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 [...]
Organization: The Most Important Trait for Elementary Students
A pioneer of Six Traits writing was Paul B. Diederich. His “traits” were a little different than the current “Six Traits of Writing” however they did include both “ideas” and “organization.”
For Diederich “ideas” and “organization” were the most important of the traits and received greater weight.
Middle school [...]
The Six Traits of Writing
In teaching elementary students to write well there is “grammar” and there is “writing.” Many teachers teach A LOT of grammar because when it comes to teaching writing, they are at a loss.
What does it mean to teach “writing?” A useful model that can help elementary teachers is the “Six [...]
More than teaching any other subject, teaching writing involves teaching with the end in mind. The teacher who does not see the outcomes they are looking for in writing instruction will spend much of the instructional time lost. This is frustrating for the teacher, and frustrating for the children learning how to write.
The kids [...]
I was a business major in college, and an actor after college, before I became a teacher. I have always had in interest in both creativity and productivity. Nowhere in the teaching of elementary students do these two opposing sides create the greatest confusion than in the teaching of writing. It creates confusion in the [...]