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What Student Writing Can Teach Us About Teaching

By Christian Z. Goering
Categories: Collaboration, Learning communities, Outcomes
August 2016
To most English teachers, the paper load is the bane of one’s existence. Unfortunately, this is true both for those who teach writing and other disciplines as well. In many cases, teachers shy away from including much writing because of the many hours it requires to read and provide substantial feedback on such papers. Yet writing is widely understood as critically important to learning (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Mayher, 1983; Zinsser, 1989). Initially, it might seem like professional suicide for a learning leader to begin each session by assembling teachers into groups to assess student writing, but that’s exactly what we do in the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program. The program, part of a National Writing Project grant, aims to improve the teaching

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Authors

Nikki Holland, Ginney P. Wright, and Christian Z. Goering

Nikki Holland ([email protected]) is director of the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program. Ginney P. Wright ([email protected]) is clinical assistant professor of social studies education at the University of Arkansas. Christian Z. Goering ([email protected]) is associate professor of English education at the University of Arkansas and director of the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project.

Sample Lesson Plan

What makes a claim effective, and how can I write an effective claim?

  • Tell students the essential questions of the day: What makes a claim effective? How can I write an effective claim?
  • Divide students into small groups (3-4), and give each group an envelope with example claims. Note: It’s important to cut these so that students can manipulate them.
  • Ask students to rank the claims using these categories: developing, competent, effective. Note: This language is higher level than high/mid/low, but it’s important for students — and for us — to remember that this is hard work and that we’re all moving toward stronger writing.
  • Once students have spent at least 10 minutes reading and organizing claims, ask them to think about what makes the groups different. Here are some questions you might ask:
  • Look at your pile of developing claims. What do those writers need to do to get them to the competent claims pile?
  • Reread the claims in your competent pile. What qualities do they share?
  • What makes a claim effective? What’s the difference between a claim that is competent and one that is effective?
  • Once small groups have a chance to talk about those questions, engage the large group in a discussion. On the board or on a piece of chart paper, record qualities for each of the levels.
  • Extension: Consider giving students a developing claim and asking them to revise it to make it competent and then effective. Whole-class discussion to follow.

References

Applebee, A.N. & Langer, J.A. (2013). Writing instruction that works: Proven methods for middle and high school classrooms. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts. Available at www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf.

Mayher, J.S. (1983). Learning to write/Writing to learn. Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.

Peterson-Veatch, R. (2006). Affinity mapping. Available at www.nsrfharmony.org/system/files/protocols/affinity_mapping_0.pdf.

Toulmin, S.E. (2003). The uses of argument. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Zinsser, W.K. (1989). Writing to learn. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

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