REVIEWER IN RWS 11 TECHNIQUES IN SELECTING AND
ORGANIZING INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION TO READING AND
WRITING SKILLS Brainstorming is an individual or a group
activity. Using this technique, efforts are
WHEN WE READ AND WRITE... made to make a solution to a particular
problem. ideas are gathered and listed from
We improve our communication
the input of every member.
skills
There are 5 strategies under brainstorming:
Improving your reading and writing skills CUBING, FREE WRITING, LISTING,
also goes hand in hand with developing your MAPPING, and RESEARCHING.
communication skills. The more you read and
write, the more you broaden your vocabulary In CUBING, an idea is examined in SIX (6)
viewpoints:
and are able to articulate concepts accurately
and more effectively to others. Increasing Describe the topic (What is it
your ability to communicate also helps make about?)
you a better worker or student. Compare and Contrast
Associate it with something
We learn to think critically Analyze it.
Reading requires a person to think and Apply it.
process information in a way that watching Argue for or against it
television may not. The more you read, the In FREE WRITING, set a time limit and
deeper your understanding becomes of what number of words and pages. Just write. Do
you are reading and its application. not edit your work. Free writing allows
Developing writing skills can help you someone to work without inhibitions.
strengthen your ability to make reasoned
Another form of brainstorming is LISTING.
arguments on a variety of subjects, which is
Just list topics and then, make a sub list of
useful in school and on the job. things that you can write about each topic.
We have more opportunities A graphic form of brainstorming is
Studies show that people with advanced MAPPING. It is also called WEBBING or
CLUSTERING. It involves writing down
reading and writing skills have more
ideas, and making connections by associating
opportunities in school and professionally
similar ideas with color coded circles or
than those who do not develop these skills. underlined dominant themes, or using distinct
TEXT AS A CONNECTED DISCOURSE patterns, and then showing relationships by
linking lines.
TEXT
The last technique under brainstorming is
- Is made up of sentences RESEARCHING. Go to the library or check
- Is made up of sentences having the property the internet. Make a list or map of new ideas.
of grammatical COHESION GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
- Is defined in terms of its being a physical
product. Meaning is not found in text.
DISCOURSE
- Is the use of such sentences Venn Diagram Basic Outline
- Is made up of utterances having
the proper COHERENCE
- Is viewed as a process. Meaning is
derived through the reader's
interaction with the text.
TEXT BECOMES CONNECTED
DISCOURSE WHEN WE READ
Topical Organizer
PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE STRUCTURE
WRITING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES
INTRODUCTION: Start writing with a
DISCIPLINES powerful, eye-catching hook to grab the
reader's attention: simile, metaphor, literary
- According to the Cambridge quote, famous people quotations, poetry
Dictionary, this means a particular lines, interesting facts, jokes, etc.
area of study especially a subject
studied at a college or univeristy. BODY: You may put all words that come to
your mind; you'll have a chance to make your
NARRATION / NARRATIVE ideas shorter later. It's not enough to tell -
- Narration is the act or process of show the image of the object with the help of
narrating or telling a story. It involves words only. The way you create a mental
action, character, and a theme. image for the reader defines your ability to
- A narration can be an incident, make up a good descriptive essay. It is the
anecdote, historical account, quality of a skilled narrator as well.
autobiography, biography or a novel. CONCLUSION: Once you have described
GETTING READY TO WRITE your vivid place, check the structure of your
essay again to answer several critical
- PREPARATION: Choosing a good questions: Can the sentences or paragraphs be
topic arranged in a better way? Are any transition
- WRITING PROCESS: Use a words missing? Put down all sources used to
Technique in Selecting and describe your topic; make sure the descriptive
Organizing Information essay is following the tutor's instructions in
- PROOF READING full.
- EDITING
EXPOSE / EXPOSITORY
THE STRUCTURE
- Provides information about one or
INTRODUCTION: Take it as a warm up for more topics. It informs, explains,
the audience and give them the main idea of expounds, and interprets.
what is that story about. 3-5 sentences is the - Expository writing includes
standard. exemplification, or classification,
BODY: Collect every supportive argument comparison and contrast, cause and
for your story and logically place them. effect and problem-solution.
Remember: every new idea is a new NARRATIVE VS. EXPOSITORY
paragraph. 3-5 blocks will do no wrong.
NARRATIVE
CONCLUSION: Even the open ending is a
conclusion of a sort. This is the part where Tells a story
you sum up and prove what you claimed in Has action
the introduction. 3-5 well-arranged sentences Author's purpose is to entertain
is all you need to succeed. Has conflict and dialogue
DESCRIPTION / DESCRIPTIVES Has characters and theme
Has a definite beginning, middle, and
- Uses sensory writing in rich and vivid end
details that appeal to man's five Tell about a time, tell what happened
senses- sight, hearing, taste, touch, next, and write a story
and smell.
