Good afternoon, Dr. Louis: Please see below a prompt that I made for our students this week on Chapter 6 from Of Mice and Men. If you have time, let me know what you think and what changes need to …
DECODING A WRITING PROMPT We have all heard students exclaim, “I don’t know how to start!” The Jane Schaffer Writing Program® (JSWP) was designed by Jane to remove that thought from their minds. From the prompt to the final draft, …
Dear Dr. Louis, How do I teach weaving? Scott Dear Scott: “Weaving” is Jane Schaffer’s integral step of blending concrete details (CDs) and commentary (CM). When a student demonstrates his/her ability to identify and understand CDs and CMs and when …
Dear Dr. Louis, “For the synthesis question on the AP Language exam (which is basically an argument prompt but the students have to use sources as CDs), I’ve heard much talk from other AP teachers that the commentary should still …
Dear Dr. Louis, Could you remind me of that wonderful three part phrase about concrete detail? With gratitude, Marie S. Dear Marie, Of course! For student writers, knowing how to evaluate what evidence to use in an essay is a …
The Vertical Vision: A Recipe for Success is a four-part webinar series that provides teachers with a practical and effective approach to teaching novel and drama selections while integrating vocabulary, grammar/syntax, and writing strategies. Teachers attending this webinar use their …
Dear Dr. Louis, Our district is considering summer reading. What is your opinion? Delainey Dear Delainey: One answer: the best of times; the worst of times. I say that because summer reading and any outside reading requirement can be …
I am wondering about the Dialectical Journal form. My students complete dialectical journals as we read our novels, but I love this form that you attached . . . we do them in a journal notebook in class. Now that …
Dear Dr. Louis, I need your insight and expertise. As so much continues to shift and change in our district, we have had more and more questions around all things English Language Arts (ELA) and literacy. Some folks believe that …
Hi Dr. Louis! Happy New Year! I have a question for you regarding expository writing. In filling out the T-Chart for a body paragraph, how do you explain the difference between the commentary sentence and the concluding sentence? The ideas …
