• Teacher Resources

    • Teacher Resources

    General Advice for UP Teachers
    This section of the textbook provides additional support to teachers on how to use this text and support the learning at this proficiency level.
    Here are some general tips for teaching writing at this proficiency level.

    Using Canvas

    Here are some links to Canvas tutorials that may be helpful to you as you navigate using Canvas in your course.

    Creating Assignments

    Giving Feedback

    Student View

    Additional Writing Resources

    Here is a list of some external websites that may be helpful to you as you prepare for class. Some of these may also be useful to share with your students depending on their needs and comfort with navigating these sites.

  • The BYU Research and Writing Center. This link will take you to their handouts on a variety of topics. You are also welcome to reach out to try to schedule a visit to the RWC in the campus library with your students.
  • The Purdue Online Writing Lab. This is a very popular resource for writing teachers. The link will take you specifically to resources for ESL students, but it is worth taking a look at the other tabs as well.
  • Magoosh TOEFL Resources. Magoosh is a test prep website that has quite a few free resources available and some excellent overview videos if you are new to teaching the TOEFL.
  • Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The most common use of this website would be to look up example sentences of a word and to show students collocates (words commonly associated with the target word). Additionally, you can analyze texts for word frequency and other vocabulary information (this was formally a separate website known as "Word and Phrase" but is now built into the main COCA website.
  • Applications Chapter from "Writing in the Social Sciences". This is a great chapter from another EdTech Book that could come in useful when teaching about personal statements.
  • Discussing & Citing Sources from "Advanced Writing". This is a great chapter from another EdTech Book that can help you to explain plagiarism and sources.
  • How to Read like a Writer. This might be something you want to share with the reading teacher as a starting point for the discussion about how these two skills overlap.
  • Style from "Writing in the Social Sciences". Another good chapter talking about the fine-tuning of writing. This is not "style" in the sense of APA or MLA.
  • Good Logic from "Rapid Academic Writing". If you're having a particularly difficult time with illogical arguments in the argumentative essay section of this class, it might be good for you to review this chapter. This is not for students, it's a bit too advanced for that. However, it could be a good review (or new information) for you to help you figure out how to address the issues with the thesis statement and supporting arguments.

    • Practice Activities

    The Writing Process

    Word Clouds

    Give the students a prompt and have them make a list of single words that it makes them think of and submit them on Canvas. You may choose to limit the number of words the students submit. Use an online generator such as https://www.wordclouds.com/ View the word cloud created with the students' words and talk about the largest (most common) submissions. Use these to create an example outline.

    Team Writing

    You may start this with each group of students having the same outlines or comparable ones. Using the projector, walk through the general explanations of expanding on an outline as a class. After you demonstrate each step, give the groups time to apply the principles to their group writing. You can provide Google Doc links to the students to work on so you can monitor the progress of all groups from the front and diagnose any mis understanding before moving on to the next step.

    Jamboard Questioning

    Using a Google Jamboard, display a thesis or topic sentence. Have students add sticky notes with questions about the ideas in the sentence that could be used to develop the paragraphs.

    Cut and Paste Essays

    Give students essays (or paragraphs) that have been separated into sections. As students read and discuss as a group, they should decide on the logical order of the sections. For an added challenge, you can leave blanks in each section that the students then need to supply the missing piece for (ex. a missing topic sentence or transition).

    Highlighter Revisions

    Provide groups with multiple copies of the same section of text to revise and highlighters or colored pencils of various colors. Assign each copy of the text and color a revision purpose. For example, yellow might be for cohesion, orange for logical organization, blue for clarity, and green for word choice. Groups will evaluate the draft multiple times with a particular focus and then repeat.

    Spot the Plagiarism

    Give students a handout with multiple original sources. Allow them time to review the content of the handouts. Either project one paragraph at time for the whole class to view or pin various paragraphs around the room before class to get students up and out of their chairs. Students will read the paragraph and identify if there is an example of plagiarism by comparing the content.

    Essay Shape and Organization

    Shape Comparisons

    After students submit their first drafts, choose a few samples of essays. Black out the text to leave only the shape of the writing. Students should not be able to see any of the content of the essay, and therefore anonymity is assured. Discuss potential strengths or weaknesses to the essay based on shape alone.

