Helping Students Become Better Writers

Helping students become better writers and thinkers is an important goal of every ELA teacher.

We all know that many of our students struggle with writing. In fact, many students groan at the mere mention of having to put thoughts to paper.

The more we can provide relevance and authentic purpose for writing in our classrooms, the more interest our students will have in becoming better writers.

Teen girl writing on a piece of paper.

Teens Supporting Other Teens to Become Better Writers

I recently learned about an interesting website called www.writetheworld.com.

The resources found at this site would definitely help students between the ages of 13-18 become better writers. The site is a community of writers for students from all over the world.

Write the World encourages students to write more, write well, and write collaboratively with other students. Students can earn special badges along the way as they build their writing portfolios.

Students can join writing groups. They can also participate in other fun activities where they can become better writers thorough feedback and support from their peers. There are also writing guidelines available for student use.

Tools for the Classroom to Help Students Become Better Writers

On Write the World, teachers will find writing prompt ideas, writing guidelines, lesson plans, and competitions to spark student interest in writing.

You will find a range of tools and resources to create a lively writing community in your classroom.

You can create a writing group for your students and use the special writing prompts they provide. These prompts can not only help your student become better writers, they can also improve their thinking skills.

You can integrate the global platform into your regular curriculum and enable your students to qualify for prizes, and special awards.

The site also allows you to connect your students to peer or expert reviewers for feedback.

As an author, I love this site! 

I would have loved sharing my writing with a supportive community like this when I was a student. I am sure your students would be interested in having others read their work as well.

How many budding authors might you have in your classroom?

Be sure to check it out and see if it might help your students become better writers as well.

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How to Teach Argumentative Writing

How to Teach Argumentative Writing

Students discussing a topic

One of the ELA standards for teachers in grades 4 and up in most states is teaching students how to write an argumentative paper.

While this may sound easy enough, many students do not understand how writing an argumentative paper differs from writing a persuasive paper.

Here are a few ways to help students learn how to craft a high-quality piece of argumentative writing.

diary and pen
Writing is an Important Academic Skill

The Difference Between Persuasive Writing and Argumentative Writing

First, let’s make sure we are on the same page by clarifying the difference between persuasive and argumentative writing.

Persuasive writing is more personal, passionate, and often more emotionally laden. The writer’s goal in persuasive writing is to persuade the reader to change their view on a particular topic.

In this type of writing, the author identifies a topic and their opinion and/or desire on the topic. The author then uses primarily emotional appeals to get the reader to change the reader’s opinion on the topic.

For example, a child might argue with a parent to raise the child’s bedtime or increase an allowance.

Argumentation presents an idea and a sound rationale for the writer’s conclusions. This is true regardless of whether or not the reader agrees with the writer at the end.

When creating an argumentative essay, the author researches the topic and states a perspective on the topic. They then acknowledge that other viewpoints on the topic may also have merit by objectively presenting these differing viewpoints.

The writer merely states their position and provides the logic behind their conclusions and perspectives.  

For example, a writer creating an argumentative piece might say something like this.

“Due to rising concerns over rapid climate change in the world, governments should subsidize the development of vehicles that run on clean energy sources such as electric or solar power (claim).

While some people might say that tax dollars should not be used to subsidize private businesses, speeding the development of electric and solar vehicles through clean energy subsidies for car manufactures can speed up the growth of more environmentally friendly vehicles for all Americans (counterclaim).”

The goal of persuasive writing is to convince the reader that their viewpoint is the “right” viewpoint. It may include a heavy reliance on emotional appeals and the author’s own opinions. 

In argumentative writing, the writer offers credible facts, statistics, expert quotes, anecdotes and stories to give “sufficient evidence” for the position the writer has taken on the topic.  

Opinions are generally not used as “evidence” to support the position of the argumentative essay.

Introducing Students to Argumentative Writing

The best way to introduce argumentative writing to students is to give them engaging and relevant topics to think about.

Interesting topics for students include social issues like immigration or social justice. They might also be interested in environmental issues like climate change or deforestation.

