Re: Essay Writing in Freshman English
Posted by Allison on 7/29/08
We do about 5 a year, and I intersperse the formal stuff with
what I call "test-prep writing." In my mind, formal essays
are measured in pages (or word count), have citations and a
works-cited page, and are for the purpose of learning to
formally analyze literature (except for the first one, which
is required to be a personal essay.) My students will have to
write an 8-10 page research paper in 11th grade so I try to
get them to be able to write 2 pages by the end of the year
without freaking out (and they do, at first). So the first
essay is at least 1 page, the next 1.5, the next 1-2, etc.
Test prep writing is the 5-paragraph modality -
intro/body/conclusion, and analyzing the question to see what
elements are required. These I usually do in about 30
minutes of class time; some I grade and some they swap and
look for the elements it needs to have (intro, quotes,
supporting explanation, close).
When they do formal essays they do the work at home. I don't
have time or desire to read every essay more than once, with
90-odd kids :) I do require they bring in a rough draft a
week or so before the paper is due, and I usually have them
swap those and look for major problems while warning them
that the person who reads your essay is NOT going to catch
every problem so it is still your responsibility to check. I
require a typed final draft, and they know that plagiarism
gets them a zero, not that it stops them from trying. I have
learned to beware the typed rough draft.
So anyway, that's what I do :) Check your district timeline
or pacing schedule, too, sometimes that will have a place
where an essay is due that you can use as a guideline.
On 7/28/08, skylark2868 wrote:
> How often do you have your students write formal essays?
> Once a month? Once a 9 weeks? By "formal essay", I mean
> the essay that the student must plan carefully, do drafts,
> revising, editing, and final copy. I have my students do a
> lot of writing - journals, responses to reading, etc., but
> I'm never sure about how often we need to do a formal
> essay. Thanks.
Posts on this thread, including this one
- Essay Writing in Freshman English, 7/28/08, by skylark2868.
- Re: Once a month, and..., 7/29/08, by L. Swilley .
- Re: Essay Writing in Freshman English, 7/29/08, by Allison.
- Re: if it helps, in college freshman English, 5 in one semester, 7/29/08, by marjoryt.
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