Writing is hard. Just ask anyone who does it for a living. Simply because a person makes money off of it doesn't mean it comes naturally to them; it means they've practiced. Continuously. For years.
In the classroom, I have to help prepare the kids for whatever it is they want to do in life. Writing is needed in any career, be it one sentence for a job application or a full blown grant coming in at 40 pages. By practicing, and practicing often, in middle school, I hope to have them "ready to hit the ground running" when they arrive in high school.
The formal writing process in my class follows national, state, and district standards, and most importantly, common sense.
First off, there are six traits of writing; ideas and content, organization, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and conventions. These are divided and emphasized in the way I break down the assignment.
1) Brainstorming: I have them do so methodically and graphically, so they can see where their ideas take them.
2) Outlining; By brainstorming in an organized fashion, they are able to more easily take those ideas and arrange them in a logical fashion. These are written in the form of notes, blurbs, short phrases, etc-not sentences. Students also don't have to worry about using the same word multiple times. There is one outline for their body paragraphs, done first; then they outline their introduction and conclusion paragraphs. (covers ideas and content and organization)
3) First Draft; Students convert their notes into an essay, moving from introduction to body paragraphs and finally conclusion. (covers sentence fluency and word choice).
4) Next (and all subsequent drafts) focus on fixing anything from the previous drafts. (covers conventions and voice)
5) Final draft; Students make their paper as perfect as they can (double and triple checking every part).
Using this style allows students to focus on each of the conventions at different times, rather than all six at once. It also shows them that if they outline, steps 3, 4, and 5 come much quicker and easier than starting from step 3
I also require students to turn in all previous work with their newest assignment. It helps reemphasize that writing is a process, never a one-time shot.
If you have any questions about the Cedars' writing process or any of their assignments, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Happy Writing!
In the classroom, I have to help prepare the kids for whatever it is they want to do in life. Writing is needed in any career, be it one sentence for a job application or a full blown grant coming in at 40 pages. By practicing, and practicing often, in middle school, I hope to have them "ready to hit the ground running" when they arrive in high school.
The formal writing process in my class follows national, state, and district standards, and most importantly, common sense.
First off, there are six traits of writing; ideas and content, organization, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and conventions. These are divided and emphasized in the way I break down the assignment.
1) Brainstorming: I have them do so methodically and graphically, so they can see where their ideas take them.
2) Outlining; By brainstorming in an organized fashion, they are able to more easily take those ideas and arrange them in a logical fashion. These are written in the form of notes, blurbs, short phrases, etc-not sentences. Students also don't have to worry about using the same word multiple times. There is one outline for their body paragraphs, done first; then they outline their introduction and conclusion paragraphs. (covers ideas and content and organization)
3) First Draft; Students convert their notes into an essay, moving from introduction to body paragraphs and finally conclusion. (covers sentence fluency and word choice).
4) Next (and all subsequent drafts) focus on fixing anything from the previous drafts. (covers conventions and voice)
5) Final draft; Students make their paper as perfect as they can (double and triple checking every part).
Using this style allows students to focus on each of the conventions at different times, rather than all six at once. It also shows them that if they outline, steps 3, 4, and 5 come much quicker and easier than starting from step 3
I also require students to turn in all previous work with their newest assignment. It helps reemphasize that writing is a process, never a one-time shot.
If you have any questions about the Cedars' writing process or any of their assignments, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Happy Writing!