Teaching Writing Fast and Effectively!

Often student writing is not held to the same high standard that student work is in many of the other subjects.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Writing is an art. There is not an “easy answer key” for the writing teacher.

2. The way writing is taught can often seem “esoteric” to children. It seems to them that the rules of “good writing” sure do seem to change a lot. “The teacher liked what I wrote yesterday, but today they say this is not good. I don’t get it.”

3. Staying on top of student writing is hard work for teachers. As such, students have more opportunities to slack off and practice writing the wrong way.

Without a doubt “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay Writing” has gotten a hold of all of these issues. I will admit, the “Pattern Based Writing” program does not teach every aspect of what good writing is. However, what it completely and absolutely solves is what this video below talks about.

Elementary School Essay Writing vs. High School Essay Writing

What is shocking about this video is that it is from Ashworth University and is designed for high school students. (It’s an excellent video on the 5-paragraph essay. The teacher is very clear and concise.)

As you watch it, imagine an entire class of third graders sitting there watching this video and saying, “Yes, we can do all that. We learned that last month. We can organize and write one of those 5-paragraph essays in less than 30-minutes.”

The third graders I am talking about are from the inner city and their teacher had become ill early in the year. This began a long string of substitute teachers. I came in at the end of their school year and took them from unorganized sentences to excellent 5-paragraph essay in just 37 days.

“Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” solves the essay problem. Whether your students are in elementary school or middle school you can revolutionize their writing quickly and easily. This should not be an issue in high school.

Enjoy the video!

P.S. Concerned parents, ”Pattern Based Writing” is an easy way for you to get a hold on your child’s writing.

Paragraphs have unity and coherence. A paragraph has a single minded focus. There must be no information in the paragraph which does not serve that purpose. We call these “good paragraphs.” The best of the best are known as “perfect paragraphs.”

But not all paragraphs are good… let alone perfect. In fact, it doesn’t take much to make a seemingly good paragraph go bad. I have rounded up two paragraphs that I am sad to say have gone bad. One we can salvage… the other is just plain bad. That second one has no future. We will simply have to scratch it and start over.

This Paragraph Can Be Saved

If you have even one detail that is not about the topic sentence, then it IS NOT perfect. Notice how “Detail B” is out of control off doing his own thing. “Detail B” is not talking about the “topic sentence.”  The solution with this paragraph is to edit or revise.

Detail B has gone bad!

Example:
Over the weekend my family and I went to the park. I played on the swings with my little sister until she was all tuckered out.  I hope next weekend I can see the new “Space World” movie.  The best part of the park was the wonderful picnic my mom packed. Going to the park with my family is always a lot of fun!

Warning! Danger! This is a Bad, Bad Paragraph

This is a collection of disconnected sentences. Some may claim that it is a paragraph… but it is not. It tries to be one… but it can’t. It’s an imposter…. a fake. There is no main idea to this paragraph. This will be difficult for others to read. It’s sad to see good sentences turn so bad… start over.

So sad...

Example:

Over the weekend my family and I went to the park. It was fun. I want to see the new “Space World” movie. My birthday is next week. I hope one day my parents let me have a dog. Well, that’s all I have to say.

Be sure to read the next post which is “Biggest Teacher Mistakes in Teaching Paragraphs.” Hint: Don’t spend too long teaching paragraphs!

(“Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” spends just the right amount of time on paragraphs before making the jump to complete essays!)

What is the goal of your writing instruction?

• Is your instruction geared to helping your students become the next great American novelist?
• Is your primary goal to make sure that your students never leave a dangling participle or slit an infinitive?
• Do you hope to develop a passion for writing?
• Is your goal to help develop the writing skills your students will need to be successful in middle school and high school? 

All of this is much more likely if your students learn how get an assignment… break it down, organize their thoughts and then quickly start and finish the assignment. There should be very little hesitation from start to finish. These skilled and confident writers have the ability to write fast… and get the assignment done.

Every year I teach much more than what I just described, but first I get students ready for success by creating fluent writers who can… write fast.

Writing Fluency

According to studies (among them the National Reading Panel’s report on “Teaching Children to Read”) fluent readers tend to good readers. Fluency is one of the five important areas that bring about reading success. That makes sense. In fact, it also makes sense in writing. Fluent writers will likely be good writers. My experience is that fluent writers also make happy students! So much of school… involves writing.

Portfolios vs. a Timed Writing System for Monitoring Student Growth

Portfolios have many great benefits… and I am not against them in any way. However, portfolios do not show objective apples to apples comparisons. They are apples to oranges comparisons… and often apples to hamburgers comparisons.

First, and foremost, different amounts of time allowed produce different results. Kids know this when looking at portfolios. Somewhere in the back of their mind they know these are not apple to apples comparisons… so they are not really sure exactly how much they have progressed.

You may have heard the old musing that a monkey left in a room with a typewriter for eternity will eventually type out “Hamlet.” Let’s face it… eternity is a long time. Students don’t have an eternity to get an assignment done. Students also know it makes more sense to do good work quickly instead of spending an eternity trying to get one writing assignment perfect.

Furthermore, kids don’t want to spend all day on their homework. They don’t want to be the last one finished… every single day. Show students ways to become efficient writers… and they are happy.

The timed writing system I use is a high-octane portfolio system where students see real and objective growth. It’s a simple system that quickly lets students compare apples to apples.

