We write to think! :We write to think! Responding to student papers!


How do we usually respond? :How do we usually respond? GRAMMAR Mistakes! Fix the mistakes General Comments (Good Intro.! / Work on the conclusion) Use a Rubric – words to numbers With a Grade – A / B / ?


Something to THINK about… :Something to THINK about… Writing is Thinking “Meaning is not thought up and then written down. The act of writing is an act of thought. This is the principle reason writing should be taught in the academy, yet, ironically, it is this concept that is most often misunderstoond by academicians. They give writing assignments based on the assumption that writing begins after the thinking is concluded, and they respond to those assignments as if the etiquette of language were more important than the thinking represented by language. Writing is not superficial to the intellectual life but central to it; writing is one of the most disciplined ways of making meaning and one of the most effective methods we can use to monitor our own thinking. We write to think – to be surprised by what appears on the page; to explore our world with language; to discover meaning that teaches us and that may be worth sharing with others. We do not know what we want to say before we say it; we write to know what we want to say.” -- Donald Murray A Writer Teaches Writing


Here’s the thing! :Here’s the thing! Our mark’in rflcks our think’in! How we mark a paper reflects our purpose in teaching students to write. WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?


When we … :When we … Mark grammar mis-steaks? Write “Good Introduction”? Use a rubric? Give an A? or B? Or ???


If WRITING is about THINKING… :If WRITING is about THINKING… How do we respond? WE ASK QUESTIONS!


Student’s Work :Student’s Work Medieval England was a very different time, full of castles, battles and nobles. Castles were built for defense and had amazing architecture; some were destroyed by feuds between France, Scotland and the Crusades. Much of the population was Roman Catholic whole the other was Protestant. All of this reflected in their clothing. The major differences in clothing was between the men and women and rich and wealthy. Men and women played such different roles and had different statuses while the rich and wealthy were on a completely different level. The degree of inferiority complex’s was very high and the people who were though of as being “of lower quality” was very awful.


Student’s Work :Student’s Work Medieval England was a very different time, full of castles, battles and nobles. Castles were built for defense and had amazing architecture; some were destroyed by feuds between France, Scotland and the Crusades. Much of the population was Roman Catholic whole the other was Protestant. All of this reflected in their clothing. The major differences in clothing was between the men and women and rich and wealthy. Men and women played such different roles and had different statuses while the rich and wealthy were on a completely different level. The degree of inferiority complex’s was very high and the people who were though of as being “of lower quality” was very awful.


Argument Paragraph :Argument Paragraph Humans have cause more havoc and destruction rather than participate in their community towards creating a better world. Nowadays, mankind is more determined to satisfy their personal desires rather than helping those who are in need. We have lost the motivation to stand up for one another, gaining distrust towards others and ourselves. The majority lack the power of will, unable to refuse things which could be harmful both physically and emotionally. Through our emotions, we have created knots and ties within our mind. Human curiosity has also led to many of the problems we deal with today, including global warming and deforestation. If mankind does not repress their wrong doings, who knows what would become of our world?


Elementary :Elementary No title on this one: I swim in the big big boat and I si sharc! I scared and shurc it my Dinar!!!! What letter makes the “k” sound? Conversation: Do you like to swim? What do you do when you swim? Can you SWIM in a boat? What might you do? Sail, row, “motoring”?


So what is important? :So what is important? Using Good Grammar? Yes Having clear standards (rubric)? Yes Making a Final Judgment? (A/B/???) Yes


Something to THINK about… :Something to THINK about… We don’t just want our students to write “good English”; we want their “good English” to say somethin’ good, too. Good writing comes out of good thinking. Good thinking comes from … Asking questions.