2017-12-07 TOEFL: writing, intro to speaking

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: DELTA p. 199-201 - Listen to the audio excerpts and answer the main idea questions.
1 C
2 C
3 B
4 A
5 D
1 B
2 A
3 C
4 D
5 A
1 A
2 D
3 B
4 C
5 A
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Writing Section: last section, after speaking; two tasks
1 integrated: 3 minutes to read a passage, then listen to a lecture on the same topic, 20 minutes to write about the points from the lecture and how they relate to points from the reading
2 independent: read a prompt (a choice question), 30 minutes to write a short essay responding to it
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Independent Writing - the prompt almost always asks you to choose between two options
- agree/disagree: “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? [statement]”
- some people/other people: “Some people argue… Others believe… Which position do you agree with?”
Both prompts finish with, “Use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.”
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1 brainstorm and organize your ideas: think (and maybe write) some ideas for each option if you can think of them (If you have a hard time thinking of at least three reasons for your real opinion, try to think of some reasons for the opposite opinion.) Then choose the three best ideas and decide on an order.
	(write an outline with the ideas and order you chose)
2 write your response: If time is a problem, I suggest this order:
	- thesis statement (explain your opinion)
	- three main supporting ideas
	- details and examples for each of the supporting ideas
	- conclusion that restates your opinion and summarizes your reasons
	- finish the introduction with a description of the options you’re choosing between and maybe some background
3 check and correct: If you have time after writing, try to spend at least a couple minutes reviewing your response and fixing mistakes.
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DELTA p. 404 - Take 5 minutes each to brainstorm some ideas (maybe 3 minutes), and to choose your main ideas and write a short outline (maybe 2 minutes) for each prompt.
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You can have an “it depends” opinion, but then you need to support that opinion with examples of how it depends. In which cases do you agree? When do you disagree? Why?
1 - You could argue that children need to like a teacher (e.g. because they don’t have the emotional maturity to put aside their opinion and learn) but adults don’t need to like the teacher (because they are mature enough to separate their personal feelings from their academic needs).
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A typical effective response should be at least 300 words long. The American five-paragraph essay is a good format for this task.
1 Introduction:
	- (optional) background information and a “hook” to create interest
	- Summarize the options you’re choosing between. (This can be “some people” “other people”, even for an agree/disagree prompt.)
	- Thesis statement (State your opinion clearly, without using “I agree” or “I disagree”.)
	- Lead-in: “I have three reasons for this opinion” or “I believe this because .”
2-4 Body Paragraphs:
	- [transition: “First”, “The final reason is”, etc.] state one supporting reason
	- Details or examples to show that the reason is true.
	- Details or examples to show that the reason supports your thesis.
5 Conclusion:
	- summarize your reasons and restate your main opinion
	- Generalize to give the reader a “takeaway”, with a prediction, plan, or recommendation for the future.
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BREAK
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DELTA p. 407 - Unity, coherence, and transition signals.
Don’t use a transition signal unless you are sure you’re using it correctly.
“Finally” introduces the last body paragraph, NOT the conclusion.
(“In the end”, which looks like it should mean the same thing, can introduce the conclusion.)
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p. 419 describes score levels for independent writing.
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Integrated Writing
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p. 369 - Take 3 minutes to read the text.
R0 (main point) = the development plan is good and will benefit the city
R1 = it will beautify and improve the area, making it more attractive for people to live and shop there
R2 = it will attract more people to live downtoan and solve the city’s residential space problem
R3 = it will benefit the city’s economy
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You will be able to read the text again while you write your response, so the most important things to get during the 3 minutes are the main point and three supporting points. You can reread details when you see the text again.
You may only listen to the lecture once, so here it’s more important that you pay attention and write down some of the details in addition to the main points.
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Listen and take notes.
L0 = the development will not be good for the city
L1 = it will destroy the view of the lake, which is the main attraction of the town currently
L2 = new housing will be expensive, so the people who work there won’t be able to live there and the residential problem will continue
L3 = the economic benefit will mostly go to a few people and companies, and there will be a significant environmental cost to the development
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The most straightforward response is point-by-point, which should have four paragraphs
1 introduce the topic and explain how L0 relates to R0
2 summarize L1 and explain how L1 relates to R1
3 summarize L2 and explain how L2 relates to R2
4 summarize L3 and explain how L3 relates to R3
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    “The first point from the reading is that the new development will beautify the area and attract people to move and shop there. The lecture, on the other hand, argues that the development will destroy the view of the lake, which is the main reason people currently come to the area. This challenges the point from the reading that the development will make the area more attractive.”
- This is 67 words (44 without first summarizing the point from the reading), which is more than enough to get into the 150-225-word range described for a typical effective response.
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p. 378 - Read the text and take notes on the main point. Then listen and take notes on the lecture.
Here the lecture supports the points made in the text with the specific example of a company that used small work groups.
R0 = we know several things that make workers motivated and satisfied with their jobs
L0 = small work groups provide the things that motivate workers
     or: experience with small work groups supports that these things motivate and satisfy workers
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	“The lecture describes how a small work group fills social and emotional needs of workers. This supports the point made in the text that workers are more satisfied when they have a sense of community and social connection with the people they work with.”
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Because lectures that support the text are less common than lectures that oppose the text, make sure to pay attention to the prompt and especially notice if it uses a word like “support” or “illustrate” or “exemplify”.
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Speaking Section: third section, after the break and before writing
- about 20 minutes total, with six speaking tasks and 5m30s of speaking time (recorded on the computer)
1 independent, open-ended - 15 seconds to prepare / 45 seconds to speak
2 independent, choice - 15/45
3 integrated reading/listening/speaking, campus announcement and conversation - 30/60
4 integrated R/L/S, academic text and lecture - 30/60
5 integrated L/S, conversation about a problem and solutions - 20/60
6 integrated L/S, academic lecture - 20/60
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DELTA CD 5.23 (old version)
Listen to the conversation. What is the problem? What solutions do they discuss? What do you think?