Conventions are best introduced as an area of focus after drafting and peer-review have taken place. Differentiating peer-editing processes enables teachers to ensure all writers that they are valued for what they CAN do, and writers of all ability levels CAN act as effective editors. Identifying what kids can do and placing them in heterogenous [...]
Admit it. You don’t spend nearly enough time allowing students to give and receive feedback on drafts of their written work because you feel the need to maintain some level of “quality control” around what happens during these exchanges. You’re guilty. All of us are at some point, I think. New writers are not often [...]
Drafting is the stage of the process where voice begins to emerge. As a writer’s work begins to take shape, voices are heard with greater clarity. They become distinct. Refined. Identifiable. I think this requires something of an evolution though. Drafting delivers voice when writers are provided time and a safe environment to create in. Too often, we [...]
Okay okay okay! So, we’re going to play a little game with ELA standards for a minute. I don’t care whose standards they are. Could be the ones from my state or your state or whoever’s state. Now, I’m wondering what would happen if we took the real work of kids, the work that they [...]
Image taken from: http://users.moscow.com/rickf/images/writingprocess.gif Yesterday, I began a series of posts on the writing process and the Traits of good writing. I’ll spending the remainder of the week exploring each phase of the process and the Traits that are embedded within it. Today’s topic? Prewriting. Prewriting is all about idea-gathering, and as we [...]
I know how I would answer this question, and I’m sure that the definition would shift a bit depending on who you asked, what they preferred to read, and how many essays they were responsible for providing feedback on over the weekend *smile*. When I think of what good writing is, I think of this [...]