    Unity Check

    Create a worksheet with paired sentences. They may be combinations of thesis statements and topic sentences, topic sentences and concluding sentences, thesis statements and conclusion restatements, or any other combination. Have students work with a partner to decide if the paired sentences are united in purpose, content, and tone. If there are any changes to be made, have them supply revisions.

    Thesis Jumbles

    As a class, write a few thesis statements on construction paper in large enough letters to be seen by the students. After the class is happy with their statements, use scissors to cut up the thesis statement into its components. Rearrange the pieces by taping them onto the board and using the chalk or whiteboard markers to change part of speech, add additional wording, or change word choice. This can be done at the class level, but you can also give students more control by doing this activity in groups and then having them share their original and revised statements with the whole class.

    Tell Me More

    Take one of the example essays from one of the previous levels of the ELC writing packets. Display it or print out copies for the students. As you go through the essay, have students propose questions wherever they think additional information could be included for more thorough development. After they have generated a list of questions, give the students time to investigate and write out additional paragraphs that would support the original essay.

    Using Sources

    Source Search Demo

    Before doing this activity, be sure to run through the process on your own. Decide on specific search terms for the students to use. Schedule time in the computer lab and a projector to use in the lab as well. Project your computer screen onto the whiteboard for the students to reference as they follow along. Show students how to use Google Scholar and the BYU Library search in its most basic settings. Ensure that students can ask a lot of questions as they explore the search engines along with you. Discuss how to recognize from abstracts if a source may be relevant or not.

    Quote Introductions

    For this practice, find a couple of examples from a recent General Conference or BYU Devotional/Forum. Find examples of quotes within the text. Discuss the different forms of attribution that you see and how the source is integrated into the speaker's own ideas. Although this is spoken, the talks are all written in advance and therefore follow writing standards more than natural speaking patterns.

    What Did They Say?

    Print out some original sources to give to the students. You may collaborate with the reading teacher in your track or find random level-appropriate sources on your own. Give the student time to read the original and create a summary on a piece of paper. Then have the students share their different summaries to their classmates. After they share the summaries, they can share the original with the partner and explain how they decided to create the summary.

    Personal Statements

    Pecha Kucha Presentation

    Pecha Kucha is a style of presentation (present 20 images, each for 20 seconds). The design is meant to give a powerful "show and tell" about a person or a topic they are passionate about. To help students get started with their general personal statement, have them create a written Pecha Kucha. Students should choose 20 images and write 20 words about each. Emphasize choosing the best words since the space is limited. This can be adjusted to be a collaborative assignment with the listening speaking teacher in the track as well.

    Interview Prep

    In groups, have students choose a potential career and list the experience, qualities, and skills that they have as a group that would qualify them for this job. As a class, make a list of potential questions or information that a future employer would ask or look for in an interview. The group will then work together to create a cover letter that highlights their collective abilities as if they were one person. This activity can also be used collaboratively with the listening and track's spekaing teacher by providing them with written support and a list of questions to do mock interviews.

    Elevator Pitch

    This is a writing twist on the idea that you find yourself in an elevator with someone who has the ability to give you the opportunity you want. You have only the short elevator ride to convince that person to offer you that opportunity. In the written version, students have a limited number of words they can use and should have a specific audience in mind as they write their pitch.

    Anecdotal Support

    Give the students an opportunity to practice developing meaningful anecdotes to use in personal statements. Make a list of qualities and/or experiences on the board that would be desirable in work, educational, or personal goal contexts. From there, make a list of personal "plots" that may demonstrate these anecdotes. For example, an experience winning a soccer championship may highlight determination, teamwork, and leadership skills. Develop one of these example anecdotes as a class to show how the story could be used to shape a personal statement. Students should then create their own short personal statement anecdote. If this activity requires extra support, you may collaborate with the reading teacher to review some fables or other classic stories with heavy morals so that students can practice seeing how a story can represent ideals.

