CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of the Problem

In learning English, there are four basic skills should be mastered by students, they are
listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. In mastering these skills it needs serious efforts
from the students and also appropriate strategies. Among of these skills, writing is an important
to be well posted by students because it is one of targets to get a success in learning English.
Writing is one of the humans ways to communicate. Communication is not only achieved
through speaking, but it can also be obtained through writing. Someone can express their idea to
share in the written form. As Fowler, Aaron and Okoomian (2007:129) states Writing is a
dialogue between writer and reader and it teaches the value of feedback and audience awareness
in writing as well. So, writing is very important in human life to make communication with
other people in the world. By studying writing, people can understand each other eventhough
they do not meet but they are able to know the situation and condition one another through
written form. In the syllabus of Curriculum 2013 of SMP N Sitoluori especially at the eighth
grade, in the competence standard that students should be able to comprehend the meaning of
simple functional text in writing composition forms which refer to interact with the
environments, while basic competence underlines that students are able to compose the meaning
of simple text through accurate, fluent and acceptable in daily activities. Thus, the indicator is
students are able to arrange the words which are cohesive and identify the meaning in short
functional text. This expectation recommends that the students should own the ability in
understanding the functional text in descriptive writing when they learn writing material to
achieve the Minimum Competence Criterion ( MCC ) decided in the school, namely 75. So
the students of the eighth grade can be said successful in writing ability if the students can get at
least 75.

In reality, there is a gap between the expectations and the reality. Based on the
researchers observation to the eighth grade students of SMP N 1 Sitoluori , the students had
difficulty to express their idea smoothly since the students were not able to understand the generic
structure of the text, purposes and the language features of the text, they were not able to develop
topic sentences, they are still unable to compose a good paragraph because the lack of the
students vocabularies. It can be seen when the researcher in the school asked the question to the
students, just a few of them were able to answer the teachers question, but most of students just
kept silent without answering anything. In addition, based on the researchers interview of the
English teacher at the school, she said that most of the students are unable to express ideas or their

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opinions individually in written form correctly. It can be seen in their mark which can not achieve
the Minimum Competence Criterion that has been decided at the school. In other words, the
students fail to reach the expectation of the syllabus. The problem previous are caused by some
factors: lack of motivation, lack of facilities and lack of students ability in learning writing skill.
And the other factor is low creativity in teaching and learning process, which the teacher teaches
them without using a good strategy and treatment, especially in correcting students writing. On
the other hand, the English teacher applies a conventional method in his teaching-learning
process. The conventional method makes the students become passive to study. In other words
there is no any positive impact to the students learning. Conventional strategy is only as a
teacher-centered activity that cannot grasp the students need.

Based on the statements previous, the researcher found the effective and efficient
procedure and strategy that is used in teaching writing for the students to improve the students
descriptive text. One of the steps that can be used to correct students writing is Wordless Picture
Book Strategy. Wordless picture books are just what they sound likebooks without words (or
sometimes with minimal words) that tell a story through pictures. Because they dont rely on
words to express their stories, wordless picture books can be used to develop important literacy
skills, such as: n Detecting sequence n Identifying details n Noting cause and effect relationships,
Making judgments, Determining main ideas n Making inferences. a wordless picture book will
be understood to be a text where the visual image carries the weight of the meaning and where,
as Nires-Chevrel puts it, the absence of words is not a simple feat of artistry [instead it is]
totally relevant and in keeping with topic (2010, p. 137), so that even when there is little or no
print, there is a significance in this lack which contributes to the overall meaning of the narrative.
Although one side of this word/picture partnership seems to be missing, the title and other
peritextual features as well as the embedded text can prove highly significant in some wordless
picturebooks. In what follows, the compound word picture book will be used because it also
signals that to use or discuss these types of text without considering the implications of
picturebook theory is to ignore important analytical routes. It is often pointed out that, even
discounting the information about the publication, all picturebooks have at least a few words,
usually in the title but sometimes also embedded in the images themselves (e.g. the name of
street or a shop), hence the use of terms such as almost wordless, nearly wordless or sparse
verbal text. As yet, there is no consensus about exactly how many words determine one kind or
another. Therefore, the researcher conducts a research by choosing the title The Effect of
Wordless Picture Book Strategy on the Students Ability in Writing Descriptive text at the
Eighth grade of SMP N 1 Sitoluori in 2017/2018.

