TEACHING WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT BY COMBINING FLOWER WITH SENTENCE VARIETY STRATEGIES
AT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Oleh
Yesi Nofita*)
**) Riny Dwitya Sani, Pembimbing atau Pengajar Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
ABSTRAK
Makalah ini ditulis bertujuan untuk membantu mengatasi permasalahan siswa dalam pengajaran menulis (writing) pada tingkat Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP). Masalah yang dihadapi oleh siswa SMP diantaranya adalah siswa sulit membuat teks dengan baik karena mereka sulit menemukan ide ketika menulis. Kemudian, ide yang mereka tulis tidak tersusun dengan baik. Dan juga mereka kesulitan dalam membuat teks pendek atau teks panjang. Selain itu, makalah ini juga bertujuan sebagai masukan bagi guru-guru bahasa inggris dalam melaksanakan pengajaran writing sehingga siswa tertarik dan termotivasi untuk belajar menulis khususnya descriptive text. Dalam makalah ini penulis membahas dua strategi yang dikombinasikan untuk membantu siswa dalam menulis yaitu strategi Flower Writing dengan Sentence Variaty Strategy. Strategi ini mempunyai langkah-langkah yang sistematis dalam penerapannya. Di mulai dengan siswa memilih topik yang menarik dan sesuai yang nantinya akan dikembangkan menjadi sebuah teks dan memperkenalkan komponen dari flower strategy kepada siswa. setelah itu siswa menganalisis struktur masalah yang ada dalam teks seperti ide pokok dan ide pendukung. Sebelum menyusun kalimat, guru memberikan sepotong teks sebagai model agar siswa dapat memberikan variasi di dalam teks tersebut. Siswa menggali informasi yang berkaitan dengan topik dan menyusunnya dalam diagram bunga, lalu menambahkan variasi di dalam kalimat. Akhirnya, siswa menulis karangan pendek atau panjang dengan menggunakan langkah-langkah strategy yang telah disediakan. Adapun kelebihan penggabungan dua strategi ini adalah siswa memiliki kemampuan untuk mendeskripsikan sebuah gambar dan juga mampuan menulis kalimat pendek atau panjang secara individual berdasarkan langkah-langkah yang jelas dan dibantu dengan diagram yang menarik dalam menulis sebuah teks yang benar.
Keywords: Writing, Flower, Sentence Variety Strategy
*Penulis
** Pembimbing Introduction
Writing is one of the most important language skill that student need to be mastered in learning English. It is one of the productive skill besides speaking,listening and reading that enable some one to communicate their idea in written form. Writing is a form a letter and conveying an idea into the written form.
On the other hand, for educational, writing also useful for the students to add more their knowledge. They can write their ideas in the form of poetry, short story, letter, a song and so on.Also they should pay more attentions to
the ideas, grammatical and organization of writing. They should know how to generate the ideas and how to transfer it into a good writing. So, writing is important skill to learn by the people and students.
Teaching writing is an activity that the teacher helps the students how to convey their ideas in written form. It means that students should have ability to express their ideas that are relevant with a certain topic that they want to write and they should be able to arrange the ideas systematically. A teacher does not only teach about the way to arrange
some sentences into good writing from their mind but also to guide and lead the students to pass the process of writing. He also guides them to convey their ideas to get the meaning.
Furthermore, Based on Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP) 2006 for Junior High School students that writing is one of skills that should be mastered by the students.In writing skill, the students are expected to comprehend various kind of text.
They are descriptive, narrative, recount, procedure and report text. Each of the text has different purpose and features. It means that senior high school students should understand various kinds of the text.
Based on the writer’s teaching practice experience at SMPN 2 Ampek Nagari, the writer found some problems that students got difficulties in learning writing. First, some students had difficulty in getting started. It was difficult for some students to express the ideas, because they did not understand how to write well. Consequently, some students could not develop information, ideas, and argument in sequence. The second, some of the students were not interested and had low motivation in writing. They did not like to write especially in English. The last it easier to understand the effects of different types of sentence in relation to each other rather than in isolation.
In order to write well, the teacher should choose a good strategy that appropriate with the students’ problem in learning writing.
There are some strategies that can help the teacher can use. In this paper the writer will try to apply flower strategy and sentence variety strategy. To overcome the problem above, Flower strategy is a writing strategy in order to help the student improve the writing skill specially in writing a paragraph. Sentence variety strategy is a writing strategy to help the reader to understand which idea are most important, which ideas support of explants other ideas.
