There’s a story in there, somewhere. We all have ideas, quips, and vignettes stored so that we have something fun to say at the next party we attend. These aren’t just news stories about which you can argue the facts presented by the media. These are stories of our experiences.
Continue reading “Thinking About Fiction”School is about to start for most students in the United States. It’s that time of year when learners and teachers alike prepare for the work ahead, excited about opportunities for intellectual growth. That learning and growth alway include writing. For some, no problem. For others, dread sets in at the very mention of written assignments.
Continue reading “The Work of Writing”Writing authentically is a challenge when a setting is unfamiliar to the author. Understanding setting and circumstance is necessary to maintain credibility with readers. The wrong application of science, for instance, can wreak havoc for an author. So, as most authors would agree, research is a task that cannot go by the wayside. Reading, visiting locations, observing people, watching documentaries or other films are all ways that writers can gather valuable knowledge.
Continue reading “Avoiding Research Pitfalls”Sample assessment items related to Common Core writing that are now available put students in a difficult position. If you are an expert writer, you understand the difficulty presented by a task that requires cross-textual analysis. You understand the potential pitfalls of guessing exactly what is to be examined in the multiple texts and how that examination will be accepted by the reader.
Continue reading “The Rigor of Common Core Writing”Do you remember what it was like to write an essay that was intended to demonstrate to a teacher everything you knew about one topic?
Do you recall what it was like to write that paper?
Did you struggle at all to meet the requirements of that assignment?
Continue reading “Writing to Learn”Meeting the Common Core, one assignment at a time.
Common Core State Standard
Grade 7 Writing:
Common Core State Standard 7.W.1 (2010) reads as follows:
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Continue reading “Meeting the Common Core – Argumentative Writing in Grade 7”A deeper dive on writing standard 2 for secondary students:
W.6.2 asks students “to write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.”
What are the most important elements of this standard? To begin, there has to be a subject matter that students have had sufficient opportunity to investigate and consider if they are to produce text that examines the topic.
Continue reading “Common Core Literacy, Expository Writing: Part 2 of 2”The Common Core State Standard, W.6.2, requires students in grade 6 to write “to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.”
Teachers probably need to read that requirement multiple times to fully grasp the level of skill that is needed for a twelve-year-old child to show mastery of this standard!
Continue reading “Common Core Expository Writing – Part 1 of 2”We are hearing more and more about writing and Common Core State Standards. So why all the hype?
Continue reading “Common Core Writing”Many people use the word “exemplify” without second thought. Yet when high school students are asked to write an exemplification essay, they respond with a stare. There is often no connection between the word used in daily conversation and the possible purpose of an essay of example.
Continue reading “Exemplification”
D. L. Gollnitz, Author 