Other issues such as pop culture, school issues, or family-related concerns may also be topics of interest to students.

An easy way to get students started thinking about their views is to present a simple question giving two choices.

Some examples are: Which is a better pet – a dog or a cat?  What is your favorite place to vacation – the beach or the mountains? Where would you rather live – in a city or in the country? 

Students who prefer option A move to one side of the classroom. Students who prefer option B move to the opposite side of the room. Once in position, students find a partner and compare notes on why they chose the same option.

Students then choose a partner from the opposite perspective and share why they chose their perspective. This activity helps students choose a viewpoint and identify the pros and cons of this choice.

The next step is to have students apply their thinking to several articles with different viewpoints on the same topic.

One of my favorite sources for articles with multiple perspectives on a contemporary topic is News ELA

Choose several articles from the Pro and Con category on the News ELA website. Select at least 3 articles from each perspective that would be interesting and engaging for your students.  

For example, one topic that my students enjoyed was the topic of driverless cars. Most students had some opinion on this topic before reading the selected articles. They learned more by reading three pro and three con articles on the topic.

Students got into groups of 4 to discuss what they read. They also identified evidence they felt helped reinforce their perspectives. A few even changed their perspectives based on what they read.

Once students have identified how strong evidence supports the premise, students move to writing their own argumentative paper.

Helping Students Write an Effective Argumentative Paper

 An excellent way to help students start writing their own argumentative papers is to study a few, well-written model papers.

A helpful place to find student-written model argumentative papers is on the website Achieve the Core.

As students examine the model papers, ask them how the author presents and supports their position on the topic. Point out that well-written argumentative papers present a central argument or claim that explains the author’s perspective on the topic.

Students then provide clear statements that logically support the author’s position on the topic. Evidence statements might be in the form of reputable expert quotes, statistics or anecdotes.

Students might even find relevant stories that support the author’s position on the topic.

The next step is to study how other students have presented counterarguments in their essays. Students research other valid positions on their topic.

In the counterargument section of their paper, the writer points out other common perspectives. They then describe weaknesses in the logic of these arguments using transitions such as: “although…. I agree that;” “while some people believe that…”; “on the one hand…”; “that is not to say that…” and similar types of counter transition words.  

Here is an example of a counter argument a student wrote on the topic of the efficacy of driverless vehicles”

“Some people believe that driverless trucks are dangerous on the road. Studies suggest that over 90% of accidents involving trucks on the highway are actually caused by human error. In 2018, nearly 5,000 Americans died in accidents that involved human-driven trucks. As self-driving trucks are improved in the future, they will save lives by being safer than human-driven trucks. “

In the counter-claim section of their writing, students can use facts, statistics, anecdotes, expert quotes, and stories to support the evidence they provide in their counterclaims.

Argumentative Papers End with A Call to Action

Finally, a well-written argumentative paper should make a final appeal or a “call to action” to the audience.

What action does the writer want the reader to take on the issue? Should they contact their congressperson? Should they go out and buy a new innovation?  What exactly action does the writer want the audience to take as a result of reading their essay? 

Once again, help students see examples of good final appeals in an argumentative essay. This will help writers understand the elements of a solid argumentative paper. This will have them well on their way to mastering this form of writing.

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How to Help Students Become Better Writers

Publishing Student Writing and Generating Reading Excitement

Research shows that writing reinforces and builds reading skills so the more we get students writing, the more improvements they make in their reading. A great way to get students excited about writing is to get their works published on the internet. Reading Rockets and AdLit.org has recently established a monthly challenge that gives students writing prompts that they can address. The prompts are inspired by the Exquisite Corpse Adventure serial saga being presented on the Library of Congress website. Each month, there is a new prompt for students in grades K-12 that correlates with the ongoing Adventure saga. Be sure to check out the prompts and the Adventure. The ongoing adventure is fun and will get students excited and thinking! Your kids will love the writing challenge and may just get their best writing published! There is also a great literacy resource “treasure chest” at the Library of Congress site for both parents and teachers. Be sure to check both of these great resources out!