We all know students should "know" how to write a research paper by the time they are in high school. In the ideal world, students would start writing sentences in first grade, connecting sentences into small paragraphs in second grade, learn about transitions in third grade, and then begin writing simple introductions and conclusions in fourth and fifth grade. Why, then they would just work on elaborating and developing higher forms of writing in middle school so high school teachers could help them hone those skills in preparation for college!
If only it were so easy.
Naturally high-stakes testing in the elementary and middle school classrooms have taken writing research-based papers out of the curriculum. During the 8-1/2 years I spent at an elementary school media center, the majority of research-based writing in all grades was done through media classes. Because students came on a 7, 8, or 10 day rotation (depending upon which school year you look at) even those had to be considered carefully since a student who was absent during one class might not come to a library class for an entire month. As I worked with teachers on collaboration projects, they wanted students to do posters and simple projects because they were shorter and easier to grade in a period of time already stuffed with mClass, iReady, Dibbels, EOGs, and so many other required paperwork-heavy things. I understood their frustration at being unable to dedicate the time necessary to a great project, and my schedule with their students was fixed with no "wiggle-room." (We did a large project connecting science with a research paper in fifth grade, but it had to be stretched out over months which made it less enjoyable than anyone wanted it to be. The Museum in the Schools project worked with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and culminated in the students becoming experts at the museum for a day.)
Middle school teachers have a lot of the same demands on their time.
This means when students get to high school, many of them have NEVER written an introductory paragraph nor a conclusion. They don't know how to transition between paragraphs in a paper. Some have never had to cite sources properly. A source card? An outline? What are those?
Is there any way to help students become better writers in the secondary classroom?
One possibility is to create a writer's workshop within the classroom. By setting up stations where students work on specific skills (taking notes for research, avoiding plagiarism, outlining, introductions, conclusions, transitions, using direct or indirect quotes, etc.), you can help students work on the skills they are lacking. Take a few days to have students rotate through the stations. Students must complete all the stations within those days. Have students self-assess or you assess their work at the end of each day.
Yes, I know. This will take some time on your part to set up the first year, but won't it be worth it if the final papers are much better?
Now, have students work in the stations where they need the most improvement. A student struggling with how to get started writing can stay at the introduction station and practice there. One who you know has had the habit of just copying and pasting can practice taking notes to avoid plagiarism. Another can organize notes into an outline. These are not skills that come naturally to any student. By setting up your class into these stations for a brief period of time, students build the skills for writing.
After they have practiced in the stations, come on down to the library for some research! I'll be more than happy to help your students, too!
For some great tips on creating a writer's workshop in a secondary classroom, see Shelby Scoffield's blog post on Edutopia, the inspiration for this week's Hungry Bookshelf!
No comments:
Post a Comment