Writing Instruction and Assessment

Revising

reviewing the draft and making necessary corrections for sentence usage, organization, coherence, and audience

Revision Stations

a revision strategy in which stations are set up around the classroom where students will focus on one step of the revision process

Timely Feedback

teachers provide feedback to students in a timely manner so they have adequate time to apply it

Editing

reviewing the draft for corrections in grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Tone

the author's attitude or feelings toward the subject, characters, or audience, conveyed through their choice of words, style, and perspective; sets the emotional atmosphere of the text, influencing how readers interpret and feel about the story

Example.

serious, humorous, sarcastic, hopeful, or any emotion that shapes the reader's experience

Thesis Statement

a statement included in the introduction of a paper which makes a specific claim and provides a preview as to what will follow in the paper

Example.

A science student writes the following thesis statement in response to the question, “Is global warming a problem?” “Environmentalists agree that global climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.”

Exemplar

an example or model that has the characteristics of a high-quality response. An exemplar is a concrete illustration of the evidence needed to meet a desired standard

Example.

A principal writes a clear, student-friendly learning objective for a teacher who is struggling with writing them.

Writing Workshop

an all-class writing project including instruction, writing time, conferencing, and sharing where students are guided through the process step-by-step

Subtext

underlying meaning and emotions not explicitly stated

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences, clauses, or phrases one after another in a text

Example.

I have faith in my team. I have faith in my coach. I have faith in myself.

Balanced Feedback

teachers let students know both their strengths and weaknesses when giving feedback

Specific Feedback

teachers are clear and particular when giving feedback and provide next steps so students know what to do about it

Freewriting

students are allowed to write about anything they'd like without restrictions

Emotional Language

language that is used to make the audience feel certain emotions, such as happiness, anger, sympathy, or fear

Revision Roles

a peer revision strategy in which each group member is given a specific role to narrow their revision focus (e.g., thesis, organization, grammar)

Remixing

the practice of taking existing media content and reassembling, reinterpreting, or altering it to create new meaning or convey a different message

Example.

If studying Romeo and Juliet, students could remix clips from various film adaptations with modern music, news footage, or even other stories about forbidden love.

Mentor Text

books or other pieces of literature that are revisited throughout the school year for different purposes in literacy instruction

Example.

Due to its unique narrative and abundance of figurative language, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a popular mentor text to use in a language arts classroom.

Interactive Whiteboard

an interactive, virtual space where anyone with access can draft writing, visuals, or other collaborative activities in real time