Secrets of Teaching Writing Revealed

Nov 17, Sitemap for You-Can-Teach-Writing.com

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:49:55 GMT

This sitemap lists webpages of teaching resources to help school- and homeschool writing teachers develop writing skill in students middle school and above.

Nov 17, Writing Points Ezine Archive

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:25:21 GMT

Achive containing the back issues of Writing Points, the ezine for writing teachers from you-can-teach-writing.com

Nov 17, Writing Fluency Activities Build On Little Known Grammar Corollary

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:20:21 GMT

To increase your students writing fluency, teach fluency activities that advantage of the information content order inherent in the grammar of English. See mechanical strategies that even dull students learn quickly.

Nov 13, Practices that improve college student success

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:40:46 GMT

A report published recently by the Association of American Colleges and Universities identifies 10 practices that bolster college student success.

Researcher George D. Kuh, the report author, found 10 practices that increase the likelihood that students will graduate.

The practices have certain common elements. They . . .

Make students work hard

Can you see any way to make better use of one of those elements in your classroom before students get to college?

Nov 11, Contest lets UK teens test biz writing skills

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:49:47 GMT

UK residents ages 14 to 19 can try for a 500 cash prize for the best 1000-word article with the headline "Should Government encourage home ownership?" The Young Business Writer of the Year competition is sponsored by an educational charity, The Ifs School of Finance. Anyone wishing to enter the competition has until 26 January to submit their article to ybwy@ifslearning.ac.uk Articles will be evaluated on *research *evaluation *analysis *written argument skills *overall reporting style. Tip: Contest details are in a news release on the organization's web site. Look under NEWS : 2008 : 29 October

Nov 11, Contest for Pennsylvania Writers

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:42:31 GMT

Central PA Magazine's 2009 writing contest is now accepting entries from Pennsylvania residents and students at Pennsylvania schools, colleges, and universities. Entries can be fiction or nonfiction, maximum 1,500 words. No poetry. Entries must not have been published elsewhere in full or in part. First prize is $500, second prize $300, third prize $200. There is a $10 entry fee. A pdf containing all the contest rules is available. Last years's winning entries are posted on the web site.

Nov 10, Grammar, Usage Changes Can Change Stereotypes of Students

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:40:23 GMT

Students from predominantly oral environments can change others' negative views of them by adopting both grammar and usage that is closer to standard English usage. Learn how writing teachers can help.

Nov 10, Holiday Writing Contest

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:37:16 GMT

The website Words of Belief is hosting a holiday story writing contest with a $500 top prize. The stories must be about Thanksgiving, Christmas (or other denominiational holidays). The stories may be fiction or nonfiction. Three submissions of up to 500 to 5,000 words each may be submitted. There is no entry fee, but people wishing to submit stories must become a member and register at the www.wordsofbelief.com Complete directions are on the website. Hurry! Deadline is 11:59 PM EST on November 21, 2008.

Nov 9, Young Quakers Writing Sought

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:49:43 GMT

Teenage and young adult Friends (Quakers) around the world may submit short work on their personal spiritual experiences, beliefs and identities of contemporary young Friends for inclusion in an anthology. Friends ages 1535 are invited to submit up to five pieces of writing and/or visual art. Note: Submissions may be in any language; writers are not restricted to English. Writing genres accepted are nonfiction prose, poetry. Prose should be approximately 200 to 2000 words. Poems should be a maximum of 100 lines.

Nov 7, Write on a Computer to Improve Grammar, Increase Communication

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:44:46 GMT

When students write on a computer, they can search their text with find and replace to improve clarity, fluency and fix grammar errors. See examples.

Nov 6, Get English Word Usage Help from Computer Word Processor

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:43:18 GMT

Using find-and-replace to edit work they write on a computer can invigorate students' flabby writing and boost English word usage skill with minimal effort. Learn 3 tips to make it happen.

Nov 5, Grammar Check Software Can Make Student Writing Worse

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:43:25 GMT

Students who assume grammar check software will find and fix all errors are wrong. Using grammar checkers well requires knowing grammar well - or knowing the best way set your grammar checker.

