The Access
Center maintains a website of information it complied under
contract with the US Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs. One of many free resources available on the
site is a 23-page PDF Teaching
Writing to Diverse Student Populations.
Although the document is focused on students in grades K through
8, the techniques and suggestions can be adapted to any group of
writers. If you teach any students who struggle with school, you
may find some useful ideas on the K8AccessCenter website.
You may also want to pass along the link to your colleagues who
teach math. The site has many pages devoted to teaching and learning
math.
Writing Points presents: new
pages Pages about compare-contrast writing
Several new pages are available dealing with various aspects of
compare and contrast writing.
On the types of essays thread is an explanation of the best way
I've found to teach compare and contrast writing. The process begins
by making students aware of how they use compare
and contrast as a strategy for analyzing information. Part of
that process involves asking questions that could be answered by
comparing items. I devote a page to the 21st
century skill of asking questions, particularly in written form.
I know it's only April, but it is not too early to talk up an idea
for a 2010-11 push to get rid of some persistent writing mechanics
errors.
Set up a contest to see which class in your school can do
the best job of eliminating habitual writing mechanics errors from
their writing. Before the year starts, pick a specific number of
errors that all contestants will attempt to eliminate by a specific
spring date. (I recommend using 5 or 7 errors. They sound like small
numbers but can make a big difference.)
After you establish baseline performance using all the work
students do in a specific 10-20 day period, determine the most common
errors. You can use an IEP approach (my personal choice)
and have each student work to eliminate his/her X most common errors
or have the entire class work to eliminate X number
of the most common errors for the class as a whole. Either way,
you can have diverse groups participate (sixth graders vs.
sophomores, for example) without favoring one over the other.
For 10-20 days after your contest end date, do a progress test
by counting the errors in all student work again. Even if most of
the writing is first draft work without time to do significant editing,
errors should be reduced by at least 80%. The class that comes closest
to reducing errors to 0 wins.
Questions about this idea? Ask them at the
grammar forum.
Some
of my college students begged for something to help them work at
eliminating more of their habitual grammar errors after our class
together ended. Their wish became the core of Grammar Abusers
Anonymous: 12 Steps to Kick Bad Grammar Habits Through Study Skills,
Not Worksheet Drills.
Students know how to do worksheet exercises; few know how to study
grammar. They need grammar study skills to succeed at applying grammar
rules to their own writing.
Through Earth Day, April 22,get a free copy of the
Teacher's Guide to Accompany Grammar Abusers Anonymous.
This special, limited edition is only for Writing Points
subscribers. It includes the full student text and valuable hints
for writing teachers whose students use the book.
Please use the email address and first name on your Writing
Points subscription to simplify my bookkeeping. If you complete
the form after April 22, you'll get a message that the material
is not found.
[Editor's note: The sign-up form has been removed since the offer
has expired.]
I have another book being edited for teachers whose students are
not ready for solo grammar study yet. It will guide you through
the essential material you need to be ready to assist student writers
with as they work to correct their own writing. I'm hoping that
book will be ready by August.
Writing Points presents a note
from Linda A student perspective on 'boring' writing
I often get comments from English teachers who tell me my structured
approach to writing is boring, uncreative, and unrelated to the
writing people do. I don't recall ever being told by my out-of-school
students that they were unhappy with my approach. Quite the contrary.
Before Easter, for example, a Canadian student who visited the
essay help forum
followed up with a comment and a genuine pen-ink-and-stamp thank-you
note. She not only finished her essay satisfactorily but also got
her Doula certification and is starting her own business.
Could she have done that without help? Probably. But having help
with the essay for her certification exam gave her the confidence
she needed to do well. She will need to repeat that success: business
owners have to prepare loan applications, business plans, marketing
materials, and reports.
And, dear readers, I think starting a business is a creative activity,
even if Ms. Inky Fingers disagrees.
The next issue of Writing Points should be released
May 15, no providence preventing.
Some
of my college students begged for something to help them work at
eliminating more of their habitual grammar errors after our class
together ended. Their wish became the core of Grammar Abusers
Anonymous: 12 Steps to Kick Bad Grammar Habits Through Study Skills,
Not Worksheet Drills. 