The Timed Writing System: Principal Approved!

Using this system my bulletin board always shows excellent and objective student progress. It was so successful that my principal once suggested (or requested) that I put it back up when I had taken it down and was maintaining the timed writings in a portfolio as compared to being displayed.

The way I use the timed writing system has changed a little with the creation of the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” system. However, this timed writing system is very effective with or without “Pattern Based Writing.”

Before “Pattern Based Writing” the progress in the students’ writing was always steady and consistent. Over the course of a year, the progress was substantial, and admirable. It was a very accurate representation of the gradual, consistent progress that can be achieved with good writing instruction, and a lot of hard work!

Now, I get the results A LOT faster. Within a month most elementary and remedial middle school writers will be saying, “I can’t even read what I was writing before.”

Of course if your students aren’t making great progress in their writing… this timed writing system will reveal that as well. If this is the case… I would suggest you get “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay.”

The Timed Writing System Directions

1. Students do a 5-minute prewriting and a 20-minute essay.
2. Staple each student’s first timed writing to a piece of construction paper and post them on a bulletin board using pushpins so that they can easily be removed and updated. (Most years I have students illustrate a picture that goes side by side next to the writing on the same piece of construction paper.)
3. After a certain amount time, and after a certain amount of instruction, we do another timed writing. Staple the new writing to the front of the old. Students evaluate their progress and then the writing is returned to the bulletin board. 

Simple Benefits

You may be surprised how simple the system is. You’re right, it is. I created this simple system very early in my teaching career. Teachers would ask, “Why are you timing the writing?” I can’t say I was aware of the term “writing fluency” but I did know that the students I taught MUST write faster in order to have success in school.

What I discovered was that when students see OBJECTIVE progress… progress they can see with their own eyes… without anyone having to point it out in a “manipulative” way… they begin to like writing more… and they are willing to invest more.

All teachers want their students to see growth. Quite simply, students become motivated when they see growth. However, “you telling them” is not the same as “them telling you.” Do you have a system where students gleefully proclaim the growth… without being prodded? If not, give this “Timed Writing System” a try! Also be sure to check out the complete writing program.

Gifted and Talented (G.A.T.E.) Students Do the MATH before they do the WRITING  

I once taught a 5th grade G.A.T.E. class at a very affluent school for the final two months of the school year.  It was my off-track vacation time and their teacher could not finish the year. I had never seen students like these before. These kids openly, in fact brazenly did the math when receiving an assignment. They cared about the writing assignment exactly as much as the math told them to care about it.

These are the two “MATH QUESTIONS” that came out of their mouths NON-STOP:
1. Is this graded?
2. How much of our grade is it?

Depending on the answers to those two questions they would quickly determine how much they were going to invest in the assignment.

They would decide:
• I better get started on it now and I better do a great job. Also, I had better check my work for careless mistakes.
Or
• I can goof off for 7 minutes and then quickly dash off the assignment. I’ll probably get an A, but if I get a B, it’s not that important because this one grade shouldn’t affect my overall grade.
Or
• This isn’t graded? Hey, Joe, what are you doing after school?

If it wasn’t graded… they didn’t care about the assignment. (It is different when a class has experienced multiple teachers but still… I had never done so much grading in my life. I learned a lot from that high-achieving G.A.T.E. class.) 

Struggling Students ALSO Do the MATH before they do the WRITING

A lot of inner-city students, remedial students, ESL students, and students with learning disabilities also do the math before they start their writing assignment… and for them, they don’t like how it all adds up.

For them… it adds up to failure… so why get started?

I teach lots of kids in this latter category and I learned early in my teaching career that I have got to get them writing and I have got to get them writing fast. Quite simply, teaching students how to get an assignment, break it down, and then start and finish the assignment changes “the math” for them.

After they are “writing fast” I can layer all kinds of fantastic writing instruction on top of these core writing skills. With these core writing skills firmly in place, students seem to respond about 50% better to all the other writing instruction I layer on top.

With these core skills in place “THE MATH” has changed so students invest more. They are just like the G.AT.E. kids!

THEN ADD LAYERS OF DEPTH

Acting with an Accent

In “acting” an actor creates the character and then they just “layer on” the accent.  The accent is like a hat or a costume that they put on top of the character. The character is all the things the person says, does, thinks, feels, and believes. The character is THE PERSON they are playing. The accent is not the character. The accent is just a layer on top of the person.

Poor actors think the accent is the character. With these actors it is very easy to see the accent. In fact, that is often all you can see. This makes it very difficult to see a real person underneath that accent.

The heart of teaching elementary students (and remedial writers in higher grades) how to be successful writers has to do with three aspects of writing:
1. How real writing is really about communication
2. How to get the job done in the time allowed
3. How to approach an assignment

Good writers and successful students have mastered how to receive an assignment… break it down, organize their thoughts and then quickly start and finish the assignment. In short, they can write fast!

Be sure to read the next blog post on “Teaching Children to Write FAST Using the Timed Writing System.”

Here are sentiments against teaching the five-paragraph essay. (Whew… these people were hot under their collar!)

• In High School, I was “taught” to write five-paragraph essays (and when I say “taught,” I mean “forced.”) The five-paragraph essay was the only form allowed in Sophomore English class.
• I hope it’s not taught anymore.
• -my daughter hated it. She would have crying fits each and every time.

