Exam Essay 10 High School Narrative Writing

Author: Shang Bi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-12
Features: Among various teaching materials, none fail to highlight the spirit of "student-centered" quality-oriented education. The scientific, effective, feasible, and economical teaching methods and techniques all boil down to one word: "practice." The selection of examination essays is based on the "field effect" of the examination venue. People value mock exams because they allow students to adjust their mindset for calmness and train their quick-response "exam" skills in a simulated examination atmosphere.
First, the written exam recognizes the teaching orientation of "writing from the heart" by the two distinguished teachers, Zhang Guangluo and Zhang Guangying. "I" refers to the student, centered around the student, with heart and hand in harmony, which is practical and seemingly mystical. This is a self-cultivating task that everyone can participate in. The "time period" is at the beginning of "literary creation," whether in terms of creative experience or still in the "primary stage" rather than the "advanced stage." Things like "drawing inspiration from life and transcending it," "reading extensively to write effortlessly," or "creating typical characters to reflect the spirit of the times" are the "advanced" realms of writers' creation, which students aged 6-17 find difficult to reach. That is to say, the traditional writing teaching method of "narration—explanation—argumentation" stimulates interest through "reading," and supports a ladder of "memorization"—"speaking"—"discussing." The prerequisite for "memorization" is observation skills, for "speaking" is analytical skills, and for "discussing" is expressive skills. The so-called "observation—analysis—expression" "new sequence" writing teaching model, in my opinion, does not bring much novelty. As the main model, it has always benefited students of middle-to-high levels. Students of lower levels, or most students, are not yet good at observation, analysis, or expression, let alone passing the writing test, using punctuation correctly, or having a rich vocabulary and clear thinking. Both the "old" and "new" main models need to "use different keys to open different locks," and the result is predictable.
I agree with the view of Mr. Zhou Xiaokui, an editor of the People's Education Press, that the development of primary and secondary school students' writing from low to high level requires passing five stages: 1. "Writing" stage, which cultivates writing skills through writing training; 2. "Language Usage" stage, which cultivates language skills through vocabulary and sentence training; 3. "Paragraph Construction" stage, which cultivates paragraph construction skills through sentence linkage training; 4. "Thesis Planning" stage, which cultivates thesis planning skills through layout and structure training; 5. "Thesis Development" stage, which cultivates thesis development skills through critical thinking training. This general development process from simple to complex is interconnected, closely linked, but each has its own characteristics and follows a sequential order. Therefore, although "writing has no fixed rules," writing teaching in basic education is "based on rules." It is necessary to grasp the laws, be steady, guide according to circumstances, and progress step by step to ensure the healthy development of writing skills, avoiding arbitrary actions, random jumps, or forcing growth.
Based on this understanding, discussing examination essays becomes much clearer. Examination essays and regular essays have no qualitative difference. If there is a distinction, perhaps what can be said is that exam scores benefit more from quick wit, while regular scores benefit more from accumulation. The saying "examinations are made in daily practice" is enlightening. When the spirit is excited and thinking is active, the efficiency of training is naturally higher than "normal." This is the charm of studying examination essays.
The basic sections of this book are:
- Exam Topic Inspiration: A one or two sentence explanation of the essay topic.
- Outline Draft: A brief outline of the essay.
- Process Analysis: An analysis of thoughts and artistry in the order of writing.
- Reflection on Strengths and Weaknesses: A teacher's brief analysis of the essay's strengths and weaknesses.
This way, it not only highlights the essence of "triggering quick wit and inspiration" in examination essays but also incorporates the accumulation of writing knowledge.