Several years ago, a high school principal investigated why so many of her students were failing. After staff-wide research, the reason became clear: bad writing, an inability to turn thoughts into sentences, paragraphs and essays. A rigorous program of writing in every subject except math ensued, and within two years, final statewide exam scores rose 10 to 20 points.
Teachers began this new program by teaching a simple skill: how to turn ideas into simple sentences. When students could do that, they learned how put ideas into compound and complex sentences.
Students learned how to identify the main idea in a paragraph next, and then how to write a paragraph with a main idea. Once paragraphs were mastered, it was on to essays, learning how to develop an introduction and controlling idea (thesis) and how to write body paragraphs to back up that controlling idea. Students learned how to incorporate details into their writing, especially examples.
What students were taught was to think critically through structured writing—a point of view with facts to back it up. To do it well takes planning and organizing ideas. It is the kind of writing which the Common Core State Standards expects all high school students to master.
To find out more about this amazing success story at New Dorp High School in Staten Island, go to Peg Tyre’s article in The Atlantic. Though it was published five years ago, the story–and the method to improve thinking through structured writing–is just as relevant today. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/the-writing-revolution/309090/
English Writing Teacher 