Writing Critical Thinking Where our students are and what to expect

Why write? 1. Loudoun County has placed renewed emphasis on writing in social studies and in science. two 5-paragraph essays every year in middle school 2. SOLs - writing and critical thinking

Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.h The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend positions in writing, discussion, and debate.

Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.g The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to formulate an informed, carefully reasoned position on a community issue.

Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.f The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to identify a problem, weigh the expected costs and benefits and possible consequences of proposed solutions, and recommend solutions.

Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.d The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information.

Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.a The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents

The benefits of writing well Synthesizing information helps students understand the Civics content. Stimulates critical thinking Promotes logical thinking

More benefits Provides practice at the craft of writing Helps ease student anxiety about writing

Our plan for the year Teach students about different types of writing Help students do a better job of planning their writing, writing clearly, and proofreading Encourage students to evaluate their own writing Increase the complexity of writing tasks

Civics writing vs. English writing Typically fact-based rather than based on personal observations or feelings Requires knowledge of a topic Usually written in third person Usually does not ask for an opinion Often requires research or examination of primary documents

Different purposes of writing Formal vs. informal Fiction vs. non- fiction Note to a friend vs. letter to a U.S. senator Persuasive, informative, reflective Learning to match writing style with prompt

Rising expectations One paragraph as part of a quiz A brief summary An opinion piece Analysis (Run for the White House) Five-paragraph essays Debate (synthesizing information) Compare and Contrast (Political parties) Informational writing DBQ -- short, introductory assignment

What writing requires Understanding the information Planning with a graphic organizer Logical structure Accuracy Flow Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling See “CHECKLIST FOR WRITERS” handout

Where 8 th graders struggle

Where is the proofreading in this pie?

Knowing the content Can’t compare two documents without understanding them Providing sufficient facts and supporting detail. Putting what they know into words

Leaving out their opinion (unless requested in the prompt) Writing in third person (tend to use “I” in all writing)

Complete sentences Correct punctuation and capitalization Correct spelling of familiar words

Not-so-good writing

Average Writing

What Good Writing Looks Like

Writing Tips When allowed, type your assignment (to take advantage of spelling and grammar checks) Read your paper aloud; you’ll catch many errors that way. Ask a parent or sibling to read your writing (Does it make sense to them?)

Eliminate wordiness Avoid repetition

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. Thomas Jefferson

Second semester Research papers Multi-document DBQs (document-based questions) Political cartoon analysis Supreme Court case research and analysis Primary document analysis More challenging reading and writing

What to expect in high school Summer pre-AP assignment Significantly greater volume of work Chapter outlining Chapter questions DBQs (Document-based questions)

Benefits of writing well Reason #1: Written output is a great way to assess student knowledge. Reason #2: Writing is the essential skill students need as they enter adult life. Reason #3: Helping students learn to express themselves with confidence in all subject areas. Copyright by Steve Peha

Thank you for your time, interest, and support!