Posts in Modes of Writing
Writing Activities for Your Next Unit Hero Unit
Writing Activities for Your Next Unit Hero Unit

Heroes and heroism have always been captivating subjects, transcending time and culture. In an English class, these themes offer an excellent opportunity to engage middle school and high school students in meaningful discussions, critical thinking, and creative expression. This blog post will provide a range of activities and lessons to inspire and educate students about heroes and heroism.

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Creative Writing, Modes of Writing, Poetry, Reading & Writing, Writing Assignments, Writing ProjectMeredith Dobbshero, heroism, epic hero, Beowulf, Odysseus, The Odyssey, GilgameshComment
3 Mini-Lessons to Help Your Students Finally Understand and Effectively Use Formal Writing.
3 Mini-Lessons to Help Your Students Finally Understand and Effectively Use Formal Writing.

Today I am going to tell you about formal writing! Of course, I write this opening line in jest. When I think about how many times my secondary students have written that exact initial phrase as part of their first line to an essay, a strong Hulk-like desire to rip papers into shreds comes over me. I assure you that I have never actually ripped up a student essay, but I think we can all agree that reading the following sentences turns us all a little Hulk green:

“After you read this, you will agree that…”

“Today I will prove to you that…”

“I am writing about…”

“I think…”

“I feel…”

AGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

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Best Practices, Editing & Revision, Modes of Writing, Writing Assignments, Writing Mini-lessonsGuest UserFormal Writing, Teaching formal writing, Formal writing lessons, don't write about your writingComment
Fun Acronyms to Teach Writing
Fun Acronyms to Teach Writing

I am always looking for ways to make writing instruction more engaging for my students. I love using fun and interesting acronyms to help students as they draft their work. I want these acronyms to be memorable so that students can use these to draft their writing long after my graphic organizers are there to support them.

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Best Practices, Modes of Writing, The Writing Process, Writing AssignmentsGuest UserAcronyms to Teach Writing, Writing lessons, Teaching writing, argumentative essay, argumentative paragraph, Literary analysis paragraph, Literary analysisComment
Literary Analysis Writing
Literary Analysis Writing

Within a literary analysis, students are required to think deeply about a given text, then make inferences and provide evidence to support that inference. Not only does the skill of drafting a quality literary analysis response support students in high school English classes, but will essentially define much of their English coursework in college.

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Best Practices, Differentiating Writing, Modes of Writing, The Writing Process, Writing Assignments, Assessing WritingGuest Userliterary analysis, literary analysis writing, literary analysis lessons, teaching literary analysis, english lessons, ELA lessons, #iteachenglish, #iteachhighschool, Literary writingComment
Writing Thank You Emails to Spread Kindness
Writing Thank You Emails to Spread Kindness

Engage secondary students in a meaningful real-world writing activity at the end of the school year - or any time! Writing thank you letters is an important life skill, but it's becoming overshadowed by emails and text messages. Teach middle and high school students about how to spread love and kindness by encouraging others through writing.

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FREEBIES, Modes of Writing, Writing AssignmentsMelissa Krusethank you, letter, real-world writing, business writing, end of year writing activities, kindnessComment
Tone Tunes: Using Music to Teach Tone in Poetry
Tone Tunes: Using Music to Teach Tone in Poetry

Being able to decipher the tone of a piece of writing is crucial to being able to decipher the thematic message of a text.  This is absolutely true for analyzing poetry. 

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Best Practices, FREEBIES, Modes of Writing, Poetry, Writing Assignments, Writing Mini-lessons, Writing WorkshopMeredith Dobbspoetry, poetry activities, April Poetry Month, writing poetry, High School Poetry, national poetry month, Poetry, Middle School Poetry, explication, poetic devices, tone, explication essay, poetry explication, musicComment
Argument Games! Play These Fun Games to Practice Analyzing Arguments and Writing Arguments
Argument Games! Play These Fun Games to Practice Analyzing Arguments and Writing Arguments

I yearned for a way to practice skills such as evaluating the sufficiency of evidence and seeing multiple perspectives on a topic. I wished to help them in creating rich and effective arguments with elements of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Finally, I needed to find a way to help students in creating effective counter-arguments that actually refute the argument as opposed to simply changing the subject.  

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Best Practices, Differentiating Writing, Modes of Writing, Writing Assignments, The Writing Process, Writing Mini-lessonsGuest UserArgument Writing, The Argument Essay, Argument Activities, Practicing Argument Writing Skills, Preparing for Debate, Debate Lessons, Writing Arguments, Drafting Arguments, Rhetoric Skills, Debate Unit, Teaching DebateComment
Using Mentor Texts to Teach Writing!
Using Mentor Texts to Teach Writing!

Understanding the many nuances of great writing can seem like a daunting challenge for teachers and students alike. As educators, we are aware of the strong correlation between good reading skills and good writing skills. This is because students are absorbing the author’s craft as they explore amazing works of literature. This knowledge has given rise to the popularity of mentor texts within the ELA classroom.

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Best Practices, Editing & Revision, FREEBIES, Mentor Texts, Modes of Writing, Philosophies on Writing, The Writing ProcessGuest UserMentor Texts, mentor sentences, Teaching writing through mentor texts, Using Mentor Texts, The writing process, Teaching the writing proces, Teaching the writing process, #mentortexts, #teachingmentortexts, #mentortextsinwriting, #ela, #edchat, #iteachenglish, #englishteachersComment
2 PreWriting Activities Your Students MUST DO Before Writing the Argument Essay
2 PreWriting Activities Your Students MUST DO Before Writing the Argument Essay

I love allowing students to choose their own issue for this argument essay, but that can be difficult for students who do not immediately know their topic or issue. I have found two techniques that really get students thinking about the issues that may resonate with them prior to their research and drafting stages of writing.

1. The Chart Paper Brainstorm and Gallery Walk

2. The Cube of Perspective

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The Writing Process, Writing Assignments, Writing Workshop, Modes of Writing, Best PracticesGuest UserPrewriting, Argument Writing, The Argument Essay, Prewriting Strategies Comment