Global warming, the budget deficit, budget cuts, taxes, conservatives, liberals, rap music… yes people get very emotional over hot topics. I just was not aware that the five-paragraph essay fell into this category.

Five-Paragraph Essay Advice given… but was it Taken?

When taking the CBEST test to become a teacher, an experienced teacher told me, “Just write a five-paragraph essay. Don’t write about anything you care about. Introduction, three paragraphs, conclusion… that’s it. Nothing more! Remember, don’t write about anything you care about!”

Did I follow that advice? No. I’m not going to write about something I don’t care about. However, half way into the CBEST essay section, those words of… advice… came echoing through my frustration. I was lost. I was in over my head. I was in a heated state of passion… and I was going to prove my point. Hmm, what is my point? Where am I headed? How am I going to finish this? What am I trying to say?

Well, I got out of that jam… and I’m happy to say I received a great grade. My position is that writing about something you care about always pays off. However, that advice stuck in my mind long after that test and influenced how I taught writing once I became a teacher. 

Wikipedia Describes the Five-Paragraph Essay

The five-paragraph essay is a form of written argument. It is a common requisite in assignments in middle school, high school, and university and sometimes elementary school. The format requires an essay to have five paragraphs: one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs with support and development, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it is also known as a hamburger essay or a three tier essay. Recently, a simpler version of the five paragraph essay, called the Painted EssayTM, has been designed as a pedagogical tool for elementary school teachers. The Painted EssayTM combines the traditional structure of the five paragraph essay with color, activity and oral practice to teach younger students about the relationship among the components of a well written piece.

The five-paragraph essay format is also applied to speech making, with some college classes teaching the five-paragraph format, along with an organized system of outlining and pre-writing the speech.  

That’s the five-paragraph essay in a nutshell! That does not seem like it should get anyone hot under the collar. What cause is there to be against teaching the five-paragraph essay? Before you answer that question… ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you also against paragraph form?
2. Are you also against beginning, middles and endings?
3. Are you also against introductions, bodies, and conclusions?
4. Are you in favor of rambling and pointless essays?

Based on what the Wiki says… as well as my personal answers to those four questions, I am taking a stand. THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY MUST BE TAUGHT! There… I said it!

Teaching the 5-paragraph essay teaches students that:

1. They must write in paragraph form.
2. They must have a beginning, middle and ending.
3. A beginning, middle and ending is essentially the same thing as an introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. They cannot ramble. They must be headed in a direction and get there.

The five-paragraph essay is the easiest, fastest, and best way to teach all this. It teaches GOOD THINKING. I have to admit, I’m not as much a fan of “five-paragraph essay writing” as I am a fan of “FIVE-PARAGRPAH ESSAY THINKING.”

So the Remaining Issues are:
• When?
• For how long?

1. When must the 5-paragraph essay be taught?
2. For how long must students write in 5-paragraph essay format?

The 5-paragrpah essay is “essays for beginners.” All students past a certain age should be able to write a 5-paragraph essay at the drop of a hat. What is that certain age? I think it should be mastered in elementary school, but only because it CAN be mastered in elementary school. It definitely should not be an issue in high school for any student.

Even though the 5-paragraph essay is “essays for beginners” it is okay if there is still a strong emphasis put on it in high school and in college. That’s fine… but in high school and in college it should be the equivalent of knowing your multiplication tables. Students should be able to whip one out in nothing flat.

The five-paragraph essay is a tool. It is not an end in itself. The greatest benefit that comes from being able to write “the five-paragraph essay” is the awareness of “five-paragraph essay thinking.”

 “Five-paragraph essay thinking” provides value for a lifetime. Whether you are giving a speech or…  whatever task one is doing… being aware of how things tie together, where you are headed, and how you will wrap things up… will always be “in style.”

If your students write three paragraphs, seven paragraphs or fifteen paragraphs… with “five paragraph essay thinking” GREAT! If you will only accept five paragraphs, nothing more or less, your students will eventually feel as the people at the top of this page felt.

In short “five paragraph essay THINKING” is always rewarded and in style. Do you know how to teach your students to THINK in five-paragraph essay format? (“Pattern Based Writing” does!)

In the inner-city of Los Angeles there are many “year round schools.” On quite a few of my vacations I have taken over classrooms that were “without a teacher.” These are classrooms where others “did not” or “would not” stay. They are challenging. They contain many, many reluctant and remedial writers.

I have experienced these “extreme teaching situations” in both inner-city elementary schools and inner-city middle schools. No, I have not taught high school. (My guess is it is easier than middle school. It would almost have to be.)

A huge task and the main key to classroom management in these situations is you have to get the kids working. If you really want to pull the class together you have to get the kids writing. If you want to make it a “normal class” you have to get the kids writing… and it has to be thoughtful work that they take pride in.

In these middle school situations… there are some students who are reluctant to even pick up their pencil.

Can You Draw a Circle? “No. It’s too hard.”

Here is an example of reluctance. It involves a middle school student in one of the situations described above. We were drawing a rather complicated multistep illustration. The illustration starts simple enough. “Draw this circle.” He wouldn’t. “It was too hard.”

Now I assumed… it was not the circle that was too hard, but it was the aspect of the following steps that made this student reluctant to even start. I ended up having a student come over from another class and help him draw circles. That was the last time this student would not start.

So part of the solution is you need to motivate students to “begin.” They cannot give up before they even start.

