Homeschool Writing and Then Some
Ep #4 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 5—Evaluation
Show Notes
Ep #4 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 5—Evaluation
Step 5: Have a plan to evaluate student writing
Would you rather grade a math test or an English paper? I bet you said math paper, right? With its very convenient answer key and one correct solution for each problem. No sweat.
Grading essays is a whole other story. Because there isn’t just one correct way to write an essay—there are so many variables, and what standards are you supposed to use anyway? How do you tell the difference between a “good” paper and a “bad” one? And then how do you explain to your student what they need to work on to improve for next time?
If you are nodding your head because you can identify with the struggle, then you are going to love this episode because I explain how to use a simple grading rubric to evaluate most kinds of writing. Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the term “rubric.” I’ll let you know what it is it and tell you exactly how to use it.
In this episode, you will also learn
· The big mistake most homeschool parent/teachers make when grading essays
· Why you shouldn’t mark every grammar and spelling mistake
· The specific criteria you can use to grade nearly every essay your student writes
If that sounds good, you’ll definitely want to download the two PDFs that go with this episode:
Ø A blank grading rubric that you can use over and over again
Ø An example of a filled out grading rubric
I’ll be referencing those documents during the episode, so you’ll want to grab them ahead of time if you can.
That brings us to the end of the four-part series on how to teach writing to older students. Here are the steps one more time:
Step 1: Have students keep a structured journal (episode 1)
Step 2: Understand the writing process and help your students apply it to their writing (episode 2)
Step 3: Learn the main types of writing (episode 3)
Step 4: Plan out your writing calendar—how many papers and which kinds of assignments (episode 3)
Step 5: Have a plan for how to evaluate student writing (episode 4)
Remember, it’s not enough to have a good plan. You have to get in motion. You don’t have to wait for the beginning of the school year to start. You can start today, or at least tomorrow, with the journal writing plan.
I hope you feel empowered and ready to make writing a priority. You can do it!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Journal Writing Plan
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c
Cheat Sheet
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/85deb68661
Grading Rubric (Episode 4)
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/f9baf745ae
Example of a Grading Rubric (Episode 4)
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/636fc3bdb7
Writing Course
Show Notes
Ep #4 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 5—Evaluation
Step 5: Have a plan to evaluate student writing
Would you rather grade a math test or an English paper? I bet you said math paper, right? With its very convenient answer key and one correct solution for each problem. No sweat.
Grading essays is a whole other story. Because there isn’t just one correct way to write an essay—there are so many variables, and what standards are you supposed to use anyway? How do you tell the difference between a “good” paper and a “bad” one? And then how do you explain to your student what they need to work on to improve for next time?
If you are nodding your head because you can identify with the struggle, then you are going to love this episode because I explain how to use a simple grading rubric to evaluate most kinds of writing. Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the term “rubric.” I’ll let you know what it is it and tell you exactly how to use it.
In this episode, you will also learn
· The big mistake most homeschool parent/teachers make when grading essays
· Why you shouldn’t mark every grammar and spelling mistake
· The specific criteria you can use to grade nearly every essay your student writes
If that sounds good, you’ll definitely want to download the two PDFs that go with this episode:
Ø A blank grading rubric that you can use over and over again
Ø An example of a filled out grading rubric
I’ll be referencing those documents during the episode, so you’ll want to grab them ahead of time if you can.
That brings us to the end of the four-part series on how to teach writing to older students. Here are the steps one more time:
Step 1: Have students keep a structured journal (episode 1)
Step 2: Understand the writing process and help your students apply it to their writing (episode 2)
Step 3: Learn the main types of writing (episode 3)
Step 4: Plan out your writing calendar—how many papers and which kinds of assignments (episode 3)
Step 5: Have a plan for how to evaluate student writing (episode 4)
Remember, it’s not enough to have a good plan. You have to get in motion. You don’t have to wait for the beginning of the school year to start. You can start today, or at least tomorrow, with the journal writing plan.
I hope you feel empowered and ready to make writing a priority. You can do it!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Journal Writing Plan
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c
Cheat Sheet
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/85deb68661
Grading Rubric (Episode 4)
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/f9baf745ae
Example of a Grading Rubric (Episode 4)
https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/636fc3bdb7
Writing Course