    Comparison Essays

    Product Reviews

    Use this in combination with the genre writing product review chapter. Have the students pick a product and different versions of the item to compare (like a listicle: Top 10 books of 2022!). Depending on how thoroughly you want the students to compare characteristics/aspects of the product, you can adjust how many versions they compare. Be sure to show and evaluate example product reviews. Have students read reviews and mark how many points are compared, how the review is organized, and how (or if) the writer presents an opinion.

    Outdoor Comparisons

    This assignment will work particually well in the summer. Have your students choose two outdoor objects to compare. This could be places (ex. the apartment complex pool and neighborhood park), activities (ex. intermural soccer games and hiking the Y), things (ex. a tree outside of the ELC and a tree in Provo Canyon). Assign a certain amount of time that the students need to observe/participate and make notes about each outdoor "object." Then have the students create a 3-5 slide presentation comparing the objects. Each slide should have one comparison point and be well-written. They can present in class or on a Canvas discussion board.

    Book Analysis

    For this activity, be sure that the book students are reading (or just finished) for their reading skill area class is relevant to this writing prompt. Students will identify the problem in the book (ex. The Alchemist: finding the treasure). They will then write out the different solutions in the story or suggest solutions that they believe would have been more effective. Alternatively, this activity could be done with a popular movie that the students are familiar with.

    Argumentative Essays

    Daily Universe Op-Ed

    Either collaborate with the track's reading teacher to preview in class or assign previewing the Daily Universe as homework the night before this activity. Students should look through the articles in the Daily Universe, especially anything in the Opinion Section. As a class, write a short Op-Ed article (2-3 paragraphs) in response to one of the existing opinions. Students can then choose their own Op-Ed to respond to, either to disagree or provide additional support.

    This or That Integrated

    For this activity, choose a low-stakes debate topic (such as cats vs dogs). Physically divide the room into the two different opinions. All students must choose one side of the room, even if they don't have a strong opinion on the topic. Once divided, students should brainstorm a list of reasons and examples to support their opinion. As the two groups present their reasons and examples, the opposing team should listen for the strongest argument that they will respond to. Give students time to create a more thorough outline. You can then watch an example debate on the topic (ex. Good Mythical Morning has a series called Debate-O-Rama with fun debate topics). Students can use the supporting arguments from the example video to strengthen their own arguments. The activity can be expanded by printing anonymized responses and pairing them for students to vote on using stickers. Make sure students are ok with this expansion before planning it. This could also turn into development for a debate in the listening and speaking class.

    Devil's Advocate

    With student permission, display a handful of thesis statements on the board. As a class, create opposing arguments for each thesis statement. Students should mirror the structure of the original thesis statement in their new versions. Students can either self-select an opposing thesis, the teacher can assign groups for each example, or all students could work with the same one. They would then create an outline, introduction, body paragraph etc depending on the stage of writing students are in with their own essays.

    Other Genres of Writing

    Timed Writing Revision

    At the beginning of the activity, pass out strips of paper to each student with a writing assignment. The writing assignments should divide the class into two different thesis statements with a paragraph assignment for each student. On the paper should be a thesis statement and a section of the essay to write (ex. THESIS, body paragraph 1). Give students 10 minutes to write the paragraph that matches their assignment in a Canvas timed quiz. Once all paragraphs have been submitted, compile them into two complete essays in separate Google Docs (or a printed document). Divide the class into two groups, one group for each essay. Give the group the essay with the thesis statement they did not work with. Students should revise the essay from the other group for unity, cohesion, and word choice within the time limit you set as a teacher.

    Skill Area Integration

    Coordinate with the reading and listening/speaking teachers for this practice. Students should read a passage on a topic in the reading class and take notes along with the usual comprehension checks. Students should also listen to a short lecture (also taking notes) and discuss it in the listening and speaking class. In the next writing class after students complete these preparatory tasks, they should write a synthesis paragraph about the two sources. For full inclusion of skill areas, this paragraph can be sent to the Linguistic Accuracy teacher for grammar feedback.

    Prompt and Rubric Analysis

    Provide the students with an example prompt and rubric (if available) for a university level assessment. Use the board to visually break down the prompt into its components. Discuss how the rubric would influence the use of time on this essay.