A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
Lao-tzu (c 604-c 531 bc)

Then it’s Step-by-Step

With a lot of the writing instruction reluctant and remedial writers think, “Stop with the words. Just tell me what to do. Make this a “how-to” and not a cryptic message.”

When you tell these reluctant writers in clear and simple terms “how-to” … they will do it. No one likes to fail. Kids and adults alike will not even begin something if they know they are going to fail. “No. I’m not going to do that… because I don’t understand how to do that… and I’m not going to do something that I just know I am going to fail at.”

For many people this will remind them of how they feel about singing, public speaking, dancing, or sports. This is how these very reluctant student writers feel about writing.

The solution here is to break down the writing process into manageable steps… while also maintaining student interest. With these very reluctant writers, if you do not tie all the steps together they will lose interest or give up.

These students do not want “information.” They want “how-to.” If it does not connect you are just giving them information. They don’t want that. They already have heard that same “information” a thousand times. “How-to” means it is all connected to an end result.

Middle School and High School Reluctant Writers

If you start by saying exactly what they have already “heard a thousand times” these students will not be interested. “We know that already!” The truth is they do know it… they just don’t get it.

I’ve been getting more and more letters from middle school and high school teachers and parents asking if the “Pattern Based Writing” program will work with their remedial and reluctant writers. The answer is… YES.

Is it going to be too easy? No. This is not a childish writing program. The fact that it works with 3rd graders from the inner city just means that it’s effective… not simple. Older kids will not be insulted by the language or the ideas.

Most of the program is simply approaching all the ideas they don’t understand in a way that will make sense to them. This is a “how-to” system.

In a Perfect World

In a perfect world we would not have reluctant or remedial writers in middle school and high school. My honest (and maybe biased) opinion is that “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” is the solution.

In good conscious I have to call “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” remedial for middle school and high school. Why? Because if it is used in elementary school they will be FANTASTIC WRITERS in middle school and high school.

The questions to ask are:
• Are your students reluctant or remedial writers?
• Has other methods failed them?
• Are you planning on doing exactly what has not worked already for these kids?
• Is the language you are going to use to teach them writing boring and tired?
• Do your kids say, “We already know that?”

Here are just a few of the problems middle school and high school teachers and parent have written to me about:
• My students don’t even write in complete sentences.
• My students say the writing prompt is stupid and they won’t write about that subject. When I let them choose they can’t think of anything to write about.
• My middle school students don’t write in paragraph form. I’m shocked and am not sure what to do because… they are in middle school. Why don’t they know this?

I have had great success in the most extreme middle school classrooms that one can imagine. The program is transformational for these struggling students. No, I have not taught high school… but I have seen high school writing that I knew “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” would greatly improve.

Remember, there is a 100% “no funny business” money back guarantee… so be sure to check out the writing program on the main page. Don’t be worried that the pictures show some kids who may be younger than your students. The program will make your mind spin at times… and then when you see how the entire puzzle fits together… there will be clarity.

I’m going to give a rundown of pros and cons as well as a list of ideas of how to get the most out of your Daily Oral Language. (It’s also referred to as DOL, D.O.L., Daily Language Review, DLR, and D.L.R.)

Daily Oral Language was so hot for so long… but it has fallen on some hard times. It’s still popular but it seems there is quite a backlash against it. It hasn’t really panned out according to “the research.” That being said many, many teachers simply love it. You’ll find out why.

I’ve personally always liked it. Why? Because it’s fun! Read on to find out how to make it more than just fun and MAXIMIZE your D.O.L. time. 

If you are really serious about creating “a class of writers,” be sure to find out about the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program on the homepage.

Why Daily Oral Language is Fun – Have you ever seen someone beautifully dressed… and what did you notice? The tiny stain on their shirt! Psychologically we are wired to like to “find what is wrong.” It’s fun for us. It’s fun now… but “back on the savannah” this ability served a real purpose. It was life and death. If you couldn’t figure out what was wrong with a situation… you didn’t last long. I’ve heard some people say that Daily Oral Language is boring. For higher grade levels it could be. There are Daily Oral Language programs up through at least Grade 12. I could see it get a little boring… day after day… year after year… My students have always thought it’s fun. Me too!

Research Pro Daily Oral Language - Regular skills practice improves skill retention and delivers the message to students that the skills that they are developing are important. Allowing students to build understanding over time with continuous review has proven to be an effective way to maintain skills and an understanding of critical concepts. Content delivered incrementally promotes continuous learning and understanding thus building and maintaining knowledge. (Baratta-Lorton, 1994).

Research Con Daily Oral Language - Teaching conventions in isolation is ineffective at best, because students need opportunities to apply their knowledge of conventions to their writing. Even daily oral language activities are a waste of time for students without procedural knowledge of how and when to use conventions in writing. Consequently, the most effective way to teach conventions is to integrate instruction directly into the writing process. (Kathleen Cali, Learn NC)

Can we agree with both? Because I do!

The Mathematics of Time - Does it work or doesn’t it work is always a mathematical equation involving time. If you’re spending an hour on Daily Oral Language, it is probably not a good use of time. If you get it done and discussed FAST … you are probably getting a lot of bang for your buck. You want to make sure that you get your implementation system down to a science. Daily Oral Language is intended to be a quick daily review… 5, 10, 15… 20 minutes max.

