Middle School English: Our Philosophy on How to Teach Writing

• We believe that prewriting activities such as talking together, brainstorming, and webbing are essential for helping students figure out what they have to say.  Priming the pump helps them develop more substantive content.  We stress to students that good writing comes from good thinking.
• We believe that students should use writing to clarify their thinking on topics. Therefore, not all writing is graded.  It is important that students have the opportunity to “make a mess” with their thoughts on paper.
• We believe that students of the middle school level should engage in writing activities that are personal and meaningful.  We do ask students to do some analytical writing, but this is not the emphasis of the program.
• We believe that students should write a lot.  They should have both formal and informal writing experiences; from fast writes to longer pieces that take multiple drafts.
• We believe that students need to read professional and student models in order to inspire them and show them possibilities.
• We believe that students should have the opportunity to choose their own topics and forms. We want them to have the experience that real writers have, and we want them to use writing to express themselves in the way that is comfortable for them.  We believe that this will help them unleash their true adolescent voices.
• We believe that it is important to teach kids how to make use of sensory details, description, and “showing”, and that they have many opportunities to practice descriptive writing. We believe it’s important to teach kids how to examine word choices and how they sound.
• We believe that students should experiment with forms –from vignette, to poetry, to essay, to scriptwriting.
• We believe it’s important to show kids how to use different tools to their advantage (metaphor, personification, repetition, etc.)
• We believe that it is important that students write for different audiences. We want them to ask themselves questions such as “Will my reader be able to follow what I am saying here?”
• We believe that students should have regular opportunities to share their writing aloud.
• We believe that peers should be students’ first audience. We feel it’s important that students learn how to be conscientious editors, and we give them the language that will help them help other writers.