Week Five: The Balancing Act

These past few weeks have completely affirmed my undying commitment to transparency and simplicity. While both of these concepts seem obvious and important in the classroom, a large part of the debate rests around the application of such strategies. Case in point- I have been instructed to teach a "writing boot camp" the second week in April for my freshman English class. In an effort to avoid failing AYP for a possible second year in a row, this district has enforced a writing workshop the week before the freshman writing tests. In English classes, the teachers must focus attention to academic writing, refresher grammar lessons, and test taking strategies to better prepare the students for a high stakes game of standardized assessments.

As I cuddle yet another Tuesday night with Dornan, I wonder: How do I encourage free, unfinished writing techniques (workshops, portfolios) in an atmosphere with the score as a bottom line?

In answering this question, I begin with what I won't be doing. I refuse to drop my content and teach a straight, unconnected week of writing techniques. This will be unmotivating and disengaging to the students (as well as the teacher) and will result in frustration before the first test page has even been turned. Also, I can't afford to ignore the demands of the administration and forgo the insistent writing instruction for that week. Not only would I be doing a disservice to my students, I'm also likely to piss off a few at the top.

So ultimately I take the middle ground: mirroring the "Mechanically Inclined" presentation we witnessed last week. I see my lessons following a structure that includes short mini grammar lessons, discussion of the text, and an incorporation of skill and content into a writing exercise. My saving grace in all of this cross curriculum planning will be the interjection of transparency. All grammar, organization, and writing strategies will be extremely explicit to the students. These will act as test taking strategies, while also filling up a writer's toolbox for later activities. None the less, this example illustrates just another way teachers find themselves imagining, creating, and performing the juggling act that is education.

Link for the Week: In following the theme of transparency, the Minnesota Department of Education has created a teachers guide to the GRAD writing test. This pdf file includes a past question, direct expectations, grading rubric, format of actual test, and examples of written work. This would be a fantastic tool to share with your students; it would help eliminate some test anxiety while illustrating sold writing tools (pdf available at the bottom of the link page below).

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/GRAD/Item_Samplers/index.html