The Perfectionist Time Trap and Solutions – Perfectionists are going to want to give direct instruction on every concept covered. If you give a lot of direct instruction on every concept covered, it’s going to take a lot of time. This is the wrong way to use Daily Oral Language. There are other, better direct instruction ways to teach grammar skills. Avoid this perfectionist time trap! (If you are falling into this time trap keep reading because I offer lots of solutions.)

Grammar Instruction or Proofreading Practice – A common criticism of Daily Oral Language is that it really only teaches proofreading while what it is supposed to be doing is reviewing and teaching grammar skills. This analysis is quite valid, however not exactly true. Lots of teachers and lots of students have been thrilled with the results they have gotten. It fits into their day just perfect and they know how to get the most out of it. The better a teacher understands ALL the grammar rules… the more they can get out of Daily Oral Language. The better a teacher is at teaching grammar off of the top of their head… the more teaching moments they will be able to find and maximize.

How Can You Review Skills that Students Haven’t Learned?  – Another common criticism of Daily Oral Language is that the exercises contain too many skills that students have not yet learned. This leads to too much time being spent on direct instruction for which there are better resources other than a teacher’s sheer brilliance and sweat. Here are three solutions.

•  Solution 1: You pre-teach weeks ahead. Know what coming up and make sure you have given direct instruction on important concepts. You probably won’t be able to get to all of them… but you can greatly increase the effectiveness and reduce frustration this way. (It would be great if there were a daily oral language grammar direct instruction program that quickly pre-taught the daily oral language skills a few weeks ahead. Spiraling is a MAJOR key to both learning and teaching!)
• Solution 2: You pre-teach right before you do the Daily Oral Language. There is not much point in doing an exercise for which a large majority will fail so why not pre-teach a rule or two. You can even bring some fun into it by making it a challenge. (Ex. Here are two grammar rules. Just one of them is in today’s assignment. See if you can figure out which one it is.) 
• Solution 3: You go down a grade. Lots of people do. The key to Daily Oral Language is that it is a fast review. If you can’t do it fast you shouldn’t be using Daily Oral Language. You are better off with a direct instruction grammar program that spirals the learning. Daily Oral Language has value if you can do it fast… so go down a grade. 

Bridging the Gap to What’s Important With Teachable Moments – There is a “game” aspect to Daily Oral Language and that’s what makes it fun. “Find the mistake” is a little different than “memorize this rule.” The teacher will need to bridge the gap to the state test and to real writing. Half of Daily Oral Language’s success is about having the opportunity to find lots of “teachable moments.”

Busy Work or Real Benefit – Teachers have a lot to do! As such, teachers often have a task that they like to get done while students do the Daily Oral Language. A real complement to Daily Oral Language is that teachers know their students will be ENGAGED enough so that they can get something done. The effect of this is that some teachers may use D.O.L. in a way that may be considered “busy work.” I don’t mean that exactly in a bad way, though. There are things that teachers need to get done… such as taking role… and you need a routine that has value and for which you know kids will be engaged in. My experience is that like most things, you get out… what you put into it. Are you prepared for the day’s D.O.L. lesson? Have you looked over the lesson and studied the errors? Will you be able to teach and maybe give an extension on each and every rule… or at least one? Do you pre-teach any rules? Even though the teacher is getting something done, they can still be fully prepared beforehand and maximize the benefits of Daily Oral Language.

Daily Oral Language in Elementary Vs. Middle School - There is a definitely a difference between elementary & middle school when it comes to Daily Oral Language. Most of the criticism I see is coming from middle school teachers. That makes sense. When you have an hour with students… and you spend 15 minutes on Daily Oral Language…. It is hard to justify the time. Furthermore, middle school students likely did Daily Oral Language in elementary school. They may see it as doing the exact same thing they did in elementary school… and they don’t like that. A key difference between elementary school D.O.L. and middle school D.O.L. is that elementary school teachers are with the same students all day. Elementary school teachers need to break up the day. There is an art to this. For elementary school teachers D.O.L. can easily serve its purpose and with time to spare!

It’s Too Easy for My Kids – Two simple solutions. One, move up to a higher grade level. Two, pick up the pace. D.O.L. is meant to be a quick review… so see how quick you can make it.  

Classroom Management – D.O.L. is a very good classroom management strategy. This is no secret. Teachers have the kids come in and get started on something that will engage them and get them settled down. I think this reason alone has played a huge part in D.O.L.’s popularity. In many student populations… it’s a great success and a great start just to get the kids to come in and get focused on learning. D.O.L. has the power to achieve this!

The Answers Vary – This may be more common with Daily Language Review (D.L.R.) and it may be more common at different grade levels. If you have 30 students with 15 different correct answers and a few more incorrect answers… and everyone wants to know if theirs is correct… this can be a problem. That can take a lot of time. Remember, D.L.R. is supposed to be a fast review. Your 5-10 minute lesson just turned into a 25-45 minutes lesson. Establish an understanding with your students that you will look at a few answers and then move on. They need to compare theirs with the correct answers.

State Testing – How frustrating is it when it’s test time and you have worked so hard, and you discover that there are areas that you neglected, skipped, or did not think were that important. D.O.L. is a good guard against this. D.O.L. simply brings… peace of mind. 

