English 403: Lesson 6

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6: Designing Writing Activities

Overview

Making good writing assignments is not easy. It takes experience to learn how to be clear and unambiguous, to communicate your expectations, to give students the preparation necessary to succeed. This lesson asks you to investigate how teachers make writing assignments, what makes them successful, and pitfalls to avoid.

Activities To Do:
See detail instructions in the Activities list below.
	1.	Interview your mentor teacher and/or other English teachers
	2.	Read Z&D Ch. 9
	3.	Talk to students
	4.	Blackboard: Make a writing assignment
	5.	Blackboard: Discuss writing assignments
	6.	Blackboard: Reflection Paper

Activities

1. A “writing assignment” is writing assigned by the teacher. As Z&D describe it, an assignment “includes everything a teacher can do in the course of students’ writing a particular piece.” Interview your mentor teacher and take notes in your journal :

	What writing does he or she typically assign? If assignments are in writing, take a look at a selection of them.
	How does he/she typically make the assignments? In writing?
	Are assignments made in steps or all at once?
	Are criteria for evaluation included in the assignment?
	Is the purpose of the assignment given? Is the assignment placed in the context of other work?
	Does the assignment specify the mode of writing and the audience?
	What are typical time lengths for assignments?
	What suggestions does your mentor teacher have for making assignments that are effective? Has he/she had ones that fell flat, and why?

All of these questions, and the rest of the questions for the semester are available in one PDF file.

2. While you are doing #1 above, read Z&D 9. Pay attention to the list of “problems” in assignments and how to strengthen assignments (context, direction, classroom process). Think about how the assignments you observe compare to the guidelines Z&D provide (pp. 124-125). [NOTE: The reflection paper at the end of the lesson asks you to design and make a writing assignment. As you read this chapter, you should begin thinking about your activity. Read # 6 below.]

3. Interview students. In their experience, what do they think makes a “good” writing assignment, not in terms of the topic but about how the assignment is made? What elements of assignments do students find particularly helpful? Unhelpful? Take notes in your journal.

4. Make a writing Assignment need details

5. Discussion: In the discussion site, describe the kinds of assignments you observed and how they measure up to Z&D’s criteria. Did you note problems? What do students say? Post your response in discussion labeled "Lesson 6" in Blackboard by the middle of the week.

6. Reflection Paper: Design a writing activity of your own. Ideally it should be one that fits into your mentor teacher’s program (though it could be one that you might use in your own future class). Explain the activity, and how it fits Z&D’s 14 points on pp. 124-125. If possible, make the assignment. Describe, in the paper, how it went. What worked and what didn't? What would you do differently and why? Turn this two-page paper into the Assignment Dropbox in Blackboard under "Lesson 6 Reflection" by the end of the week. The document should be a Word97 or higher format, 12 point legible text.