12 guidelines for teaching writing in middle school

Teaching Pre K-8, Nov 1994 by Manning, Maryann, Manning, Gary

"Where did you learn to write so well, Daniel?" That's a question Daniel Underwood is often asked by people who read his letters or any other written communication. Without a doubt, Daniel, a first-year plebe at West Point, is an effective writer.

Daniel credits his eighth grade English teacher, Mark Barber, for much of his writing ability. He remembers that it was in Mark's English class that he really began to see himself as a writer. It was there that his ability to express himself creatively and imaginatively was fostered.

Obviously, Mark is one of those extra-special teachers who have the ability to inspire their students. There's always something to be learned from teachers like that, and so we decided to visit Mark and spend some time in his classroom.

Meet Mark. Mark Barber teaches at a middle school in Homewood, Alabama. We first knew him by reputation as a middle school language arts teacher who gets kids excited about reading and writing.

Mark teaches six sequential 50 minute periods of language arts, with 25 kids in each class. Although some of his students have been in process classrooms and enter his class with confidence as writers, many have little or no experience in a writing workshop and are very fragile as writers.

When discussing some of his beliefs, he said, "I have to go into the classroom excited about what I'm doing with eighth graders. I just help them see that literature and writing are really about them. I help both come alive for them."

1. Mark's curriculum is language-rich. "I believe that if students are to explore written language as writers, they must be saturated in literature as readers. As readers and writers, they connect with a variety of language structures, words, ideas and imagination."

2. When we asked Mark how he balances reading and writing, he said, "I bounce back and forth. Things flow out of literature. Some of our best writing flows out of a novel study.

"I can't pinpoint exactly how much time is spent in any one area of language arts. There are times when I have chunks of time for reading in one genre. During the reading of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, for example, I can't break up the flow of reading the novel with other activities. Some times, if we're into reading, we may go without much writing for a while. On the other hand, there may be times when we write a lot with little reading."

3. Most middle school teachers are well aware of the argument about the importance and value of grammar. The research is absolutely clear on this point: formal grammar instruction has no influence on students' writing.

Mark knows the research and has confirmed it with his own kid-watching in middle school classes. Nevertheless, he does teach some formal grammar through mini-lessons.

"The issue isn't whether to teach grammar and the mechanics of language (spelling, punctuation, etc.), but rather how and when. I might teach students about strong nouns, for example, when I find good examples in literature.

"I also teach language skills during writing conferences, especially when students are editing. In fact, my students now apply their language knowledge through writing far more than they did when I used a formal grammar approach."

4. Mark stresses the importance of parent involvement. He meets with parents regularly and has an open-door policy.

"At the beginning of the year during open house, I discuss with parents the curriculum in our eighth grade language arts class. As a part of this discussion, I draw an analogy between an automobile and writing that seems to help parents understand my approach.

"Learning the parts of a car doesn't make you a good driver. Learning about aspects of driving may be important, but that knowledge isn't very useful if a driver can't apply it--that is, if he or she can't drive a car.

"It's the same thing with language. Learning about the parts of language and writing is necessary, but if my students can't apply that knowledge, if they can't write expressively and creatively and at the same time write with correct usage and spelling, that knowledge isn't very useful."

5. Let your students know you're a writer. "When I first started teaching, I wasn't a writer. Later in my career, I realized that if I expected my students to write, I had to be a writer as well.

"I sometimes write my own first drafts on the overhead. I may also refer to a dictionary or a thesaurus, modeling the writing experience. The students are a tremendous help as they respond to various drafts.

"Letting students know you're a reader is just as important as letting them know you're a writer. In addition to reading silently in front of the students, I read aloud to them. As I read, I might stop at certain points and think aloud so that the students can hear what's going on in my head as a reader."

6. It's important to have some core books that are read by the students each year. However, Mark emphasizes that it's also important for him to change a few books each year to keep himself from burning out on them.