4.23: Writing -- My Students

My favorite thing to teach my 9th graders is how to write. They come into my class all over the place; some are talented writers, some are mediocre, while others find it difficult to put together a paragraph. I'm a tough grader, too. I mark every little tiny error and ask students to correct them. I photocopy every essay and keep it in a folder and use the information to help build the next assignment.

This past week, I did something different. I had students compose an essay using Google Docs, and then they shared their essay with me. They were only given about 30 minutes to write what they could. I went through them and gave them each goals for the next day's work. For some, I just wanted them to write a paragraph. For others, I instructed them to construct topic sentences linked to thesis statements. Still others made up quotations and integrated them. Whatever level students were at, I constructed an assignment just for them.

I graded 140 essays (some only a few lines, but some a page or more) in 24 hours. It was time-consuming, but it worked. Students benefited from seeing the errors up-close. They saw "oh, THIS is how MLA format says I should put in a quotation", and then they revised accordingly. It was amazing.

Now I need to learn how to take this format of learning and apply it to other kinds of learning in English. How can I give students individual assignments and tailor each one to their strengths and weaknesses without driving myself crazy? I honestly have no idea, but at least now I know what works!

NGS wrote something about writing!