- Figures of speech are often used to EXPOSITORY
enhance the sensory experience of the Provides information
readers. Has explanation and direction
- It involves careful selection and
Author's purpose is to explain or
arrangement of details (i.e. general to
inform
specific, or vice-versa) and accurate
Has a central idea or thesis
word usage.
It is organized by: compare/contrast,
cause and effect, chronological order,
problem solution or question and DEFINING / DEFINITION
answer.
According to Oxford Advanced
THE WRITING PROCESS Learner’s Dictionary, definition
simply means “an explanation of the
SELECT A METHOD OF
meaning of a word or phrase,
DEVELOPMENT
especially in a dictionary”. Merriam-
Choose one from definition, Webster Dictionary defines it as “a
comaprison and contrast, statement expressing the essential
exemplification, cause and effect, nature of something” or “the meaning
classification and process analysis of a word or word group or a sign or
symbol” ([Link]
LIST FACTS AND DETAILS [Link]), while Word Reference
Include the important and interesting defines it as “an exact description of
the nature, scope, or meaning of
BODY PARAGRAPH something”
([Link]
Must include at least 3 topics and
A good definition avoids confusion or
under those topics are at least 2 facts
misunderstanding, because it conveys
and evidences and must end with an
the clear and precise meaning of a
analysis.
term, and thus helps you to
CONCLUSION understand what other people exactly
mean.
Summarizes the question or the thesis
statement DENOTATION & CONNOTATION
Discusses the significance of the topic Denotation is the literal or exact dictionary
Reveals unanswered questions meaning of the word. Connotation, on the
Call-to-action (if possible) other hand, involves all the associations
PERSUADE / PERSUASION related to the word.
Persuasive writing is used to convince FORMAL DEFINITION
or persuade a reader that the writer’s The definitions provided in dictionaries are
opinion of a topic or cause is correct. examples of formal definition
Every day, we encounter persuasion
through: TV Commercials, Magazine INFORMAL DEFINITION
Ads, SPAM mails, Shopping Apps Informal definitions express the meaning of a
THE WRITING PROCESS term partially or incompletely. (Synonyms
and Connotation)
PULL YOUR AUDIENCE IN WITH
AN INTERESTING HOOK IN WRITING DEFINITION TEXTS
YOUR INTRODUCTION Definitions can be extended into a paragraph
EXPLAIN YOUR POINT OF VIEW called “definition paragraph”. A definition
REASONS WILL HELP YOUR paragraph is essentially a definition sentence
AUDIENCES BE PERSUADED which has been expanded into a paragraph by
USE CONVINCING LANGUAGE adding special meanings, description,
ADDRESS POSSIBLE narration and/or other kinds of paragraph
ALTERNATIVE POINTS OF VIEW development in order to clarify the term
WITH REASONS TO being defined. Such paragraph usually begins
COUNTERACT THEM with a definition sentence which is used as
DELIVER A STRONG MESSAGE the topic sentence.
THAT IS REPEATED IN THE
1. Write one topic sentence that
CONCLUSION
mentions the element that you will
ENTICE YOUR READERS WITH define, and be sure to provide three
PROPER WORD CHOICE AND key defining words or phrases
SENTENCE STRUCTURE 2. In about one sentence, explain your
first defining word/phrase by telling
why this word/phrase defines your DEFINITIVE WRITING
subject.
3. Provide one to two sentences that give Definitive writing is like descriptive writing.
a specific example of your first It is one of the cores in different writing
defining word/phrase. patterns. It is hard to write without giving
4. Starting with a transitional phrase, meaning.
explain your second defining word in
about one sentence just like you did
for your first defining word/phrase.
5. Write one to two sentences that give
an illustrative example of your second
defining word/phrase.
6. Explain your third defining key
word/phrase the same way that you
explained your first and second
defining key word/phrase.
7. End your paragraph with one closing
sentence.
COMMON PHRASES USED IN
DEFINITION TEXTS
(The term) … is defined as …
(The term) … is understood to be …
(The term) … signifies …
(The term) … means that …
(The term) … denotes …
(The term) … suggests …
(The term) … connotes …
(The term) … is …
SUMMARY
NARRATIVE WRITING
In narrative writing it is important to discern
the point of view of the writer. Narratives tell
stories.
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
It is hard to write without describing or giving
out details. Descriptive writing goes hand in
hand with other writing patterns by giving
descriptions.
EXPOSITORY WRITING
This writing pattern gives explanations and
instructions. Most often it is linked to formal
type of texts like news articles, thesis, and
journals.
PERSUASIVE WRITING
One of the formulas to look out for persuasive
writing is: Is it trying to convince you or to
give a point for you to believe in?
