Atwell stated, “In evaluating writing I know my grading system has to take into account all the abilities that come into play when a writer writes. Writing isn’t one ability but a combination of many—experimenting, anticipating, planning, choosing, questioning, listening, reviewing, editing, and so on.” Atwell is a scholarly English language arts teacher who provides an interesting perspective on grading techniques she uses for her writing students. As a teacher, Atwell refuses to give into the pressure or conform herself to following the traditional grading methods and standards that many English teachers use.
As teachers of writing, should we persuade our students to aim for a certain letter grade or numeric score when assigning them a writing assignment? What are some of the grading criteria teachers should use to score their student’s writing assignments?
As Atwell mentioned because writing is a combination of different aspects it is not fair to simply grade writing assignments by following the traditional grading model which includes grammar, content, and format. Although these aspects are extremely important, teachers should also take into consideration the student’s effort and their overall attempt to the writing prompt itself. Most importantly, seeing their overall progression or improvement since completing their last writing assignment will encourage the student to always give one-hundred percent in everything they attempt.
In closing, for many students writing may not be an easy concept to grasp so as teachers of writing it is our duty to be patient and understanding as our students’ transition into advanced writing or new genres that they may not be not accustomed to. We can start this by assessing our students’ growth and efforts over time. As an educator, I would like to see my students try their best and show me that they are giving their all into each writing piece they attempt. With this in mind, students and myself will not feel overwhelmed or pressured in working towards a score or a “grade.”
Samantka Miller
As teachers of writing, should we persuade our students to aim for a certain letter grade or numeric score when assigning them a writing assignment? What are some of the grading criteria teachers should use to score their student’s writing assignments?
As Atwell mentioned because writing is a combination of different aspects it is not fair to simply grade writing assignments by following the traditional grading model which includes grammar, content, and format. Although these aspects are extremely important, teachers should also take into consideration the student’s effort and their overall attempt to the writing prompt itself. Most importantly, seeing their overall progression or improvement since completing their last writing assignment will encourage the student to always give one-hundred percent in everything they attempt.
In closing, for many students writing may not be an easy concept to grasp so as teachers of writing it is our duty to be patient and understanding as our students’ transition into advanced writing or new genres that they may not be not accustomed to. We can start this by assessing our students’ growth and efforts over time. As an educator, I would like to see my students try their best and show me that they are giving their all into each writing piece they attempt. With this in mind, students and myself will not feel overwhelmed or pressured in working towards a score or a “grade.”
Samantka Miller