Writing+Templates


 * __Collins Writing__**

John J. Collins, an educational writing scholar, identified five types of writing in which students engage. Different types of writing require different amounts of effort and different grading. Notice that the writing types closely mirror the [|five steps of the writing process]. All of the following writing types require skipped lines. **__ Type 1 - Capture Ideas __** Students are brainstorming. T1 writing is timed and requires a minimum number of items or lines. Questions and/or guesses are permitted. When graded, evaluated with a check or a minus. **__ Type 2 - Respond Correctly __** Demonstrates that the writer knows something about a topic or has thought about the topic. T2 writing is a correct answer to a specific question. When graded, evaluated as a quiz. Students only do one draft (rough draft is final draft). **__ Type 3 - Edit for FCAs (Focus Correction Areas) __** : Has substantive content and meets up to three specific standards called focus correction areas. It must meet the following criteria: completes the assignment, is easy to read, meets the standards set by the FCAs. Revision and editing are done on the original draft. Students only do one draft (rough draft is final draft). **__ Type 4 - Peer Edit for FCAs __** T3 writing that is read and critiqued by another. This should be a second draft (T3 corrected and rewritten). **__ Type 5 - Publish __** Writing is of publishable (final draft) quality. This requires multiple drafts.

A writing template is simply a formula or pattern that gives structure to a student’s piece. It also dictates the angle they will write about.
 * Templates help because they narrow down the choices of what you could possibly write about a given topic.
 * They are particularly useful for written material you tend to use over and over again.
 * Templates can help get students creative juices flowing when they are struggling to begin.

Character Sketches are particularly helpful during the writing process. Students are encouraged to deeply analyze characters. 

Critiquing articles and editorials poses difficulty for many students. This editorial critique helps students to critically evaluate articles rather than simply regurgitate information. It is the first step in writing critically.

__**Four-Square Method**__ The method is primarily a visual framework for assisting students with formulating ideas in an organized manner prior to writing an essay.

The concept generally works as follows:


 * 1) A [|rectangle] is drawn, width exceeding height, and divided into four smaller rectangles of equal size. An additional rectangle is drawn in the center of the figure, taking up some of the area in each of the other four rectangles. A total of five rectangles are thus created.
 * 2) The student writes a complete topic sentence in the center rectangle.
 * 3) The student then writes sentences in the lower-left, upper-left, and upper-right rectangles that develop the thesis of the central topic.
 * 4) Finally, the student writes a summary sentence in the lower-right rectangle.



Graphic organizer for a persusive paper.



__**RAFT**__ RAFT assignments encourage students to uncover their own voices and formats for presenting their ideas about content information they are studying. Students learn to respond to writing prompts that require them to think about various perspectives:
 * **R**ole of the Writer: Who are you as the writer? A movie star? The President? A plant?
 * **A**udience: To whom are you writing? A senator? Yourself? A company?
 * **F**ormat: In what format are you writing? A diary entry? A newspaper? A love letter?
 * **T**opic: What are you writing about?