2017-11-09 TOEFL: writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: The other handout if I can find the audio. (I will send an email with the link.)
(Documents and audio uploaded and shared for homework is always at http://bit.do/gmalivuktoeflhw)
1 B
2 A C E
3 light, gravity, water
4 A
5 An animal dies
  Soft tissues decompose
  Hard tissues remain
  Hard tissues become buried
6 B D E
7 D
8 evolution, murder, strike
9 yes no yes yes
10 He defended the railway union president.
   He arbitrated a coal strike.
   He defended the murderers of a teenager.
   He took part in the Monkey Trial.
11 C
12 simple: no broken skin
   compound: with broken skin
   greenstick: partial
13 B C D
14 serious, more serious, less serious
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Writing Section: last section, about 60 minutes total for two tasks
1 integrated: 3 minutes to read a passage, time to listen to a lecture, 20 minutes to write about the points from the lecture and how they relate to the text
2 independent: read a prompt (choice question), 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise an answer
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DELTA p. 531 - Take three minutes to (re)read about dog breeds. Then listen to the lecture and take notes.
R0 = dog breeding is good
L0 = dog breeding is (or can be) bad
R1 = breeds fit a specific purpose and are bred to have those traits; registered purebred dogs are guaranteed to have those characteristics
L1 = many “backyard” breeders care only about making money, not about taking care of the dogs
R2 = Breeding benefits the dogs by enhancing their trates and breeding them with the best traits
L2 = Purebreeding leads to inbreeding which causes many harmful genetic problems for the dogs
R3 = popular culture and shows create public appreciation for breeds and encourage responsible owners
L3 = the focus on pure breeds leaves mixed dogs unwanted (they are killed in shelters), people bought Dalmatians after 101 Dalmatians and then got rid of them when they stopped being cute puppies.
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This is the point-by-point format. There is also a block format:
1 Introduction with R0/L0
2 Summarize the reading: R1, R2, R3
3 Summarize the lecture and explain which reading points those relate to: L1(R1), L2(R2), L3(R3)
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The lecture does not always contradict the points from the reading. It may instead illustrate those points with specific examples (or with specific details about one example). It also may support general points from the reading with the results of specific studies.
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Independent Writing: p. 416 has some different prompts
- agree/disagree prompts are most common, but many tests have a some people/other people prompt
Take 2 minutes to list reasons to agree or disagree with the statement in 1.
Then switch partners and compare your lists. Take 2 minutes to discuss the reasons and choose a “side” to write about.
Make a short outline with which reasons you’ll write about in which order, and maybe a word or two about examples or details to support those reasons.
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Why did every group decide to agree for your response?
What reasons would you write about for this response?
- You can support “you can learn a lot” with three kinds of things you can learn about.
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You should not write “I agree with the statement” in your introduction. Instead, express your own opinion as a direct statement (which may be a paraphrase of the prompt).
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A typical response has five paragraphs:
1 Introduction - Explain what question you’re answering, and what your answer is.
2-4 Body paragraphs - state each reason for your opinion, give details or examples to show that the reason is true and that it supports your opinion
5 Conclusion - restate your opinion and summarize the reasons, then generalize to a prediction or recommendation for the future based on your answer
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BREAK
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Writing Practice - ETS 2 test 3 - integrated and independent
When you are finished email your responses to me at [email protected]