THREE TIPS FOR DESIGNING

Writing ASSIGNMENTS

Inspired by Traci Gardner

1. BEWARE THE PROCESSING DIVIDE. How often do we find ourselvesas teachersshaking our heads, or letting out a monumental sigh when we have a student ask us, what are we doing again? We know we have given a slew of models, repeated directions and expectations over and over and over again. So why do we still get this question? ! Before you get mad, you need to realize that there may be a processing issue between you and the student. What you are saying, and what you have written on paper, may not be the same thing that a student is hearing and reading themselves. However, being aware of this issue can make a huge difference. Gardner says, unfortunately, there is frequently a wide gap in meaning between what students read into a writing assignment and what the teacher means and wants (4). So how do we fix this? Solution: After reviewing the new writing assignment, rubric, etc., you need to have your students take time to reflect and process. Have them write down what they think you want them to write and complete for ____assignment. Have them tell you what they understand or have gather from the writing resources you have just given them. By reviewing what they have reflected on you can discover any processing issues that your students may have early on, and address them quickly, so you dont end up with the what are we doing again question later on. 2. WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! Students are really good at the head nod. So you understand what I am expecting? Head nod. Do you know what you need to write? Head nod. Then you read their final drafts and see error after error after error. You get flustered and start scribbling, where are your transitions!? Why didnt you vary your syntax and diction!? What literary elements did you use? You return their paper and ask the student, did you understand the assignment? and get the other classic, well rehearsed student responsethe shoulder shrug. What happened?! Gardner can help; she says consider the gaps that can occur because of the language used in writing assignments (6). Words like transitions, syntax, diction, and literary elements can be overwhelming for students to understand, and more often than not, they are too shy or embarrassed to ask what these words really mean, so they fall back on the easy response: a head nod. So how can you help students better understand?

Solution: Unpack (7) the words you use in your writing assignments, especially your rubrics. Consider the language choices you are usingwill they trip up your students? Just having students read through a rubric or assessment overview is not enough. Students need to understand every word, every sentence. We often think that if a student reads it, they will understand, which is not always the case. As you write new writing assessments, and revise old ones, consider the language you use and how students will view that language. Put yourself in their shoes. Reflect on a students vocabulary compared to a teachers. Teach your students the words so they understand the assignment expected of them. Maybe then, you could avoid those apathetic head nods and shoulder shrugs. 3. TACKLING THE STANDARIZED TESTS. There is no other expression in the teaching world that causes so much stress, anger, and frustration as standardized testing. Those tests often feel like a plague on education. Gardner says it brilliantly, the prompts that students face on standardized tests are the antithesis of effective writing assignments (67). But no matter how to much you might rebel inside, the fact of the matter is they are a part of teaching, and we need to help our students approach them optimistically and confidently; we need to prepare them. Whether it be the MEAP, MME and ACT, or the AP Exams, we need to teach them a skill set to help them succeed. The problem is a lot of the standardized test prep is redundant, boring, and detached from students and their real lives. We try drill and kill and do a round of practice test, review, discuss, practice, reviewing, discuss. We feel like mundane teachers as a result. How can we make this review more meaningful? More effective? Solution: Mixing up your test prep to include reflection, especially creative reflection, could help break up the monotony of the experience. Gardner offers two brilliant ideas to get students thinking about how they will have to write for this genre. Try having students respond in these two ways: When I write a timed essay, I am like a ______ (72) or write their own writing kit composed of tips, plans, and key structures that they can tap as they work (73). Students should take a chance to note things they have discovered about themselves as writers as a result of this self-reflection (72). These two activities could help students process what they have learned about their own writing in a genre that can be very stressful or undervalued. Tackling the test should include lots of strategies, lots of different opportunities, and reflection is one of the most important.
Image Citation: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/098/e/7/pencil_tip_s_cutie_mark__request__by_lahirien-d60yist.png Works Cited: Gardner, Traci. Designing Writing Assignments. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2008. Print.