Review Of Related Literature
Writing is one of the four language skills that are used to communicate indirectly.
It can be used to express ideas, feelings, opinion, etc. Many experts explain their ideas on definition of writing. In the following paragraph, some of their definition and
Writing is a complex process that allows the writers to explore thought and ideas and share it with others. It is supported by Sokolik in Jozsef (2001: 5) defines that writing is among the most complex human activities.
It involves the development of a design idea, the describe of mental representations of knowledge, and of experience with subject.
Writer can write a good text, so the reader can understand when the reader read it. That is if the student want to express the experience in writing, then they begin to think of ideas that will be in writing, after that from the ideas they are can find the topic to be developed into a good in writing.
Moreover, Nunan (2003: 88) he states that writing is both physical and mental act.
Writing as physical act, it refers to commiting words or ideas to some medium. While as mental act, it refers to work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to a reader. it means that students express feelings or their ideas through writing using their own words.
Meanwhile, Coulmas (2003:1) states that writing is a system of recording language by means of visible or tactile marks. It is known that the writing is as a tool to make meaningful language in written form. Authors can create a good text, to understood by the reader the contents from the text that was written.
Based on some experts above, the writer can conclude that writing is a activity carried out by the students. The students must choose words that will be used and must understand how to develop into a sentence, to show their ideas to be written. By writing students can interact with each other, to convey their ideas. Then writing is a tool that helps students to create a work in the form of writing that can be read by others.
Process of Writing
Based on the explanation above.
Writing is a process of conveying an idea or ideas in written form. To assist students in writing teachers have to teach how to write or process that is passed in writing. There are several steps that must be followed by the students to develop their writing skills.
Acording to Anderson (2002:30), there are four stages in writing process. They are discovering, drafting, revising, and polishing.
do in relation to a writing assignment or task that leads to their first draft. Drafting refers to getting the thoughts on paper in the form of sequenced sentences, paragraphs, and sections.
Revising involves reexamining the effectiveness of the whole paper in terms of the ideas presented and the ordering of those ideas. Then, polishing involves refining language for effect, proofreading for correctness, and checking manuscript format.
Furthermore, Oshima and Hogue (2007:16) also divide the writing process into four steps which includes: The first rewriting.
The writers choose a topic and collect ideas to explain the topic. Second, Organizing. The second step in the writing process is to organize the ideas into a simple outline. Third Writing. The writers add some ideas that are not in their outline and also add a concluding sentence at the end. The last Polishing. The writers polish what they have written. This step is also called revising and editing.
It can be concluded that there are four steps in the writing. The first step is the author created the idea. The second, is the author set of ideas. Third, is to write a rough draft and final step applying rough draft them with editing and revisions.
Meanwhile, Nation (2009:114), adds that there are six sub processes which are crucial to make an effective writing. The process such as considering the goals of the writer and model of the reader, gathering ideas, organizing ideas, ideas into text, reviewing, and editing. It explains that the writer must know the goals of writing and model of the reader. After that the writer gathers and organizes the ideas. Next, the writer develops the ideas from subheading become writing text. Then, reviewing is defined as an activitity that involves a change, such as correcting a spelling error, changing a verb form, or substituting one word for another. In short the six above process is useful for the teacher to make students know how to improve their writing skills. The writing process consists of several activities in various stages. Students are required to work in sequence in accordance with the above steps, so that they can build, develop and improve the ability to write and can produce a good text.
Teaching Writing
In teaching writing, the teacher not only teaches about how stringing words will be written, but students can also enjoy writing activities and develop their writing skills.
According to Nunan (2003:92), there are some principles of teaching writing, namely:
The first is Understand your students’
reasons for writing. In this activity, teacher should consider to match writing instruction to the goal of writing to be achieved by students.
The next Provide many opportunities for students to write. Teacher should provide available time which is effective for writing assignment. After that Make feedback helpful and meaningful. Teacher should provide valuable correction for improving the quality of students’ writing assignment. The last Clarify for your self, and for your students, how their writing will be evaluated, the teacher should explain reason and argumentation which are used by teacher for correcting the writing assignment clearly.
The teachers should follow the four principles of teaching presented above, it is very important for the teacher to understand the purpose of writing that is done by the students in the class. Then students as writers are given enough time to practice writing and issuing their ideas, after the teacher to revise and evaluate student work.
