Many students study with us with the long or short term goal of taking the TOEFL or a similar test. Perhaps the most challenging part of these tests is the writing section. Why is this? Writing well requires a high level of organization as well as appropriate style, grammatical structure and mechanics, which can be a lot to think about at the same time, especially in a foreign language. Fortunately, Judith C. Hochman, founder of The Writing Revolution, has developed a very usable and effective method for teaching writing, which provides a sequenced plan of specific exercises that can be applied to any content. Beginning with sentences and advancing to paragraphs and later essays, students develop their style and organization and, if practiced over time, this method can produce amazing results! Since the exercises can be used in any academic subjects, students are less likely to become bored.
Here is a sample of one exercise in writing complex sentences. After reading a text about monarch butterfly migration, students had to complete the sentence stem using three different conjunctions.
Monarch butterflies fly south for the winter because they can’t survive the cold climate.
Monarch butterflies fly south for the winter, but the next generation will return in the spring.
Monarch butterflies fly south for the winter, so some forests in Mexico are full of butterflies during the winter months.