Built in Spiraling for ESL Students – A great thing about Daily Oral Language is that very few skills fall through the cracks. Not only does it spiral the concepts but it spirals them fast. Having learned a second language, all I can say is that when learning a second language you want to spiral, spiral, spiral… the learning that is. It is the only thing that keeps a person sane. Teachers can harness the power of the built in spiraling of D.O.L.!

Daily Oral Language Vs. Grammar Books Vs. Grammar Supplements – The purpose and intent for each one of these is different. Don’t confuse these different purposes and don’t try to make your D.O.L. time more than it is supposed to be. Each day you need to supplement your D.O.L. with a little direct instruction, but D.O.L. is not a direct instruction program.

Disconnected from Real Writing - This is a big, big con and this is why you want to make sure you don’t invest too much time in it. If “Daily Oral Language does not work”… this is the reason why. However, skilled teachers can bridge the gap, and gaps will need to be bridged. Children will not transfer the skills over the way teachers would like them to. 

Success Now Vs. Success Over Time – It’s incremental progress. You are not going to see mastery of any one skill anytime soon. If you are looking for overnight success it is not going to happen. You do need a little patience and faith.

Daily D.O.L. Vs. D.O.L. From Time to Time – Yes, I know it is called Daily Oral Language and I know the premise is based on the premise that reviewing skills consistently over time leads to success over time. However, even if you don’t use D.O.L. daily… it can still be one more tool in the tool belt. I know some teachers feel they get benefit doing it once a week. I know one teacher that uses a grammar program four times a week and on Friday they do a whole week’s worth of Daily Oral Language.  She calls it “D.O.L. Day.”

“Daily Review of Skills Theory” – Like a lot of “theories” people get too caught up in the “theory.” The “daily skills practice people” would have you practices a quick set of skills for every subject across the board. The “workshop” people would have you doing a “Writer’s Workshop” type workshop for every subject across the board. I’m one of those “balance, balance, balance, and the art of teaching” teachers. I can’t imagine that doing a “Daily Review of Skills” program for every single subject is a great use of time. 

Three Ways to Implement Daily Oral Language:

1. Teacher writes it on the front board. Students write it correctly on paper or in a journal. The class corrects it and discusses it as students come up to the board one by one adding proofreading marks and correcting errors.
2. Use an overhead projector, projector from the computer, or an ELMO Projector. All three of these technologies do allow the teacher to mark-up/correct the D.O.L. With some it’s easier than others. Don’t have students copy it from the source the wrong way first and then correct it. Have them write it out the correct way only.
3. Teacher makes copies and passes it out. Have it waiting on the students’ desks when they return from recess or hand it to them as they walk in. They add proofreading marks and write it out correctly.

A Good Recommendation for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children – From time to time parents ask you how they can help their child. D.O.L. is an excellent recommendation. For a parent, it’s the right amount of work and it sends all the right messages. In a way it’s neutral. Parents aren’t looking for their own child’s mistakes. Together they can correct someone else’s mistakes. Parents like it.

Practicing Errors – Some say it doesn’t work because it’s putting the focus on errors. Well, that same theory would say “don’t proofread because when you find the mistake you will be focusing on errors.”  On the other hand I strongly believe that in life one should focus on where one wants to go instead of what they want to avoid. “Billy, don’t step in that puddle.” What does Billy do? He steps in the puddle. I would never have students write anything the wrong way. If that’s what people are doing… STOP!

Builds Community - Here’s another psychological reason for D.O.L.’s success. They call it the “common enemy” or “us against them” mentality.  With D.O.L. teachers and students alike are all united together against “that silly mistake maker.” “Oh… can you believe THEY did that? WE would never do that! We’re better than that! We’ll fix it!”

Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.) Vs. Daily Language Review (D.L.R.) – There is a difference between these two programs. You will likely prefer one over the other. D.O.L. in particular seems to continue to come out with new programs and new versions, so be sure to check out samples from all the programs before you decide on one.

Authentic Daily Oral Language

Common sense lets us know that when you attach real meaning to something it has more value. When we have “a class of writers” why would we want to spend time with fake mistakes when we can grow from examining our own writing?

I know this is the direction I have been headed for many, many years… and it is the direction for which the research supports. Even still, I like to have a Daily Oral Language or Daily Language Review handy. Why? Because it’s fun, it can break up the day, and it can create community by focusing on THEIR mistakes and not ours!  

If you are really serious about creating “a class of writers,” check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program.

The State of Affairs for “Beginning, Middle, and Endings” in Student Writing

The sad truth is students aren’t interested in beginning, middle, and ending. No. I’m not sure that they ever were… but in this modern age… it’s passé. It’s boring. It doesn’t pique their interest… and they don’t see what it is so important about it. “What’s so important about… blah… blah… blah…. beginnings, middles… introductions… bodies… I don’t get it…” 

I’ll tell you what students are interested in… playing with time.

Beginning, Middle and Ending? Okay… But In What Order?

Kids love the idea of flashbacks, flash-forwards, foreshadowing and creating suspense or curiosity by holding back information. All that’s interesting to them…

However, it’s pretty hard to teach them those concepts, and it’s pretty hard for students to learn them… that is, unless they have a solid understanding of beginning, middle, and ending.

Beginning, Middle and Ending… the Basics

On a basic level we want students to be thinking about and planning for their beginning, middle and ending in their writing.

Before beginning, prepare carefully.
Marcus Tullius Cicero 

Then we want students to continue to think about these concepts and self-monitor as they write. Even more important though is we want them to “feel the rhythm” of beginning, middle, ending… beginning, middle, ending… both within their paragraphs and within and their entire essay, report or story.