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B. The Identification of the Problems
The identifications of the research consist of some factors that influence the students in
composition writing especially in descriptive text, namely;

1. The students had difficulty to express their idea smoothly.

2. They were not able to understand the generic structure of the text, purposes and the language
features of the text.
3. They were not able to develop topic sentences.
4. They are still unable to compose a good paragraph because the lack of the students
vocabularies.

C. The Limitation of the Problem

Based on the problem that is stated, the researcher wants to limit herself in the research. In
the research, the researcher searches the effect of Wordless Picture Book Strategy on the
Students Ability in Writing Descriptive Text at the Eighth grade of SMP N 1 Sitoluori in
2017/2018.

D. The Formulation of the Problem

Based on the limitation of the problems in the research, the researcher formulated it such as: Is
there any significant effect of Wordless Picture Book Strategy in the students ability in Writing
Descriptive text for SMP N 1 Sitoluori at the eighth grade students in 2017/2018?

E. The Purposes of the Research

The purpose of the research is to find out whether there is or not significant effect of
Wordless Picture Book Strategy on the students ability in Writing Descriptive text at the eighth
grade of SMP N 1 Sitoluori 2017/2018.

F. The Hypotheses of the Research

The hypotheses of the research are formulated as follows:
Ha = There is a significant effect of Wordless Picture Strategy on the students ability in writing
Descriptive text at the eighth grade of N 1 Sitoluori in 2017/2018.
Ho = There is no significant effect of Wordless Picture Book strategy on the students ability in
writing descriptive text at the eighth grade of SMP N 1 Sitoluori in 2017/2018.

G. The Significances of the Research

The significances of the research are useful for:
1. The researcher, as her experiences, also a guideline of comparison material in teaching
Descriptive Text.

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 2. The English teacher, as additional knowledge or guidelines to apply Wordless Picture Book
Strategy to teach her/his students in writing.
3. The students, as training for them to develop their ability in learning descriptive text.
4. The readers, as an information that Wordless Picture Book Strategy can be used in writing
descriptive text.
5. The next researchers, as a comparative reference in writing the related researches.

H. The Assumptions of the Research

In conducting the research, the researcher assumes that:

1. Writing composition is one of the important writing that should be mastered by the students.
2. Wordless Picture Strategy is a way of correction students writing error.

I. The Limitation of the Research

In conducting the research, the limitation of the research such as:

1. The population of the research is the students at the eighth grade of SMP N 1 Sitoluori in
2017/2018.
2. The object of the research is the students ability in writing composition.
3. The researcher conducts Quantitative Research Method, with a general type of experimental
which is specified into quasi experimental.
4. The research design is pretest and posttest design in two groups. One is the experimental
group and another is the control group.
5. The researcher only focuses on the students writing composition especially descriptive text
through Wordless Picture Book Strategy.

J. The Key Terms Definitions of the Research

There are some key terms definitions written by the researcher to avoid
misunderstanding in the research, such as:
1. Writing is the ability of the students to express idea, feeling, and emotion in a good control in
written form.
Wordless Picture strategy is a way for teaching writing ability. In wordless Picture Book Strategy, the
students are more active, in which the teacher only shows them through general error and students are
more active to find their weakness or errors. So, Wordless Picture Book Strategy forces students must
be more reflective and analytical about their errors and if they simply transcribe teachers corrections
(direct error feedback) into the next draft of their papers. Since students are required by Wordless
Picture Book Strategy feedback to take more responbility for their errors, they are likely to learn

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more from the process, to acquire the troublesome structures, and to make long term progress in
finding, correcting, and eventually avoiding errors.

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 THE PROCEDURE OF WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK STRATEGY

Materials/Resources :

Read through the materials for both sessions in this topic before conducting the rst session.

A wordless picture book to share with parentssee the annotated list in the

Appendix; you may want to ask your program supervisor what books the program has

on hand

Vocabulary and Knowledge Building Handoutthis handout is used in several

Topics and Sessions and is located in the Appendix

Consider using a dictionary of American English for learners of English. This type of

dictionary is developed with the English language learner in mind and includes

helpful features such as study notes on key language points, situational illustrations,

two-word verbs as separate entries, and helpful grammar codes.

Welcome (2-5 minutes)

Continue building a comfortable relationship with parents so that they feel safe in trying new

things.At the beginning of the session, ask about their children, their home lives, a new job,

their goals and their interests.Always look for ways to create a fun and meaningful learning

atmosphere.

