Frequently Asked Questions for Teachers
1. I encounter resistance from my students(s) when it is time to write. What can I do, short of bribery?
It is intimidating to stare down a blank piece of paper or computer screen. Click "Home" to see reasons why your student may be negative about writing. Whether your student cries, is consistently late handing in writing homework, or has just given up, finding the reason for the resistance will be helpful to your student and to you.
Your student may have received an overabundance of negative feedback about his or her writing in the past and has become super sensitive to it. We teachers can tend to be like copyeditors, always looking for the mistakes and forgetting to praise students for the elements done well. If the research was stellar but the paper is an illogical mess, praise your student for the research and, in following classes, focus on teaching how to organize points in an order that best supports the thesis statement. The double whammy of praise and guidance can be effective.
Perhaps resistance stems from "boring" assignments. Show your student how to look for the interesting topic within the original topic. Has that report on the American Revolution stopped her in her tracks? Her current interests can shine a spotlight on what to her is an uninteresting topic and make it more palatable. If she's interested in cooking, she could do a report on how women of this time period cooked, where they found their ingredients, and even which recipes they might have used. Is he interested in mechanics? How about a paper on the technology of the time period? You will be pleased with how much history they learn along the way.
Some teachers require all papers to be handwritten so the student can master handwriting skills. This, in my opinion, is a mistake. It is akin to teaching someone how to deliver newspapers while also teaching him how to ride his bike: too many complicated skills to juggle. My advice is to keep the handwriting portion of your classes separate from the composition portion. Guys complain more often than girls that their hands hurt from writing; I've heard it too often to ignore them. Students with poor handwriting skills (and even those with good handwriting skills) will benefit from a keyboarding class. They can type their rough drafts and final drafts on computers, which is the way all professors and editors expect any submissions.
Resistance may also flair up because your student is confused about the process of writing. They hear you say, "Write an essay," and the room grows dark around them. They do not yet know how to break down the task of writing into its achievable parts. Try this: Teach the skill but don't require a paper. For example, show your student how to brainstorm and then have her practice brainstorming a variety of topics for papers she will never write. You may be surprised at the weight this will lift from her shoulders-and at the cooperation you receive!
Your student did not become resistant to writing overnight. It will take time, your keen observations, encouragement, and some interesting assignments to get the words flowing again. It is very possible to find success. I've turned many a resistant writer into an eager one. You can, too.
By the way, what's wrong with a little bribery? Oops! I mean reward!
For more ideas on how to overcome resistance to writing, click here to read an article I authored for the Apologia e-newsletter, Apologia World, Issue 14.
2. My student loves to write--as long as it is fiction and it is her idea! How can I get her to write the essays and reports she desperately needs to know how to write?
It is not unusual for students to be good at one type of writing and have trouble with another. At least, that has been my experience. Students with strong mathematical or logical learning styles may be best suited for nonfiction writing: essays and reports. Students with strong linguistic, intrapersonal, or musical learning styles may be better at fiction writing: stories and poems. Personalities, along with learning styles, may also be factors. That said, how do you encourage the creative, imaginative story writer to get on the ball and write those essays?
As with the reluctant or resistant writer, help your storyteller find topics that use her strengths. Prolific writers are often prolific readers, so when it comes to, say, a comparison-and-contrast paper, she can compare and contrast two authors, two characters, or even a movie and its sequel. If the paper is a cause-and-effect one, ask her to show how the setting affects a particular story-its mood, characters, plot, theme, etc. Is the paper a persuasive essay? Your student can write to convince an audience to read a certain story or persuade them not to read it. Is she learning to write a how-to (process) paper? This would be a great time for her to show readers the steps to planning a character or a plot.
Storytellers often benefit from having an audience in mind when writing nonfiction, even if the theoretical audience is a friend. Writing an opinion essay as though writing a letter to a friend can give the essay a shape and purpose, especially if the writer takes time to organize her thoughts before she writes her points. Storytellers' skills will grow as they learn how to write nonfiction. Improving in organization, clarity, brevity, expression, and style while writing essays and reports will enhance the fiction lovers' story-writing skills.
3. How much time should I allow for a writing assignment?
Writing takes time.
Thinking about what to write takes time. Researching takes time. So do planning and organizing the points, writing the first draft, and rewriting through to the final draft.
The final draft is only the tip of the iceberg. We want our students to learn how to think, form opinions, research, organize, express thoughts clearly and succinctly, be effective in their writing, draw important conclusions, and so forth. They cannot learn how to do these things on the fly.
Quality writing cannot be achieved in the back of the car on the way to another class. Sure, the paper might get done, but it will not be a well-thought-out, effective, insightful, or meaningful one.
Here's a basic rule of thumb for home or school settings: For every 100 words you assign, allow for at least one hour of work. Therefore, a 300-word essay will take at least three hours to write. A 1,000-word essay will need at least 10 hours of thinking, planning, organizing, researching, writing, and rewriting. Keep in mind that some students will be faster and others, slower.
