2020-10-23 TOEFL: S 2, int writing

One way to improve grammar in speaking is to transcribe every word of your recorded audio, and then find and correct mistakes in the transcription. (An “um” or “uh” while you think of information is not a mistake, even though you wouldn’t write it.)
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“In conclusion, these were the two reasons why the man disagrees with the university.”
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Speaking Task 2 (campus announcement and conversation)
The organization of your response can be pretty similar to the independent speaking task:
1 Introduction: summarize the change and the reason(s) for it (In one sentence)
2 Thesis statement: state the speaker’s opinion about the change
3 Lead-in (optional): (“There are two reasons for the man’s opinion.”)
4 First reason
5 Detail/example
6 Second reason
7 Detail/example
(8 Conclusion - if you have time)
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- 45-50 seconds to read a text about a change at the university
- 1 minute to hear a conversation between two students about the change
- 30 seconds to prepare your response
- 60 seconds to record your response
(Record your response on your phone, using voice memo or another recording app, or your camera if you don’t have any apps for audio only.)
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Record your responses to the ETS guide practice tests (1-3).
Choose your best response and send it to me at greg.malivuk@gmail.com
https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_speaking_rubrics.pdf - Descriptions of score levels for speaking.
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BREAK
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Writing Section: fourth and final section, two tasks
1 Integrated: 3 minutes to read a text, 2-3 minutes for a lecture about the same topic, 20 minutes to explain how the points from the lecture relate to the points from the reading passage
2 Independent: 30 minutes to answer a choice question
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ETS 1.1 - endothermic dinosaurs example
reading - note what the topic and main idea are, and the three supporting points
	(You can see the text again while you’re writing, so don’t worry about understanding all of the details at first.)
R0 (main idea) = dinosaurs were endotherms
R1 = polar dinosaurs - fossils were found in polar regions, and only endotherms could survive in the cold
R2 = leg position and movement - legs were under the body; endotherms that can run also have this leg position, and modern reptiles (which are not endotherms) have legs to the side
R3 = haversian canals - dinosaurs and modern endotherms have these in their bones, and they allow fast growth, which is common in endotherms

The lecture almost always disagrees with the conclusion(s) of the text, but usually accepts that the observations and facts are true. In that case, the lecture will explain why the observation doesn’t lead to the text’s conclusion(s).

L0 = the arguments from the text don’t prove dinosaurs were endotherms / dinosaurs probably weren’t endotherms
L1 = polar dinosaurs - polar regions used to be warmer than today, and dinosaurs could have migrated or hibernated during the coldest times
L2 = leg position - legs under the body could just be to support their large bodies, not necessarily for running
L3 = bone structure - dinosaur bones also have growth rings, which mean periods of fast and slow growth; this is typical of non-endotherms, because endotherms grow at the same speed all the time
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You can organize your response point by point:
paragraph 1: Introduction - state the topic and summarize the main ideas (R0/L0) and be clear how they’re related
paragraph 2: 1st point - summarize what the text and lecture say 1st, and how they’re connected (R1/L1)
paragraph 3: 2nd point - summarize what the text and lecture say 2nd, and how they’re connected (R2/L2)
paragraph 4: 3rd point - summarize what the text and lecture say 3rd, and how they’re connected (R3/L3)
(If you have extra time, fix mistakes in your other paragraphs, don’t worry about a conclusion.)

Example introduction:
	The text and the lecture are about dinosaurs. The text argues that dinosaurs probably were endotherms. The speaker disagrees, and says that the arguments from the text don’t prove that dinosaurs were endotherms.

Example second paragraph:
	First, the reading mentions polar dinosaurs. Dinosaur fossils have been found in polar regions, and only endotherms can survive in that cold climate. The lecturer, on the other hand, points out that polar regions used to be much warmer than they are now. In addition, dinosaurs could have migrated or hibernated during cold times. Therefore, finding fossils in polar regions does not prove that dinosaurs were endotherms.
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If you do not include information from the lecture, the best score you can get is 1 out of 5.
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https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_writing_rubrics.pdf - Score levels for TOEFL writing.
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Usually, the text will include three reasons to believe its main idea, but sometimes it gives solutions to a problem or explanations for a mystery.

Topic: possible solutions to the problem of large ships colliding with whales
Text - three proposed solutions and how they would help
Lecture - problems with each solution and why they wouldn’t really solve the problem

If the text gives three explanations for something we don’t know, the lecture will likely explain why each explanation is probably not correct.
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Homework: write a response to the Chaco Canyon writing task