Composition in Pre-AP* English Classes

“How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?”

-E.M. ForsterAspects of the Novel,

1927

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Pre-AP* is a trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College Entrance Examination Board was not involved in the production of this material.

Strategies for Writing Instruction

Are effective writers just born that way?

Certainly, natural talent occurs in a few individuals.

But how can we transform our writing programs so that all students learn to write effectively?

Students need to write often – even daily.

Students need to write in multiple modes and for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Students need to study professional writers as models and be given the chance to imitate some of their techniques.

Students should develop their own voices and styles through imagery, precise vocabulary, concrete detail, and varied syntax patterns.

Student writers should practice techniques of logical organization.

Students should learn to balance generalizations with specific details.

Students should learn how to control the tone of their writing by using rhetorical strategies and techniques. They should also learn how to maintain a consistent and recognizable voice.

Students should be encouraged to experiment with form rather than relying on a rigid template or unvarying model.

Student writers must be given the

opportunity to practice each part

of the writing process: pre-

writing, drafting, revising, and

editing.

The Writing Process

Modes of Writing

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing allows a writer to practice noticing details and using precise language to convey to the reader exactly the object, setting, or person being described.

Effective descriptive writers use diction, imagery, point of view, and detail to convey their attitudes toward the subject.

Expository Writing

Expository writing usually focuses on an idea, topic or text. Students break the topic or text into parts to understand it better. They may investigate further through research.

In expository writing, students identify, classify, analyze, compare and contrast; they explore cause and effect; they explain.

Expository writers draw conclusions about meaning and universal themes.

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing allows a person to give voice to experience – both real and imagined.

Narrative writers practice the age-old activity of storytelling. They develop characters and shape plot; they punctuate dialogue and create vivid descriptions.

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing requires that students analyze an issue, breaking it into its component parts by considering both sides of the argument.

Persuasive writing teaches students to- Understand and address their audience- Choose effective words and comparisons- Support a position with well-chosen

evidence- Establish credibility- Evoke emotion in their readers

Personal WritingPersonal writing invites students to

reflect on their world, beliefs, and experiences in order to make sense out of them.

Personal writing about a text helps readers connect the events and insights in a text to those in their own experiences.

Personal writing also allows students to use their own lives and those of others as texts.

Writing in a Pre-AP Classroomincludes:

Daily Writing: short, reflective, ungraded writing

Journal entries Quick-writes Pre-Discussion notes Text Annotations

In-Class, Timed Writing:

essays written throughout the term and graded as first drafts

Multi-Draft Writing: extended-time writing intended to undergo the full writing process

The Value of Teaching Composition

At its best a course that utilizes Pre-AP strategies is really about teaching young people to think. Learning the techniques of effective composition in the language arts classroom will be valuable to the student for a lifetime.

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