Writing Beside Them
A week into the school year and my high schoolers are already working on their first major writing assignment of the year. If you really want kids to work their writing hard, a writing assignment beyond a page or so really requires some structured time in class for brainstorming, drafting, getting feedback, revising, editing, and publishing. Without this time, many of the kids for whom writing is intimidating and un-fun would simply not try. So, with a due date about two weeks out, we've already gotten a head start.A "best practice" that I used to resist was completing a writing assignment along with the students. I have a master's degree, so went my thinking. I don't need practice on writing a five-paragraph persuasive essay. But the years have taught me that while that may be true, the kids certainly need the practice, and watching and listening to a confident writer works wonders on the students. Just the other day, I realized, mid-lesson, that I hadn't done a great job modeling a writing task. I fleshed out the model more fully for the next class, and their writing was much, much