Our Students Can’t Write

In the writing portion of the National Assessment of Education Progress, girls scored better than boys, as did those students whose teachers required them to use word processing and editing on computers for their assignments. BUT, the results were not glowing, because out of all of the eighth and twelfth graders who took these tests, only 27 percent scored at, or above, the proficient level. Even more disturbing was that at the twelfth grade level, only 9 percent of blacks and 12 percent of Latinos were at or above the proficient level.  Most students tested were unable to write “well-organized stories with strong details, precise word choices, and varied sentences.” The results suggest that there needs to be a focus on writing skills beyond the basics and that, with greater use of word processing, students will understand how this tech tool can help them improve their writing.

Language Arts for Kindergarten

The K12 Kindergarten Language Arts program, which will be available soon from K12, Inc., features both textbook and online learning and could be used for enrichment and remediation as well as on-level learning. It is a very comprehensive program in which lessons can be customized to fit the varying needs of children. K12 Kindergarten Language Arts seems best used with home study or with small group learning, but could be adapted for classroom use. Children will appreciate the colorful and clever online graphics, the music and the games. All components of the program, except the handwriting section, make use of online activities that enhance textbook instruction. K12, Inc. is a company that caters to individualized and small group learning led by a learning coach, often a parent. Certified teachers help the learning coach with management of individual learning plans. If you are a school administrator and want to know how this program might impact your school, you’ll want to browse the K12 site for information about available courses and perhaps download the K12 Whitepaper.

Teacher’s Assistant; Student Tutor—Writing

English teachers know that it’s not easy to include writing in their courses especially considering the many other facets of language arts they need to cover. Writing takes time to teach, time for edits, and time for rewrites—plus evaluation. Although students need practice in writing skills, many don’t get the guidance they need to become better writers. Prentice-Hall offers an online Writing Coach (Grades 6-12), which has the ability to help students with writing and teachers with the grading of student writing. Through practice in writing, students learn such skills as varying sentence patterns and length and putting correct grammar to use. I had a good time trying out my writing in the program because it was fun for me to see what this digital coach thought of my work. Of course, Prentice-Hall Writing Coach can’t replace teachers, but it could be a big help to teachers and give a writing boost to students.

Digital Tools Support Writing

Julie D. Ramsay’s Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing? (Stenhouse Publishers) offers ideas for collaborating in class and online for Grades 3-8. It’s available as an ebook for $18 and paperback for $20 plus $5 shipping. The activities in the book, including publishing podcasts and writing digital stories, target getting students “fired up for writing” through the use of communication and digital tools. Ramsey suggests picking the tool or tools that work best for you and your students and then putting your students to work collaborating with others around the world and publishing their own work.  Why not check out an online preview of the book?