Gone are the days when a teacher can simply assign an essay. I could never say to my students, “By next Friday, write an essay explaining how and why a theme relates to the book 1984.” Welcome to the day of providing a high-quality education where all students are able to achieve IF they give some effort and time into their school work. I usually try to do one formal essay with my students per quarter. To do so, I set aside a week and a half to two weeks from start to finish. I guide my students through the writing process to ensure that everyone, as long as they make some sort of effort keep in mind, can successfully complete the required work.

The writing process itself involves six steps: brainstorming, outline, draft, revision, final, and publication. I try to get to the publication at least once a year, but to be honest, who would want to read these academic essays we teachers have to prepare high school students to write? I am referring to my most recent essays written in class; for the juniors, 1984 Theme Analysis Essay; for the freshmen, Romeo and Juliet Theme Analysis Essay.

So here is the process I go through to help my students:

Step one: Brainstorming

This one requires time in class. I have students create a chart using the backside of the first sheet of paper (see the attached documents). Each has five rows - one for each theme - see the first sheet for these and for the 1984 essay, there are three columns (one for each book) and for Romeo and Juliet, there are five columns (one for each act).

Through my guided whole-class discussion, we fill-in each box with at least one with as many as three examples of each theme for each part of the text. Once the chart is completed, I have students circle one theme they are comfortable with, understand and feel they can write a five-paragraph essay about. Then, they must select three examples from that theme’s row. So, if a box has more than one example, students must select one from that box. These three examples are the start of their three body paragraphs.

To confirm their selections, I require students to circle the theme they have selected, and then transfer over the example from the row into the T-chart on the first page. I guide students to find one quote from the text that accurately illustrates the plot event. They have to write the quote down, word for word, on the chart with the page number.

Step two: Outline

Regardless of whether a student feels he or she can write a paper without an outline, we do spend time in class working on the introduction and first body paragraph together. I do an example with them as they complete their own outline using the examples and theme they selected. See pages two and three of the assignment as linked above.

One word of caution: be sure students know that yours is an example. I find that so many students are just accustomed to writing down everything on the board that they fail to know the material they are recording, do not understand what they are writing/reading and feel a false sense that they are “being a good student” when really, they are not engaged other than moving their pencil on the paper.

Now I do grade steps one and two; I refer to this as a completion grade, which does include the chart.

Step three: Drafting

I have found that by making time in the computer lab, two days works just fine, but adjust depending on the length of your class periods. We do go over and set-up our Word documents using MLA formatting. I then inform students to use their outline to write the essay starting with Introduction - Hook. This too is collected by the end of the second lab day for another competition grade.

Step four/five: Revision to Produce a Final Draft

I was guilty of this, and find many of my colleagues are stressed out by looking at drafts of students’ essays. Don’t be. After I give the completion grade, I do read and make comments on each student’s paper. All I read is the introduction and the first body paragraphs ONLY. I have found that the same errors made in these two paragraphs are repeated throughout the essay. I do make written comments, like suggestions of how to reword sentences and new ides of how to develop the explanation and analysis part, but I most importantly, highlight words that should be avoided and phrases/sentences that should be rephrased. Again, please stress to your students that you only read the first two paragraphs; I don’t know why they make the assumption that because their is no writing, it means everything is perfect.

I use to have student do peer editing with my guided rounds, but I have now found that too many students just do not know how to write or even what good writing sounds like. Once I have made my comments/highlights on their draft, we do a self-edit. I formally review what should be in the introduction, yes, using my example of what a thesis, for example, not only is but what a good one looks/sounds like. I have them compare what they wrote to what I wrote. Then, they make their own notes so they know what to correct when we go back into the lab for another two days to revise.

I have found this highly structured process not only helps students learn to become better writers, but they do so by reworking their own work, not simply copying down and correcting what the teacher wrote.