How to get my
Students to Submit Quality
Writing Assignments?
Selecting Writing Variables
Topic
Audience
Purpose
Format
Voice
Topic
Is the topic limited enough?
Do I know enough about the topic?
Should I brainstorm with others to
learn more about the topic?
Audience
Which real audience might I write
to? (fellow student, friend, family
member, etc)
Which imagined audience might I
write to? (movie star, historical
figure, character from novel, river)
How much does the audience know
about the topic?
Purpose
What is my purpose for writing for
my specific audience? (to tell, to
argue, to explain, to entertain)
How is my purpose going to narrow
my topic?
Format
Which format best fulfils my
purpose? (descriptive paragraph,
argumentative essay, poem, etc)
Voice
Will I use my own voice as the
narrator?
Will I choose to use a persona?
(Shakespeare, endangered animal,
pilgrim, polluted beach)
How will my audience appreciate
my choice of voice?
Writing Variables
Topic
Audien Purpos Format Voice
ce
e
Fear of dark my teacher
to get
expository
credit for
paragraph
an
assignment
my own
Fear of dark my father
To tell him
what
caused my
fear
letter
my own
Fear of dark my
counselor
(imagined)
To tell her
that my
dreams are
responsible
for my fear
detailed
report
me, at six
Writing Variables Activity
The five excerpts are from an
assignment that was given to
students during the first week of
class. They all had to begin with
the broad topic of Drugs/Alcohol.
Determine the remaining writing
variables (audience, purpose,
format and voice) for each excerpt.
Jigsaw Activity
Writing
variables Across
the Curriculum
Take a Walk to
Brainstorm
Invisible Ink
Peer Editing
Peer Editing
Students often submit writing assignments that has
not been edited by anyone, including themselves.
Many papers do not warrant the time and effort
teachers put into them.
Students are accustomed to reading the same
comments each time they turn in a writing
assignment.
Sometimes students don’t understand the meaning
of AWK, UNCLEAR, COMMA SPLICE, AGRRMENT
PROBLEM or CONFUSING
A peer editing session can weed out many errors
before papers reach the teachers’ eyes.
Peer editing is beneficial to both writer and editor.
Circle Editing Exercise