Moreover, Coffin et al (2003:56), propose that there are two approaches in teaching writing. First, writing as text, it has the similar meaning with a writing is a product. This approaches focus on the text that the students made. Second, writing as process, it is known in making that a writer has to know the process of writing in order to get a good result of writing. Therefore in this post also focused approach in the writing process consists of several steps: pre, writing, and publishing.
Meanwhile, Caswell and Mahler (2004:3), claim that teaching writing provides opportunities for the students to develop clear thinking skills. It means the students are given enough time to think before they write in order to develop skills in writing. If students do not have time enough to think they can not develop their ideas well.
In conclusion, teaching writing can help students in writing, and develop their ideas into writing. And understand how to write clearly and also how to express their ideas into paragraphs. Teachers examine student work and give feedback, and discuss students' mistakes in writing. After that teachers teach students how to write a good, and also can be publication.
Descriptive text
Descriptive text is one of the types of texts are studied in high school, some experts explain the definition of descriptive text. some experts explain the definition of descriptive text. According to Yudantoro (2010:7), descriptive is a text that has purpose to describe a particular person, place or thing.
The text tells all information from the person or thing in specifically. Descriptive text purpose to describe of someone or something through the sentences read by some one.
Futhermore, Murphy (2010:230) defines that descriptive text is a text provides information on a topic through descriptive facts, details, characteristics, and traits.
Descriptive text lists important features, elaborating on each for the purpose of informing the reader. This is also supported by Jackson and Stockwell (2011:84), they add descriptive is a text that explains something is like, to give its characteristic, uses, and soon.
They also said that descriptive text are often written in the present tense, and the most commonly used verbs are be and have, adjective like tall, brown and dark are used to describe characteristics of the thing being described.
The conclusion of some experts above are descriptive text is a kind of text to describe or imagination that tells about places, people, objects and other things. So that the reader can imagine about the object description in the text. It can also help the reader better understand more clearly about the real object.
Generic Structure of Descriptive Text In descriptive text, the generic structure divides into two parts. Pardiyono (2007:34), rhetorical structure of this text is identification and description. Identification is statement contains the object and description has details about the object. This sentence
which introduces or identifies the object.
Then, description is a part of paragraph which describes the object.
Mulyono (2008:22), stat that the generic structure of descriptive text consist of the identification that identifies the phenomenon and description that describes the parts, the qualities, and the characteristics of the phenomenon. Then, the language features is focused on spesific participant and using simple present tense.
Wardiman, et al (2008), specify descriptive text has two elements: an element to identify phenomenon (identification) and another one (description) to portray parts, qualities, or characteristics. In terms of significant lexico grammatical features, the text focuses on specific participants, contains attribute and identifying process, comprises epithets and classifiers in nominal groups as well as uses simple present tense.
According to three experts can be concluded that the generic structure of descriptive text is a description and identification. Description is to contain the object characteristics, while identification is an introductory paragraph that identifies the object. Descriptive text specific focus on the object, and use the simple present tense to describe the object in writing.
Flower Writing Strategy
Strategy can help students in writing.
Flower writing is one of the strategies that can be used in the teaching of writing. According to Burton (2006: 52), Flower Writing is a writing strategy involves writing down the central idea supported by the detail around that has connection to make a complete paragraph.
In this strategy can help students to develop their ideas into paragraphs.
Moreover, Holmes (2007:3), explains Flower Writing is a writing strategy to create the creativity and sense of student in taking a writing section by finding the main ideas from the text and determine the supporting details that is related to the topic aimed to construct a good paragraph. This strategy requires students to determine the main idea of a text.
Then, determine the main supporting details related to the main idea. The step is that put the main ideas in pistils of flowers and on the
eyelids to put the supporting details to support the main idea.
Futhermore, Jacobson (2011:93), states that Flower strategy is a great and simple writing strategy for helping students to explain their thinking process and creativity in order to make support logical argument in making a complete paragraph. This strategy helps students to use the creativity of students to find the main idea of the text and supporting details. This strategy is also supported by Jones (2011), he defines that Flower Writing strategy is a simple writing strategy make the students construct a complete paragraph or essay by following the steps provided. In this strategy the students are asked to work individually to find the main idea and supporting ideas in a topic and write a paragraph and explain the previous idea.
Based on some theories above, Flower strategy is a strategy that can be used in the teaching of writing, the students work individually to find the main idea in a text by following the interest graph, and the steps to find a topic and supporting details related with topics that will be described. Write strategy is also a strategic interest that good that can be used by teachers to measure students' ability to develop the main idea and also teaches how to write a correct step good order in the text. This strategy is interesting and simple to apply in the classroom.
