October 2017

Let me know how I can help! Do you need sample lesson plans? Rubrics? Bibliographies?

 

If we do not have the print resources that your curriculum requires, please let me know so that I can order materials this semester.

 

K-12 Anchor & Grade Level Standards - Updated 1/03/2017

 

Alabama WRITING Anchor & Grade Level Standards for ELA, History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

 

Research to Build and Present Knowledge CCR Anchor Standard 7. "Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation." 

 

ELA: 9th-12th--Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

 

 

History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Studies: 9th-12th-- Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem, narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

 

Research to Build and Present Knowledge CCR Anchor Standard 8. "Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.”

 

Note the differences*

ELA: 9th and 10th--Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print & digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism & following a standard format for citation.

ELA: 11th and 12th-- Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print & digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths & limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, & audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism & overreliance on any one source & following a standard format for citation.

 

History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Studies: 9th and 10th-- Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. 

 

History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Studies: 11th and 12th--Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. 

Recently, I asked several college students what they thought the FPHS Library program could do to help students be better prepared for the “real world.” I only inquired about library services and reading (research, reading, and writing), but the FPHS alumni who wrote to me were eager to share their overall experiences and advice.

 

* This is a portion of one of the letters I received from a former student.

 

All Auburn students will have to write though, despite their major. The Office of University Writing is implementing the Writing Initiative, which basically aims to engage all students in writing by adapting it to their field. For example, science majors will write in a different format and with different content than a political science major; they both will write though. The idea is to nurture writing skills among students but make it applicable for real-world, future experience.

People need to know how to communicate and articulate their work—no more of that “I’m a science guy. I don’t write.” The assignments will look different for every course, but professors typically try to make it useful.

 

That doesn’t mean the writing will always be easy. So it’s a tricky task to prepare students for collegiate reading and writing. This past year I worked as a writing consultant for the Auburn University Miller Writing Center. The writing center’s goal is to make better writers, not better papers. As a consultant, I worked with all students (ESL students, freshman comp students, chemistry majors, engineering grad students, nursing school applicants) and all writing (lab reports, personal statements, lit analyses, research proposals). My job was to help students structure drafts to improve their overall clarity and flow. I encountered a lot of students who were fine writers, and I met some who really struggled with it or just didn’t care. It gave me a pretty good taste of what students struggle with.