An Experimental Study On Thinking Maps In The Teaching Of English Expository Writing In Junior Middle School

English writing is a comprehensive expression of English learners' language proficiency,which examines the English learner's individual vocabulary level,grammatical ability and the ability to use language flexibly.Expository writing is one of the main styles of English writing in junior middle school.The author,through consulting literature and practical researches,understands that most junior English teachers focus on imparting language knowledge and writing skills to students neglecting students' interest and thinking ability.Thinking Maps are a set of knowledge visualization language-learning tools,and each map reflects people's different kind of thinking process.The organization,line and shape of each map correspond to the structure,logic and words of the corresponding type of expository writing method.As a consequence,the mapping relationship between Thinking Maps and the English expository writing is formed.Based on the theory of Knowledge Visualization and Constructivism,this paper links the Thinking Maps with English expository writing,so as to provide students with a more efficient expository writing strategy.The research takes the students of class 1 and class 2,two parallel classes,in Grade Seven of Huainan 11 th Middle School as the Participants.The author does the teaching experiment with the help of relevant literature,questionnaire surveys,interviews,English expository writing tests,and classroom observations for one-year.The results show that the application of Thinking Maps in the teaching of English expository writing in junior middle school can greatly improve the students' interest in writing.Moreover,it is useful for students to improve their English expository writing ability as well as their thinking ability.The research also finds that a few students don't make big progress.The author has done some further investigation and study to learn about the causes and take the appropriate measures.All in all,this research can be used as a reference in the teaching of English expository writing in junior middle school.