Academic Publications

Published works by D. L. Gollnitz Work in the area of academic writing continues to get my attention. In early days of automated essay scoring (AES) software, educators debated the effectiveness of these tools. This technology has helped students improve written language by providing consistent and immediate feedback with grammar instruction. Artificial intelligence (AI) is … More Academic Publications

Common Core Literacy, Expository Writing: Part 2 of 2

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 … More Common Core Literacy, Expository Writing: Part 2 of 2

Exemplification

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.

Persuasion in Written Language

What does it mean to write persuasively? Most writers would simply state that persuasive writing convinces the reader. Period. There are quite a few questions that follow that statement. For instance, does persuasive writing simply mean that the writer is communicating in a way that builds credibility and therefore is persuasive?

Comparison-Contrast Writing

Some argue that comparing and contrasting in the same essay makes no sense. Others would say that to compare two items completely, it is necessary to include how the two items are alike and how they are different.