Category: essays

Building Better Topic Sentences

My students struggle with topic sentences. It’s something we always want to get better at because nothing improves their writing faster than crafting topic sentences that guide the reader through their writing. Students typically have one of the following problems with their topic sentences when writing about literature. They don’t

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student created essay prompts

Have Your Students Create Their Own Essay Prompts

Sometimes the best lessons come not from great planning and preparation, but out of desperation and necessity. I had my students create their own essays prompts, and it definitely came from a spot where I felt like my back was up against the wall. However it was one of those

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Alternatives to the Essay: Sociograms

Sociograms: An Alternative to the Essay

Sociograms are visual representations of the interaction of characters in a novel. They are a wonderfully flexible assessment tool and can be used in all grade levels. Best of all, they require the same sort of critical analysis that you would use in writing an essay. If you’re looking for

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A Workshop Approach to Essay Planning

One of the biggest problems my students face with writing essays is that they don’t do enough planning before they sit in front of the computer to begin writing. Also, even though I tell them that I’m willing to look at drafts before they hand in the final copy, most

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