Procedures of Flower Writing Strategy The writer choose According to Jacobson (2011:93), also mentions some steps in this strategy. The steps are: The first Select an appropriate material which. Second is related to lesson at the day. Third Introduce each component of the writing pieces ( the pistil or center of the flower and the petal around the flower) using flower graphic organizer. Next is Together the class will analyze the problem structure of the text.(Main idea/ introduction (topic that will be describe) and Detail (all the supporting sentence to the topic)). Next When initially introducing the strategy, the teacher will first give a sample writing piece for students to model work from formulating a thesis statement and the general topic areas that students will use to support their position. After that Students will complete the teacher generated flower graphic organizer to plan piece to ensure that all elements are included. The last Students write
the essay using the steps that the strategy provided.
This procedure starts from the students choose a topic that will be studied, the teacher introduces the components of a piece of writing using flower graphic organizer, students analyze the existing problems in the text. Then the teacher gives an example as a reference work. Finally the students write essays, before using the steps strategy provided.
It means that Jacobson strategies suitable for use in teaching writing. Because this strategy has a beautiful design and attractive to students. This enables students to analyze and categorize the main idea, supporting details and transitional word in a text. Then put them into flower frame. So that students do not get bored in learning to write.
Advantages Flower Writing Strategy
The advantage of this strategy in implementing the learning process. Previous teachers should compare with other strategies, it is very important to improve the way they are in learning. So the students do not feel bored and monotonous in learning, the teacher should choose an interesting strategy to be applied in the classroom.. According to Burton (2006 :52), Flower Writing strategy is an effective way to help the student in writing paragraph independently. The purpose of this strategy is to help students independently to find the main idea and supporting ideas to make a good paragraph.
Futhermore, Jones (2011), adds several advantages of Flower Writing strategy:
The first is an easy writing strategy to be applied at any level. Second It can be applied in group or individually. Third It create an individual creative thinking to find the topic and supporting details to make an essay. The last The steps are provided to help the students in writing paragraph.
This strategy can be used for all levels of students. This strategy can also be used in groups and individuals which is leaded by the teacher. This strategy can be used in the group as an exercise, then ask students to write individually. It can help students to discuss the topic, then write down their ideas in a text by following the steps contained in this strategy.
Sentence variety strategy
Strategy is important to learning process. sentence variety is a strategy to help the students to understood the ideas and support the other ideas. Some experts explain the defenition in strategy. According Bates (1998:33), states “ using a variety of sentence type’s lengths makes writing more interesting and easy to read. In short this strategy can help the students in writing, and also the student make a short or long sentence which is interesting and easy to read the sentence.
Morever, Chin (2000:22), sentence variety is a strategy of join short sentence into longer, more complex sentence. As the students engage in sentence-combining activities, they learn how to vary sentence structure in order to change meaning and style.
It mean that this strategy can help the students in write and make long and short sentence.
Furthermore, Hale (2008:52), explains that sentence variety is an aspect of craft that has to do with the sound and rhythm of writing.it means the sentence variety is a written model to combine from short sentence into long sentence.
Procedure Sentence Variety strategy (SV) The writer choose According to Ahola (2004:2), states that are four steps in using in this strategy: The first Provide the students with a sample paragraph that lacks of sentence variety. After reading the paragraph aloud, the students should count the number of words in each sentence and write the number above the sentence. Second Ask the students if they notice any similarities between the numbers they wrote down. They should be able to determine that some of the sentence have the same word count. Explain to the students that writers often vary their sentence in order to keep their readers from getting bored. Thus, encourage the student to include a mix of both shorter and longer sentence in their draft.
Third Brainstrom some ways to revise sentence that lack variety with the students.
They may offer suggestions such as combining shorter secntence in order to make one longer sentence or dividing one longer sentence into two shorter sentence. The last With their own draft, the students should count the words in each of their sentence. If there are many sentences with a similar word count, then they
It can be conclude that Ahola strategy suitable to be applied in the classroom teaching writing preformance.
Because these strategies can help students how memberiakn variation in a sentence or short sentence menggabungakan to make one long sentence. So that students are not in menulisserta not monotone with what they write because already varied.
