even limits on the number of sentences per paragraph or words per sentence.
I've always really dislike this part of rubrics. Sometimes you can write a really well done cohesive conclusion in two sentences, and should not be marked down because it wasn't at least 4 or 5. At this point the concentration is no longer the quality of the writing, it's nit picking little things that don't matter.
There will be some who want to defend the 5-paragraph essay as “training wheels” for the type of academic writing that will come late
The problem is often the training wheels never come off. I personally made it through almost all of high school before being told I could write in a different format than the five paragraph structure. At that point it's not a tool, it's a hindrance.
• use what they learn from reflections on one writing project to improve writing on subsequent projects.
The only issue with this is that kids already have so much work that adding more such as a reflection they often blow off or don't put thought into
ake risks
This is a habit I feel is not very often encouraged. Because of the pressure of grades I think kids often disregard the notion of taking risks with their work for fear of a bad grade.
Teachers can do much to develop activities and assignments that foster the kind of thinking that lies behind these habits and prepare students for the learning they will experience in college and beyond
I think a big part of shaping that experience and emphasizing these habits in the energy of the classroom. The more you can incorporate a little fun and movement and discussion the more the kids will engage. The teachers enthusiasm is a huge factor as well!
Habits of mind
I love this concept of habits of mind! I wish we focused more on these criteria when grading and inspiring writing, not just, hopefully therefore taking some of the stress off of the grades themselves and more focus on the work.
77% of 12th-grade students did not meet NAEPwriting proficiency goals
This is a HUGE percentage!!!! Why is this not being addressed more effectively? One of my first thoughts goes toward a need in approach, and the second goes to a need more better school funding.
we cannot afford to let this generation of ours or indeed, any other, fall behind the learningcurve. Let me bring us back to where we began: For all of us, the handprint must remain firmly andclearly on the wall.
This phrase really stood out to me because of what's happening to our educational system because of corona virus. With many schools moving online there is a growing gap between the kind of education students are getting, and lower income households are getting the worse end of the stick. This is very concerning, and nerve-wracking to think about the long term effects.
between rich and poor,but also between those who have access to information and knowledge, and thus, topower—the power of enlightenment,the power of self-improvement and self-assertion, the power toachieve upward mobility,and the power over their own lives and their families’ ability to thrive andsucceed—and those who do not.
The thing that I really love about this section is the importance it stresses on the idea that education is power. Writing skill also translate to the ability to provide clear communications and cause a movement of justice through the chaos of our current society.