I'm going to be "that" guy and say something treasonous in the world of composition ...
Writing heuristics far out perform templates all day long.
Here's why:
- Writing is not a paint-by-number endeavor (if it's to be good, it's gotta be more organic and natural sounding)
- Providing most secondary students with pre-fabricated sentence stems stymies their voice and authentic thinking
- At the AP level, I'm convinced that kids who use templates largely preclude themselves from earning the sophistication point
But most students need a tad bit of help in getting their brilliant thoughts captured cogently on paper.
This is where heuristics can help.
In today's writing workshop video, I demonstrate how I ran a stations activity in my classroom that had students writing five introductory paragraphs in under 80 minutes that showcased Oscar Nominated Short Films ... all while pulling the strings of my inverted thesis heuristic.
This is a powerful and liberating way to teach composition!
If you find that your students are too stifled by templates, give this exercise a whirl.
Not only will you see your kids write more dynamically, but they will immediately write with greater purpose and discipline.
Happy teaching and happy writing!
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