Advantages of sentence variety
Sentence Variety strategy have several advantages. According to Foster and Marasco (2007:84), sentence variety is ilustrate to make the readers be more understood to the text through that they show relationship between ideas and sentence. By using this strategy, students could know to make good sentence through main ideas of the sentence, and the students could develop the main idea into complete sentence.
Moreover, Hale (2008:53), states that variety is easier to understand the effects of different type of sentence in relation to each other rather than in isolation. It means the students will be easier to understand about the strategy,and also easy to apply in classroom.
Furthemore, Cett (2012:312), adds that they notice how sentence work together within a paragraph, and they seek a mix of different sentence lengths and type. Experienced writers have a variety of sentence patterns from which to choose.
Combination of Flower with Sentence Variety Strategies
The writer combines Flower and Sentence Variety strategy because they can complete each other. There are several stages in combination Flower and Sentence Variety Writing strategy. They are: The first is Select an appropiate material which is related to lesson at the day (flower). Second Introduce each component of the writing pieces (the pistil or centre of the flower and the petal aroud the flower) using flower graphic organizer (flower). Third Provide the students with a sample paragraph that lacks of sentence variety. After reading the paragraph aloud, the students should count the number of words in each sentence and write the number above the sentence (SV). Next Together the class will analyze the problem structure of the text.(flower) (Main idea / introduction( topic that will be describe) and
topic)). Next ask the students if they notice any similarities between the numbers they wrote down. They should be able to determine that some of the sentence have the same word count. Explain to the students that writers often vary their sentence in order to keep their readers from getting bored. Thus, encourage the student to include a mix of both shorter and longer sentence in their draft (SV). Next Brainstrom some ways to revise sentence that lack variety with the students. They may offer suggestions such as combining shorter secntence in order to make one longer sentence or dividing one longer sentence into two shorter sentence (SV). After that Student write the essay using the steps that the strategy provided (flower). Last With their own draft, the students should count the words in each of their sentence. If there are many sentences with a similar word count, then they should revise them (SV).
DISCUSSION Preparation
The firts Topic. In this paper the teacher will discuss about descriptive text.
Teacher should prepare the text or topic. Then the teacher choose one of familiar topic. So the student easy to understand about the materials.
Second Timing. The teacher also needs to consider about timing for teaching writing. It is include how long the teacher will teach. For instance, a whole time is 2x45 minutes, so the teacher divides it into three divisions, 15 minutes for pre-teaching activity, 60 minutes for whilst-teaching activity, and 15 for minutes for post-teaching activity. Last Media. To apply Flower and Sentence variety strategy in teaching descriptive, the teacher will use pictures as media in teaching and learning process in order to stimulate students.
Pre-teaching Activity
The first, The teacher greets the students. Second The teacher checks the students’ attendance list. Last The teacher reviews the last material
Whilst-teaching Activity Exploration
Select an appropiate material which is related to lesson at the day
Elaboration
First Introduce each component of the writing pieces (the pistil or centre of the flower and the petal aroud the flower) using flower graphic organizer (flower). Second Provide the students with a sample paragraph that lacks sentence variety (Sentence Variety).
Third Together the class will analyze the problem structure of the text (flower). Next Ask the students if they notice any similarities between the numbers they wrote down. Lats Brainstrom some ways to revise sentence that lack variety with the students.
Confirmation
First Student write the essay using the steps that the strategy provided.(flower).
Second With their own draft, the students should count the words in each of their sentence.
Post-teaching Activity Evaluation
First, The teacher asks the students to write about the descriptive text by using flower and sentence variety based on their own understandin. Second, The teacher gives feedback for the students’ achievement. Last, The teacher closes the teaching and learning process
Conclusion
Based on the previous discussion, it can be concluded that the writing is one of the skills that must be mastered by the student. By writing students can express feelings, opinions and they ideas into an article. In writing a paragraph the authors collect ideas and provide variation in the sentence or paragraph.
Actually there many texts can be developed in written form. But in this paper the authors choose a descriptive text.
Furthermore, to assist students in writing, the teacher should used the right strategy and matched with the material to be taught. In this paper the authors used a combination strategy in teaching writing.
Teachers can incorporate Flower and Sentence Variety to improve students' ability to develop their ideas in writing. By using the strategy of flowers writing teachers can help students put out, organize and develop their ideas about a
topic that will be written based on existing measures in the strategy in form of interest.
Then by using a variety sentence strategies teachers can help students to analyze the existing text and give variety into short or long sentence. In order for students interested in writing for this exciting strategy to be applied in the classroom and easily understood by students.
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