随着开放改革的深入发展，运用英语进行写作的频率越来越高。因而英语写作教学也就越来越引起人们的重视。那么，如何从教材中挖掘出写作素材？笔者的观点和做法是：
一、对课文进行缩写
1．叙事记人类文章。应以情节或人物性格为主线，列出重要情节或性格特点来概述全文。例如，The Rescue (SEFC 1A Unit 4)一文以时间顺序展开几分钟内的突发事件，我们可用表示时间词来承接整篇缩写短文，如First; Next; Then; Finally来概述全文。
First, Flora saw Jeff running and waving his arms. She turned around and saw a wall of water advancing toward her quickly. Next, the water swept Jeff and Flora down and they are struggling for their lives. Then they tried to get to the house and climbed the stairs to be safe from water. Finally, part of the house fell down but they were safe next to the chimney.这样，学生就能通过缩写掌握文章内容，并学会了这些表示时间先后的词去写作：First; Next; Then; Finally等。
２．科普短文、说明文、说理文。可通过列出段落主题句(topic sentence)去迅速捕捉文章的主要论点，规划文章的框架结构。如The Properties of Water (SEFC 2B Unit 13)一文, 每段的主题句归纳如下：
二、对课文的仿写。
１．仿写课文结构。仿写时，要注意学习其结构特点。记叙文，多采用三段式的谋篇布局形式，用顺叙的方法。第一段交代时间、地点和人物，第二段交代事件发生的过程，第三段叙述事件的结果。议论文也多采用三段式：第一段摆出论题，第二段列出正方观点，第三段列出反方观点。掌握了这些文体结构之后，学生才有可能写出结构紧凑的文章来。
２．仿写课文句式。如：强调句，定语从句，非谓语动词，名词性从句等，还有一些适合某些特定情景、场合的常用句子，如：写信的开头和结尾，发表意见的短语：in my opinion, as far as I can see等，教师要向学生多强调、示范。特别是一些常用于文章开头、结尾和中间起承接作用的惯用语，要让学生多练习，并能运用到写作中去。
３．仿写课文内容。如：在New Zealand (SEFC 1B Unit 18)课文教学中，首先引导学生分析课文是怎样围绕中心选择和组织素材的，让学生掌握对地理位置的描述，使学生学会对有关国家、城市、旅游景点的写作方法。然后以Taiwan Island, China, Our City等为题让学生模仿课文的写作方法进行写作训练。
三、对课文的改写。
例如，在学习了The Necklace (SEFC 1B Unit 15)一文后，要求学生从剧中不同人物的角度，按照故事发生的顺序将这出小短剧改写为一篇叙述文体的短文。又如，可让学生将At the Tailor's shop (SEFC 2A Unit 10)一文改写成短剧。当然，还可引导学生以不同的人称角度去改写。如：
1. Tell the story to your partner in the past tense. Start like this: A man went into a tailor's shop to buy a suit. All the money he had in his pocket was a million-pound note...
2. Rewrite the story At the Tailor's Shop, as told by Tod, the shop assistant. Start like this: One Monday morning I was working in the shop as usual...
四、对课文的续写
如The Necklace(SEFC 1B Unit 15)一文，当Mathilde得知为之辛劳十年的项链竟是假的，故事的结局会怎么样？要求学生续写短剧。同学们想象的结局不一而足，很有创意，如：
1. She killed herself.
2. She bought a glass necklace and changed it for her real diamond necklace.
3. She divorced her husband and married a man with a lot of money.
4. She began to make a living by making false necklaces and cheating others of a lot of money.这样，学生就会在口头表达的基础上续写出了不少精彩的片断。