4. Am I providing the best setting for my young writers?
A kinesthetic learner may find it easier to write if nestled in a bean bag than at a desk. Those who are musically inclined may appreciate background music when they write, while others may be troubled by background noises. Those with strong interpersonal skills might enjoy writing with friends around. Those easily distracted may focus better with fewer distractions and fewer windows.
Good lighting is a must, as are helpful examples of the type of writing students are learning, a teacher's appreciation for fine literature, writing prompts that inspire the writer, and a positive atmosphere.
As for using the car as a setting for writing, see question 3.
As a teacher, you need to know if the students are absorbing the material. The students need to know if they are correctly learning how to write. Grading is a measurement of progress, both yours and theirs. Is your grading system measuring this progress effectively?
I recommend giving two grades: one for content and one for grammar/mechanics. These two grades are often very different from one another, but they give students a much clearer picture of their work.
The grade for content is based upon how organized, clear, and concise the student is, plus whether the points or reasons actually support a clear, well-stated thesis statement. Look for well-thought-out, well-researched, and well-expressed opinions and supporting statements. If you gave a specific set of requirements or a format the homework should follow, also base the content grade on whether the requirements or format was followed. Occasionally, a student will hand in a paper that, though stellar, is not related to the assigned topic or homework. In that case, you will have to give a lower grade for content because following directions is an important part of writing.
The grammar/mechanics grade is based on word usage, spelling, and punctuation, along with the shape of the paper (Did the student use paragraphs for each point?) and criteria such as the inclusion of introductory and concluding paragraphs, the physical position of the thesis statement, topic sentences for each supporting paragraph, and so forth.
I often use an evaluation form (rubric) with specific questions so I can clearly track the student's progress and so the student can know exactly how he earned his grade. If students see the evaluation form ahead of time, they have something concrete at which to aim, and it allows them to see that grading in writing is not subjective. Some helpful evaluation forms for middle school writing are found in The Lifeguard's Locker, the teacher manual for Jump In. Click here to see these books in Apologia's online catalog. (You'll want page 45.)
6. What about grammar? Is it really that important?
Grammar includes the study of parts of speech, phrases, clauses, punctuation, word usage, agreement between subject and verb, irregular verbs, tenses, and voice (active and passive). And that's the short list.
I often get this question when students are, for some reason, not absorbing the material in their current grammar text or if they are bored out of their skulls. Let's face it: some grammar texts are dry, laborious, and filled with busy work. A change in grammar texts may be necessary. If you are homeschooling, consider taking your students to a local bookstore so they can look over the grammar books written especially for students. July and August are optimal months for this because the stores cater to students at this time. Your students can choose which book they like the best (or the one they hate the least!).
Personally, I am not ecstatic when I have to teach, say, the use of commas with compound sentences. Even though I spend a lot of time on this concept, giving copious fun examples and follow-up questions, I know that about only half of the high school students will get it the first time around. Yes, only half.
But is grammar important? Of course it is. I once read an anecdote about a magazine editor who was poised to accept a writer's article on food poisoning. The author had done a lot of research, and the article was interesting. However, the editor rejected the article. Why? The writer consistently misspelled the word ptomaine (she spelled it tomaine)! Who can trust an author about food poisoning when she doesn't even spell a major food-poisoning word right? In the same way, teachers, professors, and potential editors will take a dim view of an ungrammatical submission, even if the paper is insightful and witty.
Grammar is the logical, formulaic, structured, follow-the-rules side of writing. Some students will understand it better than others, but all of them need to learn as much as they can about their language, especially if they want to be taken seriously as writers.
7. I'm concerned that my student(s) won't be ready for the essay portion of the SAT. What can I do to prepare them for it?
First, your student needs to understand that the SAT essay is a persuasive essay. That means he has to choose a side. He has to support a view. He has to try to convince that hypothetical audience that he is right. Expository essays that explore the pros and cons of each view will not earn a high mark.
Second, your student will benefit from practice. Basketball players practice free throws so that when the opportunity arises in the big game, they will step up to the line with confidence and hear the swish. Give your students some "free-throw" practice. How?
Inside the New SAT, written by the staff of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, advises the following schedule for the 25-minute SAT essay:
T hink about the topic (2 minutes)
O rganize your paragraphs (5 minutes)
W rite your essay (15 minutes)
F ix your mistakes (3 minutes)
I recommend giving your student a quotation based on a topic (just as the SAT test gives) so he can practice thinking about the topic (brainstorming ideas and examples) and organizing his paragraphs (putting his points and examples in order). Do this several times with several quotations/topics-without his ever writing the essay. Breaking the tasks down, first untimed and then timed, will allow your student to get used to the rhythm of the process without getting bogged down in the writing. Check to make sure he is actually supporting a view and choosing points that will persuade readers to that view. After he has gained some proficiency in thinking and organizing, add the writing portion to the practice session. Later, add the three minutes to the end of the session so he can fix his mistakes.
Third, I recommend going to the College Board's Web site. It has practice questions and aids to help your student write a better persuasive essay.
5. How do I evaluate my student(s) and give a grade?
Copyright (c) 2010 by Sharon Watson
