Purposely Authentic Linda Yang, Deforest Area High School

Inquiry Inspiration “Nothing but MLA format and how to write essays kills the will to or pleasure to write in most students.” “I felt forced to write these five paragraphs…. I don’t know what difference to do either.”

Responsible Reflection (Independent) thinkers - I think not. (Independent) writers - I think not. Substitute Engage in ( ). - I think not.

Soul-Searching What in the hell did I do wrong? What can I do differently?

Buying Back Engagement Standardized Test Statistics and Implications? Source: “NAEP Writing 2011 Report”

Buying Back Engagement Employer Survey Statistics and Implications? Source: National Commission on Writing. “Writing: A Ticket to Work...Or a Ticket Out.” College Board. College Board, Sept

Turn and Talk What does it mean to be a life-long writer?

More Important Inquiry How in the hell do I create life-long writers?!? Source: Graham, Steve, and Dolores Perin. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School. A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Writing for Life “Proficient writers can adapt their writing flexibility to the context in which it takes place.” -Graham and Perin,Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing…

Students Say “Authenticity is subjective;” therefore, “a student is the only who can decide if a task connects to the real world, a real world defined and lived by that particular student.” -Nadia Behizadeh, “Adolescent Perspective on Authentic Writing Instruction”

Students Say - Four Findings Choice of a value topic Writing for impact Dominance of expression over conventions Need to share their work -“Adolescent Perspective on Authentic Writing Instruction”

Guru Gallagher - Write Like This “Writing well does not begin with teaching students how to write [only]; it begins with teaching students why they should write.” “If we are to build students who grow up to write in the real world, we must move our writing instruction beyond a ‘cover the state standards’ mind-set by introducing our young writer’s to additional real-world discourses.”

Guru Gallagher - Write Like This Writing for life purposes - transferrable purposes: 1.Express and Reflect 2.Inform and Explain 3.Evaluate and Judge 4.Inquire and Explore 5.Analyze and Interpret 6.Take a Stand/Propose a Solution

Activity 1 - Find Examples Go through the newspaper at your table and find examples of each of the writing purposes.

Activity 2 - Create Your Own On the other side complete a brainstorm of ideas to write about, for a topic of your choice, using the framework of the writing purposes.

Rationale for change By making this change, I think it would bring me one step closer to the four ways students have identified as making writing authentic: choice, impact, expression, and sharing

Why the shift? Ridiculous writing assignment: Write an essay on which of the three themes we talked about is most to blame for the tragedies in R&J? Life writing assignment: You have your own column in a magazine or newspaper.

Why the shift? Ridiculous writing assignment: Write a newsletter informing parents of criteria 1, 2, and 3, in your classroom. Life writing assignment: Please make sure to keep consistent and open communications with your parents.