Topic Introduction (2-5 minutes)

Share the goals of this topic with parents: n To experience storytelling in English and talk

about stories n To make personal connections to the stories we read and hear n To build

English language speaking skills through conversations.

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Objective for Session 1: To talk about and practice readingwordless picture books.

Opening Activity (5-10 minutes)

1. Explain to parents that you want to share a wordless picture book with them. Point out

that a wordless picture book tells a story through pictures, rather than words.Although

some of the books may have a few words, let parents know you want them to concentrate

on how the pictures tell the story.

2. Introduce a wordless picture book youve chosen and let parents know that you will read

the entire book in a few minutes, but rst you are going to look carefully at the cover to

discover any clues to help them think about the book.

Ask parents to look at the cover and talk about what they see.

Read the title, the authors name, and the illustrators name aloud. Does the title

offer any clues to what this book might be about?

Using the title and the illustration on the cover of the book, ask parents to make

some predictions.What do you think this story is about? Where do you think this

story takes place? Who do you think will be a part of this story? Talk about the

reasons parents have for their answers to these questions.

Central Ideas and Practice (20-30 minutes)

1. Page through the wordless picture book together.Ask parents to look at the pictures and

take in what is happening. Think of this as silent reading, giving parents time to think

about and form opinions and questions about what they are seeing.

2. Read the book again, but this time, talk about the story as you ask and answer questions

together. For example: n Think about the picture on the cover of the book. Can you make

connections between that picture and the pictures inside the book? What is similar? What

is different? Why do you think that particular picture was chosen for the book? n Think

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 about the title of the book. How does the title relate to the story? n Think about the

predictions you made based on the cover and title. How were your predictions different

from what actually happens in the story? n Who is in this story? What do they do? n

What happens at the beginning of this story? n What happens in the middle of the story?

n What happens at the end of the story? 3. Encourage parents to record new vocabulary

and other ideas they have using the Vocabulary and Knowledge Building Handout. 4.

Support parents in their vocabulary and grammar building by inviting them to ask about

words or sentences they are unsure of. Provide examples by using new words in

sentences that relate to parentsexperiences.

Evaluation (5-10 minutes)

Make sure parents understand the concepts you practiced during the session (i.e., talking

about the cover and title of a book and making predictions, then talking about the book as you

look at the rest of the pictures).Assess their understanding by asking parents to tell you in

their own words about the wordless picture book you reviewed.

Do parents need more practice or support? If yes, provide additional practice or discussion

before going on to the session application and closure.

Application Practice these skills and strategies with your child (10-20 minutes)

1. Encourage parents to share a wordless picture book at home with their child in their

home language and/or English.

2. Remind parents to: n Talk about the book cover, the title, the authors name and the

illustrators name n Make predictions and talk about those predictions based on the cover

picture and title n Use conversational prompts like whquestions as they talk about the

book with their child

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3. Answer any questions parents have about the assignment before they leave.

Closure (5-10 minutes)

Review the main points of the session.

Pictures on the cover of and in wordless picture books offer lots of clues to what the

story is about.

Think about the cover and title of a story before reading itthis helps you prepare for

reading and makes reading more meaningful.

Make predictions before reading a storythis also helps you prepare for reading and

makes reading more meaningful n Talk about the book as you read it, asking questions

and comparing the story to the predictions you made

Point out and help parents recognize and celebrate the things they learned or the skills they

mastered in this session (e.g., improved English speaking skills, new vocabulary words, etc.)

Tutor Reection (5-10 minutes)

After parents have gone, think about the following questions and record your thoughts to help

you plan for your next tutoring session.

1. What went well during this session?

2. What do parents (or specic students) want to learn and talk about?

3. Are there new vocabulary words, grammar points, pronunciation questions, word

building and other important parts of English language development they are showing

interest in learning more about?

4. What parts of the session do I need to review next time? n What can I do next time to

address language learning needs based on what I observed during this session

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The Identification of the Problems

The identifications of the research consist of some factors that influence the students in

composition writing especially in descriptive text, namely;

1. The students had difficulty to express their idea smoothly.

2. They were not able to understand the generic structure of the text, purposes and the

language features of the text.

3. They were not able to develop topic sentences.

4. They are still unable to compose a good paragraph because the lack of the students

vocabularies.

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