Half of getting started teaching writing is knowing what to expect from the kids.  The other half is a few tips and tricks (click for the tips and tricks).

1-2 grade: The student tells me a narration and I type it up.  This means I sit at the computer and type what they say when they tell me the story of what we just read.

1. Making sure you’re asking for something concrete (something they KNOW – like the story you just read them in science) is important for this age group.  Some kids have wonderful imaginations and can invent big stories and that’s wonderful if you encourage that.  However, many kids this age, just don’t think that way and in this subject we’re teaching them to assimilate information, process it, and give it back to us. Period.

2. Don’t fix anything in their speech patterns.  You can attempt punctuation as you type, but these kids think and speak in run-on sentences.  It’s a joy as a competent middle schooler to look back at your 1st grade self and see how far you’ve come. You can prompt them with questions

3. If they enjoy coloring, they can draw/color a picture below their narration once you’ve printed it out.

4. Shoot for once a week.  More is fine, but if you shoot for once a week, you’ll get to it every other week? 20-30 narrations a year is fine for this age.

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O’Brien

3-4th grade: I type up student’s narrations and they use them as copywork. (~ 1 paragraph).  The 3rd graders use half of the narration for copywork (and we paste the other half onto the paper).  The 4th graders start with the full narration as copywork and work into writing out their own narrations  without me typing them up by the end of the year.

1. I DO NOT take the fun out of writing by asking them to “fix” any mistakes.  I may point out that sentences begin with a capital letter and ask them to keep that in mind for their next writing assignment. However, I don’t make a big deal about their mistakes.  They made an effort. That’s all I care about.  Practice.  I’m asking them to learn a big new skill by taking what’s in their heads and put it on paper (rather than coming out of their mouths). That’s challenging enough for this age.

I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork. ~Peter De Vries

4-6th graders: I expect 1 paragraph once a week in one of their subjects (like history).  We don’t do any re-writing, but I will show them 1 (ONLY ONE) major editing thing that I’d like them work on for the next week. We discuss it, but I don’t belabor their mistakes at all.  If their mistakes are driving me too crazy, I’ll accept the sheet of paper, thank them, and not read it.  Practice and effort — no perfection (or even close) is required.  Writing is a HUGE process for the brain, and it’s too easy to overwhelm a kid with expectations and then we’ve got performance anxiety to deal with.  We’ll just stay away from those pitfalls for now and allow them to feel confident in their effort.

– Around 6th grade, the student should learn to type.

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler

7-8 graders: I expect 1 page (2-3 paragraphs) once a week, with the student starting to type them and I help them edit. I have them submit it to me half-way through the week, we edit it together and they have to rewrite it to submit it by the end of the week.

1. Print out their drafts.  It’s easier for them to see their mistakes on paper rather than the computer screen.

2. If they are not easily frustrated with the rewriting process, I’ll ask them to fix 2-3 issues (spelling and commas and run-on sentences).  If they are easily frustrated, I ask them to only fix one issue.

3. At this point in their school, if they are not writing in complete sentences, we’ll do remedial work on that while we continue writing.  They’ve been doing an English grammar program all along, so they should have a good handle on what a complete sentences is — even if it takes a little work to get them producing them on their own.

4. Run-on sentences is the biggest mistake of kids this age.  Don’t be daunted – just patiently expect them to fix their mistakes.

5. Unless they are a naturally fantastic writer at this point, I don’t expect much ‘style’ in their writing (transitions, etc.)  We are usually still working on writing a basic paragraph that doesn’t have as many errors as last week’s paragraphs.

I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener

High School: I ask for 4 – 2 page papers, double-spaced & footnoted per semester plus one 4-6 page mini-research paper, double spaced & footnoted per semester. 

– The mini-research paper has to have at least 3 sources and one of the sources must be from a print book (not a webpage).  Any approved citation method is fine with me, as long as they are consistent throughout the paper. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20110928111055_949.pdf

The high school grade divisions don’t come in paper length, but in expectation.  I may let a 9th grader off the hook for research papers & footnotes.  I may let a 10th grader off the hook for research papers.  I’m more picky grading 11th & 12th grade papers and they don’t get out of anything.

– Often, I will alternate expecting a history paper every other week with expecting a literature paper every other week.  More academic-minded kids will have more than one paper assigned per week – but that depends on the kid and is the exception, not the rule. I give Honors English to a kid who gives me 7-9 papers per quarter and does a fairly decent job at it.

(Only in my dreams do I get all this done with all 5 kids each week.  I’m much better at holding the older kids accountable and hit or miss on the younger kids.)

Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Begin where YOUR CHILD is at in writing — not where you wish they were.  Work patiently with them teaching and practicing one skill at a time.

The second half of teaching writing is just knowing a few tips and tricks.  Stay tuned…