ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

The purpose of this unit is to improve student competence in writing essays for scholarship applications. One of our two district-wide NCA goals is writing: “Students will improve the quality of writing in all curricula areas.” Data from an NCA survey of Larimore teachers (April 2004) indicates that written language poses difficulty for students at all levels. Pertinent to this unit are difficulties with the following:1) expressing thoughts in written form; 2) putting opinions down on paper; and 3) answering essay questions.
Larimore Public School English Language Arts Curriculum (May 1999) standards that apply include the following: Standard 4: Students engage in the writing process.  Standard 5: Students write for a variety of purposes and audiences.  Standard 7: Students understand and apply knowledge of language principles.
In my Communications course, I have observed that students have difficulty with writing and frequently request assistance with essays that are required on scholarship application forms. I serve on the committee that reviews student applications for various scholarships and have observed the poor quality of writing exhibited in the required essays.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: Students will understand that writing is an ongoing process.
Goal(s):Students will understand the importance of using effective strategies in writing scholarship application essays.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. How does one write effective scholarship application essays?  2. How do evaluators assess essays?  3. How does the writer determine what sets him/her apart from other applicants?
Objectives: 1. Given the opportunity to research an essay-writing website, students working in cooperative groups will use guidelines 1-5 to create a rubric for the final essay.  2. Given the opportunity to consult websites containing proverbs and quotations, students will choose three that are appropriate as opening sentences for their Grace Taylor Stone essays.  3. Given the GraceTaylor Stone (local scholarship) application form, students will implement the eight guidelines to write an effective, error-free essay.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?  No quiz and test items will be included in the assessment in this unit.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Academic prompts will be used throughout the essay writing process. Examples of open-ended questions include the following: 1. What personal characteristics/attributes do you want the evaluators to know about you?  2. What topics can you write about knowledgeably and passionately?  3. What makes a particular essay effective?  4. What might evaluators look for in an essay?
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?  Prewriting, drafts, and the final essay, which will be saved in a portfolio, will be used as evidence of student understanding.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? 1.  Informal observation of student dialogue as they peer edit to make sure they remain on task, and that they offer appropriate/correct suggestions to improve writing.  2. Informal discussion with students throughout the process to determine progress, troubleshoot, provide positive feedback, and allow students to informally assess their work.  3. Students will use cooperative learning to create the rubric that will be used to write and grade the final essay.  4. The role of the learner is on-going self-assessment and improvement.  5. In addition, the learner will mentor classmates through the process of peer editing.

Instructional Strategies

Project-based learning strategies guide students through the process of prewriting, writing, and revising their work to produce an effective scholarship application essay. (Objectives #1 and #3) The two-to-three week project establishes connections between the classroom and the real world of applying for scholarships. Students tap their individual interests and experiences to complete the required essay. (Objectives #1 and #2) Peer editing gives students the opportunity to work collaboratively as they hone their skills to function in a complex thinking environment. (Objective #3) Frequent teacher-student discussion and student-student discussion provide opportunities to receive positive feedback and suggestions for improving their writing. A student-generated rubric allows for authentic assessment for the final essay. (Objective #1) The project is interdisciplinary, incorporating language arts and technology skills.