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When Writing is a Challenge
What Students Can Do
When Writing is a Challenge
What Students Can Do
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Can’t Think of an Idea?Try Looping
Can’t Think of an Idea?Try Looping
• Write nonstop for 3 to 5 minutes on the topic, noting whatever comes to mind.
• Reread what you have written to look for a spark, or emerging idea.
• Begin with that spark and write for a few minutes more.
• Find a new spark and write a summary sentence.
• Repeat this process until a central idea emerges.
• Write nonstop for 3 to 5 minutes on the topic, noting whatever comes to mind.
• Reread what you have written to look for a spark, or emerging idea.
• Begin with that spark and write for a few minutes more.
• Find a new spark and write a summary sentence.
• Repeat this process until a central idea emerges.
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When Planning Your WritingWhen Planning Your Writing
• Avoid outlines, dictionaries, and grammar checks until you have your thoughts on paper!
• Think about what you would say about the topic if you were talking to a friend about it.
• Write your ideas just as they come into your mind.
• Quickly bracket words, phrases, and sentences that don't sound right to you and then move on.
• Come back to what you have marked after you have gotten all your initial ideas down on paper.
• Avoid outlines, dictionaries, and grammar checks until you have your thoughts on paper!
• Think about what you would say about the topic if you were talking to a friend about it.
• Write your ideas just as they come into your mind.
• Quickly bracket words, phrases, and sentences that don't sound right to you and then move on.
• Come back to what you have marked after you have gotten all your initial ideas down on paper.
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For the First DraftFor the First Draft
• Reread the assignment. What are the requirements?
• Reread your ideas. Have you addressed the requirements of the assignment?
• Who is your audience?
• Which methods of development will work best for the requirements, your ideas, and your audience?
• How will you support your ideas? Do you need to do some research to find supporting details?
• Organize the ideas you wrote down and write a complete draft.
• Go back to the words, phrases, and sentences that you bracketed and think about how you can be more clear and effective in your wording.
• Reread the assignment. What are the requirements?
• Reread your ideas. Have you addressed the requirements of the assignment?
• Who is your audience?
• Which methods of development will work best for the requirements, your ideas, and your audience?
• How will you support your ideas? Do you need to do some research to find supporting details?
• Organize the ideas you wrote down and write a complete draft.
• Go back to the words, phrases, and sentences that you bracketed and think about how you can be more clear and effective in your wording.
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Some Examples of RevisionSome Examples of Revision
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What Does It Mean to Revise My Draft?What Does It Mean to Revise My Draft?
• Revision is changing ideas, organization, or voice, which requires deeper and more sweeping changes than correcting errors. It is sometimes called global revision or deep revision.
• Revision is best done early in the writing process before you are too committed to the direction you are going to want to make big changes.
• Revision is changing ideas, organization, or voice, which requires deeper and more sweeping changes than correcting errors. It is sometimes called global revision or deep revision.
• Revision is best done early in the writing process before you are too committed to the direction you are going to want to make big changes.
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Some Areas to Consider RevisingSome Areas to Consider Revising
• The focus: What is most important?
• The purpose: What do I want from the audience?
• The type of writing: Would this work better as a narrative or an essay?
• The point of view: Whose voice should come through the piece?
• The sequence: What order works best?
• The types of organization: Which methods of developing my ideas would be most effective?
• The focus: What is most important?
• The purpose: What do I want from the audience?
• The type of writing: Would this work better as a narrative or an essay?
• The point of view: Whose voice should come through the piece?
• The sequence: What order works best?
• The types of organization: Which methods of developing my ideas would be most effective?
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Some Examples of EditingSome Examples of Editing
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What Does It Mean to Edit My Draft?What Does It Mean to Edit My Draft?
• Editing is making minor changes in word choice, sentence fluency, or conventions, which requires only surface corrections. It is sometimes called local revision or surface revision.
• Editing is best done just before the writing piece is complete.
• Editing is making minor changes in word choice, sentence fluency, or conventions, which requires only surface corrections. It is sometimes called local revision or surface revision.
• Editing is best done just before the writing piece is complete.
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How Do I Know What to Edit?How Do I Know What to Edit?
• Review your portfolio.
• What errors have teachers marked in your previous writing?
• Use a style book or a Web site to help you figure out how to correct those errors.
• Once you understand your mistakes, review the current piece again to ensure that you have not repeated the errors.
• Review your portfolio.
• What errors have teachers marked in your previous writing?
• Use a style book or a Web site to help you figure out how to correct those errors.
• Once you understand your mistakes, review the current piece again to ensure that you have not repeated the errors.
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A Caution about the ThesaurusA Caution about the Thesaurus
• A thesaurus does not give the connotations or shades of meaning of a word. Consider this example:
• The parents explained to their children that cheating on a homework assignment is immoral.
• If you want to replace the word immoral, the word lewd is among the synonyms listed in the thesaurus, but the word lewd means immoral in a way that is crude or vulgar. This is clearly not appropriate for the sentence above.
• Thus, use the thesaurus to remind you of words you know.
• If you are considering choosing a word you don’t know, look at examples of the way it is used and be sure that you understand any implied meanings before you use the word.
• A thesaurus does not give the connotations or shades of meaning of a word. Consider this example:
• The parents explained to their children that cheating on a homework assignment is immoral.
• If you want to replace the word immoral, the word lewd is among the synonyms listed in the thesaurus, but the word lewd means immoral in a way that is crude or vulgar. This is clearly not appropriate for the sentence above.
• Thus, use the thesaurus to remind you of words you know.
• If you are considering choosing a word you don’t know, look at examples of the way it is used and be sure that you understand any implied meanings before you use the word.
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Some Resources for WritersSome Resources for Writers
• NCTE’s National Gallery of Writing:• http://www.galleryofwriting.org/piece_search.php
• Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference
• Strunk and White’s Elements of Style
• The OWL at Purdue University:• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
• Grammar Girl• http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
• Ask Oxford by Oxford Dictionaries• http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/?view=uk
• NCTE’s National Gallery of Writing:• http://www.galleryofwriting.org/piece_search.php
• Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference
• Strunk and White’s Elements of Style
• The OWL at Purdue University:• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
• Grammar Girl• http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
• Ask Oxford by Oxford Dictionaries• http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/?view=uk
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Tips for Successful WritingTips for Successful Writing
• Write every day--outside of school.
• Review the rubric before you begin an assignment.
• Write down ideas first without worrying about structure, form, or correctness.
• Do a draft well before the assignment is due to allow the draft to “get cold” so that you can be more objective about it.
• Have a parent read the rubric and what you have written and provide feedback.
• Have your parents host a writers’ conference for you and your friends who have the same assignment.
• Ask for the teacher’s help if these strategies are not enough.
• Write every day--outside of school.
• Review the rubric before you begin an assignment.
• Write down ideas first without worrying about structure, form, or correctness.
• Do a draft well before the assignment is due to allow the draft to “get cold” so that you can be more objective about it.
• Have a parent read the rubric and what you have written and provide feedback.
• Have your parents host a writers’ conference for you and your friends who have the same assignment.
• Ask for the teacher’s help if these strategies are not enough.