Writing Points presents: teaching
tip
Opening day introductions with a purpose
As all Writing Points readers know, opening day is a time
for introductions. You introduce yourself, the subject matter,
the texts, your expectations. Often we forget that students also
have personalities, information, and expectations that can either
support or sabotage our teaching plans.
Here's a trick I use in online writing classes. I say something
like this:
We are all writers. Some of us like to write, some hate it. Some
write well, some write poorly. I'd like each of you to write a
note to the class that begins Hello, I'm
[put your name here] and I'm a writer.
Then tell us
- What kinds of things you write.
- Whether you think you are a good writer
or a poor writer.
- Whether you like writing.
- What you mean when you use the word
writing.
- What you would like to learn in this
course to help you be a better writer.
I usually begin by posting my note, which shows the format
and makes clear that most of the writing I do is work, not fun.
As students respond to the assignment, a few students (almost always
girls) say they love to write, write fiction and poetry, and think
writing means sharing their honest feelings. The rest don't like
writing much or at all, do it poorly or just OK, and say writing
is about communicating ideas. Most report having problems with "grammer
and spelling."
For this activity to be useful, you must interact with students,
using the information they provide as a springboard to help them
adjust their expectations in line with what you expect.
Suggestions for adapting this idea
If your opening day is full of bureaucratic stuff, you could have
students write informally in response to the first bullet
item and share a few of them orally. You could have students finish
up the assignment for the next day's class.
A blog would make a super publication medium for the introductions
since it encourages interaction. Other publication options are bulletin
board postings or a "class directory" perhaps
with digital photos added. If you have students prepare portfolios,
their "I'm a writer" could be their first item.
You could have young students do the sections of the activity as
informal writing activities, initially sharing their writing
orally, then compiling the series of informal responses into written
introductions.
The "I'm a writer" opener could can be adapted
to various grade levels and to other subjects than
writing (I'm a scientist, I'm a historian, etc.).
Writing Points presents: free
resources
E-books including kids' books, audio books
I received a notice too late to tell you about the World
Public Library Consortia's offer of free access to all its
items, but the organization has 200+ of its most popular titles
on its giveaway
page year round.
Even the annual individual membership fee of $8.95 (US) is bargain
for the kinds of materials in the collection, which includes over
a half million items in PDF format.
Some of the collections
include:
- Department of Energy Collection
- Educational Resource Collection
- Federal Depository Library
- The Public Domain Music Score Library
- Islamic e-book Collection
- Mathematics Collection
- CDC Medical Document Collection
- Poets' Collection
If you teach in Caterpillar Crossroads, miles from an academic
library, you may find the World Public Library a cheap way to get
access to materials Josh and Caitlin are not likely to turn up on
a Google search.
Next month in Writing Points I will have information
about free full-text classic books in digital format.
Wouldn't it be great to have a way to assess writing improvement
without relying on bubble tests?
You can. And you don't have to spend hours or a fortune to do it.
Materials you need are:
-
A clear statement of your annual (or course) writing objectives.
-
A grading rubric that incorporates the standards in
your objectives.
-
An authentic and tested writing prompt calling for middle-
to higher-level learning from the students to whom
the objectives apply.
The procedure:
At the beginning of the school year/course, you have students respond
to your chosen prompt under the demonstration conditions specified
in your objectives.
At the end of the school year/course, you again have students respond
to your chosen prompt under the demonstration conditions specified
in your objectives.
The difference between the entry and exit writing samples is the
measure of student improvement.
The assessment must be a writing prompt that cannot be answered
with memorized material. In other words, the writing prompt
must call for application, at minimum, but preferably for
analysis, synthesis or evaluation.
This procedure can be adapted for advanced classes by giving students
a general topic in advance. This allows them time for study and
research. They get the actual writing prompt at the writing session.
Writing Points presents: new
pages:
New pages on my soapbox issues
Since last month, I've done only a few new pages, mainly on topics
about which I emote with evangelical fervor.
A page which gives you some resources
to use in preparing students for college writing — which
colleges believe is the job of the high school. Colleges prepare
students for professional school writing.
I added some additional material about working with writing
skeletons™, including a true
success story from one of my students. I've also identified
pages about writing skeletons by adding photos or graphics of
skeletons. I had fun looking for them. I hope you like the rhino
skeleton from the British Museum.
I posted three pages about copyright,
copyright
infringement and one focusing on what teachers need to know
about Internet
copyright issues. Interent copyright is a tough topic because
of the legal meaning of the little word use.
You will also find new pages dealing with the definition
of plagiarism and the consequences
of plagiarism. I've included on those pages a couple ideas
for authentic writing prompts on the topic of plagiarism.
I've put five professional development workshops on the calendar
through October. Unless otherwise specified, they are 75-minute
online sessions.
If you want to share the workshop info, see the Linda Says
item in the left hand column for shortened URL to use.
I've also scheduled four iterations of my fun course in academic
writing, Zucchini in Zero Gravity, for fall beginning with
one Sept. 14. Check
the calendar for dates and times.
Group pricing available
If you are a member of a homeschool co-op, an English department
or some other group that would like to have me present one of
my online classes for your members, contact
me to discuss dates and times.
I can discount my already low fees if you handle the registrations
and I only have to send one invoice. Your group members can attend
from home in their bunny slippers, which means no travel time or
transportation expense either.
The next issue of Writing Points should be released
September 15, no providence preventing. I hope to have a complete
schedule of my longer student courses for 2010 by then. The first
2010 session of Writing a Humanities Source Paper is already on
the calendar.
Until next month, keep your pencil sharp.
Linda Aragoni
