Improving Meredith Student Writing Everyday in Every Class Score on the Four Improving Meredith Student Writing Everyday in Every Class

What Does This Poster Teach? Proficient writing attributes These descriptions tell students what is expected on every acceptable paper. Advanced writing should exceed these descriptions.

What Should I Do With It? Post this clearly in your room. Reference it before students begin writing for an audience. Use it as your grading criteria for proficient writing.

We Must Teach a New Habit The ability to create quality writing is more important than ever. Writing proficiently is a habit; writing poorly is also a habit. Stop accepting poor writing when students write for you or another audience.

Teaching Ideas & Content Require answers that demonstrate student thinking. Model thinking before you put the pencil to paper. Teach instead of assign by showing and telling as you write your thoughts down.

Teaching Organization Show students the proper organization technique with models and/or writing frames. Main points should be given along with several supporting reasons and/or examples. Transition words need to be provided and modeled.

Teaching Common Transitions Teach students to use the list of transitions in the student planner. Use transitional words when you speak so they become familiar words: Consequently As a result Therefore Regardless Eventually Despite In spite of

Teaching Style Teach students HOW to turn questions into sentence answers. Require the use of your academic vocabulary. Model sentence writing. Use writing frames to help students learn sentence patterns. Show the use of end punctuation, commas, and quotation marks in all your visible writing.

Conventional Writing Conventions are the “rules” of written language. Use every opportunity to emphasize why adults must follow conventions at work and in public correspondence. Avoid excusing yourself as a bad speller or writer because that makes it acceptable for kids to say the same thing about themselves.

Conventions You Should Expect Capitalization rules have all been taught by 6th grade and should be enforced. Words from the assignment and all common vocabulary should be spelled right. Other words are corrected with teacher help during or after the assignment. Sentences should end in punctuation. Proper grammar should be used.

Responsible Teaching of Spell Check and Grammar Check Word processing checkers are tools kids should be taught how to use. Student errors often cannot be caught by the spell or grammar checkers. Curious as curios Then as than Want as wont Students deserve teachers who will help them spell and write accurately.

Have Zero Tolerance for: Texting language Over or underuse of capitalization Illegible handwriting or strange formatting Sentences without end punctuation Misspelled common words

What Can I Do To Encourage Proficient Writing Everyday? Show a model of the expected product. Require students to redo poorly done writing. Take points off for unconventional writing to help them break the habit. Teach, model, practice, re-teach using the poster as your criteria.