I love teaching students how to write. I think that it is one of the most essential things in this world. Students need to know how to communicate beyond a quick "ttyl8er."
One of the things I do, since I am required to give a final exam, is make my final exam a written test. By written I mean that my students get to publish a fictional writing. This year I have chosen to give my students a great amount of freedom in their writing assignments.
If you have never heard of The Chronicles of Harris Burdick I highly recommend looking into it. Harris Burdick is an artist that tells stories through his pictures. The interesting part about his pictures is that they come with a title and one or two sentences. That's it. I give my students these pictures (throughout the year) and ask them to write short stories based off of what they see. It is a nice formative assessment to gauge their writing progression throughout the school year. All of their requirements are the Common Core State Standards according to the state of Ohio.
For their final I gave each class their own picture with the following requirements:
- Use the writing process. 30 pts
- Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context, point of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters. 10 pts (Exposition)
- Organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. 10 pts
- Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. 10 pts
- Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. 10 pts.
- Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. 10 pts (Resolution)
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience. 10 pts (Author’s Purpose)
- Have paper reviewed by 2 peers and 3 adults to help support, develop, and strengthen writing. 5 pts (Edit/Revise)
- Use technology to produce and publish writing. 5 pts (Typing and word formatting)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 10 pts (Grammar/Usage/Mechanics)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization. 10 pts (Capitalization)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English punctuation. 10 pts (Punctuation)
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English spelling. 10 pts (Spelling)
- Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. 10 pts (Figurative language, Analogies, Connotation/Denotation)
How in the world are these students going to adjust to these standards and make them work? There are a couple of ways. The first is through the writing process. My little pencil buddy here gives a visual representation of the process. Students are able to easily move through and know what to expect at the next level. This knocks out 30 points of their requirements.
The way this is set up is after each student completes a step they move their clothes pin down to the next step. However, they cannot move their clothes pin down until I give them the "stamp" of approval.
In the world of teaching it is best to know where the students are going and let them know where to be at the end. Think of it like a mouse in a maze. If the mouse knows where the cheese is, the mouse gets to the cheeses faster and in a more efficient way.
The other way that my students will be able to track their progress is through the old fashioned check list method. As they complete each requirement they are going to be marking it off. This means marking with my initials. Not by just their own reasoning. The students need a map to follow and this is the beginning of that map.
One thing that I am noticing is that the students who are stronger in their writing abilities are taking this opportunity to be creative and enjoy the task are doing well. All of the others are more concerned about getting word/page count. They are focused on all of the minor details instead of the big picture.
For example, I have a student who is so focused on what I want that he isn't even thinking yet that this is his story and not mine. I gave him all that I want (everything technical) he wants me to give him the creative side too.
This leads into a comment that I say daily: I cannot go with you to high school and college to do your work for you. It is time to think for yourself a little bit.
I am excited to see how it all turns out in the end. I can really see this developing into a full year project instead of just a final exam.
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