Writing. It’s what I do (besides pining for the 1970s, referencing esoteric pop culture moments, and occasionally stirring the pots of debate surrounding cursive writing or corporal punishment in schools). It’s something I believe everyone should be able to do easily, though I know it is so hard for so many people. And it’s what I enjoyed teaching, despite the huge challenges.
In my years in the classroom, I witnessed an untold number of assessment methods come out of (and quickly fade back to) nowhere for writing teachers to use. No matter what shortcuts I tried, none really did the job. Grading essays, teaching developing writers, guiding strategy, explaining the thesis statement—these are time consuming yet essential tasks for a language arts teacher.
Of course, there are key strategic components developing writers need to become proficient, including daily practice, peer collaboration, teacher feedback, and looking at good examples.
Have you found a writing assessment method you would recommend? Share with us here at The Mailbox blog. Write on!