Why? 

As an adult… you have likely learned about the need for…“closure.” Haven’t you ever felt the need for a little “closure?” Was it your imagination… or did you really “need closure?” Well, it turns out there is actually a scientific reason that people simply need closure.

The Scientific Need for Beginning, Middle, and Endings

This scientific reason is called the “Zeigarnik Effect.” The Zeigarnik Effect describes how people remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.
Here is one example of the “Zeigarnik Effect” at work. I once began reading a book, but I didn’t really like it. I got busy and never finished the last 30 pages. Ten years later I was still aware that I had not finished that book. I finally went to the library and checked it out so I could finish it. This was for a book I did not really like! It was easier to simply finish the book instead of thinking about it for another 10 years!

What the “Zeigarnik Effect” Means for Student Writers

Do your students jump around in their writing? Do they write whatever pops into their head? Do they not know how to start or end their writing? All this and much, much more is solved with just a little understanding of the “Zeigarnik Effect.”

The “Zeigarnik Effect” teaches students “Don’t start an idea if you are not going to finish it. Your reader does not want to be thinking about an idea that you did not finish 10 years later!” 

The “Zeigarnik Effect” also teaches students “Get rid of ideas that are started and go nowhere. This is called editing.”

The “Zeigarnik Effect” is a Fun Tool that Gives Students a…

First off, the “Zeigarnik Effect” is a fun concept. For students it’s right up there with flashbacks and foreshadowing. 

Second, it’s a tool. Students learn to appreciate “beginning, middle, and ending” and they understand how they can use it to control their writing… and eventually control their reader’s emotional involvement.

Third, once “beginning, middle, and endings” are mastered, the “Zeigarnik Effect” leads to very effective and controlled advanced writing techniques. Students easily learn how to create suspense, curiosity, and interest in their writing… and it’s fun!

No Playing With Time… Until You Master Beginning, Middle, Ending… Beginning, Middle…

We teach students that paragraphs and stories have a beginning, middle, and ending. We teach students that essays and reports have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Students learn that good writing almost always has a very clear beginning, middle, and ending.

This must be mastered.

If you want your students to develop a natural rhythm and flow to their writing be sure to get your free guide to writing at the homepage and while you’re at it, check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program! You won’t know what you’re missing till you see it!

Every end is a new beginning.
Proverb

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
Seneca

A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end but not necessarily in that order.
Jean-Luc Godard (French Filmmaker)

Two Kinds of Writing Assignments for Student Essays and Reports

1. The topic has not been assigned. Students choose the topic.

2. The topic has been assigned. Students must follow the directions and stay on topic.

Teachers must find the right balance between these two methods when giving assignments.

These ideas will help when you do assign the topic… however they are especially helpful when your students’ topics have not been assigned. These methods are great for eliminating that sinking feeling that students feel when they do not know what to write about.

The Topic has Been Assigned

This is covered extensively in Pattern #13 and Pattern #14 of the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program. Students learn TWO specific strategies for making sure that their writing starts “ON TOPIC” and finishes “ON TOPIC.” Students learn to focus on and follow DIRECTIONS.

The Topic Has Not Been Assigned

Freedom! Students have more freedom, and that means students have a lot more decisions to make. Students sometimes are not quite so thrilled when they discover that the responsibility for these decisions is… theirs.

If the topic has not been assigned, how are students supposed to come up with a topic? Where do good ideas come from? Will any idea do? Or does it have to be a great idea? All of these will be answered below and in the process… your students will become idea machines.

How to Come Up with Great Ideas: It Just Came to Me

Many of the world’s greatest ideas have come to people when they were not trying to come up with them. People ask, “How did you come up with that idea? It’s amazing!” And the other person replies, “It just came to me.”

Here Are Some Places Where Ideas May Just Come to Students

• hiking in the mountains
• taking out the trash
• taking a shower
• laying in bed right before falling asleep
• walking their dog
• grocery shopping with their mom
• stuck in traffic
• cleaning their room
• doing chores
• running an errand
• eating breakfast
• sitting in their backyard looking up at the stars
• daydreaming in class (It happens from time to time, so let’s put it to use.)

Each of the above activities is an activity that keeps a person busy, but does not require great focus or concentration. Often when a person is faced with a difficult decision or problem, someone will say, “Just sleep on it.” It is very likely the next day they will have come to a decision. This shows how so many of the great ideas come to us when we do not have the pressure or stress of trying to come up with a great idea.

The mystery writer Agatha Christie once said, “The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” I rest my case!

Three Ways to Save that Great Idea for Later: Harness Those Quiet Times and Harvest a Bounty of Great Ideas!

What will students want to save? Here are a few ideas!

• Interesting words or phrases
• Colorful descriptions
• Things that happened
• Things people said
• Things they saw
• Ideas for stories
• Inventions
• Things they wonder about
• Things that seem impossible
• How they or someone else felt
• How to solve a problem 
• Something that was strange
• Something that was incredible

1. Scratch It

Many, many writers always have a pen and some scratch paper close at hand. Most any movie or television show where a writer is on screen, sooner or later, you will see the writer reach into his or her pocket, take out a pen and paper, and say, “Oh, I have got to write that down.” They know they can’t afford to wait until it is time to write, to come up with those great ideas.

