. To be successful with it choose a topic for which you are able to write a proposition supporting and opposing arguments. Focus on subjects that are serious, specific, timely and debatable and identify a reasonable point to argue for.
One should have his own view on the topic, support it with reasons and prove it with solid evidence. For this reason look for information to build arguments for and against your proposition and use the data to convince the reader that you have the right proposition. It is important to consider all sides of the topic. That is why a writer is to discuss the opposite view points and reasons and to prove that they are not good reasons. The best way to do so is to follow logical structure of argumentative essay organization.
Writing an argumentative essay requires careful planning. It means the following:
— To understand two sides of the argument and decide which one to support. — To write a thesis statement, containing your point of view.
— To research the topic for ideas and supporting details for both sides of the argument (quotations, summaries, paraphrases).
— To choose an essay pattern and create an outline according to it.
— To write the first draft with explanatory or an attentiongetting introduction. — To self-revise an essay.
— To exchange papers with a classmate and review each other’s essays, making notes of mistakes.
— To make changes if necessary and write a final copy.
Study the model essay and mind its structure. Evaluate it according to the following points:
— Is the proposition reasonable and clearly stated?
— Are supporting arguments logical, clear, and convincing?
— Are opposing arguments dealt with?
— Given the supporting arguments, is the conclusion valid? Choose topic and write an argumentative essay.
— Capital Punishment
— The Speed Limit
— Gun Control
— A Career in Law Enforcement Agree or disagree with the following statements and write an argumentative essay:
— Today the FBI mission should be changed.
— There is no agency in Russia which has the similar functions and jurisdictions as the FBI. Modern education considers argumentative essay as a means of competency evaluation. Instructors usually evaluate writings based on some criteria. To be successful with the essay before handing in it is recommended to check it using Self -Editing and Peer-Editing materials
Assessment Criteria usually include: organization, content,
vocabulary/spelling, grammar, punctuation. An instructor marks each section and makes comment.
Organization : An essay has three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion A block or point-by-point organization is used
Content: Introduction contains a thesis statement It states the topic of the essay Body includes several paragraphs Each paragraph discusses only one main idea Each paragraph has coherence There are some arguments and rebuttal with the (writer’s own) counterarguments Each point is supported with a specific detail The sources of borrowed information are cited Conclusion restates the writer’s opinion
Vocabulary/ Spelling Linking words, transition phrases are used to link paragraphs Special terms and expressions are used There are no spelling mistakes
Grammar Every grammar structure is correct Punctuation
Punctuation is used correctly
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9. Veretennikova A. Ye. Dobie A. B. Argumentative Essay as the Means of Competency Assessment. Psychopedagogy in Law Enforcement. No. 1(68), 2017. Pp. 65–68. (In Russ.)
Submitted: 27.02.2018