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Guiding Students to Write Well

Allowing for the Process of Writing—Planning, Drafting, Revision, and Editing

Writing is a process, so taking the time to teach students the elements of writing will create more polished papers in your classes. Giving students time and directing them through the process of writing raises the quality of the writing you will receive.

  • Planning—brainstorming, freewriting, journaling, vetting of topics, rough outlining
  • Drafting—detailed outlining; writing workshops; library research; primary data collection
  • Revision—peer reviews, conferencing

Modeling Good Writing

By providing students with examples of effective writing, you are allowing to see how a paper in your discipline is not only written, but also how it is formatted.

  • Writing is Learned by Imitation, not Magic
  • Offer examples of A-quality work of the appropriate genre and length
  • Annotate models with your own advice