Designing Writing Assignments

Book Description:

Effective student writing begins with well-designed classroom assignments. In Designing Writing Assignments, veteran educator Traci Gardner offers practical ways for teachers to develop assignments that will allow students to express their creativity and grow as writers and thinkers while still addressing the many demands of resource-stretched classrooms. Gardner explores how to balance pedagogical and curricular goals with the needs of multiple learners while managing everyday challenges such as mandates, testing, and the paper load. She uses her classroom experience to provide ideas on how to effectively define a writing task, explore the expectations for a composition activity, and assemble the supporting materials that students need to do their best work. This book includes dozens of starting points that teachers can customize and further develop for the students in their own classrooms.

Contents:

Front Matter

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Essentials of an Effective Writing Assignment

2. Putting Beliefs into Practice

3. Designing Writing Assignments

4. Defining New Tasks for Standard Writing Activities

5. Preparing for Standardized Testing

6. More Writing Assignment Resources

Appendix: NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing

Bibliography

About the Author