Teaching writing in high school English class can be tricky. It’s hard to know where to begin where there is an overwhelming amount of content to teach. If your students are like mine, you also know the haunting sounds of groans and resistance when you introduce a new writing assignment.
Over the years, I made it my mission to help high school students become better writers. I always want my high school English students to see writing as a tool rather than something to dread. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still not an easy or a quick process. However, I’ve finally found a 3 step process for teaching writing in high school English class that builds confidence in my students and (most importantly) reduces the time I spend grading.
Check out my 3 tips for teaching writing in high school English below.
Teaching writing tip #1: Think small – show them the puzzle piece before you reveal the entire puzzle.
I like to think about writing like putting together a puzzle. You’ll need several different pieces that fit together securely in order to create a beautiful picture. Writing is the same way! No matter which form of writing I’m teaching, from analytical paragraphs to full-blown essays, I break it down into the smallest pieces possible. I have found that essay writing is so overwhelming to some students that they give up before they ever even write one sentence. By showing them small pieces of writing, and taking time to show them how the pieces fit together, you’ll help your students build confidence in what they are writing without the anxiety of “writing a paper.”
Here’s how I do this:
Show the puzzle pieces:
For the first step, I’ll look at what is needed for a given writing assignment. For example, if we’re looking at a literary analysis essay, I know that I’ll need an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. However, I’ll break it down even further. I’ll teach my students how to write each sentence rather than how to write each paragraph.
I will admit that this process takes some time. The results are truly astounding, though. When students take the time to learn it right the first time, the rest of their work and essays go smoothly and you will not have to re-teach this process, only review the elements.
I give my students a breakdown of what sentences are needed for the paragraph, then I provide them with an example so they can see each sentence come to life.
Yes, we actually discuss each sentence in the paragraph and I explicitly teach what goes in the sentence. I am not always a fan of formulaic writing, but when I have a group of reluctant writers, it’s often the only way to build their confidence. I always provide options for how to make each sentence their “own,” but providing a framework for what the sentence should be about really helps the writing process to feel so overwhelming.
Want to make teaching this skill even easier? Make a video!
I know that some teachers are reluctant to make videos for their students. It seems really difficult or intimidating but I PROMISE YOU IT IS NOT. Making videos for my students has been a GAME CHANGER. It’s a SIMPLE process but it makes a huge difference in the learning outcomes of your high school English students. Videos also work well for remediation work, students with IEPs, virtual learning, absent students, OR those days when you just don’t feel like saying it over again for the 20th time. 😉
You can actually record videos of all of your lessons quickly and easily from your own laptop without any special equipment. I use the record tool in PowerPoint to create every video that I give to my students.
I simply upload my videos as “unlisted” on YouTube so that only people with the link can view them.
I know other teachers prefer using Screencastify.com for their recordings. Whatever you choose – your students will love you for providing them a video that they can replay as many times as needed in order to complete their writing assignment. You can check out a video clip of a video I show my students here! (P.S. The entire resource for this writing assignment can be found here!) Clearly, this clip is low quality, but the actual version is a high-resolution video on YouTube. But, you get a general idea! 🙂
Writing Tip #2: Color code EVERYTHING!
One of my biggest tips for teaching writing in high school English is to have your students color-code their work. This helps students to see how the different pieces of the puzzle fit together. It also GREATLY CUTS DOWN ON GRADING TIME!
After I teach my students which sentences are needed, I assign a color to each sentence for practice. I’ll give them example paragraphs to highlight first.
After they practice a few times, I let them attempt to write their own paragraphs. I ask them to use the same color system to color-code their work. This process works well for students because they can quickly see if a color is missing. They’ll know they need to add something so that they have all the necessary colors present in their work. This has cut down on my grading because now, students see their mistakes BEFORE turning in their work. I can also easily see where a student is struggling if they turn in multiple assignments without any yellow highlighting. I can tailor my feedback to help them develop confidence in whatever they are “missing.”
Writing Tip #3: Frequent checkpoints are KEY!
Because I break up the writing process into several small pieces, I grade in the same manner. When I grade one paragraph at a time, I can catch issues before they permeate an entire essay. It feels very defeating to students when they turn in an entire essay and receive so much feedback (aka red ink) they cannot even see their original writing. When they turn in their writing one piece at a time, I can give them focused feedback. It also helps me to grade in short bursts. This way, when they turn in their final product, I know that revisions have already been made and problems have been corrected. I’m simply looking over a final edit and polish.
I’ve found that this grading “trick” is incredibly beneficial for students in the long run. It takes time to teach and prep this way, but once you do it one time – it’s done! You can reuse your materials, videos, etc. Your students also “reuse” the lessons and feedback you gave them as they head into their next assignment.
Teaching writing in high school English can be hard! However, with these 3 tips, you will help your students build confidence AND lessen your stack of grading. Don’t forget that practice is also important. I’ve seen such improvement in my students’ writing habits when I have them practice small pieces every single day. It’s important to see that teaching writing is a marathon, not a sprint. But, it’s so rewarding to see students start to feel like writing can be a powerful tool for communication rather than a terrifying monster waiting to ruin their grade. 🙂
Let me know how you teach writing in your high school English class and check out more ideas for growing confidence in reading and writing for high school English students here.