Nov 3, Grammar and Composition Must Be Taught Together Judiciously

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:37:58 GMT

For grammar to do writers any good, grammar and composition must be taught together. The trick is to teach beginning writers the right grammar topics, at the right time, to the right depth.

Nov 3, Standard Grammar Practice Is Worthless for Beginning Writers

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:22:11 GMT

For over a century, research studies have found traditional grammar practice via worksheets and red-inked student writing does nothing to improve writing content and little to improve written grammar of beginning writers. Learn why.

Nov 1, Grammar for Writing: What You Must Know to Teach It Efficiently

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:44:49 GMT

Every native speaker of a language knows its fundamental grammar. Writing teachers have only to teach the basic rules that distinguish grammar for writing from grammar for speaking.

Oct 31, Learn the Proper Grammar Rules to Teach by Studying Writing Mistakes

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:08:18 GMT

Identify the rules of proper grammar that students must know to write acceptably by finding the rules underlying the most common errors in student writing. Eliminate 40 percent of those errors with two rules.

Oct 30, Grammar and Punctuation Are Writing's Odd Couple

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:29:59 GMT

Teaching punctuation is impossible unless you understand the grammar-punctuation relationship. Grammar dominates punctuation. Punctuation serves grammar. Neither functions well without the other.

Oct 30, Correct Punctuation Is No Problem When the Rules are Clear

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:16:35 GMT

Students can correct punctuation mistakes in their own writing if you define rules unambiguously and set measurable standards. Learn the simple trick to make it work.

Oct 30, Correct Grammar Should Be Icing on the Composition at Every Tier

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:14:06 GMT

Efficient writers correct grammar after they revise their writing. A good English grammar teacher modifies professionals' writing processes so beginning writers learn to use proper grammar.

Oct 27, Columnist on persuasive writing

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:33:54 GMT

Last week I read a news story about a presentation Anna Quindlen made to a class of writing students at Western Connecticut State University. I was particularly interested in Quindlen's view of persuasive writing. She does not define it in traditional English teacher fashion as an attempt to change people's opinions or behavior. "When you write the pieces I write, it's not that I am trying to change hearts and minds, but to have someone say, 'I never thought of it that way,'" Quindlen said. Getting someone to consider an idea is a far more reasonable standard for students than getting people to change their minds or their behaviors. Most people who have an opinion on a topic cannot be convinced to change in the the time it takes them to read a short essay. Quindlen said her time as a news reporter taught her to write on demand and be comfortable with the editing process. "I want to show [students] it is possible and it is difficult. It's a mythology when we're growing up that it is effortless if you are good at something," Quindlen said.

Oct 26, Naturalist talks about writing

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:23:42 GMT

The best writer I ever had was a kid who wanted to be a forest ranger. Perhaps that's why I was excited to read a news story this week about nonfiction writer Gary Ferguson. Have your teenage environmentalists check out the story. Ferguson began his professional life as an interpretive naturalist for the U.S. Forest Service. Today writing is Ferguson's only job. He believes in experiencing first hand the sights, sounds, and emotions of the subject he writes about. Ferguson's books include "The Great Divide: The Rocky Mountains in the American Mind," "Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone," "Hawk's Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone," "The World's Great Nature Myths," Shouting at the Sky" and "Walking Down the Wild." According to an interview in the Billings (Montana) Gazette, Ferguson does his creative writing from about 7 in the morning until noon, and then also 7 in the evening to around midnight. That's 10 hours a day composing. The rest of the day he uses for editing, research, marketing and correspondence.

Oct 23, Transportation writing contest

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:41:41 GMT

Guys who are more interested in trucks than in sonnets may be interested in this writing contest Go!, an online magazine for teens published by Iowa State Universitys Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE), is sponsoring a writing contest that is open to all writers ages 16 and up. All submissions should be focused on some aspect of transportation and be appropriate for teens and young adults. The contest has two categories: *Short story, up to 2000 words *Nonfiction article (well-researched, technically correct articles preferred over personal essays) Top prize in each category is $1,000 plus a $500 gift card good at the University of Iowa bookstore. Entries must be postmarked by Jan. 15, 2009.

