2016-10-21 TOEFL: integrated writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-our-bodies-age-monica-menesini
---
Writing: the last part of the test, about 1 hour total
1 integrated: 3min to read a short text, listen to a lecture, 20min to write about how the lecture relates to the reading
2 independent: 30min to plan and write a response to a prompt
---
DELTA p. 358 - Take 3 minutes to read the text and take notes on the important points.
What are the main points?
R0 - the plow is a good invention
R1 - improves the soil (by bringing fresh nutrients) and makes it easier to plant
R2 - reduces labor and costs
R3 - made it possible to cultivate large areas of land

Listen to the lecture and take notes. What are the main points of the lecture?
L0 - there are problems with the plow
L3 - producing large amounts of food isn’t enough if it isn’t sustainable (for future generations)
L1 - overuse of the plow causes soil damage (increased erosion by water and wind), no-till farming minimizes soil damage
L2 - no-till farming requires 30-50% less labor and 50% less fuel than plow-based farming, so it’s cheaper and easier to produce food that way
---
It’s very important to quickly identify the main points of the reading, because those are the things you’re going to listen for in the lecture.
---
Two basic formats for the integrated writing response:
Block format
	- introduction = R0/L0
	- reading summary = R1, R2, R3
	- lecture summary and how they relate to reading = L1/R1, L2/R2, L3/R3
	(probably write the third paragraph first, because it contains the most important content)
Point-by-point
	- introduction = R0/L0
	- first point = R1, L1/R1
	- second point = R2, L2/R2
	- third point = R3, L3/R3
(a conclusion paragraph isn’t necessary, but if you have extra time at the end it can’t hurt)
---
p. 360 - An overview of the points your response should include.
---
BREAK
---
Imagine you don’t know what “plow” or “tilling” mean. From the reading, what can you infer is the relationship between these two things?
- Tilling is the action that you do with a plow.

Then, when you hear the expression “no-till agriculture” in the listening, you should be able to infer that this is agriculture without the use of a plow. (In this case, it’s explained clearly: “No-till agriculture--farming without the plow--has the potential to develop a more sustainable agriculture.”)
---
p. 361 - take three minutes to read the text and take notes on the main ideas
Then listen and take notes to the lecture.

With your partner, make an outline for a response to the question.
---
What are the advantages and disadvantages of block and point-by-point formats?
---
p. 362 - Take three minutes to read and note the main points of the passage.

What is it about? Visual-spacial intelligence
What are the three main points? People with this intelligence...
- are able to recognize patterns
- are able to visualize rotating or moving shapes
- have superior visual memory

Listen to part of a lecture and take notes, especially noting how the points relate to the ones in the reading.

What is the lecture of about? chess players
How do the points from the lecture relate to the ones from the listening?
- It’s about how chess players have good visual-spacial intelligence.
- Players have the ability to remember the positions of pieces if they are meaningful positions (meaningful = they fit the pattern of chess moves, and could reasonably be part of a real game)
- they can play multiple games blindfolded, because they can visualize and manipulate pieces in their imaginations
- Memory of games including the choices to get there
---
Homework: Write a “perfect” integrated response to this reading and listening 4.1.B. (the transcript of the lecture is on p. 664
	Email or share it with me at [email protected]