A Tool for Writing

Students enjoy it

Students already know how to use most of it

It is relatively safe

Students can be easily monitored

It’s not going anywhere

Students enjoy it!

Plagiarism checks are easier

Students improve keyboarding skills

A weekly paper that requires both reading and writing

A different text is chosen each week

A variety of types of texts area used: images, essays, films, articles, poems, stories, and multimedia productions

- Improve their familiarity with how to use the Web and its resources

- Reinforce/Extend their knowledge of the six writing traits: Sentence Fluency, Ideas and Content, Word Choice, Voice, Conventions and Organization

Write about subjects that interest them

Demonstrate an ability to read a variety of texts with insight

Write with an emphasis on clarity and correctness

1. Students choose a text to read from the teachers website.

2. Students read their chosen text, jotting down a few questions first to guide their reading

Write a one-page paper that:Establishes a clear thesisIs organized into paragraphs that build on the thesisHas a titleIs properly formattedIs revisedIs proofread

Weekly Writing – that is ideally worked on daily – improves students writing skills

Student chosen texts sparks interestStudents’ (as well as teachers’) technological skills

improve with useCan be graded or participation based to encourage

taking risks

Technology and a reoccurring assignment cannot replace solid instruction.

Technology is not a crunch, but it can enhance the curriculum.

Information on The Weekly Paper from The English Teacher’s Companion Third Edition

By: Jim Burke