Oct 22, Nonfiction writing contest

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:27:06 GMT

Writers who never earned more than $750 a year from their creative writing are eligible to enter the 2009 Preservation Foundation Contests. There are no age restrictions. The contests have two categories: general nonfiction and travel nonfiction. The travel nonfiction category is for true stories of a trip by the author or someone the author knows personally. The first entry is free. There is a fee of $5 for each additional entry or contest. First prize: $100 in each category. All entries must be submitted by email. See the organization's website for details. The Preservation Foundation, Inc. 3102 W. End Ave. #200 Nashville TN 37203.

Oct 19, IT jobs and writing skills

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:48:03 GMT

Even in an economic downturn, technology jobs offer opportunities. In an article on examiner.com, Chicago Executive Coaching Examiner Marlanda English says good writing skills help techies prosper in tough times or any time. Here's what she said on Oct. 15: "Better skills in every area (verbal, non-verbal, interpersonal, written) of communication is important. Companies still struggle to find technology people who understand the business and business people who understand the technology. Having exceptional communication skills can provide project management or even sales opportunities and the ability to be seen by important players in your company. Having great communication skills, especially in writing, can also help you generate a great side income in technical writing or helping clients plan technology development projects."

Oct 18, Nonfiction story writing contest

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:30:31 GMT

*Telling Stories* is hosting a competition for nonfiction stories. There are two rules: The story must be true. It must be short. How you define short is up to you. There are no restrictions on entrants' ages. You and your students can enter. Entries must be emailed by Dec 1, 2008, to katie.ann.campbell [at] gmail.com

Oct 17, WorldCat for bibliography-building

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:12:38 GMT

Students and teachers who need to build bibliographies can get their reference list entries correctly formatted in five different styles: *MLA *APA *Chicago *Harvard *Turabian at http://www.worldcat.org/ Unlike those bibliography generator services that require you to put the source data into a form correctly in order to get a correctly formatted entry back, WorldCat dips into the data in its catalog to get the information. Printed directions and a quick video tutorial are available. WorldCat is the nickname for the Online Catalog of Library Collections or OCLC. From WorldCat, you can access the card catalogs of 10,000 libraries around the world. Although you cannot borrow directly from WorldCat, you can learn the libraries nearest you where you can access the sources you are looking for. WorldCat has many other resources that teachers and students can use. Check it out.

Oct 12, How to Write an Essay Best Learned While Writing Essays

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:29:57 GMT

Beginners who have not achieved writing competence need to learn how to write an essay in the process of writing essays. They must be put into the writing process they way swimmers are put into water.

Oct 5, What Is Persuasive Writing to English Teachers May Surprise You

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:18:22 GMT

The definition of persuasion may refer to its purpose, organization or impact. What is persuasive writing to an English teacher? An expository work organized as support for a thesis statement.

Sep 12, Free Writing Prompts for Five-Paragraphs Essays

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:30:51 GMT

Get two free writing prompts for essays build on the thesis-plus-support (or persuasive essay) pattern. Prompts are for high school English language arts classes and above. Links are given to thesis statements for a five-paragraph essay responding to each prompt.

Sep 11, Free Examples of Thesis Statements

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:14:25 GMT

Get four free examples of thesis statements crafted for writing in the English language arts classroom along with links to the writing prompts to which they respond.

Sep 4, List of Homonyms Personally Problematic Helps Writers

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:55:13 GMT

Have students create a list of homonyms that are hard spelling word for them personally. Make them responsible for eliminating the most frequent of their own homophone and other homonym errors.

Sep 3, The Sociable Argument Essay Views Topic from All Angles

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:12:44 GMT

The argument essay is not the attack dog of the literary world. It should promote social interaction respectful listening. Characteristics of the genre are discussed.

