When home-schooled teenagers sit down to write their first draft
of any paper, there are a few simple things to place before them to make
writing that first draft an effective and enjoyable learning
experience.
Find Examples:
Before they take the plunge into writing, have your teens look at how other people approach that particular type of paper, how they shape their own ideas. Have them write with the best! Look for examples that are short and meaningful. Long pieces as examples could tend to make the eyes glaze over. The purpose of examples is to place possibilities and further ideas before your writers' eyes. Do not let them think that they must "write like this."
Pre-Writing Material:
Next, they will need the pre-writing charts or whatever note-taking work they have prepared to help focus their thoughts and ideas. They will need the rubric (see my article on rubrics and rough drafts) for that first draft, of whatever type of paper it is, as well. Have them study the rubric carefully, first, and look over the pre-writing notes.
Their Own Rough Draft:
Now, it is important for your budding writer's success in learning to write well that they write any first draft in one sitting with no outside assistance. A short break is fine, but have them set aside the time so that they are not away from writing draft one for more than a few minutes. Your teen should feel free to correct little problems they see while writing, but the first draft MUST be their own ROUGH Draft. That is, it must be what your child writes when they write without worrying about ANY writing "rules."
Write in One Sitting:
Next, write draft one in one sitting with no outside assistance and little, if any, revision. Follow the rules of writing the rough draft. Rule 2: There are no rules; just write. Even forget about the requirements of the first draft rubric. Once your writers have finished writing, have them go back through and be sure they have met the few requirements from the first draft rubric.
I give my students about one hour to write their first draft. That should be plenty of time if the pre-writing work is sufficient. One of my students, Zach, had this comment to make: "I learned that writing can be fun. Mr. Yordy allowed us to let go of all the rules and to "just write!" as he would say."
Mark It High:
Finally, once the draft is completed, check it against the rubric you prepared. Make encouraging comments and give it as high of marks as you can. Point out what they did well. On draft two, your marking will be tough, really tough. But after writing draft one, any writer needs to know the potential and unlimited possibilities for writing effectively that lies (however dormant) inside them.
It is only after draft one is successfully completed that the hard work of writing begins. However, any writer's first experience with writing a paper should leave them with a sense of success and accomplishment. "Writing was not as hard as I thought!"
Find Examples:
Before they take the plunge into writing, have your teens look at how other people approach that particular type of paper, how they shape their own ideas. Have them write with the best! Look for examples that are short and meaningful. Long pieces as examples could tend to make the eyes glaze over. The purpose of examples is to place possibilities and further ideas before your writers' eyes. Do not let them think that they must "write like this."
Pre-Writing Material:
Next, they will need the pre-writing charts or whatever note-taking work they have prepared to help focus their thoughts and ideas. They will need the rubric (see my article on rubrics and rough drafts) for that first draft, of whatever type of paper it is, as well. Have them study the rubric carefully, first, and look over the pre-writing notes.
Their Own Rough Draft:
Now, it is important for your budding writer's success in learning to write well that they write any first draft in one sitting with no outside assistance. A short break is fine, but have them set aside the time so that they are not away from writing draft one for more than a few minutes. Your teen should feel free to correct little problems they see while writing, but the first draft MUST be their own ROUGH Draft. That is, it must be what your child writes when they write without worrying about ANY writing "rules."
Write in One Sitting:
Next, write draft one in one sitting with no outside assistance and little, if any, revision. Follow the rules of writing the rough draft. Rule 2: There are no rules; just write. Even forget about the requirements of the first draft rubric. Once your writers have finished writing, have them go back through and be sure they have met the few requirements from the first draft rubric.
I give my students about one hour to write their first draft. That should be plenty of time if the pre-writing work is sufficient. One of my students, Zach, had this comment to make: "I learned that writing can be fun. Mr. Yordy allowed us to let go of all the rules and to "just write!" as he would say."
Mark It High:
Finally, once the draft is completed, check it against the rubric you prepared. Make encouraging comments and give it as high of marks as you can. Point out what they did well. On draft two, your marking will be tough, really tough. But after writing draft one, any writer needs to know the potential and unlimited possibilities for writing effectively that lies (however dormant) inside them.
It is only after draft one is successfully completed that the hard work of writing begins. However, any writer's first experience with writing a paper should leave them with a sense of success and accomplishment. "Writing was not as hard as I thought!"
Daniel Yordy is Your Editor at The Writing Conservatory. He has
taught writing to students - and learned writing - for almost 30 years.
His effective writing course has been hammered out inside of junior
high, high school, and college classrooms.
Maybe you have a student homeschooling high school and you want to know that they can write effectively both in entering college and for life. Or maybe you want to learn to write (and teach writing) well. Check out http://www.thewritingconservatory.com/WritingCourse/index.php?page=IsetA. Help yourself freely to anything you see.
Copyright 2012 by The Writing Conservatory. Freely use without changes, including links.
Maybe you have a student homeschooling high school and you want to know that they can write effectively both in entering college and for life. Or maybe you want to learn to write (and teach writing) well. Check out http://www.thewritingconservatory.com/WritingCourse/index.php?page=IsetA. Help yourself freely to anything you see.
Copyright 2012 by The Writing Conservatory. Freely use without changes, including links.
