Why Writing Curriculums Succeed
Writing essays without a foundation is hard. Students find writing far less stressful when they understand the writing process. The best writing curriculum will provide you with lesson plans, writing tools, and quality instruction that teach students how to write essays.
1. The best writing curricula teach the basics.
If a writing program fails to teach the basics, students feel incompetent and stupid. Many students fall through the cracks thinking writing is too complicated and abstract. It’s like trying to teach algebra without teaching math facts first. Writing structure and the writing process are key components to an excellent writing curriculum.
2. Writing curriculum should give more than adequate teaching instruction.
Thorough writing curriculum includes guided writing instruction. For example, many writing programs have cute ideas for creative story writing. Cute story starters should include instruction on how to organize, structure and finish the story. Teachers and students should not be left with a feeling of “how do you do that?”
Often students are taught to “write what they feel". That’s journaling. Journaling is important for personal use, but not formal writing. The idea of writing what they feel, however, could be used as the brainstorming step in the writing process. Brainstorming is an important part of the writing process. But it is not the only step needed to write high level papers. Left with just brainstorming students flounder around not knowing how to organize and clearly communicate their thoughts.
3. Writing curriculum should help prevent boredom. A bored student is an unproductive student and more importantly, an unteachable student.
- Lack of step-by-step instruction can cause boredom. Students tune out lessons that seem too abstract.
- Students will be bored and defensive if they are working on the wrong level.
- Boredom also sets in if the subject matter is uninteresting. A variety of choices should be suggested to be used with different paragraph formats.
- Creative writing should be used to teach how to make writing communicate more effectively. Descriptive grammar and figures of speech should be taught. Students should learn how to easily create word pictures to communicate their messages.
4. The teacher plays a key role even with a really good curriculum. Effective curriculum should give you tools to help bolster your child’s interest.
- A thorough curriculum gives a teacher guidance on how to help students. A teacher needs to give help and encouragement until students are ready to take things more into their own hands.
- A thorough curriculum has writing assignments relatable to things in your students’ lives. It will encourage them to write sentences and paragraphs about their interests.
- A thorough curriculum lets students be silly without being gross. With permission to be silly students can express thoughts without a fear of sounding stupid.
- A thorough curriculum uses variety to help keep your student’s head in the game. Students need a variety of topics, writing styles, and activities.
5. A lesson is not done until reviewing and grading are complete. The best curriculum gives you guidance so you know how to grade writing. Grading Writing
Students need immediate feedback with positive critique. A letter or number grade tells them how well they did but not what to do and what not to do. Students need to understand their mistakes. They also need to be praised for what they did right. Writing improves faster when students receive immediate feedback.
Without help the teacher can be left confused, clueless, and overwhelmed about grading. It can become easy to let grading slip by when feeling inadequate and lost.
6. Students should be working on the correct level to succeed with a writing curriculum. Students need their confidence built. They need to know they can succeed. If writing overwhelms them, they will shut down. If students shut down, the teacher will also be frustrated and want to give-up. Free Assessment Tests
- Teacher’s work load is determined by placing students on the right level.
- Students should gain confidence as they progress. The curriculum pancakes lessons so writing skills develop step-by-step as the year continues.
- Intensive teacher instruction should drop significantly as the year progresses.
- Students understand and retain more when working where learning is easy for them.
- Students gain independence as good writing habits are solidified.
The Write Foundation is a well thought out writing curriculum.
- Assistance is given to help determine the right instructional level. Free Assessment Tests
- Teachers are given plenty of help with detailed lesson plans (Sample Lessons) and a grading system (Grading Writing) that is easy to implement. How to Present a Lesson
- The writing process is taught using a variety of writing structures along with basic writing mechanics.
- Students learn how to use creative elements to make their writing more interesting with descriptive grammar and figures of speech.
The Write Foundation gives students the tools so they learn how to easily write paragraphs and college level essays. The Write Foundation develops confident skillful independent writers.
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