Language Arts Lesson - "Writing: Write Right! Analytic Writing Made Easy"

Writing has always been a major focus of my middle and high school lessons - second only to teaching my students how develop their higher level thinking skills.  Because of this, I created a number of handouts that summarize my teaching points for this product, Writing: Write Right! Analytic Writing Made Easy. 

Students are required to bring this packet to class as they will refer to them with pretty much any type of writing- from Daily Openers (Warm-ups) to full-length essays to research papers.   For students just starting to follow the proper essay format, this product will help them to understand the parts of an essay so they can create focused and supported pieces.

Many former students have contacted me from college to tell me that the knowledge they gained from this packet has come in handy in their freshman English classes. They often ask me to send them another copy of the packet.

This Write Right! Analytic Writing Made Easy offers teachers handouts that discuss the basic aspects of writing analytically:

1. Analytic Writing Made Easy- A 2-page outline, this summarizes the parts of an essay and offers definitions and examples for the crucial and most difficult part of writing an essay- Thesis Statements. It also warns of what to avoid when developing an essay. 
2. Essay Development Handout- This reveals types of Hooks, Elaboration, Transition devices and Conclusions
3. Prewriting - Essay Outline- This is the precursor to my Free product,  Language Arts Comprehension Check: Ten Sentence Format http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Comprehension-CheckTen-Sentence-Format-16081. This Essay Outline is longer because the Body section shows how to expand details and add paragraphs to develop a full-length essay.
4.  Essay Format- This handout explains the criteria for typing the paper. It also includes a section on how to correct an essay. With the latter, students show even more ownership of their writing as they earn extra credit. They may choose five weaknesses to revise-grammatical or contextual- but must follow the given format. They earn 1 point for each 3-part correction.
5. Symbols for Grading Analytical Compositions- I created these to use along with the standard guidelines as they address the majority of student writing errors in my classes.
6. Self-Assessment Sheet- I find that when students must assess their papers, they actually read the comments and check the areas that the teacher marked instead of just looking at the grade and relegating the paper to the depths of their writing folders.
7. Analytical Writing Grade Sheet- This rubric highlights 10 factors (up to 10 points for each category) that combine to form the essay's grade- 4 for Content and 6 for Form.

 

Download this 10-page essential writing guide from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Write-Right-Analytic-Writing-Made-Easy-15932 ($4.00)

Happy Teaching,

For: Grades 6-12

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Connie

Write Right! Incredible Critique Forms and Rubrics

As teachers, one of our goals is to prepare our students for the world outside of the classroom by showing them how to express themselves verbally and in writing. The first part of that objective: verbally- is easier for the students and the teacher as it is less time-consuming and offers a smaller chance for criticism. The latter part-writing-is much more difficult because it takes time and effort and is out there for all to read and analyze.

Thinking about how long it will take to write down every word of every thought we want or are required to share is stressful enough. Add a visual of that blank sheet of paper-digital or hard copy- and Writers Block begins to tiptoe up our spines. Now, plug in the thought that other people will be reading what we wrote, that we don't have a chance to claim, "I never said that," or "That wasn't what I meant" like we can with the spoken word and full intimidation is likely to cause Writers Paralysis.

If we teachers who are accomplished writers can be intimidated by the thought of writing a paper that others will read, just think how daunted our students must feel when facing an assignment. Oh, we will always have students who must have swooped from the womb already penning his or her memoirs, who, innately  are passionate, eager writers and face every assignment with vigor and confidence in their thinking/writing skills.

Mostly, though, we are joined on the Write Right Road by students who fall anywhere on the writing continuum from Not Proficient to Highly Proficient.

If we want our traveling companions to become strong writers, we must teach them to talk like writers (verbally and in writing) as well as showing them how to write right.

If we want our students to develop confidence in themselves as writers, we must Show them the characteristics of strong writing and Help them to find these strengths in their own writing as well as in others' words-authors they have never met and their peers- and then Let them critique their writing and their peers' pieces.

This week I have been following a National Council of Teachers of English discussion on  LinkedIn, "Peer revision of essays- does it work with younger students" (http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&srchtype=discussedNews&gid=1228057&item=235589523&type=member&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_pd-ttl-cn&ut=18xo5sNfluNBI1).  The man who introduced the topic says that he "struggles with this" on a college level and wondered if...and how... those who teach intermediate and high school deal with this segment of writing education.

Here's what I learned:

1. If teachers are to incorporate peer critiquing, they must lay a foundation with specific criteria for their students to model in their writing and find in others.
2. Many teachers have developed their own methods i.e. a  read around or any that ask students to give positive feedback and then ask a question, or created/adapted one that fits their needs from their experience and from methods that colleagues use.
3. Teachers need to decide if they want the critique sessions to be for editing others' writing or to make students aware of what constitutes strong writing for their own writing excursions, or both.
4. Meaningful, specific rubrics. This need was stated often. Teachers must give students specific tasks, whether it be, "Give three examples hat moved you emotionally and explain how each one did this" to "Circle any misspelled words".
5. Each level of instructors hopes that those teaching younger students will incorporate some form of peer revision because students who are confident talking about writing will become stronger writers. 

In my experience, students biggest point of stress about critiquing stems from their fear that, "I won't find everything that you  do"(the you being the teacher). We have to reassure them that they are not ever expected to do this, that they are to find points to praise and places to offer suggestions for improvement from their knowledge base. You don't need to explain that their editing and critiquing understanding will expand the more that they participate in this aspect of the writing process. This will just happen, and one day down the road, they will each have an AHA moment where they realize how much they have grown in their ability to talk the writers' talk as well as walk the writers' walk.

As a companion to today's blog, I am offering a 14-page FREEBIE: Incredible Critique Forms and Rubrics: Twelve Individual and Group Writing Assessment Handouts. Along with two full pages of Teachers Notes, you will find 12 Common Core Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy aligned printable handouts that students can use to analyze and critique their own writing as well as their peers. You can choose which ones best fit your students' skills, abilities and needs. I have used these various forms successfully with regular, Honors /A.P. and SPED students in grades 7-12. The Self-Assessment Sheet: Writing and the Quarter Writing Progress Self-Assessment are great ways to help students take ownership for their writing and the process they choose to follow to complete their work.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Activity-Write-Right-Incredible-Critique-Forms-and-Rubrics

Happy Teaching,