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 … More 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?
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.
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
While struggling with content, writers are also dealing with the skill of writing on two levels — mechanical and philosophical. … More 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?
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.
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?
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.
The premise of expository writing is that the text will explain something. Explanatory writing can take on so many different forms that young writers are often confused by this mode of written discourse. When writers stop and think about how they explain something in oral language, they realize that all kinds of approaches are used. … More Understanding Expository Writing
D. L. Gollnitz, Author 