A Case Study in Writing & Literacy Development
The following case study showcases my course design practice for English and Humanities classes, with a focus on writing and literacy development.
As a general practice, I favor
2. Crafting, Editing, and Feedback
- regular, short written work that builds on prior knowledge and in-class instruction
- consistent, specific feedback on student projects
- opportunities for improvement through editing, revision, and resubmission
Each of these principles is represented in the stages below, which correspond to specific classroom and student practices:
- Reading and Responding
- Crafting, Editing, and Feedback
- Revising and Resubmitting
- Follow-up and Reinforcement
* All sample assignments and student work are linked in the Appendix at the bottom of the page.
1. Reading and Responding
1. Reading and Responding
The first step of the lesson is a reading assignment. Early in the year, we work through texts of moderate length (3-15 pages) suited to student development and the early stages of a unit.
With the first assignment, students to respond to three questions that guide their reading (Appendix: 1.):
- What question is the author asking, or what issue does the author address?
- How does the author answer or address that question or issue?
- How does the author support that answer?
The first two questions are designed to help students identify the thesis or central theme of a text, phrased as a question. Responses to these should be a single sentence. The third question encourages students to identify the ways in which the author builds toward that thesis or theme and constitutes the bulk of the paper. The completed "response papers" (or precis) are no more than a one or two pages (Appendix: 2.).
2. Crafting, Editing, and Feedback
Completed response papers are brought to class. Here we focus on two elements:
- the content of the papers
- a dedicated exercise in the craft of writing.
The exercise in craft depends on the abilities and needs of the particular group of students. A simple exercise may focus on the use of possessive apostrophes. More complex exercises may involve paraphrasing or signposting (Appendix: 3.). After completing the exercise, I offer students the opportunity to make live corrections to their papers during class. After privately completing edits, students share their corrections with partners and then selectively and voluntarily with the class as a whole. This allows everyone to see how an exercise applies directly to their own work and through different forms of engagement.
The content focus of the papers comes after these revisions, where students have opportunities to further demonstrate and develop comprehension, competency, and analysis. This may take any number of forms, including presentations, an application question (e.g., how does the question the author addresses connect to American life today?), or developing a longer piece of writing (e.g., an essay or term project).
3. Revising and Resubmitting
At this stage, students have read and responded to a text, applied a lesson in the craft of writing to their own work, and engaged with the material and their own writing privately and with peers. Now it's time to begin the revision and resubmission process.
Because students have already had the chance to edit and share their work, and because the papers are short, my detailed feedback focuses on core elements of the work. Students whose papers have not properly integrated the in-class writing exercise get marked "Revise/Resubmit," with the elements needing revision circled (but not corrected for them--a key practice for empowering students to develop their writing skills).
Early in a unit, all papers are graded pass/fail. This allows students to adjust to expectations while also freeing them to make useful errors or easily correctable mistakes without penalty. Exemplary papers are made available (with student permission) as samples for others.
4. Follow-up and Reinforcement
For those students who must (or would like to) resubmit an assignment, dedicated dates are marked in the course schedule far enough out that we can revisit lessons and material and address individual needs. Future activities mirror the above structure and repeat prior exercises in craft, reinforcing the knowledge and skills from earlier weeks.
From a competency and literacy point of view, the response papers are gradually supplemented with more challenging readings and "question sets," which still relate to prior readings, helping to bridge one activity to the next. Question sets guide students through more challenging readings, but they also ask a broader range of questions designed to diversify student engagement (Appendix: 4.). Pass/fail assignments are also gradually replaced with scaled assessments, though the opportunity to revise and resubmit is always available (so far as time permits).
APPENDIX
1. Response Paper Guidelines
Because students have already had the chance to edit and share their work, and because the papers are short, my detailed feedback focuses on core elements of the work. Students whose papers have not properly integrated the in-class writing exercise get marked "Revise/Resubmit," with the elements needing revision circled (but not corrected for them--a key practice for empowering students to develop their writing skills).
Early in a unit, all papers are graded pass/fail. This allows students to adjust to expectations while also freeing them to make useful errors or easily correctable mistakes without penalty. Exemplary papers are made available (with student permission) as samples for others.
4. Follow-up and Reinforcement
For those students who must (or would like to) resubmit an assignment, dedicated dates are marked in the course schedule far enough out that we can revisit lessons and material and address individual needs. Future activities mirror the above structure and repeat prior exercises in craft, reinforcing the knowledge and skills from earlier weeks.
From a competency and literacy point of view, the response papers are gradually supplemented with more challenging readings and "question sets," which still relate to prior readings, helping to bridge one activity to the next. Question sets guide students through more challenging readings, but they also ask a broader range of questions designed to diversify student engagement (Appendix: 4.). Pass/fail assignments are also gradually replaced with scaled assessments, though the opportunity to revise and resubmit is always available (so far as time permits).
APPENDIX
1. Response Paper Guidelines