Sep 3, Authentic Argument Topics for English Language Arts Classes

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:11:02 GMT

For maximum learning and easy teaching, choose topics for an argument essay or research paper that draw on your class content. Four argument topics and seven writing prompts are given that allow debate without being argumentative.

Aug 29, English Grammar Teacher Does Faster, Better Than Worksheets

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:46:35 GMT

When writing teachers put on their English grammar teacher hats, they use informal writing in addition to publisher-created exercises to teach writing mechanics like punctuation and what students call grammer.

Aug 28, Do-It-Yourself Assessment Rubrics from Tables

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:08:47 GMT

Teachers can easily make generic assessment rubrics using the Table function in Microsoft Word and later customize them for instructor evaluations for specific classes and/or assignments.

Aug 26, Passionate About Teaching Writing

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:37:42 GMT

The experience of Linda Aragoni is proof anybody who knows some basic principles can teach writing. Meet Linda and learn about she fell into teaching and what else she does.

Aug 26, Personal Philosophy of Education by a Writing Teacher

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:12:53 GMT

Educational communicator Linda Aragoni shares her personal philosophy of education statement, including a few rants about teaching writing.

Aug 23, Formative Assessments for the English Grammar Teacher

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:17:11 GMT

Formative assessments via informal writing activities help you teach topics like grammar and punctuation. Seven informal writing prompts on writing mechanics topics are given.

Aug 23, Beginning Writing Mechanics Get Help from Computers

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:02:57 GMT

Students who write on a computer can get high tech English grammar help. Armed with a list of their habitual writing mechanics problems, they can use find-and-replace to edit their writing.

Aug 21, Expository Writing Is Required for Reading, Writing, Teaching

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:23:50 GMT

By definition, expository writing is the nonfiction informative writing that ordinary people must read and write. Learn what it is and what else you need to know to teach it so ordinary students can do it.

Aug 21, Inverted Pyramid Good for Openers for Expository Essays

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:34:59 GMT

The inverted pyramid structure, or news style, developed for 19th century newspapers today organizes expository material in electronic media and for introduction paragraphs.

Aug 21, Good Writing Prompts Do Much More than Say It Is Time to Write

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:28:24 GMT

Good writing prompts are essay or writing topics on steroids. Better than just an essay topic, authentic prompts give context, directions, and genuine reasons for writing.

Aug 21, Spatial Order Assures a Good Look at a Physical Space

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:20:58 GMT

Spatial order is routinely used to organize a paragraph description of a physical space within a longer work. Spatial organization is used in both fiction and nonfiction writing.

Aug 21, Number Order Makes Arranging Nonfiction a Snap

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:16:27 GMT

Numerical order will not produce essays, but number order is a logical organization for information when the ranking of various elements is important.

Aug 21, Logical Order Is a Choice That Writers Make In a Given Situation

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:11:22 GMT

What constitutes a logical order for the organization of nonfiction writing depends entirely on the goal of the writer. There is no one structure that fits all material or all writing situations.

Aug 21, What Is Nonfiction But an Absence of Imagination

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:07:07 GMT

We usually phrase a definition of nonfiction in terms of what it lacks. Unlike a novel or short story, what is nonfiction is non (not) fiction.

Aug 19, Assessment Rubrics Can Be Built from Tables. Here Is a Sample

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:30:23 GMT

A matrix developed from an instructor's DIY assessment rubrics instructions and Microsoft Word tables creates a custom instructor evaluations instrument.

Aug 19, A Multi-Tasking Expository Writing Prompt Saves You Work

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:44:00 GMT

An inefficient essay prompt gives students a reason to write. A good formal expository writing prompt also addresses at least one of your other high school English course objectives.

Aug 19, 5 Student Writing Prompt Essential Components

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:26:50 GMT

A good student writing prompt includes all information students need respond appropriately to a writing assignment without asking the teacher for more detail. Good expository essay topics simplify teaching writing.

Aug 18, Give Help Writing a Thesis Three Different Ways

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:38:09 GMT

Savvy teachers give students help writing a thesis statement by reading, writing, and grammar lessons that reveal how to write a thesis as a full-sentence main idea.