UIL Ready Writing Workshops for Ready Writing Coaches
- Slides: 8
UIL Ready Writing Workshops for Ready Writing Coaches Dr. Thomas Barker, TTU UIL RW Contest Director Dr. Rich Rice , TTU Assistant Professor Technical Communication
Training Exercises for Ready Writers Lay the groundwork Teach the nature of exposition Exercise Focus on prewriting and organizing strategies Exercise Use winning ready writing essays
Responding to Ready Writers This workshop segment is an activity. 1. Read the sample essay 2. Respond using the rubric 3. Compare responses with others 4. Compare responses to “suggestions”
Recruiting Ready Writers Select the best Ready Writing candidates – – – Highly intelligent Well read Distinctive writing style Involvement in other extracurricular activities Love of challenge and competition Reliability Limit writers to 6 per year Build subject-area files: “sociology, ” “education, ” “the nation, ” “family and lifestyle, ” “science and the environment”
Teaching Elements of Exposition 1. Have students write a thesis 2. Exchange and critique: “How would you revise thesis to make it clearer? ” “Where do you expect the essay to go after reading this thesis? ” “What words seem strong or weak in thesis? ” Exercise: What questions would you ask about the “outline, ” the “development” the “language” Training Exercises for Ready Writers
Prompt for the Day “An Athenian citizen does not put his private affairs before the affairs of the state; even our merchants and businessmen know something about politics. We alone believe that a man who takes no interest in public affairs is more than harmless—he is useless. ” Pericles’ Funeral Oration Athens, 5 th century BC Shaping an Essay Training Exercises for Ready Writers
Shaping an Essay What three or four ideas do you see associated with the prompt? How do the ideas relate to one another? What’s the progression from one to another? What shaping strategies might apply? growth of a plant, climbing a mountain, spreading of a disease, downhill slide, gathering storm, quest for a holy grail, sin/redemption, lost/found, tension/release? Other? Prompt for the Day Training Exercises for Ready Writers
