Student writing has become substantially more important under the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). For years, writing has been a neglected subject. In fact, the National Commission on Writing has called writing “The Neglected R.” Here are a few reasons why writing...
How do you bring objectivity to teaching writing? Authentic student writing samples from state writing assessments are an excellent tool that helps teachers bring objectivity to teaching writing. Of course, it sure helps if the writing samples are accompanied by...
Should you teach thesis statements? If so, in what grade should you teach thesis statements? Hey, are thesis statements even important? Most people don’t really understand what a thesis statement is, and even the people who do understand what a thesis statement is...
People have strong feelings about the five-paragraph essay. For the past several decades, educators have debated the benefits and consequences of teaching the five-paragraph essay. Apparently, it’s not just educators who have opinions about the five-paragraph essay. I...
What exactly is an essay? The term “essay” can be a little confusing for many elementary school students and teachers. Teachers are also sometimes confused about how to teach essay writing and in what grade they should teach students essay writing. The truth is that...
We want our writing to flow naturally. We want our readers to feel that we know where we are headed and we are in control of our writing. This means they can sit back and enjoy the ride! We don’t want our readers to feel that we are jumping all over the place. We also...
