For New Teachers

If you are new to writing instruction or just looking for a refresher on writing pedagogy, this is a great place to get started.

Creating Writing Assignments

This writing assignment template makes it easy to create writing assignments for your students.

The first step in creating any writing assignment is deciding what you want your students to learn or accomplish by doing the work. You can base your goals on the traits shown in the rubric you will use to grade the students' work. There are two general types of goals:

1. Writing-related goals focus on developing writing skills.

2. Subject-related goals focus on deepening understanding of a particular subject.

The second step in creating a writing assignment is to define the parameters. A complete assignment has five parameters:

	Subject is the general area of interest from which the student will choose a specific topic.
	Purpose is what the student is trying to do in the writing.
	Form refers to the specific type of writing required.

	Audience means the reader—the person the student means to communicate with.
	Role is the position the writer will take.

Due dates for writing assignments depend, of course, on the complexity and length of the project, the ability of the students, and the amount of class time and homework time spent. To help younger or struggling students, you may wish to assign due dates at specific points throughout the process:

Assessment Guidelines

At the beginning of each assignment, students should know what their goals are and how their work will be graded.

Here is the information students need:

	Rubric: Designate the rubric you will use to grade the assignment.
	Traits: List the traits you will assess. (Other rows can be deleted from the rubric.)
	Research: Give any research requirements for the project.
	Overall weight: Assign the project a weight in the student's overall grade.

See Also:

The Writing Process

The Forms of Writing

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Write Source Write Source is a comprehensive program for grades K-12 that provides you with all the resources you need to get started teaching writing. Write Traits® Classroom Kits Trait-specific lessons, age-appropriate models, and detailed assessment rubrics that provide teachers and students with a common language for discussing writing. The Writing Classroom Workshop Designed for educators who want to start "from the beginning" and learn the details of how to incorporate the writing process into their instruction. Write Traits® Workshops Developed by master teacher and author Vicki Spandel, this workshop introduces proven assessment and instructional strategies using 6-traits—the key characteristics of good writing.