I've spent much of my time recently reflecting on the past school year and my teaching practice, considering what worked well and what didn't, which strategies were useful and which weren't. I've been recollecting my students' performance this past year and the ways I've tried to affirm their strengths and bolster their weaknesses. As always, I'm looking for new ways and resources to help me be a more effective teacher and to help my students become better readers, thinkers, and writers.
One area that comprises a large part of English class is writing essays. Though it's a pleasure to some and a bane to others, everyone knows that writing is important and necessary to convey one's thoughts. But many students struggle with writing for a variety of reasons, which I'll touch on in a bit, and don't see it as the serious and organized business it is. (Sorry kids, sometimes we need to be serious and organized!) Now, I don't mean to get all "gloom and doom" with the serious part, but for most people, writing well takes effort and attention. Many can't remember the rules about writing they learned years ago. Some didn't learn the rules. Some haven't had much practice writing. Quite a few think that the only writing necessary is texted or tweeted. But writing is a skill that can be improved if one cares to do it well. And I'll be the first to say that if you are going to do something, you might as well do it the best way you can.
Most students can't "wing" a well-crafted essay on the first try. It takes work--some knowledge of essay structure and format, grammar, style--and lots of revision. And the cool thing is that with practice, like any other skill, writing will improve!! All it takes is knowing what problems need fixing, getting the information or help necessary to fix the problems, and fixing them on the work at hand, and on every subsequent occasion. That last phrase is VERY IMPORTANT. It means that it's not enough to fix mistakes on the essay one happens to be writing and revising right now, only to forget all about those errors once the paper is turned in so that those same errors appear on the next essay! One must learn the rule or procedure or correct usage--internalize it so that one KNOWS the way to do it--and try not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Just imagine if early in his basketball career, say middle or high school, when LeBron James began making a name for himself, his coach gave him a tip to correct or improve a specific move, which ultimately led to James scoring more points in the game. But in the game after than, James reverted to his old way again. He wasn't careful enough to remember that correction and apply it to the next game and the next. Would he score as well in those games? Probably not. Now, you might be thinking--hey, its LeBron James--he could be playing basketball blindfolded and still score a lot of points. But I'm telling you that even with innate talent, skill is developed through practice that corrects previous mistakes and that repeats the correct action every time after. EVEN SKILL IN WRITING ESSAYS!!
So, when you write a draft of an essay, always remember that there are all sorts of resources out there to help you hone your craft. YOU SHOULD USE THEM. Even your first draft of an essay would benefit from you checking on a few things and correcting them. Of course, you always will have access to your textbook (online or borrowed) which, in several sections or handbooks, gives you information to help you write correctly. But there are lots of places on the Internet that you can access independently on your computer or phone. I've provided some links below which I think are good resources to use when writing.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Purdue OWL
This site has information on all areas of writing: grammar, sentencing, style, MLA
formatting, using citations, etc.
Guide to Grammar and Style: Guide to Grammar and Style
This guide arranges the definitions, explanations and examples of grammar terms and
rules alphabetically.
Grammarly: Grammarly
This tool will review your written work for grammar errors and suggest corrections
for free. It's like Spell-Check on steroids!
Grammarly Handbook: Grammarly Handbook
A reference to all areas of writing.
Woodward English: Grammar Notes
Gives basic, intermediate, and advanced grammar rules.
Easy Writer: Easy Writer - Companion to Reference Book
This is the online reference companion to the Easy Writer book we will use
occasionally in class.
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