2018-02-01 TOEFL: int writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
Homework: complete (at least) page 2 of the TOEFL registration handout
---
Cambridge p. 280-281 exercise L17 - Listen and take notes, then answer the questions.
1 Prisms Plates Stars
2 Antiviral Antibacterial Antibacterial
3 Refrigerator Icehouse Icebox
4 Drops Drops Drops Flow Flow
---
Look at your writing feedback from last week. Do you have any questions about my score or comments?
---
Writing Section: fourth and final section of the test, about 1 hour for two tasks
1 integrated: read a passage, listen to a lecture, write about how the lecture relates to the passage
2 independent: read a choice-question prompt, write about your opinion on the answer
---
Integrated Writing:
- 3 minutes to read the text (take notes at least on the main idea and three main points)
- listen to a lecture about the same topic
- 20 minutes to write about the points from the lecture and how they relate to the reading
---
DELTA p. 565 - Take 3 minutes to read the text. Then listen and take notes about the lecture.
Points from the reading:
R0 = earthworms are good
R1 = soil: mix up soil, aerate, improve drainage
R2 = plants: provide nutrients to plants, make soil easier for roots, create humus
R3 = animals: food source for many animals (birds, snakes, mammals, beetles, snails)
Points from the lecture
L0 = earthworms are bad
L1 = destroy soil cover, duff disappears where there are worms (which move it deeper underground)
L2 = removing the duff from the surface means flowers don’t get nutrients and they die
L3 = the duff is where many animals live, so worms destroy their habitats
---
“Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they refute specific points made in the reading passage.”
A point-by-point response will typically have four paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: State the topic and summarize the main idea from each source
Paragraph 2: Summarize L1 and explain how it relates to R1 (which you should also summarize briefly)
Paragraph 3: Summarize L2 and explain how it relates to R2 (which you should also summarize briefly)
Paragraph 4: Summarize L3 and explain how it relates to R3 (which you should also summarize briefly)
---
“The first point from the lecture is how worms damage the soil. The speaker says that worms remove the soil cover when they take duff and bury it deeper underground. This directly contradicts what the text says about how worms benefit the soil by mixing it up.”
- This is 47 words. According to the TOEFL, “Typically, an effective response will have 150 to 225 words.”
---
Citation Language: You should tell the reader where your information comes from.
- The text/reading says/states/claims/argues, According to the author/text/reading, The author believes
- The lecture/listening/speaker/professor says/argues, According to the lecturer/audio, The speaker thinks
Contrast Language: To explain how the text and lecture are different
- On the other hand, However, In contrast, Nevertheless
- This contradicts/opposes/refutes/challenges/casts doubt on/weakens the argument from the text
Support Language: To explain how the lecture supports or illustrates the points from the text
- In the same way, Similarly, Likewise
- This illustrates/demonstrates/supports the point from the text that…
---
DELTA p. 362 - Take 2 minutes to quickly read about visual-spatial intelligence. Then listen to the lecture.
This is an example where the specific example from the lecture (chess players) illustrate the general ideas from the text (the features of visual-spatial intelligence).
---
BREAK
---
Simulated TOEFL check-in and timed integrated writing practice in the computer lab.
(ETS 1 tests 1 and 2)
When you are finished with both responses, email them to me at [email protected]