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Formulaic Writing: A Cup of Clarity and a Pinch of Pedagogy

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | April 15, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, What do I say to people who say that the Jane Schaffer® methodology is formulaic. Elizabeth Dear Elizabeth: Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if all students felt comfortable and fluid in writing academic essays? The simple truth is that …

JSWP AND CHUNKING

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | April 9, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, In the past, as 7th grade teachers we have stuck with the one, two, or three-chunk JS single paragraphs.  Last year as our students completed the SBAC, they were confused with questions that required them to compose a …

Persuasion vs. Argumentation

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | March 23, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’,   Could you please explain the difference between persuasive and argumentative writing…could it be as simple as semantics?   –    Gerene     Dear Gerene:   The difference is semantics, but in its most formal sense: …

The “What” and the “Why” of Writing

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | March 13, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. Louis, I recently gave my students the following prompt:  “Write an essay explaining why hard work is necessary to be successful.”   My District Coordinator told me that [the students’ responses] were not showing the “hard work”  required in the …

Clear Organization and a Common Language for Students

By Deborah Louis | August 14, 2014 | 0 Comments

“Very clear way to organize essay writing and have common language for students.” Who Said It: Janet S., Speech Educator in Canton, MI  

Collegiality

By Deborah Louis | August 14, 2014 | 0 Comments

Our teachers loved the training. They were totally engaged in the conversations. I spoke to several teachers after the training and they were very excited to get back to the classroom and work on implementation. The training was excellent. Who …

How individual sheets connect to the big picture of writing?

By Deborah Louis | September 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, I’m concerned that, since everything is so new, the students do not understand how those individual sheets connect to the big picture of writing? Answer:Start with a final piece.  Show them a sample of the end result.  …

The Conclusion of an Expository or Argumentative Essay

By Deborah Louis | September 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, Could you review the conclusion portion of the argument essay and the expository essay?  I’m still struggling with that part. Answer:Sure.  Let’s start with expository.  Go to your expository packet and turn to the page on conclusions and …

Teaching Pre-AP and AP English: Synthesis

By Deborah Louis | March 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

We offer several AP/Pre-AP sessions. A. Preparing Students for the AP Literature and Composition Free Response Question This workshop is two days, 5 hours each day (not including lunch); Day 1 is a prerequisite for Day 2. Teachers learn how …

Teaching Pre-AP and AP English: Argumentation

By Deborah Louis | March 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

We offer several AP/Pre-AP sessions. A. Preparing Students for the AP Literature and Composition Free Response Question This workshop is two days, 5 hours each day (not including lunch); Day 1 is a prerequisite for Day 2. Teachers learn how …