3. One Picture – Many Different Techniques for Writing
For example, a teacher has a sketch as the picture for students’ writing and the sketch can be used for many types of writing – description, sentence
combining, role-play, questions and answers, etc.
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For writing description, firstly students need to label some parts in the sketch with word or phrase. After that, in small groups, students discuss and write down
what other words and phrases they will need to describe it.
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If the sketch is drawn by the teacher on the board, heshe can erase it and ask students to write
description paragraphs from their memory. If it is in a piece of paper, exchange it to other groupsstudents.
Combining sentence by using picture may be shorter than a paragraph or if it is continued, can be as long as paragraph. For example, there are two pictures
which contain a sentence that can be combined each other to make new sentence. They are given to two students randomly. Example sentences
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: a Debbie Johnson’s room is small.
and b Debbie Johnson’s room is practical.
Each student in the class should find partner whose sentence will combine with the one heshe has. Therefore, students are asked to find the sentence which
has same meaning. Some of the possibilities with the two sentences above are: a Debbie Johnson’s room is small and practical.
b Debbie Johnson’s room is small but practical. c Debbie Johnson’s room is small yet practical.
d Although Debbie Johnson’s room is small, it is practical. e Though small, Debbie Johnson’s room is practical.
f Debbie Johnson’s room, though small, is practical.
50
Ibid., p. 30.
51
Ibid., p. 30.
52
Ibid., p. 31.
With the new sentences above, students can discuss to organize those sentences to make a paragraph.
Role-play demands practical action in a classroom. In writing by using picture, teacher asks students to work in pairs groups to make attractive writing
about the picture then discuss the details about the picture given. After that, students are asked to write it in a paragraph. Final step, they read their own aloud
to each other and discuss which one works the best and why.
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In questions-answers session, a class is divided into four groups. The teacher gives one picture with a word for each group. For example, the teacher has
pictures of Debbie Johnson’s “bedroom, garden, kitchen and house” which given to four groups. Then, ask the students to compile some questions about it, pretend
that they will stay there and do not know the house. After that, the teacher collects them from each group and redistribute to other groups. Each group of students
writes a letter from Debbie that answers those questions.
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4. One Picture – A Sequence of Tasks for Writing
Using a picture can give teachers opportunity to develop not only wide variety of tasks but also a sequence of tasks, so that students can move from one
level of difficulty to another, gathering more vocabulary, knowledge of idiom and sentence structure and organizational skill. The picture can be discussed by the
students for cultural phenomenon and their own experience related to it.
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The example of one picture for a sequence of tasks
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: 1. Divide class into some groups and ask students to answer: “What is happening
in this picture?” The picture is about Debbie’s wedding. They should write down related words or phrases then the teacher compares the result and writes
necessary vocabularies on the board. 2. Still in groups, students are asked to answers such questions:
a How old are the two people getting married? b Do their parents want them to get married?
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Ibid., p. 33.
54
Ibid., p. 33.
55
Ibid, p.34.
56
Ibid, p.35.
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