If you aspire to be a great writer...

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.

When asked to define "great" he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"

He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.

(Unknown author)

Reading Expository Texts: Seven Patterns of Organization

Graphic organizers are fundamental to thinking and  provide opportunities for analysis that reading alone and linear outlining cannot . These strategies are especially beneficial to low-achieving students (Jones, Pierce, Hunter 1988).  

This website provides an explanation of the Expository Patterns of Organization for those struggling with reading comprehension and offers writers a refresher of the patterns used in their own pieces.

Text Structure | Reading Worksheets:

Cause and Effect:The results of something are explained.
Example: The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America.  Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot.  Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting.  Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.
Learn More About Cause and Effect

Chronological: information in the passage is organized in order of time.
Example: Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.
Learn More About Chronological Order

Compare and Contrast: two or more things are described.  There similarities and differences are discussed.
Example: Linux and Windows are both operating systems.  Computers use them to run programs.  Linux is totally free and open source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the source code.  Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and users are prohibited from altering the source code.
Learn More About Compare and Contrast

Order of Importance: information is expressed as a hierarchy or in priority.
Example: Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date.  First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny and laugh really hard to yourself.  This will make you look bad.  Worse though, you could offend your date.  One bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the engagement.  But the worst thing that you can do is to appear slovenly.  By not showering and properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that you can do.
Learn More About Order of Importance

Problem and Solution: a problem is described and a response or solution is proposed or explained.
Example: thousand of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol.  Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.
Learn More About Problem and Solution

Sequence / Process Writing: information is organized in steps or a process is explained in the order in which it occurs.  
Example: Eating cereal is easy.  First, get out your materials.  Next, pour your cereal in the bowl, add milk, and enjoy.
Learn More About Sequence

Spatial / Descriptive Writing: information is organized in order of space (top to bottom, left to right).
Example: when you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing you.  To the right of that is a dresser and television and on the other side of the window is my bed.
Learn More About Spatial Organization

'via Blog this'

Jones, B.F., Pierce, J. & Hunter, B. (Dec., 1988- Jan.,1989) “Teaching Students to Construct Graphic Representations,” Educational Leadership, 46: 20-25. 

The Reading and Writing Processes: A Comparison

When students understand the similarities between the reading and writing processes, they begin to see the natural flow that exists as they read what others write, and re-read to revise their own writing. Sounds simple enough, right? But when I explained these comparisons to high school kids, I witnessed their AH HA moments and positive changes in their reading and writing habits.

 

chart info from Literacy in the 21st Century, 5th ed. by Gail Tompkins.

Color-Coded Feedback for Student Writing

Marcia Hilsabeck, a former AP teacher and AP Summer Institute Coordinator/Presenter from Round Rock, Texas, is credited for first introducing me to this marvelous strategy for providing students with feedback to their writing at a glance.  I have used this strategy for many years with an assortment of grade levels and abilities.  Not only do students enthusiastically respond to this type of feedback, but it can easily become a springboard for a discussion in peer editing or student-teacher writing conferences .

Pink, yellow, green, orange, and blue highlighters are used to mark syntax, mechanics, diction, and the well written/"good stuff"  in an essay.  With one glance, students see their frequent errors and are positively rewarded for thoughtfully crafted, finely honed phrasing.

Here's how I use the colors:
Pink - mechanics/grammar & usage/ punctuation errors such as commas in a series, spelling, capitalization, etc.
Yellow -  overuse of "to be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were), and/or pronouns
Orange - syntax errors such as run-ons, sentence fragments, comma splices, or wordiness
Blue -   wrong word, pronoun/antecedent errors, diction problems
Green - The well written sentence, outstanding "turn of a phrase", exemplary use of literary devices

There are several options for using this color-coded feedback method.  Teacher or student can use one color for one type of problem per draft.  For example, I may tell my class that for this draft I am going to concentrate of syntax errors  because we just spent time examining and working with sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and sentence combining techniques.  So in this instance, only the orange highlighter will be used to draw attention to specific sentence errors requiring revision.  For a final draft, I would use all the colors.  Students are aiming for a paper that only has green markings because that would indicate the well written, really awesome "stuff."  Students especially like "going for the green."

Improving Syntax

Syntax: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.



Let's say I have my students check for a Flesch-Kincaid grade level score (Readability and Comprehension ) and they discover their piece is written at a 7.0 or 8.0 level, but they are in 10th grade (or higher) and striving for a more sophisticated tone, style, and syntax in their writing.


What I have them do next is take that same paragraph and run it through this Syntax Analysis Chart to see exactly where the issues are and how they can revise to improve their readability for a higher score and stylistically create a more sophisticated piece of writing.


Oftentimes, students will discover they are using the same sentences openers ("I think"), structure (simple), and "to be" verbs (am, is was, were) repeatedly. One of the most important elements of syntax is the way the words, phrases, and clauses are arranged. This is a key element of the author’s style and can have a marked effect on meaning.  

I first learned of this strategy at a Advanced Placement Language and Composition conference I attended some years back.  The College Board says, "This reflective tool not only helps students examine how style contributes to meaning and purpose but also helps students identify various writing problems (repetitiveness, possible run-ons or fragments, weak verbs, and lack of syntactical variety). In addition, students are made aware of their own developing voices and diction." 

instead of an essay ...try...

Readability Scores and Comprehension

A readability score is designed to indicate comprehension difficulty.  Most webpages try to maintain a 7.0 to 8.0 (7th to 8th grade) reading comprehension level. Students can utilize this feature for improving their writing skills, and teachers can use the statistics to gauge comprehension level for corresponding with parents.

First, with your document open, go to the icon at the top left of your screen and click on Word Options.
Next, click Proofing. At the bottom of that screen you will need to check the Readability Statistics option, then click OK.
After you check your grammar and spelling, you will see the readability statistics pop up after making your corrections.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score is determined by total number of words, sentences, and paragraphs resulting in a comprehension difficulty score related to an American grade school level.

To determine the grade level for comprehension of a writing sample, Word counts the number of letters in words, the number of words in sentences, the lengths of sentences, and the lengths of paragraphs. The shorter the words, sentences, and paragraphs the lower the comprehension difficulty and grade level.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level statistic can be a helpful tool for writers who want to improve their comprehension level for a specific audience. Students may need to improve their syntax and diction for a sophisticated audience, and educators may need to adjust their writing for broad range of community members and/or parents.

Readability Statistics  provide writers with one more tool to use as a way to evaluate their writing for improvement.

from Barbara Kingsolver- author

Do you go through a lot of drafts?

Gazillions.  I adore revision.  Whether it’s a two-page article or a 500-page book, I rewrite endlessly.  I may rewrite the first paragraph of a novel fifty times before I’m satisfied.  I comb through a manuscript again and again, altering every sentence a little or a lot.  I don’t print out every draft on paper, or I’d be mowing down forests.  


Pounding out a first draft is like hoeing a row of corn – you just keep your head down and concentrate on getting to the end.  Revision is where fine art begins.  It’s thrilling to take an ending and pull it backward like a shiny thread through the whole fabric of a manuscript, letting little glints shine through here and there.  To plant resolution, like a seed, into chapter one.  To create new scenes, investing a character with the necessary damage, the right kind of longing.  To pitch out boldly and try again.  To work every metaphor across the whole, back and forth, like weaving.  I love that word “fabrication,” because making an elaborate fiction feels so much like making cloth. 


Perfectionism is my disease.  Revision is my milk and honey.


Read more from Barbara Kingsolver