Provide students with a “Scratch It Idea Sheet.” This is a handy way to make sure students always have a piece of paper handy to get down those great ideas.

One of the best places to keep a pen and paper handy is right next to the bed at night. The poet Carrie Latet said, “If I’m trying to sleep, the ideas won’t stop. If I’m trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness.” In other words, get students in the habit of not waiting until it’s too late. Let’s see how many of those great ideas your students can save.

What do students do with their collections of great ideas? They can create a piggy bank of sorts for great ideas. “The Idea Bank” Use a box or container and cut a slit or hole in the top. Have students decorate them to reflect their unique personality. At the end of the day, slide all of those scraps of paper with all those great ideas they have collected throughout the day in through the top. They will be amazed at how many ideas they have collected when they sort through them a month, or even a week later.

In order to save these great ideas for eternity, have students transfer them to the computer. Have students list the ideas in the order they get them, or they can organize these great ideas into categories using “a table.”

2. Record It

Another common way to capture all those great ideas is it to carry around a voice recorder. These days many cell phones and mp3 players also have the ability to be used as a voice recorder to store all those great ideas. Have students transfer these to paper or the computer.

3. Journal It

One last and very common technique that writers use is to keep a “Writer’s Journal.” In this journal they write down great and even not so great ideas that come to them. The journal gives the writer plenty of space to explore their many ideas. This then helps them decide which ideas they would like to turn into essays or stories. It also provides a writer a safe place to write in freedom, freedom from evaluation, judgment, and grades. It’s a place to write, but not a place where one must be correct. It’s a place for ideas!

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for student writing. There is a very high level of student motivation! Student interest and motivation stays high when they write about Christmas coming from different angles and with different purposes.

Here is a great list of Christmas essay and story writing ideas! Teaching your students to write using “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” will have your students starting and finishing any of these wonderful essays and stories in under 30 minutes! Now that’s a gift! 

Christmas Persuasive Essay

• There definitely is a Santa Claus.
• I definitely have been a very good boy or girl this year.
• Christmas is a time to be thinking of others.
• Presents are very important on Christmas Day.
• Presents should not be important on Christmas Day.
• We should have the Christmas spirit all year round.
• How getting everything on my Christmas wish list would make the world a better place.
• Christmas is a time to be thankful and for reflection.
• We should have Christmas twice a year!

Christmas Process Essay or How-To Essay

 • A kid’s perfect minute-by-minute plan for Christmas Day.
• The correct way to open Christmas presents.
• How to buy the perfect Christmas present for someone.
• How to make Christmas a special day for the entire family. 
• How to prepare for Christmas Day.
• How to wrap a Christmas present.
• Santa’s process from getting started until delivering his very last present.
• How to decorate for Christmas.

Christmas Argumentative Essay

• There should be absolutely no arguing on Christmas Day.
• Christmas is the best holiday of them all.
• The real meaning of Christmas is _______
• The Christmas spirit is alive and well.

Christmas Evaluation Essay

• What is the impact that Christmas has on society?
• Has the meaning of Christmas changed over time? 
• What would Jesus think of Christmas today?
• Has Christmas become too commercialized?

Christmas Narrative/ Personal Narrative Essay

• A wonderful Christmas memory.
• My favorite present I ever GAVE.
• Christmas shopping with my family.
• My favorite part of Christmas.
• Family time on Christmas.
• Christmas traditions in my family.
• The best Christmas ever.
• Funny happenings on Christmas day.
• Memorable presents.

Christmas Cause and Effect Essay

• How I feel when I give on Christmas Day.
• How the birth of Jesus affected our world.
• How the Christmas spirit affects people’s behavior and attitude.
• Preparations for Christmas Day and the outcomes of all that hard work.
• What effect does all the Christmas media promotion have?

Christmas Informational Essay

• The real truth about Santa Claus. The history of Santa Claus.
• The history of Christmas.
• Christmas through the ages.
• Christmas traditions.
• Facts about Christmas.
• The symbols and symbolism of Christmas. 
• The first Christmas.

Christmas Descriptive Essay

• Describe opening presents.
• How I felt opening presents, eating delicious food, spending time with good friends and family.
• Describe the Christmas spirit or Christmas energy.
• Describe who you celebrate Christmas with. What makes them unique or special to celebrate with?
• Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of when you first walk out to the tree on Christmas morning. 
• Describe how the anticipation and excitement of Christmas makes you feel.
• Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas.

Christmas Five-Paragraph Essay

• Three reasons…
• Three signs…
• Three presents…
• Three traditions…
• Three signs that Christmas is just around the corner.
• Three reasons I love Christmas.

Christmas Compare and Contrast Essay

• Christmas now compared to Christmas when I was “young.”
• What use to be important to me about Christmas compared to what is important about Christmas to me now.
• The day before Christmas, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.
• Giving vs. receiving. 
• Christmas for kids compared to Christmas for adults.
• Christmas traditions of different cultures.
• Christmas without Santa Claus compared to Christmas with Santa Claus.

Christmas Story Ideas

• A Christmas miracle.
• The greatest present ever.
• People in need on Christmas.
• The real story of Christmas.
• The day after Christmas.
• The day I met Santa Claus.
• Wooah…CRASH… Santa? 
• Wow… Look at that star.

Be sure to check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program at the home page. Also be sure to download your FREE “Guide to Writing” once you get to the homepage!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!