Teaching Middle School Writers What Every English Teacher Needs to Know

Ten Issues and Compelling Questions Change and Loss Challenges, Choices, Decisions Relationships: Insights Into Self Coping with Fears Pressures: Inner and Outside Influences

Ten Issues and Compelling Questions continued Identity Shaping: Hopes and Dreams Obstacles and Selfhood War and Conflict Restrictions, Rules, and Rebellions Conformity/Nonconformity

Craft and Technique Lessons The Prewriting Stage – Topic selection – Brainstorming – Planning

Four Key Writing Lessons Show, Don’t Tell Paint Pictures with Strong Verbs and Specific Nouns Study the Essence of Leads Crafting Satisfying Endings

Developing Writing Criteria Alternative to rubrics Teachers and students

Editing and Revision Phrase in a question Tip for revision: Let the writing rest

Six Needs of Middle School Writers Responsibility Relationship Relevance Inquiry Choice Hope

Becoming 21 st Century Writers Blogs and Beyond

How do young adolescents communicate? “Dear Mrs. Robb, I do like to instant message, write to my friends on Facebook, and text message. Besides that I don’t do much writing in my free time, not that I really have any. When I was younger my parents made me write, and I did not enjoy it at all; it was torture for me.”

“Like professional writers, students want real-world reasons to write” Texting Facebook Instant Message (IM) Blogs Others?

Howard Gardner “Tapping into students’ creativity, validating their enjoyment of group performance, and designing lessons that foster collaboration can develop the problem solvers and thinkers needed for the 21 st century and beyond”

Collaborative Writing “The instant feedback that results when a class blogs together brings a dynamic dimension to your instruction and to peer work” Encourage and help students question each other and go beyond responding to the teacher’s prompts.

Collaborative Writing: In Action Is there such a thing as a just war? Explain why or why not. Nathan said: no because everyone gets hurt in some way or form, and we think we’re making the world a better place by helping some country, but at the same time it can’t be helping the world be destruction and brutality. Anonymous said: yes, I think there is a thing as a just war, but we should be careful as to what wars we go into. It may not be just to kill many people for someone else’s war, or for going into a war with no basis or reason. Kathryn said: I have to disagree with Nathan here. If by going to war you can eventually save many people (ww2, Hitler) it is worth it.

Texting: Creates poor spellers and diminishes students’ writing abilities? Two recent studies reported that texting improves writing and students’ phonological awareness. How can teachers integrate texting into a school literacy curriculum? Use it when it makes sense!

Texting: Let’s Try It! Find a partner Choose a scenario Create a possible texting conversation (approx text msgs) between you and your partner based on the scenario Goal: To convey emotion through texting as a form of writing.

Scenarios You just found out that your dad found a new job and you will be moving to a different state. You just got dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend You just won the lottery Your older brother/sister is leaving for the war overseas Your best friend offered you a cigarette and you don’t know how to turn them down