    Forced Time Schedule

    Create a quiz module on Canvas with a timed survey (grade for completion, not for accuracy) for each section of the essay. Set the time for each section according to a reasonable time schedule (example provided in the timed writing section of the textbook). Students should use a piece of paper for their thesis and topic sentences (outline) to use as a reference throughout the quiz. After students have been prompted through the writing of each section, they should write their revision/edit notes on the other side of their outline paper. This activity can be expanded with a graded reflection on the experience.

    More Prompts

    Managing Feedback

    Giving feedback is an important part of the learning process for both teachers and students. It helps the students know what needs improvement and it gives teachers insight into how much the students understand and learn; it can guide your teaching and their learning. Regardless of what group you are in, feedback can be overwhelming and a little difficult to handle at times. Below you will find some suggestions on how teachers can give feedback while reducing burnout and helping their students improve their writing skills.

    1. Have a clear purpose in mind

    2. Decide on the amount of time you want to spend on feedback

    3. Communicate to students how to use the feedback

    4. Give feedback on one section/task at a time

    5. Narrow the focus of each assignment

    6. Ensure professionalism and eliminate favoritism

    7. Give constructive feedback and praise

    8. Timely feedback

    9. Be specific 

    10. Avoid giving feedback when you are distracted

    11. Create a rubric for each assignment 

    12. Collaborate with your peers

    Teaching Peer Review

    The writing process consists of several parts and each of those parts are equally important. We often start with brainstorming and end with peer review. However, it is often difficult for students to see the benefits of peer review because they often feel overwhelmed and unwilling to give feedback to or receive feedback from their peers as they see it as less beneficial than receiving feedback directly from their teacher. In addition, most of the students are confused as to what peer review entails and how it should be used because they do not receive enough guidance and direction to make it a successful experience.

    Despite all of the above-mentioned concerns, research has shown the many benefits peer review can have on students:

    • Students can get faster feedback from diverse sources (Cho and Schunn, 2007)
    • Student learning improves when they have to give feedback (Lie et al., 2010, 2012; Topping et al., 2013)
    • Facilitates active learning (Liu and Carless, 2006; Cartney, 2010; Nicol, 2011)
    • Improves metacognition and increases independence (Nicol, Thomson, ad Breslin, 2014)
    • Students become self-reflective (Baker, 2016; Cho and Cho, 2011; MacArthur, 2010)

    Below you will find some suggestions that could help eliminate some of the above-mentioned concerns:

    • Directly address your students' concerns at the beginning of the semester. 
    • Provide clear examples and explanations of what they need to look for as they edit their peers' drafts. If they are editing topic sentences, provide a model topic sentence for them.
    • Model it for your students and walk them through your thought process early on in the semester and then again with each assignment. 
    • Use peer review rotations, meaning that 3-4 students review each other's assignments, but each student focuses on a different aspect. For example, one focuses on the topic sentence, another one gives feedback on the concluding sentence, etc. This helps eliminate feelings of overwhelm since one student is not responsible to give feedback on the entire paragraph or essay. 
    • A variation of the above-mentioned point is limiting the scope of the student review. For example, you can have them only look at each other's topic sentences, thesis statements, transition words, etc. as opposed to the whole essay. That way you are emphasizing what they should also have in their own essays or paragraphs. This encourages reflection on their own work as well as on other's and it is not overwhelming.
    • Provide checklists or rubrics for students to follow as they are peer reviewing and ask them to specifically identify the items on the rubric. This helps solidify their mental (or written) image of what something needs to look like. 
    • Define and model what clear feedback should look like. For example, instruct your students to say "do you an example to support this idea?' rather than just saying, 'write more.' Encourage your students to provide actionable feedback (Make sure you model it first). 
    • Instruct your students to provide praise and positive constructive feedback. (See the Providing Feedback section of this book for more details about this.)
    • If students are not comfortable having other students look at their drafts, you can bring anonymous drafts to class and have them work on those.
    • Encourage students to be open-minded about the feedback they receive while still keeping ownership of their drafts. Teach them how to be selective in how they handle the feedback they receive.

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