Teaching argumentative writing at the primary level

Koh, G. H. (2002). Teaching argumentative writing at the primary level. Review of Educational Research and Advances for Classroom Teachers, 21(1), 57-68.

Background

Although English Language teachers in Singapore are expected to teach their students a wide range of genres, the teaching of narrative and recount text-types seems to dominate the primary classrooms. Moreover, teachers have expressed their reservations regarding teaching argumentative writing to primary school students.

Aims

In conducting the study, the author sought to find evidence in support of her claim that primary school students are capable of writing an argumentative essay.

Sample

The study involved 39 Primary 5 students from a primary school in Singapore. This group of boys and girls had never been taught argumentative writing before.

Method

A total of seven 50-minute lessons were conducted. The planned activities were modelled after the Curriculum Cycle which involved four stages: preparation, modelling, joint construction, and independent construction of text. The author compared two students’ writing produced independently during the second lesson and the final lesson.

Findings

Students were found to demonstrate an awareness of the demands of the argumentative genre (e.g., the need to provide some background information before presenting the thesis statement) after the treatment programme. Students also showed an ability to engage in extended prose and to provide reasons in support of their argument.

Implications

Informal feedback gathered from both the teacher and the students highlighted the value of teaching argumentative writing at the primary level. One recommendation was for teachers to start teaching argumentative writing early so that students could gain familiarity with the genre.

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