Write More/Grade Less This PowerPoint will be available at mrgeoffrion.com/blog You may have to do a search on the site for “APSI”

Origin Story In a time and place much like this one (APAC 2012, Orlando) I attended a workshop on writing. I forgot who was leading it, but the title was something along the lines of “Improving Student Writing with Technology.” The presenter did this using Google Groups and tablets. My students don’t have tablets and Google Groups seemed to add more work on the front end of the lesson with very little payoff (technology for the sake of technology). So, I adjusted the lesson to fit the technology I have in my classroom. The idea is that instead of grading 120 essays every week, an AP teacher could occasionally have a week where they are grading 40 essays or even 40 parts of essays (body paragraphs)

Groups: Please meet in the following groups John, Paul, Ringo Alan, Dana, Mike Carrie, Bobby, Nolan Jessica, Jim, Shauna Stephanie, Sarah, Don Candice, Brittney, Terry Nancy, Tracy, Andrew Kimberly, Stacy, Melissa Step 1: Create Mixed Ability Groups

Directions: In your group, briefly discuss, and plan for an essay answering the prompt below: Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which trans-Atlantic interactions from 1600 to 1763 contributed to maintaining continuity as well as change in labor systems in the British North American colonies. Rephrase the prompt: What are you being asked to do? What is the subject? What is the verb?

Modification: Plan Before Forming Groups It may be worthwhile to have students plan the essay before moving into their groups to ensure they all have something to contribute.

Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which trans-Atlantic interactions from 1600 to 1763 contributed to maintaining continuity as well as change in labor systems in the British North American colonies. Continuities Analysis (Why) Changes

What if we are planning a comparative essay? Prompt: Compare and Contrast the Cold War foreign policies of Two of the following presidents. Truman Eisenhower

What if we are planning a multi part comparative essay? Prompt: Compare and Contrast the foreign and domestic policies of Two of the following presidents during the Cold War era. Truman Eisenhower Foreign Domestic

Once students have done this enough times, This becomes the only slide I show them. Directions: In your groups, write an essay addressing the prompt below. Make sure your body paragraphs have TASC. Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which trans-Atlantic interactions from 1600 to 1763 contributed to maintaining continuity as well as change in labor systems in the British North American colonies. Short on time? For “two part” skills like continuity/change over time, comparison, or cause/effect have odd number groups write just a body paragraph for one while even number groups do the other. Topic sentence addressing specific continuities or changes that ties back to the thesis Analysis as to WHY the continuity or change occured Support with historical evidence/examples that prove your thesis Connect to a larger global context

Want to make a longer-term project out of it? This activity could be done outside of the classroom and address the skill in other ways besides producing an essay. Student groups could create: PowerPoints including evidence in a variety of mediums (text, visual, audio, video). Prezis doing the same thing as a PowerPoint, but with an added benefit of motion sickness. Videos for students with access to the needed resources. Include the requirement of a signed release from all participants and create a class Youtube channel.

Additional Notes: The essays should be timed. The process of working in a group usually will slow the students down by about 10 minutes. Once all essays are complete, if time allows, it is often helpful to grade the essays as a class under the document camera and discuss the points earned as well as how to improve the points that fall short. This could likely be modified to fit other historical thinking skills (causation or periodization), as well as incorporating synthesis into the planning process.