Some Strategies For Improving Student Writing Outcomes


One of our primary aims as teachers of writing is to assist the inexperienced writer to narrow the gap between their intentions and actions. 

Going forward there are some specific actions we need to focus on such as assisting students to develop writing stamina and experience success. 

 Here are some issues that may arise with student writers and some suggestions as to how we might assist them to overcome these obstacles to writing success.
If I see this…
I might
Strategies
A student is just going through the motions with a writing piece.
Assist the student to unearth topics to write down that provide genuine reasons for writing that go beyond just writing.
Listing, gathering ideas, gathering artifacts. Talking to other writers.
Students essentially write about the same topic time after time.
Talk with students about other reasons that writers write. Consider writing about the topic in a different genre. Nudge them to try something that will move them beyond the comfort zone they have developed.
Research a range of book types that deal with common themes/ topics. Investigate same topic across different genres.
A student isn’t sure which genre they should choose for their writing idea.
Ask the student why they want to write about the chosen topic and suggest genres writers typically choose to write in to fulfil that purpose.
Share writing samples from various texts.
A student isn’t able to identify an audience for the writing being completed beyond ‘the teacher.’
Brainstorm a list of people with whom the writer can share the writing, or places the writing could be displayed.
Demonstrate how to brainstorm.
Students are writing’ breakfast to bedtime’ stories or, 'all about' non fiction pieces.
Show the writer how to write a plan for their piece and focus on developing a particular part of the story in greater detail.
Zooming in, small moments, unpacking heavy sentences.

The meaning of the piece is unclear or confused.
Ask the writer, ‘What are you trying to say in this piece/’ and provide assistance to rewrite the part in which the point of the piece is identified. (Usually the lead or the ending).
Effective leads and endings.
Students’ writing contains limited features of the genres in which they‘re writing.
Share examples of genres and point out features they could include in their writing and nudge them to do so. Ask, how do these features assist the reader?
Examine text features and structures. Create anchor charts.
Each part of the students writing receives the same amount of attention.
Ask the student to identify the most important part of the piece and discuss how writers usually develop the most important parts of the piece more than the others to draw attention and build tension.
Zooming in, Lift A Line, Show Don’t Tell. Writing big about important small moments.
A student relies too heavily on the word ‘then’ for time transitions when writing narratives, recounts.
Teach a range of time transitions that other authors use.
Conduct an inquiry into how authors deal with time transitions.
When writing non fiction pieces the writing shifts abruptly from one point to the next.
Show the student how to organize the writing using subheading, topic sentences, bullets to assist the readers to negotiate different parts of the text.
Teach a range of structural features for non fiction texts.
The writer uses general words in the writing when more specific words would be more effective.
Encourage the writer to visualize aspects of the topic and then select the best possible words to use to describe what is being written about.  E.g. dog becomes fox terrier.
Brainstorm precise words going from general to specific.
The student seems detached from the action in the writing.
Show the writer how to draw the reader closer by including thoughts and emotions in the writing, or pronouns such as I or you.
Teach the inside/outside strategy to take the reader inside the narrator/characters head.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Writing Irresistible LEADS with Grade One Students

I have been reading Australian author, Kate Grenville’s book, ‘The Writing Book – A Practical Guide For Fiction Writers.’ Grenville writes about leads and reminds us that the beginning of a piece of writing needs to be irresistible . Further to this she reminds the reader that it doesn’t matter where you begin a piece of writing- just begin! Grenville quotes Ezra Pound who said, ‘It doesn’t matter which leg of the table you make first as long as it stands up in the end.’ The writer’s aim is to glue the reader to the page. Grenville also makes the observation that sometimes you need to write the whole story before returning to the start in order to write a great beginning or ‘lead’ for it. Recently I have been working with groups of Grade 1 writers alerting them to the various ways in which writers ‘lead’ the reader deeper into their stories. Initially we looked at their own writing samples and I asked students, what did they notice about the words being used in their story leads? Th
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more